Hello friends, happy Monday! I hope you’re all doing well. Well… I thought July went by fast, did I blink and August is gone, just like that! It was a good month overall, so let’s jump into it! Currently Reading: The Tommyknockers by: Stephen King. I’ve started to dive into my next King read. I’m… Continue reading August 2025 Wrap-Up| Meghan's Whimsical Explorations & Reviews
Margo Herr’s cover for the 1st edition 3.75/5 (collated rating: Good) Alien sex dolls. Carpet stain entities constructing love-nests. Underground retirement community entertainment. Jack Dann…| Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations
I can finally tell you all my great news! My short story AITA for Using My Husband’s Hobby to Teach Him a Lesson has been published in the MYOPIC DUPLICITY anthology! Here’s the verbiag…| Mindy Carlson
Apologies – almost a 2 week hiatus! I wish I could say it was just a break from blogging and that I had crammed in the reading, but, no, it was the other way around. I got home from France an…| Yarra Book Club
Kit Pelham, professional cult sci-fi fan, has developed something of a reputation as a detective following her unmasking the killer of Wolf Tyler in The Fan Who Knew Too Much. So when she is on the scene when a dismembered body is found, along with a mocking poem implying this is the first of ten […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
So, it’s been a weird sort of August. A break to one of our favourite isolated spots in Scotland managed to coincide with Storm Floris, and I’ve spent most of the month waiting for a medical test that, thankfully, produced an all-clear result. I was fairly sure that was going to be the case, but […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Dr Gideon Fell meets a man in a Somerset valley and learns of a murder that came up from the lake itself. Sir Henry Merrivale visits a house in Goblin Wood where a girl disappears from a cottage that was watched from all sides. And there are some other stories in the collection too… OK, […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
“I don’t have to exhibit my wife in the nude in order to help my sale of rabbits!” Woman Detective-Constable Kitty Palgrave isn’t the favourite officer in the Women’s Section of CID due to her impetuousness despite her abilities, so she is dispatched to make some basic enquiries in the reported disappearance of a 15 […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Thirty years ago, Annabel Maddock was killed. One of her group of friends, Dave, went to prison for it and the rest drifted apart. But Dave is released from prison and it seems that the story of Annabel Maddock is far from over for the village of Barton Mallett. Ben Knot, Annabel’s boyfriend at the […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Barry Brown came to South Devon to write a book. He had made a career ghost-writing celebrity autobiographies, but he has come into possession of some information that could give new life to his career. But rather than giving him new life, that information may well be what caused him to be murdered. With Barry’s […]| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Elin S Jónsdóttir, the best-selling crime writer, has disappeared. Famed for writing a series of ten exquisite crime novels – and then stopping – there seems to be no reason for her to vanish. And …| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Larissa Pham follows up her essay collection Pop Song, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize, with her debut novel, Discipline. The book will be released by R…| debutiful
Frank R. Paul’s cover for Wonder Stories, ed. Hugo Gernsback (September 1934) The following review is the 36th installment of my series searching for “SF short stories that are critical in so…| Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations
My fifth selection from the Booker List. I have read Andrew Miller before, both ‘Pure’ and ‘Oxygen’ which was shortlisted for the Booker some years ago. I remember that I loved ‘Oxygen’ and because I loved it so much I read ‘Pure’ which was a little more off kilter (which can be expected if the […]| Yarra Book Club
One of our amazing Rose Book Club participants suggested this book in April for our book club to read, but it didn’t get the votes. But now it is on the long list, I have the opportunity to r…| Yarra Book Club
Today I’m back with part III of Emma @WordsandPeace and my discussion of Salman Rushdie’s Haroun and the Sea of Stories (1990). This magical-realism/fantasy novel is rich with allusions, references, satire and wordplay making every ‘morsel’ very enjoyable. Here’s our discussion of Chapters 7-9. (Find previous parts here: Chapters 1-3 and Chapters 4-6) Chapter 7:…| Literary Potpourri
