Being Bookish

The year has been full of incredible fantasy debuts and what better way to round up the year than with another one? This time it is a book inspired by Filipino mythology, full of vibrant colours and strong characters. The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon was released in October 2023 and probably has one of the most beautiful covers I have seen in years, and that's saying something when I look at som...

Richard Ainsworth is a 53-year-old English man who has made his home in the fictional Val de Follet, running a quiet B&B where nothing happens, until the day one of his elderly guests goes missing and he, along with a mysterious and glamorous guest, Valerie D'Orcay find a bloody handprint on the wall. Will this staid and sensible B&B owner make the most of this opportunity to seek adventur...

Returning to the world of science fiction with the first in The Illuminae Files trilogy by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - I found I couldn't stay away from their collaborations and I am sad that after I finish the third book in the series, Obsidio, there are no more. What happens when it seems as though the only beings talking sense after a planet is invaded by a violent and greedy corporation ar...

I couldn't stay away from Carsely, so I decided that I wouldn't. With a whole series to choose from I decided to return to the small Cotswold Village with book 31 in the series, Hot to Trot. Agatha and Charles are in trouble, and it's not the fun kind. Charles's new and admittedly unbearable young wife, Mary, has been found dead and of course, CI Wilkes is placing Agatha on the suspect list. Agath...

Iron Flame was released on Tuesday the 7th of November, the second in The Empyrean Series by author Rebecca Yarros. If you want to know more about the next biggest fantasy fad to hit after A Court of Thorns and Roses then you're in the right place. I had a few days off this week and read my way through the 623-page sequel to Fourth Wing to learn more about Violet, Xaden and that surprise revelatio...

I thought I would switch it up a bit for the first true Winter episode, and this week I am joined by Lorraine from Once Upon a Nightmare to talk about the 2012 novella In the Tall Grass, written by father and son, Stephen King and Joe Hill. This episode is part of a short planned series across Being Bookish and Once Upon a Nightmare where we will talk about a book and a film in our two shows, so i...

This debut cosy crime by new author Jessa Maxwell has everything a cosy crime baking fan could want. You have a baking competition taking place in a somewhat isolated location, a group of people who seemingly have zero connection to each other but are all keeping secrets. But more than that, there's a mystery victim, who could possibly have wanted to murder them? Were they keeping a secret? I love...

Probably better known for her stint on I'm a Celebrity (though I am going to admit right now I have never seen that show), Rosemary Shrager is a TV cook who has appeared on a lot of shows with lots of recipes. With her latest creation, Prudence Bulstrode (herself a retired TV cook), Shrager has put on another hat, that of cosy mystery writer. When Prudence Bulstrode is asked to take over as chef a...

I am back in the world of fantasy this week with the first in a spin-off romantasy by Stephanie Garber. I am taking you to the Magnificent North where miniature dragons aid in the creation of exquisite sweet treats and magic just is. Where the Immortal Fates have a hand to play in your life and where Evangeline Fox is about to discover that life isn't as straightforward as you wish it was. Being j...

What can I say? Agatha Raisin keeps on drawing me back in and when I got approved for the latest addition to the series I wasn't sure whether it would be a topic I chose or if I would just write a review and talk about something else. The 34th book in the Agatha Raisin series was released on the 19th of September and though still published under the name MC Beaton, the baton has been taken up by c...

Could I have picked something a little less obscure this week? Possibly. However, if you're a fan of John Carpenter films, then the story behind this book will definitely be familiar, for Who Goes There? written in 1938 went on to become the 1982 Kurt Russell film, The Thing! As part of a special crossover event, I am joined by Lorraine from Once Upon a Nightmare to talk about the book that inspir...

This week I am celebrating a huge milestone, my 150th episode. After three years and a lot of changes, I am going to be taking a look at my last 9 months of reading and picking out my top (and bottom) 5 books. Which ones did I love, and which ones did I unhaul? Believe me when I say that it took me a long time to put together lists that I was happy with, but I have no doubt by the time I listen to...

If you love Dark Academia, or Dark Fantasy, and haven't yet managed to get a copy of Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs, then what are you waiting for? This debut novel from the Minneapolis writer has everything from enchanted books to secret societies. It spans the generations of two families who are about as far apart in culture and status as it seems they could be, but they are tied by one t...

