I’m currently reading my 11th book of my 20, loving Sandwich so far – a brilliant summery read. But I had one DNF too – let me get that out of the way with a few comments. The App…

Annabookbel

06.07.2025

#20BooksofSummer2025 – Nos 7-8, Herron & Osman – AnnaBookBel

Nine books now read, time for reviews of numbers 7 & 8, which just begged to be paired together, as both involve crime / spies, but both later volumes in series, where I don’t want to say…

Annabookbel

05.07.2025

Six Degrees of Separation: Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser – AnnaBookBel

First Saturday of the month and time for the super monthly tag Six Degrees of Separation, which is hosted by Kate at Booksaremyfavouriteandbest, Six Degrees of Separation #6degrees p…

Annabookbel

04.07.2025

A Sting in her Tail by Mark Ezra – blog tour – AnnaBookBel

What do old spies do after they’ve retired? If you’re Richard Osman’s Elizabeth, decamped to a retirement village with her husband who has dementia, you keep your hand in, recruit…

Annabookbel

02.07.2025

Murder Tide by Stella Blómkvist – blog tour – AnnaBookBel

Translated by Quentin Bates This series of crime thrillers by the anonymous author Stella Blómkvist, who shares their pseudonym with the main character has been a big success in Iceland, with over …

Annabookbel

01.07.2025

#20BooksofSummer2025 – mid-season reading… – AnnaBookBel

June started the 2025 20 Books campaign off brilliantly with tons of you linking, commenting and tweeting etc giving Emma and I, and you, of course, loads of wonderful reviews to explore. It’…

Annabookbel

30.06.2025

#20BooksofSummer2025 – June Recap & Questionnaire – AnnaBookBel

Emma and I hope you had a great month of summer reading. The July post with the linky for your July reviews will be here tomorrow. Meanwhile over on Emma’s blog, you can join in with the End …

Annabookbel

29.06.2025

This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub – Book 5 of my #20BooksofSummer2025 – AnnaBookBel

That’s 8 summer books read now, so it’s time for another review, I’m getting behind in them. I’ve been meaning to read more novels by Emma Straub ever since I read her debut…

Annabookbel

28.06.2025

Shiny Linkiness – Kidd & Brown – AnnaBookBel

I’ve had two reviews published at Shiny New Books in the past couple of week, so just highlighting them here. Murder at Gull’s Nest by Jess Kidd This is the first in a new series from t…

Annabookbel

24.06.2025

Our Last Wild Days by Anna Bailey (with Ginny) #20BooksofSummer2025 No 6 – AnnaBookBel

So that’s 7 books read – I hope to fit in an 8th before the month is out, but have a couple of review copies to cover first. But I’m on track for my 20 books with the holidays and…

Annabookbel

20.06.2025

The Wild Swimmers by William Shaw – Alex Cupidi 5 – #20BooksofSummer2025 – Book No 3 – AnnaBookBel

William Shaw is one of my favourite UK crime writers. His DS Alex Cupidi novels which are set in Kent and around Dungeness in particular are particularly strong for their sense of place, but also t…

Annabookbel

14.06.2025

Broken by Jón Atli Jónasson – blog tour – AnnaBookBel

Translated by Quentin Bates A first novel in translation by an award-winning Icelandic screenwriter, Broken is a police procedural that’s the beginning of a trilogy – translated by Quen…

Annabookbel

12.06.2025

Invisible Kitties by Yu Yoyo, #ReadingtheMeow2025 #20BooksofSummer2025 – AnnaBookBel

Translated by Jeremy Tiang It’s great to be able to cover two challenges with one book – as well as being one of my 20 Books of Summer, Invisible Kitties is also for Mallika’s&nbsp…

Annabookbel

07.06.2025

Oleander, Jacaranda: A Childhood Perceived by Penelope Lively – Book Group report and #20BooksofSummer2025 -No 2 – AnnaBookBel

When our Book Group, which is picking flora or fauna related titles at the moment, didn’t pull this one out of the hat for ‘J’, we recycled it for ‘O’! Published in 19…

Annabookbel

07.06.2025

Six Degrees of Separation: All Fours by Miranda July – AnnaBookBel

First Saturday of the month and time for the super monthly tag Six Degrees of Separation, which is hosted by Kate at Booksaremyfavouriteandbest, Six Degrees of Separation #6degrees p…

Annabookbel

05.06.2025

Dinner Party: A Tragedy by Sarah Gilmartin – #20BooksofSummer2025 no 1 – AnnaBookBel

I read Irish author Gilmartin’s second novel, Service, a couple of years ago, which featured a three part #MeToo storyline involving a chef/patron of a top-end Dublin restaurant, his wife and…

Annabookbel

03.06.2025

Red Water by Jurica Pavičić – blog tour – AnnaBookBel

Translated from Croatian by Matt Robinson Earlier this month I read my first novel by a Bulgarian author, now I can add Croatia too to my European lit list with this multi European prize-winning no…

