Fiction
By Patmeena Sabit. Zorah Sharaf could do no wrong. Zorah Sharaf brought shame upon her family. The truth depends entirely on who you ask, and that tension sits at the very heart of Good People. The Sharaf family appear to embody success. Having escaped the horrors of war in Afghanistan,
Fiction
By Eleanor Shearer. Fireflies in Winter is a beautifully written and deeply moving historical book that explores freedom, belonging and love against the harsh backdrop of 1796 Nova Scotia. From the first few pages, it is clear that the author has crafted something both powerful and tender, a story that
Fiction
By Elizabeth Fremantle. A fiery feminist retelling of Beatrice Cenci’s tragic, silenced life. Renaissance Rome, 1599. A noblewoman waits in her prison cell at the Corte Savella, accused of the brutal murder of her father. Her name is Beatrice Cenci and history has either vilified her or turned her
Fiction
By Daisy Goodwin. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Diva is a richly drawn and emotionally absorbing book that explores the life of Maria Callas, focusing on her relationship with Aristotle Onassis and the personal cost of loving so fiercely while living in the public eye. The book opens in 1968, with Maria reeling from the
Fiction
By Catherine Newman. There is something deeply comforting about returning to characters who already feel like people you know, and Wreckdelivers exactly that. Coming back to Rocky and her family felt like slipping into a familiar rhythm, one filled with humour, tenderness, anxiety, and the quiet weight of everyday life.
Fiction
By Jennifer Niven. Meet the Newmans is a warm, witty and quietly heartbreaking book that pulls back the curtain on perfection and reveals the cost of living a life performed for others. Set in 1964, it captures a moment of cultural change where the world is shifting faster than some
Fiction
By Sophie Hannah. The Opposite of Murder is a brilliantly unsettling book built around one of the most chilling premises imaginable. What if the only way to stop a murder was to confess to it? Sophie Hannah takes this idea and turns it into a psychological puzzle that is tense,
Theatre
The Alhambra Theatre. This week, I was lucky enough to be invited to attend the Press Night for FRIENDS! The Musical Parody at the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford. A special thank you to Philippa for this invitation. FRIENDS! The Musical Parody is a fast paced, high energy stage show that
Fiction
By Vaseem Khan. The Edge of Darkness by Vaseem Khan is a richly layered historical crime book that delivers both a compelling mystery and a vivid portrait of post Independence India. Set in 1951, Persis Wadia, India’s first female police detective, has been effectively exiled from Bombay to the
Non-Fiction
By Jeffrey Eugenides. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Icarus is a quiet, haunting memoir that sits with grief rather than trying to solve it. In this deeply personal book, Jeffrey Eugenides returns to the life and death of his father, Gus, who died in a small plane crash in Florida in 1994. More than three
Fiction
By Carmella Lowkis. A Slow and Secret Poison is a richly atmospheric book that invites you into a crumbling manor filled with grief, superstition and the slow unravelling of old family secrets. Set in 1922 in the southwest of England, it follows Vee Morgan, a young woman fleeing a past
Fiction
By Agatha Christie. The A.B.C. Murders is often cited as among Christie's best, and it is easy to see why. The premise is irresistible. A killer choosing victims and locations in alphabetical order, leaving a copy of the ABC Railway Guide beside each body, and taunting