Hare House by Sally Hinchcliffe

Started: 7.5.26

Finished: 9.5.26

Paperback

TBR Prompt: black book

This is a curious book and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. It was very atmospheric; the setting of the south west of Scotland really came to life. I love anything to do with hares, and this story was full of them, in all their mystical and mysterious wonder. There was an unreliable narrator escaping from a troubled past, a woman who seemed to bear a serious grudge, another person who kept appearing randomly out of nowhere, talk of witchcraft, folk charms and possible hexes (and TW: some animal death). As I read it I had that feeling of creeping dread; that there was some kind of malevolence around Hare House. But... it never really materialised into anything, and I was left feeling a bit confused at the end of it. What had it all been about?

Mrs England by Stacey Halls

Started: 3.5.26

Finished: 7.5.26

Paperback

TBR Prompt: Set in the early 1900s

I really enjoyed this book, more than I thought I would. It tells the story of a newly graduated nurse called Ruby, who gets a job looking after the children of Mr and Mrs England. Unusually for these kinds of stories, the children's father is loving, attentive and engaged with them, whereas their mother seems distant and aloof. However, Ruby begins to realise that not all is as it seems with the family. As well as this, she is also dealing with past trauma from her own childhood. There was a sense of unease throughout the book; I was never sure who could be trusted, or what was motivating certain behaviours, and that uncertainty made me want to keep reading to find out. I'll definitely look out for other novels by Stacey Halls.

The Examiner by Janice Hallett

Started: 1.5.26

Finished: 3.5.26

Paperback

Oldest book on my list (from 14.11.25)

Janice Hallett definitely seems to have found her USP. This is the third one of her books that I've read, and again it's written in an 'epistolary' style, although this time it's in the form of WhatsApp messages and Doodles, which is the fictional intranet / messaging service of the Royal Hastings university, and also essays, diary entries and tutor reports.

Six mature students embark on a Masters Art Degree, and very quickly, tensions rise amongst the group. Personalities and egos clash, and it seems that people are not who they claim to be. Part of their coursework consists of creating a multimedia installation for a communications company, and on a resource gathering trip to the companies museum, things take a sinister turn. 

I couldn't really tell you more than that if I wanted to, because I was utterly confused! I've never been one of those readers who can figure out 'whodunnit' really early on, so that's more of a 'me' problem, than a book problem. I enjoyed the story and was eager to understand the who, the how and the why, but there was just so much going on, and things being introduced late in the story, that I gave up trying to work anything out and just waited for the answers to be revealed. I do like the unique format of these books, though I did find that this one reminded me a lot of The Appeal, with each group of characters having similar personalities (a young, eager one, an older dismissive one, a friendly keeps-the-peace one etc).

I've got a copy of The Mysterious Case of The Alperton Angels to read, and I'm sure I'll continue to look out for new books from Janice Hallett in the future. 

Top Ten

I was thinking about the books I'd put in my Top Ten. Usually I struggle to remember any details about books, even the ones that I've enjoyed, but there are a few that have stayed with me, so I suppose they should be the ones that go into my Top Ten. These are what I've come up with so far:

1) Dark Matter by Michelle Paver. Obviously. My favourite ghost story, it ticks all the boxes for me.

2) The Terror by Dan Simmons. I loved the mix of historical fact and fiction. I loved the characters, especially Crozier and Goodsir. I loved the setting and the descriptions of the frozen conditions. Even the supernatural elements were just the right side of 'too weird' for me. I think about this book a lot.

3) The Sword Of Kaigen by M.L. Wang. Gripping high fantasy, complex world building, cinematic fight scenes where martial arts meet elemental magic.

4) The Fisherman by John Langan. Cosmic horror, hard to get my head around at times, but that's kind of the point.

5) Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. Beautifully written, emotional book.

6) The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie. First foray into 'grimdark fantasy' and really enjoyed it, looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.

7) The Ascent Of Rum Doodle by W. E. Bowman. Very funny book!

8) Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I'll put this here because it's the first, but also probably the best, even though I read it ages ago. It kind of represents the whole series though.

9) The Solitude Of Thomas Cave by Georgina Harding. I've read this a couple of times. 

10) The Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. I don't 'love' this, I struggle a bit with some of the writing, but I do enjoy the overall story of the haunted house, and in this case I think it helps that I've seen the film too, just to pad out some of the images and events.

