Being Bookish

This week is the first of my author interviews for 2026, and I am chatting with Hannah Brohm about her debut STEM romance, Love and Other Brain Experiments. Released by Head of Zeus on the 12th February, this novel is the ideal read if you love Ali Hazelwood. The story is one of fake dating, forced proximity, a great deal of chemistry and academic enmity! We talked about everything from inspiratio...

In this episode of Being Bookish, I am heading to the tranquil banks of the Thames to visit with Judith, Becks and Suzie as they investigate two unfortunate deaths in Marlow while dealing with personal issues in The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts by Robert Thorogood . As the creator of the hit TV show Death in Paradise , Thorogood knows exactly how to craft a brilliant mystery. This latest rele...

In the first episode of 2026, I'm visiting the dark romantasy world of Solanis, where the stars have been pulled from the sky, and humans battle for survival against a ruthless king and vampire armies in The Stars are Dying by Chloe C. Penaranda. As always, I'll be sharing my personal thoughts as well as looking to other reviews to provide a balanced perspective - because we can't all like everyth...

In the final episode of the year, I'm reflecting on my reading (in general), sharing my top 10 favourite reads of 2025, as well as five books that didn't quite work for me. None of these are ranked in any particular order as I talk through them, until we reach the read I loved the most, a novel I feel has been ignored by many and is massively underrated. It's been a year of highs and lows, with nu...

In my last book review of 2025, I'm taking a look at one of the newer Romantasy releases of the year, The Wolf King by Lauren Palphreyman. It's an exciting blend of highland romance and dangerous fantasy. Dangerous court politics, rival kingdoms, and a princess caught in the middle of it all. A story full of intrigue, heat, and all the popular fantasy tropes that keep people reading! As always, I...

This week, I’m joined by author Victoria Prince to talk about her gloriously escapist debut novel, The Chalet Girl , which is released on 4th December 2025 by Penguin. It's a sparkling, sexy, snow-dusted romp that channels the glamour, drama, and irresistible excess of classic 80s bonkbusters. Set in a luxury Alpine resort where secrets simmer beneath the snow, and desire is as dangerous as a blac...

This week, I am joined by regular visitor Lorraine, and we tend to do, we're talking horror. This time it's the tension and fear induced by Stephen King’s 1980 novella The Mist, a claustrophobic tale of survival, fear, and the monsters both outside and within. When a strange storm rolls into a small Maine town and an otherworldly mist swallows everything in sight, a supermarket becomes ground zero...

This week I’m diving into Daughter of the Moon Goddess , a 2022 fantasy tale inspired by Chinese mythology, rich with celestial intrigue, forbidden love, and the journey of a young woman determined to challenge the gods themselves. Forced to flee her home on the moon, where she lived in exile with her mother, Xingyin must navigate the perilous world of immortals, uncover her family’s secrets, and...

This week I’m diving into If Tomorrow Comes by Sidney Sheldon, a sweeping tale of betrayal, reinvention, and 1980s glamour. It follows Tracy Whitney, a young woman whose perfect life unravels after a devastating betrayal, forcing her to rebuild herself from the ground up. From a prison cell to glittering European cities, she transforms into a woman of wit, charm, and courage, making a new life for...

This week I’m diving into Metal Slinger by Rachel Schneider, a relatively recent romantasy release set in a world divided by sea and shore, where magic, loyalty, and love collide. Political intrigue, magical powers, manipulation and a lost princess have important roles to play. As always, these are just my personal thoughts. I’ll be taking a look at how the world-building, pacing and romance contr...

What do you do as a reader when things change in your life that you have no control over? You pick yourself up, of course, and head to the bookshelf for something to read to get you through it. At least that's the plan. So, when my life took a bit of a meh turn this week, I did exactly that, but what books did I pick up? The episode is a little shorter, but still, books are at the core, so join me...

This week I am really happy to have had the opportunity to chat with author Heidi Swain who is the Queen of Seasonal Romances. Her latest novel, All Wrapped Up, takes us to autumn in the town of Wynbridge, where love may (or may not) be in the air for the latest residents. We're talking all things bookish, including inspiration for her novels, love of all things seasonal, and the fact that All Wra...