I’m back today with another buddy-read post with Emma @WordsandPeace. This month, we’ve taken a break from our Tove Jansson reads to explore a different title, author Salman Rushdie’s children’s novel, Haroun and the Sea of Stories (1990). As always, we will be posting our discussion in four parts, one and three here on this…| Literary Potpourri
3.75/5 (Good) Zoë Fairbairns’ Benefits (1979) charts the struggles of the British women’s liberation movement in a dystopic near future. An anti-feminist fringe political party called FAMILY comes to power, simultaneously proclaiming family values while systematically dismantling the welfare state. Benefits effectively eviscerates governmental doublespeak and champions the need to organize and educate in order … Continue reading Book Review: Zoë Fairbairns’ Benefits (1979)| Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations
Some books don’t just tell a story—they invite you into a riddle, a ritual, a hidden map. The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson is one such book. It caught my imagination instan…| Rebecca's Reading Room
I didn’t so much select this to be my first of the prize reading. I love the write up, but I was exploring whether Amazon would allow me to buy a book not due for release until the 28th October in Australia. Turns out it did (must be based on location at time of purchase), […]| Yarra Book Club
I bought this book last year in Warsaw, in one of the most fantastic bookstores I found during that short trip. I wasn’t even supposed to be in Warsaw, but I lost my passport on my flight from Lourdes to Krakow, as so my weekend trip turned into a week as I went to Warsaw […]| Yarra Book Club
It is here! So… I tipped 2 of these to be on the list. And I have read 2 of them. I am sad about some that are missing – Hollinghurst, Thien etc, but super excited to read those that are here. Though it is a little sad that no Australian books made it. This […]| Yarra Book Club
So I selected this little book from NetGalley. Tomorrow is it’s official release. I have been reading it on my phone as it doesn’t have an e-reader option, so it has been a companion to me when I am away from my other books. Thankyou #NetGalley and #Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op Review: Because I am […]| Yarra Book Club
I do not normally read the Book Club books early, in fact I normally read them with only a few days before our meeting, which means they are fresh, but this time, I have to get some books ‘read’ so that when the Man Booker is announced next Tuesday, I am ready to devote myself […]| Yarra Book Club
Okay I have been thinking about this list for a year! The following is my Man Booker Prize Long List for 2025. And of course it is a ‘Booker Dozen’ which means it can have 12 or 13 books, so I chose 13 books to increase my odds! The actual long list will be announced […]| Yarra Book Club
I didn’t read these at the time when I finished ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ but I went back to read them, hence the second post. The cover above is the first edition cover whic…| Yarra Book Club
Ellery Queen has stepped back from detective work due to his recent traumatic investigations in Wrightsville – Calamity Town, The Murderer Is A Fox and Ten Days’ Wonder – until it takes about one m…| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Chloe Roberts is on top of the world at Morton Academy. She’s a shoo-in for Head Girl and the lead spot in the school’s secret Jewel and Bone. But then her best friend, Nikhita Patel, betrays her, and life comes crashing down. Things take a darker turn when Chloe stumbles upon the Book of Crime and… Continue reading ARC Review: Keep Your Friends Close by Cynthia Murphy| Down the Rabbit Hole
A simmering psychological thriller about a dead teacher at an elite boarding school, the students who had every reason to want her gone, and the tangled web of rivalry and romance concealing the tr…| Down the Rabbit Hole
This is the 21st post in my series of vintage generation ship short fiction reviews. While not technically a short story, George Hay’s novel clocks in at a mere 112 pages. I’ve decided …| Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations
Friends, I am here to apologize to Matt Keeley, who wrote this great piece for me many months ago and has waited patiently (or maybe fumed silently) for me to publish it. I have no good excuse: I got busy and forgot. Terrible. Anyway, this really is a case of better late than never. Matt […]| Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau
Dropping this as something to keep you busy—and maybe even entertained—while I carve out the time to write my Year in Review piece. I won’t be catching up on the last half of the year—in fact, not sure I’m going to continue with the monthly pieces, might be time to try something new—but I’d already […]| Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau
Pleased to once again present reading reviews from some of my favourite readers. Today’s installment, her third, is by my friend Anja Willner. Anja lives and works in Berlin. I’ve been logging my reading for seven years now. (A fairy-tale number, seven. I can’t name any other thing I’ve been doing for that long.) 2024 […]| Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau
Excited to once again present reading reviews from some of my favourite readers. Today’s installment, his sixth, is by my longtime friend Nat Leach. Nat is a nineteenth-century scholar turned college administrator who has spent the last 7 years reading the books on his shelves in alphabetical order. He lives in Ontario. After complaining about […]| Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau
Right, June is over and done with. A big shout out to Cotswold Falconry Centre and their Owl Experience for an amazing birthday treat for my much better half and a bit of a boo to the hotel who’s “…| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
As I was reading “Demon Copperhead” my journal reminded me that exactly one year ago I was reading “David Copperfield.” At one point, I was in Tofino on Vancouver Island and didn’t want to go walking on the beach because I was completely obsessed with Copperfield. Unfortunately, the book did not keep my interest throughout, […]| If 42 is the answer, what is the question?
Book 18 for my 2025 goal of 30 books for the year! As is now default for me, my link to the book is through my bookshop dot org affiliate account. Ramsey Campbell still knows how to catch me off gu…| Skulls in the Stars
This was our Rose Book Club choice and we discussed it last Tuesday. It was also long listed for the Women’s Prize. I am just a bit slow getting round to doing my review this time because we …| Yarra Book Club
Florence, 1498, and the city gathered to see the execution of Girolamo Savonarola, the once de-facto ruler of the city, burned to death on a funeral pyre. Florence, 1538, and the city is suffering …| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
Barry Diller’s memoir reflects on the lucky breaks that made him a multi-billionaire through ascending to positions to be able to craft our mass media entertainments of the latter part of the…| Burypensions Blog
Hello friends, happy Monday! I hope you’re all doing well. Another month that zoomed by, yet also felt somewhat slow. I feel like I did a lot, yet nothing at all. But enough of my intro and l…| Meghan's Whimsical Explorations & Reviews
This book is on my 50 Classics List and I slipped it into my bag when I was heading up to Sydney. The book I was reading was On the Calculation of Volume II and I finished it on the flight up. Hemi…| Yarra Book Club
I was kindly sent a review copy of this book by the author for which my thanks. A children’s story with a Christmas setting, with its young heroine having to battle a sinister creature to protect t…| Literary Potpourri
So, it’s June 1st – my 23rd wedding anniversary in fact, twenty-three years married to the best person in the world. Sorry to all of you reading this, but she is – sorry to disappoint you all who h…| In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
I’m sitting in Dallas, TX, preparing to attend a few days of the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. On the flight from Springfield (MO) to here, I finished Powerful: Building a Cultu…| Theology Along the Way
After releasing her debut novel After World in 2023, Debbie Urbanski is back with her debut short story collection Portalmania. The collection explores any and every genre from sci-fi and fantasy t…| debutiful
Legendborn #3 Severed from the Legendborn. Oathbound to a monster. Bree Matthews is alone. She exiled herself from the Legendborn Order, cut her ancestral connections, and turned away from the frie…| Down the Rabbit Hole
This weekend was Malice Domestic and the Agatha Awards. Malice Domestic is a conference celebrating traditional mysteries, cozies, and softer thrillers and noir novels. Malice has the reputation fo…| Mindy Carlson
