Books of January 2026

Finally approaching the end of January, which feels like it’s been going on FOREVER. The plus side of which is that I’ve got a lot of reading done! Eleven books is a lot, even for me, though it was helped by being struck down with an awful cold and confined to bed for four days at the start of the month!

A kind reader commented that they ‘appreciate the brevity of your descriptions while still tempting the reader to partake.’ In that vein, let’s begin!

I started off the month with The Grapples of Wrath, by Alice Bell (netgalley ARC, thanks to Atlantic Books)

This is the third book in the series, but could probably be read as a standalone. Medium Claire and her dead-but-still-hanging-around and sarcastic BFF Sophie have to investigate a mysterious death at a local wrestling club. Hijinks ensue. Look, I love these books, they’re funny, great characters and just enormous fun. Highly recommended.

Speaking of highly recommended, I moved swiftly on to The Mysterious Double Death of Honey Black by Lisa Hall, pausing only to stock up on cold meds. Lisa was kind enough to send me a copy after I inadvertently bought book 3 by mistake. Ooops.

Absolutely loved it. Time jump shenanigans to the glitz of Hollywood in 1949 and Lily Jones has a murder to stop from happening by geting a job as a PA to the glamorous Honey Black. Time is running out…

Clever, stuff. Bit like Quantum Leap (remember that?) but with more sequins and murderous shenanigans. First book of three, and can’t wait to jump back with Lily to more adventures!

Next up was Beautiful Ugly, by Alice Feeney.

I’ve seen several of my bookblogger chums raving about Alice Feeney’s books and I’d been meaning to pick one up for ages. Absolute page turner, the story drew me in, and the writing and plot was great. Until it wasn’t. Unfortunately the twist didn’t land for me but I know tons of others absolutely loved it. I’ll be picking up some more of Alice’s books though. Solid 7/10

Remember Lisa Hall? Sure you do. Scroll up a bit. She recommneded The River is Waiting, by Wally Lamb to me and it turned up from my amazon wishlist for Christmas. I dived in.

Straight into the books of the year list, be very surprised if it’s not near the top come December. Utterly stunning, but it will absolutely shred your emotions and leave you wrecked at the end. Yes, it’s one of those books that you find pressing into a friend’s hands going ‘THIS BOOK RUINED ME, YOU HAVE TO READ IT’

It’s not a happy read, and the start is absolutely brutal. You have been warned.

Seeking something a little lighter in tone, I picked up The President’s Hat, by Antoine Laurain.

Utterly delightful. A man finds himself sat next to President Mitterand in a cafe, then realises that the President has left his hat behind. He puts it on and finds it changes his life. It’s just joyous and I loved it. I’ll be picking up more of Antoine Laurain’s books for sure. Hugely recommended.

Speaking of utterly delightful, and still looking for something light and fluffy after the emotional rollercoaster of Wally Lamb’s book, I stumbled across a snippet of the tv series of Leonard and Hungry Paul, by Rónán Hession. I’d started reading it years ago and gently bounced off it, so thought it was worth another go.

Proof that whilst I firmly believe that one should DNF a book you’re not enjoying, it might be that the book is just a ‘not now’ book rather than a ‘not me’ book. I adored this. It’s gentle and heartfelt and uplifting and I can now see why everyone was singing its praises when it came out. Lovely lovely book.

Speaking of books that people had loved that I had not read yet, The Midnight King, by Tariq Ashkanani appeared as a birthday present mid-January.

Most of the book bloggers and Instagram bookstagrammers I know had shouted about this book when it came out, and honestly I fully intended to get a copy last year, but there are a lot of books on my shelf. I read this in two sessions, only because I started it too late in the evening to finish it in one. Full review is here, but the short version is you should read this book. Do it now.

I’ve only listened to one audiobook this year so far and it’s The Dog Sitter Detective’s Christmas Tail, by Antony Johnston

Book Cover: The Dog Sitter Detective's Christmas Tail: Dog Sitter Detective, Book 4 link

Big fan of these books. Gwinny Tuffell and Birch find themselves trapped by a snowstorm at a remote house where she’s gone to find out some secrets about her father from his old colleagues. Then one of them turns up dead, but no-one can get in or out because of the snow, so whodunnit? Loved it, a nice gentle cosy crime for January.

I was utterly delighted to discover that Heather Child had a new book on the way. The People’s Republic of Love is out in March (thanks to the publisher for the Netgalley proof)

It’s a chilling glance into a close future what-if society where social media is even more rampant than it is now. Influencers have their own island paradise, The People’s Republic of Love, where views and likes are the barrier to entry for normals. There’s a big brother gameshow with an escape room twist, where every game seems tailored to one particular contestant’s past and fears, and her friend needs to get there to help. Clever, twisty, thought-provoking.

