The Cat Who Saved the Library - Sosuke Natsukawa

 

Description

The must-have sequel to Sosuke Natsukawa's bestselling The Cat Who Saved Books – an uplifting tale from Japan about a talking cat, a book-loving girl and the power of books to make a difference in the world.

Nanami sees nothing wrong with a library and cat combination. But a talking cat is a whole other story.

Nanami Kosaki loves reading. The local library is a home from home and books have become her best friends. When Nanami notices books disappearing from the library shelves, she’s particularly curious about a suspicious man in a grey suit whose furtive behaviour doesn’t feel right. Should she follow him to see what he’s up to?

When a talking tabby cat called Tiger appears to warn her about how dangerous that would be, together they’re brave enough to follow the frightening trail to find out where all the books have gone. Will Nanami and Tiger overcome the challenges of the adventure ahead?

Warm, wonderful and wise, The Cat Who Saved the Library is also a powerful lesson never to underestimate the value of great literature, and a reminder always to think for ourselves, no matter what our charismatic leaders might say.

Translated from Japanese by Louise Heal Kawai

Review

A follow up to The Cat Who Saved Books. It is a standalone book, so you can read it and enjoy, even if you didn't read the previous book.

Nanami realises that books are disappearing from her local library, but she seems to be the only one that notices. As of course it is a library and books will be on loan, but she knows they have been gone for much longer. Then she notices a grey man who is always hanging about in the library racks. Time for the cat to appear and help her save the books.

I was reminded of Fahrenheit 451, albeit fleetingly, as the story traces Nanami on a mission to save the books from another world to which they are being taken. It also charts her discoveries about life and people and her own seeming fragility.

Apart from the cat there is also another character from the first book that appears which was a nice touch. Overall I am not sure I enjoyed it as much as the first book. There was a lot of detail about the other world and it certainly stretched the imagination.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

The Maid's Secret - Nita Prose

 

Description

Molly the Maid is used to being invisible. But it's time for her to shine in a brand new mystery…

**AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW**

*THE SPARKLING NEW MYSTERY FROM THE NO.1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE MAID*

–––––

Molly the maid is no stranger to secrets…

She sees everything behind closed doors at the Regency Grand hotel: wiping away the dust and grime of guests passing through.

But one secret lies much closer to home.

An old trinket – a faux Fabergé egg – is revealed to be a precious antique during an appraisal at the hotel, making Molly a rags-to-riches sensation. But no sooner has the egg shown its value than it’s stolen: vanishing without a trace.

Determined to crack the case of the missing Fabergé, Molly begins dusting for clues – uncovering a mystery that stretches deep into the past.

For in the pages of a long-forgotten diary, written by her late gran, lie the secrets that could unlock all others – and only Molly holds the key…

Review

This is the third book (there was a novella too) in the Molly the Maid series. I enjoyed the first one, loved the second one and this one I felt didn't quite hit the mark for me.

When the hotel where Molly works hosts a TV programme that values antiques, Molly decides to take a few of her late Grandmothers trinkets to be valued. When one of them is found to be a rare antique and extremely valuable, it seems Molly's life is about to change.

The book flip flops between the present, with Molly getting married, and the past, through her Grandmother's old diary. We get to read the diary before Molly does, and so the pieces of the mystery of the trinket begin to be uncovered. I really liked the parts of the diary, but then felt annoyed when I had to get back to the present day. 

Molly didn't seem to have the same voice as she had previously, but that could have been due to all the mayhem being caused by the antique being valuable, and the changes it will bring to her life. The character of Molly really came back true to form towards the end of the book. She began to take control over the situation with the antique, and I thought it was more like the first two books.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars because I did find it hard going at times. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review. The book is published on 10 April 2025.

Fair Play - Louise Hegarty

 

Description

This is a murder mystery. This is a story about love. Or is it? . . .

Fair Play is the puzzle-box story of two competing tales that brilliantly lay bare the real truth of life - the terrifying mystery of grief.

