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Beautiful but devastating. Johnny still lives in Nova Scotia House, 24 years after his lover, Jerry, died from AIDS. A block of flats is being built, that will cast its shadow over Jerry‘s beloved garden, leading Johnny to look back and reflect on their time together.

This is told in a stream of consciousness style, with a lack of punctuation in the printed word. This flow wasn‘t reflected in the audio, which was very ⬇️

A short, sparse, sad story of two men in a village in South Wales, still with memories of the hardships of the Miners‘ Strike and against the background of Section 28, AIDS and homophobia. B and M work together in M‘s family hardware store, and live together in the small room upstairs, but have to hide their real selves.

If you liked Andrew McMillan‘s Pity - you‘ll like this. I loved it.

Another one from the #wpf25 longlist that I was halfway through when the shortlist was announced. After reading the second half, this has slid way down my own longlist.

It‘s a pick but only just and it‘s certainly no Americanah. Billed as a novel about 4 women, it‘s more like 4 separate stories, with the women being only tangentially linked. Upon finishing, I could only remember 3 of the women - I‘d completely forgotten the 4th and her story.

I was halfway through this on audio when the #wpf25 shortlist was announced. It wasn‘t on my shortlist and I haven‘t changed my mind since.

I actually quite enjoyed it on audio - mainly vacuous rich people being obnoxious - but I don‘t understand why it was on the list. There was no ‘important message‘ and I didn‘t learn anything and, as is the trend these days, the book just ended with no resolution for most of the characters.

Here we go…! My #wpf25 list in order. I‘ve *nearly* finished all the books - see comments below. ⬇️

Overall it‘s a distinctly average list this year, IMO. The Safekeep made my favourites list of 2024 - only books 2 and 3 could possibly make the 2025 favourites.

On the flip side, I didn‘t absolutely hate any of them - damning with faint praise there! ☺️

The Artist came higher up the list as it was so unexpected - I read it before the ⬇️

#wpf25 Book 13

This was one of those books that leaves you breathless - that you don‘t want to look away from, but you really want to run away from. I never look at the end of a book, but had to in this case, just to know.

It was rather similar to Manguso‘s Liars, both in subject matter and the way it made me feel, and there was a bit more heart in this one.

For me, certainly in the top half of the (slightly disappointing) longlist.

An article from today‘s Observer magazine, covering the Fundamentally author‘s background and her reasons for turning to stand-up comedy and comedic writing.

I found this rather interesting and, having just finished the book, it definitely added context.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/mar/30/the-death-of-my-friend-insp...

I‘m torn on this one. At first I found it wickedly funny and irreverent, but later on the MC acted really immaturely which served to diminish and over-simplify a really serious subject. (De-radicalisation of Isis brides)

I also felt that Islam was portrayed in a really negative way, with only 1 Muslim character having any redeeming features.

Ultimately, this is a pick, saved by its ending and the audacity in tackling the subject in such a way.

Book 9 #wpf25

This was a scarily prescient read, particularly in the current political climate. Sara is pulled aside on her way through LAX and ‘detained‘ in a facility (not imprisoned!) due to her dreams indicating she *might* commit a crime in the future.

I liked the interactions and the menace in that facility - where the inmates can‘t do anything right so their retentions get extended. I felt that more could have been made of ⬇️

Book 8 #wpf25

I didn‘t expect to love this, after all the comments by Littens I respect, when it made the WP #longlist.

I actually didn‘t mind the first half but then it grew just a bit silly and repetitive, around the introduction of the ‘strange machine‘.

I found I didn‘t care for any of the characters and just wanted it to finish. #listcompletist 🙄

Catching up with reviews so apologies in advance! 🤪

Book 7 #wpf25

I loved this, having not expected to, not being a huge fan of ‘Tudor‘ HF. That‘s all down to the MC, Tibb, who is innocent but wise and has the pottiest mouth.

This deceptively simple story covers all sorts of areas - queer love, religion, prejudice, grief and found family.

Definitely on my shortlist!

Here‘s my #wpnf list, in some kind of order. I‘ve read them all, nearly! (1/3 of Wild Thing and 1/4 of Tracker).

I have a definite top 5, the top line, shown in order. Then, any of the second row could be book 6, again these are in approx order but I‘m still a bit torn between PR and Agent Zo.

Much as I loved Neneh‘s book, I don‘t think it should make the shortlist - it‘s a fairly ‘standard‘ memoir, not like Babylon last year. ⬇️

This #wpf25 book is one of those where it‘s difficult to recommend to anyone - I listened to it with a ‘bad smell‘ look on my face throughout. The MC, a white South African amputee, is completely obnoxious and we learn all about her bodily functions as she liberally uses the f-word.