Having read The Midnight King, I was delighted to discover that Tariq Ashkanani was appearing at Hull Noir, so I picked up a (free) ticket, headed through the rain towards the Yorkshire coast to hear him talk about it with my friend Nick Quantrill. I picked up a copy of his other recent book The Night Watcher while I was there.

Now this one I did read in one go. An Edinburgh-set crime novel? Don’t see many of those around. But this is one which firmly muscles in and takes its place at the table with the rest. Callie Munro is a private detective who is hunting a serial killer, and she might just be my new favourite PI. I loved this, very different in tone to The Midnight King, and I’m very happy to see there’s going to be a follow-up.

Last, but by no means least, I read Blood Over Bright Haven, by ML Wang

Completely different to everything else I’d read so far, Blood Over Bright Haven is a standalone dark academia fantasy which has magic controlled by a kind of steampunky machinery ruled by the mages of Tiran to protect themselves from the world outside and the ominous Blight. Sciona wants to be the first woman to become an Archmage of the Magistry, but faces misogyny and cruelty, and is lumbered with a janitor from the outside as an assistant. More to him than meets the eye, obvs. The worldbuilding is great, the ending is satisfying, really enjoyed this one.

Phew! As ever, let me know what you’ve been reading, and if you’ve read any of these. February awaits – I’m off to Stockport Noir tomorrow, so will undoubtably be picking up a new book (or three).

Also planning on catching up on my review backlog, so keep your eyes peeled for some slightly longer reviews coming up!

Books of the year 2025

Hello!

I started writing this list in mid-December, which turned into late December, which turned into well it’s nearly 2026 so I might as well finish up the year, which turned into early January, then I was poorly then I got distracted and now it’s approaching the end of January but hey, books are books.

Here are the books I really really enjoyed in 2025. Feels like so long ago, doesn’t it?

Right, let’s kick off with Vine Street by Dominic Nolan (review here)

My review: I read a six hundred page book in a day, pausing occasionally only to make a fresh cup of tea as the previous one had gone cold.

It’s phenomenally good. Like tell all your friends good. It oozes atmosphere, and you can almost feel the grit and grime of the streets coming off the page. Geats is an incredible character, but only one of a whole cast who are all brilliantly realised. They’re not all nice people, but they all feel so very much… alive. The story pans out over three timelines covering some 67 years, and it’s just glorious.

And there’s a cat.


How do you follow that? With The Rush by Beth Lewis, of course!

Regular readers will know how much I adore Beth’s books, and this one is utterly brilliant (as per usual). Three women’s lives in the gold rush collide. You emerge blinking into the sunlight almost feeling the grit under your fingernails from the harsh world Beth Lewis has created. Stunning. If you’ve not read any of Beth’s books yet, you should. Start here!


Speaking of books you should read, get yourself a copy of The Bone Raiders by Jackson Ford. It’s got kickass heroines riding giant dragons. Need I say more?

*LunaCat not included

I’ve been following him since the very start (not in a stalkery way) and I think this is up there with his best work. And I loved his other books. But did they have a Brooklyn 99 AND a Skyrim reference in them? I very much think they did not. I ended up with two copies, that’s how good it is. I meant to do a giveaway of the paperback cos I got the beautiful special edition hardback. It’s got a gold embossed dragon on the cover. You can’t have it, it’s mine. Get your own.

Speaking of good, I must mention Little Secrets by Victoria Goldman. Another ‘must buy’ author for me!

Little Secrets is a locked room mystery, with strange murders, a spooky prison, and an absolutely cracking plot. What more could you want? Huge fan of Victoria’s work, and absolutely loved this one.


What you might want is a different kind of detective story. Can I introduce you to The Nancys and the Case of the Missing Necklace by RWR McDonald?

A young girl’s teacher is found murdered, so it’s up to 11 year old Tippy Chan and her uncle Pike (and Pike’s boyfriend Devon) to solve the case, inspired by Pike’s old Nancy Drew books. It’s packed full of heart and adventure (along with the murder) and I absolutely raced through it. I can’t wait to see what The Nancys get up to next.


If you’re hankering for a bit of epic scifi space opera with a touch of Iain M. Banks, then Slow Gods by Claire North will be very much up your intergalactic space transport route.

It’s hard to avoid the Banks comparison, but Claire North has taken the epic, galaxy-spanning adventure and made it her own. It’s a huge book in terms of scope, but very much the story of one person’s experiences across a vast timeline. I adored it.