For now...

TBR Picks For May

As previously discussed, from this month onward I'm going to read the oldest book on my list, plus a Stephen King novel.

My oldest book is The Examiner by Janice Hallett, which I've had since the 14th November 2025.

My first Stephen King book is Carrie.

I'm still going to choose another 10 books, because it's fun! And they are:

1. Book I've been putting off/don't fancy - Box 88 by Charles Cumming. When Chris was buying me books for Christmas, he took a chance and bought me a couple of random ones, including this. It's an espionage thriller, which is not something I'd choose for myself.

2. Grey book - In The Woods by Tana French. Funnily enough, this is the other book that Chris chose randomly, and to be honest, I could've chosen this for the first prompt, as it's also one that I've not really been wanting to read. [And it's the only grey book I've got]

3. The author's first name begins with 'M' - Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L Wang. This is one of my priority books.

4. Under 300 pages - Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio. 108 pages! Those first three are all quite chunky, so I've chosen what I think is the shortest book I've got.

5. Top shelf (free pick) - The House On Cold Hill by Peter James. I chose this because it's a big hardcover that I don't want on my shelf, but actually on reading the blurb it sounds like a haunted house story, so I might actually enjoy it!

6. Kindle TBR (free pick) - Diavola by Jennifer Thorne. This was a difficult choice, but I've had this one since January, so I thought I'd go 'oldest' again (although this is also a priority book).

7. Black Book - Hare House by Sally Hinchcliffe. My copy is mostly black, and also has black sprayed edges.

8. Bottom shelf (free pick) - All The Colours Of The Dark by Chris Whitaker. Another priority choice.

9. Non-fiction - To The Edge Of The World by Tilar J Mazzeo. One woman. One ship. One astonishing true story.

10. Set in the early 1900s - Mrs England by Stacey Halls. Quite a few to choose from, so just picked this at random.

Let's see how I get on in May!

April Reading Wrap Up

A real mixed bag this month. A couple of five star reads, but a few DNFs too. I feel like my reading has been slower than usual; this may be a combination of reading quite a few non-fiction, and also because towards the end of the month I finally got around to catching up on all the Outlander series 8 episodes (so far).

1. Rainforest by Michelle Paver. 

I was really looking forward to this but didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped I would.

2. Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney. 

A DNF; I'm definitely not into thrillers as much as I once was

3. The Sword Of Kaigen by M. L. Wang. 

My first 5 star read for a while, I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this!

4. Ascension by Nicholas Binge. 

Quite enjoyable, though some of the science aspects lost me.

5. Glimmers by Nadia Narain and Katia Narain Phillips

A DNF, but kind of a 'skimmed through it and got the idea' one.

6. Little Addictions by Catherine Gray

Another DNF, same as above.

7. Hold On To Your Kids by Dr Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Mate

Really interesting book about parenting and ensuring that you are your child's 'compass'. One to re-read and make notes on.

8. Dark Voyage by Helen Susan Swift

A disappointing DNF. I was really looking forward to getting into this series, but the writing style really put me off. It had loads of good reviews though, so maybe it's just me?

9. Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing

This was an extra book choice because I wanted another kindle book to read. I started reading it on my kindle, but then switched to the audiobook, which wasn't exactly word for word the same. It was funny and poignant, just like the tv series. (So sad to hear the news today that Ted has gone to the big briefcase emporium in the sky).

10. A Head Full Of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

This was decent, I don't remember much about it now.

11. Tress Of The Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

An enjoyable, swash-buckling kind of adventure, but cosy fantasy isn't really my thing, and I'm a bit worried about whether I'll enjoy other Brandon Sanderson books.

12. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Saved for this month as it was a book club choice. Big twist at the end!

13. The Watchers by A. M. Shine

Peeping Toms with teeth and claws. Might watch the film.

14. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

Gorgeous book about family, love and loss, and the effects of climate change.

TBR choices that I didn't manage to get around to:

The Witches At The End Of The World

Red Queen 

We Used To Live Here

I'm putting these back on the shelf, but if I pull out the same prompts, I'll re-choose these again.

