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I really enjoy Sarah Moss‘ writing and this was intriguing. Adam and his wife Emma are left reeling when their 15 year old goes into an unexplainable cardiac arrest. They slowly try to find a way forwards, whilst the story of Adam‘s father‘s upbringing in the US, ultimately living in communes, is gently told alongside theirs. Add to that Adam‘s research into the post-war rebuilding of Coventry Cathedral and you have an odd mix, but it worked!

Anna is in the thick of motherhood, the demands of it, while needing & wanting to work. She brilliantly writes of that push & pull between being a mother and having an identity outside of that. It‘s set on an island which adds to that sort of confined feeling - the island itself has its own history and there is a mystery of buried bones in the back garden of where the family is staying, which adds another element to the story. Brilliant 🩵

#12booksof2025 @TheEllieMo Thanks for doing this!

#12Booksof2025 @TheEllieMo December 🎄
Tagged: Christmas By the Book by Anne Marie Ryan
It wouldn't be December without me reading my favorite Christmas book. A cozy bookshop, Christmas season, the English Isles, what could be better? A must for any bookworm. 📚

Especially if you're interested in Stuart Britain!

I doubted I'd finish this this year, but I've just sneaked it in!

I snuck this Miss Marple short story into my December reading for the Snowflake prompt (set during winter/in snow) in the #ChristmasCrimeChallenge. I do love Miss Marple and her keen observations of human nature, but as is usual for me with Christie‘s short stories, I found this all too short.

So much more than a spy novel, Gabriel‘s Moon is a book about humans being - or not being - who you think they are. Gabriel Pax is a likable enough protagonist, but thematically, espionage is the real character here. We‘re on a need to know basis, and Boyd makes sure the reader discovers things at the same time Pax does. Side note: my lungs and liver hurt just thinking about the excessive nicotine and booze contaminating Pax‘s body.

July was a bit of a low month reading-wise, but I did enjoy the first in Boyd‘s series featuring reluctant spy Gabriel Dax

#12BooksOf2025

#12Booksof2025 June

I enjoy satire and I enjoy literary pastiche and when the 2 are combined by a writer as talented as Jonathan Coe it is sure to be a hit with me. My favourite read in June.

I love these days and nights at the end of the year. I'm settling in tonight with a cozy throw (a gift, so appreciated) and a title that's been on my TBR for far too long. I'm so grateful for the chance to let time slow down, let obligations go, and just READ. #CurrentlyReading