As a white British woman, reading Reni Eddo-Lodge’s book Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race was a challenging and eye-opening experience. The book offers a frank and unapologetic exploration of racism in Britain, and it challenges readers to confront their own privilege and complicity in perpetuating systemic inequality.Eddo-Lodge’s book is particularly […]

The Six of Crows Duology written by Leigh Bardugo is one of my top reads this year. The fantasy series is set two years on from the Shadow and Bones series and follows ‘the crows’, a crew of thieves. The crew is made up of 6 incredibly diverse, flawed and interesting characters, all struggling with […]

David Harewood’s book, Maybe I Don’t Belong: A Memoir of Race, Identity, Breakdown, and Recovery, is a powerful exploration of racism and its effects on individuals. The book is a personal and raw account of Harewood’s experience growing up as a Black man in Britain, and his struggle with mental health issues that stemmed from […]

Daphne du Maurier is fast-becoming one of my favourite authors and it’s surprising to note that I have only ever read her novels when I have been required to do so by a book club, but I have never been disappointed. Indeed, my local book club affectionately refers to her as ‘Daffers’. But this review […]

The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini. A haunting tale of intimate partner violence and unstinting in its description of abuse, yet infused with humour, not surprisingly as the author, Lisa, is also a comedian. The novel, shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2022, vividly describes a Caribbean less familiar to tourists but […]

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk is a ground breaking book that explores the link between trauma and mental health. The book is based on decades of research and clinical experience, and it offers a comprehensive overview of the ways in which trauma affects the body, brain, and mind. Van der […]

A sleepy Suffolk village in 1939 is not your average setting for a gothic tale of vampire lust, and Betty Church and the Suffolk Vampire by M.R.C. Kasasian is not your average gothic vampire-fest. This eccentric, gruesome and quirky novel made me laugh out loud a lot, and I usually avoid ‘funny’ books like, well, […]