2026 JANUARY : READING HIGHLIGHTS

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This year I plan to write about the month’s highlights, so that will mean shorter posts. If you read almost exclusively in the E-book universe, as I do, the gems are far and few between. All my reads are E-books, unless otherwise stated.

The Last Laugh Club – Kate Galley. the outstanding feature of the story was the setting, in the far north Scottish Shetland islands. A bequest to sprinkle the deceased’s ashes sends three acquaintances on an often uncomfortable, life-changing odyssey. An unexpected read in the Cosy Category.

Patricia Fisher Cruise Mysteries – 1-5 book boxed set by Steve Higgs. Loads of action,enough character detail to make the cast relatable, the lightest whisper of romance, an altogether perfect light, escapist holiday read.

The Mystery of the Gold Rings: A cozy crime mystery set in an English village (The Antique Shop Mysteries Book 3) – Judith Cutler. I’m definitely a fan of the series. Why? Well, it offers endearing characters – Lina a life-scarred young adult, mentored and sheltered by antiques dealer Griff, flamboyant former actor; and then the rascally, champagne-soaked dissolute Lord Ellingham who is probably Lina’s errant Dad …. a lively cast of characters for openers. The background is the eponymous English country village. But the setting is the world of antiques markets, fairs and auctions, which makes the stories very different and offers ample plot opportunities for deception and more. Down to earth, authentic, contemporary mysteries, which always provide an enjoyable read.

More Tall Tails : A Country Vet – Randy L Skaggs. Non-fiction . The rough, tough, bawdy East Texas Panhandle ranches provided a good change from my usual British cosy territory., A highly entertaining read.

Fans of Urban Fantasy will enjoy Naomi Kuttner’s 3-book Shadowland series. I was hooked by the realistic characters, the moral dilemmas and the lively action sequences. Addictive reading.

The Last Secret of Lily Adams – Sara Blayde. A dramatic tell-all story of careers in 1930’s Hollywood, and the terrible price of fame exacted by the industry. A powerful and disturbing read.

Finally: I discovered Naomi Kuttner’s Paranormal cosy mystery series, The Retired Assassin’s Guide to … Country Gardening (Book 1) and Orchid Hunting (Book 2). The outstanding features are the Retired Assassin, (yes, literally!) portrayed in a deadpan style, plus he has the social and emotional intelligence of a brick, which adds humour to the episodes. And the background to the series is New Zealand, lending a different flavour to the stories. Additionally local legends are woven into the narrative, not to mention young gardener Charlie who routinely sees and talks to local ghosts. Altogether a thoroughly entertaining mix.

2025  TOP READS

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Due to various factors such as replacing my desktop, followed by continuing problems with Microsoft, and its scrambling of my useful Reading Record ; add  a mid-year influx of visitors and resulting travels and social events, my reading reportage has been lax, to say the least.  But I have been reading, in amongst all the running round. Never fear, faithful follower, I have been reading.

My Italian Bulldozer – Alexander McCall Smith – Comic novel: Probably my best read of 2025 for sheer entertainment value.

Followed by:

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman – Crime

The China Voyage  – Tim Severin – Travel

Abroad in Japan : Ten Years in the Land of the Rising Sun – Chris Broad – Travel

Felix the Railway Cat – Kate Moore – non-fiction

Maureen  and the Angel of the North – Rachel Joyce – Contemporary novel

I read many e-book crime series, here are some that kept me entertained:

Gretchen Archer’s Double  series, set in Las Vegas, totally OTTP and  I love them

Katie Gayle ‘s Julia Bird mysteries – classic British village cozy mysteries

Pete Brasset’s Munro and West  mysteries – Tartan crime at its best

Traude Allinger’s The Edinburgh Murder Mysteries – more Tartan Crime

By no means a Hot’n Happening selection, but I enjoyed them.

These days I can only drool sadly over the Booker Short List and the like, but I console myself that at least  I am still able to read,  and  I have the added aids of bright electric light plus a Kindle. My childhood was spent under the dim light of pressure lamps and hurricane lights, being bombarded by every moth, beetle and mosquito that central Africa could offer.  Then my recent years were plagued by South Africa’s infamous Loadshedding aka rolling blackouts, mercifully now suspended. So: I should be focusing on the continuing gift of reading under constant electric light , and stop moaning. My apologies.

I wish all my Faithful Followers a peaceful and happy Festive Season, and may your year-end gifts include piles of books.