Having said that, I did appreciate this book and can see why it‘s on the list - it‘s challenging and I learnt something new about South African history.

Book 11 from the #wpnf25 longlist.

All about what damage humankind is doing to the oceans, and thus to global ecological structures, this was alternately depressing and slightly hopeful.

This is one occasion where the author reading their own book really worked - you could hear her passion and enthusiasm shining through.

Book 10 of the #wpnf25 longlist.

In this heart-warming book the author finds an abandoned leveret at the start of COVID lockdown. I appreciated that she was unsure initially whether to even take it in or not and it never felt like she was ‘playing God‘ throughout the book.

I particularly liked how she was able to watch the hare at such close quarters that she turned accepted/assumed knowledge about hares upside down.

On my shortlist for sure!

Book 5 of the #wpf25 longlist.

This is one I hadn‘t heard of and I was excited to read it from the blurb, but it didn‘t *quite* live up to my high expectations. The writing was very descriptive and expressive but sometimes a little TOO much. I loved one of the characters and her story arc - the other, not so much.

Another quibble below, that could be slightly spoilerish.

Still a great read, but not likely to make my shortlist. 🤷‍♀️

I sobbed my way through this book this afternoon, but Henry looked after me. I loved Dear Life by this author and had read extracts of this one in the press, so I knew I‘d love it. The author has a way of making medical discussions accessible and turning the heart-rending into heart-warming (yes, deliberate choice of words for this book) whilst being sensitive to all parties.

I especially admire Keira‘s family, in particular her sisters. ❤️

Rather relevant, timely and apposite introduction to this book about Richard II and Henry IV (who were both born in 1367)!

This is what I‘ve got left to read for #wpnf25 - do you think I‘ll make it before the Fiction longlist on Tuesday?🤦‍♀️

Oh, plus Raising Hare on audio, due in 10 days. I purchased the top 3 after trying a sample first on digital. I‘m actually listening to Wild Sea on audio as it appeared on Everand in the last few days.

I‘ve read 7 and paused on Embers of the Hands for now as it just wasn‘t holding my attention. How is everyone else getting on?

I‘m not a huge fan of the ‘horror‘ genre, mostly because I don‘t find such books particularly horrifying. This book, however…. 😱

Annie is shopping in Ikea, at 37 weeks‘ pregnant, when the ‘big‘ earthquake hits. The story follows her over the course of a day as she tries to make her way home on foot.

It‘s truly terrifying as it could really happen and shows us how people could behave in such a situation. A couple of things I didn‘t like ⬇️

Loved this coming-of-age story set in Doncaster (Donny) and written in Northern dialect. It even took me a while to get into it and I‘m from the North of England! See what you think! ⬆️🤪

Kel, Shaz and Rach grow up in the 1990s in that typical friendship love-triangle when there‘s 3 of you. The changes in timeline and POV tell the story of the girls‘ growing up and apart but will a long-held secret destroy the friendship for good?

#netgalley

I capitulated and ordered a print copy of this book from the Women‘s Prize longlist. #wpnf25

I had a digital copy on BorrowBox but I‘m trying not to read on my iPad as it makes my eyes sore. I read a few pages and decided it was worth buying, and I‘m glad I did.

It‘s so heavy, due to the thick, shiny, white paper and the images are beautiful. And it smells nice too! 🤪

Brutal. Upsetting. Anger-inducing.

Yes, clearly, it‘s an incredible difficult read, as the author grows up in the Scottish care system. It is beautifully lyrical in places but, maybe because of this dichotomy between the beauty and the horror, I felt a weird disconnect from the writing, like I was skimming the surface. Or maybe the author is distanced from her experience for her own safety / sanity. I‘d be interested to hear what others think.

Set in the 1920s, Joseph, an aspiring art critic, travels to Provence to try to interview Edouard Tartuffe, a notoriously difficult, reclusive artist who lives an isolated life with his niece, Ettie.

This was such a beautiful, sensory book with its depictions of beauty (a Provençal summer, the food) and horror (The Great War) and the questions of what is art, who is an artist and what do we see when we actually look?

Another amazing book from the #wpnf25 longlist. The author has spent her legal career challenging the police, the govt and other legislative bodies, often in the cases of women who have been victims of male violence or abuse.

Wistrich writes in an engaging, accessible way, without too much legalese, despite the complexity of the cases she talks about. The book made me furious but also grateful that she (& others) are trying to upend the system.