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

Started: 25.4.26

Finished: 30.4.26

Paperback

TBR Prompt: From the bookshelves / free pick

Well. This book has just broken me. Gorgeous, five stars. Beautifully written, I really liked the short chapters from different POVs. The island setting, so wild and atmospheric, was a character in itself. I loved the Salt family, and Rowan too, though I took a little longer to warm to her. The whales, seals, penguins, albatrosses - I was willing them all to survive. I thought the thriller aspect was believable, and the evidence of climate change was very real and frightening. I did not expect the ending. 

The Watchers by A. M. Shine

Started: 16.4.26

Finished: 28.4.26

Kindle

Extra TBR Prompt: TV/Movie adaptation

I shouldn't really have chosen this book, because it's meant that I haven't finished the full TBR list that I originally chose for April, but nevermind.

This is a book about a group of people who find themselves trapped in a building (the 'coop') in the middle of a forest. One side of the coop is a huge window which turns into a one-way mirror at night, so that they can't see out, but someone, or something, can see in. They can go out during the day, but they must be back by the time the light switches on inside, so that The Watchers can... well, watch them.

I did quite enjoy this book, I was certainly intrigued about who or what The Watchers were, though it's always a bit of an anti-climax when it's actually revealed. There were a couple of plot points which confused me, but overall it wasn't bad. It was made into a movie in 2024, I believe.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Started: 23.4.26

Finished: 25.4.26

Paperback

Book club choice

I've had this book since September 2025 (which is a long time for me, because I have a high book turnover!), but I've been hanging on to it for a while since I found out it was a book club choice for this month.

A woman murders her husband, and then refuses to speak for the next six years. A psychotherapist wants to help her tell her story. I didn't really warm to the characters; both the doctor and patient (via her own journal) were quite unreliable narrators and it was clear that we weren't going to get the full details until the end. When it came, it was quite a twist!

Tress Of The Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

Started: 17.4.26

Finished: 23.4.26

Paperback

TBR Prompt: Green book

This is the first Brandon Sanderson book I've read, and I wasn't sure about it at first, which I think is why it's taken me longer than usual to finish it. He says he was inspired by The Princess Bride (I've seen the film, but haven't read the book), and this has quite a fairy tale, swashbuckling adventure feel to it. The world building was interesting - the spores kind of gave me constant anxiety - and as it's part of the Cosmere it seems I might come across them in other books. The narrator of this one was revealed to be someone called Hoid, who also appears in some other novels, and even though this is a standalone, maybe it would've helped if I'd read the books that come before it, I don't know?

I'm coming to realise that cute and cosy fantasy like this isn't really my cup of tea, and I'm a bit worried that other Brandy Sandy books might have a similar tone to this one. I did enjoy it, and it was funny in places, but that's not really what I'm looking for from my fantasy novels. I want to read Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive, but are they going to live up to my expectations or not? 

A Couple Of Ideas...

I've had a couple of thoughts about my TBR list going forward. 

I think I've mentioned before that I have a spreadsheet with all my books listed (books that I own, and books that I still need). I can filter the list by the date that I acquired a book, and I think that every month I'm going to go right back to the 'oldest' one on the list, and have that as one of my choices. I do have a TBR prompt for 'oldest book on list', so if I happen to pull that prompt, then I'll just choose the next oldest.

I do think that, as my tastes are changing, I have some books which I'm not really too keen to read any more, and I think this is one way to make sure that I don't keep ignoring those books. If I decide to DNF them, that's fair enough, but at least I've given them a try.

I've also been thinking about doing some kind of author challenge. I did think about trying to read every Agatha Christie book, just because there are so many for me to work through. But the thing is, I'm not really a murder mystery fan! So I've gone for another obvious choice - Stephen King. I know it's almost sacrilege to say this, but I'm not really a Stephen King fan either! Not disputing that he's an amazing and prolific writer, but I can't say I've really enjoyed the books of his that I have read. But it's been years since I've read any, so maybe I was a bit too young to appreciate them.

I went to his website where you can see a list of all his work, by publication date, and there is a lot. A VERY LOT! So I've decided to only focus on the novels; I'm not including novellas or short stories or collections or anthologies or anything like that (I have read a few of the short stories, like The Shawshank Redemption [which I actually did enjoy] and [is it called] The Body? The one that was made into the film Stand By Me?)