Annabookbel

03.06.2025

#20BooksofSummer2025 – all systems are go! – AnnaBookBel

Thank you, thank you all for your fantastic responses to Emma and I keeping 20 books going. The number of sign-ups and comments on the planning post is just brilliant. If you still need to pick up …

Annabookbel

28.05.2025

The Darkest Winter by Carlo Lucarelli – blog tour – AnnaBookBel

Translated by Joseph Farrell Back in 2010 I read and reviewed Almost Blue, one of Carlo Lucarelli’s contemporary Italian police procedurals, which was highly original with a blind witness who…

Annabookbel

26.05.2025

An evening with Joe Dunthorne at Mostly Books – AnnaBookBel

Joe Dunthorne is probably best known for his debut novel Submarine, published in 2008, which I read -pre-blog, and the 2010 film adapted from it by Richard Ayoade. Two more novels followed, Wild Ab…

Annabookbel

22.05.2025

Heatwave, The Summer of 1976, Britain at Boiling Point by John L Williams – blog tour – AnnaBookBel

The 1970s was the decade during which I was a teenager, from start to finish – encompassing the whole of my time at senior school and my first years at university. Regardless of all the polit…

Annabookbel

20.05.2025

Hattie Steals the Show by Patrick Gleeson – blog tour – AnnaBookBel

Last May I had the pleasure of reading Gleeson’s first Theatreland Mystery, Hattie Brings the House Down, It introduced us to Harriet ‘Hattie’ Cocker, a theatre stage manager with…

Annabookbel

14.05.2025

The Wolves of Staro Selo by Zdravka Evtimova – AnnaBookBel

Translated by Yana Ellis Having read and enjoyed Abandonment by Erminia Dell’Oro earlier this year, I’ve been keen to read more titles from Héloïse Press, an indie based in Canterbury t…

Annabookbel

13.05.2025

Watchlist: March into May – AnnaBookBel

Titus Andronicus at the RSC Swan, Stratford I went to the theatre last week to see the latest production of Shakespeare’s bloodiest play – and it lived up to its name! Starring Simon Ru…

Annabookbel

08.05.2025

Update and Book Group report – AnnaBookBel

Firstly a quick update on the knee situation: I had a guided steroid injection last week, but first the doctor took nearly 100ml of murky liquid out of the joint which relieved all the pressure on …

Annabookbel

02.05.2025

#20BooksofSummer2025 – how I pick my 20 books… – AnnaBookBel

Any challenge requiring reading a particular stack of books is a no-no for me. I have enough reading commitments in review copies and blog tours, without adding more. So I use a different way to pi…

Annabookbel

01.05.2025

20 Books of Summer is back! With new hosts – AnnaBookBel

When Cathy of 746 books announced last year that she would not host 20 Books of Summer this year after ten successful years, Emma of Words and Peace and I both volunteered to take it on. Summer rea…

Annabookbel

30.04.2025

Two shorter reviews: Callum McSorley & Hiromi Kawakami – AnnaBookBel

I have two shorter reviews for you today. One short because it is a cracking and direct sequel, so I can’t say a lot about it, and the second because I was disappointed into not having a lot …

Annabookbel

27.04.2025

Maigret’s Revolver by Georges Simenon – the #1952Club – AnnaBookBel

Translated by Siân Reynolds My second read for the #1952Club reading week hosted by Kaggsy and Simon – is a Maigret – there’s nearly always a Maigret that can be fi…

Annabookbel

25.04.2025

Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito – over at Shiny – AnnaBookBel

Feito’s first novel Mrs March was an absolute blast. An exercise in paranoia on the part of an Upper East Side housewife, who thinks people are talking about her as the model for the not-so-c…

Annabookbel

22.04.2025

Catch-up, short reviews and an author talk… – AnnaBookBel

First a knee update! There’s no cartilage left, and still inflamation behind the knee – so an Ultrasound Guided Steroid Injection is booked to deal with the latter. Knee replacements (t…

Annabookbel

22.04.2025

Campbell’s Kingdom by Hammond Innes – the #1952Club – AnnaBookBel

Today marks the beginning of the latest year reading week hosted by Kaggsy and Simon. Last week I surveyed some of the titles published in this year that I’d already read and my reading plans…

Annabookbel

16.04.2025

Bowieland by Peter Carpenter – blog tour – AnnaBookBel

It’s a little over eight years since David Bowie died in January 2016, but his memory lives on. Although I had Ziggy on my bedroom walls as a young teen, it was Bolan I was more obsessed with…

Annabookbel

14.04.2025

Five Feat… 1952 – AnnaBookBel

The week after this one, from 21-27 April, it’s the next year reading club hosted by Kaggsy and Simon: The 1952 Club. As I was going through lists of possible books to read, it struck me ther…

Annabookbel

11.04.2025

The Cure by Eve Smith – blog tour – AnnaBookBel

My first encounter with Eve Smith was with her second novel, Off Target, in which genetic engineering of children is normal. I very much enjoyed it – spec fiction being my favourite type of g…