#wpnf25

A very scary book, particularly in this current political climate. Ostensibly looking at how governments in countries such as Russia, Venezuela, Nigeria and North Korea enable each other in their pursuit of autocracy over democracy, it only serves to demonstrate how such policies and actions are now found in so-called democracies. (See quote above)

I would recommend reading this rather than listening to- I found it hard to follow on ⬇️

A very character-driven book that quietly meanders along until the very end when everything happens all at once. (Actually I didn‘t love the ending)

Two neighbouring couples, a doctor and a struggling farmer with both their wives pregnant, struggle along in a harsh 1960s winter. The isolation and cold draw the women together but also draw out worries and secrets that will change all their lives. Beautifully written!

I read an article in the UK press a few months ago about this family and, of course, I‘d seen a lot of reviews on here.

Shari is the eldest daughter of Ruby Franke, an LDS mommy vlogger who presented a perfect family life to the work when, in reality, she was mentally abusing her kids.

I‘m glad that Shari could tell her story, and also that she protected her younger siblings from the glare of social media and other publicity.

This #wpnf25 longlister uses the titular murders to present a wider look at the sociological issues of the poorer side 1950s London, including racism against Black people, prostitution and back-street abortions.

The author looks through the lenses of a newspaper crime reporter and an illness-beset lady crime writer to present different views on the murders, and whether someone was wrongly hanged for one of the crimes.

Engrossing!

This was all kinds of crazy and completely OTT, but I loved it!

4 friends in their 30s, who met at uni, attend the baby shower from hell (including a vulva piñata!). They‘re all going through different stages in life so are growing apart.

The mysterious Phoebe turns up, tensions rise, and there‘s a fire, but who started it?

It‘s a very propulsive read but so much so that I felt the ending, with its big whodunit reveal, was a bit of a let-down.

Me, last night - I‘m not reading the #wpnf2025 list this year, I‘m saving myself for the Fiction list.

Also me, at 8am this morning - hmmm, these all look very interesting.

Me again, mid-afternoon - oh, I have a meeting *quite* near the library, might just pop in.

Me once more, a bit later in the afternoon - oops - I seem to have made a spreadsheet and reserved or borrowed nearly all of the books!

🤦‍♀️

Diane @Crazeedi - thank you so much for my lovely card and the beautiful hummingbird!

It‘s so nice to hear from you from all those miles away! Hopefully we‘ll all be able to come out of hibernation soon, once Spring arrives!

Fabulous day out with @TrishB at a new book festival, Stockport Noir Crime Fiction Festival, organised by the tagged bookshop.

All of the authors were fabulous, witty, informative and fun. Only ‘issue‘ was they made us want to buy *all* the books!

Just a shame that Michael Wood couldn‘t be there (he was in hospital) but two of his fellow authors / friends called him for a brief chat with the audience!

#libraryhaul

Popped into the library to pick up the tagged, which I‘d reserved, and may have accidentally picked up 3 others as well. Not sure how that happened. 🤔 And I definitely haven‘t got enough books of my own to read, or eleventy-seven ARCs. 🤷‍♀️

I hadn‘t heard of In Universes and I‘m not sure it‘s *quite* my thing (not that keen on SF) but it was on the New Books shelf so I thought I‘d take a chance.

I clearly didn‘t hate this as much as many Littens - I gave it a pick after all! I found George to be more pathetic than anything, although he did become particularly insufferable at the time he was clearing out his childhood bedroom.

Where I do agree with everyone is why did we need a book about a boring white guy? And I contrast it with Help Wanted, another #ToB book, that was also about the mundanities of life but SO much more interesting.

Is anyone else doing this challenge from Libro.fm? Not gonna say no to a free audiobook credit! (I presume it‘s running elsewhere outside the UK?)

Rather annoyingly someone phoned me (work-related 🤨) when I was driving home last night and I missed about 45 minutes of listening time.

Fortunately @TrishB and I are going to Stockport Noir Crime Literature Festival tomorrow which is 4+ hours of driving and listening for me. ☺️

#netgalley Pub 13th Feb UK

Hmmm…can‘t decide if this is a very light pick or a so-so. It wasn‘t what I expected and, indeed the chronology was quite different to the blurb.

Daniel, referred to as ‘the boy‘ throughout, attends a school where his father used to be headmaster so feels above everyone else. Then he makes a new friend and a popular teacher shows interest in him, but his mother and father are behaving oddly.

Daniel was very ⬇️

Another one from the #ToB list that I loved, although the quirky premise (girl sent from another planet to report back on life on Earth) concerned me. Turns out I loved Adina and I‘d have been one of those holding up the ‘I believe you‘ placards at her readings.

I‘m glad it made the shortlist as the book was so difficult to get hold of here in the UK that I probably wouldn‘t have bothered otherwise and I‘m so pleased I got to experience it.