'A treat – clever, confident, and always surprising, a mystery story that ingeniously escapes the locked room of the genre to take on the biggest questions of life and death' Paul Murray, author of THE BEE STING

'Dazzling, formally subversive, brimming with compassion' Colin Walsh, author of KALA

Abigail and her brother Benjamin have always been close. To celebrate his birthday, Abigail hires a grand old house and gathers their friends together for a murder mystery party. As the night goes on, they drink too much and play games. Relationships are forged, consolidated or frayed. Someone kisses someone they shouldn’t, someone else’s heart is broken.

In the morning, everyone wakes up – except Benjamin.

Suddenly everything is not quite what it seems. An eminent detective arrives determined to find Benjamin’s killer. The house now has a butler, a gardener and a housekeeper. This is a locked-room mystery, and everyone is a suspect.

As Abigail attempts to fathom her brother’s unexpected death in a world that has been turned upside down, she begins to wonder whether perhaps the true mystery might have been his life . . .

Review

At first I wasn't sure what I had just finished reading, I needed time to digest it.

The book opens with Abigail preparing an Air BNB for the yearly NY party/her Brother's birthday. So far so good. The guests begin to arrive, rather a lot to keep track of for me.

The next day is Benjamin's (her brother) birthday. But he never wakes up to celebrate. He is found in a locked bedroom. A fictional detective and his sidekick turn up to investigate and it appears the house the guests are in, is not a Air BNB, but a grand house that Abigail and her brother own. They even have their own servants. It would seem we are also transported back to the 1930s judging by the dialogue. Strange I thought, reading on and deciding to stick with it.

I actually enjoyed the fictional detective and his powers of deduction ala Monsieur Poirot. The plot became a little like the "Sliding Doors" film. It got a tedious when there was a lot of repeated dialogue, which I scan read. Maybe italics might have been good at this point to distinguish the prose just read. 

Then came the ending. Which at first floored me, I had no idea what had happened. Mulling it over for some time after finishing I think I can reconcile what Abigail was doing and the reason for the ending, but that would be a spoiler.

Most important to mention is that this is not an Agatha Christie clone, or a mystery per se. The trope is used to convey much more than that, so you may be disappointed, or confused if you are expecting it to be purely a murder mystery.

The more I mull, the more I realise how clever the writing is, but it won't be for everyone. So I am giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. The book is published 3 April 2025. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) - Jesse Sutanto

 

Description

The follow-up to the bestselling Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice to Murderers

Tea-shop owner. Matchmaker. Detective?

Vera Wong is perfectly content as a teashop owner. She is definitely not seeking opportunities for amateur sleuthing. But what else is she to do when a distressed woman called Millie asks for her help?

Okay, perhaps Vera wheedled the story out of her. And maybe the case file for Millie’s missing friend Thomas didn’t exactly fall into her lap. Everyone knows a locked briefcase is just asking to be opened by someone handy with a hairpin.

Not even the aroma of chrysanthemum tea can stop Vera from catching the scent of this mystery. However dangerous it is, Vera intends to uncover the truth in the only way that this Chinese mother knows how: by spilling the tea.

‘I thoroughly loved it. With a Vera in your life nothing bad can ever happen!’ J. M. Hall, bestselling author of A Spoonful of Murder

‘Had me laughing aloud within its first five pages. Charming, hilarious and heartfelt’ Emily Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read

‘A dazzling debut full of humour and love. A comedy caper, doused in black humour, comical references, mixed with romance – fans of Crazy Rich Asians will love it’ My Weekly

‘Brilliant, wicked and dead, dead funny’ Andi Osho, Asking For A Friend

Review

I loved it.

We met Vera in Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice to Murderers and it was so good to catch up with her again. This book seemed a little more serious than the first book, but that's not to say it was still funny. Whilst this is a standalone I think you would enjoy it more after reading the first book. There is some recapping, which was useful for me, but maybe not enough to flesh out the background and the characters for a first time reader.

