April bookish roundup

Hello lovely reader!

April done then? That’s a third of 2024 gone! Blimey.

Before too much more of the year disappears, let’s have a look at the bookish goings-on, shall we?

Books read: 3

  • Raw Spirit, by Iain Banks (own copy, hbk)
  • Abroad In Japan, by Chris Broad (Audible subscription, audiobook)
  • A Spy Like Me, by Kim Sherwood (Hemlock Press, ebook ARC)

Three books? That’s the lowest monthly total so far, AND there was a long weekend at Easter, AND I was on holiday for over a week up in Scotland. I took lots of books, including three ARCs I wanted to get read, bought two and read one. Ooops.

I first read Raw Spirit: In Search of the Perfect Dram when it first came out, being as I am, a huge fan of Iain (M) Banks. I’d somehow lost that copy so imagine my delight to find a hardback copy in superb condition in a charity shop in Oban. Scotland, whisky, it was fate. And only three quid. And the only book I managed to read on holiday.

Bit of a month for re-reads, as we listened to Abroad In Japan, by Chris Broad on the drive up from Yorkshire to Oban. I’d already listened to it back in February, but we wanted something gently amusing to help pass the miles and apparently the audiobook of Dune wasn’t quite cutting it with the passenger.

I really enjoyed Kim Sherwood’s first Double O book, Double Or Nothing, so jumped at the chance to read a Netgalley copy of A Spy Like Me. Great stuff, review below!

Books reviewed: 1

I reviewed a book! Look!

Books purchased: 7

  • Raw Spirit, by Iain Banks (hbk)
  • Heaven, My Home, by Attica Locke (pbk)
  • Gods of the Wyrdwood, by RJ Barker (kindle)
  • Wrong Place, Wrong Time, by Gillian McAllister (kindle)
  • City Under One Roof, by Iris Yamashita (kindle)
  • Leave No Trace, by Jo Callaghan (Audible subscription, audiobook)
  • Hell Bent, by Leigh Bardugo (kindle)

Heaven, My Home was also discovered in the same Oban charity shop as Raw Spirit, so I picked that one up for some holiday reading.

Bit of a kindle bargains month – I’ve got a hefty paperback ARC of RJ Barker’s Gods of the Wyrdwood loitering around somewhere, but it’s much lighter on kindle.

I’ve also listened to the audiobook of Gillian McAllister’s excellent Wrong Place, Wrong Time but really want to read it again. It’s a fantastic story of a murder and the events leading up to it. The main character keeps jumping back to the previous days and weeks leading up to the murder and it’s absolutely fascinating seeing how things unravel. Or ravel. It’s really really good.

Someone recommended Iris Yamashita’s City Under One Roof (sorry, can’t remember who) so I snapped that one up.

Leave No Trace is the followup to Jo Callaghan’s fabulous In The Blink of an Eye, which I loved. Went for the audiobook this time and it’s helping me get out to do my daily physio-mandated walk. Favourite quote so far is “This is Nuneaton, not Netflix” which made me laugh out loud just as I was passing some dogwalkers. Thanks Jo.

Last but by no means least, Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo is the sequel to Ninth House which I read ages ago.

Books received:4

  • The Sword Unbound, by Gareth Hanrahan (Orbit Books, ARC, May 2024)

I adored Gareth Hanrahan’s The Sword Unbound, so was delighted to find a copy of the second book land on my doormat with a healthy thud. At nigh-on 600 pages it’s a hefty boi, but I couldn’t wait and jumped right in.

Virtual bookpost (Netgalley/email): 3

  • Service Model, by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tor, June 2024)
  • Seeker, by Samuel Griffin (Panthe Press, May 2024)
  • Deadly Animals, by Marie Tierney (Henry Holt & Co, Nov 2024)

Currently reading:3

  • Profile K – Helen Fields (Avon Books, April 2024)
  • The Sword Unbound, by Gareth Hanrahan (Orbit Books, pbk ARC, May 2024)
  • Leave No Trace, by Jo Callaghan (Audible subscription)

As ever, any books in there which take your fancy? Any you’ve read and loved? Any that you’ve read and not loved?

See you next month!

