2023
Recently reviewed
Night Watch
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Reviewed on 31st December 2023
Generally considered to be the best Discworld novel, Night Watch follows Samuel Vimes - a character we’ve watched grow for some years now - as he is transported back in time to encounter his much much younger self.
Angelmaker
Reviewed on 31st December 2023
I finished this epic late last night and somehow am still not entirely sure I know what was happening. It’s a book about a potential end of the world and one clockwork repairer’s attempt to stop it. And yet it’s also much more than that.
The Demolition Mission
Reviewed on 31st December 2023
The Hardys head to the racetrack to take on a case their father is too busy for, and naturally bring Chet along for the ride.
Three Ring Terror
Reviewed on 31st December 2023
In book 111 the Hardy brothers and Chet are off to join the circus, Chet as his hobby of the week, and the Hardys to investigate a mystery.
Bookshops and Bonedust
Reviewed on 31st December 2023
In this prequel to the author’s first novel, Legends and Lattes, we meet a young Viv, early on an adventuring career, and forced to take a convalescent sea-side holiday.
Murdle volume 1
Reviewed on 31st December 2023
Murdle is a set of logic puzzles framed around a story that’s a bit silly and nonsensical and hard to follow. But that’s fine, because the logic puzzles are the important thing.
Scorched Earth
Reviewed on 9th December 2023
The final novel in the Henderson’s Boys series, a prequel to the Cherub series, depicts the brutal end period of the nazi occupation of France, from the points of view of a group of child secret agents working for the British.
The Sunlit Man
Reviewed on 3rd December 2023
The final secret project is the most serious and most cosmere-y of them all. Sanderson says that of the four, this is the one written for his fans.
Metamorphasis
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Reviewed on 3rd December 2023
The first of the giant novels, this long TNG novel set in season two is focussed on Data, dealing with his emotions following the episode The Measure of a Man and dealing with his feelings for Tasha Yar.
The Secret of Sigma Seven
Reviewed on 18th November 2023
In their 110th adventure the Hardy Boys head along to the local science fiction convention only to find that the main attraction has been stolen, and they need to investigate.
GoldenEye
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Reviewed on 12th November 2023
Novelisation of movies was a big thing in the 90s and 00s which seems to have since stopped on the whole. And this is probably one of the first that I read back then. GoldenEye makes for a really good, enjoyable, and memorable movie, so it’s a shame the book doesn’t live up to it.
The Mystery of Monster Mountain
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Reviewed on 12th November 2023
The 3 Investigators, now in the middle of their series of adventures, head away from their usual haunts on a camping trip, and to visit a cousin of their friends/employees.
The Mystery of the Cupboard
Reviewed on 12th November 2023
The fourth book in the cupboard series, and this one I remembered from my childhood as being my favourite.
The Jennings Report
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Reviewed on 12th November 2023
Book 19 of the Jennings series once again sees a varied set of events which tie together into mishap and misunderstanding. Not however one that I have any memory of from when I would have last read it as a child.
Puzzle for the Secret Seven
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Reviewed on 4th November 2023
Book ten sees the Secret Seven confronted with a brief mystery at the end of what almost feels like some sort of social commentary without a moral at the end. I remembered barely anything of it from reading it as a child.
The Killings at Kingfisher Hill
Reviewed on 4th November 2023
Sophie Hannah’s fourth Poirot novel sees him and his friend Inspector Catchpool getting on a coach to visit a fairly new communal estate in the countryside. Naturally on the way they learn about various murder plots, and set out to investigate.
History
Reviewed on 4th November 2023
I’ve been considering reading this since it came out, and picked up a charity shop copy which I’ve finally got to reading.
The Christmas Appeal
Reviewed on 28th October 2023
A novella from Janice Hallett revisiting the scene of her breakthrough novel was an irresistible purchase for me.
Warriorborn
Reviewed on 28th October 2023
I was surprised when I found out that this had been published without any recommendation having been made to be by a bookseller - as I’ve bought all of Jim Butcher’s works to date and already had the second book in the main Cinder Spires series on my wish list.
The 13th Witch
Reviewed on 28th October 2023
I’ve been seeing this book and series promoted for a long time, and finally got round to picking up what I thought was the first book.
Shadow
Reviewed on 28th October 2023
I’ve put off the fourth Marc Dane novel for years after finding the third less enjoyable, but finally got to it now.
Murder at the Museum
Reviewed on 28th October 2023
ABK’s murder mystery for children hits the perfect tone. Not too grisly, but very funny.
The Priory of the Orange Tree
Reviewed on 28th October 2023
It took me years to get to and weeks to read, but I’ve finally finished and really enjoyed this 800 page brick.
