This is one of those novels that I have been meaning to read for so long that I begin to think that I have actually read it! I have compiled a list of these 'phantom' books and I aim to cross a few off in 2026.

Didn't like this. 1st third is a jumbled mess of backstory & setting up a plot that isn't particularly unique/original. The rest is just tedious & unbelievable. Don't buy Gen & her "fame", the toxic husband is so awful he's almost comical & I never felt the 2 MCs liked each other much or displayed any convincing affection beyond teenage variety lust, let alone being the loves of each other's lives! Neither interesting nor entertaining.

My last Waterstones sale bargain & my third on the F1 theme. It's the off season so I need my fix.

Another one of my Waterstones sale bargains - there is a theme emerging...

Loved Eddie - such a charismatic guy.

A Waterstones sale bargain. I am annoyed by the mark left on the cover by the price sticker! Just make them less sticky!!!

Another Christmas gift. Lots of comforting recipes to try.

This one was a Christmas gift. I really enjoy having a book on the go for the whole year, reading a little each day.

Really enjoyed this! It's fun & witty, intriguing & ridiculous, well-written & nicely observed. I was entertained & absorbed for the duration & I couldn't really ask for more! Some great characters here - Hetty Gaunt & her pet raven, the fabulous DeeDee (who I want to be) and Frank Grasby, who is funny & flawed, with hinted at hidden depths despite his apparent shallowness. And his father - who is just hilarious! Plot is twisty madness too!

My 2nd A Benedict recently and I didn't like this one as much as the first (The Christmas Jigsaw Murders). It's OK, but the writing is wildly overcooked in places & the premise is a tad sketchy to say the least. I found it hard to suspend my disbelief when someone is murdered & the mainly vile characters really don't have much of a reaction to it beyond a "that's a shame. What's for lunch?" kind of thing. I mean, cold.... Also villain is obvious.

I was quite charmed by this by this seasonal story about a young woman who receives a request from her estranged godfather to look after his cat, the inscrutable Murr. While the plot isn't anything groundbreaking, it's nicely done with some really enjoyable elements of local myths and folk figures that give the whole thing a magical feel that is really quite satisfying. And it actually feels Christmassy too! (So many seasonal reads just don't!)

Next up...more murder! I've really got a taste for it this festive season 🎄💀🎄...in a purely literary way, of course!

More festive murders?!! Oh, go on then...

🎄💀🎄💀🎄💀🎄

RIP Sophie Kinsella

Gently gripping but undemanding, this rather ridiculous romp (with jigsaws) kept me amused and guessing (I'd pinned the murders on every single character by the end!) The MC is an 80 year old cross between Miss Marple and Toyah, not always likeable, not always believable, but, hey, it's Christmas! The quizzes & wordplay are fun and, yes, it's a little far-fetched at the end, however as festive easy reading goes, this was decent entertainment.

Keeping it Christmassy with my next read 🎄🎅🎁

My current Christmas read 🎄🎄🎄

A late contender for my Book of the Year, this was just such a delight to read. Not only is it fascinating in its subject matter, it is beautifully written as well. The author's respect for the crafts-people he writes about, and his belief in the importance of their work, shines like a beacon. His writing style is like a really lovely warm hug - easy, gentle, absorbing, engrossing and you're sad when it ends! An absolute triumph of non-fiction!

Think I've just found the name of my new punk rock band!!!

Seriously though, what a glorious phrase!

This was kinda rubbish but gets a So-So as it was mildly entertaining rubbish in the main, though it did veer quite erratically into WTF territory at times and was also a little bit weird in a weird way (I.e. not a good way) and the writing was ropey and I didn't like the ending as it was like the author just decided to stop wri

Starting this one tonight.

Engagingly written and compelling enough, but I found something about this novel to be depressing. The characters aren't very likeable and, while it did maintain my interest throughout, it didn't have any redeeming positive resolutions or outcomes. Even the ending, featuring a 'baptism', didn't provide much in the way of optimism - which I really needed at that point.

I've got a bit of a thing for walking books and this is a nice example of the genre. It's an easy, gentle read, nicely descriptive with a bit of humour and some interesting information. In the Afterword, the author very eruditely discusses Brexit, but I only skimmed that section - I came for the nature, I'll skip the politics for now, thanks.

Nah, this was pants. It really wanted me to think it was something it most definitely wasn't and I'm very much NOT in the mood for such shenanigans. I could say more...but no, I won't.

FIN

A slow-creep of a read, with a eerily strong sense of place - sinister, foreboding & bleak, the mere looms over the whole story. Features some well-defined & intriguing characters. It's atmospheric, cinematic, enigmatic. A dash of supernatural, a pinch of same-sex romance, lots of creepy weirdness. What's not to like?! Was a smidgen disappointed by the ending - was a bit too HEA for me & I normally love a good HEA. In this case, I wanted Tragic!!!

Starting this one tonight.

Current read. Great cover.

This is the book where "show, don't tell" went to die. We are told everything several times. Then we are told it again in various different ways and also in exactly the same way. Then we are told it again. And again just in case we didn't understand the first 42 times. And then again. And again. And again. And again.

AND THEN...we are told it again, at which point I'm questioning my life choices and, possibly, my sanity.

Very, very, VERY poor.

So-So, verging on the Pan. Plot hole - lots of. Credibility - wobbly, due to chronology/timing issues. Writing - OK. Style - YA, could be I'm officially too old for it now as the endless self-absorbed whining really grates on me! Plot - decent idea, but both under AND over cooked in places! MC - found it hard to care about her trauma as she was whiny, self-obsessed, over-dramatic & immature. A little tedious...these kids and their "issues" ?

