My recent Maggie O‘Farrell read was a tough one to follow but this did the trick nicely. We meet best friends Zahra and Maryam at school in Karachi, then jump forward 30 years and rejoin them as they forge their high-profile careers in London. Essentially a lovely study of a lifelong female friendship against the backdrop of politics, I enjoyed it.

I‘d got to the point of giving up on modern romance; too cheesy, never plausible, eye-rolling dialogue. All the classic romcom tropes are here. My eye-rolling started. Yet it‘s also smart, snappy and of its time and…I think I enjoyed it. The feminist solidarity was strong and at the forefront. Yes I have quite a lot of niggles, yes it was too long, but the younger me would have loved it and that gets it some points!

I loved every single second, every word of this, and I didn‘t want it to end. I love Maggie O‘Farrell and I‘ve read every book of fiction she‘s written. I think this one may be my very favourite. Historical fiction perfection, to be raced through and savoured at the same time, and with creeping menace running through it, I‘m genuinely bereft now I‘ve finished.

3 women - approaching mid-life and all feeling unmoored for different reasons - form a friendship founded on a tragic death and their sheer rage at where they find themselves. When I say rage it‘s roaring off these pages and I enjoyed every minute of it! Only complaints - it‘s too long, some of the thriller elements caused a definite eye roll and it‘s the second book I‘ve read recently littered with mistakes, which, I admit, gives me the rage!

An English artist comes to an Irish island in the midst of the Troubles. A Frenchman arrives to study the Irish language. You‘re drawn into their work and also the lives of the islanders on whom they are reliant, and whose lives they are wilfully upturning. Each chapter is interspersed with brief details of the violence on the mainland which slowly infiltrates the lives of the islanders. Lovely, sobering, witty and heartbreaking in equal measure👇

Moving between 1934 and 1979 three women become embroiled in an old mystery. There‘s the Wild West with 70s flower power thrown in. Some interesting themes are there - was the peace movement all it seems, the struggles being a strong woman living alone, and appropriation of Native American property. But I didn‘t find the underlying mystery interesting, I struggled to keep track of characters, and big reveals seemed to jump out with no back story👇

We rejoin Nella as she brings up her niece Thea, who is the same age Nella was when we first met her. I really enjoyed the interplay between Nella and Thea‘s perspectives, watching Nella‘s near envy of Thea as she tries to find her own way whilst Nella feels stuck, combined with Nella‘s fierce certainty that Thea‘s only safe path is into a similar marriage to that which trapped her, and which Thea resists. Enjoyed the satisfying conclusion 👇

A re-read before reading The House of Fortune. I very rarely re-read, but enjoyed this much more second time around. I seem to recall being underwhelmed previously (Goodreads tells me it was 2015). Nicely sinister, a bit creepy, a great historical setting and some strong women sorting things out. It‘s also really quite sad. However I‘m left with the slight annoyance that the “who is the Miniaturist?” question is not satisfactorily resolved.

I really loved this. We follow several strands at different times in history as the story and links slowly pull together. I loved each and every character, and particularly loved the sections about author Olive Llewelyn as she copes with family life and a pandemic in the moon colonies circa 2400. In fact I‘d read a whole other book about the moon colonies. Brilliant.

Classic Anne Tyler; a quirky family that don‘t quite fit the norm, going about their fairly ordinary but sometimes stilted lives in the way Anne Tyler does so well. I did feel there were a lot of characters, and some of them felt interchangeable. That maybe it needed to be a little longer to get to know them better. I also wasn‘t sure the beginning/ending worked, but still, this was sweet and charming.

I went into this unsure it‘d be for me; I‘ve struggled before with books with a millennial main character making bad decisions and just generally faffing about, however this turned out to be a great, fun and wry read which felt entirely plausible despite the bad decisions and faffing around 😆. It also unexpectedly made me cry, which is never a bad thing, then turned into a little bit of a thriller; I love a book-surprise.