Dx

A Spy Like Me – Kim Sherwood

A Spy Like Me is the second in Kim Sherwood’s new Double O series, set in the world of Ian Fleming’s superspy James Bond, and follows hot on the heels of Double Or Nothing.

I love a good Bond story, so it’s been interesting to see what Kim Sherwood has done in this series. Can a Bond book work without James Bond? The answer is yes. Well, mostly.

Sherwood’s Double O series sees a bunch of Double O agents criss-crossing the world (secret missions, check) on the hunt for a global terrorist network (check again) with lots of dangerous action, gadgets and glamorous parties (check, check and you’ve guessed it, check). The only minor quibble I have, and I accept that this is entirely a me thing, is that there’s a *lot* going on and sometimes I lose track of my OO agents.

That sort of thing would never happen to M. Or Moneypenny, who is now in charge of the Double O section, and somewhat confusingly OOO, who I keep wanting to call Double O Zero rather than his official designation of Triple O. Conrad Harthrop-Vane, a triple name to go with his three Os?

Harwood has captured the feel of Fleming’s Bond world rather well. There are a lot of nods to the earlier stories, with some extended cameos from characters from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, You Only Live Twice and others. Q is now a quantum computer so there’s no ‘Now pay attention, 007’, but then again there’s no Bond. Yet.

I enjoyed A Spy Like Me a lot, as with Double or Nothing, and am very intrigued to see where Kim Sherwood takes our dashing Double O agents next.

A Spy Like Me by Kim Sherwood is published by HarperCollins and is out now. Many thanks to the publisher for an advance copy of the book to review.

James Bond is alive.

Or at least, he was when he left a clue at the black site where the insidious private military company Rattenfänger held him captive. MI6 cannot spare any more lives attempting to track down one missing agent—no exceptions, even for Bond. But Johanna Harwood, 003, has her own agenda. Sidelined by her superiors while she grieves the loss of a loved one, Harwood goes on an unsanctioned mission: to find 007. Meanwhile, MI6 has another problem…

A bomb has been detonated in London.

Double O agents on the trail of the terrorists responsible acted quickly to prevent mass destruction and save lives. But MI6 failed to neutralize the nation’s enemies before they could strike, and one of their own was seriously injured in the blast.

They won’t fail again.

Assigned to root out the source of the terrorists’ funding, Joseph Dryden, 004, and Conrad Harthrop-Vane, 000, enter the field. Tracing clues from Sotheby’s auction house to Crete to Venice, they uncover a money laundering scheme involving diamonds, black market antiquities, and human trafficking. Once a major sale is made, a six-day countdown to the next terror attack begins. As the Double O’s follow the twisting trail, they find themselves unexpectedly inching closer to Bond…

March bookish roundup

Hello lovely reader!

March has marched on, the clocks have sprung forward an hour, I’m full of easter eggs, and without further ado, let’s have a look and see what happened with books.

Books read: 9

  • The Red Hollow, by Natalie Marlow (pbk ARC, Baskerville, March 2024)
  • West of Wheeling, by Jeffrey Tanenhaus (Houndstooth Press, kindle)
  • The War Widow, by Tara Moss (pbk ARC, Verve, March 2024)
  • Voyage of the Damned, by Frances White (NetGalley ARC, Michael Joseph, January 2024)
  • The Darkest Sin, by DV Bishop (pbk, own copy, Pan Macmillan)
  • The Chamber, by Will Dean (NetGalley ARC, Hodder & Stoughton, June 2024)
  • Hunted, by Abir Mukherjee (NetGalley ARC, Vintage, May 2024)
  • The Hungry Dark, by Jen Williams (NetGalley ARC, HarperCollins, 11th April 2024)
  • The Cracked Mirror, by Chris Brookmyre (NetGalley ARC, Abacus, July 2024)

Nine books! That’s pretty good going. Probably helped by coming down with lurgy and spending a couple of days on the sofa feeling very sorry for myself.

Full reviews to come (eventually), but it’s been a great month for books too. The Red Hollow is a fantastic follow-up to the brilliant Needless Alley – it’s very different, and spooky and I enjoyed it enormously.

West of Wheeling is about a guy who takes a Citibike from New York and (illegally) rides it across the US to California. I love a good bike travel book and this one is fascinating. Highly recommended if you like that sort of thing.