So I've now got a list of his novels, oldest to most recent. I was looking for the books on Amazon at the same time as I was making the list, and there were two that I couldn't find. I thought maybe they were really old / least popular ones, so I deleted them from my list, but I think I have since found them. But I can't be bothered to add them back into the list! As I said, I don't even really like Stephen King so I don't want to get obsessive about this. I think I'm going to try and read one SK book a month, starting with the oldest (which is Carrie) and working forwards. Although I've added all the kindle versions to my Amazon Wish List, I don't really want to spend much money on them (I bought The Shining because it was on a 99p deal), so I think I may actually request them from the library instead. I've placed a hold on Carrie so hopefully that'll come to me in time for me to read it in May.

As for my TBR Jar, I think I'll still continue to pick out my ten prompts, because most months I seem to manage to get through more than 10 books, especially because I usually DNF at least a couple.

So that is my new reading plan for May onwards!

A Head Full Of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

Started: 11.4.26

Finished: 17.4.26

Paperback

TBR Prompt: Body part in the title

This is the story of Marjorie, a 14 year old girl who starts to display problematic behaviour. Is it mental illness or something else? A psychiatrist doesn't seem to have helped, so her father, turning increasingly towards his faith, brings in the local priest who believes she may be possessed by a demon. Told from the POV of her younger sister Merry, we watch the gradual unravelling of the family as they seek to understand what is happening, even resorting to being filmed for a reality TV show. It remained ambiguous as to the cause of Marjorie's behaviour; her explanations for it varied between believable and far-fetched.

There are a few nods to horror films (an obvious one being The Exorcist) and other horror writers (and even one to Mr Tremblay himself!) which he explains in his extended liner notes at the end of the book; I enjoyed reading these.

 

Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing

Started: 14.4.26

Finished: 16.4.26

Kindle / Audiobook

TBR Prompt: Blue book

After I DNF'd Dark Voyage, I wanted another Kindle book to read, so I used my TBR Jar and pulled out the prompt 'blue book'. Looking through my Kindle options I had a few, and I chose this one. After reading a couple of chapters, I realised that I could listen to the audiobook with one of my Audible credits (I need to use them up so that I can cancel my subscription), so I've partly read and partly listened to this. I have to say, the audiobook is quite different from the kindle version, there's a lot more of Paul and Bob just chatting. It loosely follows the format of the book, but it's certainly not word for word. I didn't mind that though, because listening to these two just nattering about fishing and generally being a bit silly is actually quite relaxing! 

Dark Voyage by Helen Susan Swift

Started: 12.4.26

DNF: 13.4.26

Kindle

TBR Prompt: Set in the early 1900s

I really wanted to like this book, as it's the first in a series of five, I believe all set in Scotland (I'm not sure if they're connected). I made it to page 30 but I just couldn't get past the awful dialogue, it felt so stilted and wooden. This, in turn, made it very hard to even begin to like or get a feel for the characters. It's a DNF, and I'll be removing the other books from my TBR list.

Hold On to Your Kids by Dr Gordon Neufeld & Gabor Mate

Started: 8.4.26

Finished: 12.4.26

Paperback

Extra book choice - not TBR

This was a spur of the moment purchase. A very interesting, thought-provoking book about the need to nurture the attachment between a child and their parents (or significant adults) rather than letting them be 'brought up' by their peers. Definitely one I want to re-read and highlight.

Little Addictions by Catherine Gray

Started: 30.3.26

DNF: 12.4.26

Kindle

Extra book choice - not TBR

This was another Kindle Daily Deal. I'd just read The Unexpected Joy of The Ordinary, and I was curious what this would have to say about phone addiction. I don't think I'm completely addicted to mine, but I would like to spend more time away from it. Again, it's well written and there's nothing wrong with it, but I just read the bits I wanted to rather than the whole thing, so I'm classing it as a DNF.

Glimmers by Nadia Narain and Katia Narain Phillips

Started: 30.3.26

DNF: 12.4.26

Kindle

Extra book choice - not TBR

I picked this up as a Kindle Daily Deal. This book is about Glimmers, which are the opposite of Triggers. It suggests that we should try to notice as many glimmers in our days as possible; those moments which make us smile, laugh, feel loved, joyful, connected, experience a positive emotion or reaction.

There are explanations about how the nervous system works, and how glimmers can contribute to feeling calm, present and safe.

The sisters who wrote the book give a lot of examples from their lives, in particular a turbulent childhood, and there are spaces for you to write about your feelings (obviously not in the kindle version), so it's a bit like a workbook too.

