I’m hoping you can figure it out from the title but, I am back with my ‘once every 3 years’ , (I swear I read more than this!), blog post about books.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman – I should start off by saying that there really and truly does not need to be 4 books, however, the first one absolutely slaps! I love that fact that it’s about old people living in a retirement community. It’s a perspective we rarely get in books and it makes way for nuggets of wisdom, (exactly the stuff you would expect from older narrators). The plot is also complex and really well written.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig – I read this book back in 2021 and I remember it being something that I needed to read at the time. It’s a perfect story to highlight the beauty of life without it feeling like a self-help, preachy style book. Highly recommend for people in their 20s who are feeling lost as hell.

Verity by Colleen Hoover – Very gripping and suspenseful story.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid – I went through a spell with reading where every book I read was very ‘meh’. This book had me obsessed from the first page and I absolutely smashed through it. It’s a rollercoaster story of a double life in the foreground of the glitz & glam of Old Hollywood. The cherry on the cake is the plot twist at the end that I deadass did not see coming. (Also, I need Netflix to cast Rita Moreno as Evelyn Hugo in their adaptaion immediately!).

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty – Liana Moriarty, (she also wrote Nine Perfect Strangers which is pretty good too), has this incredible skill of writing disturbingly suspenseful books whilst weaving clever humour throughout, (without it being tacky, obvious or slapstick). The narratives from the different family members in this story unravel to develop a compelling read.

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson – I have tried to specifically read books written by black authors but unfortunately I’ve not enjoyed many that I’ve read… Until this one. The narrative jumps back and forth between ‘then’ and ‘now’, without inducing motion sickness. I can honestly say the twists and turns of this book had me hooked. I raced through it and defo. did not guess the ending. If you’ve got Hulu, (where they’ve turned this book into a series), I would urge you to read the book first. In my experience, TV adaptions are rarely as good as the original book and this book is top tier.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid – Very similar to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in terms of the way it’s written by unravelling the past to reveal the state of the present. I would say that the ending fell a little flat, but I didn’t mind seeing as the rollercoaster of the meat of the book had satisfied me.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin – If you read the blurb of this, it says something like ‘it’s a love story but not a romance’. I was skeptical at first as romance/love is absolutely not my preference, but this was a truly different kind of love story. The main thread of the plot centres around platonic love, which is something I don’t think is explored often enough, yet something everybody deeply values. (I am a strong advocate for putting as much energy into platonic friendships as romantic relationships). Despite strongly disliking one of the protagonists, it’s a really raw and real story, the root of which is something most people can relate to.

The Vanishing of Margaret Small by Neil Alexander – This is a super quick read and, spoiler (!), the ending is a ‘happily ever after’ one which makes it a good holiday book. It delves into the treatment of those with special needs back in the day, without the whole story being pure despair and misery. It’s just a great, little read that had me glued to it and put a smile on my face afterwards.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón – I’ve absolutely saved the best until last. If you follow my Insta, (if you don’t, why not? Go fix that), you’ll know that this is now my favourite book of all time! Someone needs to give all the creds to whoever translated this from Spanish to English, because the beauty of the Spanish language is still present and correct through the book. It’s honestly one of the most well written books I have ever read. Every single character has a purpose and their development is necessary for the plot of the story. The story is suspenseful with intense plot twists and violent turns, an element of ‘who dunnit?’ and a cheeky love story thrown in there too. If you read any book on this list, it needs to be this one. The only snag is that she’s pretty thiquuue but, trust me, worth every single page.

As always, if you have any reccos for me, please do drop them!