The War Widow is a cracking Australian Noir set just post WWII. Lots of detective action going on, compelling stuff.

I’ve had Voyage of the Damned on my kindle to read for a while. I started it ages ago then got promptly distracted by shiny things. Jumped back in and romped through it. A friend described it as ‘disaster queers murder on a boat’ which is a pretty good summary. Fantasy epic powers and a locked room boat mystery. Superb.

Also superb is The Darkest Sin, which I picked up in Northumberland on holiday last year thinking it was the first of DV Bishop’s Cesare Aldo books. It’s not, but very much can be read as such, and Mr Bishop himself said that he’d designed it so that if you read book 2 then book 1, you get a very different take on what happens. I shall be reading book 1 soon!

The Chamber. Well now. I’m a huge fan of Will Dean’s books, especially his Tuva Moodyson series. He’s also doing rather well with the standalones. This one is another locked room mystery with six deep sea divers locked in a hyperbaric chamber. Then one of them dies. An actual locked room. Incredibly claustrophobic, incredibly tense. Not for the faint-hearted!

Abir Mukherjee is better known for his Sam Wyndham crime novels set in Raj-era India, but he’s turned his hand to a high-tension thriller with Hunted. And jolly good it is too.

Jen Williams is no stranger to spooky and creepy, and The Hungry Dark is that and more. Gruesome at times and hugely atmospheric, this is one to read with ALL the lights on.

Finally I read Chris Brookmyre’s The Cracked Mirror, which takes an Agatha Christie-esque little old Scottish lady detective and a Michael Connell hard-boiled thrown off the force, balls to the rules detective and mashes them together into something entirely unique and very clever.

Books reviewed: 4

I reviewed some books! Look!

Books purchased: 5

  • The Last Murder At The End Of The World, by Stuart Turton (Raven Books, Waterstones special edition)
  • Smart Running, by Jen and Sim Benson (Vertebrate Publishing, April 2024)
  • All The Sinners Bleed, by S.A. Cosby (Headline, kindle ebook)
  • West of Wheeling: How I Quit My Job, Broke the Law & Biked to a Better Life by Jeffrey Tanenhaus (Houndstooth Press, kindle)
  • Everybody Knows, by Jordan Harper (Faber & Faber, kindle)

The Last Murder At The End Of The World has been on pre-order since last August, so does it really count? That said, the money came out of my account this month, so yes. It’s the signed special edition from Waterstones and looks GORGEOUS. I regret nothing. It’s got sprayed edges and a map!

Smart Running is a pre-order from the lovely folks at Vertebrate Books.

All The Sinners Bleed I bought at Harrogate last year in hardback, but this was on kindle so it’s easier to carry around. And Everybody Knows, by Jordan Harper has been recommended to me by various people so when I saw it on sale for kindle, snapped it up.

Books received:5

  • Long Live Evil – Sarah Rees Brennan (Orbit Books, ARC, August 2024)

Virtual bookpost (Netgalley/email):

  • Profile K – Helen Fields (Avon Books, April 2024)
  • The Chamber – Will Dean (Hodder & Stoughton, June 2024)
  • The Cracked Mirror – Chris Brookmyre (Abacus, July 2024)
  • How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying – Django Wexler (Orbit Books, May 2024)

Currently reading:

I’m between books at the moment – let me know if you’ve read anything fabulous lately!

As ever, any books in there which take your fancy? Any you’ve read and loved? Any that you’ve read and not loved?

See you next month!

Dx

The Last Murder at the End of the World – Stuart Turton

Outside the island there is the world destroyed by a fog that swept the planet, killing anyone it touched. On the island it is idyllic. 122 villagers and 3 scientists, living in peaceful harmony. The villagers are content to fish, farm and feast, to obey their nightly curfew, to do what they’re told by the scientists.

Until, to the horror of the islanders, one of their beloved scientists is found brutally stabbed to death. And they learn the murder has triggered a lowering of the security system around the island, the only thing that was keeping the fog at bay.

If the murder isn’t solved within 92 hours, the fog will smother the island – and everyone on it.

