New to the wonderful world of Agatha Christie? Not sure where to start? Read on for some recommendations from across her canon, from creepy Marple novels and classic Poirot mystery…
Which Agatha Christie novels to start with: Top Agatha Christie books
The Bostonians by Henry James (1886)
Henry James is a genius of social dynamics, which is evident in this classic, yet lesser-appreciated, novel that looks at politics, social class, and the ever-evolving “Woman Question”. First coming…
Meurtre au Champagne (Sparkling Cyanide) by Agatha Christie (Book review)
It was really fun to read this Agatha Christie in French! And the title was also beautifully translated….. This book has one of my fave Agatha Christie tropes: murder in…
Debout les morts by Fred Vargas (Book review)
I have to say, I love Fred Vargas. She’s one of my favourite French crime writers because of how she blends history with crime and mystery so effortlessly. These books…
Lullaby by Leïla Slimani (Book review)
This had been on my tbr for a while: I remember it making quite a splash when it first came out. And part of the reading experience was finally seeing…
Otages by Nina Bouraoui (Book review)
Pictured: reading in Montmartre with an iconic black cat in the vicinity. I picked up this slim French novel a while ago. When I started reading, I realised it was…
Flesh by David Szalay (Book review)
This book is really well written and I finished it quite quickly, but it also left me feeling a bit empty. There’s a bluntness to the narrative and a lack…
The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller (Review)
I get the hype with this one: I read this pretty quickly & it’s not a short book! Set during the 1962-3 UK Big Freeze in a village outside Bristol,…
Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh (Book review)
This debut novel by Chukwuebuka Ibeh is a rewarding read; I devoured it and enjoyed discussing it at book club. It’s a layered queer/family story about a boy, Obiefuna, who…
I Want to Go Home But I’m Already There by Róisín Lanigan (Review)
This book is pitched as a millennial horror story about today’s bankrupt rental landscape. And I could definitely relate to much of the shit landlord and substandard housing chat in…
Murder of a Lady: A Scottish Mystery by Anthony Wynne (Review)
I picked up this book because I’d recently visited the Scottish Highlands, and I was in the mood for a classic murder mystery set in that landscape. And indeed, some…
Up the Junction by Nell Dunn (Review)
This was an interesting little Virago book that lifts the lid on 1960s factory girls in London through a series of short stories. Expect trauma delivered staccato style and sleek characters…
Under the Jaguar Sun by Italo Calvino
This collection of short stories has an interesting history: it was meant to be part of a larger collection of stories, The Five Senses, where each story was connected to…
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
A stunning debut from 2016, this vast multigenerational epic starts in the 18th century in the Asante kingdom, and follows the descendants of one woman. You have one family line…
Reflections in a Golden Eye by Carson McCullers
This aesthetic Penguin Archives edition was a really lovely read thanks to the beautiful prose of McCullers. This narrative was first published in 1941: it’s a classical tragedy set in…
Felicia’s Journey by William Trevor
A new discovery for me, Trevor won the Whitbread three times and was shortlisted for the Booker prize five times, so I am clearly late to the game! He comes…
Memento Mori by Muriel Spark
I’ve been on a bit of a Muriel Spark binge, and Memento Mori is a great classic one to read! It’s a thriller that examines death and ageing, but in…
Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight by Riku Onda
The premise of the book states that this is a story about two people, spending the night together (awake) in an empty apartment before they say goodbye, and both of…
Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh
This book is a bit of a head-fuck, and not necessarily in a bad way. It’s the kind of book that leaves you low-key thinking, what the actual fuck is…
Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth
A sultry book about first love, desire, and growing up in a small Irish community. What happens in your bones and your heart when you’re with a person? If there’s…
Spirits of the Season: Christmas Hauntings, edited by Tanya Kirk
This was my final read of 2025, and it was a really enjoyable one. This collection brings together a superb selection of classic ghost stories from writers such as E….
