3.5/5

Audiobook narrated by Laura Costello.

Lily Armitage returns to her childhood home, Endgame House, following the death of her aunt. To everyone else, she's there to play a game of riddles to win the rights to the house, but secretly she's also there to find out what happened to her mother.

- Originally I thought this was a cosy Christmas murder mystery, sort of a modern Agatha Christie-esque story. However, it was definitely more of a thriller. Yes it had the trappings and decoration of a lighter story but actually things ended up being pretty dark by the end.

- I liked the fun of the riddles and clues both to The Christmas Game and to the mysteries within Endgame itself. they were lyrical and fun but did always make sense. I think it would have been better to read them in the physical version as in the audiobook, you couldn't literally see the clues hidden in them.

- The setting was both festive and creepy. An old manor house with a maze, ice house and chapel really was an amazing place to weave a mystery. 

- This book was actually amazingly queer with multiple characters being queer in some way, shape or form. I also liked how this wasn't forced, it was just there and who the people were, not necessarily their entire personality. And as a bisexual, I'll always appreciate a bi main character.

Dark, eerie but festive. For those who want a Christmas read with a bit of a puzzle and a side of murder.

3.75/5

My new festive tradition is reading the annual Midwest Weres book. Leah and Jasmine strike a deal to pretend they're dating over Christmas. However, things are less than smooth when both Leah and Jazz have pasts, family and secrets to contend with.

- Sapphic Hallmark vibes again. Mostly cosy with a. Little bit of spice thrown in for good measure. My favourite bits were the winter festival and movie night.

- I like the little cameos from previous protagonists. They didn't affect the story but it was nice to have little catch ups with them. 

- This one was not as shifter focused as the others but it worked well.  I enjoyed the focus on the story and the deepening relationships.

Fun, cosy and festive. A series perfect for those who like shifter romance, sapphic relationships and a Christmas theme.

4/5

Yuletide comes to Woodville and an ancient entity is freed from its binding. The Holly King comes and causes havoc in his wake for the witches of Woodville as secrets are revealed.

- This fourth book has a different vibe to the others
 The other were very wartime, "keep calm and carry on" vibes whereas this one is more mysterious and looks into the effects of war of an individual. 

- Faye grows up quite a bit in this book and you see her struggle with that and the revelations that are brought to light. I think this was very well done and also acknowledges the uncomfortable fact that everyone has secrets they choose to keep hidden for the greater good.

- Bertie is probably my favourite character now. He's just the sweetest and I adore him.

A mysterious festive entry into the Witches of Woodville series. I look forward to seeing how Stay takes the series forward.

3.5/5

Audiobook narrated by the author.

On a whim I got this audiobook from an audible sale. It is a connected collection of lectures about how life on Earth began and evolved over geological time.

- The course is well structured, starting with how the Earth and solar system came to be and moving forward through each development in life's history up to the modern era. Very occasionally there is some backwards movement around certain parts (memorably the dinosaurs) but it otherwise flows well.

- The content of the course is the right level for someone with a cursory or secondary school level of science knowledge. It assumes the reader knows a little but not anything in-depth and the concepts are well explained throughout. That said, if you already have a reasonable knowledge of prehistoric life, the course may be a little basic and recount things you already know.

An enjoyable, clear and interesting listen. Recommended for those with a beginner level interest in the science of life on Earth.

4/5

Think Stardew Valley crossed with a fantasy Kung Fu movie and you get Beware of Chicken! A cultivator (strong magical Kung Fu dude), Jin, retires from his sect and sets out to have a simple life as a farmer. Of course, things aren't always that simple.

- I adored the setting and the cosy vibes of this book. The descriptions of Xianxia, the farm, the village and the customs were awesome and really lovely. 

- The found family aspect of this book was probably my favourite. Jin's hodge podge gang of animals and his relationship with Meimei were super cute and I loved the internal monolgues of the animals too. The courtship was lovely and gave me such gooey and happy Harvest Moon/Stardew Valley vibes.

- The magic system isn't really explained but feels similar to a lot of eastern religion and JRPG games and media. I'd love to learn more about it in future books.

Perfect for the farming simulation fan. I will try and read the next one soon.