But the security system has also wiped everyone’s memories of exactly what happened the night before, which means that someone on the island is a murderer – and they don’t even know it…

Regular readers will know how much I bloody love Stuart Turton’s books. First we had the intricately plotted, fabulously mind-twistingly clever and utterly brilliant The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. Then we found ourselves in 1634 on the the good ship Saardam with the world’s greatest detective (albeit locked up below decks) and a growing pile of bodies in The Devil and the Dark Water.

And now, Stuart Turton, master of the impossible murder (in book form, thank goodness), is back again with his third book, The Last Murder at the End of the World.

One hundred and seven hours until humanity’s extinction. Though most of humanity is already gone, wiped out by a mysterious fog and leaving us fully in a dystopian future where a mere 122 villagers survive on a small Greek island along with three scientists. Oh, but the island is surrounded by the same strange fog that killed everyone else. Yikes.

Then one of the scientists is killed, and the defences holding the fog at bay break down. Double yikes. The book starts with ninety two hours to solve an impossible murder and save the world.

Pfft. Easy.

Turton has taken the locked room mystery and turned it into a locked island – there’s no way on or off (and nowhere to go other than that deadly fog if you did escape). And there’s Abi, the voice inside the villagers’ heads which tells them what to do and how to behave. And a strange curfew each evening where everyone falls asleep at the same time, no matter where they are or what they’re doing. And the curfew wiped everyone’s memory from the night of the murder, so whilst everyone is technically a suspect, no-one really has the knowledge or ability to do kill anyone. They’re not even really sure what murder is, and even the murder wouldn’t remember doing it.

Look, it’s hard to talk too much about this without spoiling things. It’s brilliant, it’s twisty, it plays with your perceptions and makes you question what it is to be human. It’s a shorter book than the first two, but packs so much into it. Turton was already one of my favourite authors and this book merely strengthens that.

And can we talk about that title? I was listening to a podcast earlier today (the excellent Quick Book Reviews by Philippa Hall) in which he said that in a world of one-word titles, he wanted something which jumps out and grabs the readers attention. The last murder? I’m in. At the end of the world?? I’m so in I can’t even see the way out. Genius.

I was lucky enough to get my grubby bookblogger hands on an ebook advance copy of this book to review, but I’ve had my order in for a signed special edition since last August. It should be here tomorrow, and I can’t wait to read it again.

And I hardly ever read books again, given the state of my TBR pile.

THAT’S how good it is. Go buy a copy. Buy two, one for you and one for a friend.

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton is published by Raven Books. Many thanks to the publisher for the advance copy ebook to review.

City on Fire – Graham Bartlett

After losing her sister to a drug overdose, Chief Superintendent Jo Howe is desperate to tackle the world of drugs that consumes the shadowy backstreets of Brighton. Operation Eradicate is her response, deploying undercover tactics to collapse drug circles while also providing treatment services to victims of drug abuse. But not everyone sees this as a positive development .The man behind Respite pharmaceuticals, billionaire Sir Ben Campbell, views Operation Eradicate as a threat to his business. His colossal empire relies on burgeoning numbers of addicts who survive on their substitute drugs. With connections in the highest levels of government, media and organised crime, Sir Ben unleashes a brutal counterattack on Jo. The question is, how will she survive this fierce onslaught?

I went to an event last summer as part of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival hosted by Graham Bartlett in which various members of the audience were set the challenge of interviewing a suspect in a murder. It was great fun and fascinating to watch what happened. I’d not read any of Graham’s books at that point, but added him to my list to check out.

And so earlier this year I was asked by the lovely folk at Allison & Busby if I’d like to read a copy of his latest book, City on Fire. It’s the third in his DS Jo Howe series, but can be read as a standalone (I’ll be going back to read the earlier books now!).

Chief Superintendent Howe is a driven policewoman, determined to eradicate the drug gangs that run the streets of Brighton. Her treatment scheme appears to be working, getting help to the addicts. But of course this riles up the drug dealers, and a certain local billionaire pharma lord is taking it quite personally.

The action pretty fast, and you have to hold onto the edge of your seat as Howe tackles both the drug gangs and the shady Big Pharma characters pulling strings at the highest levels. Chaos quickly ensues as Sir Ben’s machinations result in police shortages across the county and the drying up on the supply of the synthetic drug substitute that Howe’s drug treatment program relies on. It’s not just Jo’s work life that’s under attack, as her husband is facing issues of his own.

