Writing and reviews with an environmental, science fiction, and fantasy touch
The Clockmaker’s Daughter is the first pick for a new weekend bookclub on Classic FM (Tim Lihoreau’s breakfast show). Tim asked listeners to recommend a book, and got no doubles, so picked five and asked us to vote… and I
Death in the Arctic by Tom Hindle was an ARC from Netgalley and the publishers. I thank them for the opportunity of revisiting Svalbard at an equinox, albeit a week before the autumn one not the week of the spring
City of Silk won the Debut Author Over 50 award in 2023. Frankly, I think it deserves to win any award it’s entered for. But I should mention that I knew the author when we were teenagers, and a mutual
She’s a Killer caught my eye as it went though in a list from Netgalley. New Zealand, climate refugees, and a thriller to boot. Sounded good. And refreshing. I needed something refreshing – this was it. She’s a Killer by
Small Miracles caught my eye when it came through on the Netgalley email update. I generally avoid anything with a hint of religion in it, but this sounded great fun. And so it is! It’s out this week – go
Looking for Emily came up as an offering on Netgalley. The blurb intrigued me, and I succeeded in getting an advance copy. Not enough in advance for me to read it before publication, but I prioritised it all the same.
Revenge of the Space-Surfing Butt Monkeys came out on May 3rd. I knew I wouldn’t be able to review it in time for the launch, but thank you to the author for the ARC all the same. Revenge of the
The Physicists’ Daughter comes out on Tuesday. Unusually, I’ll be featuring it again on Friday, when I interview the author for her blog tour. So for once, I’ve read an ARC ahead of schedule! The Physicists’ Daughter by Mary Anna
Ghostcloud was offered by Netgalley for review just as I was developing an idea for a new book. I thought I’d better do some research on all the other books involving human children seeing ghosts. And anyway, it’s Halloween weekend!
The Perfect Life caught my eye when it came up on offer at Net-galley, mainly because I remember being thrilled to bits with another Nuala Ellwood title—My Sister’s Bones. I’m very grateful to the publishers and net-galley for the opportunity.
The Rose Code is a story involving the code breakers at Bletchley Park, during World War 2. I have always been enthralled by the wartime history of Bletchley Park. It’s now due for publication on March 18th. This book came
My Sister’s Bones has been on my shelf for ages. I received a courtesy copy at Noirwich in 2016, when it was still in pre-publication mode. In a somewhat unusual reading pattern for me, I started it in September, got
The Essex Serpent first lodged in my mind when Sarah Perry was a guest at either Norfolk & Norwich Festival or Noirwich. I think it was in NNF on a session on noir, because I’m sure Sarah Waters read her
The Unwinding: Gin’s Story came as a Net-galley suggestion. Juliana Rew is the editor of the Third Flatiron Anthologies, so I was keen to see what sort of book she wrote herself. I am now totally insecure as a writer.
A Pinch of Magic is new release, which I received from the publisher via Net-Galley. The blurb looked interesting, although I disliked all the gushing quotes from other authors included on Goodreads – which I have left out here. For