Happy Reading!

OCTOBER NOVEMBER 2025 READING ROUNDUP

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A rather patchy report. October was not a good month, PC problems, plus health obstacles, but I read on, undeterred.        

OCTOBER 2025

A House between Sea and Sky – Beth Cato = E-bk – Crime Fantasy – Russian fairytale collides with 1930s Hollywood.  Different

The Edinburgh  Murder Mysteries – Books 1 – 7 – Traude  Allinger – Ebk – Tartan crime – female lead detective – enjoyable.

NOVEMBER 2025

A Matrimonial Murder – Meeti- Shroff-Shah. AND: The Mumbai School for Murder – Meeti Shroff-Shah –  E-bks – Curry-crime –   Familial ;relationships and tensions lead to murder in both books; great Indian setting; Ambiance & food descriptions make this series enjoyable for me.

The Golden Egg – Donna Leon. Ebk. Crime. Brunetti & usual Venetian setting. A cold, cruel and calculated non-violent crime. Venetian society does not come out of this situation glowing with virtue. A sombre story.

The Realm of False Gods – Steve Higgs -= E-bk. 11- book boxed set. Urban Fantasy. What a stonker of a read. It took me several weeks. There’s plenty of action, magical armour, alien creatures, plus angels and demons, shades of Dan Brown, but no real comparison. It’s the old theme of Good v.s. Evil with the future of mankind at stake.  What makes the series a cut above the norm, are the number of different heroes/heroines, many being girls or women, and they are against wholesale slaughter despite the mighty battle scenes in each book. SF/Fantasy fans will love this.

The Peshwari Nans – Stephen Haughan. E-bk. Farce /adventure. Two East end London grannies set out on a noble quest, driving their ancient Morris Traveller across Europe to Peshwar, India. The book extols British culture and values, and shows that octogenarians are by no means ready for their rocking chairs. There are a few poignant episodes, and some heroic deeds, amongst the farce. A relaxing light read.  

JULY/AUGUST 2025 READING ROUNDUP 

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The previous two months produced PC breakdown, PC replacement followed by endless glitches, followed by houseguests during which period many things were never accomplished, in particular, my book review blogging.  But, faithful followers, I was reading; never fear, through the troubles and traumas I read on.  But at this point, I’m not inclined to give the usual comprehensive reading report, just a few highlights. 

THE HIGHLIGHTS 

My Italian Bulldozer – Alexander McCall Smith, Print bk. Definitely one of his best. Quirky, charming, an unusual basic premise (after a Kafkaesque hire car debacle,  Scottish food writer Paul, reluctantly takes the only remaining vehicle – refer to the title). His adventures, both mechanical and romantic make for a delightful read.  RECOMMENDED  

The Woman in the Blue Cloak by Deon Meyer. Hardcover. Crime. A novella about a murdered American art expert, a wildly valuable Dutch painting;  shades of Donna Tartt’s novel, The Goldfinch. Authentic Cape Town characters & dialogue . VERY ENJOYABLE.  

Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin. E-bk. Novel. The story of Violette, a French cemetery keeper. Love, sex and death feature prominently – it’s a very French novel, but an engrossing read. In fact, it will probably appear in my year-end Top 5 Reads.   RECOMMENDED.  

The Munro & West series – 13 in all by Pete Brassett.  E-bks.    I’m addicted to the Munro & West Scottish series. Good, bad or indifferent, I’ll read them.  An easy to read Tartan crime series; the same familiar team back on the job. I’m a devoted fan of the series, due to the likeability, and authenticity of the regular cast of characters  and for the Scottish ambience.  The setting is contemporary. The crimes are varied but no gratuitous gore and violence.  Recommended as a jolly good read.  

The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler. E-bk. Speculative fiction.  Thought provoking  story about interspecies communication, humans & octopuses; plus eco theme on ruination of marine environment and livestock due to overfishing. Another big theme was humanities’ reaction to a superior android creature that far surpassed its human creators.  

