What I’ve been reading 2026

The Strawberry Thief Joanne Harris The sequel to Chocolat, and just as intriguing and magical. The story moves between the village priest, Reynaud, once Vianne’s enemy now friend; Vianne’s ‘special’ daughter Rosette; Vianne herself, and – through his written confession to the priest – Narcisse. Narcisse is the owner of a farm and an oak wood who leaves the wood to Rosette when he dies. By and large the characters are drawn vividly with all their flaws, although the unremitting malice of Narcisse’s daughter was a bit of a caricature. My favourites were Rosette with her ability to call the wind and cause ‘Accidents’, and the mysterious tattooist who sets up shop across the square and in whom Vianne finds too much of herself.

The Swift and the Harrier Minette Walters  Trained as a physician, squire’s daughter Jayne Swift is content to live with her blustery, kind father and her wise, intelligent mother practising her skills to the benefit of the local people. A chance encounter introduces her to the supposed footman of an illustrious patient’s sister, but when Civil War rages across England, Jayne is left wondering just who William Harrier really is. I learned a lot about the Civil War and medicine at the time reading this book, and the love story was a charming way to set it off. I found Jayne a bit too good to be true though, with her very 21^st century views on everything from politics through religion and medicine, and her feminist independence. Her infallibility and her ability to charm patients from peasants to princes was a bit mawkish too. Other characters held my interest more, especially the feisty Lady Alice – at least these had some not so saintly characteristics! A good read, however.

The Story Spinner Barbara Erskine I enjoy Roman history and, living just across the border from Wales, tales of Welsh mythology and legend, so this book was a perfect fit for my interests. Oh, and the magical realism too – me again, thank you. The author has taken an almost invisible woman from history, a Welsh princess, Elen, at the end of the Roman occupation of Britain, and spun a complex and plausible story around her and other historical, in some cases better recorded, figures. In fact, I found the ancient story rather more plausible than the modern one, which let the book down. And I’m not referring to the shamanic/Druidic elements – they were fun. I mean the bad guy who didn’t act as bright as he was meant to be. A decent read, but the head hopping and rushed style (yes, I know Elen’s story was ‘automatic writing’) means it lacked depth for me, and I’m not sure I would read more of this author.

Clytemnestra Costanza Casati Clytemnestra is sister to Helen, both princesses of Sparta, with Helen to become better known as Helen of Troy. Brought up in the Spartan tradition, where girls are treated (almost) in the same way as boys, ie with very tough love and fought to fight alongside their brothers, Clytemnestra grows into a woman strong in body and mind, and will. She has to be, with the horrors that befall her and those she loves, and as she discovers early that while Spartan women may be said to be free, freedom is relative where women are concerned. But revenge is a dish best eaten cold, and Clytemnestra waits, plots and acts. It was fascinating to be reminded of the old legends – and at least in one case horrifying to follow the story and know what was going to happen –  and I enjoyed this almost as much as Circe by Madeleine Miller. 

Other January reads –
Karitas Untitled Kristín Marja Baldursdóttir My final book for January, and a contender for book of the month. A beautifully written and an engaging family saga set in the early 20^th century in Iceland. The central character is Karitas, whose desire to fulfil her artist ambitions is both aided and thwarted throughout the book. I very much enjoyed this initially, but for me the book was a tad longer than the story warranted. That didn’t stop my appreciation of sinking into the amazing setting – now I want to go to Iceland – and thoroughly loving the strongly drawn characters, down to the least of them. The author is gently teasing about the men and women of the time, with their clear roles, strong faith, and the women’s tolerance of the men’s self-deceiving belief that they’re somehow in charge. The magical realism elements were also right up my alley.

Spells for Forgetting Adrienne Young So disappointed in this, as I loved the premise and was looking forward to a cosy, magical read. In the end, it was a DNF. Hated the multiple POVs all in first person, and without a lot to say for themselves. A great deal of repetition, and the two main characters simply seemed to stare at each other a lot. In the end I couldn’t be bothered finding out who did murder Lucy. Or set the orchard on fire.

High Vaultage  Chris Sugden, Jen Sugden A fun book – at the beginning I had some laugh out loud moments at the various quips, but for the rest, rolled along with the rollercoaster ride and thought about the not-so-subtle digs at our current society. Somehow, a lot of these traits aren’t funny anymore. A recommended read if you want something entirely different.

The Midnight Rose Lucinda Riley  FI picked this up because it covers the period I’m currently writing about, that is, the years before, during and after WW1, and I considered it research. Which turned out to be a mistake because I could teach Lucinda a thing or two about the details of that period, which makes me wonder about the authenticity of the historical background of any of it. I know it’s fiction, but there are some things which are easy to discover. For example, a quick google search tells you there was no compulsory food rationing until 1918; no one was anticipating bombs pre Dec 1914 (when the first one fell, not on London but on Dover); and her heroine would not have been able to become a VAD and serve overseas at the age of 17 (you had to be at least 23). I could possibly forgive all this if the writing sparkled and the characters came alive, but the former is just ordinary and the latter are two dimensional caricatures. It also seems to leave the way open for a sequel with a lot unresolved. No idea if there is one, but I won’t be looking for it.