Category: Book Review
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👀 First impressions:I picked up Past Mortem without knowing much about Ben Elton’s crime fiction, though I was familiar with his comedy writing and TV work. The premise immediately grabbed me: a detective is forced to investigate murders connected to his own past when his old university friends start being killed off one by one. It’s…
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👀 First impressions:The Colony is one of those books that had been quietly recommended to me by enough thoughtful readers that I finally caved and picked it up, and I am so glad I did. Audrey Magee is an Irish novelist and former journalist, and this is her second novel, which was longlisted for the Booker Prize…
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👀 First impressions: I have been a C.J. Tudor fan for a while now, ever since The Chalk Man hooked me back in the day, and I will basically pick up anything she writes. The Drift was billed as a bit of a departure for her, leaning more into post-apocalyptic horror territory while keeping that signature creepy thriller atmosphere, and…
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👀 First impressions:North and South had been sitting on my classics TBR for embarrassingly long before I finally picked it up, mostly because I knew it was going to ask something of me. Elizabeth Gaskell published it in 1854, originally as a serial in Charles Dickens’ magazine Household Words, and it has quietly built up a devoted following…
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👀 First impressions:Big Nobody was one of those books that kept catching my eye on bookshop tables and Instagram feeds for weeks before I finally gave in and picked up a copy. It arrived with the sort of fanfare that always makes me a little wary, because books that promise to be the funniest, freshest, most original…
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👀 First impressions:The Pillars of the Earth is a sweeping historical epic from Ken Follett, an author better known at the time for his fast-paced spy thrillers like Eye of the Needle. Published in 1989, this novel marked a huge shift in genre for him and went on to become his most beloved work, earning a…
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👀 First impressions:Devolution is a gripping and atmospheric survival horror novel from Max Brooks, best known for World War Z. This time, he swaps zombies for something far more primal and unsettling: Bigfoot. Set in a remote, eco-conscious community in the Pacific Northwest, the story unfolds through a series of journal entries, interviews, and official reports following a devastating…
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👀 First impressions:What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon is one of those sweeping, emotional stories that immediately pulls you in with both its romance and its historical depth. Blending time travel with real events from Ireland’s fight for independence, the novel follows Anne Gallagher as she is unexpectedly transported from her present-day life into 1921 Ireland after returning…
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👀 First impressions:American War is one of those books that feels unsettlingly plausible from the very first page. Set in a future where climate change has reshaped the United States and a second civil war has broken out over the use of fossil fuels, the novel follows Sarat Chestnut, a young girl growing up in the shadow…
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👀 First impressions:Set in Glasgow in 1979, Bad, Bad Place immediately grounds itself in a gritty, close-knit community where everyone knows everyone and secrets don’t stay buried for long. Frances Crawford draws you in with a chilling premise and a strong emotional core, blending crime with a deeply personal story about family and fear. At the heart of the novel is twelve-year-old…