READING ROUNDUP APRIL/MAY 2025

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Composing the April  RR  somehow escaped me, not due to a surfeit of Easter chocolate, but perhaps due to a lack of reading highlights. Sure, I binged on Marty Wingate’s 4-book series of The Potting Shed Mysteries (English villages, gardening related) and  then her Birds of a Feather series (English Villages, vaguely bird watching related mysteries) both of which were pleasant and enjoyable, but unremarkable. I also had a series of disappointments in my selection of Large Print books from Milnerton Library, with 3 DNFs.  I forget the titles now, but none of them engaged my interest.  Because there is such a limited selection of Large Print books, I find myself  grasping at straws and  selecting titles that don’t really appeal to me, but fall into the Better-Than-Nothing category.   Unfortunately, due to Municipal Budget Cuts, and the high price of Large Print titles, they are all imported, the Library  has to do the best it can under adverse circumstances. Periodically I find a cracker-jack read, but they are far and few between.

So, now on to May.

Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North – Rachel Joyce. Hardcover. A powerful short novel on grief, and book 3 of the Harold Fry trilogy. Beautifully written. Definitely a candidate for Top here Reads for 2025.

Stephen King & Richard  Chizmar – Gwendy’s Button Box. Hardcover novella.  I seldom read Horror genre, but this shorty was a happy surprise.  An encounter with the black-hatted Mr Ferris, on a public park bench, and the mysterious button box gift he bestows on the  baffled 12 year old leads to very  strange consequences indeed …. Read on!  I wonder what you’d do, if gifted with the powerful button box ? An intriguing  page turner; enjoyable.

To the Land of Long Lost Friends – Alexander McCall Smith. LP novel. We’re back with the ladies (& apprentice detective, Charlie)  at the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency in Botswana, where the battle of the sexes  surges up, due entirely to the frailty and weak-will of Men. AMcCS never fails to charm and entertain with his Botswana stories. Recommended

Letters from the Past – Erica James.  LP.  novel/romance.Set in England, partly during WWII and partly 1962 .  A family, and others, harbouring many dark secrets, some related to the War years; not quite a bodice ripper, but passions seethe! Fans of Family Sagas will love this book.   

Striding Folly – Dorothy L Sayers. LP.  3 short stories. Back in the day, I was never a DLS fan. After reading the three short stories in this slim collection, I remain in that category. Not for me, but no doubt others will be happy to read this vintage British detective fiction.

NON-FICTION

Abroad in Japan: Ten Years in the Land of the Rising Sun – Chris Broad.  Straight out of Uni young Chris goes to Japan as an English language teacher on a 3 year contract, turns himself into a  fluent Japanese speaker, and thence on to a career as a YouTuber , focusing on life in Japan.A fascinating insight into the land, culture and people. An easy read, and highly recommended, even if you are not a Travel Genre fan. He has remained with YT and Japan ever since. A fascinating picture of life in Japan.

MARCH 2025 READING ROUNDUP

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               NON-FICTION

Felix the Railway Cat – Kate Moore.  LP-.  8-week old kitten, Felix arrives at Huddersfield Railway Station to take up her position as a Pest Controller , rising to Senior Pest Controller rank over the years. Her heartwarming story shows how she influenced the lives of both railways staff and passengers, and included many amusing anecdotes. She appeared on national British TV, and finished up with her own Facebook page. A charming and uplifting read.

 My Family and Other Animals – Gerald Durrell. LP.  A re-read for me,  and  I shall be reading the book again in coming years. It tells the story of GD’s blissful 4 years on the island of Corfu during the 1930’s : perfect sunny days, the freedom to ramble all over the island  collecting insects and animals and birds; no formal schooling, a succession of eccentric tutors. Plus a host of eccentric characters, starting with his family.  The outings, escapades and ensuing dramas  are charming and funny.   The descriptions of Corfu are beautiful.  Every page was a pleasure.

               FICTION  

The Easy Life in Kamusari – Shion Muira, translator Juliet Winters Carpenter. E-bk. Finally a Japanese novelwith a straightforward narrative. I suspect we owe the translator a big thank you for this clarity.  I often find the genre very opaque, and had all but abandoned the genre for this reason. This is a coming-of-age story: Yokohama school-leaver Yuki ‘s parents sign him up for a year’s contract with a timber company in the far northern mountains. Yuki is an apprentice woodsman and the  weedy urban teenager,  initially struggles with the demanding outdoor, physical work and simple lifestyle.  What makes the book so interesting is exactly that: the descriptions of the ancient forests, the  forestry methods, the skilled foresters, the simple country lifestyle; the cherry on top are accounts of annual festivals and the underlying myths and traditions. A fascinating and refreshing read. Insight into a vanishing traditional world. Highly recommended.