A taut police procedural, City on Fire is a cracking read.

City on Fire by Graham Bartlett is published by Allison & Busby in March 2024. Many thanks to the publisher for the advance copy of the book to review.

The Guests – Agnes Ravatn

It started with a lie…
Married couple Karin and Kai are looking for a pleasant escape from their busy lives, and reluctantly accept an offer to stay in a luxurious holiday home in the Norwegian fjords. Instead of finding a relaxing retreat, however, their trip becomes a reminder of everything lacking in their own lives, and in a less-than-friendly meeting with their new neighbours, Karin tells a little white lie…
Against the backdrop of the glistening water and within the claustrophobic walls of the ultra-modern house, Karin’s insecurities blossom, and her lie grows ever bigger, entangling her and her husband in a nightmare spiral of deceits with absolutely no means of escape…

I loved this book. It’s short, but manages to pack a lot in – deception, relationships, consequences, the odd dinner, all told with a delightfully dark sense of humour running throughout. It’s hard to say that you like the characters, but you can’t tear yourself away from what they’re doing. What starts as a little white lie for lawyer Karin turns inevitably to more elaborate fibs to stretch the charade as far as it will go (and then some). An exploration of relationships between partners and neighbours, and how far people are willing to go to avoid the truth, The Guests is one of those books that seems simple on the outside, an apparently small tale, with minimal cast and isolated location, but ends up being greater than the sum of its parts.

Hats should be tipped as ever to the excellent translation by Rosie Fletcher.

Highly recommended

The Guests by Agnes Ravatn (translated by Rosie Fletcher) is published by Orenda Books and is out now. Many thanks to Karen Sullivan at Orenda Books for the advance copy to review.

In The Shadow Of Their Dying – Michael R. Fletcher & Anna Smith Spark

The third best assassin. A second rate mercenary crew. One terrifying demon.

As Sharaam crumbles under siege, a mercenary crew hires an assassin to kill the king. For Tash, it’s a chance at glory—to be the best blade in the dark Sharaam has ever known. For Pitt, it’s a way to get his cutthroat crew past the Tsarii siege and out of this hellhole, maybe even with some gold to their name. For Iananr the Bound One, it’s a dream of shadows and human blood.

In The Shadow Of Their Dying is short, punchy, and brutally grimdark. And if I loved it. My only complaint was that it wasn’t twice as long! Michael R. Fletcher & Anna Smith Spark have combined their talents to produce something which is nigh on pitch-perfect, and which I heartily recommend.

Tash (third best assassin) is tasked with killing the king to end the war. But there’s a demon in the way, and it’s bound to protect the king.

Hijinks ensue. Oh so many hijinks. And blood, war, lots of bodies (well, bits of them), a smattering of necromancy, bit more blood, occasional mayhem etc.

A short tale which fairly rattles along and refuses to pause for breath or to wipe the gore from the swords. Absolutely fabulous. Yes, it’s a short review. It’s a short book. All you need to know is that if you have even a passing interest in grimdark fantasy, you need this book.

In The Shadow Of Their Dying, by Michael R. Fletcher & Anna Smith Spark is published by Grimdark Magazine and is out now. Many thanks to the publisher for an advance copy to review.

~You can get a copy here:

US: https://amzn.to/3S08HeP

UK: https://amzn.to/3TKdbrw

February bookish roundup

Hello lovely reader!

February has come and gone, albeit slightly longer than usual. Without further ado, let’s jump in.

Books read: 5

  • Local: A search for Nearby Nature and Wildness, by Alastair Humphreys (own copy, Eye Books, pbk)
  • Abroad in Japan: Ten Years In The Land Of The Rising Sun, by Chris Broad (Audible subscription, audiobook)
  • The List of Suspicious Things, by Jennie Godfrey (own copy, Penguin, hardback)
  • City On Fire, by Graham Bartlett (Allison & Busby, hard copy ARC)
  • The Dog Sitter Detective Takes The Lead, by Antony Johnston (Audible subscription, audiobook)

All cracking reads. I had the pleasure of meeting Al Humphreys at a talk for his book at Alpkit in Hathersage. Great talk, great beer, cracking night out. Forgot to get a selfie, damnit. He’s still on tour so if you can get hold of a ticket, I’d highly recommend it. I also now have a spare signed copy to give away – will figure out when to do this very soon!

