Autumn Equinox: Day 4

It's the start of squash season! Hooray! We didn't have any time for festivities today (work), but we did have time for squash.

Spaghetti Squash

We got a spaghetti squash in this week's Groobox delivery, so we had it for tea, baked with cheese and truffle oil. 'Tis the season!

Autumn Equinox: Day 3

Another day of celebrating the Autumn Equinox, but another day of being too busy for festivities. I've got a feeling my posts this year are going to be totally dominated by food. Well... it is harvesttime.

Corn on the Cob

I started off the harvest season with corn on the cob (at the start of our Lammas celebrations), so it's only fitting that I'm rounding off the season with it as well. We've had a lot of sweetcorn in our Groobox deliveries this summer!

Autumn Equinox: Day 2

The second day of our Autumn Equinox celebrations, and unfortunately rain sort of stopped play for a bit today. The woodland walk I was meant to be leading this morning was cancelled, and then we had to move the Poetry in the Park session for the care home indoors. Still, the rain eased off in the afternoon, so not all was lost.

Autumn Equinox Celebration

In lieu of our planned Poetry in the Park event, I did an indoor Autumn Equinox Celebration at Castlerea Care Home. We had poetry, music, apple pies and lots of seasonal conversation.

Autumn Equinox Walk in the Woods

This evening, I led a woodland walk for Friends of Bailey's Wood to celebrate the changing seasons. As well as talking about the folklore and astronomy of the equinox, we also spotted some lovely signs of autumn, including conkers, acorns and very cute mushrooms. The sun was just starting to set as we finished the walk, which looked fabulous through the trees.

Autumn Equinox: Day 1

It's the first day of our Autumn Equinox celebrations for this year! I've got a few seasonal events and celebrations planned, but today was a work day so no festivities. Instead, today seemed to be all about eating as many sweet seasonal treats as possible. I didn't plan it that way, but it happened.

Apple & Cinnamon Baton and Maple Pecan Danish

I thought it would be nice to start the Autumn Equinox off with some seasonal pastries.

Toffee Apple Muffin and Iced Pumpkin Spice Caramel Macchiato

The internet went down at work today, so we decided to have one of our meetings in a coffee shop instead. And who I am to resist a new seasonal coffee menu?

Apple Pies

When we got back to the office, I remembered I'd brought in a box of apple pies as well. So that was the afternoon sorted!

My Year in Books 2025: August

Time for my monthly list of the books I read for pleasure. There are only two books this time, though at least that's more than last month. It's a bit of a mixed bag this month too, as I really enjoyed one of the books, but really didn't like the other one.

In case you're curious, here are the other lists from this year so far: January, February, March, April, May, June, July

Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter (2023)

The first book I read this month was one that I got as my ‘mystery’ book with a recent Abominable Books box. I decided to read it, because it had a cold case mystery theme (and I’m a bit of a sucker for cold case mysteries at the moment). I didn’t look into it more than that before I started reading, so the creative storytelling techniques Hunter uses came as a (nice!) surprise. The story is an investigation into the murder of Luke Ryder twenty years previously. The case is being featured on a true crime show, Infamous, and a team of experts has been assembled to explore the case and offer a possible solution. The narrative unfolds through emails, episode scripts, pieces of evidence and newspaper reports from the time, which definitely appealed to me. As each ‘episode’ of the investigation unfolds, secrets are revealed about the case, but also about the experts who are taking part. It’s not a spoiler to say that each of them has a closer connection to the Luke Ryder case than it initially appears. I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded. There were some good clues, and it was definitely possible to work things out as the plot developed. I did work out the ending – but only in the final part of the book, when something was revealed that made the solution clear. The attention to detail with the ‘evidence’ presented was also really good, making it a nicely immersive reading experience.

The Sentence by Christina Dalcher (2023)

The next book I read was a library book, but sadly this one didn’t really do it for me. The book is set in a near-future-ish version of America, where anti-death penalty protestors have managed to convince lawmakers in all fifty states to pass the ‘Remedies Act’, legislation that states that if a prosecutor requests the death penalty for a convicted felon, and they later turn out to be innocent, the prosecutor themselves is then executed in retribution. The main character is Justine Boucher, one of only two lawyers who have requested the death penalty since the Remedies Act came into force. As you can probably guess, doubt is now thrown on the conviction, meaning that Justine has to possibly face the consequences. The novel is, essentially, an anti-death penalty sermon, with some stomach-turning descriptions of executions along the way. The problem is that, in order for the premise to work, the reader has to accept some pretty implausible things along the way – not least that all fifty states (that’s right, even Texas) would adopt and enact the Remedies Act, and no state would find a loophole to avoid having to execute a state prosecutor. That just didn’t ring true at all. Additionally, the murder case at the centre of Justine’s story has such a convoluted explanation, as it has to be both watertight (explaining her previous certainty) and also an unsafe conviction, that my credulity was stretched to breaking point. Overall, an interesting idea but the execution is botched.