4.25/5

Audiobook narrated by Fenella Woolgar.

A wonderfully wintery collection of short stories from the marvellous Agatha Christie. Featuring an array of her beloved characters, this collection has a murderously magnificent feel.

- Each story is fairly short but wonderfully done. I enjoyed some more than other and some were more complex whereas others were simple but all were fun.

- If you enjoy Christie's famous detectives then you won't be disappointed. There's several involving Monsieur Poirot, a couple with Miss Marple and one or two with other less well known characters too.

- The narrator did an excellent job reading these tales. I particularly enjoyed how plummy she made the voices of the more upper class characters.

Perfect for those who love cosy mystery and festive vibes.

4/5

Book 3 in the Witches of Woodville series. The Nazis are threatening to invade via the channel. Faye is drafted in to assist with a ritual to help prevent this but there's a spy in their midst. Also there's a ghost in Larry's barn that she has to deal with.

- I like how Faye has grown up quite a bit. Since The Crow Folk, she has matured but also retains some of her core personality traits and it's really fun watching her come to terms with her magic and other developments in her life.

- We get to learn a bit more about the wider witch society in this book which is great fun and meet some new witches. I really enjoyed some of the interactions between new and old witches and I hope that some of them make a reappearance in future books.

- I find Faye and Bertie's relationship super cute and I love how supportive he is of her and her independence. 

An excellent addition to the series which expands the lore and has really cool character development.

4/5

I read The Crow Folk over a year ago and finally got around to reading the sequels. After the events  of the first book, Faye Bright is under instruction from the two local witches. However, when she saves a gang of Jewish children from a fire, she soon finds herself caught up in a magical war as well as the standard one.

- It was good to see Faye again and the other familiar characters from the first book. She's grown a little bit and felt more nature than I remembered. It was also good to see the other characters and how their dynamics are changing.

- The plot itself was actually very engaging and I found myself binge reading the last half of the book to know what happens next. I liked the little historical details scattered in too.

- Sometimes the dialogue felt a bit off and it brought me out of the story. Otherwise the book is well written and easy to consume and enjoy.

An enjoyable sequel. I look forward to reading more of Faye's adventures in The Ghost of Ivy Barn.

4.5/5

Audiobook narrated by the author.

A powerful and reflective book that goes through the nuances of racism with a tooth comb and examines them thoroughly.

- Kendi uses a combination of documented history, personal biography and growth and reflective examination to confront racism and discuss how we, individuals and society, can make changes to be antiracist. This book is not an instructional guide or a list of points to be met but instead inspires the reader to reflect, grow and make change.

- The book at time is quite intense (necessarily) and I read it switching between paper copy and audiobook which helped me to digest it better. It is not a quick and easy read and neither should it be.

- Reading this in 2023, I am prompted to examine the world around me and I realise how much this book is needed. This book is very much focused on the USA but it's ideas are often applicable globally or in other nations. We need to educate, act and build more antiracist ideas into our societies.

This book is needed. In amongst the book bans, the education restrictions and the policy makers enforcing these to maintain their own power, we need books like this to help us to grow and change and cut out the cancer that is racism.

4/5

Audiobook narrated by Steve West.

A whimsical and mysterious story, not dissimilar from ancient tales of far off lands and the magical of the desert. We follow Lazlo Strange, an orphan come librarian who has earned himself the nickname "The Dreamer", drying to learn about the old and long thought lost city of Weep. Through a peculiar turn of events, Laszlo finds himself as part of an expedition to Weep which has a problem to solve involving dictatorial gods and their children.

- The characters were fun and enjoyable. We had our placid and passionate main character, a mysterious and scared love interest, a pompous and arrogant rival and everything else you would expect of a magical tale.

- The descriptions and atmospheres this book creates are absolutely amazing. I particularly enjoyed the dream sequences and how they felt completely like dreams.

- The book was magical but I felt the last part and the cliffhanger ending were a little bit rushed. There is a sequel so some of my feelings about the ending will likely be resolved there but it felt unnecessarily abrupt considering the pace things had happened at before.

If you like books about ancient magic, hidden cities and gods with power, I highly recommend Strange the Dreamer.