Celebrating 4 Million Page Views!

In June 2025 I celebrated reaching 3 Million Page Views and I can't believe I'm sharing this, but my web traffic has continued to grow and today I'm celebrating because...

Carpe Librum has just reached 4 Million Page Views!

My monthly stats continue to increase and I'm now receiving an average of 122,000 visitors to my site every month, up from 77,000 just six short months ago.

After sharing My Top 5 Books of 2025 last week and the reading challenges I'm participating in this year, this is an awesome milestone to celebrate and a terrific start to my blogging year.

If you're reading this not so humble brag, thanks for being a valued subscriber or occasional / first time visitor. I love this legacy of reading and reviewing I've been building over the last 20 years and I don't have any plans of slowing down.

My 2026 reading year has well and truly kicked off and I hope you have a huge stack of books you plan to get through this year.

Carpe Librum!

Review: Cape Fever by Nadia Davids

* Copy courtesy of Simon & Schuster *

Cape Fever by Nadia Davids is a gothic tale of desire and revenge set in 1920s South Africa. Soraya is hired as the live-in house maid and companion to Mrs Hattingh in a grand house in an unnamed British colony which could easily be Cape Town.

The novel begins in a seemingly familiar upstairs downstairs historical fiction style plot I've read and loved before. The list of daily, weekly, fortnightly and monthly chores Soraya is expected to carry out feed this fascination and the class distinction is clear.

Separated from her betrothed and letting Mrs Hattingh believe she can't read or write, Soraya accepts a generous offer from her employer to write a letter to him once a week on her behalf. This becomes a weekly ritual for both women that seems genuine and generous in the beginning as they sit together, read his reply and compose a response.

"It's as though she's shown me a door, told me about the riches that lie beyond it, opened it very slightly, enough for the warm gold glow behind it to spill out, just a little, with both of us knowing she can shut it whenever she likes." Page 73

Soraya comes from a Muslim community and the juxtaposition of the two cultures is ever present, with Mrs Hattingh continuing to assert her dominance and superiority at every opportunity. The writing is evocative and I particularly enjoyed her description of smells. I'm going to include the full quote here so that you can enjoy it and I can read it again and again in the future.

Soraya notices that in big houses with high ceilings and long corridors, the smells of people disappear into nothing.

"In the Quarter, smells stay. There's the smell in our houses of incense burning both now and fifty years ago, of a thousand meals past and the ones bubbling on stoves this minute. Sticking to every wall, woven into every curtain, the reek of chopped onions and pressed garlic, the trace of scattered methi, diced chilies, dried bay leaves; of spices - whole, roasted, ground, cast in hot oil - and of meat braising, bones boiling, fat spitting, broth cooking, sugar burning, rose water steaming, tea brewing, mint leaves just torn, ginger beer just poured. It's the smell of more in good times and of keeping an eye in lean ones. In our house, also, the whiff of my mother's soaps, the sweet jasmine my father planted at the front gate, the sticky heat of my and my sisters' sweat, the rush of the tides my brother brings back with him from a day at the beach and the fish he carries, still on the hook, sea fresh, glassy-eyed, salt crusted, scales shining." Pages 30-31

After reading this I desperately wanted to visit Soraya's house and inhale some of those scents, and absorb the swirl of life and history that had taken place there.

Constantly in each other's company, Soraya is unable to leave her position as her family desperately need her wages to get by, yet the relationship between the two women slowly begins to sour until it reaches an exciting and unexpected climax.

"She walks away, her slight frame straight, arms soft and graceful, once a girl who would have practiced with a book on her head, and I marvel that she can so easily show me her back when the kitchen is full of knives." Page 151

Cape Fever by Nadia Davids is a slow burn gothic psychological suspense thriller about class, colonialism, power, loneliness, love, loss, grief, secrets and betrayal and I loved it. Highly recommended.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

2026 Reading Challenge Sign Ups

I've had an annual reading goal of 75 books for the last six years but at the beginning of 2025 I decided to set my goal at 65 books. The plan was to free up valuable reading time to focus on larger books and it worked! I achieved my goal, read some chunky books and enjoyed The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, the longest book I've ever read coming in at 1,276 pages.

This year I'm participating in my first ever slow read and I'm going to be tackling the Wolf Hall trilogy by Hilary Mantel. It contains approximately 2,000+ pages so I'm reducing my annual reading goal (again) to 60 books this year in order to accommodate the series. Here are the three reading challenges I'm participating in during 2026.