Everyone in my book group adores this book. It was a great summer read, and a refreshing change in some ways from some romance novels - although confession time, I don‘t think I loved it *quite* as much as the others and I‘m still pondering over why; maybe because I didn‘t fully buy into the central love story? I keep trying romance novels and coming away with the same niggly annoyance that the story just doesn‘t entirely ring true for me 🤷‍♀️

Reading this short, intense book about a 17-year-old, on a family camping trip to the South of France, whilst on a family camping trip in France… Overall I enjoyed this and read it in one sitting. Leonard witnesses a death and makes the wrong decision about what to do, and we then watch the intense, claustrophobic spiral of his fears and guilt together with his coming of age, through a tense 24-hours during which you can‘t look away.

Just perfection. I read this in big greedy chunks, completely absorbed. When I wasn‘t reading it, I wanted to be reading it. I‘m counting this in with some of my all-time favourite epics - The Goldfinch, Great Circle, A Little Life - high praise indeed.

A good fun holiday read, whether you like tennis or not. I loved that as a main character we don‘t have to like Carrie Soto, and the way her female relationships were developed was refreshing. I don‘t particularly like tennis, yet got really invested in the blow by blow account of each match Carrie plays during her comeback.

I loved this. Perfect slow-burn historical fiction. A Lutheran community leave their home in Prussia to travel to a new colony in Australia. The ship voyage alone takes 6-months. The sense of place as we travel with them, their fear in facing the unknown, was written so well. And the second half? Well, I was not expecting that, alllll the feelings. I‘ve got that sadness at leaving Hanne and Thea behind that you only get with a great book.

Now for something completely different. I won‘t lie, I love the occasional cheesy political thriller. I once watched a whole season of 24 in a weekend, and I want that vibe in my thriller reading please. This mostly didn‘t disappoint; a page-turningly tense story with current terrorist and world issues themes and the like. I‘ve never read Louise Penny and can‘t say I loved the writing enough to read more, but overall all this was good fun (👇)

Daniel takes a book from the Cemetery of Lost Books and it changes the course of his life as he becomes dangerously fascinated by its author. Whilst I had to keep very focused to keep track of large cast of characters and the many threads of storylines, it certainly paid off as I became entirely immersed. There‘s a real mix of genres here; love story, thriller, mystery, a little fantasy, that makes it feel quite unique.

A sweet book about the friendship between teacher and student, rediscovered in later life, and how together they face Morrie‘s illness and death. Not my usual sort of read but I enjoyed it nonetheless (although, at risk of sounding like I have a heart of stone, I did find it a *little* too saccharine for me in parts)…

An easier read for book club this month after a spell of heavier reads. I enjoyed this; a page-turning psychological thriller with The Serpent vibes. Whilst it didn‘t quite get as menacing as I thought it might, the claustrophobic feeling built nicely against a backdrop of unpleasant rich people, the South of France and great food…

This slowly developed into a tender, heartbreaking story. Judith, a CND protester in the 1960s, is forced to give birth in an unmarried mothers‘ home, the outcome of which shapes the rest of her life. There are secrets, betrayals and misunderstandings. We first join Judith at age 76, and I loved the way the story unspooled from there. Whilst I‘ve read other books on the same subject, there was something quietly unique about this one.

Oooooh this was good! I read a lot of Joanne Harris a few years back, then lost my way a bit and I‘m not sure why. This has the great combination and balance of a very English academia, gothic spookiness, darkness, magic and ghosts that I remember from the earlier books in this series, but with added feminism. Overall just a really great story in the way Joanne Harris does so well; I sank into it and soaked it up and enjoyed every bit of it.

Despite the heavy subject matter this was extremely readable; I couldn‘t put it down. A tragic event turns into an exploration of the busy-ness of modern lives, burnout and the pressure to overachieve together with societal expectations and judgements. I liked that it didn‘t labour the point whilst still clearly making the point and I do love a bit of courtroom drama (although will admit to a very, very tiny eyeroll at one element of the ending…)

Family drama/mystery for when I needed something light and easy. I was convinced this was historical fiction, which is what I was in the mood for (it‘s not!). It is an easy read though, I enjoyed the Cornish setting and family dynamics, but I guessed the “twist” early on and the dominating secret we spend most of the book working towards was…underwhelming. But then the ending was quite sweet and melted me a little hence it‘s a pick.

