The first story in this collection narrated by women and girls was fab - meaningful and understandable. After that things got a bit patchy - some were good but there were others where I just didn‘t get the symbolism and I‘m not even sure if I was meant to - the stories just fizzled out.

Overall, though, I can see what the author was trying to do so a light pick.

(Also, it‘s not really horror or body-horror - a few bugs is all. Oh, and a tail!)

I‘m not a huge fan of Smith (I‘ve tried the seasonal quartet and just didn‘t get it) but this is on the #ToBlonglist and was on audio at the library and it‘s short! 😜

It‘s set in a very near dystopian future as two siblings try to find their way. I ended up quite liking it - not sure what was going on at some points but I appreciated the wordplay and plays on words.

I liked it enough to try the companion book when it comes out next year.

Bit of a colour theme going on with my library #bookhaul!

3 of them are, of course, from the #ToBlonglist. I actually reserved Seduction Theory around 6 weeks ago and it‘s taken this long to come in - perfect timing!

I fully expected Heart the Lover to be on the longlist too. 🤷‍♀️ I‘ll have to read that one first anyway as it has multiple reservations against it, so I can‘t renew it.

Home from our holidays now, to book mail. It‘s all rather ToB-adjacent!

I ordered the top and bottom books yesterday, when the list was released. (The only two I‘ve bought so far from the longlist - I‘m behaving myself! 😝)

The Balle is a pre-order and was published this week. It was on the NBA list, as well as being on the ToB longlist.

And finally, I ordered The Turner House after loving The Wilderness, which is also on both lists!

Loved this, as expected! The MC is in Paris at the start of COVID lockdowns, watched by the ghost of Hortense Cezanne, as she tries to write a biography of her.

I really liked how the author played with memory and recollection, as the two women explored each other‘s memories.

Thank you for sending this to me! @CarolynM 😘

📸 Sunrise over Bamburgh Castle. Can you see the line of photographers on the beach, all after the perfect shot?! ☺️

This was…fine. The narrator‘s father dies when he is a young boy and we follow him through life, eventually taking a road trip with his own teenage son.

It just about held my interest, but nothing really happens. A light pick.

📸 The cluster of cottages on the far left is where we‘ve been staying.

Just me, starting another book, with my Lindisfarne (Holy Island) bookmark, whilst looking at *actual* Lindisfarne out of the window.

Looking forward to this book!

I bought this in the West Kirby bookshop, on our way to the Gladstone‘s reading retreat this year. There are a number of books re-released in this collection.

This was first published in 1950 and opens with Faustina Crayle being dismissed from her teaching post at a posh girls‘ school. She‘s not told why & there doesn‘t appear to be a concrete reason but this is the second time it‘s happened.

This is a gothic-y detective mystery - I liked it!

Not my usual kind of book, but I‘d added it to my TBR after seeing it rumoured for the Booker. I wonder if it will be on the ToB list?

I ended up really liking it and will try more by this author. Set in Tasmania, Dusk is a puma who is killing shepherds, but the book is more about the relationship between and the history of twins Iris and Floyd, who set out to hunt Dusk.

Thank you for sending this to me @Caroline2 😘

Yes, OK, you were all right - I loved it! ❤️😝❤️

It did take me a chapter or two to get into it and I was a *teensy* bit worried for a few minutes, but it all came good and it will probably be on my ‘best of 2025‘ list.

Pic: Henry being a little bit knackered after playing on the beach.

Book haul!

The top 4 are mine, from The Accidental Bookshop in Alnwick. I love it there as they always have under-the-radar books. I‘ve certainly never heard of The Merge before, but it gets great reviews on GR.

Hubby got the next two, from the same shop. The Connelly is for him also, from Barter Books.

And, finally, the bottom two were Q9.50 each, from a charity bookshop in town.

A really fascinating read. It‘s not a typical, linear, true-crime book, so you need to know about the crime *before* reading.

Instead, it‘s the thoughts of the three Aussie authors as they attend the trial, including on why we are drawn to such terrible events, and whether we are voyeuristic in being so engrossed. (Which was really interesting as I felt this slightly when reading newspaper reports of the crime, and even when buying this book)

I loved that this launched straight into the drama with no introductions or preamble. Following the lives of 4 friends over the years, I found the non-linear timeline a bit distracting but otherwise I was completely engrossed.