Here‘s a few ideas for books that *may* be on the Women‘s Prize NF longlist. #wpnf2025

I have the top 3 reserved on BorrowBox. Not sure about the Darian but I *think* she has written this in English. Same with Looking at Women, which I‘ve read. I‘ve also read The Lasting Harm.

The rest I‘ve found by poking through various lists and are all books I‘d like to read. Not sure how many I‘ll *actually* read this year - might save myself for fiction!

#ToB #shortlist

Loved this! I found it sharp and snarky and it‘s one of those books where the MCs are rather obnoxious (this time in an arty-farty way) but you love them anyway.

I thought the ending was a little weak, but I can see why it made the #ToBshortlist.

Thanks so much for sending it to me! @BarbaraBB

#fridaynight #bookstack

I *may* have done a spot of shopping this week….that‘s the bottom 4 books. Actually, all purchased with Xmas vouchers so it doesn‘t count, right?!

I‘m wondering whether the bottom 3 are possibles for the Women‘s Prize longlist - what do you think?

The top 2 are library books.

I finished all my current reads during the week so just need to choose which one (or two, or three) to start next. 🤔

#netgalley Pub 13th Feb in the UK

I‘d read The Tobacconist by this author and enjoyed it so when this popped up on NG I thought I‘d give it a try.

This is a quiet, contemplative book, following a number of years in the life of a café, its owner Robert, and many of the customers.

Just a delightful relaxing read - perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon!

Narrated by a trans woman who was a young child in a blue-collar area of Madrid in the 1980s and grew up during the AIDS era this is a heart-breaking but life-affirming novel.

The vignettes of the neighbourhood, life and people around the MC were beautifully told, but always with a threatening undercurrent.

Loved the women who supported our un-named protagonist, and helped her become herself, particularly Margarita and Eugenia.

A must read!

#netgalley - pub 6th Feb UK

This is the second novel by the author of Black Cake. I may be going against the grain but I much preferred this one - some other early reviewers felt that the old jar featured in this book didn‘t have as much impact as the cake recipe in the first but I liked it.

There was quite a time distance between the tales of slavery (and the jar) and the modern day, which perhaps lessened the impact but the modern-day ⬇️

This was laugh out loud hilarious - I found myself glad that I drive for my commute now rather than going by train as I‘d have had some funny looks otherwise. (The humour is very British-centric and there‘s lot of British pop-culture references too)

The author is also very caring towards the women who have been involved in romance fraud, and rightfully very angry on their behalf.

Also has to be the funniest (& sweariest) acknowledgments ever!

A baby is found washed upon the shore of an Irish fishing village in the 1970s. Ambrose Bonnar, a local fisherman, decides his family should keep him but Brendan is an odd boy, given to offering benedictions to the other villagers, and despised by his ‘brother‘ Declan.

This was a little reminiscent of Coast Road, but not as good - there was too much about fishing for my liking. A pick, but #borrownotbuy.

#netgalley Out 6th Feb in the UK

I *nearly* bailed on this ‘hardboiled detective‘ novel from the #ToBlonglist but persevered and, about 30% in, found myself caring for one of the MCs which turned the book around.

It could also be called speculative fiction as it‘s set in an alternative 1920s USA, where First Nations people live side by side with Blacks and whites, but still with the KKK on the rise and a ritualistic murder on a rooftop setting the whole town on edge.

I wasn‘t going to read this, but then it made the #ToB shortlist. I still wasn‘t sure but thought if I borrowed it from the library, I could bail.

I ended up really liking it and it didn‘t feel (quite) as long as it looked.

Thanks #ToB - you made me read and enjoy a fantasy book about teenagers, with ghosts, magic and weird creatures, where I didn‘t always understand what the heck was happening!

Henry liked it too! 🤪

Loved this debut novel, out in the UK 23rd January.

Cora is left alone in NYC in Sept 2001 when her father dies in the Twin Towers. She travels to Ireland to live with her Mother‘s sister, who had been estranged from the family for years. We travel back in time to learn about Cora‘s mother, Maire, and her aunt Roisin, and then forwards as Cora‘s own daughter starts to piece together the family history.

Ultimately this is a book about ⬇️

I clearly didn‘t love this #ToB book as much as other Littens (looking at you in particular Holly, @Hooked_on_books ). I mean, I loved the writing style and all of the bookish references but I found it really depressing and the Book Censor‘s life was so ultimately futile.

I‘ve been trying to figure out why it felt more so than 1984 and I think the MC was actually likeable and, of course, there‘s the inclusion of his daughter in this one.