Annabookbel

09.04.2025

Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen – Book Group Report – AnnaBookBel

Working our way through our Flora & Fauna alphabet – M was for Carl Hiaasen’s 2013 novel Bad Monkey, recently adapted by Apple TV starring Vince Vaughn – but more of that late…

Annabookbel

08.04.2025

Reading progress & a review -Eurotrash by Christian Kracht – AnnaBookBel

“O tempora, o mores” as Cicero said. Can you believe the state that a certain orange person and his sidekicks have gotten us into? I’m not going to get into politics here though. …

Annabookbel

06.04.2025

Six Degrees of Separation: Knife – AnnaBookBel

First Saturday of the month and time for the super monthly tag Six Degrees of Separation, which is hosted by Kate at Booksaremyfavouriteandbest, Six Degrees of Separation #6degrees picks a starting…

Annabookbel

26.03.2025

Reading Ireland Month – Louise O’Neill and Gerald Lynch – AnnaBookBel

I planned to read two or more books for Reading Ireland Month, as ever hosted by Cathy, and have so far managed one really good read, plus a DNF – but which was which? Well, let me get the DN…

Annabookbel

21.03.2025

Luminous by Silvia Park – blog tour – AnnaBookBel

I am absolutely delighted to be leading off the blog tour for this fabulous novel on its UK publication day. I do love SF, although I read little of it these days. However, waft a spec fiction nove…

home›Annabookbel›Books & Literature

Annabookbel - Books & Literature

Lost in the Garden by Adam Leslie – #20BooksofSummer2025 No 9 and a DNF – AnnaBookBel

#20BooksofSummer2025 – Nos 7-8, Herron & Osman – AnnaBookBel

Six Degrees of Separation: Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser – AnnaBookBel

A Sting in her Tail by Mark Ezra – blog tour – AnnaBookBel

Murder Tide by Stella Blómkvist – blog tour – AnnaBookBel

#20BooksofSummer2025 – mid-season reading… – AnnaBookBel

#20BooksofSummer2025 – June Recap & Questionnaire – AnnaBookBel

This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub – Book 5 of my #20BooksofSummer2025 – AnnaBookBel

Shiny Linkiness – Kidd & Brown – AnnaBookBel

Our Last Wild Days by Anna Bailey (with Ginny) #20BooksofSummer2025 No 6 – AnnaBookBel

The Wild Swimmers by William Shaw – Alex Cupidi 5 – #20BooksofSummer2025 – Book No 3 – AnnaBookBel

Broken by Jón Atli Jónasson – blog tour – AnnaBookBel

Invisible Kitties by Yu Yoyo, #ReadingtheMeow2025 #20BooksofSummer2025 – AnnaBookBel

Oleander, Jacaranda: A Childhood Perceived by Penelope Lively – Book Group report and #20BooksofSummer2025 -No 2 – AnnaBookBel

Six Degrees of Separation: All Fours by Miranda July – AnnaBookBel

Dinner Party: A Tragedy by Sarah Gilmartin – #20BooksofSummer2025 no 1 – AnnaBookBel

Red Water by Jurica Pavičić – blog tour – AnnaBookBel

#20BooksofSummer2025 – all systems are go! – AnnaBookBel

The Darkest Winter by Carlo Lucarelli – blog tour – AnnaBookBel

An evening with Joe Dunthorne at Mostly Books – AnnaBookBel

Heatwave, The Summer of 1976, Britain at Boiling Point by John L Williams – blog tour – AnnaBookBel

Hattie Steals the Show by Patrick Gleeson – blog tour – AnnaBookBel

The Wolves of Staro Selo by Zdravka Evtimova – AnnaBookBel

Watchlist: March into May – AnnaBookBel

Update and Book Group report – AnnaBookBel

#20BooksofSummer2025 – how I pick my 20 books… – AnnaBookBel

20 Books of Summer is back! With new hosts – AnnaBookBel

Two shorter reviews: Callum McSorley & Hiromi Kawakami – AnnaBookBel

Maigret’s Revolver by Georges Simenon – the #1952Club – AnnaBookBel

Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito – over at Shiny – AnnaBookBel

Catch-up, short reviews and an author talk… – AnnaBookBel

Campbell’s Kingdom by Hammond Innes – the #1952Club – AnnaBookBel

Bowieland by Peter Carpenter – blog tour – AnnaBookBel

Five Feat… 1952 – AnnaBookBel

The Cure by Eve Smith – blog tour – AnnaBookBel

Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen – Book Group Report – AnnaBookBel

Reading progress & a review -Eurotrash by Christian Kracht – AnnaBookBel

Six Degrees of Separation: Knife – AnnaBookBel

Reading Ireland Month – Louise O’Neill and Gerald Lynch – AnnaBookBel

Luminous by Silvia Park – blog tour – AnnaBookBel

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