Hello again It’s nice to be back! Since March, I’ve taken a bit of time off from the blog. If there’s one thing I promised myself this year, it was that I wouldn’t put any more pressure on myself than I had to. Even when it comes to something I really love doing, I don’t always have the mental energy for it. I wanted to keep it as something I did for fun, not out of a sense of obligation. So, instead of writing the blog, I’ve been reading. As part of the above promise-to-self, I also gave myself the year off from covering the Man Bookers. This year I’m reading whatever I want, because let’s be ..read more

The Suspicions of… Me Many years ago, I read ‘The Suspicions of Mr Whicher’ by Kate Summerscale. At the time, I wasn’t even the true crime buff I am today. What’s more, I’m pretty sure I didn’t even realise it was about a true story until quite late on. To dust off your memories, ‘The Suspicions of Mr Whicher’ is the book which brought Kate Summerscale to fame. In it, she investigates the murder of a child in Wiltshire in 1860. Not only is it a twisty and fascinating story in its own right, but Kate Summerscale somehow managed to turn it into an out-and-out non-fiction thriller. It was a brill ..read more

Hello again, hype beast Around the end of last year, murmurings began about another bestseller-in-the-making that was going to cover everything from racism to terrorism and the apocalypse. By early January, some hyperactive critics had already begun to call it ‘the book of the year’. Perhaps this demonstrates a lack of faith in the rest of the year, but this is certainly a book that’ll stay with you. ‘Leave the World Behind’ starts as a kind of suburban mystery. A young family from the city heads out to the country for a getaway in an Airbnb. They settle in, the kids dive-bombing into the pool ..read more

A short pause Hello again! I’ve taken a few weeks off from posting, more by accident than design. Despite us being in lockdown it’s been strangely busy, and I’ve been snatching up all my spare moments to read rather than write. January is always the hardest month of the year, as far as I’m concerned. It’s bleak, cold, and you’re always broke. This year we had the added bonus of being permanently stuck in doors. While before the lockdown I had a deathly aversion to running, since last year it’s been a source of great solace to me. My only source of endorphins. I’ve been trotting out regularly t ..read more

What a year. Despite my determination not to write the whole year off as a disaster and learn something from it, I have to say I did feel a major weight lifted off my shoulders when the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve. I didn’t quite manage to hit my target this year on my Goodreads year in books (I read 44), so I’ll be keeping the same number (45) for next year. Here’s everything I read: The best of 2020 Some highlights of the year: Getting to read the International Man Booker shortlist. I had just lost my job around this time and didn’t want to drop £60 on books so I decided to f ..read more

A big book for winter In the depths of winter I go into hibernation mode: blankets, large cups of tea, and an enormous book. Something about the cold weather makes me long for fat, epic novels. There’s something comforting about returning to the same characters over a long period of time. This year, it dovetailed nicely with having absolutely nothing to do with my time (thanks, coronavirus) and having developed an interest in Stalingrad from somewhere. I can’t remember where it came from – possibly rewatching old war films and realising I was still completely ignorant about the Eastern front ..read more

It’s that time of year again! During this annus horribilis, few things have brought me more solace than escaping our dystopian reality and diving into some fiction. Being what I am, I tended to dive straight into stories of murder, destruction and hauntings, but these are naturally less scary than living through a goddamn pandemic. I hope that books have brought you some comfort this year, too. And, if your loved ones have rediscovered their love of reading during this time, then all the more reason for celebrating this at Christmas. Without further ado, here’s my guide to the best Christmas g ..read more

Late to the (Halloween) party This post comes very late indeed as I was focusing on the Man Booker shortlist. But I did manage to carve out, pumpkin-like, a little time over Halloween to read two horror novels. If you’re on the hunt for some classic recommendations, head to my Halloween books post. Or, if you’re just interested in why people enjoy horror, there’s this post about why we like a good scare, too. But if you’re here for the newness, let’s get down to business. Two horror novels for your reading delectation This year I picked out two spooky books to read. I pondered over my choices ..read more

Rounding up the contenders We made it! And a little bit early, no less. All shortlisted books for the Man Booker Prize 2020 read. Earlier on this year, I read the International Man Booker shortlist. I was totally blown away by the quality of the books on that list. I also think that I was really lucky in that most of them just really appealed to my tastes as a reader. So, the bar was set high for the Booker shortlist. I’m afraid to say I didn’t enjoy it quite as much. I also think there’s a bit more variety in the types of novels being put up for the prize. It’ll be tricky to call a winner thi ..read more

Final review of this year’s Man Booker books! I’ll do a wrap up shortly on the ones I think are worth reading, but it wouldn’t be fair to do that before covering ‘This Mournable Body’. When the shortlist was announced, I was least excited about this book simply because it’s a sequel. I knew I wouldn’t have time to read the first novel in the series. However ‘This Mournable Body’ stands up very well on its own. I don’t think it’s necessary to read the first one, although it would surely add depth to your appreciation of the novel if you did. I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed ‘This Mour ..read more