The Hidden Man
Reviewed on 28th October 2023
This is an odd spy novel in which for a long time I wasn’t sure that much was happening. I’m still not quite sure I follow what happened either.
No Time Like the Past
Reviewed on 1st October 2023
The fifth St Mary’s book sees Max in a constant state of recovery from both what’s previously gone wrong, and what goes wrong again.
The Last Devil To Die
Reviewed on 1st October 2023
The expanded Thursday Murder Club are back in action in this fourth novel, when one of their friends is found dead and they are forced to come together and investigate.
Starter Villain
Reviewed on 23rd September 2023
Scalzi has done it again with a short, fun, comic novel that makes you think.
The Expectant Detectives
Reviewed on 23rd September 2023
This was one of those books that I picked at random from the shelves of a bookshop one day based entirely on the cover. Big bold words and the promise of a cosy crime with a unique twist in the choice of detectives.
The Book Eaters
Reviewed on 23rd September 2023
I bought this based mostly on the marketing, and wanting to support the shop where I found it. I was a bit nervous going in, because I’m not normally one for horror, although after reading I think I’d describe this more as “creepy fantasy”.
Low Action
Reviewed on 17th September 2023
The fifth Vinyl Detective novel feels back on form after I found the previous one a little lacking.
Nightrise
Reviewed on 17th September 2023
The third Power of Five novel introduces us to some new characters - a pair of twins who live a rather unfulfilling childhood in the USA, until someone tries to buy them.
Yumi and the Nightmare Painter
Reviewed on 17th September 2023
I allowed myself to take this Cosmere story slowly, and only to read two chapters at a time, up until the traditional Sanderlanch ending kicked in and then I raced to the finish line.
Towards Zero
Reviewed on 17th September 2023
A (fairly) stand-alone Agatha Christie mystery, in which a wide range of early 20th Century English people assemble on the south coast for a September break.
One Shot Kill
Reviewed on 9th September 2023
World War Two is continuing in anger in this entry of the Henderson’s Boys series, as the core characters return to France under cover.
A Rock and a Hard Place
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Reviewed on 9th September 2023
Back to the early 90s with the tenth Next Generation novel.
The Prime Time Crime
Reviewed on 9th September 2023
Hardy Boys 109 sees the brothers back at the local TV studio as Frank takes part in a local inter-school quiz show. Until of course the host doesn’t show up, and the brothers enter detective mode.
Seafire
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Reviewed on 9th September 2023
John Gardner ups the continuity, as his time as Bond author draws towards a close. I definitely get the sense that it’s setting things up to wrap up, and doing so with the knowledge that the film series is about to change things up too.
The Secret of Phantom Lake
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Reviewed on 3rd September 2023
Things get creepy and dangerous again for the Three Investigators as they hunt for actual pirate treasure.
Courageous
Reviewed on 3rd September 2023
Book three of the Lost Fleet series - a surprisingly compelling set of novels about realistically timed space travel and space battles.
Holiday at the Dew Drop Inn
Reviewed on 3rd September 2023
The third book in the One End Street series is one that I didn’t know existed when I read the other two as a child, and so is entirely new to me on this read through.
Secret of the Indian
Reviewed on 27th August 2023
It’s probably thirty years since I read this third book in the series and I had no memory at all of what happens.
Trust Jennings
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Reviewed on 27th August 2023
Jennings and his friends return for another set of chaotic adventures caused by misunderstanding and/or wilful misinterpretation of rules and instructions.
Secret Seven Mystery
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Reviewed on 27th August 2023
The Seven have a mystery to solve when a girl is reported missing from her boarding school and rumoured to be hiding in their local area.
Death of a Bookseller
Reviewed on 27th August 2023
I picked this up during a book-shopping spree, based on the promise of the cover and an expectation of cosy crime.
Perilous Times
Reviewed on 27th August 2023
I picked this book somewhat at random during a shopping spree, after noticing the cover on the shelf.
The Trial
Reviewed on 27th August 2023
The latest twist on the cosy crime genre comes in the form of this legal thriller starring trainee barrister Adam Green.
Fourth Wing
Reviewed on 5th August 2023
I picked up this TikTok sensation on the second opportunity, because people on the internet would not stop talking about it. And because it has dragons.
Voices of the Dead
Reviewed on 5th August 2023
The fourth Raven and Fisher novel sees the pair dragged in to investigate another crime while they continue with their day jobs treating patients in 19th Century Edinburgh.
Fear on Wheels
Reviewed on 5th August 2023
For their 108th mystery, the Hardy Boys find themselves working undercover at the local hot-rod show, as monster trucks fly around them.
Never Send Flowers
Reviewed on 5th August 2023
This 1993 James Bond novel sees the international spy and assassin sent to Switzerland to investigate the mysterious death of a holidaying member of staff from another government agency.
