Translated by Ian Giles Last January I read and reviewed the first book in this series set in Norway’s Nordland district capital Bødo. Into Thin Air introduced us to Chief Investigator Jakob Weber, and his colleagues, Noora Sande recently transferred north from Kripos, to get away from an abusive ex, and detectives Armann and Fine. Read More
Review catch-up
In an effort to clear the review pile, here are three shorter reviews of some of my outstanding pile! The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson I read relatively little historical fiction, but occasionally an author grabs me as Laura Shepherd-Robinson has done. I loved her previous novel The Square of Sevens, a Georgian Read More
Reading Resolutions & Plans 2026
Happy New Year to you all! As is customary, here are a few aims and plans for my reading in 2026. Resolutions Plans In mid-Jan, my critical reading class with Galley Beggar begins. Our first read will be The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine and I’ll report back on how that goes. I plan to resurrect Read More
My Year in Books Read: 2025
I’d forgotten about this meme which usually resurfaces in December. It’s such fun to answer the prompts from your annual reading list. See also Susan’s and Cathy746‘s posts. I’ve done different versions of this in 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2016, 2011 and 2009. The questions vary sometimes, but I’m staying with last year’s set. Where it originally came from is lost in Read More
Review of the Year #3, 2025 – Books of the Year!
It’s finally time for me to share my favourite books of the year with you. It’s always a difficult and enjoyable decision to make! I read 110 books this year (up to Christmas), of which I awarded 10/10 to 22 titles – many more than last year, and indicating some good reading choices; an awful Read More
Review of the Year #2 – 2025, It’s Book Stats Time!
Although I’ve cut down on the graphs these days, my master spreadsheet is still going strong. I love playing with all the data, mining it for nuggets of information that will tell me if my reading habits have changed. In truth, they bobble along generally, but there are some general trends, I think. Without further Read More
Review of the Year #1 – 2025, A Year of Reading and Blogging
As always, I’m saving my books of the year for the 31st, and you’ll get my book stats (my favourite post) on the 29th, but today as in previous years I’m sharing my blogging highlights, including all those reading weeks, months and challenges I took part in over the year and plenty else including Shiny Read More
Two Reids: Novels by Taylor Jenkins and Ava!
That’s right, it’s ‘Reid’ not ‘Two Reeds’ as any Only Connect fans will giggle at, and they’re authors of very different novels. Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid Joan always dreamed of going to the stars, single-mindedly becoming an astrophysics professor and then applying to NASA, and to her immense joy, being accepted onto the astronaut Read More
Non-Fiction Review Catch-up
I am sooo behind in my reviews at the moment, so you’ll see a couple of catch-up posts before I get onto my traditional year-end fare. Today it’s non-fiction, with 4 memoirs. Without further ado… Children of Radium by Joe Dunthorne Back at the end of May when this was published, I went to see Read More
#DoorstoppersInDecember: 1 sublime, 1 DNF – MacInnes & Winton
Laura is hosting #DoorstoppersInDecember partly as an antidote to #NovNov25, but as the weather gets colder/more unpredictable, what’s better than getting stuck into a chunky novel. There are no hard and fast rules as to what constitutes a doorstopper, but I’d normally call a book over 450 pages a chunkster. So far this month, I’ve Read More
Autumn Watchlist
It’s ages since I shared my watchlist and there’s been some great telly indeed over the past few months. My top 2 binge watches have been both Mick Herron adaptations on Apple TV+. Series 5 of Slow Horses was darker than the previous ones – building up to series 6 which is already in the Read More
Six Degrees of Separation: Seascraper
It’s time for the super monthly tag Six Degrees of Separation, which is hosted by Kate at Booksaremyfavouriteandbest, Six Degrees of Separation #6degrees picks a starting book for participants to go wherever it takes them in six more steps. Links to my reviews are in the titles of the books chosen. The starter book this month is: Seascraper Read More
Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie – Book Group report
Finding flora and fauna books beginning with ‘U’ was difficult until someone suggested ursa for bear – which led me to suggest this one, which has been languishing on my shelves, and it came out of the hat. This debut novel was published in 2022, and unashamedly goes for a similar look to the huge Read More
Blackwater by Sarah Sultoon – blog tour
A few years ago, I very much enjoyed Dirt by Sarah Sultoon, which was set in an Israeli kibbutz near the Lebanese border, a multi-stranded thriller that was full of tension. Sultoon is an award-winning journalist who worked for CNN and Channel 4, and has extensive knowledge of world situations. Interestingly, she set that novel Read More
Two more for #NovNov25 : Tawada and Bemelmans
I’ve done well on short books for Novellas in November, hosted by Rebecca and Cathy, reading nine including the Seascraper – the buddy read. Here are short reviews of numbers 7 & 8. The ninth, The Cat, by Georges Simenon, I’ll be reviewing for Shiny soon. The Bridegroom was a Dog by Yoko Tawada, Translated Read More