Given this was on the Women‘s Prize shortlist I was intrigued to read this story of the dire state of the oceans as told by dolphins. Elements of it I really enjoyed, particularly the story of kidnapped Ea and military-trained Google, yet other elements didn‘t work so well for me. A book I didn‘t think I was enjoying whilst reading, but which I‘m still mulling over some time after finishing it 🐬 👇

Think Jo Nesbo or Stieg Larsson but female-authored in translated Japanese, with a cast of poor housewives working at a boxed lunch factory. It‘s very gruesome (several bodies get cut up, and there are descriptions of violent murders), yet very readable and page-turningly good 👇

A deeply moving story of Zora, an artist and teacher who is trapped in Sarajevo at the start of the Bosnian war in 1992. The writing style is very readable; the final third was quite distressing to read, but equally gripping. It‘s humbling to read about something so awful that you only vaguely remember, and really should know more about. This is book 4 for me from the Women‘s Prize shortlist, the final 2 will have to wait for paperback releases!

This gave me vibes of Sally Rooney combined with the Before Midnight trilogy; a friendship/love story with sections spanning four separate years, amidst the academia of Oxford. If I‘m honest it was the Oxford academia that put me off; the narration had me feeling left out of these students‘ intense intellectual discussions in a way I never feel with Sally Rooney‘s writing, and some of the dialogue didn‘t ring true to me. A low pick.

The epic, desperately sad story of the young life of Daman aka Demon Copperhead. Demon‘s childhood is brutal and consumed by poverty, grief, a foster system that cares little for him, and addiction - in particular the insidious effects of opioids. This was intensely moving and at times brilliant, although also a little slow and repetitive for me in parts which held me back from completely falling for It.

A sweet, sad story of not fitting in, feeling a bit “odd” in yourself, family dysfunction and mental ill health. It‘s also really quite funny. I‘m not going there with the many comparisons to Sorrow & Bliss as both are great books in their own right. This didn‘t quite capture my heart as S&B did, but was lovely nonetheless.

Here is Cashel Grenville Ross‘ (fictional) life story. From the early 1800s we follow him as he finds himself, mainly without intention, in many eventful moments through Ireland, Oxford, the Battle of Waterloo, a tour of Italy - where he dallies with the Romantic Poets - a great love affair, and then onwards through his life. I love a story that spans a lifetime and where I just float along with it, letting it take its own good time.

Be prepared for bodily fluids, the developing of fur and the killing of small rodents. The mother (aka Nightbitch) has a small son and a husband who works away with a better paid job, so she is now forced to stay at home. Slowly she feels she is becoming a dog and gives in to those primal urges. A visceral portrayal of motherhood, “working” vs “stay at home” and the mindlessness of early motherhood. Despite my initial misgivings, I enjoyed this 👇

A King Charles coronation tale, but this one of Charles VII of France and, more importantly, his briefly-right-hand-woman, Joan D‘Arc. And goodness, this was good. Joan is beaten by her father as a child; grows up strong yet bitter as to how he treated her. And then she becomes a warrior. I loved her fearlessness, her anger at men like her father, her kindness to all others. I really, really hope this was what Joan was actually like.

Oh Mungo 💔. That is almost all I can say. The writing is brilliant; you can‘t look away as the tension builds and you wait for the inevitable. Mungo captured my heart, which then broke for him. Douglas Stuart writes these tender, gentle, troubled boys so well. The brutality just floored me; these harsh lives in post-Thatcher-era Glasgow. As with Shuggie Bain it is the boys‘ love for their very flawed mothers despite everything that breaks me

Oh, my. I was bought this and went in thinking it might be a bit twee. Maybe it was the cover? What I got was the most lovely, tender, heartbreaking coming of age story. I loved the portrayal of male friendship. There were tears, (always falll for a book that makes me cry); there were also tears on the train, which I now seem unable to control! This put me in mind of some of Patrick Gale‘s writing, which I love.

Being a tourist and buying a book based in your holiday destination from the National Trust shop 🙋‍♀️. Fell for the cover of this one, along with my giddiness in a gift shop, and that I‘d fallen for Lindisfarne in the spring sunshine the day before. A solid police-procedural/mystery that I was pleasantly surprised I found impossible to put down.