Abroad in Japan was based on a recommendation from @halfmanhalfb00k (thanks Paul!) and is gently entertaining with a great sense of humour. It wasn’t until about halfway through that I realised I’d actually watched some of his YouTube videos.

The List of Suspicious Things is a book that I’ve seen EVERYWHERE recently. I’d seen it fleetingly at Harrogate last year (I will stop banging on about that at some point, probably after Harrogate this year). I’m usually one to shy away from the hype, but a lot of trusted bookblogger friends had sung its praises so I picked up a copy when it finally came out. Lawks, it’s fabulous. So, so good. Full review later. Short review: go buy a copy now.

City on Fire is for a blog tour later this month, watch this space.

The Dog Sitter Detective Takes The Lead is the second book in Antony Johnston’s fabulous series (met him at Harrogate too). I’ve listened to the audiobook of both and Nicolette McKenzie is a brilliant voice for Gwinny Tuffel. Loved it.

Books reviewed: 1

Local: A search for Nearby Nature and Wildness, by Alastair Humphreys (own copy, Eye Books, pbk)

See above. Though if you’ve got this far, you’ll already have done so. Read on!

Books purchased: 2

  • We Can’t Run Away From This, by Damian Hall (Vertebrate Publishing)
  • The List of Suspicious Things, by Jennie Godfrey (own copy, Penguin, hardback)

Quite restrained this month. We Can’t Run Away From This has been on my list to read for ages, and the lovely Vertebrate Publishing had one in their excellent outlet, so picked it up for six quid. Bargain.

Books received:4

  • City On Fire, by Graham Bartlett (Allison & Busby, hard copy ARC, March 2024)
  • The Stranger’s Companion, by Mary Horlock (Baskerville, hard copy ARC, June 20024)

Virtual bookpost (Netgalley/email):

  • A Spy Like Me, by Kim Sherwood (HarperCollins, April 2024)
  • The Ministry of Time, by Kaliane Bradley (Hodder, May 2024)

Reviews incoming, I’m sure.

Currently reading:

  • The Red Hollow, by Natalie Marlow (pbk ARC, Baskerville, 28th March 2024)

So, five read, seven acquired. This beat the TBR list challenge is going SO WELL.

As ever, any books in there which take your fancy? Any you’ve read and loved? Any that you’ve read and not loved?

See you next month!

Dx

Local, by Alastair Humphreys

A search for nearby nature and wildness After years of expeditions all over the world, adventurer Alastair Humphreys spends a year exploring the detailed local map around his home. Can this unassuming landscape, marked by the glow of city lights and the hum of busy roads, hold any surprises for the world traveller or satisfy his wanderlust? Could a single map provide a lifetime of exploration? Discovering more about the natural world than in all his years in remote environments, he learns the value of truly getting to know his neighbourhood. An ode to slowing down, Local is a celebration of curiosity and time spent outdoors, as well as a rallying cry to protect the wild places on our doorstep.

I’ve been a fan of Alastair Humphreys for some time now. Ever since my Scout Leader days when he kindly sent us a video of instructions on how to make a little stove out of a drinks can, I’ve followed his adventures, blogs and various shenanigans with interest.

Late last year I was interested to see that he’d written a new book, Local. It took the idea of adventures and exploration, and asked the question of whether a single Ordnance Survey Explorer map would be enough adventure for a year.

You can buy an OS map centred on any location fairly cheaply (even better if there’s a sale on!). It covers roughly 20km to a side, broken up in to squares. Twenty squares to a side, 400 squares in total.

Alastair Humphreys set about exploring a square a week, using a random number generator to choose the square, with a couple of caveats. No square adjoining a square he’d already visited.

I bought my map early on (see the photo above), on the basis that maps are brilliant and I love a good map. Though I know where I live fairly well, having been here for a while, it was still a bit of a surprise to see how much of it was urban.

A bit like Alastair’s it turns out, albeit a bit further north than his.