I DNF'd the book, not because I disliked it in any way, but just because I felt I'd got enough out of it by about the 25% mark.

As I was reading it, I did start writing down 'glimmers' as I noticed them. I've never been any good at keeping up with a gratitude journal, which is a similar idea, and sure enough, I only kept this up for a few days. I don't disagree with the idea of trying to record the good stuff, but for me, I'd liken it to going to a concert and spending the whole time 'watching' via your phone as you take photos and videos. Having to remember to write things down seemed to take me out of the moment. So I will continue to try and be aware of the glimmers, but I'll just notice them quietly, in my head.

Ascension by Nicholas Binge

Started: 6.4.26

Finished: 10.4.26

Hardcover

TBR Prompt: Water on the cover

Well, I don't really know what to make of this book! I think it's speculative fiction, maybe a touch of cosmic horror with a bit of sci-fi thrown in for good measure. A group of scientists join a secretive mission to investigate a mountain - several thousand feet higher than Everest - which has suddenly appeared in the middle of the ocean. Time and space behave differently, memories fade, moods and temperaments become erratic. Suspicion and mistrust abound, and inexplicable things are discovered on the mountain. Harold, the physicist of the group, writes letters to his niece as a form of journalling; the majority of the book is told in this epistolary fashion, although it reads more like... well, a novel, rather than letters. 

I quite enjoyed the mystery and suspense surrounding the appearance of the mountain, and what they might discover as they climbed towards the summit, but some of the things that they found left me a bit "meh", and at times the themes of science and religion got a bit heavy for me. 

The Sword Of Kaigen by M. L. Wang

Started: 2.4.26

Finished: 6.4.26

Kindle Unlimited

TBR Prompt: Newest / most recently acquired book

Well, it's been a minute since the last one, but I think I can safely say that this is a 5 star book! The Sword of Kaigen had me gripped; I'm a bit amazed at how much I loved it! The extensive glossary / new vocabulary used in the story was quite overwhelming at first (and I think some words were unnecessary), but it was so well written that it gets easier to follow as you go. This is a standalone fantasy about love and loss, duty and family honour, politics and propaganda. There is a LOT of violence; the fight scenes are cinematic in their visceral brutality, and there are heartbreaking moments (one in particular that I read several times because I couldn't actually believe that it was happening?!?!?) The deep misogyny was frustrating, to say the least, but I think it went some way to highlight the isolation and distance of Kaigen from some of the more forward-thinking regions.

I'm still very new to the fantasy genre, but I think I can see that my preferences are leaning more towards high fantasy like this, or grimdark like The First Law Trilogy (I've only read book one so far), rather than romantasy or cosy / light fantasy. I'm so excited to read more!

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

Started: 2.4.26

DNF: 2.4.26

Paperback

TBR Prompt: Oldest book on my list

I got to page 104 but I wasn't enjoying it. A story about an author whose wife disappears without a trace, I found the MMC to be quite whiny and helpless. I get that he was grieving, but after the story jumped to a year later, it felt like every other sentence mentioned how much he loved his wife and couldn't write or do anything, really, without her. It was very repetitive. So I'm afraid I read some spoilers, then skipped to the end and read the last couple of chapters. There was definitely a big twist or two, but I'm not sorry that I DNF'd this. I do like books that are set in Scotland, so I presume this is why I had this book on my TBR, but even the Scottish island location wasn't enough to save it. I used to read a lot of thrillers but I definitely think my tastes are changing and these kinds of stories don't appeal to me as much as they once did.

Rainforest by Michelle Paver

Started: 31.3.26

Finished: 1.4.26

Hardcover

TBR Prompt: Animal on the cover

This book is the story of an entomologist called Simon who is travelling to the rainforest, ostensibly to study mantids. Told from his POV, it's safe to say that he's an 'unreliable narrator'. We learn that he's grieving for someone called Penelope, with whom he believed he was in love, however as he divulges more into his journal, it becomes apparent that his feelings weren't reciprocated, and also that this trip may not have been entirely his choice. Once in the jungle, amongst the natives and their spiritual beliefs, Simon finds that the line between the living and the dead is a tenuous one.