A Highland Christmas by M.C. Beaton
M.C. Beaton, aka Marion Chesney, is originally from Glasgow, so it was quite interesting to read her perspective on the Highlands, especially as I’m currently staying here myself. It added…
The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie
First coming out in 1960, I’ve enjoyed hearing about this short story collection on the 1960s Agatha Christie podcast The Swinging Christies, so it made for a great seasonal &…
Mrs. S by K.Patrick
This is a sultry summery novel, a weird one to read at the end of the year, but one that I found myself enjoying a lot! Good prose and premise…
Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie
What a fun Hercule Poirot story this was! From 1937, we have a “Victorian” lady who is being visited by younger relatives. They want her money, but she’s not going…
Not to Disturb by Muriel Spark
This was such a great little book! My second Muriel Spark of recent times, this is the sort of book where you just sort of let the story and the…
The Haunted Hotel by Wilkie Collins
This is a fun and engaging read. It feels very Victorian, very Collins, very seasonal sensation somehow! This is a fireside fright told by the flickering fire with a hot…
Lady L by Romain Gary
Lady L was a really great little novella in the great Penguin Archive editions I love, and I’m surprised I hadn’t picked it up sooner. It begins as a seemingly…
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jaqueline Harpman, trans. Ros Schwartz
Honestly, I was surprised by how quiet and peaceful this novel felt to me. I think all the marketing around “women trapped in cages” and the dystopian label had led…
Muumilaakson marraskuu (Moominvalley in November) by Tove Jansson
A very apt final book from November, I loved reading in Finnish again. I started the year reading Tove’s childhood autobiography in Finland, so it felt apt to be ending…
Misunderstanding in Moscow by Simone de Beauvoir
This short novella by the brilliant Simone de Beauvoir was a bit of a strange one for me. On the one hand, I really enjoyed the depth of the story…
A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie
I read A Pocket Full of Rye during a pretty stressful time of year, and as always, Christie delivered as a comfort read. This Miss Marple novel has a particularly…
Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie
I really enjoyed reading this book, and pairing it with the corresponding “Swinging Christie’s” @christie_time podcast episode about it made the experience even more interesting, plus I also watched the recent Kenneth…
Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor trans. Sophie Hughes
This book is so visceral that it almost leaves a taste in your mouth: the metallic taste of blood most likely…. Violent and taut, it’s a book that is nevertheless…
Seascraper by Benjamin Wood
Such a beautiful short book: I am glad I listened to the hype on this one. A book about youthful hopes and dreams, it’s also an elegiac tale about changing…
By the Pricking of My Thumbs by Agatha Christie
This book made for a cozy, seasonal experience: all mystery, atmosphere, and a touch of the uncanny with a soupçon of the ridiculous. I actually think the Tommy and Tuppence…
Surge by Jay Bernard
Surge by Jay Bernard is a haunting yet deeply life-affirming collection of poetry. It responds to the tragic events of the 1981 New Cross Fire in London: a birthday party…
The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding
This is such an intriguing and quietly powerful mid-century murder novel. Despite having inspired hit film adaptations and earning praise from Raymond Chandler, it still seems to have flown under…
The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma
This was an intense but good read, Shakespearean/ mythical in its portrayal of sibling conflict and prophecy in an Igbo family. We’re in Akure in the 1990s and Ikenna, the…
A Clergyman’s Daughter by George Orwell
This is a more obscure Orwell read, one that he himself and critics found lacking, but I really enjoyed this. Dorothy is daughter of a curmudgeonly Anglican rector, and the…
After Leaving Mr Mackenzie by Jean Rhys
This is a bleak novel about precarious survival in big cities, perfect for this time of year. Despite the bleakness, the beautiful prose of Rhys carries you through this narrative…
A Separation by Katie Kitamura
Taut and engaging, this reminds me of the sparse and emotionally direct prose of Rachel Cusk and Deborah Levy, with a thriller edge. Really glad I picked this up to…
Liza of Lambeth by W. Somerset Maugham
Continuing the grand tradition of a Victorian doctor writing books: this book was written by Maugham right after finishing his medical studies. It’s his first book published in 1897. This…
The Turn of the Screw and Other Stories by Henry James
This collection is a masterclass in psychological ghost stories: elegant, unbeatable in premise, and full of that Jamesian ambiguity. 🔩The Turn of the Screw (1898) A young governess takes a job…
Lois the Witch by Elizabeth Gaskell
This book is a document of mass hysteria and trauma. First published in a collection in 1861, I love this Penguin Archive edition. Set in 17th century Salem, you know…
Daisy Miller And Other Stories by Henry James
These stories are the perfect examples of why James is known as the master of the short story. Touching on art, innocence, and creativity, they work well as a collection!…
Crooked Cross by Sally Carson
A forgotten 1934 novel that feels frighteningly relevant today and that I almost couldn’t believe was actually written in 1934 by an Englishwoman. Sally Carson died young in 1941, never…
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
This book had some uneven qualities for me, but it turned out to be a surprisingly apt seasonal read, blending humour with a creeping darkness. On one hand, parts of…
Love Child by Jean Bedford
I picked this book up secondhand when I was in Hay-on-Wye, not realising it was actually quite an obscure little gem. It’s hard to describe because it’s so short, yet…
The Last September by Elizabeth Bowen
Felt like an obvious September pick, but this wasn’t the effortless read I expected. I’ve enjoyed Bowen before, yet I found myself wading through a slightly disjointed narrative, with many…