I am back after a week off with an episode about a half-vampire, half-Huli Jing (fox spirit) rebel with this week's fantasy debut from author A. Y. Chao. Shanghai Immortal is set in 1930s Shanghai and introduces us to Lady Jing, who is sent on a mission by her guardian, the King of Hell, to find herself and discover who is plotting against him. With Mr Lee, a mortal finance expert, at her side, sh...

You know how much I love cosy crime, so I thought that after almost 3 months I would take a trip down memory lane and remind you why this is a genre I think you may enjoy. This week I am taking a look at the first cosy crime novel by author Jesse Sutanto, Dial A for Aunties. It's a fun jaunt with a sort of 1980s Weekend at Bernie's twist. There are jewel heists, a dead body in a cooler, 4 incredib...

I am reviewing Science Fiction. Alert...you are not seeing things, for the first time in 18 months I am reading sci-fi! It's been a while since we were here, but this week I am taking you on a journey into space in the year 2380 as I talk about and review the first in the Aurora Cycle series, Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. I wasn't sure what to think when I first saw this book (an...

It's a tale as old as time and could be seen in many ways to be the origin tale for Beauty and the Beast (see what I did there?), but in this very modern YA retelling of the story of Hades and Persephone, Bea Fitzgerald has given us definite girl power. Girl, Goddess, Queen is a retelling of this dark Greek myth with a difference. Persephone didn't get dragged down to hell by an obsessive uncle, s...

I hadn't planned on posting this treat quite so soon, but work schedules (you know how it is). I was lucky enough to get the chance to chat with the author Kate Eberlen about her latest novel, Ever After, which is a fascinating and moving book following on from her 2016 release, Miss You. It follows Tess and Gus for 7 years of their lives after they meet and fall in love in Florence; their familie...

This week I had the chance to speak with author Veronica Henry about her latest release, Thirty Days in Paris. It's a story of second chances, of new experiences and follows our main character, Juliet, as she travels to Paris to learn about herself after an amicable divorce. We talk about everything from au pairs to first and second loves, to redemption arcs and travel. And of course, the book, wh...

Divine Rivals was released at the beginning of March and, since that point, has enjoyed a lot of success, it's proved incredibly popular on socials such as BookTok and Bookstagram. The enemies-to-lovers element of this fantasy has really gripped people, almost as much as Fourth Wing (as an aside can you believe there are over 215,000 ratings for that on Goodreads now?). Any, this week I am talking...

Psycho is not my normal fare, in fact it's been decades since I viewed the 1960 Hitchcock film starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins, but there is no denying that the shower scene is one that forever remains in your memory once viewed. So, when Lorraine suggested that we talk about this book, the 1959 novel by American author, Robert Bloch...I figured what could it hurt? So...how does the novel...

This week, as we're halfway through the year, I thought I'd take a look at a few of the books I would recommend to any reader who loves, or is looking to dip their toes into, the world of Greek mythology retellings. There are now so many to choose from that it can get just a little bit overwhelming. So take a journey down memory lane with me and find out, not only how I got into the genre in the f...

If you're a fan of the crime genre then Mari Hannah is for you. Her first novel came out in 2012, about detective Kate Daniels, and since then she has released 12 more novels. Her 14th, the 4th book in her newer Stone and Oliver series, is released this coming Thursday, the 22nd of June, and it's a doozy. This week I am speaking with Mari about her books, her creations and how she came up with the...

This week I am joined by Jordanne from the fun bookish podcast Books to Last, where guests talk about the 5 books they'd take with them to a deserted island. And we're talking about a book that has been on both of our TBRs for quite a while, Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. As always the talk is spoiler-free, but we're not shy when it comes to our opinions. So what did we think of t...

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros is a hit. With a massively positive score on sites like Goodreads, Amazon and Waterstones, if you're a fan of fantasy then it's likely you'll have heard of it. It's been hugely hyped up everywhere, but if you're not sure whether it's your thing but you don't want to read all the spoiler-filled reviews across the platforms, you've come to the right place. You will not...