Looking for something a bit quirky with a delightful dash of dark Finnish humour? The Winter Job by Antti Tuomainen is for you!

Look, it’s an Antti Tuomainen book so it was a virtual certainty to end up on the books of the year list. No-one does dry, dark humour quite like Antti and I flippin’ love it. Who could have thought that one man could have quite so many adventures transporting a piece of furniture across Finland? It’s like Fargo with sofas. If you’ve not read any of Antti’s books yet, start here. Glorious fun.


Fan of James Bond? Then Quantum of Menace by Vaseem Khan is the one for you.

Featuring everyone’s favourite Quartermaster, Quantum of Menace delves into what happens after Q is unceremoniously let go from MI6 and finds himself back in his small hometown of Wickstone-on-Water where his old friend Peter Napier turns up dead. Quantum computers, shady goings-on and a cameo from a certain super spy. I loved it.


Epic fantasy more your thing? Then let me introduce The Devils by Joe Abercrombie.

Brother Diaz has been summoned to the Holy City but his job ends up being not quite what he was expecting. It’s a jaunt to deliver a princess across Europe, with a necromancer, a viking werewolf, an elderly vampire and a knight in tow. Oh, and an elf who can turn invisible. Packed with Abercrombie’s signature wit and grit, it’s a chonk of a book but one which flew by. Great fun.


Some of Us Are Liars by Fiona Cummins

Another one of my ‘must buy’ authors, a new book by Fiona Cummins always ends up at the top of the tottering TBR pile, and Some Of Us Are Liars does not disappoint. Saul Anguish is back! It’s dark, it’s twisty, it’s beautifully written and will keep you up late, going oh just one more chapter. Just one more… then the rug gets pulled out from under you and suddenly it’s 3am and you’ve got work the following day. Curse you, Cummins. Curse you!

Speaking of books which keep you up entirely past your bedtime, 59 Minutes by Holly Seddon did exactly that.

A nuclear missile is heading to the UK. You’ve got 59 minutes. This is not a test. What do you do?

Oh my days, this book was tense. Three women all trying to get to their loved ones before the clock runs out. Terrifying, thought-provoking, the pages were turned so fast, yes they were. Highly recommended!

Audiobook

I absolutely adored The Smart Girl’s Guide to Revenge by Jessica May Harper (aka Steph Broadribb)

Jessica is a woman out for revenge (title kind of gives it away, huh?) after taking the fall for an insurance fraud scam. And boy, does she get revenge. It’s smart, it’s sharp, it’s brutal. It’s got hustles and scams and comeuppances galore. And it’s read by Kaya Scodelario, who is absolutely perfect for the book. Loved it.

Non Fiction

Maybe non-fiction is more your thing? Then please, step this way…


I loved Things Become Other Things by Craig Mod. He writes some amazing pop-up newsletters about walking in Japan (check out his website)

It’s a 300 mile walk across the ancient pilgrimage paths of Japan’s southern Kii Peninsula, in which the author muses on all kinds of subjects – his life growing up in America as an adoptee, his friend who recently passed away, conversations with fishermen, farmers, cafe owners, talking about tsunamis and floods, chatting with curious kids along the way. It’s a beautifully written book and one you can lose yourself in.

Last, but by no means least, I can highly recommend Overnight: Journeys, Conversations and Stories After Dark by Dan Richards

Overnight is “a celebration of all things nocturnal, a hymn to nighttime wildlife, travel, dreams and art.” It’s a fascinating book, digging into the lives of the people who spend their working and waking hours when the rest of us are in bed. Lifeboat crew, nurses, bakers, bat conservationists, it’s a lovely mix of different stories. I enjoyed it enormously, and it reminded me a little of Jarvis Cocker’s superb Wireless Nights

Phew. That was 2025. I read a load of other good books, but those were the ones which really really stood out for me. I’m going to try and catch up on the other reviews over the next couple of months, so keep your eyes peeled, and thanks for reading this far!

If you’ve made it this far, have you read any of the above? Any jump out at you that you’re going to add to your list? What’s your favourite book of 2025?

Review: The Midnight King by Tariq Ashkanani

‘This is a work of fiction. This is not a confession.’

Lucas Cole is a bestselling writer. He is also a father, a widower, and a beloved celebrity in his small town. He is an unassuming man ­- tall, thin and quietly friendly. Lucas Cole is also a serial killer.

Nathan Cole has known the truth about his father since he was ten years old. Too terrified to go to the police, he ran away from home as soon as he was able, carrying the guilt of leaving his sister behind. But when Lucas is found dead in a dingy motel room, Nathan returns to his childhood home for the first time in seventeen years. It’s there he finds The Midnight King, his father’s final unpublished manuscript, a fictionalised account of his hideous crimes, hidden in a box of trinkets taken from his victims. Trinkets that include a ribbon belonging to a missing eight-year-old girl who disappeared only days before his father’s death.