Set in the 1970s, with some 1970s attitudes towards women and indigenous people, I never warmed to the character of Simon, or any of his colleagues really, though I don't think we were meant to. To me, he seemed spoiled and petulant; there were suggestions of a difficult childhood but these were never really explored in any great depth. He just seems to have grown into an angry, self-obsessed man with poor social skills. By the end of his jungle ordeal he has perhaps had something of an awakening, but I didn't feel that he'd fully redeemed himself in any way.

I enjoyed this book but it doesn't come close to my favourite, Dark Matter, by the same author.

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman

Started: 29.3.26

Finished: 31.3.26

Hardcover

TBR Prompt: Orange book

Oops, I did it again! I finished one of next month's books, this month! But this was such a fun, easy read, I didn't want to slow down or wait. Great to be back with the Thursday Murder Club, and a few new characters too. I know there are some people who don't like these books, but... well, you're wrong. What's not to like? 

For what it's worth, I've always pictured Ron looking more like the ex-England footballer Jimmy Greaves:

And I can see why they chose Helen Mirren to play Elizabeth in the Netflix film, because she absolutely looks like she could be an ex-spy ("there's no such thing as an ex-spy"). But I thought it would've been a lot funnier to have someone like Anne Reid (though maybe when she was a few years younger, and sounding a bit more like her Dinnerladies character) saying things like "...I suspect my assistance was greatly appreciated when you were being throttled half to death in Odessa in 1974..."

Didn't really have any objections to Celia Imrie and Ben Kingsley though.

March Reading Wrap Up

 

16 books in total, but 5 DNFs.

1. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Heartwarming novel about grief and learning to move on. And a remarkably bright octopus.

2. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

A DNF - just a bit too cosy and twee for me.

3. Weyward by Emilia Hart

Witchy revenge!

4. Blood On Her Tongue by Johanna Van Veen

Made me feel a bit nauseous

5. A Short Stay In Hell by Steven L. Peck

Existential dread

6. Tender Is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

DNF

7. The Frozen Silence by Dr James Pennington

Really interesting account of the search for the Franklin Expedition

8. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

A story about loneliness, friendship and kindness. Bit of a slog at first, but a (mostly) happy ending.

9. Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman

Reluctant DNF.

10. A Taste Of Darkness by Various

YA horror, but didn't like the first two stories, so DNF.

11. Alice by Christina Henry

Dark, twisted reimagining of Alice In Wonderland. Really good!

12. The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom

A reminder that we all matter to someone.

13. The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

DNF

14. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Mushrooms, so many mushrooms!

15. The Unexpected Joy Of The Ordinary by Catherine Gray

Non-fiction, interesting reminder that being ordinary is perfectly ok.

16. The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman

Funny, heartwarming, clever; great to be back with the gang. [Should've been an April read].

TBR Picks For April

It's that time again! I now have 80 TBR prompts, and I've bought myself a nice jar and written them all out on coloured paper because it's a lot more fun than using the random number generator 😀

On my book spreadsheet, I'd selected some books that I currently own for my 'Priority TBR', the ones I really want to read asap, so I've tried to choose from that list first, with reasonable success. I've also tried to choose more physical books than digital, because the books were starting to pile up!

So without further ado, here are my chosen prompts and books for the month of April:

1. Witchy/witchcraft - The Witches At The End Of The World by Chelsea Iversen (paperback). It was between this or Hex Appeal, but this is set in Norway which is always a draw for me.

2. Five words in the title - We Used To Live Here by Marcus Kliewer (paperback). Heard a lot of good things about this (but also some not so good), but I'm excited to read it.

3. Retelling/reimagining - Red Queen by Christina Henry (paperback). Since this was the same prompt which led me to read Alice, it seemed a no-brainer to use it again to read the sequel.

4. Animal on the cover - Rainforest by Michelle Paver (hardcover). Author of my favourite book of all time (Dark Matter), so I'm always keen to read anything by her, especially if it's something creepy.

5. Body part in the title - A Head Full Of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay (paperback). I had a couple that mentioned blood, and also Yellowface, but I thought 'head' fit the description more.

6. Newest/most recently acquired book - The Sword Of Kaigen by M.L. Wang (KU). Whenever I add a book to my spreadsheet, I record the date that I've added it to the list, but then also the date that I acquire the book. I'd just added this to my KU library on the 26th March, so it was the newest book. 

