The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone by Olivia laing
Olivia Laing’s The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone is part memoir, part art criticism, and part meditation on what it means to be lonely in a world built for connection.
Butter by Asako Yuzuki
Japanese literary crime novel, Butter by Asako Yuzuki blends food, feminism, and mystery in a slow-burning exploration of desire and shame
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is a bestselling sci-fi novel that blends science, suspense, and surprising emotion. A lone astronaut wakes up on a spacecraft with no memory and slowly uncovers a mission that could save humanity. Smart, fast-paced, and unexpectedly moving, this gripping space thriller is perfect for fans of clever science fiction with heart.
Awareness by Anthony De Mello
Awareness by Anthony de Mello is a modern spiritual classic that invites readers to wake up from the illusions of ego, conditioning, and control. With a blend of sharp humour, deep insight, and grounded practicality, de Mello delivers a powerful guide to inner freedom and present-moment living.
Nightshade - Michael Connelly
Michael Connelly’s Nightshade kicks off a gripping new series set on Catalina Island — murder, secrets, and golf carts included. A smart, atmospheric crime thriller with a quietly compelling lead and classic Connelly tension.
A Beginners Guide to Japan: Observations and Provocations by Pico Iyer
A reflective review of Pico Iyer’s A Beginner’s Guide to Japan — a poetic, thought-provoking travel book that explores Japanese culture through silence, stillness, humour, and contradiction. Ideal reading before your trip to Japan., or if you’re eager to return.
The City and its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami
A review of Haruki Murakami’s 2024 novel The City and Its Uncertain Walls — a slow-burning meditation on memory, love, and the walls we build inside ourselves.
Stench by Trish Bennett
‘Stench’ is the debut collection from Fermanagh based Poet Trish Bennett. Very much rooted in the border hinterlands, these poems are full of humour, vigour and poignancy.
Air - John Boyne
‘Air’ is the fourth novella in John Boyne’s ‘Elements’ series, and it’s somewhat apt that we find Aaron Umber and his son Emmett 30,000 feet above the ground on a long haul flight. Emmett is unaware they are going to meet someone from his fathers past, but can they bridge the gap that exists between them first?
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata - Book Review
Keiko is a 36 year old convenience store worker in Tokyo under pressure to conform - why isn’t she married with a career? Darkly humorous and thought provoking social critique on modern Japan.
Abroad in Japan by Chris Broad
‘Abroad in Japan’ is the informative and breezily entertaining account of Chris Broads life, first as a JET teacher then later as a successful youtuber.
Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner
‘Crying in H Mart: A memoir’ by Michelle Zauner is a an account of the Japanese Breakfast singer growing up mixed race in the US, experiencing the loss of her mother and the subsequent grief, then discovering her own identity and cultural heritage.
The Wager by David Grann
This is the engrossing story of The Wager, an a scarcely believable account of mutiny, shipwreck, murder, and survival against all the odds.
The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine
Wendy Erskine’s frenetic enthralling debut is a sharp, moving and thought provoking novel on real lives in the North of Ireland. It tackles gender and class inequality, what parents will do to protect their children, and is both dark and bloody funny.
A Freewheelin’ Time - A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties by Suze Rotolo
Finally time for me to read Suze Rotolo’s memoir of her time in Greenwich Village, especially after watching ‘A Complete Unknown’. One for the casual reader or strictly for the bob cats?
The Broken River - Chris Hammer
Another fine slice of Aussie crime noir from Chris Hammer, which begins after the body of an entrepreneur is found in a small town, the beginning of a narrative stretching over 30 years. Featuring a bank robbery, DNA discoveries and family intrigue, environmental protests and police and political corruption, this is a top notch thriller.
The Future of Geography by Tim Marshall
Tim Marshall turns his attention from geopolitics to astropolitics, in another accessible and engaging book that details how many of our earthly squabbles are being transferred to the starry firmament above.
After Dark by Haruki Murikami
A young couple, Mari and Takahashi, meet in the twilight hours in a Tokyo diner before we set out on a story that involves love hotels, Chinese gangster and literal sleeping beauties. Another beguiling and enchanting novel from Murikami.
Fire by John Boyne
In Fire, John Boyne takes the reader on a chilling, uncomfortable but utterly compelling psychological journey to the epicentre of the human condition, asking the age-old question: nurture – or nature?
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
Two brothers along with some friends set out for a fresh start in california, in a road trip that goes in the opposite direction it’s meant to. Charming, funny and moving, Amor Towles intricate storytelling shines brightly again.
