My Year in Books 2025: April

It looks like I still haven't broken my one-book-a-month streak yet. It really has been a very busy time so, to be honest, I'm actually proud of myself for reading anything at all. I'm sure things will pick up when work quietens down a bit.

In case you're interested, here are the other books I've read so far this year: January, February, March

Festival of Death by Laurence Anholt (2020)

I picked this one up at the library, intrigued by the idea of a murder mystery set at the Glastonbury Festival. I was also interested in the idea of a police detective who is a practising Buddhist. The set-up of the story is that the lead singer of one of the festival’s headlining acts is murdered live on stage during the band’s set. Vincent Caine, the series’ ‘mindful detective’ is already on the scene, as he’s at the festival, and he’s soon joined by his partner DI Shanti Joyce to investigate the crime. I didn’t know this was the second book in a series, but it didn’t seem to be a problem reading it out of sequence. Festival of Death is a fun read, though the mystery is a bit silly (and the denouement is very silly), and Vincent Caine is, perhaps, a little bit too quirky, even for a fictional detective. There are some nice details that make it clear the author has been to Glastonbury, with some descriptions of the festival that are absolutely spot-on. However, I couldn’t get past the fact that the village near Worthy Farm is named as Kilton, rather than Pilton, throughout the book, or that the fictional headliners get to choose their own slot on the line-up, which is on the afternoon that the gates open. (Full disclosure: I worked at Glastonbury for eighteen years, so I was always going to be picky about this one.) Nevertheless, this one definitely had its charms.

My Year in Books 2025: March

Another month where I didn't have much chance to read for pleasure, so another post with only one book on it. Ah well. I'm sure I'll catch up on my terrifyingly precarious to-read pile soon.

In case you're curious, here are my other posts from the year so far: January, February

Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay (2024)

This one was another library book. I was drawn to it by the promise of horror, 90s nostalgia and a lost film. I love horror stories about lost films… and Horror Movie didn’t disappoint. This is definitely the best book I’ve read for a while, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since I finished it. The book’s narrator is an unnamed man who, when he was younger, took part in the filming of a horror film that was never released. In the present, a producer is interested in remaking (or rebooting or reimagining) the film, which has gained a cult following due to a couple of scenes being released onto YouTube. As the sole remaining cast member, the narrator is asked to advise and possibly even revisit his role as the iconic (or notorious) ‘Thin Kid’. The story unfolds through present-day sections about the Thin Kid dealing with the producers and his strange kind of fame, flashbacks to the original filming in the 90s, and sections of the film’s script. None of this description really does the book justice. It’s an immersive, unsettling read, and I just couldn’t put it down. The Thin Kid is without doubt one of my favourite horror characters in the past few years, and the way Tremblay unfolds the story before our eyes is mesmerizing. By the end, I felt like I could genuinely see the scenes from the eponymous film, as if I’d actually watched it. I can’t stop gushing about this book!

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.

My Year in Books 2025: January

Another year of book reviews begins! I've been doing this for a while now, writing mini reviews of the books I've read for pleasure (so, not including the books I've read to review, for research or for my radio show). When I first started doing this, I decided to aim for reviews of around 250 words for each book. Being the strange person I am, this quickly became a challenge of writing exactly 250 words for every review... and I'm proud to say that I've stuck to that in every post since 2018. Let's see if I keep this up in 2025.

Now... the year has got off to a pretty hectic start, given that I was promoted this month and I have a book coming next month... it's all very exciting, but I haven't much time for reading for fun. So there's only one book on this month's list, I'm afraid.

The Puzzle Wood by Rosie Andrews (2024)

This one was a library book that I checked out last year but didn’t get chance to read. It’s a Gothic, historical mystery with hints of the supernatural and an intriguing forest. The story begins in 1852, with the recently widowed Catherine Symonds applying for a position as governess at a house in Herefordshire. Catherine’s husband was wealthy, but on his death certain things came to light about Catherine’s sister Emily, who died while working as a governess at Locksley Abbey. Catherine’s plan is to ‘go undercover’ at Locksley Abbey and find out the truth about her sister. What follows is a strange tale of mystery, (potentially) magic and (unexpectedly) mining. On the one hand, we’re in fairly standard Gothic Governess territory, as Catherine meets her employer Sir Rowland, his daughter Georgie, and other members of the creepy household. On the other hand, there’s a more down-to-earth historical bent, as much of the story focuses on the coal mine on Sir Rowland’s land, and the involvement of local doctor Arthur Sidstone in Chartist protests. These elements are linked by the presence of the Puzzle Wood, a mysterious forest that is reputedly haunted, but also the subject of a proposed, contentious land sale. I have to say that these elements held my attention far more than the story of Catherine’s sister, which escalated to a very strange, somewhat far-fetched denouement. By the end, I cared a lot more about what was happening with the mine than what had happened to Emily!

Imbolc: Day 3

Another day of celebrating Imbolc... and another day of being a bit too busy to celebrate. Between a new job and a new book coming out, I haven't got very much downtime this January!

Drink in the Pub

After a pretty busy day, I did have a bit of time for a quick drink in my local with a friend to celebrate the promotion and the book coming out.

Imbolc: Day 2

It's the second day of our Imbolc celebrations... but I'm too busy to do any celebrating. Oh dear. Hopefully, we'll catch up by the weekend.

Snowdrops

Since I didn't get chance for any festivities, I had to content myself with seeing some snowdrops instead today.

Imbolc: Day 1

It's nearly Imbolc, and so it's time to start celebrating! Well... maybe... in an appropriately seasonal twist, I had an interview for a job (a promotion, in fact) just after Plough Monday, and so I'm hitting the ground running with the new role. I'm having an incredibly busy second half of January, but that's how it should be. You have to break the ground in January to prepare for the fruitful year ahead.

Dinner with a Friend

Tonight wasn't technically a festive occasion, but it was still a nice thing. I went for dinner at Zizzi with a friend to celebrate my new job. My dinner was very heavily mushroom-based (Mushroom Brindisi, followed by Mushroom & Truffle with Burrata).