Now, Nathan must deal with the consequences of keeping his father’s secret. But it may not be as simple as finding a lost child. For The Midnight King holds Nathan’s secrets as well as Lucas’s, and he is not the only one searching for the truth…

I’m aware that I’m i very late to the party with this book. It was all over the socials last year, with a lot of my favourite book blogger/instagram chums going on about just how great it was.

I kept meaning to pick a copy up, honestly I did. But have you seen the state of my TBR pile? *gestures to the Looming Stack*

Ahem. Anyway, last week was my birthday and lo! A copy of The Midnight King was presented to me. I pushed all other books to one side and settled in.

Crikey, it’s a bit good, innit? And a bit dark. Well, quite a lot dark. So, so dark.

It’s an interesting setup too – told both from the point of view of Isaac, a private investigator who has been hired to find a missing girl, and from Nathan, his childhood friend but also the son of serial killer Lucas Cole. But it also features snippets from the unpublished book that Lucas wrote, the manuscript that tells the story of the missing children.

I loved this book and read it in a couple of sittings – and that was only because I started it quite late in the evening. If I could have stayed up later, I’d have finished it in one go.

It’s a layered, complex exploration of a dark mind and the impact it has on family and community. It’s utterly absorbing, very very tense and superbly crafted. I was talked to a friend the other day and described it as a book where all of the sentences just fit perfectly together, where nothing is wasted, nothing is quite as it appears on the surface, and which will leave you thinking about it for a long, long time.

Hugely recommended (if you hadn’t guessed). If you’re one of the few people who hasn’t read this yet, get on it now.

The Midnight King by Tariq Ashkanani is published by Viper and is out now in paperback. You can pick up a copy of The Midnight King at bookshop.org.

Murder at the Hotel Orient – Alessandra Ranelli

In modern day Vienna, city of spies, American Sterling Lockwood is the loyal Concierge & Keeper of Secrets at the infamous Hotel Orient, a love hotel where cameras are banned, aliases are required, and every guest has a secret.

After the double murder of two guests, including a tech mogul building an Austrian surveillance state, Sterling has to turn detective. But finding the truth will require breaking the Orient’s sacred code of secrecy, while keeping a few secrets of her own. The police struggle when modern investigative technology proves useless at the old-fashioned hotel. Because clients use aliases, pay cash, and stay mere hours, all suspects have vanished.

Sterling agrees to assist alongside her best friend and colleague Fernando, if only to avoid arrest and fight suspicion regarding her own movements that night. As enemies close in, she risks everything to solve a case haunted by the past in a city with a fetish for nostalgia.

It was some time ago that the first whispered words about the Hotel Orient first made their way to me. A mysterious author in a red dress at Harrogate, a series of cryptic posts on Instagram. The game, as a certain detective liked to say, was afoot.

Fast forward to Harrogate, July 2025. A bunch of bloggers and readers furtively picked up their hand-labelled bags from the reception at the Old Swan Hotel. A note from Sterling Lockwood, Concierge (and keeper of secrets) at the Hotel Orient was within.

We gathered, at Sterling’s request, in the lobby.

Then set out across the festival to spread the word. The Hotel Orient would be open for business very soon. And you’re all invited, darlings.

Fast forward once again to October, and a copy of Murder at the Hotel Orient dropped into my lap. Well, my kindle anyway. I dived in.

It’s a world of secrets, the Hotel Orient. A world where you can do what you will, where names are discouraged, where pleasures are taken (with consent, naturally), phones left at the door, and where your host Sterling Lockwood will look after your every whim. It’s a gloriously decadent setting, oozing with glamour, secrets and champagne, of course. With a side order of murder, naturally. Who would be so… gauche as to do the deed? It’s up to Sterling to find out. One can’t let the good name of the Hotel Orient be besmirched in such a fashion, can one?

The book is fabulous, I adored Sterling, smart, witty and pithy. I also loved her stiff-upper-lipped police nemesis Andreas and watching them gradually, oh so very gradually start to succumb to Sterling’s charms.

And of course Serafina. But you’ll need to read the book to find out more about her. Vienna itself plays a huge role in the book too, and it was fascinating to wander the streets and clubs and bars and soak up the atmosphere. We’re back to the ‘give a book a good sense of place and make me a happy boy’ thing.

I hope we get to see much more of the Hotel Orient and her concierge/keeper of secrets. Because I feel that there are a LOT more secrets to be peeled away.