Despite the grim subject matter - imagine spending 30 years of your one & only life on Death Row for crimes you didn't commit - this biography has a tenacious positivity, due to the remarkable personality of Ray Hinton. The flagrant racism & prejudice he faced in the Alabama justice system was absolutely staggering, but he never lost sight of his own innocence & worth. His strength of character is nothing short of humbling. Eye opening for sure!

I enjoyed this...kinda, I think...but I'm not sure I can entirely say why. It has a wry wit rather than being LOL funny. The MC is despicable - racist, sexist, homophobic & misogynistic - and seemingly unaware of his loathsomeness. The premise is intriguing and, embarrassingly, I read the first few pages thinking it was non-fiction! It's all rather ridiculous & a little pointless but entertaining, I guess.

Starting this one tonight. A self-pub from 2017 that I got from NetGalley. I think in this case the phrase "late to the party" is entirely appropriate ?

New one for tonight.

Disliked this a lot. The writing is terrible - the author tries so hard to be "hip", quirky, hilarious, whatever it is she's trying to be, that it is at times bordering on gobbledegook, such is the profusion of slang & "in" terms. Her problems just aren't interesting or unique enough to make me care & her insights seem shallow & self-absorbed. Personal gripes passed off as life advice.

Came away from this feeling a little grubby - a sordid little scenario with fairly loathsome & irredeemable characters. Which was exactly how I was supposed to feel. Nicely written, a little slow, but with a strong & evocative sense of place - the end of season resort, the last of summer seguing into autumn & the attendant melancholia. The final summary of Henry & Effie's life was just too depressing - not entirely sure I enjoyed this.

Never really been that into the Dark Academia sub-genre - the oh-so-familiar tropes (locations, characters & plots) put me off a little. But this one was actually a lot of fun - decent characters and intriguing plot. We had body swapping, demons, sundered souls, evil school masters & mistresses, an ancient pig, and even a resurrected goddess. So despite a slightly stodgy middle, post set-up/pre dramatic ending, I was thoroughly entertained!

Current read. Nice cover.

Starting this one tonight. Lots of different cover variations, I really like this one - it has a very nonchalant glamour!

This one annoyed me - it's not bad (the writing was engaging) so much as underwhelming. I was expecting a juicy thriller with twists, turns & double crosses with a gobsmack of an ending - Dan Brown but well-written, if you will - and I didn't get one. Not really sure what the point of it all exactly is - it builds intrigue nicely, but doesn't do anything with it. I was left frustrated & feeling a little cheated.

Starting this one tonight. Description sounds like a million other things & reviews are mixed, but I will give it a go.

Yes! I have finally made it to 300 reviews on NetGalley and, seen as you don't get a badge for 300 and it might be a looooong old while before I get to 500, I will have to blow my own trumpet 🎺🎺🎺

Please disregard the fact that my feedback ratio is a disgrace ... disgraceful 😳

I loved the diary sections of this one - the ghosts stories & myths as well as the story of its writer in pre and wartime Japan. I didn't enjoy the modern day sections as much - the character of Adam seemed inauthentic, the teen drama was tedious & shallow, the dialogue awkward & cheesy. It is YA though & I'm several decades past the target audience! Still, the ghosts were the best bit 👻👻👻

This was actually a little belter of a book & I'm surprised it isn't more widely known/loved. It features a jaded female Death holidaying on Earth in human form. She investigates some shady business, learns about human nature, falls in love, rescues a dog & averts the Apocalypse...and it's all rather whimsical/hilarious/poignant! Death is a great character, but I also love Jesus (yes, THAT Jesus - don't ask, just read it!)

Wendy was, without a doubt, an extraordinary individual with many outstanding qualities. Her strength of personality coupled with her incredible drive, determination, and positivity in the face of what for lesser mortals would've been a devastating diagnosis is inspiring and humbling.

However, I was not in the right place for this...perhaps no more medical memoirs for me for a while...

I'm sure others would find this a source of hope.

This turned out to be so much more than I expected. Caveat: I've never seen the film. Yes, there is a romance, but that's not the whole story. The writing is beautiful, but fairly dense - this is not an easy beach read. Nor is the subject matter feel-good fluff. Perseverance is rewarded, this was, for me, an incredible reading experience. I learnt so much, I FELT so much...just wonderful!
🇬🇷♥️🇬🇷

Phew, this one is a short, sharp kick in the emotionals! It took a while to ensnare me, the understated style of writing bored me a little...until I cottoned on to its power - skimming the surface of complex emotions, concealing the slowly peeled back layers, hiding the truth in plain sight - narrative & style perfectly in harmony. And the reveal - the whole thing becomes something else altogether. It is still under my skin weeks later. Fabulous.

Starting today - dredged this one up from the foothills of my towering and everso slightly terrifying Mount ToBeRead. Great cover, love the green with the splash of pink.

Sat in a beach bar, trying to read, but I keep getting distracted...🇬🇷♥️🇬🇷

FB is one of my very few auto-buy authors. He just always delivers. And while I would rate this one just below Anxious People, it is still very enjoyable indeed. His style, all breezy banter, witty turns of phrase & jaw-busting emotional punches dropped oh so casually, is so readable, so engrossing, so SATISFYING that the plot is sometimes beside the point. But then the plot is actually 🔥 as well! This guy plays my emotions like a fiddle!

A generous So-So from me as this really isn't my thing & was never gonna satisfy my reading needs, but I can appreciate its quality. The ideas are amazing, I hate the presentation. The disjointed structure & unknown chronology/time scales just frustrate me. It's annoying to just get into a story/engage with characters only to have it end & never followed up. The narrative is just confusing, though,admittedly, gorgeously written.

A few treats this weekend from Waterstones. My daughter and I adore Legami pens and stationery.