Wolf Crawl 2026

Wolf Crawl is a year long slow read challenge hosted by Simon Haisell from Footnotes and Tangents to read the Wolf Hall trilogy by Hilary Mantel. The series is about the life of Thomas Cromwell and the reign of Henry VIII and comprises Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies and The Mirror and the Light.

A slow read is a deliberate, community-focused method of reading a book at a gentle pace. Guided by Simon, there is a reading schedule to follow each week and readers can also explore the weekly supplemental materials (artworks, further history etc.) or discuss the book with readers around the world.

This is my first time subscribing on Substack but given the additional resources and discussion on offer, I think it's going to be worth it. If you'd like to join me I can gift one month of paid subscriber benefits to Footnotes and Tangents for 5 Carpe Librum readers so feel free to email me or leave a comment below if you're interested.

If you want to read the trilogy with me, here's the schedule:
5 January 2026: Wolf Hall (17 weeks)
4 May 2026: Bring Up the Bodies (12 weeks)
27 July 2026: The Mirror and the Light (23 weeks)

Non Fiction Reader Challenge 2026

Hosted by fellow Aussie book blogger Shelleyrae at Book'd Out, I'm signing up to complete the Nonfiction Nibbler level of the challenge. For this, I'll need to read and review 6 books from any 6 of the categories listed below.

1. History
2. Memoir/Biography
3. True Crime
4. Science
5. Health
6. Food
7. Humour
8. South East Asia
9. Lost or found
10. Television
11. Subculture
12. Published in 2026

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2026

Hosted by Marg at The Intrepid Reader, I'm signing up to complete the Medieval Reader level again this year and will need to read and review 15 historical fiction books in order to successfully complete the challenge.

Historical fiction remains my favourite genre and last year I read 17 historical fiction novels and two of them made my Top 5 Books of 2025 list so here's to another great year of reading.

Are you challenging yourself in 2026? I'd love to know if you have any reading goals or if you're participating in any reading challenges this year. You can track my progress throughout the year over on the Challenges 2026 page.

Carpe Librum!

My Top 5 Books of 2025

2025 was an excellent year of reading for me. I read 65 books, gave 5 star ratings to 13 of them and when it was all said and done, I enjoyed putting this list together of My Top 5 Books of 2025.

I'm pleased with the variety in this list, with two books from publishers, one backlist book from 2017, two historical fiction novels, two debut novels, one Australian author and one audiobook. I started compiling these Top 5 Book lists in 2014 and this is the only time two memoirs have made my Top 5 list in the same year so that's a first!

Here are my Top 5 Books of 2025 in the order I read them:

1. Dunstan by Conn Iggulden

Set in the year 934, this is the story of a young boy raised to become a Benedictine monk, but who went on to become an Abbot, Bishop and Archbishop and reform the English Church.

Dunstan was canonised after his death and became England's favourite saint for almost 200 years, but according to this reimagining of his life, in addition to defeating the devil, he was also a liar, murderer and maker of Kings. Published in 2017, Dunstan by Conn Iggulden was a fascinating tale of talent, intellect, vengeance, duty, miracles, exile and ambition.

2. The Names by Florence Knapp

It's 1987 and Cora sets out to register the name of her newborn son. She has three options, go with family tradition and name him Gordon after her controlling husband, name him Julian which means sky father or give him the name his nine year old sister suggests which is Bear, because it sounds soft, cuddly and kind but can also be brave and strong.

The novel then splits into three narratives for each of the names and we catch up with the three boys every seven years to see how their lives turn out.

The Names by Florence Knapp is a carefully considered exploration of each of the three lives and a remarkable debut. I found myself recommending it a lot and it was definitely a standout favourite for the year.

3. All The Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert

A memoir about relationships, love and addiction, the author lays her soul bare to the reader, declaring early on that she is a sex and love addict, romantic obsessive, a fantasy and adrenaline addict, a world-class enabler and a blackout codependent.

All The Way to the River is a celebration of love, an exploration of death and grief with some light moments and even a little humour. Far from a misery memoir, the author undertakes the most unflinching look deep within herself to understand her actions and behaviour on the deepest level and I found it incredibly illuminating.

Gilbert then embarks on the painfully slow process of rebuilding her life after it had been shattered; thus giving hope to all who read her words. This is possibly the best memoir I've ever read.

4. Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton

This memoir documents the author's life changing experience finding a baby hare (leveret) on a country lane near her home in the English countryside. From the outset the author strived not to stroke or cuddle the leveret, believing it should remain wild and one day be released into its natural habitat.