However, the more I read of his book, and his exploration of his local area, the more determinted I became to explore my own area. As he says:

The more I pay attention, the more I notice. The more I notice, the. more I learn. The more I learn, the more I enjoy. The more I enjoy, the more I pay attention.

And I really enjoyed this book. Some squares are more interesting to visit – a discovery of deneholes in the woods being an early highlight. But even in the built-up areas our intrepid author visits, there’s always something fascinating or thought-provoking going on. And Alastair is as fond of a detour on the map as he is of a detour in the storytelling.

Interesting diversions abound in this book. We pause briefly to learn about Tulip Mania, when the price of the flowers rocketed and a bulb of Semper Augustus was valued at enough to buy a house in Amsterdam. Or to discover that the monkey puzzle tree hails from Chile.

I loved this:

You should sit in nature for twenty minutes every day, they say, unless you’re too busy; then you should sit for an hour.

And the idea of sitting on a log for an hour, out in the woods, just enjoying being there.

It’s a fascinating book, filled with tiny day-long adventures. There’s a spot of mudlarking, far too many ‘no entry’ signs (a topic on which he ruminates at length – our countryside is being blocked off from us by landowners when we need to be out in it more to appreciate and protect it), the odd burnt-out car and a lot of fly-tipping and litter.

But there’s so much good out there too. The little pockets of woodland, the cool churches on a hot summer’s day. The pub at the end of a long bike ride, the cool rivers to soak yourself in and watch the wildlife.

I might not get as far as exploring a square a week, but I’m determined to go and see some new places. I’ve started writing about tackling my seven local summits over on my Substack (though there are 13 on my local map, so might expand that a little!)

I went to the book launch talk that he did at Alpkit Hathersage last week and had the chance to say hello and get my book signed. Alastair is a fabulous speaker and presenter, so if you get the chance to see him in person, I highly recommend it.

I also ended up with a second signed copy, so will be doing a giveaway soon – watch this space!

As you can probably tell, this book falls into the highly recommended category. Get yourself a map and go exploring!

Local, by Alastair Humphreys is published by Eye Books and is out now. You can get a copy of Local here, and find Alastair online at https://alastairhumphreys.com

January roundup

We made it through the 325 days of January! The days are getting longer, in theory they’re getting warmer too (though not much sign of that in Yorkshire at the moment) and Spring is definitely on the way.

My cunning plan to do a weekly roundup of books read/bought/etc seems to have fallen by the wayside, surprising absolutely no-one. Let’s look back at January then and see how it went.

Before I do though, I just want to say that this is very much not meant to be a ‘hey look at me and how many books I’ve read!’ thing. It’s not a competition – if you’ve read and enjoyed one book or thirty books then that’s fantastic! Or if you’re still reading a book from last year and it’ll be the only one you’ll read, that’s also great.

Reading is great. Books are great. Hopefully you might see one here that makes you go ‘oooh, that sounds great’ and read it and find out that it is, in fact, great.

If it turns out to not be great (unlikely, I know) then there are plenty of others out there.

Books read: 10

Down from the 13 I read in January 2023 (I swear this is not a humblebrag, honest), but still a very good month, reading-wise.

  • Halfway House, by Helen Fitzgerald (Orenda Books, ebook ARC)
  • The Drift, by CJ Tudor (own copy, kindle)
  • Spook Street, by Mick Herron (John Murray, hard copy ARC)
  • You Can Run, by Trevor Wood (own copy, kindle)
  • Gideon the Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir (Audible subscription, audiobook)
  • The Guests, by Agnes Ravatn (Orenda Books, ebook ARC, out now I think)
  • Other Ways to Win, by Lee Craigie (Vertebrate Publishing, own copy)
  • All The Colours of the Dark, by Chris Whitaker (Orion, ebook ARC, July 2024)
  • Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett (Audible subscription, audiobook)
  • There Is No Wall, by Allie Bailey (Vertebrate Publishing, own copy)

I talked about the first four books in my now-abandoned cracking the TBR pile roundup. Yes, listening to audiobooks counts as reading. No, really it does.

Two absolutely cracking books from Vertebrate Publishing here – Other Ways to Win, by Lee Craigie and There Is No Wall, by Allie Bailey. Both very different, both well worth your time. Bikes and running and two incredible people.

