Finally sharing my January reading wrapup, after a fairly hectic start to February. Last month, I sought out a few gentle, comfort reads to contrast the back to work blues and grim news.
Away with the Penguins by Hazel Prior
Away with the Penguins was my first read of the year, and what an emotional roller-coaster it was! I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the cantankerous and indomitable Veronica McCready as she embarks on a grand adventure at the age of 86 to Antarctica and learns so much about herself, others and penguins along the way. Parts of this were extremely moving, and reminded me of stories my own late nanna told me about how much society has changed in her lifetime. I’ll definitely be reading the sequel.
What You Are Looking for is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
A lovely novel translated from Japanese that follows a group of characters all at different stages of life who visit their little local library, and get a personal recommendation from the enigmatic librarian. This is such a heartwarming, inspiring and comforting story about characters learning to see their own value and worth, working towards their dreams and learning to enjoy where they are on the journey too.
More than a Woman by Caitlin Moran
I’ve always considered Caitlyn Moran to be an opinionated, funny and sometimes vulgar big sisterly figure. I loved How to Be a Woman, which I read at a time when I was in a similar stage of life, and had been looking forward to her take on middle-age. As ever, Caitlin delivers an unflinchingly honest report of the joys, stresses and sorrows of life as she describes her work-life balance, housework, parenting teenagers, marriage, aging parents, botox and mid-life a fashion. I didn’t find this quite as politically astute as How to Be A Woman but at times this felt like such a reassuring chat and a cup of tea with an old friend.
I read a total of 50 books in 2023, only reaching my target on the 30th of December as I underestimated how much time and concentration I’d have left for reading during my maternity leave.
The books pictured were my Top Five favourites, these are the stories I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since I read them. There’s some interesting overlap between my favourites with ghosts and the paranormal in both Hell Bent and The Hollow Boy, environmental themes through Drive Your Plow Over The Bones of the Dead and Leila and the Blue Fox, and aging amateur sleuths investigating murders in both Drive Your Plow and The Man Who Died Twice.
Overall I read 39 fiction books and 11 non-fiction. Most of the non-fiction books I read covered parenting/child development or environmental themes.
The fiction I read ranged across genres from children’s and YA to mysteries, fantasy and science fiction, and this year I dipped into the contemporary romance genre for the first time with writers like Jenny Colgan and Sarah Morgan. I’ve always been put off by the covers and a fair dose of literary snobbery when it comes to contemporary women’s fiction but was thoroughly captivated by relatable characters and the nuanced exploration of family, friendships and romantic relationships that I found in the small sample of stories I read. I also read four translations, one translated from Polish was a surprise favourite (Drive Your Plow), while the other three were translated from Japanese.
I borrowed 26 books from the library last year, a trend that I plan to continue this year as libraries are a such a brilliant community resource.
24 for 2024
I’ve picked out 24 books from my TBR to read in 2024, though I’m a mood reader and notoriously bad at sticking to reading plans. Many of these are sequels to series I’ve already started but some are books I’ve seen recommended by other bloggers and bookstagrammers and a few have been recommended by close friends and even one from my husband who mostly reads subjects related to his career and only reads a handful of fiction books a year. Spot any favourites?
Belated Happy New Year! I just managed to reach my reading target on the 30th of December after a very stop-start reading year, and will share my yearly wrapup and favourites soon, but first here’s my December reading wrapup.
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi
This is often recommended to people who enjoyed Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows but was a poor imitation for me, the two lead characters felt derivitive of Kaz and Inej with their drawn out angst-ridden romance, and my favourite character was actually Zophia, who was written with autistic characteristics, struggling to fit into the team and navigate social situations, whom I found much more interesting and sympathetic. The story is set in an alternative version of Paris, but with a merging of science and magic that gives some people the ability to forge items with special powers and uses. The Gilded Wolves had a few good twists, lots of mystery and puzzles to solve, and some good action scenes but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped and probably won’t read the sequel.
The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers
Perfect for Christmas, instead of a snowed in story, it focuses on five aliens stranded together on a pit-stop planet forging kindness, co-operation and even friendship across ideological and racial chasms. One of the aspects of this series that I’ve really appreciated is how well described the alien races are from their biology to culture, yet these stories offer such compelling explorations of humanity with this one covering colonisation, parenthood, reproductive choices and so much more. While other books in the quartet have brought tears to my eye, this one made me laugh out loud several times, and it was such an uplifting end to the series.
Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan
I loved The Christmas Bookshop and enjoyed returning to the story to find out what Carmen and everyone else was up to. This is a good sequel but the plot is a little contrived as misunderstandings drive Carmen and her Brazilian lover Oke apart, then another misunderstanding creates a wedge between Carmen and her sister. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the introduction of a new anti-hero, Jackson McClackerty, who owns a chain of tacky Tartan gift shops, which if you’ve ever been to Edinburgh you’ll know are everywhere, and loved getting to see more of the bookshop and the house above it.
The Vanishing of Aveline Jones by Phil Hickes
Set around the Winter Solstice, it seemed like a good choice to read over Christmas itself. The third book in the spooky children’s series follows Aveline and her friend Harold visiting her missing Uncle Rowan’s house as he has been gone long enough to be presumed dead. Aveline starts witnessing mysterious incidents almost immediately and decides to investigate. This has some genuinely chilling scenes as Aveline finds herself lured into a fairy barrow underground and trapped there by the cunning Fae. The plot does rest quite heavily on Aveline’s impulsiveness and foolishness, but it’s an enjoyable story of bravery and friendship with a few good scares.
The Christmas Bookclub by Sarah Morgan
I picked this up after thoroughly enjoying The Christmas Sisters. The story follows three friends who meet every year for a Bookclub holiday and the woman who runs the hotel that they stay at on this particular trip. I found parts of the story a little predictable but what I really like about Sarah Morgan’s stories are how relatable the main characters are and the strong, supportive female relationships between them as they navigate various personal dilemmas. This is an easy and uplifting read about friendship, change and new beginnings.
We’re well and truly into autumn here in Scotland with frosty mornings, dark evenings, and the leaves turning all gold, amber and red, and decided to share a few of our favourite autumnal bedtime stories we’ve been enjoying together lately.
Pumpkin Soupby Helen Cooper
A story about three friends (a duck, a squirrel and a cat) who live together and all have a specific job to do when it comes to making the most delicious pumpkin soup, until one day the Duck decides he wants to try doing Squirrel’s job instead. This is a lovely story about friends falling out and making up again.
Little Goose’s Autumn by Ellie Woollard and Briony May Smith
One of two very different stories illustrated by Briony May Smith in this post. Little Goose’s Autumn is a gentle rhyming story about a goose trying to work out what she’s supposed to do in autumn by talking to other animals preparing for winter, before she finds others of her kind who show her the way.
Ollie’s Lost Kitten by Nicola Killen
We have a few of the books in this sweet little series about a girl called Ollie and her adventures. In this autumn/Halloween story, Ollie and her cat are out playing when she finds a lost kitten that she helps to reunite with his owner, but she gets lost in the forest in the process until she’s rescued by her own cat.
The Leaf Thief by Alice Hemming and Nicola Slater
An amusing and fun story about a confused squirrel trying to investigate who keeps stealing the leaves from his tree in autumn, and the (long-suffering) little bird that tries to explain the changing seasons to the forgetful squirrel.
Witch in Training by Michelle Robinson and Briony May Smith
The other book illustrated by Briony May Smith in this post, which I bought as my oldest suddenly became scared of witches after watching Disney’s Tangled. This is all about a young witch learning to make potions and flying around on her broomstick searching for ingredients with her mum and familiars. A fun little story about learning, making mistakes and fixing them when the magic goes awry.
The Enchanted Dream by Sue Rawlings and Charlie Dear
Lastly, this is a recent purchase that I couldn’t resist when I saw it in a children’s boutique on our recent visit to Pitlochry and The Enchanted Forest. Written by a Scottish illustrator and writer duo, this is a simple story about a group of children and their carer making autumn crafts before going to visit the Enchanted Forest light show with lots of little references to the area around Pitlochry. It was a perfect souvenir from our recent trip.
We’re into the cosy seasons when I love to curl up with a book and mug of something warming. In September, I was in the mood for magical stories, but instead of embarking on a Harry Potter reread, I decided to try some newer children’s stories about magic, witches and wizards, and the power of stories themselves.
The Ogress And The Orphans by Kelly Barnhill
This is the story of a lonely but kind Ogress and a greedy dragon, of practical and sensible orphans, and many fearful and suspicious people in a town that used to be lovely. The writing wraps itself around the reader like a blanket, letting this gentle, meandering, enchanting and poignant story of fear, greed and suspicion, kindness, generosity and community unfurl.