Get this on your lists for next year kids. And remember, Sterling is watching, and will know if you’ve been naughty or nice. As to which she prefers, well you’ll have to wait and see…

Highly recommended.

Murder at the Hotel Orient by Alessandra Ranelli is published by Baskerville in May 2026. Many thanks to the publisher for an advance copy for review, and to Alessandra for inviting me to take part in the publicity shenanigans in Harrogate!

The Chamber/One At A Time – Will Dean

HIGH PRESSURE OUTSIDE
On a boat heading out into the North Sea, Ellen Brooke steels herself to spend almost a month working underwater with five other divers. It is a close knit team and it has to be: any error or loss of trust in the living quarters could be catastrophic.

EXTREME PRESSURE INSIDE
All is going to plan until one of the divers is found unresponsive in his bunk. He hadn’t left the chamber. It will take four more days of decompression, locked away together, before the hatch can be opened. Four more days of wondering if one among you is a killer. The constant struggle not to give way to panic. Because if someone does unlock the door, everyone dies…

Well, this is a little embarrassing. I read The Chamber some time ago and realised that not only had I not written up my review (sorry Will), but that the book is now out in paperback with a new name, One At A Time.

In my defence, it’s probably taken me this long to get over the book. Will Dean has done a variety of locked-location mysteries over the years, from his little snowy town of Gavrick with his Tuva Moodyson series, but has taken this to a little extreme in this case, with possibly the smallest locked-room mystery I’ve ever read! Can you get any smaller than a hyperbaric chamber?

Six deep sea divers are on a job in the North Sea. They’re locked in a hyperbaric chamber and sent down to the sea bed to work, but before long there’s a death. And there are only five suspects…

And of course, they’re all in the same room, living on top of each other. It’ll take days to decompress safely, but can they last that long?

Suffice it to say, this is not a book for the claustrophobic. Incredibly tense, the paranoia and mind games at play make this a must finish in one sitting book. As someone with family in the navy, I think it added an extra level of nail-biting tension for me!

Absolutely brilliant. Read it, if you dare…

The Chamber / One At A Time by Will Dean is published by Hodder and is out now. Many thanks to the publisher for an advance copy for review via NetGalley.

I bought my hardback copy at The Rabbit Hole in Brigg where they hosted Will Dean doing a reading and signing. You can get a copy via bookshop.org here.

Little Secrets – Victoria Goldman

Welcome to the true-crime controversy that’s divided the media for the last twenty years. To discover the truth, we need to delve back into the past…



THEN: In June 1999, the last five prisoners at HMP Panbrook were killed just before the prison closed its doors for the final time. Anna Kendall, the nurse accused of their murders, died before the case went to court. Her motive and guilt have never been proven.



NOW: The Panbrook Prison Hotel is celebrating its tenth anniversary. Hotel manager Madeleine Batten is determined to discover what happened there twenty years earlier. But as the prison’s dark secrets are gradually exposed, danger lurks in the shadows. And someone is determined to keep the truth locked away.

I loved this. I’m already a huge fan of Victoria Goldman’s books – her Shanna Regan mysteries (The Redeemer and The Associate) are both fantastic. I was delighted to catch up with Victoria at Harrogate over the summer and discover that she’d written another book (hurrah!) and that it was a standalone locked room mystery set in a former prison turned luxury hotel.

I was, to say the very least, intrigued.

Reader, I was not disappointed. It’s a lovely slow burn of a book, packed with an assortment of suspects who will keep you guessing while you try and figure out what’s going on. The dual timeline narrative, hopping back to 1999 and the story of the nurse Anna Kendall, is nicely played out adding more layers to be unpicked. Finding out more about Anna and the five prisoners who died was fascinating.

The prison is as much a character in the story as the people are. It’s a strange place, even in its present renovated state as a rather unique hotel. I’m not sure I’d be rushing to stay there (and definitely not after the events of the book!). It’s almost as dangerous now as it was back in the 90s. Regular readers of this blog and my reviews will know that I absolutely love a story with a real sense of place, and this book absolutely has that.

I thought I’d figured out at least one of the twists but as ever, I’m not as clever as I think I am!

Locked room mystery, strange murders, spooky prison, cracking plot. What more could you want from a book?

Highly recommended.

Little Secrets by Victoria Goldman is published by Three Crowns Publishing. You can get a copy on Amazon here. Many thanks to the author for sending an advance ebook copy for review. Many apologies to the author for taking so long to actually write the review. Sorry Victoria!

Crime Central: Caroline England & Kate Gray

Last night I headed over to Manchester again to the final Crime Central event of the year. This is the second one I’ve been to, and can highly recommend it as a night out if you love crime fiction!