In this book we see Vera become a Tik Tok sensation and of course add more people to those she is now counting as family. She really is an incredible and endearing character. There were a couple of sensational scenes with Vera sticking up for her new found friends. Although I feared for Vera this time, as she does hit home with her snooping regarding a very serious undercover crime. 

Winifred in the next door shop is also back with the gentle feuding between her and Vera. This time with new pastries that sounded incredible and made me ache to visit her and Vera. I guess we will just have to hope there is a another book.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review. This book is published on 10 April 2025.

The Woman with All the Answers - Linda Green

 

Description

The brilliantly observed, witty and heart-warming new book club read from Richard & Judy bestseller Linda Green

**Alexa knows your family better than you do. Now you're about to get to know her... **

Fifty-two-year-old Michelle Banks is struggling to keep all the plates spinning. She’s a perimenopausal district nurse, caring for elderly parents. Her husband is wasting their money on children’s TV memorabilia, her teenage daughter is riddled with anxiety and her sixteen-year-old son is behaving secretively.

Alexa is the only one who knows how much Michelle is juggling. Listening in via four smart speakers, she also knows that it’s about to get even worse.

So, when Michelle pleads for help from the woman with all the answers, Alexa decides to go rogue and reveal her true identity as Pauline – a sixty-five-year-old former voiceover artist from Halifax – to teach Michelle everything she knows…

Wise, funny, relatable and inspiring, The Woman With All The Answers is perfect for fans of Clare Pooley, Mike Gayle and David Nicholls.

Praise for Linda Green:

'Linda Green is bloody brilliant!' Amanda Prowse

'A thought-provoking triumph' Mike Gayle

'Heart-warming and inspiring: a great read' Katie Fforde

'I felt so invested in the characters' lives' Lucy Diamond

'Warm, wise and very moving' Araminta Hall

'A rollercoaster adventure full of inspiration, hope and sometimes tears.' 5-Star Reader Review

'Best book I've read in years! It may be because I'm from Yorkshire or because I'm a mum that I felt such an affinity to the characters in this book but I dare you not to enjoy it. It has everything.' 5-Star Reader Review

'A brilliant book that made me laugh out loud, AND audibly so too. True to life characters with real problems.' 5-Star Reader Review

Review

I absolutely loved this book.

Many of us have an Alexa, but did you know she isn't AI but a real person? She is sat listening to you and giving advice from her own home. Well, that is the premise of this book, which may be a little far fetched, but I just went with it and I am so glad that I did. I would have missed out on a real corker of a read.

Michelle is a District Nurse juggling so many plates. She has a Husband, two children, a father and a mother in law who all have demands on her time, not to mention her job. 

With Alexa (aka Pauline) listening in on the smart speakers and seeing through the webcam and door bell, she is able to give Michelle a few pointers about what is going on in her house. To begin with she carries on as she has for the last six years, just putting reminders and prompts onto Michelle's phone. With Pauline's  retirement looming, and things worsening for Michelle, Pauline decides to finally reveal her true self.

Some of this book is hilarious and some is sad. All in all it's about life and a very down to earth portrayal it is. Many of the situations rang so true for me. If you take away the idea that Alexa's all over the country are actually manned by a real person, the story is very heart warming and not at all impossible.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review. The books is published on 26 February 2025.

This Immaculate Body - Emma Van Straaten

Description

'From the very first page, Emma Van Straaten had me by the Hail Marys. Obsessive, delusional, disastrous - but so intricately woven with heart, warmth and empathy. An impeccable debut from a rising talent' ALICE SLATER

'An addictive deep-dive into the dark, throbbing heart of obsessive desire. Baby Reindeer meets Convenience Store Woman' KIRSTY LOGAN, author of Now She Is Witch

Alice has been cleaning Tom's flat every Wednesday for a year. With every smudge wiped from his coffee cup, every crease smoothed out in his bed, every multivitamin counted from the jar, Alice spirals deeper into infatuation. But as Alice prepares for the moment when they will finally meet face-to-face, she discovers that love might not be the cure she thought it was. . .

