I’ve read a few quite heavy books recently, and this lovely novella by Ben Aaronovitch was just what I needed to re-orientate myself to a happier reading place. Abigale is a teenaged black girl in London who is learning about magic from Nightingale and The Folly, but strikes out on her own to solve aContinue reading “What Abigail Did That Summer: A Rivers of London Novella – Ben Aaronovitch – 02.09.24”
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The Mars House (Audiobook) – Natasha Pulley – 01.09.24
There were lots of things which I loved about this book – I loved how the title character was called January because his mum messed up filling in his birth certificate and wrote his birth month where his name was supposed to go! I loved the little factoids about language and word origins from theContinue reading “The Mars House (Audiobook) – Natasha Pulley – 01.09.24”
The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks – 28.08.24
Wow. This book is like the burst you get in your brain from eating too much wasabi. It is riveting, compelling, fascinating, beautiful, horrible, disturbing… I could go on but that would be boring, which is one thing this book isn’t. Like peeking through fingers at some horrific news story or road traffic accident, youContinue reading “The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks – 28.08.24”
The Memory of Animals – Claire Fuller – 25.08.24
I was totally engrossed by this book, and had a couple of very late nights reading it on my kindle in bed! The opening is similar to 28 days later (or indeed, The Day of The Triffids) in that the main character, Neffy, is one of the few survivors of a terrible pandemic. She hadContinue reading “The Memory of Animals – Claire Fuller – 25.08.24”
The Coast Road (Audiobook) BOOKGROUP – Alan Murrin (Author), Jessica Regan (Narrator) – 24.8.24
This was my book group read for September 2024 and I have to say, wow, what a great book. We had a book group outing to No Alibis bookshop in Belfast and the staff were very helpful in suggesting several books for our next read, and this was one of them. A incredibly well-written debutContinue reading “The Coast Road (Audiobook) BOOKGROUP – Alan Murrin (Author), Jessica Regan (Narrator) – 24.8.24”
The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency (Spencer & Bart Book 1) – Peter Oxley – 23.4.24
This book has hundreds of five star reviews on Amazon, and I find myself wondering if they were all written by Peter Oxley’s mates, because I did not find the book to be great at all. Set in the squalid streets of 18 hundred’s London, two low level criminals decide to go straight by settingContinue reading “The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency (Spencer & Bart Book 1) – Peter Oxley – 23.4.24”
Northern Lights: His Dark Materials Trilogy, Book 1 – Philip Pullman (Audiobook). Narrated by: Philip Pullman, full cast – 13.08.24
The Subtle Knife: His Dark Materials Trilogy, Book 2 – Philip Pullman (Audiobook). Narrated by: Philip Pullman, cast – 15.08.24 The Amber Spyglass: His Dark Materials Trilogy, Book 3 – Philip Pullman (Audiobook). Narrated by: Philip Pullman, cast – 18.08.24 I have read/watched/listened to Philip Pullman’s magnificent trilogy several times and it never ceases toContinue reading “Northern Lights: His Dark Materials Trilogy, Book 1 – Philip Pullman (Audiobook). Narrated by: Philip Pullman, full cast – 13.08.24”
Disgrace – J.M. Coetzee – 16.08.24
This was a very thought provoking and beautifully written novel about a very unpleasant person. David Lurie is a 52 year old divorced English professor in Cape Town. When his weekly triste with a prostitute ends he stalks her for a while, but he is turned off by seeing her in ‘real life’ with her ownContinue reading “Disgrace – J.M. Coetzee – 16.08.24”
Dogs of War (Audiobook) – Adrian Tchaikovsky – 09.08.24
Bear Head (Audiobook) – Adrian Tchaikovsky –11.08.24 Because I loved Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky, I went to see what else he had on Amazon, and Dogs of War audiobook was included free in my audible membership, so I gave it a go. The themes are similar to Service model, although this duology is notContinue reading “Dogs of War (Audiobook) – Adrian Tchaikovsky – 09.08.24”
The Rabbit Factor – Antti Tuomainen – 30.07.24
The Moose Paradox – Antti Tuomainen – 06.08.24 The Beaver Theory – Antti Tuomainen – 12.08.24 I’m not sure what I made of this comedy thriller trilogy set in Finland (and translated from the original work written in Finnish). The main character, Henri is an ex-actuary and probably autistic spectrum maths whizz with limited peopleContinue reading “The Rabbit Factor – Antti Tuomainen – 30.07.24”
Sarah Wray Writer 