For this edition, Rob Parker was chatting with Caroline England and Kate Gray about their books, their writing processes and tons of other stuff.

Caroline’s latest book is Behind Her Smile, which sounded slightly terrifying!

Buried secrets are dangerous. Unearthing them might be deadly…   Laurie Dunn has returned to her childhood attic bedroom and her old nightmares have come rushing back. Terrorised by a client-related mugging, her job as a criminal solicitor causes more problems than solutions.   Finn Ballentine yearns for a fresh start, but even the glossy façade of his new law firm can’t protect him from the past he’s running from.   After a disturbing remark by her confused father, Laurie joins forces with Finn to uncover dark truths. But the long-buried secrets they unearth are laced with danger for them both. 

Kate Gray talked about her latest book, The Summer Party

It’s the event of the year – the company summer party. Mel can’t wait to let her hair down with her colleagues. Sun, sea, and her sights set on her work crush. One big happy family.

But as the champagne flows and the sun begins to set, cracks in the team start to appear. Secrets, lies, revenge. No one is as innocent as they seem.

But could one of them be guilty of murder? Mel soon realises someone is orchestrating a deadly plan. And she must uncover the truth if she’s going to get out alive . . .

Both of them sound fantastic. I bought a copy of The Summer Party and Caroline’s earlier book, The Return of Frankie Whittle, which I’d heard rave things about in Harrogate earlier in the year!

We then all decamped to the pub for a Guinness (or two) and loads of lovely bookish chat. All too soon it was time for a quick march up to the train station and back home across the Pennines to Yorkshire.

Next event is in January, for the launch of Rob Parker’s fabulous second instalment in his Cam Killick series, Forbidden Waters.

It starts with the knife. Found at the bottom of a hidden lake in the Norfolk Broads, covered in blood and heart tissue so fresh the water hasn’t yet washed it all away. What salvage diver Cam Killick has found is a murder weapon from a very recent crime – but how do you solve a murder without a body?

The remoteness of the setting is itself a clue. Only a handful of people know the location of the lake, let alone how to access it. But no sooner have Cam and DS Claire Rogers started working through this ready-made suspect pool than one of them disappears.

The ripples from Cam’s discovery have disturbed a dangerous predator, one who knows the water even better than Cam himself. The question now is what they want – and how many more people will die before Cam can stop them?

It’s a brilliant book, and I can’t wait to go to the launch.

See you there?

weeknotes: the book edition

Hi. It’s Friday. Sorry I’ve missed a couple of weeks (checks notes – nearly a month? crikey).

Life’s been a bit hectic, innit. Did you miss me?

I’m Dave Graham (aka @dakegra on the socials). I’m a shameless book tempter, blogger and am generally fascinated by stuff. Do you like stuff? I love stuff.

I’ve been to a couple of bookish events since last we spoke. First off was Crime Central over at Manchester Central Library. I’ve been meaning to go for ages, but finally booked an afternoon off, trained it over to Piccadilly, had a lovely mooch around the shops as it got dark, then settled in to listen to the one and only Rob Parker chat with Lisa Hall and Lisa Nicholas (sadly Caimh McDonnell wasn’t feeling well). Great fun was had by all, the two Lisas were on top form and Rob did an admirable job of asking the right questions to the right Lisa.

Then we decamped to the pub and talked books for an hour or two before a brisk march back to the train station for the journey home.

Lisa Hall, Rob Parker and yours truly. Can’t wait to do it again!

The following night I found myself in Leeds for another book event. This time it was CL Clark, Tasha Suri and VL Bovalino chatting about their various fantasy books. Enormously entertaining. And I got to catch up with my lovely Orbit publicist friend Nazia who I’ve not seen FOREVER, got a hug and got to chat about books briefly before she had to go and herd the authors and I had to nip off to take my daughter food shopping.

Finally I was supposed to go and see Jay Kristoff in Manchester on Tuesday night talk about the third book in his vampire trilogy, Empire of the Dawn. But sadly the lurgy caught me and I didn’t really want to spread my germs to one of my favourite authors as I’m not sure he would have forgiven me. I was hoping to ask him to sign my ‘rarest of the rare’ (as described by Jay himself) proof copy of Nevernight (seriously, there was like a handful of these which went out at the time), but I’ll have to save that for another day.

Reading

November’s been a busy month for reading so far.

I finished Alessandra Ranelli’s fabulous Murder At The Hotel Orient, which was gorgeously fabulous and decadent and gorgeous. It’s out next year. You should read it.