Grave Expectations
Reviewed on 29th July 2023
It would be fair to say that I bought this cosy crime novel entirely on the basis of the title. It’s the story of a medium and her ghostly pals, as they are accidentally drawn into trying to solve a murder that nobody else believes has happened.
The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England
Reviewed on 29th July 2023
The second of Brandon Sanderson’s secret projects is a standalone story about a chap who wakes up, with no memory, in a field… in something resembling mediaeval England, and with only scraps of his guidebook still intact.
The Mystery of the Shrinking House
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Reviewed on 29th July 2023
This classic 3 Investigators mystery sees the friends clearing out the possessions of a deceased artist, then hired to track them back down.
Further Adventures of the Family From One End Street
Reviewed on 29th July 2023
I had one memory of this book from reading it when I was a child, and I’m pleased to see that scene plays out just the same. The rest of the book was like reading an entirely new story.
Return of the Indian
Reviewed on 29th July 2023
The sequel, which I’m revisiting after a likely 30 years, sees Omri once again court disaster by exchanging his small toys for real people in his magic cupboard.
Jennings in Particular
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Reviewed on 16th July 2023
I’ve been slowly re-reading this series from my childhood over the past decade and a half, and this is one of the most enjoyable.
Bored Gay Werewolf
Reviewed on 16th July 2023
I was attracted to this book by its title, boldly printed on the cover. It’s just sounds fun, and while it is that, it’s more too.
Somewhere To Belong
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Reviewed on 16th July 2023
The latest Discovery novel, set between seasons three and four, sees the crew respond to a distress call and get caught up in an internal conflict amongst some old friends.
Winter's Gifts
Reviewed on 16th July 2023
For a novella, this feels suspiciously long. It’s not as big as Aaronovitch’s full-length novels in this series, but with 200 densely printed pages, I’ve certainly read shorter novels by other authors.
The Spendthrift and the Swallow
Reviewed on 16th July 2023
A short story I somehow didn’t discover when it was published, this seems to fit somewhere maybe between the third and fourth books in the series.
A Death In The Parish
Reviewed on 16th July 2023
Book two, and we’re back in the rectory with Canon Clement, the unlikely detective in this cosy crime village, whose life is already busy and complex ministering to his flock, overseeing the new priest in the next village, and exploring new hobbies with his policeman friend.
The Shadow Cabinet
Reviewed on 25th June 2023
The sequel to Her Majesty’s Royal Coven continues the adventures of a group of women whose perfectly normal lives as witches have been massively disrupted by the men in them.
Saints of the Shadow Bible
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Reviewed on 25th June 2023
As I slowly catch up on the Rebus novels, I’ve arrived at 2014 in this book set around the referendum campaign - it’s interesting to see events that l actually feel a part of being reflected in the stories.
The Battle Drum
Reviewed on 25th June 2023
The sequel to The Final Strife brings an exponential increase in world building - it feels like zooming out and suddenly finding myself somewhere ten time larger, and with ten times the civilisations to learn about.
Yellowface
Reviewed on 25th June 2023
Rebecca Kuang has rapidly entered my favourite author list, and luckily for me she’s becoming quite prolific, and with incredibly varied range of storytelling based clearly on very thorough research.
Dead Famous
Reviewed on 25th June 2023
I picked this book up after listening to Greg Jenner’s history podcast, and having enjoyed those thought the same might be true here.
Hollow City
Reviewed on 27th May 2023
The second book of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children follows immediately on from the end of the first, and is an action-packed adventure across 1940s Britain as the children race to save their mentor.
August Kitko and the Mechas from Space
Reviewed on 27th May 2023
The second of Alex White’s books I’ve read, this time an original story in which they create a happily queer future full of music, technology, and giant alien not-robots who attempt to destroy humanity.
Home Stretch
Reviewed on 27th May 2023
Graham Norton’s third novel is a quite sad tale from the start about a community whose lives are all damaged by a local tragedy, and how that grows over the following decades.
Godkiller
Reviewed on 27th May 2023
I picked this up purely on the strength of the marketing, which it seems I’ve become a sucker for. It’s a story of a woman who travels the country as a freelance killer of gods (gods being illegal), but also of a couple of other characters equally, who have their own complex views on the whole god situation.
Three Cheers, Secret Seven
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Reviewed on 27th May 2023
For nostalgia reasons, I’m revisiting the Enid Blyton series that I read as a kid, and have now arrived at this entry.
The Theory of Everything Else
Reviewed on 27th May 2023
I’ve enjoyed Dan Schreiber’s audio works (podcasts and radio shows) for many years, so when his book was announced it went straight onto my list. This is a book of what he describes as ‘facts’ (quote marks his), which are things that people choose to believe, but likely aren’t quite actually true.