The Author’s Guide to Murder by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White
When three prolific and bestselling authors get together to write a novel, you can imagine potential fallings out as easily as you can them getting on and enjoying the process. Williams, Willig and White, “Team W” as they’re known, have already written four novels together, and this, their fifth is a locked room murder mystery, Read More
Three more novellas for #NovNov25: Hession,Wood and Keun
Three more reviews of very different novellas for you. Rónán Hession’s follow-up to the lovely Leonard and Hungry Paul, the buddy read for #NovNov25 and a German classic from the 1930s which also ticks off German Lit Reading Month. Panenka by Rónán Hession Leonard & Hungry Paul was a huge word of mouth hit, recently Read More
Kathy Burke – A Mind of My Own
My reading during Nonfiction November has been purely memoirs this year, and the three I’ve read so far have all been superb! Hopefully I may fit one more in this month. Meanwhile here is my review of the first one: This woman is indeed a national treasure! She has forged a successful acting, directing and Read More
Little Bookshop of Murders by Nicki Thornton and Book Group Report on Campion #14, Margery Allingham
I will begin with full disclosure. I’ve known Nicki for many years now – she and her husband Mark opened Mostly Books in Abingdon back in the mid noughties, and I strived to be their best customer! Some years later the couple sold the bookshop on to its new owner Sarah, where it continues to Read More
Butlin, Sajko & El-Mohtar for #NovNov25
My first three reviews for Novellas in November, hosted by Rebecca and Cathy – one not what I expected, one intense and stream of consciousness and one rather lovely. The Sound of My Voice by Ron Butlin Championed by Kim and Lizzy, this 1987 novella is billed on the cover by Irvine Welsh as “A Read More
Choosing Nonfiction – Nonfiction November 2025week 2
Week two is hosted by Frances at Volatile Rune. The subject is how you choose the NF books you read. I could almost just copy and paste my post from last year as I don’t think much has changed in the way I do this. My favourite genres remain the same: However, is it me, Read More
An A-Z of Novellas for #NovNov25
I have shamelessly stolen this idea from the lovely Simon at Stuck in a Book as a curtain-raiser to Novellas in November hosted by Rebecca and Cathy. So, here is my A-Z of novellas and short NF all under 200 pages worth reading from recent years – and no, I couldn’t find an X one Read More
Six Degrees of Separation: We Have Always Lived in the Castle
It’s time for the super monthly tag Six Degrees of Separation, which is hosted by Kate at Booksaremyfavouriteandbest, Six Degrees of Separation #6degrees picks a starting book for participants to go wherever it takes them in six more steps. Links to my reviews are in the titles of the books chosen. The starter book this month is: We Read More
The Winter Job by Antti Tuomainen – blog tour
Translated by David Hackston For me, Antti Tuomainen is the new Antoine Laurain! When Gallic Books (now part of Pushkin Press) introduced Laurain via his novel The President’s Hat it was a big word of mouth hit, and most years, they added another of his novels to their lists building up a devoted following. I’ve Read More
Shiny Linkiness
I’m over at Shiny New Books today in a three-hander review along with Liz and Karen of some new titles from Lonely Planet. Lonely Planet Journey – Route 66 My choice was totally new guide Route 66 – which is a traditional Lonely Planet travel guide, but with upped insight content – loads of interesting Read More
My Year in Nonfiction
Nonfiction November runs for 5 weeks from today! As always, week 1 is ‘My Year in NF’, and is hosted by Heather. I’ve participated since 2017! My best ever NF year was 2019 when I read 33 books, making up 25% of my total. This year, I’ve read the fewest non-fiction books for ages, just 9 Read More
King Sorrow by Joe Hill
Even when I knew it would be a doorstop brick of a novel, I gulped and said ‘yes’ when offered a proof of Hill’s sixth novel, having really enjoyed two previously; Heart-Shaped Box and The Fireman. I can say that although the book was heavy going – to hold, needing a rest with its soft Read More
Black as Death by Lilja Sigurðardóttir – blog tour
Translated by Lorenza Garcia Black as Death is the fifth and last novel in the ‘Áróra Investigation’ series, which has a continuing arc. You could join the series here, but you would miss the back story to the characters. So please be aware there may be slight spoilers ahead. The first novel, Cold as Hell, started Read More
The 1925 Club
It’s the latest year reading Club hosted by Kaggsy & Simon. I couldn’t find any 1925 books in my TBR, but I have read and reviewed a couple of the greats published that year and a couple of others too. Links to full reviews are in the titles. Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf The archetype Read More
Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann – book group report
Translated by Anthea Bell This was our book group’s pick for S is for… Sheep in this case as we make our way through the tail end of our Flora & Fauna alphabet theme for picking books. First published back in 2005, in German under the title Glennkill, and translated into English that year by Read More
