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An Astronomer in Love by Antoine Laurain – #ReadIndies Translated by Louise Rogers Lalaurie and Megan Jones I’ve been aware of Antoine Laurain’s books for years but this is the first one I’ve read. It was originally published in Frenc…

A review for #ReadIndies - An Astronomer in Love by Antoine Laurain (translated by Louise Rogers Lalaurie and Megan Jones)

shereadsnovels.com/2026/02/06/a...

The Inn Closes for Christmas & Other Dark Tales by Cledwyn Hughes Cledwyn Hughes is a completely new author for me – in fact, I had never heard of him until I spotted this new edition of his work on NetGalley recently. Hughes (not to be confused with the Labour p…

A new review on the blog today: The Inn Closes for Christmas and Other Dark Tales by Cledwyn Hughes

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The Official Agatha Christie Puzzle Book This is a book I received last Christmas (a present from my sister) and now that I’ve completed all of the puzzles in it, and with Christmas almost here again, I thought I would post a short review…

My review of The Official Agatha Christie Puzzle Book:
shereadsnovels.com/2025/12/05/t...

The Christmas Clue by Nicola Upson – #NovNov25 I’m sure most of us are familiar with the board game Cluedo (or Clue, if you’re in America), but do you know who invented it? I didn’t, but thanks to Nicola Upson’s new nove…

Here's my review of Nicola Upson's new novel, The Christmas Clue, about the creators of the board game Cluedo:

shereadsnovels.com/2025/11/25/t...

The Odd Flamingo by Nina Bawden Nina Bawden is someone I’ve always thought of as a children’s author; I know I’ve read a few of her books, athough Carrie’s War and The Finding are the only ones I can remember an…

A classic crime review on the blog today: The Odd Flamingo by Nina Bawden (1954)
shereadsnovels.com/2025/11/06/t...

White Teeth, Red Blood: Selected Vampiric Verses I don’t usually choose to read poetry anthologies but this vampire-themed collection sounded appealing, particularly with Halloween just a few weeks away. White Teeth, Red Blood contains the …

I posted a review of a new poetry anthology on the blog today:

White Teeth, Red Blood: Selected Vampiric Verses
shereadsnovels.com/2025/10/13/w...

A History of England in 25 Poems by Catherine Clarke If you had to choose a selection of poems to represent your country’s past, which ones would you pick? What can poetry teach us about a nation’s history, culture and identity? These are…

A new review on the blog today:
A History of England in 25 Poems by Catherine Clarke

I loved this one - such a fascinating way to approach history!

shereadsnovels.com/2025/09/25/a...

A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie This month for the Read Christie 2025 challenge, the theme is ‘amateurs’ and although I’ve read the suggested title, Crooked House, quite recently, there were some alternatives th…

My choice for #ReadChristie2025 this month is A Caribbean Mystery, a Miss Marple novel from 1964. Here's my review:
shereadsnovels.com/2025/06/26/a...

Written on the Dark by Guy Gavriel Kay It seems to me that most moments in a life can be called interludes: following something, preceding something. Carrying us forward, with our needs and nature and desires, as we move through our tim…

New book review on the blog today - Guy Gavriel Kay's beautiful Written on the Dark:
shereadsnovels.com/2025/05/30/w...

Historical Musings #90 – Reading the French Revolution You may have seen my recent review of The Woman in the Wallpaper by Lora Jones, set during the French Revolution. It has inspired the theme of this month’s Musings post as I take a look at ot…

My latest Historical Musings post: Reading the French Revolution!

shereadsnovels.com/2025/05/18/h...

That Dark Spring by Susannah Stapleton One of my resolutions for 2025 was to read more non-fiction books, so I’m ashamed to say this is only my second one this year. Oh, well – I still have more than seven months to add a fe…

True crime set in 1920s Provence: That Dark Spring by Susannah Stapleton

shereadsnovels.com/2025/05/12/t...

A Daughter’s a Daughter by Mary Westmacott I haven’t taken part in the Read Christie challenge for the last two months and wanted to join in with the May read. The book of the month, Cards on the Table, is one that I’ve read quite recently,…

My review of A Daughter's a Daughter by Agatha Christie (writing as Mary Westmacott). I loved this one!

shereadsnovels.com/2025/05/08/a...

Aunt Clara by Noel Streatfeild – #1952Club My final book for the 1952 Club being hosted this week by Simon and Karen is one of Noel Streatfeild’s adult novels. I loved Streatfeild as a child but came to her books for adults just a few years…

My review of Aunt Clara by Noel Streatfeild for #1952Club

shereadsnovels.com/2025/04/27/a...

Linden Rise by Richmal Crompton – #1952Club My first book for this week’s 1952 Club (hosted by Karen of Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings and Simon of Stuck in a Book) is Richmal Crompton’s Linden Rise. Crompton is much better kno…

My first review for this week's #1952Club - Linden Rise by Richmal Crompton

shereadsnovels.com/2025/04/21/l...

Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz I’ve been waiting for this book for five years and here it is at last: the third (and it seems, final) book in Anthony Horowitz’s Susan Ryeland series. Apparently we have the actress Lesley Manvill…

My review of Marble Hall Murders, the third book in the Susan Ryeland/Atticus Pünd series by Anthony Horowitz:

shereadsnovels.com/2025/04/11/m...