I need to read the author‘s previous book now, if it‘s as good as this.

My TBR pile for my holidays and a little peek outside at our view.

Just in case I didn‘t bring enough, we‘re off to Barter Books (and another bookshop!) tomorrow to stock up on more…. 😜

Thank you so much for this lovely gift, Megan! @TheKidUpstairs ☺️

I bet you thought it was lost in the post, didn‘t you? It looks like you posted it in September! 🤨

I‘m glad you like it so much and that makes me look forward to reading it even more! ❤️

This one is a soft pick. The author writes an ‘autobiography‘ of her partner which doesn‘t really work as a structure. Some of the content is fascinating, or could have been, as the most interesting parts are skimmed over. The author‘s escape from Vietnam to Canada could have been a book in itself.

Instead we got a vignette of a leak from the bathroom into the flat downstairs, and the comment that ‘The names of fruit often reflect their color‘

My National Book Awards #10beforetheend is coming along nicely now, after a very slow start.

I‘ve only just started Sad Tiger and Autobiography and about a third of the way through The Remembered Soldier, which is the chunkster on the list.

I‘m still concerned that I‘m going to get sidetracked by the ToB longlist when that comes out…. 😝

I loved this NBA nominee. Raja is a 60 year old queer man, living in Beirut. His mother has just moved in with him and they have a rather fractious, but hilarious relationship.

Raja looks back over Lebanese history which, of course, is a rather serious topic. He intersperses that with his own relationship history, which also has a serious side, but he is witty and loveable throughout. (And his mother is an absolute menace! 😝)

This was fascinating. Starting just over 100 years ago it looks at the role of women in Russian society, both political and personal.

I was worried this would be too politics-heavy for me, but it wasn‘t at all - the author uses her own family history to great effect.

The book grew more compelling (and terrible) as it neared the present day, particularly on the subjects of VAW, the Ukraine war and Putin.

Highly recommended.

A genre-defying book…. Part whaling story / maritime adventure, part body horror, part dark fantasy, part polemic on the dangers of capitalism.

I certainly can‘t say I enjoyed it but I appreciated it and was compelled to keep reading, despite the very graphic depictions of whale slaughter.

There‘s a lot to process here and I‘ll be thinking about it for some time.

Another one from the NBA longlist and from my #10beforetheend list.

Just two books finished so far for #10beforetheend. 😬

Work is kicking my butt at the moment. 🙄

I am part-way through reading 5 others from my list though, so there‘s that! 😜

This was wonderful - thank you so much for sending it to me! @Caroline2

Jude, Wendy, Sylvie and Adele have been friends for years. After Sylvie dies, the other 3 gather for a weekend, to clear out her house. Sylvie was the glue that held them together, so tensions arise and fractures appear.

I spent the whole time holding my breath, hoping that something terrible wasn‘t going to happen, particularly with the dog, 😬 but still loved it!

My special edition boxed-set of A Little Life just arrived! ❤️❤️❤️

Thanks for putting it on my radar @TrishB and good job I jumped on it quickly, as it‘s now sold out!

I‘m afraid I just didn‘t ‘get‘ this, but it‘s probably a me-thing rather than the book itself. I‘m not in a very concentrate-y mood right now and need something that‘s easy to read or grips me from the start.

There was a lot of florid language and probably a load of metaphor that just went over my head.

It‘s based on a real-life trans man although I didn‘t see much queerness at all, but possibly that‘s me skimming rather than reading in depth.

A fascinating book from the NBA NF list. Jordan was studying for a PhD when he decided to become a ‘hotshot‘ firefighter, chasing wildfires.

The book blends his physical experiences fighting fires with his studies into how indigenous peoples managed the land through fire.

Most interesting (and infuriating) was the mis-information on climate change peddled by large corporations and taken up by (Republican) politicians.

I‘m reading some great books at the moment but still can‘t seem to concentrate so thought I‘d try to lose myself in a short book.

I really liked this - Shy is a teenager at a young offenders‘ institution. We spend time with the thoughts in his head through one dark night.

I‘ll be interested to see the recent film, which sounds like it‘s got quite a different perspective.