Murder Most Royal
Reviewed on 27th May 2023
The third Her Majesty The Queen Investigates novel takes us to overwinter at Sandringham, where another mystery awaits.
Gallant
Reviewed on 27th May 2023
A creepy book which I picked up in an independent book shop. I can’t remember what had inspired me to look for a V E Schwab to buy, but something definitely had, and this stand-alone novel seemed a good place to start.
Panic on Gull Island
Reviewed on 6th May 2023
The Hardys and Chet barely break a sweat when their friend/girlfriend/sister Iola is kidnapped in Florida. This is probably the most glaring plot hole in this novel, in which the only people to go looking for a missing teenager are three other teenagers, with all their parents just carrying on with their lives.
Beyond the Wand
Reviewed on 6th May 2023
Tom Felton, who of course played Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series, delivers this autobiography covering his life from fishing child to LA megastar.
On His Majesty's Secret Service
Reviewed on 6th May 2023
Charlie Higson and James Bond make a surprise return in this coronation tie-in novel. When it was announced I thought that probably the publishers had had it up their sleeve for a while and were just waiting for the day to come - but actually it’s filled with right up to the minute references which make it feel like it was written within the past two months.
A Wild and True Relation
Reviewed on 6th May 2023
I really did not know what I was getting into when I picked up this novel after having read the author, Kim Sherwood, ‘s previous novel (Double or Nothing).
Marple
Reviewed on 23rd April 2023
Marple is a short-fiction anthology, featuring 12 stories about the titular character, Miss Marple, as created by Agatha Christie, each told by a different contemporary author.
Tress of the Emerald Sea
Reviewed on 23rd April 2023
I finally found myself with a copy of Tress of the Emerald Sea, the first of Brandon Sanderson’s Secret Project novels (out of 4 being released throughout this year), and I savoured it.
London's Glory
Reviewed on 23rd April 2023
Rather than a novel, this books is a collection of short stories about smaller cases which eternally elderly detectives Bryant & May have encountered through the decades.
Record of a Spaceborn Few
Reviewed on 3rd April 2023
Becky Chambers’ third Wayfarers novel takes us to the Exodus Fleet, where we meet a variety of characters at different stages of their lives aboard this now-parked generational voyage.
Flip Back
Reviewed on 3rd April 2023
The fourth adventure for the Vinyl Detective sees him trying to track down a rare record for a friend, and visiting the quite wacky band who produced it.
The High Country
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Reviewed on 3rd April 2023
The first Strange New Worlds book feels superficially like a lot of the old novels - with a planet of the week to visit and find out what’s going on, with a civilisation who appear to be from Earth’s history. In this way, it follows the pitch perfectly - a modern take on the original idea of Star Trek.
The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels
Reviewed on 4th March 2023
Janice Hallett’s third novel takes her format - the novel equivalent of a found-footage film - on a new journey as we follow the writing of a true crime book, and the author’s interactions and investigations as she tries to uncover what really happened.
Legends & Lattes
Reviewed on 4th March 2023
“Cosy fantasy” is the term that has been coined to describe this novel, and it fits perfectly. This is the tale of a retiring D&D-style adventurer and her plans to start a new, less physically risky, venture.
No Plan B
Reviewed on 4th March 2023
Andrew Childs’ third Reacher novel takes us on an unusual journey to a prison, but not just for Reacher - but also for a bunch of other new characters whose motivations only become clear frustratingly slowly.
The Family From One End Street
Reviewed on 25th February 2023
I recently read the biography of Terry Pratchett, in which it’s mentioned that as a young child he enjoyed reading Eve Garnett’s tale of a large working class family. And I remembered enjoying it, I imagine when read to me by my mum, as a small child (it was certainly her choice of a book she had known as a child - possibly even then her own original copy).
Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes
Reviewed on 25th February 2023
The life story of Terry Pratchett, as told by one of the people who knew him the best, having been the only person there with him through much of the creative process.
The Satsuma Complex
Reviewed on 25th February 2023
Bob Mortimer is an extremely funny person to watch on television, so I thought that the idea of him writing a novel was definitely something that I’d like to read the output of.
Call for the Dead
Reviewed on 22nd January 2023
This is John le Carré’s first Smiley novel, published in the early 1960s, and setting up a series that would continue for 56 years yet only contain 9 novels.
Fearless
Reviewed on 22nd January 2023
This book, the second in the Lost Fleet series, has been sat on my shelf for quite some years since I read the first novel, and I was really nervous about picking it up. Hard military sci-fi is not normally my thing.
The Fifth Elephant
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Reviewed on 22nd January 2023
In my gradual re-read of Discworld’s Watch novels I’ve reached The Fifth Elephant, which is one that I have the least memory of from my previous reading which must have been around 15 years ago.