- The Art of Neil Gaiman – Hayley Campbell. This is a beautiful and detailed book, but it was a bit frustrating. Every part of Gaiman’s career is neatly laid out in a chapter of its own which makes it difficult to see the overlap between his various pieces of work.
- No Surrender – Constance Maud. Originally published in 1911, this is a striking and unflinching fictional account of the struggle for universal suffrage in Britain. Recommended!
- How Music Got Free – Stephen Witt. A large percentage of pirated music on the internet came from one guy who worked in a CD factory in the US. Which is bonkers. This book traces stolen music back to its source, and is a surprisingly gripping read.
- Magonia – Maria Dahvana Headley. I LOVED this! Aza has bad lungs and think she’s dying, but this is just the stepping off point for a fantastic fantasy read where there’s a whole world we don’t know about happening in the skies. Read it, read it now!
- Anna and the French Kiss – Stephanie Perkins. I’d seen this mentioned on a lot of blogs so picked it up when I saw it at the library. It was a decent romantic read, with some good characters and a slightly different setting, but I don’t really see what made people go so crazy for it.
- Foster – Claire Keegan. There’s a strand of Irish fiction that deals with problematic family lives and heartbreaking childhoods, and this book fits squarely inside it. It was a beautiful, if heart-rending, read told in a measured and understated tone that suited the drama of the story.
- Woodstock, Master of Disguise: A Peanuts Collection – Charles M. Schultz. Hurrah for Peanuts!
- Cupboard Love – Laura Lockington. A lovely memoir that tells one woman’s story through the foods and drinks she discovers along the way.
- Murder in the Kitchen – Kennedy Chase. Light-weight and not particularly memorable.
- The Dirty Dust – Máirtín Ó Cadhain. Originally published in Irish, this is a hilariously dark tale of the inhabitants of a graveyard. Recommended!
- Twilight of the Eastern Gods – Ismail Kadare. I was actually a bit disappointed with this. I’ve seen Kadare’s stuff around and had been looking forward to it, but I just couldn’t connect with the main character (a version of the author himself) or, really, with anything that happened in it.
- Dawn of the Bunny Suicides – Andy Riley. It probably says something bad about me that I never get tired of seeing these rabbits come up with more and more inventive ways to off themselves.
- The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place – Julie Berry. This book was adorable. And awesome. Awesomely adorable and kick-ass. The students at St Etheldreda School for Girls try to solve a murder whilst also covering it up to allow themselves some freedom. Each of the girls is distinct and the whole thing comes together with humour and charm. Recommended!
- All-New Ultimates, Volume 2: No Gods, No Masters – Michael Fiffe, Giannia Milonogiannis & Amilcar Pinna. I actually can’t remember enough about this to say anything about it.
- Uncanny Avengers, Volume 1: Counter-Evolutionary – Rick Remender & Daniel Acuna. I really don’t care about the Scarlet Witch or Quicksilver, so this did nothing for me.