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

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

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 (Autumn, harvest festival) flash fiction from around the world for inclusion on Hannah’s Bookshelf, the weekly literature show on North Manchester FM.

On Saturday 20th September, I’ll be hosting the Hannah’s Bookshelf Autumn 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 15th September.

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 Autumn Equinox Special at 2pm on Saturday 20th September, on digital radio and 106.6FM.

My Year in Books 2025: July

Ah, another very short list again this month. I only got time to read one book for pleasure in July, though it was a very long one!

In case you're curious, here are my lists for the rest of the year: January, February, March, April, May, June

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton (2020)

This next book was a library book. I actually got it out in early June, but it took a little while to read it. Partly, that was because it’s quite a massive book! But mostly, it was because I had a lot of other stuff I needed to read for review this month. I’ve read Turton’s first and third novels and absolutely adored them, so it’s a bit strange that it took me so long to read his second one. But I’ve read it now, and I really liked it! The book is set in the seventeenth century, on a ship heading from the Dutch East Indies to Amsterdam. On board is the world’s greatest detective, Sammy Pipps, and his bodyguard Arent Hayes. Sammy has been imprisoned by the Governor of Batavia for an unspecified crime and is locked in the hold for the journey. Before they’ve even left the dock, however, strange things start to occur, leading some to wonder if the devil is tormenting the voyage. The story unfolds as a cross between supernatural horror and classic locked room mystery, with an impossible murder leading Arent to team up with Sara, the Governor’s wife, as the only detective who could solve the puzzle quickly has been locked up. It’s a really compelling story, and the classic whodunnit elements are never overshadowed by the shadow of the supernatural. The reveal is deeply satisfying as well – I worked out about 50% but there were some really good surprises left too.

Lammas Stories Wanted for Hannah's Bookshelf on North Manchester FM

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

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 (Lammas, summer, first harvest) flash fiction from around the world for inclusion on Hannah’s Bookshelf, the weekly literature show on North Manchester FM.

On Saturday 2nd August, I’ll be hosting the Hannah’s Bookshelf Autumn 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 28th July.

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 Lammas Special at 2pm on Saturday 2nd August, on digital radio and 106.6FM.

My Year in Books 2025: June

After almost getting back on track last month, it seems I'm back to one-book-a-month posts again. I only read one novel for fun in June, and it was a reread at that. Ah well. Maybe July will see a longer post.

In case you're interested, here are my posts from the rest of the year so far: January, February, March, April, May

The Chimney Sweeper's Boy by Barbara Vine (1998)

At the end of last month, I read Asta’s Book, my favourite book by Barbara Vine (and probably one of my favourite books full stop). I think it was almost instinctive that I picked up The Chimney Sweeper’s Boy afterwards. This book is a family mystery, like Asta’s Book. It begins by introducing the ostensibly happy (but rather smug) Candless family. Gerald Candless is a successful novelist, who dotes on his daughters Hope and Sarah, but is on frosty terms with his wife Ursula. When Gerald dies unexpectedly, his publisher asks Sarah to write a memoir of her father. As she begins work, she starts to discover that her father wasn’t quite the man she thought he was. In fact, as she quickly learns (and this is in the blurb, so it isn’t a spoiler) he wasn’t actually Gerald Candless. The mystery here isn’t quite as rich and deep as that in Asta’s Book, and Sarah isn’t as engaging or likable a character as Ann (the protagonist of the earlier book), but it’s still a gripping read. As Sarah discovers the truth of her father’s life, Vine gives the reader period flashbacks, allowing the story to unfold through the dramatic irony as we get to know the real ‘Gerald Candless’ in a direct narrative his daughter will never fully understand. Some aspects of character motivation are questionable, particularly the way that Hope and Sarah ignore all the red flags of the childhood, but it’s a compelling study of troubled character.

My Year in Books 2025: May

This month's list is ever-so-slightly longer than my average for the year so far. I really am trying to find more time for reading for pleasure, and having a week off work at the end of the month helped a bit with that!

In case you're curious, here are my posts from the rest of the year: January, February, March, April

Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? by Nicci French (2024)

This book was one I picked up from the charity table at the Morrisons near where I work. I wanted to make a donation and I don’t think I’ve read a Nicci French book before, so I got this one and read it almost right away. The story starts in 1991, when the Salter family are preparing to celebrate their father’s 50th birthday. As the party begins, it becomes clear that Charlotte, their mother, hasn’t arrived. The Salter children, particularly Etty, get increasingly worried about their mother’s non-attendance, but their father doesn’t think it’s a problem. The night draws on, and the family realise that Charlie Salter has disappeared. The first part of the book follows the abortive attempt to find Charlie or to work out what’s happened to her. The second part picks up the story thirty years later, when the Salters’ childhood friends Greg and Morgan Ackerley (who had their own tragedy to deal with in the aftermath of Charlie’s disappearance) decide to make a podcast about the unsolved mystery. The book is partly a mystery, which does get wrapped up at the end in a satisfying way, but it’s also partly a story about the effects of grief. The second part of the book has a rather bleak tone to it, as we see the toll that the events of 1991 have taken on the Salters and the Ackerleys. This was quite a quick and gripping read, and there was some good characterization and exploration of memory.

