My Top 5 May 2024 Reads @WorldEdBooks @HeadlineFiction @AllisonandBusby @SceptreBooks

My Top Five May 2024 ReadsWelcome to my wrap-up of the books I read in May. I read nine books last month, two of which I awarded five stars.

Links from each title will take you to my full review or the book description on Goodreads. Check out the list of all the books I’ve read so far in 2024. If we’re not already friends on Goodreads, send me a friend request or follow my reviews.

My thanks to World Editions, Headline, Allison & Busby and Sceptre for providing me with review copies via NetGalley.


Five StarsAfterlight by Jaap Robben, trans. by David Doherty (World Editions) – A beautifully crafted, moving novel that also reveals a shocking hidden story of injustice.

A Plague of Serpents by K.J. Maitland (Headline) – A suspenseful, intricately plotted historical mystery, the final book in the author’s Daniel Pursglove series.

The Small Museum by Jody Cooksley (Allison & Busby) – A chilling and immersive historical mystery generously infused with elements of Gothic fiction.

Five StarsThe Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (Sceptre) – An inventive and totally absorbing blend of science fiction and romance, with a dash of historical fiction and an element of mystery added for good measure.

The Zone of Interest by Martin Amis (Vintage) – A hard-hitting, dark and thought-provoking novel about one of the twentieth century’s worst atrocities.

What were the best books you read last month? Have you read any of my picks?

 

My Top 5 April 2024 Reads

My Top Five April 2024 ReadsWelcome to my wrap-up of the books I read in April. I read twelve books last month including two I awarded five stars.  In fact, it was quite tough to whittle it down to only five.

Links from each title will take you to my full review or the book description on Goodreads. Check out the list of all the books I’ve read so far in 2024. If we’re not already friends on Goodreads, send me a friend request or follow my reviews.

My thanks to Head of Zeus, Corvus, Mantle, Allison & Busby and Moonflower Books for providing me with review copies, including via NetGalley.


Sword of the War God by Tim Hodkinson (Head of Zeus) – Set in the 5th century AD, a thrilling historical adventure peopled with memorable characters and woven through with myth and legend.

Bonjour, Sophie by Elizabeth Buchan (Corvus) – Set in 1959, an absorbing, emotional and nuanced coming-of-age story that captures a world on the cusp of social change.

James by Percival Everett (Mantle) – A masterful and subversive reimagining of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn told from the perspective of the enslaved Jim.

The Paris Peacemakers by Flora Johnston (Allison & Busby) – A powerful, emotional and poignant novel set against the backdrop of the Paris Peace Conference in 1919.

The Coming Storm by Greg Mosse (Moonflower Books) – The sequel to The Coming Darkness, an action-packed and compelling futuristic thriller.

What were the best books you read last month? Have you read any of my picks?