The House at the Edge of Magic by Amy Sparkes
A lighthearted, fast paced fantasy adventure about a young thief called Nine who finds a a magic house and reluctantly agrees to help the cursed inhabitants, a wizard called Flabbergast, a troll and an animated spoon. This was such a fun and easy read, but one with enough mystery to leave me wanting more.
Hedgewitch by Skye McKenna
Hedgewitch is the first in a 5 part series about Cassie Morgan, whose mother went missing seven years ago, but she’s never given up hope of finding her. Just before her 13th birthday she finds out her mother was a witch and she’s taken to live with her aunt Miranda, the Hedgewitch, who guards the border separating the Britain from the land of the Fae, but someone has been tampering with the wards that prevent the Fae from crossing over and children have been going missing. This had a bit of a slow start but brilliant world building and was very reminiscent of Harry Potter and the Worst Witch.
Tilly and the Book Wanderers by Anna James
This is the first part in the Pages & Co series, and it’s such a story for book lovers. Tilly finds out that she has the ability to travel into stories and interact with the characters, but it turns out to be much more dangerous and exciting than she expected as she learns the rules of book wandering, and tries to solve the mystery of her mother’s disappearance. This was such a cosy, comfort read that had me wanting to dig out all the old classics like Alice in Wonderland, Anne of Green Gables, and The Little Princess that are referenced in the story, and I’m looking forward to finding out what happens next in the series.
August turned out to be a busier month than anticipated and I had less time to read than planned but enjoyed everything I did read.
4000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
What a refreshing and thought provoking book, Burkeman starts with the idea that the average human only has 4000 weeks of life and then delves into how we spend our time. Increasingly as individuals and society we have become obsessed with productivity and consider busyness as a status symbol, trying to achieve more and more with our finite time. Burkeman argues that instead of making ourselves stressed, anxious and exhausted by our overwhelming and never ending to-do lists we should accept our limitations and focus on creating a meaningful life with the short time we have instead. Having spent my 20s and 30s treating significant milestones and achievements like items on a shopping list, this book really resonated with me as I try to balance the competing demands of my young children with my aging parents, career and hobbies.
Leila and the Blue Fox by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
I have not stopped thinking about Julia and The Shark (reviewed here) since I read it last year, and this spiritual sequel did not disappoint. Leila and the Blue Fox is a poignant and thought-provoking story about a Syrian refugee, Leila, trying to reconnect with her mother, who left her in London, while she went to study animal migration due to climate change. The story of their incredible journey across the Arctic as they follow one determined little fox weaves so many pertinent themes from climate change to animal and human migration as well as families and friendships, this will undoubtedly be one of my end of year favourites.
By Ash, Oak and Thorn by Melissa Harrison
A charming children’s story about three little Hidden Folk (Moss, Burnett and Cumulus) who are all living in a garden after being displaced from their wildflower meadow, forest and pond by humans, when they are forced to embark on an unexpected quest to find others of their kind. This story is reminiscent of The Hobbit and The Borrowers but full of little lessons about nature, conservation and friendship. Whimsical, charming and poignant, though the ending felt like a rushed prelude to the next book.
Regenesis by George Monbiot
A fascinating critique of farming and the challenges of trying of feed 6 billion people without wrecking the planet. Monbiot starts by taking an unflinching look at some of the common practices in farming such as the use of pesticides, herbicides, fertiliser, genetic engineering of crops, the use of antibiotics, the spread of manure and the amount of land required to grow crops to feed livestock, and their impact on the environment, both local and global. He then considers the alternatives from (live)stockfree organic farming, reducing food waste and food redistribution through food banks, no till farming, perennial cereals like Kernza wheat and PR23 rice, and the development of microbial proteins (and other alternatives to meat). An interesting book about food production with some unflinching criticisms of current agricultural methods and some pragmatic alternatives for the future.
Sharing my reading wrapup very late as we’re all recovering from a bad cold that floored us for a week. July was a slow month for reading but I thoroughly enjoyed the three books I did manage to read.
Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman
Magic Lessons was everything I hoped for in a prequel to Practical Magic (reviewed here) going back to tell the story of Maria the founding matriarch of the Owens family and the curse she cast to protect her descendents that ripples through the generations ever after. I absolutely adored Magic Lessons and found it gripping, heartbreaking and enchanting. Magic Lessons is a story of mothers and daughters, love and heartbreak, witchcraft and witch trials.
No Drama Discipline by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
I’d struggled a bit with The Whole Brain Child last year but decided to give this a try, and found it so much easier to understand and apply. Complex neuroscience is broken down into easy to grasp concepts about how to shape a child’s developing brain to teach them emotional regulation, morality, empathy and problem solving skills. No Drama Discipline is full of real examples of how to apply the whole brain discipline techniques that takes a contextual but long term approach to parenting, building a loving connection with your child and coaxing collaboration, though my personal favourite example was what to do when you’ve tried everything and none of it works.
The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman
The bittersweet conclusion to the Owens family saga that ties all the threads together as Sally, Gillian, Franny, Jet and Vincent all work together to end the curse that Maria Owens cast over 400 years ago. I have loved this series so much and this was such a wonderful ending reuniting all the characters and introducing some new ones too that kept me hooked from start to finish.
I’ve been meaning to write another post about the stories I’ve been reading with my oldest daughter, and decided to focus on some of the wonderful stories by Julia Donaldson we’ve enjoyed together.
The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child
The Gruffalo is a modern classic picture book about a little mouse who out wits all the creatures in a forest that want to eat him, including the fearsome Gruffalo. A wonderful story about how being small doesn’t mean being helpless which is an important message for children.
I’ve written about The Gruffalo’s Child before as it was one of the first stories my oldest daughter showed an interest in and one that she still requests from time to time. In the sequel, the Gruffalo’s daughter ventures into the deep, dark wood to see if she can find the big bad mouse her father warned her about, and once again the cunning little mouse has to outsmart a bigger creature.
Room on the Broom
Another old favourite that my oldest daughter knows off by heart and we take turns to read/recite a line from start to end. Room on the Broom is the story of a witch who is always losing her belongings but who makes friends with all the creatures that help her find them again. I love the themes of kindness, helping each other and teamwork in this story.
The Snail and The Whale
This is another lovely story about a little Sea Snail that wants to travel the world and has the chance to do so on the tail of a humpback Whale. A recurring theme in this and The Gruffalo is that being small doesn’t mean being helpless, and it’s the determined and clever, little snail that ends up saving the whale’s life.
Zog and Zog and The Flying Doctors
A dragon called Zog is learning all the skills he needs to know at dragon school and is repeatedly helped by a girl who turns out to a Princess. In a clever reversal to the usual fairytale, Princess Pearl aspires to be a Doctor instead, which is a really inspiring message for girls in particular.
In the sequel, Zog and the Flying Doctors travel around helping different creatures who all have the chance to return the favour and help Princess Pearl later on. Of all the stories we have by Julia Donaldson, I think these two are my favourites with themes of perseverance, friendship and kindness.
Stickman
Stickman goes out one morning and then finds himself lost and far from home as different people and animals mistake him for a stick and use him for everything from playing fetch with a dog to building a nest. Stickman is a heartwarming story about never giving up no matter how hopeless things seem, but I tend to save this one for Christmas as Santa Claus shows up at the end.
The Princess and The Wizard
Finally, I wanted to mention The Princess and The Wizard as it was one of the first books my oldest daughter chose (no doubt drawn to it by the pink cover with a Princess) after she got her own library card and we’ve borrowed it a few times since. It’s a story about a Princess who is kidnapped by an evil wizard on her 7th birthday and the seven attempts she makes to escape by changing her colour and changing her shape. Another encouraging story about how determination and cleverness can overcome a more powerful enemy.
Halfway through the year and I’m still a few books behind my reading target, but have already found a couple of books that will be in my top ten come the end of the year. In June itself I read an interesting mix with non fiction outnumbering fiction, which is unusual for me.
The Bumblebee Flies Anyway by Kate Bradbury
An autobiographical story of Kate Bradbury creating a wildlife garden in the middle of Brighton. Written in a rambling, meandering style with flashbacks to her childhood and trips to see specific insects, interspersed with personal tragedies from bereavements to breakups that only nature could soothe and heal. I could relate so strongly to her desire to provide a safe, inviting habitat for birds, bees, butterflies and other wildlife, and felt keenly her grief over gardens and green spaces paved over or covered with decking and fake grass, or bulldozed to build blocks of flats and carparks. I also found it full of useful information about what to plant to benefit particular species, a really inspiring read.
Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty
Follows the diary entries of Dara for a full year, one that brings change and upheaval as he moves house and starts at a new school, but balanced by time spent in nature. This is a heavy book in places as he describes his struggles in social settings due to autism, school bullying and his frustration about environmental issues such as climate change and loss of species, yet the darker moments are balanced by his fascination and reverence for the natural world from the birds and insects in his own garden to adventures exploring the coasts, forests and mountains of Northern Ireland, and the warmth and safety of his family.
Nala’s World by Dean Nicholson
Dean was a fairly ordinary young man, a bit of a drifter who decided to cycle around the world when he turned 30; not long into his journey across Europe he comes across, Nala, a stray kitten whom he immediately falls in love with and decides to take with him on his adventure. Caring for a pet gives Dean an external purpose beyond his own whims and goals, teaching him lessons in empathy, compassion and responsibility. The overarching theme of this story is kindness, and the ripple effect that one kind deed creates, as Dean’s story of finding and caring for Nala inspires others to donate money to animal charities around the world or adopt strays of their own, as well as the countless people he meets on his journey that share food with him or offer him a place to stay.
Raising Good Humans by Hunter Clarke-Fields
A slightly different parenting book about using mindfulness techniques to cultivate patience, kindness and empathy to help parents become calmer and build stronger connections with their children. As a few other parenting books I’ve read, the book starts by asking parents to identify their own triggers and childhood experiences before moving on to developing a mindfulness practice that can be applied to the challenges of parenting as well as developing skills for mindful listening and communicating to help foster connection and cooperation. I found this really easy to read and put into practice, a very helpful parenting book for those of us who aspire to remain calm in trying times.
Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid
The only fiction book I read this month was a twisted gothic fairytale by Ava Reid. Juniper and Thorn is narrated by Marlinchen, the third and youngest daughter of a wizard who has been cursed never to feel full no matter how much he eats, never rested no matter how long he sleeps, and to find fault with his daughters no matter how beautiful, clever or kind they are. I found the atmosphere incredibly tense and unsettling but this story was absolutely gripping. Juniper and Thorn is the story of wizards and witches, hunger and revulsion, magic, monsters and rebellious maidens.
Been struggling to find time to update the blog, but still keeping track of my reading and felt like I finally hit my stride last month.
Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert
A dark and creepy story about witchcraft, secrets and betrayal, narrated by a mother who dabbled in the occult as a teenager looking back on her biggest regrets, and her 17 year old daughter in the present as the mother’s mistakes comes back to haunt them. This was absolutely gripping, creepy and full of suspense, and made me want to get rid of all the mirrors in my house just in case there was someone watching from the other side.
The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
The second part in The Thursday Murder Club series finds the four aging amateur sleuths investigating a mugging, a diamond theft and murder. This is an ensemble cast and I simply adore them all from the four residents of the retirement village (Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim) who are still so full of life and mischief to the local police officers (Chris and Donna) who get pulled into their investigations, and even the enigmatic, hunky Polish handyman, Bogdan. I enjoyed The Man Who Died Twice even more than The Thursday Murder Club, it’s a delightful and absorbing mystery full of clever twists, suspense, humour, poignancy, friendship and even a little romance. I’m already predicting that this will be one of my Top 10 reads of the year, and I can’t wait to read the rest of this series.
The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud
The second part of the ‘Lockwood and Co’ series finds our three teenage ghost hunting agents investigating the mysterious bone glass mirror rumoured to be a window into the spirit realm. This one deviated quite a bit from the TV series, which I watched before seeking out the books, and didn’t have quite as many thrills and chills as the first book, but I loved the friendship developing between the dashing Lockwood, sarcastic Lucy and curious George, that is at the heart of this series.
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse by Charles Mackesy
I had a wobble with uncertainty and self doubt last month, and I ended up reading it in one sitting while my youngest napped in my arms, but it’s a beautifully illustrated book to dip in and out of when in need of some wisdom and comfort. Not quite a story but four companions, a boy with a lot of questions, a mole who loves cake, a wary fox and a gentle horse, travelling together, helping each other, encouraging one another to learn, grow and be themselves, and all of whom are relatable and inspiring in their own way.
Lovely and Grateful 
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