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…
Muumilaakson marraskuu (Moominvalley in November) by Tove Jansson
A Mind To Murder by P.D James
This was a fun #spinsterseptember read where both the victim and some suspects fit the spinster description! Spinsters plus murder make for a fun read. What happens when an unpopular medical…
Strong Poison by D.L. Sayers
Iconic, sarcastic, totally over the top as only a 1930s aristocratic sleuth can be, this is the novel where Lord Peter Wimsey meets his match, Harriet Vane (though Harriet will…
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…
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…
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…
Deborah Levy’s Living Autobiography Series: Feminism, Writing & Space
Deborah Levy’s Living Autobiography series is a fascinating blend of memoir, essay, and narrative reflection. Comprising three books—Things I Don’t Want to Know, The Cost of Living, and Real Estate—the…
Children of Dune by Frank Herbert
This is the third book of the Dune series! It very much focuses on the next generation of the Atreides dynasty and the challenges of dynastic rule. How to revive…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
The Hotel Avocado 🥑 by Bob Mortimer
This is the second book in the series, and I definitely loved this as much as previous one, The Satsuma Complex🍊 I’m not even usually a big comic writing fan,…
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…
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…
Things I Don’t Want to Know by Deborah Levy
The first book in her “living autobiography” series, this is a response to George Orwell’s “Why I Write” which I read so long ago that I don’t really know in…
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…
Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen
Three books in one, Tove Ditlevsen’s Copenhagen trilogy was a revelation! A well-known Danish poet and writer, Ditlevsen tracks her life growing up in Copenhagen, grafting, writing, and figuring out…