- Peter West – D.E. Stevenson. D.E. Stevenson’s books are the ultimate ‘gentle’ read. There were times in this when I wanted to reach into the pages of the novel and shake the characters, but Stevenson wrote them in such a charming way that I couldn’t help but root for them. One of the strengths of this novel was the sense of place that led to the Scottish countryside acting as a third main character.
- Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore – Robin Sloan. A quirky read about an unusual bookshop, but I was quite disappointed at the explanation given to the central mystery of the story. The mystery had so much potential and the explanation just seemed ridiculous. Oh well!
- The Sleeper and the Spindle – Neil Gaiman & Chris Riddell. A beautiful and lyrical about forging your own path and being your own hero.
- John Constantine, Hellblazer: Shoot – Warren Ellis et. al. An interesting collection of one-shot issues, some better than others, but worth a look if you’re into Hellblazer (and If you’re not into Hellblazer we need to have a wee chat).
- Ms Marvel, Volume 1: No Normal – G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona. Loved it. Kamala is such an incredibly endearing character and her origin story was so fun, which is sadly rare in comics these days.
- All New X-Men, Volume 3: Out of Their Depth – Brian Michael Bendis & Stuart Immonen. Another fun title, although with a darker edge than Ms Marvel.
- X-Treme X-Men, Volume 1: Xavier Must Die! – Greg Pak & Stephen Segovia. I was never a massive fan of the dimension-hopping storyline that was at the centre of Exiles and is now being rehashed in X-Treme X-Men. Sure, it gives us fun alternate versions of familiar characters, but I find it quite gimmicky. This was decent, but it didn’t inspire me to pick up any more volumes.
- Ribblestrop – Andy Mulligan. A zany take on the modern boarding school genre, but this didn’t grab me.
- Shiverton Hall: The Creeper – Emerald Fennell. Just as creepy and oddly enjoyable as the first book in the series. I really can’t pinpoint what I like about these books, which I find frustrating, but whenever I finish one I check to see if another one has been published.
- Mrs Tim of the Regiment – D.E. Stevenson. My favourite of Stevenson’s books so far, this is a barely fictionalised account of her time as an army wife. It’s charming as fuck, lads, and funny to boot. Recommended!
- Summerhills – D.E. Stevenson. This is a sequel to a book I haven’t read, but it was pretty easy to jump into. Once again, the setting was almost a main character, and I spent a lot of time wishing good things for all the characters.
- The Moth Diaries – Rachel Klein. I have a weakness for vampire books that goes back to my childhood, and this book combined the vampire genre (or did it??) with the boarding school genre, another of my favourites. Written in diary form, this is a claustrophobic novel with a narrator of questionable reliability. The general tone of unease reminded me of Picnic at Hanging Rock. Look, it’s good, okay?
- The Rain – Virginia Bergin. Picked this up at random and although it has an interesting concept (rainwater becomes lethal to humans) I didn’t particularly like it. I found the main character hugely annoying and mostly unsympathetic, and although the concept was interesting, it wasn’t applied particularly logically. There’s a sequel but I have no plans to pick it up.
- Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? – Roz Chast. A graphic novel memoir, this book is an account of the last few years of the lives of Chast’s parents. It’s beautiful, and sad, and funny, and touching, and painful. Absolutely recommended!