Also got to shout about All The Colours of the Dark, by Chris Whitaker. Regular readers will know how much I love Chris’s books, and this one is no exception. Previously I’ve read each in a day (albeit until silly o’clock in the morning) but the new one clocks in at 600+ pages so it took me two days. And it’s absolutely worth savouring. Buy this book. Don’t tell Chris how much I loved it though, cos he’ll get a big head.

Books reviewed: 2
  • Halfway House, by Helen Fitzgerald (Orenda Books, ebook ARC)
  • Yule Island, by Johana Gustawsson (Orenda Books, ebook ARC)

Shocking behaviour. Stop reading books (but they’re great! see above) and write up some reviews, you slacker.

Books purchased: 10 (oops)
  • The Drift, by CJ Tudor (kindle)
  • A Rising Man, by Abir Mukherjee (kindle)
  • Never Saw Me Coming, by Vera Kurian (pbk)
  • True Crime Story, by Joseph Knox (pbk, Waterstones sale)
  • The Dog Sitter Detective Takes The Lead, by Antony Johnston (Audible subscription)
  • Harrow The Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir (Audible subscription)
  • Dragonfall, by LR Lam (kindle)
  • Abroad in Japan, by Chris Broad (Audible subscription)
  • Empire Of The Damned, by Jay Kristoff (Goldsboro Books signed edition pre-order)
  • The Road Book 2023, edited by Ned Boulting (birthday present to myself)

This whole ‘reduce your TBR pile’ is going really well, innit? In my defence, three were from credits on my Audible subscription and one was a birthday present to myself, bought with money from my mam. So shouldn’t really count.

And Empire Of The Damned, by Jay Kristoff was a pre-order to match the signed, numbered copy of Empire Of The Vampire that I got from them last year. Which I still haven’t got round to reading on account of it being HUGE and HEAVY and OMG SO MANY WORDS. However one of my bookish goals this year is to read some of the chonky books on my shelves, so maybe I’ll blast through Vampire and Damned when it arrives.

Books received:

Ah, the return of #bookpost! There was a time a while back when it was a regular occurrence in these parts, but those days are pretty much gone as publicists move on, and publishers (quite understandably) move to ebook proof copies.

So it was lovely to get some actual bookpost this month! All out in March 2024

The Red Hollow, by Natalie Marlow (Baskerville, pbk). Followup to the superb Needless Alley, I am very much looking forward to this.

In The Shadow Of Their Dying, by Michael R. Fletcher & Anna Smith Spark (Grimdark Magazine, pbk), which I’ve already read and it’s brilliant and you should read it. The third best assassin, a second-rate mercenary crew and one terrifying demon. It fairly rattles along and I loved it.

The War Widow, by Tara Moss (Verve, pbk) which looks fabulous and right up my street

Virtual bookpost (Netgalley/email):

  • The Spear Cuts Through Water, by Simon Jimenez (Rebellion, 14th March 2024)
  • The Hungry Dark, by Jen Williams (HarperCollins, 11th April 2024)
  • Hunted, by Abir Mukherjee (Vintage, 9th May 2024)
  • All The Colours Of The Dark, by Chris Whitaker (Orion, 16th July 2024)
Currently reading:
  • Local, by Alastair Humphreys (pbk, own copy)
  • Hunted, by Abir Mukherjee (ebook ARC)
  • Voyage of the Damned, by Frances White (ebook ARC)
  • Abroad in Japan, by Chris Broad (Audible audiobook)

Yes, I’m reading four books. Did I mention how great books are? One hard copy for reading out and about, couple of different kindle books for curled up on the sofa in the evening, and an audiobook for the car/dog walks.

I’m still doing @runalongwomble’s 2024 TBR Reduction Challenge, and for January they had:

Randomly Choose A Book by Someone You’ve Never Read Before

I’d spotted The Guests by Agnes Ravatn on various social media things and I’m fairly sure I’ve not read any of their books before. Done.

with a stretch goal of read the last book to enter your TBR pile of last year

That would be You Can Run, by Trevor Wood. I think. It’s hard to keep track.

Phew. That was about as long as January, I think. Any books in there which take your fancy? Any you’ve read and loved? Any that you’ve read and not loved?

See you next month!

Dx