This one was an easy read, a thriller set in the Fens where a couple running busy lives and three children must confront a dark secret from one of their…
The Hidden Room by Stella Duffy
The Details by Ia Genberg
This book blew me away: the premise is so striking and original! During a fever, the narrator revisits memories of four people who have marked her deeply. Each section is…
My Favourite by Sarah Jollien-Fardel
This was a deeply reflective read: a blend of lush nature and landscape, and searing emotional pain and community ills. A great translation from Holly James, this slim book packs…
The Voyage Home by Pat Barker
I’ve read Barker’s Trojan war series over the years and I’ve enjoyed its analysis of the Battle of Troy and the aftermath of the war from the women‘s perspective. This…
In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
In the Time of the Butterflies is a really magical & warm novel: intelligent, moving, and powerful. Julia Alvarez brings to life the story of the Mirabal sisters (known as…
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
This is the latest installment in Elizabeth Strout’s beloved Lucy Barton series and we get the convergence of two of Strout’s iconic characters: Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge. Strout’s signature…
Someone from the Past: A London Mystery by Margot Bennett
I looked into this book’s background and its Scottish author, Margot Bennett. This 1958 novel won the annual Crime Writers’ Association’s award (Golden Dagger). After winning, Bennet never returned to…
On the Greenwich Line by Shady Lewis
This is a brilliant, baroque, honest novel that doesn’t pull its punches. It offers a searing critique of the welfare state, exposing how bureaucratic systems can quietly and efficiently kill…
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
As a fan of Osman’s work, I was curious to see what he’d come up with next with this new murder mystery series—and I have to say, We Solve Murders…
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
I started reading this book because I knew that the Lucy Barton series would soon intersect with the character of Olive Kitteridge and I was curious to see what she…
Twenty Fragments of a Ravenous Youth by Xiaolu Guo
I wasn’t immediately aware that this was actually my second book by Xiaolu Guo until I began reading it, but from the moment I started, I was captivated by its…
Bitter by Francesca Jakobi
You know a book has left its mark when you rush to find more books by the same author… only to feel that pang of disappointment when you discover it’s…
August is a Wicked Month by Edna O’Brien
I really wanted to love this book more than I did. I knew this book had been controversial/banned when it first came out in 1965 so I was expecting a…
The Nickel Boys by Colston Whitehead
A devastating read that’s even more terrifying when you realise it’s based on a real Floridian “reform school” – Dozier. What horrors and secrets lie in the archives and burial…
Reading Romance: The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller
I remember a bookseller being super judgemental when I asked whether he stocked this title! It was honestly a pretty funny moment as I am very confident in my literary…
Gravel Heart by Abdulrazak Gurnah
Abdulrazak Gurnah’s Gravel Heart is a beautifully written novel that reads like a memoir, yet at its core, it’s a poignant exploration of family secrets, displacement, and the immigrant experience….
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
This debut novel set in small-town America is not always a 100% tone perfect read, but it is definitely worth checking out. It’s exuberant and joyful, yet also hits hard…
So Thrilled For You by Holly Bourne
This was a fun holiday read. Arson has erupted at a baby shower. It is a hot summer’s day and everyone and everything is melting, including the fancy cupcakes. What…
Pearls Before Swine by Margery Allingham
This was my first Marjorie Allingham and it was a fun Blitz era romp set in a London worn down by the war. Published in 1945, it would have been…
Kudos by Rachel Cusk
I’ve read a lot of Rachel Cusk, and I was really surprised that I had never actually finished the Outline trilogy! It was fun to visit my “lockdown” author and…
Dracula by Bram Stoker
What a joy to read! I think the legend built around this book sometimes obscure what a great read it really is… Some beautiful plotting in this 1897 bestseller. I…
It Lasts Forever and then It’s Over by Anne De Marcken
So this was a weird one for me! Have you ever read a book you respect and like, but maybe don’t always enjoy so much? I think some of the…
Cover Her Face by P.D James
This great pastel edition celebrates her first 1962 novel, Cover Her Face, and it actually is part of an imprint that celebrates first novels: the Faber Firsts. Caught my eye…
Whale Fall by Elizabeth O’Connor
This is a really unique book, set in a Welsh island community in the 1930s, a young woman seeks to reconcile her need for adventure and the love she has…
Madonna In a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali
A modern Turkish classic, first published in 1943, this is a bittersweet tale of love, identity, intimacy, and friendship. It wasn’t translated into English until 2016! Raif, an “innocent” Turkish…