[Confession: I chose my prompts and wrote this post on the 27th March, because I just couldn't wait any longer! So as long as I don't buy/download anything for the next few days, this is my most recent book!]

7. Green book - Tress Of The Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson (paperback). I almost chose this for my five word title, so I'm glad I got another chance.

8. Oldest book on my list - Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney (paperback). Again, I can filter my list to see which book I've had the longest. Technically, this is the second longest (from the 28th Sept 2025), because the first is The Silent Patient (1st Sept 2025), which I'm going to read this month for Book Club, and I didn't want to use that book for this prompt!

9. Orange book - The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman (hardcover). I don't have many orange books so this was a fairly easy choice.

10. Free pick from the shelves - Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (paperback). I've heard so many good things about this so I'm really excited to read it, I hope it lives up to expectations.

11. Set in the early 1900s - Dark Voyage by Helen Susan Swift (Kindle). This is the first book in a series of five, I think, and I've been wanting to read it for ages, so I'm really excited about this (set in 1914, by the way). 

12. Let Anthony choose - I've been so excited to get this prompt because I was really curious about what he'd choose, and why. I had to wait a while though, because he was doing homework, and then went out to play with a friend, but when he came in I asked if he wouldn't mind helping me with something. He was a bit overwhelmed by all the choices, so instead I asked if he wanted to choose another prompt for me, which he did, and he got Water on the cover, and he then chose Ascension by Nicholas Binge (hardcover) which I was really pleased with.

13. Book Club choice - The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. As mentioned, this has been on my list the longest, but I've been hanging on because I knew it was an upcoming choice for the book club.

And there you have it, my April books!

The Unexpected Joy Of The Ordinary by Catherine Gray

Started: 26.3.26

Finished: 29.3.26

Hardcover

This was a bonus read in March, something I found whilst browsing Amazon and thought I might find interesting. I did; it's a really well-written and well-researched book about finding joy and acceptance in the everyday, average and normal. Bits of it weren't really relevant to me, and I did skip a few pages here and there, but I enjoyed the rest and it's given me a lot to think about. The section about phone usage has already made me make changes to my notifications and layout of app icons, and I'm going to try (again) to wean myself off Facebook and Instagram. It's interesting that I happened to read this just after the clocks have gone forward; I feel like spring-cleaning my phone and social media! I particularly liked the suggestion to make your home screen wallpaper something that you enjoy, and which you could be doing if you weren't on your phone, so mine is now a pile of books that I'd like to read!

I'm glad that I got a physical copy of this book, as it's something I think I might re-read on occasion, and maybe annotate, when I need a little reminder that I am enough.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Started: 26.3.26

Finished: 28.3.26

Paperback

TBR Prompt: Title begins with 'M'

Hmm, this didn't quite live up to the hype for me. Described as gothic horror, I can see where the gothic comes from, but not so much the horror (I just don't find mushrooms scary!). Some of the characters were horrible in their own attitudes and opinions - Howard was particularly unpleasant, Virgil was a creep and Florence made Mrs Danvers look more like Mary Poppins.

I found it odd that Catalina had been the one to send the initial plea for help, but almost half way through the book we'd only really had a couple of small scenes with her. Her cousin Noemi proved to be a strong-willed, determined character though, and I'm glad that Francis remained her friend. I was really hoping that she was going to finally put her cigarette lighter to good use, but an oil lamp worked just as well!

Didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped, I'm afraid.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

Started: 26.3.26

DNF: 26.3.26

Kindle

TBR Prompt: City setting

I chose this book for the city setting prompt, as it's set in London. It follows an apothecary called Nella, in 1791, who dispenses poisons to women across London for the purposes of disposing of men. This aspect of the story appealed to me, as we all like a little bit of female revenge, don't we? There was another POV from a woman named Caroline in the present-day, who was an American currently in London. I believe it was a pre-planned anniversary trip, but she was there alone after finding out her husband had been cheating on her. I'd only read up to the end of chapter three, but the story hadn't really grabbed me at this point, and then I read some online reviews, which persuaded me that I probably wasn't going to enjoy this book, so I've decided to DNF (yes, I'm easily influenced!) 

The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom

Started: 24.3.26

Finished: 26.3.26

Paperback

TBR Prompt: Book from the middle shelf

Thought-provoking book where a lonely war veteran dies and then learns lessons about his life from five people he meets in Heaven.