Finally picked up Slow Gods, by Claire North (Orbit Books, out now), which is a lovely big epic sci-fi of the sort that Iain M. Banks used to delight us with, but being Claire North is utterly packed with character and is both a small, focused tale and an epic galaxy-spanning, erm, epic, featuring someone who can’t die, gods who sit and watch, a world-ending supernova and stuff. It’s epic.

For a change of pace I blitzed through The Nancys by RWR McDonald (Orenda Books) which was utterly delightful. Young Tippy Chan, her santa-like Uncle Pike and his boyfriend Devon (of the yellow budgie smugglers) investigate the case of the missing necklace (and murdered schoolteacher). Full of wit and life and fabulousness, Tippy, Pike and Devon make a wonderful crime solving trio. Hugely recommended.

On audiobook this month I listened to The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman, the fifth book in his Thursday Murder Club series. More fun with Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim investigating a missing fortune, dealing with exploding cars and troublesome relatives. I love these books, especially on audio.

Last, but by no means least, I read The Wife Swap by Lisa Hall, which is out next year. I’d requested it on NetGalley and got the fastest rejection I’ve ever seen (sub 15 minutes). Luckily having the author as your mate really helps and an advance PDF turned up in my email inbox. I downed tools and raced through it. It’s fantastic, neighbours getting a little too friendly and hijinks (as they should) ensue. Kept me up until past my bedtime reading.

I also bought a couple of books:

The President’s Hat, by Antoine Laurain

Quantum of Menace, by Vaseem Khan, special indie bookshop edition, signed

The Witching Hour (various short stories) from Goldsboro Books, signed

What are you reading at the moment?

Photos

Went for a run a while back, and when I got to Newmillerdam I had to stop and get a photo. Spectacular morning.

Right, that’s enough of my rambling. See you next Friday.

Smooches

D x

weeknotes: sumo

Hi. It’s Friday.

I remain Dave Graham (aka @dakegra on the socials). I’m a shameless book tempter, blogger and am generally fascinated by stuff. Especially sumo.

Regular readers (bless you) may recall that I bought myself a ticket to the Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall. Well, the time finally arrived last Saturday to head down to London to go see a bunch of half-naked burly Japanese (and Mongolian and Ukranian) chaps wrestle each other.

I used to watch sumo on TV back when I was a kid with my dad. Channel 4 (I think, it was some time ago) showed highlights and we got really into it. I’d always wanted to go to a proper tournament but figured I’d have to go to Japan to do it. That’s still on the bucket list, but London is a lot closer and cheaper to get to.

It was fantastic. Everything I’d hoped for. Whilst some people grumbled it wasn’t a fully-fledged tournament and more of an exhibition (true), it was still an incredible experience. The Royal Albert Hall was sold out for all five days.

I had a great view of the rikishi (wrestlers) warming up

They showed all five days in full on the BBC iPlayer, and you can find highlights on YouTube. I absolutely loved it, and now really really want to go to Japan to see a ‘proper’ tournament!

Reading

On the way to London I decided that a Japanese author felt appropriate, so started Murder At The Black Cat Cafe, by Seishi Yokomizo

yes it’s a Japanese coffee flask too, brought from Kyoto by my mate Dave

I read the first half on the train on the way down. It’s two stories in one book, so I’ll read the other half at some point soon.

I’m also reading an advance copy of Alessandra Ranelli’s Murder at the Hotel Orient on my kindle at the moment (yes, there’s a bit of a murder theme in my reading)

What are you reading at the moment?

Watching

Season three of The Diplomat has arrived on Netflix, so I’m powering through that at the moment. Love it.

Slow Horses season 5 continues to be enormously entertaining, though this season has felt slightly more… slapstick? than previous. Still good fun.

I’ve also just started watching The Blacklist, which I recall seeing a trailer for ages ago, so fired it up on Amazon to discover that there are ten seasons of it. That trailer was longer ago than I thought. It’s entertaining, James Spader is fabulous, and I’m intrigued to see where it goes.

Listening

I’ve had the new Biffy Clyro album Futique pretty much on repeat since discovering it was out last weekend. I’ve not heard a huge amount of their stuff but have seen them on telly at Glastonbury and other places and really like what I’ve heard.

Eating

I had a cracking portion of chips down in London at Poppies Fish & Chips on Hanbury Street near Spitalfields Market whilst on the hunt for a sumo mural which turned out to have been painted over some years ago. The chips were great, no photos as I devoured them quickly.

I’ve also become addicted to Blank Street Coffee’s hot banana bread matcha. Yum.

pretentious but delicious

Photos

Also went to see the Rams v Jags NFL game at Wembley with my brother and his mates. Great game of football (unless you’re a Jags fan), lots of beer, lots of chat and a great day out.