The Disappearance Boy by Neil Bartlett (2014)

The next book I read this month was a library book (quelle surprise!). I was drawn to this one because it’s about stage magic, which is something that always intrigues me. However, the thing that really grabbed my attention is that it isn’t set in the glamorous world of the Victorian or Edwardian theatre, but in the faded glory of 1950s variety. The protagonist is Reggie Rainbow, a young man who works in theatres. Reggie has a limp from childhood polio, but he’s strong and nimble, which are perfect qualities for a magician’s assistant (and as we learn, magicians always have more assistants than you think). Reggie works for Mr Brookes, and near the beginning of the story the magician takes on a new assistant called Pam. The trio head to Brighton to perform in a slot there in the run-up to the Coronation, and that’s probably as much as I can say without too many spoilers. I really fell in love with this book. It’s an immersive story, and it’s hard not to root for Reggie and Pam. I also really liked the descriptions of the stage shows and how the tricks were effected. One of the intriguing aspects of the story is that Bartlett keeps an air of mystery around the character of Mr Brookes. Although we learn a lot about what he does, we never learn anything about why. We’re obviously not supposed to particularly like Mr Brookes, but I have to admit I found him fascinating.

Asta's Book by Barbara Vine (1993)

This book was a reread, and a regular one at that. Asta’s Book is one of my favourite books of all time! I had a week off work at the end of the month, and I thought it would be nice to enjoy an old favourite while I was having a bit of downtime. I’m not sure what to say about this one that I haven’t said before. It’s just a lovely treat of a novel, and although I know the ending very well by now (and sometimes I wish I could erase my memory so I can experience the surprise and satisfaction I felt the first time I read it), I just never get bored of it. If you don’t know Asta’s Book, it’s a mystery novel, but with multiple layers to the mystery. There’s a family puzzle to be solved – the story begins when Ann’s aunt, Swanny, dies, convinced that she isn’t the biological daughter of her mother (the eponymous, diary writing Asta) – but there’s also a murder mystery and the disappearance of a child to be solved along the way. One of the things I love about it is the pace of Ann’s ‘investigation’. The present-day storyline takes place over several years, with Ann doing periodic bouts of research, but not letting it take over her life. I also like the fact that some of the revelations come about by accident, meaning that Ann is just as surprised as the reader when certain facts come to light.

Midsummer Stories Wanted for Hannah's Bookshelf on North Manchester FM

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

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 (Midsummer, summer solstice) flash fiction from around the world for inclusion on Hannah’s Bookshelf, the weekly literature show on North Manchester FM.

On Saturday 21st June, I’ll be hosting the Hannah’s Bookshelf Midsummer 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 16th June.

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 Midsummer Special at 2pm on Saturday 21st June, on digital radio and 106.6FM.

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.

Beltane Stories Wanted for Hannah’s Bookshelf on North Manchester FM

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

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 (May Day, Beltane, spring) flash fiction from around the world for inclusion on Hannah’s Bookshelf, the weekly literature show on North Manchester FM.

On Saturday 3rd May, I’ll be hosting the Hannah’s Bookshelf Beltane 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 28th April.

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 Beltane Special at 2pm on Saturday 3rd May, on digital radio and 106.6FM.

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.

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.

Imbolc: Day 6

It's the penultimate day of our Imbolc celebrations... and it's a very busy today! Lots of festivities planned to mark the season!

Winter in the Woods

This morning, I was at a Winter in the Woods celebration, run by Natalie Rossiter. We had a forest bathing session, then a delicious soup around the fire and marshmallows for toasting. Afterwards, we burned the last of the Yuletide greenery, and Natalie gave us all a little token from her garden to remind us that spring is on the way.

Hannah’s Bookshelf Imbolc Special

My Hannah's Bookshelf Imbolc Special aired on North Manchester FM this afternoon. As I was out and about a lot today, I had to pre-record the show, but there was seasonal flash fiction and Imbolc-themed music.

Wassailing at Chorlton Park

Later in the afternoon, I went to Chorlton Park for the Friends of Chorlton Park's annual wassailing. We had parkin, mulled wine and flapjacks, and we all went to sing and bang our pots and pans to wake the apple trees up in the community orchard for another year. I also bought a little crocheted forget-me-not as another reminder that spring will come again.

Imbolc Lanterns

Imbolc is a festival of light, so Rob made some little Imbolc candle holders for us, decorated with snowdrops and bonfire flames.

Imbolc Dinner

And then we had our traditional Imbolc dinner of meatloaf and spring onion mash.

Imbolc Gifts

We exchanged our traditional Imbolc gifts tonight... little seasonal-inspired whiskies that will start off our tasting sets that we'll enjoy at Christmas.

Groundhog Day

We ended the evening watching the traditional film of the season... it's Groundhog Day!