This week I’m diving into the brand new romantasy Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer, a sweeping fantasy full of danger, betrayal, and uneasy alliances. The story starts off as the tale of two people marrying for political gain, to merge their two kingdoms, both of which are in danger. Slowly, the story develops: a perilous journey, assassination attempts, political intrigue, palace secr...

This week I’m travelling to Lancashire to join a witch and her found family in the cosy fantasy A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna. This one is equal parts heart and magic, as we follow Sera Swan while she discovers what is most important to her after being exiled from the Sorcerer's Guild following a huge rule infraction! Since then, she's built a new life running an inn that...

Somehow it happened, we've passed the halfway mark for 2025 (where did the time go)! That means it's time to take a look at my reading journey so far (yes, I know it's a bit late). So, in this episode, I’m reflecting on the books that have shaped the last six months, the highs, the lows and everything in between. Well, not quite everything, that would take a little bit too long! I’ll be talking ho...

This week I’m taking a deep look at the brand new romantasy Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry. This is a rich, emotionally layered fantasy looking at a blend of light-hearted and deep topics, including duty and survival as well as the quiet rebellion of a heroine who’s been overlooked all her life. With a backdrop of dangerous creatures, political tension, and a marriage forged through ancient ma...

Now, for those of you who don't know, I'm an 80s kid. By that, I mean I turned 16 at the end of that decade. I grew up with posters of Ralph Macchio and Michael J Fox on my wall, I went to see New Kids on the Block in concert, and when I read about The Brat Pack in newspapers and magazines (social media was not a thing), I wanted to be a member of that group. From media released long after that ti...

This week, I’m diving into The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen, a mythology-inspired fantasy romance filled with deadly challenges, divine politics, and a reluctant heroine caught in the middle of it all. With a premise rooted in ancient rivalries and a high-stakes tournament hosted by the gods themselves, it’s a story that promises danger, drama, and a healthy dose of romantic tension. As always,...

This week, I’m diving into Silver Elite , a dystopian romance that’s been making waves in the book community. A debut novel by author Dani Francis, it is set in a high-stakes world, with slow-burning tension, and a heroine hiding more than just her powers. Silver Elite is a release that has caught the attention of a lot of readers across socials, and I was so curious that I just had to pick it up....

When you reach a certain age, you can feel as though you're forgotten, whether that's because you've suddenly reached the age of grandmothers in books who sit and knit while adoring their grandchildren, or because you are no longer seen as anything but the extension of the family unit. Aged to Perfection , the debut novel by author Niloufar Lamakan, is one of a recent batch of romantic comedy nove...

This week, I’m joined by bestselling author Mandy Robotham to talk about her latest novel, Mrs Spy , a gripping and atmospheric story of secrets, betrayal, and the high personal cost of espionage. The book is released on Thursday, the 15th of May and published by Head of Zeus. Set against the tense backdrop of 1960s Britain at the height of the Cold War,we follow widowed single mother, Maggie Flyn...

Where You Go, I Will Go by Christina Fonthes is a gripping and poetic exploration of identity, migration, and finding where you feel you belong. Told across two timelines, blending events in the Congo and the UK, this powerful novel captures the ache of displacement and the quiet resilience of queer Black womanhood. This week I talk with Christina about her book, the books and experiences that ins...

This week, I’m heading back to San Francisco’s Chinatown for another delightfully chaotic mystery with our favourite sixty-something sleuth, Vera Wong. In Jesse Sutanto’s latest novel, Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man , the tea shop is still bustling, but what Vera's craving is just a little more excitement in her now much fuller life. When she encounters a young girl outside the police...

This week I am taking a look at a book so different than most that I tend to review I honestly am not sure how to define it. Part science fiction, part literary fiction, the story is certainly genre-bending. Death of the Author , by Nnedi Okorafor is the story of Nigerian American writer Zelu, whose first novel is a breakout success that catapults her, unprepared, into the spotlight. As she naviga...

Have you ever found yourself staring at your bookshelf, wanting to read but just… not feeling it? I’ve been there too, in fact, I am there right now...hence no specific book to talk about (sadly). This week I'm opening up and going into my own personal experience of the dreaded reading slump. I am not sure what triggers them, but there are multiple options on the very long list! I am also going to...