by Melinda Taub — Funny, clever and very, very entertaining pastiche with witchcraft and tomfoolery.
Author: Nanni
Tom Lake
by Ann Patchett — Tom Lake is a nice book, very pleasant to read, not particularly challenging but beautifully written. Lockdown without the pandemic.
The Wren, The Wren
by Anne Enright — Not a narrative of grand events but an exploration of the intricate threads that bind couples and families.
Murder by Natural Causes
by Helen Erichsen — If I’m going to use murder as light entertainment, at least it’s nice for the protagonist to be a woman. Especially if she’s good at her job.
A Bird in Winter
by Louise Doughty — A Bird in Winter is beautifully written, well paced, at times exciting, at times more reflective. Older, career women will appreciate it!
Bad Men
by Julie Mae Cohen — Bad Men is sharp and fast and clever and very funny. You’ll love it. (Maybe less so if you’re a scumbag who hurts women.)
Black Thorn
by Sarah Hilary — A tense and claustrophobic mystery. An incisive look into family life and loyalties, ambition, criminal negligence, toxic greed and cover-up.
Lioness
by Emily Perkins — Therese questions herself and her life, and feels the urge to break out, smash everything and live more authentically. Who doesn’t, right?
Tell Me What I Am
by Una Mannion — Portrays coercive control and domestic violence. Highlights the difficulties facing victims’ families and the lack of legal support.
The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies
by Alison Goodman — When the days are dull and lifeless, you need The Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies. Thrilling, moving, clever.
Such Sharp Teeth
by Rachel Harrison — Rage, trauma, resilience and transformation. Women finding strength and learning to face the world without (or with less) fear.
Cuckoo in the Nest
by Fran Hill — A quiet domestic drama set in 1970s Britain. Moving and well written. A wealth of domestic detail plunges the reader into the era.
Fyneshade
by Kate Griffin — A taut and dark gothic tale. Marta is sent to be a governess at Fyneshade, where she expects to find a rich man to marry.
Whether Violent or Natural
by Natasha Calder — A good premise (a world where antibiotics don’t work anymore) marred by overblown prose, lack of clarity and weirdness (not good-weird).
The Memory of Animals
by Claire Fuller — A group of young people are trapped in hospital during a pandemic that wipes through the population, leaving just them, alone and isolated.
Breakwater
by Marijke Schermer — A moving, painful exploration of traumatic memories of sexual violence. Beautifully written (and translated) in stark, precise prose.
Weyward
by Emilia Hart — Three women, three time periods, and always the same old shit of male coercion and violence. An absorbing, immersive story.
Looking for a good book? 5 tips for readers.
5 tips to help you find books you’ll love!
The Other Half
by Charlotte Vassell — Witty and well written satirical crime novel about contemporary London socialites.
The Social Distance Between Us
by Darren McGarvey — Well written essay on the disparities between the ruling class and the people affected by their decisions. UK-focused, but relevant anywhere.