The Quiet Side of Passion –  Alexander McCall Smith . LP. This is the first time I’ve managed to finish an Isabel Dalhousie book, and actually enjoyed the read. I found previous novels in the series to be  slow, and stuffed with philosophizing, so I speedily abandoned them. Although this novel has   its fair share of moral dilemmas, with accompanying moral angst, it also has a supporting cast of lively characters, quite a bit of action, humour, coupled with domestic and romantic disasters. The setting is Edinburgh, the period is contemporary; dashes of dry humour enliven the book.     An entertaining read – recommended.

The complete Calidus Roman Mysteries books 1 & 2 – M J Trow & Maryanne Coleman . E-bk. Whodunnit set in  decadent, dangerous Rome during mad Emperor Nero’s reign. Compelling, atmospheric and teeming with dark secrets.  Very good. Will appeal to Historic genre fans.

Double Dog Dare – Gretchen Archer. E-bk. A helter skelter caper in the Belissimo Casino: A Casino  Dog Show; Davis’ sister is kidnapped, there’s a  a witch called Bootsy, add in the Dog from Hell and its appalling owners … the action never stops, ditto the fun! And Davis Way, the protagonist, always tries to put her family first, and Do The Right Thing, despite the mayhem. CrimCom at its best …. A lively pick-me up. Recommended.  

Double Strike – Gretchen Archer. E-bk. A VIP invitation to an extraordinary high-stakes gaming event, as thieves, feds, dance instructors, shady bankers, kidnappers, and gold waiters go all in says  #Don’tMissIt review. Helter skelter action, snappy dialogue, lots ofpizzaz plus fascinating  insight into the gambling industry, and running a Casino.  Lotsa fun. Recommended.  

Double Dose – Gretchen Archer. E-bk. Life in the Belissimo Casino in the   Smart House from Hell – almost sentient, wired to anticipate residents’ every  action. Throw in toddler twins and an epic art theft, and off we go!  Trademark  snappy dialogue, lots of action,  a mixture of crime and domestic disaster (generated by the Smart House. I wouldn’t have my house wired up for all the money in the world.. Lotsa fun. Recommended.  

A Village Theatre Murder – Katie Gayle. E-bk. My fave South African writing duo. I read the Julia Bird mysteries as much for the charming backgrounds and  the delightful  animal characters, as I do for the mysteries.  Enjoyable – lived up to expectations.

The Missing Checkout Girl; (No 1, Supermarket Mystery series) – Rachel Ward. E-bk. Initially I wasn’t going to review this Cosy Mystery (small English town, narrator is supermarket checkout girl,  stalker hunts lone women walking home at night, ho-hum) but on reflection, I realized the book offered themes on dyslexia, agoraphobia and domestic violence alongside the mystery. Life in urban modern Britain is no bed of roses. A cosy with surprising depth. I didn’t enjoy that much, and will nsot continue with the series.  

The Widow’s Guide to Murder- Amanda Ashby . The Widow’s Guide to Murder. Debut  book to series; English village, 4 widows solve a very twisty crime. Well written & a good read .

The Loved One – Everlyn Waugh. E-bk. Written and set in the 1930s. Very satirical look at expat Brits working in Hollywood, and also the American funeral industry. Sharp & cynical. EW may be a respected English novelist, but this short novel has put me off exploring his work any further.

ABANDONED.

 No One is talking about this – Patricia Lockwood. Print. 2021 Shortlist for the Booker Prize. Lauded as ‘brilliant’.  Too avant garde for me – stream of consciousness vignettes and tiny print.  Defeat after two chapters.

FEBRUARY 2025 READING ROUNDUP

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FICTION

The Librarianist – Patrick de Witt. Hardcover. Newly retired librarian Bob’s life changes in unexpected ways when he starts volunteering at a nearby Seniors’ centre. We get   flashbacks to his lonely childhood, his failed marriage, his duplicitous best friend, and the long arm of co-incidence in his later life. A fully rounded, satisfying bookish read.  I loved it!

Starter Villain – John Scalzi . E-bk. Cross genre caper, venturing into Speculative fiction, with genetically altered talking cats and dolphins,  where the  unwitting hero outwits squads of villains. Aided by said cats and dolphins. Good fun,  light read.

Slow Time between the Stars – John Scalzi. E-bk. Short story/novella.  A starship, designed to re-seed humanity on other/better/Goldilocks planets, autonomously ignores its mission and sails on into eternity ; brief but punchy. Thought provoking!