Right, that’s enough of my rambling. See you next Friday.

Smooches

D x

weeknotes: the linky edition

Hi. It’s Friday.

I remain Dave Graham (aka @dakegra on the socials). I’m a shameless book tempter, blogger and am generally fascinated by stuff.

Quiet week. I’m sure I had something I wanted to talk about, but it escapes me. I really need to start writing these things down.

Oh, ok. Speaking of writing things down, let’s talk about other newsletters that I enjoy.

First off, a Friday isn’t a Friday without Documentally‘s latest missive arriving in my inbox. His newsletter is the inspiration for this one, though he’s been doing it for much longer and is far better at it. There’s a mix of musings, music, photography, fascinating links, writing and a bunch of other stuff. One of the newsletters that I pay for, and (to me at least) it’s worth every penny. We’ve chatted over the years and at one point I got him a load of cassette tapes from an auction he’d won, but that’s a story for another day…

Austin Kleon’s newsletter has been landing in my inbox for more years than I care to remember. Each week he comes up with 10 things he thought was worth sharing. Always interesting, always different.

Cafe Anne, by Anne Kadet is another fantastic slice of life. It’s “a weekly newsletter devoted to all things innovative and delightful, with a NYC focus.” I love it.

Feasts and Fables, run by Barrie and Jojo from their little farm in France covers a range of gorgeous things, from sumptuous interiors to adventure photography, filled with pithy thoughts and musings. Well worth your time.

Rob Walker’s The Art Of Noticing has long been on my list. Encouraging people to slow down and, well, notice things…

I’m also greatly enjoying D.V. Bishop’s excellent author newsletter, as well as his fabulous Cesare Aldo books set in Renaissance Italy. I really enjoy these little peeks behind the curtain of an author’s life.

Speaking of authors, Michael Marshall Smith (one of my favourites) also has a Substack, So Here’s a Thing. In his words: it’s “stuff about writing itself, and the world, and the weird and fascinating things in it. Sharing some art too, and music, even a recipe from time to time. A bit like sitting next to me in a pub but without the inevitable hangover and/or short stay in a correctional facility.”

Right, that should keep you busy. Got any recommendations for newsletters or blogs that you enjoy?

Reading

Having finished Joe Hill’s epic King Sorrow last week, I’ve moved onto my pile of advance proofs. I jumped at the chance to get my virtual paws on a copy of Alessandra Rannelli’s Murder at the Hotel Orient, out next year from Baskerville.

You may recall seeing a photo of yours truly sporting a fetching red t-shirt at Harrogate earlier this year.

Well, that was to help promote Alessandra’s book! There were loads of us wearing the same outfit wandering around, handing out samplers (I was a little over-keen and handed out ALL of mine, forgetting to keep one for myself).

So it was great to actually get to read the book early. I’m about a third of the way in and it’s great fun. Keep your eyes peeled for it next year.

I’ve also started listening to the latest Thursday Murder Club outing by Richard Osman, The Impossible Fortune. I love these books, have listened to them all on Audible. It’s great to see the gang back together.

What are you reading at the moment?

Eating

Went out for a couple of meals this week. First one was at Fino in Wakefield, with some friends I’ve not seen for entirely too long. We had a fantastic meal (my pizza was delicious) and eventually noticed that we were the only ones left in the restaurant. The staff were lovely and didn’t actually kick us out, but we paid up and decamped to the pub.

Then on Wednesday I took the daughter out for some food, impoverished student that she is. We ended up at Man’s Market in Leeds for tea.

She went for chicken and pepper in black bean sauce, which was delicious, and salt & pepper chips. I had pulled bbq chicken loaded fries, which were ok (chips were a bit mid) and some excellent gyoza. Mmm, I love gyoza. The dipping sauce was utterly sublime and I ended up dipping my chips in it too. Worth the trip for just that.

One thing I noticed was that when the waitress asked us if we’d eaten there before, she launched into the standard spiel of how to order, which was delivered at a rate of knots honed over months/years of practice which was pretty much exactly conducive to absolutely none of it going in.

I had a similar thing the first time I went to Subway and ordered a sandwich, to be met with a mumbled ‘whatbreaddoyouwant?’, a question which I had to ask the poor server to repeat twice, not realising that you had to actually choose what sort of bread you wanted your sandwich on. This was repeated at every stop on the sandwich journey, the server’s questions worn smooth at the edges from countless askings.

Anyway, the food at Man’s was decent. Glad we went, probably won’t go again.

Photos

Right, that’s enough of my rambling. See you next Friday.

Smooches

D x

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