A beautiful fantasy book for both children and adults, The Hungry Ghost is a story of family, friendship, love and death, but overall (for me) of memory. The Plot in a Nutshell Freja has come to stay with her father for a year while her mother “gets well” in her home country of Denmark. Her […]
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Jennie Fields’ spy thriller romance surprised me with how beautifully it’s written. It’s more than a historical fiction, it’s a drama with grit and emotion. The Plot in a Nutshell It’s 1950 and Rosalind (Roz) is still haunted by her part in the Manhattan Project, as a scientist who helped to develop the bombs dropped […]
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Lauren Beukes’ Afterland tells an eerily real post-pandemic tale of a mother, son and sister trying to live in a world without men. It’s beautiful and scary and an absolute must-read. Especially now. The Plot in a Nutshell A virus has killed 99% of all men. Including Cole’s husband (Miles’ father). When it is discovered […]
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Femantle subverts all your expectations in this mysterious historical fiction. The Plot The Honey and the Sting is told from three perspecitves: Hester, Hope and Felton. The year is 1628. Hester is a young mother who lives with her son, Rafe and her two sisters: Hope and Melis. Rafe’s father is George, a duke who […]
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Although Lisa Bradley’s thriller got off to a slow start, half way through it picked up to a truly astonishing pace and the novel takes unexpected turn after unexpected turn. You think you know what’s going on? Think again. The Plot In a Nutshell Leah’s been not working for a while now, ever since she […]
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Ann Rawson’s debut novel is the perfect blend of murder mystery, family feud and Roman history. The Plot in a Nutshell History buff Alice Hunter is trying to get her life back together after a brief stay in a mental health facility. Following the death of her beloved grandmother, she was committed after a fire […]
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Jane Yolen’s new short story collection is nothing short of magical. Here she brings together tales and poems that were either published elsewhere previously or written for the dark fairy-tale collection. The Plot in a Nutshell As this is a short story collection, I will try to summarise each story in a sentence or two, […]
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The new Nick Hornby is not a romance. It’s a story about love, sure, but not a romance. The premise, two opposite people falling in love, poses a lot of interesting questions. However, I feel that Hornby failed to answer them on a deeper level. I really liked the opening of Just Like You, reading […]
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You may have heard the name ‘Ann Rule’ when listening to true crime podcasts or perhaps she’s been recommended to you by another true crime fan. Maybe you haven’t heard of her at all but you were drawn here by a wild search for true crime books. Or perhaps you’re her biggest fan and you’re […]
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Caitlin Starling’s gothic horror Yellow Jasmine is atmospheric and page turning. In this gothic tale a mysterious affliction troubles the city of Delphinium. With a few more developments this could have been one of my favourites of 2020, but there were a few things that held it back. The Plot in a Nutshell Yellow Jessamine’s […]
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