The Tears of Angels: Detectives Anderson & Costello.  – Caro Ramsay. E-bk. Set in Glasgow, contemporary crime; well-nuanced characters and plot. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.

August Heat – Andrea Camilleri /trans Stephen Sartarelli.LP. A bizarre murder, discovered in the blistering  August heat, cloud Insp Montalbano’s judgement .An okay read.

Serpent’s Eye – Dolores Gordon- Smith. E-bk. British aristocracy, foreign Presidents, 1910 and 1922; theft of a fabulous emerald necklace, a convoluted & satisfying classic English-country-house mystery .

Perfectly Ordinary People – Nick Alexander. E-bk. Two gay teenagers, living in Alsace, flee the Nazi persecution of homosexuals. Enroute across France, and finally to England, they somewhat unwillingly acquire a tiny Jewish baby, thus  creating a faux family, a fiction they promote for years. During the 1970s  Ruth starts to delve into family history. And the truth is finally revealed.  The book employed alternating twin narratives, a format I dislike, so, not a rave read for me.

Maxwell’s House – M J Trow. E-bk. School setting murder crime, U K. Film related banter between middle aged men, didn’t appeal. Neither did the misogynistic tone, and the  grubby atmosphere. The twisty plot did not redeem the book. I won’t be reading any more of the series

Other Women – Cathy Kelly. LP_ Contemporary womens’ fiction. The friendships and partnerships, the secrets, and betrayals. The enormous strain of modern life. I read halfway, then skip-read to the end. Because of the big cast of characters, I lost interest in ploughing through to the end. Fans of family life dramas will enjoy this one; a so-so read for me.

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READING ROUNDUP JANUARY 2025

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FICTION

We Solve  Murders  – Richard Osman. Print. This fast-paced, action packed, Crim-com got my reading year off to a crackerjack start. Unforgettable characters – Rosie, the famous, ageless, crime writer whose gazillion sales stats are equaled only by her libido and her tons of money – rock steady widower Steve, content with his quiet life centred around his cat (named Trouble) and his weekly pub quiz night – his daughter in law Amy, a  terrifying, deadly  professional bodyguard – and these are just the good guys, I haven’t even started on the baddies. The biggest phenomenon in fiction since Harry Potter , said The Guardian. They’re probably correct. Its funny, outrageous, unputdownable and an unmissable read. And a Travel Advisory PS: Dubai is  best avoided; the golf courses are lethal. Literally.

The Keeper of Stories – Sally Page. E-bk.Everybody has a story, at least one, if not many. Even the most unlikely people, the humdrum workers, an ordinary bus driver, or an ordinary cleaning woman. Never underestimate the hidden depths that seemingly mundane, even dull, people hide under their plain exteriors.   Janice the cleaner, is the story keeper, and she listens to and stores the most astonishing collections of stories from clients and friends. The novel is a treasure chest of vignettes, worthy of the fabled Schezerade. But perhaps Janice the Cleaner’s story is the most dramatic and poignant of all. I’m pretty sure this novel will appear in my year-end Top Ten List. A very satisfying read. Recommended.

Recipe for a Perfect Wife – Karma Brown. Have social attitudes regarding women’s role in  a marriage, really changed much? If all? Via a twin timeline of 1950s and 2018, two marriages unfold, and not so much has changed. The finale delivers a sucker punch. An OK read, quite enjoyable.

Ambulance Girls Girls under Fire – Deborah Burrows. LP. WWII, London in the Blitz.  Celia Ashwin is estranged from her upper class Nazi sympathizer husband, Cedric. She’s a volunteer ambulance driver, surviving dreadful danger and many bombing incidents. She  falls in love with a Jewish doctor, befriends a traumatised Jewish orphan which leads to a showdown with her husband. The devastation of lives and property during the London Blitz are vividly portrayed. A chilling reminder of the futility of war.  

The Pyramid of Mud – Andrea Camillieri. LP translated by Stefan Startareli.  A  murder on a building site leads  to  a complicated Mafia money laundering operation, solved by Inspector Montalbano.  A competent straightforward crime novel.

NON-FICTION

The China Voyage – Tim Severin .  A Pacific Quest by Bamboo Raft. LP.  “… the extraordinary story of how six men and one woman made maritime history by sailing the Pacific on a bamboo raft to test the theory that Asian raft sailors reached America some two thousand years ago.”  Severin has a raft custom made in Vietnam, sets out from Hong Kong; the voyage lasted six months, taking place in the early 1990s. An epic tale of adventure, exploration, and human endurance. Recommended.

