👀 First impressions:The Great Work positions itself as a thoughtful, introspective novel concerned with creativity, purpose and the pressure to produce something meaningful. From the outset it is clear that Sheldon Costa is aiming high, exploring big questions about ambition and identity through a character driven narrative. The tone is reflective and literary, signalling that this will…

👀 First impressions:First published in 1991, Outlander opens just after the Second World War and follows Claire Randall, a former combat nurse enjoying a second honeymoon in Scotland. A visit to a mysterious stone circle changes everything when she is thrown back in time to 1743, landing in a Scotland on the brink of rebellion. What follows is…

👀 First impressions:Some Bright Nowhere is a quiet but emotionally weighty novel about marriage, caregiving and the unbearable uncertainty of approaching loss. Eliot and Claire have been married for nearly forty years, their life together shaped by routine, compromise and deep affection. When Claire’s long battle with cancer nears its end, Eliot prepares himself for the practical…

👀 First impressions:Queer Georgians sets out to do something both necessary and joyful: reclaim the Georgian era from the idea that queerness is a modern invention. Anthony Delaney guides the reader through eighteenth century Britain, introducing real historical figures whose lives, relationships and identities challenge the neat, heterosexual narratives we are often taught. Drawing on letters,…