A Flicker in the Dark is an entertaining suspense novel that explores what it’s like to be a family member of a serial killer. Just when psychologist Chloe Davis thinks her father’s reign of terror is in the distant past, girls begin disappearing again. Are these the acts of a copycat killer, or is something […]| Book Thoughts from Bed
Hello friends, happy Wednesday! I hope you’re all doing well. It’s the end of April and I’m not really sure where the month went… it seriously passed me by! I hope that May …| Meghan's Whimsical Explorations & Reviews
I had read Elizabeth Hardwick’s essay collection Seduction and Betrayal many years ago but unfortunately did not write about it at the time, although I have a vague recollection of being impressed …| Radhika's Reading Retreat
Sybille Bedford was a German-born English writer of non-fiction and semi-autobiographical fiction, particularly well-known for her books A Legacy and Jigsaw. When a recent Backlisted episode focuse…| Radhika's Reading Retreat
Years ago, the descendants of the god of Death were murdered. The few that remain are in hiding, including Crow, a teen who survived the genocide and hides their magic to stay alive. After fleeing their village, Crow now lives with their uncles in the lowest part of the the Shallows. Life in the Shallows… Continue reading ARC Review: These Vengeful Gods by Gabe Cole Novoa| Down the Rabbit Hole
A breathtaking romantic fantasy inspired by Beauty and the Beast about a girl who paints the future and a cursed dragon lord, bound by love and deception in a plot to bring down the gods.From the N…| Down the Rabbit Hole
Title: Kill Her Twice Author: Stacey Lee Publisher: G.P. Putnam and Sons, Penguin Young Readers Published Date: April 23, 2024 Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, YA Source: Library Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★…| Reading With Wrin
Hello friends, happy Monday! I hope you’re all doing well. It doesn’t feel like we’re 3 months into the year – yet here we are! I’m just happy to say goodbye to Winter! Toda…| Meghan's Whimsical Explorations & Reviews
Author: Cassandra JamesPublication date: February 4, 2025Genre: YA fantasyMy rating: 1/5 stars (being generous) This book might best be described as a great idea followed by one long string of disa…| Metaphors and Miscellanea
from the book BEST REGARDS by Natalie Hush 🎧[tune in] on 𝕏 Sadie stood outside the sterile hospital room, her father’s dismissive words still echoing in her ears. “She can go now, if sh…| Natalie Hush
I know we are almost into the second week of Februay and I never actually talked about my book plans for the year. I thought I could do so today as I am still typing away a storm on 5 diferent revi…| Wordaholicanonymous
It’s the following Thursday. Elizabeth has received a letter from an old colleague, a man with whom she has a long history. He’s made a big mistake, and he needs her help. His story inv…| Swords & Spectres
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that first originated at Breaking the Spine but has since linked up with “Can’t Wait Wednesday” at Wishful Endings now that the original creator is unable to…| Becky's Book Blog
I read my first Anita Brookner in 2020, the superb Look at Me, a book that found a place on My Best Books of 2020 list, but for some inexplicable reason I haven’t read more of her work since. To co…| Radhika's Reading Retreat
As I write this, Daunt Books Publishing announced on Bluesky that it will reissue another Celia Dale novel this year – Other People – with another terrific cover. I am excited, I love her novels, a…| Radhika's Reading Retreat
On February 25th, the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Switzerland, in a man who had previously visited an event in Milan. At the time, the city had the highest death toll. The new virus that first appeared in a cluster in the Chinese city of Wuhan was the cause of the respiratory illness, the… Continue reading March 2020 – the world shutting down| Natalie Hush
from the book THE WEEKEND: Love, Ambition & the Lisbon Dream 🎧[tune in] on 𝕏 Paige was captivated by the scenery they passed through on the train; after all, this was a winter paradise, and the…| Natalie Hush
Hi friends, happy Wednesday! I hope you’re all doing well. I still have a few more holiday reviews to get through. I thought I’d have them all up before the start of the new year, but t…| Meghan's Whimsical Explorations & Reviews