The China Voyage

DECEMBER 2024 READING ROUNDUP

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So: the end of another reading year. A total of 112 books, according to my lackadaisical record keeping. Not that it matters.  Although some book bloggers do take the annual total very seriously. I don’t really care, so long as my reading entertained and informed me. On the whole a good reading year.

Highlight: Margaret Atwood’ s Short story collection Stone Mattress– anarchic, bleak, scary, funny. Brilliant. (LP)

Mid Point: The Sky Beneath us – Fiona Valpy. Family saga, set in Scotland and Nepal. Botanising Himalayan plants, Sherpa culture. A refreshing change of theme and background.  (E-bk)

KIRSTY Ferry – Schubert series – truckloads of whimsy, a dollop of pure battiness, lightest of holiday reads. (4 x E-bks)  Easy & relaxing holiday read

Low point: Celesste Ng – Everything I never told you. Children burdened by parental expectation  and non-communication’ the difficulties of not fitting in, being of mixed Chinese-American parentage. Did not enjoy. Depressing.  (LP)

NON-FICTION

In the Shadow of Enlightenment: A Girl’s Escape from the Osho Rajneesh Cult – Sarito Carroll.  A shocking tell-all memoir about 7 years spent growing up in the Indian guru’s cult. First in India, then in the USA. In the States, the enigmatic, controversial guru was nicknamed the Sex Guru.  With good reason!  Sarito’s unhappy, conflicted childhood scarred her for life. Not a festive read, but a window into the 1970s, the hippie culture and a manual on how not to bring up kids.  (E-bk)

MY  2024 READING YEAR

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This was the year that my reading habits underwent a radical change. I have all but abandoned  print books, unless they are in Large Print format, and have done the bulk of my reading on my Kindle; reason being that the tablet display is backlit, plus I can enlarge the print to a comfortable reading size. This is the upside of my reading situation. The downside is that borrowing/buying books on Kindle means the transaction is in US$ which is pricey, due to our adverse foreign exchange rate. And furthermore, recent hit reads are beyond my price range, hence my immersion in Cosy Land. Likewise, in Large Print Land, the selection is limited partly due to our Municipal Libraries’ shrunken budget, and partly due to publishers keeping a beady eye on production costs. But: at least I am able to continue reading, for which, thank all the gods!

Notable reads from the year, are listed below. Their  stories remained with me, at year’s end.

Hyperion – Dan Simmons                                 SF

The Changeling – James Fahy                         Fantasy  (5 book series)

Mr Monk is a Mess – Lee Goldberg                 Humour

A Northern Light in Provence – Elizabeth Birkelund        Contemporary novel

In the Shadow of Enlightenment: A Girl’ s Escape           Memoir

through the Osho Rajneesh cult – Sarito Carroll

The House of Doors – Tan Twan Eng                                      Malaysian novel

A Matrimonial Murder – Meeti Shroff-Shah –                      Cosy Indian murder mystery

Never Pack an Ice Axe – Jules Brown                                     Travel

Miss Benson’s Beetle – Rachel  Joyce                       Novel , a re-read but still wonderful;

I re-discovered  Alexander McCall Smith, in the Large Print section, and revisited some of his Botswana novels; a happy experience.

  New discoveries included:   Katie Gayle – a South African writing duo, cosy genre , writer of series;   ditto Gillian Harvey’s family- based  series, set in France; ditto Liz Fielding – English cosies; Kim M Watt’s Paranormal mystery series featuring Gobbelino the talking cat.

Some old friends were discarded during the year, chiefly book bloggers on WordPress. Browsing through the WP Reader section, I realised how much I miss them, but because I cannot read print books, there is not much point.  I used to follow the annual Booker Prize event, but that’s also fallen by the wayside; ditto the few South African Lit Prizes that I followed in the past. And as ever, Time is nipping at my heels …. So many books, so little time …

 I’m heartsore that I’ve missed out on Covenant of Water  by  Abraham Verghese; it’s such a doorstopper I doubt whether it will ever be Kindl-ised. The same goes for the non-fiction books, selected by the Baillie-Gifford prize pundits.

So what were your favourite reads in 2024?

Thanks to my small band of faithful followers, who continue to show up monthly to follow my reading adventures.

Finally, I wish my followers many wonderful reading  experiences in 2025, along with peace, health and happiness.