Thank you for sending this to me, Cathy. @Cathythoughts

Hubby and I had brunch with Mark Billingham today…. Well, us, and about 50 other people!

He‘s a very funny guy - he actually used to be a stand-up comedian.

At one point he talked about abandoning books he wasn‘t enjoying. He asked who reads books right to the end even if they‘re not loving them and I got thoroughly told off! 😝

It‘s a LONG time since I read Wild Swans and I wonder if this would have felt a little repetitive in places if I‘d read it more recently. This book is really a love letter to the author‘s mother and brings Wild Swans up to date. I particularly enjoyed the section where Chang first arrives in the UK, and found her most recent experiences with censorship in China rather terrifying.

I found the middle section, where Chang is writing her ⬇️

#10beforetheend

Excited to be joining in with this challenge! ALL of these are from the NBA awards longlists. Although some didn‘t make the shortlists I own them now so want to read them anyway…. @Hooked_on_books

My only concern is I‘m going to get distracted by the ToB longlist in the not-too-distant future. 😜 I‘m looking at you as well! @BarbaraBB 😉

Thank you for my surprise gift! @CarolynM 😘

This book sounds SO good - I‘ve been keeping an eye out for it since you read and reviewed it but, you‘re right, it‘s very difficult to find.

I love the coaster too - perfect! 👌

Loved this! I have Vol II on audio, and await the publication of Vol III next month.

I‘m reading Frankenstein at the same time and there are some intriguing parallels; Tara refers to herself as a monster and I‘m just at the part in Frankenstein where the monster is living in an annex and watching the family next door…. Sound familiar?! 🤔

Henry on his one night camping trip, supposed to be two but I have the lurgy so we came home early.

Gifts from Gladstone‘s! (Actually, mainly from @julesG ! 😜)

Jules made us each a cushion cover ❤️ and also gifted me 2 book sleeves! ❤️❤️

Lots of bookmarks (some of which are already in use), a key ring, a pencil etc etc - bookish goodies are my favourite!

It‘s been a busy week since we got back from our #readingretreat at Gladstone‘s so I‘m only just getting round to the final few posts.

These are the books I ‘gained‘ during the trip. The tagged is the book I chose from our Blind Date With A Book swap - thanks Steffi!

The Prophets is from Emma, and I did a book swap with Barbara for The Loft.

The other 3 were purchases I made at West Kirby bookshop on the way there.

Can‘t tag anyone - sorry! 😬

Another 4 books on the National Book Awards longlist. I had no idea the tagged book was such a chunkster until it arrived!

I also have 2 on order from eBay but they‘re not arriving for a few weeks yet.

I‘m reading The Antidote in print - it‘s too early to say what I think yet. I‘m also listening to The Sisters on audio and, goodness me, it‘s long! 😬

Last morning of quiet reading at Gladstone‘s. 😢 we‘re having Sunday lunch then some of us are heading home - some lucky ducks aren‘t leaving until tomorrow.

Loved this book - 17 year old Charlie is in the driver‘s seat of the family‘s driverless minivan when it is involved in a fatal collision.

Weaving human and AI behaviour this is a twisty-turns look at how what we think and say (and what we don‘t say) impacts on all our lives.

@BarbaraBB gifted me this for my birthday, following Littens‘ recommendations again….and I loved it as much as Barbara did.

We had a nearly-buddyread and then we were trying to discuss what we thought happened next, without spoilering it for everyone else who hasn‘t read it. 😜

I loved the MCs and their complicated relationships and wanted the best for all of them - I just couldn‘t stop reading.

The latest by Washington (out 1st Jan in the UK) is another look at troubled familial relationships.

‘The son‘, a Black gay man has escaped to Tokyo to get away from his homophobic, troubled older brother and ‘the mother‘ who seems to favour the older brother.

When the mother turns up on the son‘s doorstep, they have to work out how to reconcile.

I loved the Tokyo setting - a character in itself. Referring to the son and mother in that ⬇️

This was less tough than I imagined it to be - possibly because the author is very matter-of-fact about her mother‘s behaviour and how it affected her.

There‘s also less about ‘Mrs Roy‘, as Arundhati calls her, than I expected. There‘s more in the first half, during the author‘s childhood, clearly, but the author also talks about her political work, writing her fiction books and non-fiction essays and winning the Booker. All fascinating stuff!