It may not have been a big year in the feats of human strength department, but in place of long rides and runs I started reading lots. In 2024, I finished 96 books, a personal record. As I wrote in …| Chasing Mailboxes
I’ve participated in the GoodReads reading challenge for the last couple of years. In 2024, I pledge to read 75 books. I ended up “officially” reading 76. That’s 26,951 page…| Mindy Carlson
from the Book – Blend 37 – Pippa Bow Listen to the audio on 𝕏 Pippa arrived at her Belgrave apartment. She knocked at her neighbor’s door. Tess, her neighbor opened.“Oh, Pippa, Merry Christmas, you are back, that’s great!” Tess looked at Pippa but she did not seem very happy.“Hey, how are you, do you… Continue reading Between the years| Natalie Hush
The Office BFFs: Tales of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There by Jenna Fischer My rating: 5 of 5 stars If I’m reading this book, it goes without saying that The Office (US version) is one of my all-time favorite TV shows! This book serves as a behind-the-scenes look into the show, … Continue reading the Office BFFs→| rafagurrl
I read the Hobbit. I FINALLY READ THE HOBBIT. And boy, what a charming journey it was! This book transported me back to my childhood, reminding me of the fairytales my mother would narrate at bedtime. It felt like I was a kid again, snuggled up under the bedsheets, eager to hear what happens next. … Continue reading out of the frying pan and into the fire→| rafagurrl
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman My rating: 4 of 5 stars Norse gods, Norse mythology, Asagard— everything is new to me. I started and finished the audiobook for Norse Mythology in a single sitting- it was great! This book is a modern retelling of Nordic folklore. It brings back to life the stories of gods, … Continue reading Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman→| rafagurrl
TL;DR: good premise, story was dragged out, the writing was good, plot twists truly came out of the blue. | 3/5 stars | The Housemaid is a thriller surrounding three main characters: Millie (the Housemaid™), the Wife Nina, and the Husband Andrew. Millie was living out of her car with barely any food eat, when … Continue reading The Housemaid by Freida McFadden→| rafagurrl
I started reading Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing slightly less than twenty-four hours ago. My roommate and I had this whole beach and custard day planned (shoutout to Abbott’s Frozen Custard at Lake Ontario – you gotta try it!), but I ended up spending most of the day glued to my beach towel, devouring page after … Continue reading Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros→| rafagurrl
My wife and I spent last weekend in Virgina Beach and driving up and down the Eastern Shore to a small town called Onley, VA (pop. 533). I have a lifelong love of shabby beach towns, though Virginia Beach is less shabby than most. High-rise hotels, wide boardwalk, soft sand. I paid $15 for an […]| clontzville.com
Bill Brown Fredric Jameson (1934-2024) held a seminar—remotely—in the Spring of 2021, the record of which now appears as The Years of Theory: Postwar French Thought to the Present. Last spring we proposed that we feature the book of lectures as … Continue reading →| In the Moment
1. Why did you want to write about the history of Australia’s oldest university press? I relished the opportunity to write about one of Australia’s most important publishers. Many details of MUP’s …| Library Planet
The Dictionary People: The Unsung Heroes who Created the Oxford English Dictionary is a celebration of words and word-people: authors, editors, publishers, linguists, lexicographers, philologists, …| Library Planet
We are quickly nearing the end end of the year it seems. July has been a bit of a whirl. While I’ve still not gotten back to posting as frequently as I used too, I still managed to catch up o…| Wordaholicanonymous
Published: 13 September 2005 Publisher: Black Library Pages: 256 Series: N/A Format Read: Physical Copy Blurp: A storming anthology of dark and gritty fiction from the Warhammer 40,000 universe fea…| Wordaholicanonymous
Have You Heard About ‘The Big Library Read’ Initiative? Big Library Read (BLR) is a global reading program that connects readers from around the world with the same ebook at the same ti…| Retirement Reflections
In this episode, Kyle, Barry, and the other guy bring a special guest to help them with a controversial topic. Pastor Colin Samul joins the pastor, o the professor, and the other guy discuss his review of the book The Case for Christian Nationalism by Stephen Wolfe. They begin the episode by having Colin define …| Three Guys Theologizing