My Year in Books 2025: February

Ah, another month, another very short list. I really haven't had a lot of time for reading recently, but I'm hoping that will change soon.

In case you're interested, here's my post from January.

The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel (2024)

The next book I read was another library book. The Hitchcock Hotel is a murder mystery that takes place in… well… the Hitchcock Hotel, a themed hotel opened by ardent Hitchcock fan Alfred Smettle. Alfred has created the hotel in a sprawling mansion on a hill in New England. On the first anniversary of its opening, he invites five friends from university to come and celebrate with him. Of course, everyone is hiding secrets from each other, because that’s how the genre works. And, of course, someone ends up murdered, because that’s also how the genre works. As you might imagine, the solution to the murder mystery lies in untangling the secrets from the past. The story of what happened between the six friends at university unfolds slowly, and this is more the key to working out what happened with the murder, rather than clues in the present-day. It’s probably also worth pointing out that this is one of those murder mysteries where the murder doesn’t take place until a good way through the book, so we’re also left to ponder the identity of the victim as well as the perpetrator. This was an enjoyable read, with some nice (though not particularly subtle) nods to Hitchcock films. The mystery itself isn’t too taxing – I had a pretty good idea the ‘who’, even though I had to wait until the whole story had been revealed to understand the ‘why’. If you’re a fan of modern murder mysteries, this one’s a recommendation.

Spring Equinox Stories Wanted for Hannah's Bookshelf on North Manchester FM

Submit your seasonal flash fiction to be played on Hannah’s Bookshelf this March!

Can you tell a seasonal story in just 3 minutes? Want to have your work played on the radio? This month, I’m looking for seasonal (spring) flash fiction from around the world for inclusion on Hannah’s Bookshelf, the weekly literature show on North Manchester FM.

On Saturday 15th March, I’ll be hosting the Hannah’s Bookshelf Spring Equinox Special, and as part of my seasonal special, I’ll be playing a selection of my favourite 3-minute stories on the show (broadcast on FM and on digital). Want to be part of it? Submit a recording of your seasonally inflected story (maximum 3 minutes) by midnight on Monday 10th March.

All genres welcome – be they cosy, romantic, scary or sad. The only rules are that stories must be your own original work, have some connection to the season, and be in English (the language of the broadcast). And please ease off the swears – stories have to be radio friendly! All you need is a microphone and a story – once you’re ready to submit your story, click on the ‘Start Recording’ button on my website to record your story and submit it. Remember to enter your name and email address when submitting your story.

If you aren’t able to submit via a recording and would like another method of taking part, please message via my website for more information.

Please share this call with anyone who you think might be interested – I’d like to cast the net as wide as possible. My favourite seasonal stories will be broadcast on the Hannah’s Bookshelf Spring Equinox Special at 2pm on Saturday 15th March, on digital radio and 106.6FM.