Well this one will break your heart. At first a quiet story of Cushla in Northern Ireland in the 1970s, surrounded by the awful reality of the Troubles. She falls for a married man, Michael, a Protestant barrister fighting for the rights of young Catholic men. I was completely gripped and couldn‘t put it down. The final third left me reeling. This is not an easy story to read, but there was a tenderness to the writing that I loved.

A book I feel I should really have loved, as this is normally my type of book; a family saga spanning years, with mysteries and secrets at its heart only told when Byron and Benny‘s mother dies, leaving them a recording of her life story. Yet something was holding me back from completely falling for it and I‘m not sure why…

A book of many parts, in some ways. This starts off gently amusing as Yasmin‘s Indian parents meet her fiancé‘s liberal-feminist mother, then takes a darker turn as secrets and more complicated stories emerge. Maybe a little too long, but I enjoyed the lightness of the writing against the deeper family saga and the exploration of class, racism, wokeness, feminism, the NHS and more in post-Brexit modern Britain.

Oh, this book! I was in pieces by page 111. Mothers, families and, most importantly, friendships all play out over the years as Eva tries to find herself, knowing she isn‘t who she‘s being told she is. I loved the quietly quirky humour and I also quite enjoy a good cry, of which there were several. Loved it 🧡

This was really quite slow and I was disappointed I wasn‘t really feeling it. Then we hit 1917 and the Revolution, and suddenly I‘m invested. Then it takes another turn and people‘s legs are being eaten and, well, that‘s not where I thought we were going. It then veered off into dreamlike scenes and I confess it lost me. Parts of this book I very much wanted to read, others not so much, leaving me feeling disjointed and a little confused.

Book 4. Penelope 💛. I unapologetically love these books and save them for when comfort reading is needed. This didn‘t disappoint.

That giddy feeling when you think you‘ve found a new favourite author. The writing was fantastic and the story told with such tenderness. The relationship between mother and her worried son nearly undid me.

“He listened politely, then commented on her trousers - called them a bold choice. She looked at him surprised, then congratulated him on his own bold choice. There was a tone.” There is indeed a tone - it‘s smart, snappy, witty and a little angry. I very much loved this, and recommend falling for the hype!

Mixed feelings about this one. Great writing, in parts compelling, yet at times (a lot!) the irritatingly spoiled/privileged characters marred it for me, and I never felt that invested in them. It‘s also quite sad, although this is balanced by the very amusing Eleanor. I‘d read a book just about Eleanor. I‘ve seen this compared to Sally Rooney but that comparison wasn‘t quite met for me. Loved the cover though!

Well, this was a surprise. A book group pick; I went in unconvinced, I don‘t like myths and legends and for 100 pages I was actually hating it. But then something changed, I don‘t know what, and off I went - loved it! An epic story of a woman forsaken by the gods, forging her own path despite the constraints imposed on women. A tear may have been shed.

I‘ve been wanting to read this author for ages, and on paper this should have been my perfect book. Two families, three of whom were once in a cool college band together, now reach mid-life and are grappling teenagers, disillusionment and a feeling of life unravelling. I went in hoping for Fleishman is in Trouble vibes yet it just didn‘t grab me and I felt ambivalent about it. Not entirely sure why.

Be prepared to have your heart broken. Scientist Theo and his 9-year old Robin are trying to navigate the loss of their wife and mother, and Robin is struggling to cope with the world itself. There‘s lots of science here, alongside a backdrop of awful turns in world events that no longer seem so impossible. However it‘s the love between Theo and Robin that will keep you reading. Like The Overstory, not a book I thought I‘d love, yet love it I did

Ooooo this was good. Three lighthouse keepers go missing from their light off the coast of Cornwall in 1972. Twenty years later an author is trying to talk to their partners to solve the mystery. Slowly unravelling, this is quietly mysterious, a little spooky, very gripping. A great read, particularly with a late winter storm lashing at the windows…

Mothers who have committed transgressions are sent to a government run school where they will learn to be “good” and their every move will be watched. I love books with a dystopian/alternate reality vibe. This was gripping, I couldn‘t look away, it gave me all the rage and I sped through it, but it was also just so unremittingly sad I just can‘t get past that, the lack of any redeeming hope. I‘m not quite sure yet what to take away from it.