The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Stylesin Tapaus) by Agatha Christie
I’ve read two books in Finnish so far this year, something I rarely do these days, but I’m very pleased I did! Reading Christie in Finnish takes me back to…
Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert
Dune part two packs a punch! What a way to start off my 2025…. (this was actually the first book I finished this year). We pick up the action quite…
Dead Man’s Folly by Agatha Christie
One of my early year reads: an easy one to keep up with amongst all the festive and travel shenanigans. Ariadne Oliver and Hercule Poirot join forces in this tale…
Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie
Despite the subtitle, this did not have much in it that made it seem like “the last Marple case” – she seemed her usual sprightly self! This cover is another…
Dune by Frank Herbert
I’m not the biggest science fiction aficionado but this was a real pleasure to read. Herbert didn’t necessarily make it easy to get into the book, but once it gets…
A Whole Life by Robert Seethaler
I read his The Tobacconist years ago, which was a wonderful read as well – a moving tale of wartime Vienna seen through the eyes of a young apprentice to…
Lucy By the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
These are just too easy to read! My account is quickly becoming a Lucy Barton series appreciation page and I won’t apologise 😬 This book is the “lockdown” novel of…
Murder is Easy by Agatha Christie
I love a Christmas Christie! This is not a Poirot or a Marple, but it’s a fun detective novel anyways. Published in 1939, this is actually the first edition dust…
The Last Devil To Die by Richard Osman
I love this book series and felt like this one was definitely a highlight. It’s always a bit of a nerve-wracking time to sit down and read the latest book…
Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout
Reading the Lucy Barton series has been a lot of fun, and this one was the probably my favourite one yet. In this book we examine Lucy’s relationship with her…
A Jealous Ghost by A.N Wilson
This was a fun seasonal horror remake! Massive fan of books inspired by literary classics, just can’t help myself. Retelling/ engaging with The Turn of the Screw by Henry James,…
The Last Song of Penelope by Claire North
I’ve read the entire Penelope series by Claire North. Feminist, comic, engaging, and insightful, the retelling of Penelope focuses on her queenhood on Ithaca and female solidarity. This final book…
Modern Baptists by James Wilcox
This was a bit of a revelation! In the intro they make the point that Wilcox perhaps never attained the same reputation as his contemporaries writing about similar social issues…
Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout
I’m on the Lucy Barton bandwagon, better late than never! I’m glad I found this series, and I like how it’s not traditionally chronological. This second book of the Lucy…
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
I can’t believe I hadn’t read this one before! It’s a surreal and though-provoking gem. I really enjoyed this book and the premise: one woman’s journey to her own kind…
Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan
Devastating in the best possible way. I don’t know if that’s a real thing, but that is how the book felt to me. Exquisite and painful. Such unbelievable human and…
Hera by Jennifer Saint
Catching up with my holiday reading reviews! Jennifer Saint is another author I’ve followed for awhile, reading her Ariadne, Atalanta, and Elektra books in this same “series” of revisionist books…
Death Valley by Melissa Broder
I’m a fan of Broder’s writing and have hoovered up her novels as they come out, and this one was no different. It’s a simple premise sprinkled with some funky…
Peril at End House by Agatha Christie
Another Hercule Poirot mystery from the Queen of crime! This one wasn’t as good as Sad Cypress that I have just recently read, but it’s still pretty good. The premise…
The List by Yomi Adegoke
This book was hyped, which I always have mixed feelings about. It can be hard to drop the “what’s the hype” lens. Here’s the premise: what if your fiancé ends…
O’Pioneers by Willa Cather
My family book club read! This is technically part of her plains novel trilogy, but I think most people read her much more famous work My Antonia. (I’m not sure…
My Name is Lucy Barton, by Elizabeth Strout
My very bookish friend encouraged me to read Strout, as I hadn’t read any before, and I wasn’t disappointed! I wolfed down this first part of her Lucy Barton book…
Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie
This is a murder mystery and court room drama a la Poirot, but I was also really taken by the romance of this book. The story of Elinor Carlisle, Roddy,…
Flowers for Mrs Harris (also Mrs ‘Arris Goes to Paris) by Paul Gallico
Now, first of all, Paul Gallico is a great writer. Go and track him down. Secondly, this was a great read. Like I was very entertained, touched, and had a…
Good Material by Dolly Alderton
I actually really enjoyed this one! I say “actually” as I wasn’t sure about the blurb (another 30-something London breakup story). But, infuriating as he can be, I actually loved…