Like many others, I loved this, so thank you to the many Littens who have talked about this book over the past few months.

It follow the lives of 2 queer teenage girls in 70s / 80s Australia - one who is outed and joins a queer community and one who hides her sexuality and marries a man.

It did feel slightly patchy in places - I felt I knew ‘limb one‘ better but wanted to learn more about the queer community around her. I also felt the ⬇️

A difficult to book to read. Set in a very near future Kolkata where the heat and floods have led to poverty, many residents are emigrating to the US on climate visas.

Ma is one of those and, along with her father and 2 year old daughter she has just obtained their passports to join her husband in the US, when her bag is stolen.

Life gets worse and worse as they mount a desperate search for the thief - a very dark book but also unputdownable.

A beautiful early morning walk here at Gladstone‘s Library.

The latest Richard Osman book is another fabulous addition to the Thursday Murder Club series - perhaps not *quite* as good as book number 4 but that one was SO good.

Too many books for 4 days of reading?!

I bought 2 on the way here at the fabulous West Kirby bookshop, and @MicheleinPhilly doorstepped Waterstones in Liverpool to get the new Osman for me. Ive already read more than half of it though, so maybe not too many books for 4 days!

And can you spy the wonderful Gladstone‘s wallpaper?!

Looking forward to a lot more reading at our retreat this weekend!

Library book haul.

The Antidote is from the NBA longlist.

I‘m not sure Katabasis will be for me, so didn‘t want to buy it. I snaffled an audio copy on BorrowBox but I can‘t hear it properly when driving. (Certain voices / pitches / timbres / whatever just don‘t work for me over the road noise, no matter how loud the volume) I was lucky to not have to wait long for the physical copy.

The other two were on the ‘new in‘ shelf.

A terrible indictment of the fostering system in the US. A disproportionate number of children who have been through the system end up in jail or homeless.

The author follows 6 former foster kids, of varying ages and backgrounds, as well as looking at work done to improve the system, showing a glimmer of hope in the darkness.

If you appreciated Invisible Child, tagged below, then you‘ll feel the same about this book.

Both of the author‘s sons died by suicide, as teenagers, 6 years apart. The author talks about how to keep on living afterwards. You would imagine this book to be terribly emotional, but it‘s not. It‘s also not cold-hearted.

It‘s very difficult to find the words to describe this book - it‘s poetic, beautiful, clear-eyed and somehow hopeful.

Love this! 12 year old Kaitlin spent the 6 weeks of her school summer holiday visiting all 42 libraries in North Yorkshire (my county). North Yorkshire is the biggest county in the UK so she travelled over 900 miles to do this.

Also, Kaitlin has already read 156 (library) books this year - a Litten-in-training! ❤️

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn0r45z7k75o

Checking out options for reading books from the NBA longlists - this is my only option currently for The Wilderness! How much?! And, seeing as I haven‘t had a CD player for over 10 years, I don‘t think so! 🤣

I‘ve purchased two physical books from the Translated Literature list and used two gift credits on Libro.fm for two NF books (thank you, Holly! 😘) I may also get Sad Tiger on Libro.fm but think I‘d rather have that in print.

Just arrived back from our camping trip to two more lovely gifts!

Thank you very much @robinb for No Two Persons - I haven‘t read it before! I‘ve read and really enjoyed The Scent Keeper so I‘m really looking forward to it.

And Culpability is from a secret squirrel Litten! 🤔 I‘ve seen so many great reviews for this on Litsy recently *and* it‘s a Europa Editions book - yay!

Written by a Goorie (Aboriginal) author this covers two timeframes.

In 1854 Mulanyin tries to build a life and a marriage against the backdrop of colonial violence. I found this part of the book fascinating, learning about how the different tribes lived and worked together, and how they were treated by the incomers.

The more modern story was of less interest to me, perhaps because the historical fiction was SO good it drew me away from it.

Loved this! It‘s a fictionalised tale of two real-life Scottish painters, Robert Colquhoun and Bobby MacBryde who meet at Glasgow School of Art in 1933.

Taking us from poverty to their college years, then the war years, then fame and famous friends, it‘s a tale of passion, debauchery, forbidden love and devastation- I couldn‘t put it down.