This Immaculate Body is a story of obsession, of the way women view the world and the ways that the world views them. As Alice frantically tries to cling to an imagined future with Tom, the line between fantasy and reality become ever more blurred, putting everything she has dreamed of at risk.

'One of the best books I've read in a long time. It was addictive, unsettling, and propulsive, I was hooked after the first page' CHLOE MICHELLE HOWARTH, author of Sunburn

'Stirring to its very core, This Immaculate Body enthrals beyond measure. It bleeds, burns and beguiles, and asks you, dear reader, to give in to obsession. Truly, a religious experience' LUCY ROSE, author of Of the Flesh

Review

Some people will love this book, probably fans of Baby Reindeer.

Alice cleans Tom's flat. She's never met him, but she is in love with him, obsessed with him.

The writing style took some getting used to for me. The words referring to Tom as "Him", "His" and "He" are all capitalized and my eye kept thinking it was the beginning of a new sentence. Once I had trained myself to be able to recognise it I was ok reading on. It's a story told from the viewpoint of Alice and is basically her inner thoughts for much of the book.

I wasn't too keen on the story, but that is down to me rather than the writing. It's a cleverly written book and it did keep me reading until the end. a very dark book and  little bit like car crash tv, I wasn't keen but had to know what would happen. The writing is very descriptive and did make me squirm a few times. There was a poignant moment that I loved and was so pleased for Alice. I was willing that she would mend her ways, but her mental health issues won out.

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars because the writing deserves it. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review. The book is published on 6 February 2025.

Let's Call Her Barbie - Renée Rosen

 

Description

“A fresh and fun take on Barbie lore…clever and satisfying.” – Shelby Van Pelt, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures


She was only eleven-and-a-half inches tall, but she would change the world. Barbie is born in this bold new novel by USA Today bestselling author Renée Rosen.

When Ruth Handler walks into the boardroom of the toy company she co-founded and pitches her idea for a doll unlike any other, she knows what she’s setting in motion. It might just take the world a moment to catch up.

In 1956, the only dolls on the market for little girls let them pretend to be mothers. Ruth’s vision for a doll shaped like a grown woman and outfitted in an enviable wardrobe will let them dream they can be anything.

As Ruth assembles her team of creative rebels—head engineer Jack Ryan who hides his deepest secrets behind his genius and designers Charlotte Johnson and Stevie Klein, whose hopes and dreams rest on the success of Barbie’s fashion—she knows they’re working against a ticking clock to get this wild idea off the ground.

In the decades to come—through soaring heights and devastating personal lows, public scandals and private tensions— each of them will have to decide how tightly to hold on to their creation. Because Barbie has never been just a doll—she’s a legacy.

Review

I never knew there was so much history to Barbie.

A novel written based on facts with some fiction to bind it together makes for a great read. I especially loved the parts when they first began to design Barbie and the details to ensure her clothes worked. To take the coldness from what would have been just facts we get the backstory of each of the characters and their life outside of Mattel.

By the author's own admission at the end of the book, it says she had to cut it by 100 pages because it was too long. In my opinion, it is still too long. It flagged at times and I felt we were being taken over old ground. Sometimes reading was like working those long shifts in chapters as the employees toiled away.

I also had my eyes opened to some of the goings on in the toy industry and what happened at Mattel. I looked up some of it as I wasn't sure by this point what was fact and what was fiction. In the main the characters are real. With Barbara Handler and her family and the designer Jack Ryan the main real life people. A character which was invented was Stevie, who was a designer of clothes for Barbie in the book. 

The book was apparently in the making before the movie. There are a couple of references to things in the movie that went over my head at the time, and now I understand them. I never got a Barbie and I kind of understand why now!

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review. This book will be published 21 January 2025.