Ice by Anna Kavan This is a strange book and I’m not sure I’ll be able to describe it adequately! It’s probably not something I would normally have chosen to read, but this new edition from Pushkin Press caught my e…

New review on the blog today: Ice by Anna Kavan

shereadsnovels.com/2025/04/01/i...

The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry – #ReadingIrelandMonth25 When I first heard about The Heart in Winter last year, despite seeing some very positive reviews I decided I wasn’t interested in reading it as it didn’t sound like my sort of book. After it was l…

My second review for #ReadingIrelandMonth25
The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry:
shereadsnovels.com/2025/03/26/t...

Moonfleet by John Meade Falkner I added Moonfleet to my Classics Club list after seeing some very positive reviews from other bloggers and thinking it sounded like something I might enjoy. It’s an adventure story and was ap…

My review of the classic children's adventure novel, Moonfleet by John Meade Falkner:
shereadsnovels.com/2025/03/24/m...

Clear by Carys Davies – #ReadingWales25 Clear is a book I hadn’t really considered reading until it appeared on the Walter Scott Prize longlist in February and I was pleased that I was still able to get a copy through NetGalley. Carys Da…

A review for #ReadingWales25 - Clear by Carys Davies

shereadsnovels.com/2025/03/19/c...

The Lost Passenger by Frances Quinn Frances Quinn’s That Bonesetter Woman was one of my books of the year in 2022 and I didn’t really expect her new one, The Lost Passenger, to live up to it. Well, I’m pleased to sa…

New review on the blog today: The Lost Passenger by Frances Quinn. I loved it!

shereadsnovels.com/2025/03/13/t...

Four Days’ Wonder by A.A. Milne A.A. Milne is, of course, best known for his Winnie the Pooh stories, but he also wrote a wide variety of works aimed at adults, ranging from novels and plays to essays and poetry. I read and loved…

I had fun reading A.A. Milne's adult novel, Four Days' Wonder. Here's my review:
shereadsnovels.com/2025/03/07/f...

The Morrigan by Kim Curran – #ReadingIrelandMonth25 Trying to tell my story is like trying to hold the smoke of a forest fire in your hands or force an ocean into a cup. I resist. I re-form. How could they succeed when even I didn’t know who I was f…

A review for #ReadingIrelandMonth25
The Morrigan by Kim Curran:
shereadsnovels.com/2025/03/05/t...

The Impossible Thing by Belinda Bauer I loved this! I remember enjoying Belinda Bauer’s first two books, Blacklands and Darkside, around the time they were published in 2009 and 2011 respectively, but I seemed to lose track of he…

New review today: The Impossible Thing by Belinda Bauer - a fascinating novel about the illegal trade in birds' eggs.
shereadsnovels.com/2025/02/27/t...

Woman in Blue by Douglas Bruton – #ReadIndies There’s clearly something about the paintings of Johannes Vermeer that inspires novelists; first, Tracy Chevalier’s Girl With a Pearl Earring and now Douglas Bruton’s excellent Wo…

New book review for #ReadIndies on the blog today:
Woman in Blue by Douglas Bruton
shereadsnovels.com/2025/02/20/w...

The Resurrectionist by A. Rae Dunlap It’s 1828 and James Willoughby has just arrived in Edinburgh to begin his medical studies at the university. Having found himself completely unsuited to the career in the church that his parents ha…

New review on the blog today: The Resurrectionist by A. Rae Dunlap, an atmospheric novel set in 19th century Edinburgh.
shereadsnovels.com/2025/02/10/t...

This Sweet Sickness by Patricia Highsmith Virago have just reissued ten of the books from their Modern Classics range with new green cover designs, including Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Ne…

New book review today: This Sweet Sickness by Patricia Highsmith
shereadsnovels.com/2025/02/05/t...

The Ghosts of Rome by Joseph O’Connor The story of our Roman Escape Line has been characterised as a tale of courage. But it was always a story of friendship, first and last. The friends we knew and those we did not, some fleetingly en…

New review today: The Ghosts of Rome, the second book in Joseph O'Connor's Rome Escape Line Trilogy
shereadsnovels.com/2025/01/30/t...

The Little Sparrow Murders by Seishi Yokomizo Translated by Bryan Karetnyk I’ve read all five of Seishi Yokomizo’s Kosuke Kindaichi mysteries that have previously been published by Pushkin Press in new English translations. This is the sixth, …

A review for #JanuaryinJapan today:
The Little Sparrow Murders by Seishi Yokomizo

shereadsnovels.com/2025/01/23/t...

Absolutely and Forever by Rose Tremain I’ve had mixed experiences with Rose Tremain’s books, enjoying some and struggling with others. Absolutely and Forever was shortlisted for last year’s Walter Scott Prize for Histo…

New book review on the blog today:
Absolutely and Forever by Rose Tremain

shereadsnovels.com/2025/01/16/a...

What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley After a five year gap, Flavia de Luce is back! It seemed that 2019’s The Golden Tresses of the Dead was going to be the last in the series, so I was pleased to see book eleven, What Time the Sexton…

My review of What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley - a Flavia de Luce mystery.
shereadsnovels.com/2025/01/03/w...