Dalton's detailed observations and interactions with the leveret were endearing and greatly entertaining and I enjoyed following her experiences narrated by Louise Brealey. Ultimately I'll remember Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton for the nature writing and sheer wonder of raising a wild animal in a domestic setting and I found myself wishing I had a leveret to keep me company while I'm reading.

5. By Her Hand by Marion Taffe

Set in Mercia in 910AD, young Freda is inspired by stories, loves to forage in the woods and dreams of being able to write. Lucky to survive a brutal attack on her village by Danish raiders, Freda is placed in a women's abbey where she slowly learns to read and write.

Freda is a feisty character and Marion Taffe expertly brings this period in English history alive, skillfully helping the reader make sense of the complicated politics of 10th century Wessex. The writing was sublime and I can't believe By Her Hand was a debut novel for Australian author Marion Taffe.
______________________________________________________________________

Have you read any of the books on the list or plan to? What was your favourite book/s in 2025?

Carpe Librum!

Review: Innocence by Dean Koontz

The last book I read for 2025 was Innocence by Dean Koontz. Traditionally a fan of Koontz from way back, I've read 29 of his books and since 2006, I've reviewed 20 of them. Stephen King and Dean Koontz were a popular choice in my twenties and having a chunky new release from either author on my bedside table was a real thrill. Just for fun, I had a look at the star ratings for the Dean Koontz books I reviewed and they vary from 1 to 5 stars, with an overall average rating of 3 stars. With stats like that, I guess I should ask myself why I keep reading his books, but perhaps it's a nostalgia thing. Nevertheless, Innocence was the last Koontz book on my TBR - for now - and it was a terrific read!

Addison Goodheart is 26 years old and lives the life of a recluse, deep underneath the city. He has a kinship with nature and a passion for books and reading, but Addison avoids other people at all costs. On the rare occasions he does venture above ground he hides his features and we're not told what he looks like - until the end - which equally bothered and intrigued me:

"By the standards of humanity, we were exceedingly ugly in a way that excited in them abhorrence and the most terrible rage." Page 13

Addison learned from a young age that his appearance inspired repulsion, hatred and horror in anyone who looked at him. This quickly turned to violence and he retreated from society as a result. Utilising a series of drains and tunnels to navigate the city, Addison accesses the city library at night to enjoy the books and one night he comes across Gwyneth. A goth who doesn't like to be touched, Gwyneth has her own loner back story and we learn them both as they get to know each other.

"The fallow soil of loneliness is fertile ground for self-deception." Page 60

Published in 2013, the writing in Innocence is peak Koontz. I had to look up the definition of several words along the way and found myself bookmarking many quotes I wanted to revisit and remember.

Gwyneth can't bear to be touched and Addison doesn't want her to look at him so they make a pact. She won't look at him and he won't touch her. Addison cleverly summarises their predicament:

"If I touch you, you'll pull the hood off my head. Or if instead you make the first move and pull the hood off my head, then I'll touch you. We hold each other hostage to our eccentricities." Page 67

Don't worry, this isn't an urban fantasy version of Five Feet Apart. It's a supernatural thriller and Gwyneth swiftly pulls Addison in on her mission. As the tension increases, I really enjoyed this anecdote from Addison's father about the past, the present and the future.

"He said that because we live in time, we think that the past is baked and served and eaten, that the present is coming out of the oven in continuous courses, and that the future is not yet even in the mixing bowl." Page 328

The familiar Koontz battle between good and evil is here, and if this is the last book by Dean Koontz I ever read then I'm pleased to finish on a high. I almost considered giving this 5 stars and you can read the first 7 chapters here in a free extract from the publisher.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: The Long Shoe by Bob Mortimer

* Copy courtesy of Simon & Schuster *

Matt is a bathroom salesman who has recently lost his job and spends his time mooching about instead of finding a new apartment to live in. His girlfriend Harriet leaves him when the deadline on their lease expiry approaches and Matt still hasn't taken any action. Deciding to turn things around, Matt accepts an offer of a flat at Satsuma Heights, but there's just one small catch.

"I don't like to call it spying. Think of it as residential intelligence gathering." Page 64

Yep, Matt is asked to spy on his neighbours for the eccentric owner of the building and he's quickly pulled into their lives as a result. Soon there's a missing person case to solve and it's unclear if Matt will succeed in getting his life together.

In The Long Shoe, Bob Mortimer creates terrific characters and Hot Dog was a clear standout for me and I just loved his nickname for Matt; Jigsaw! Carol the flirty cougar was an unlikeable character so perfectly depicted that I could hear her grating voice and almost smell her perfume darling!

Mortimer's signature humour is back in full effect and I enjoyed his observations of the mundane, like when Matt asks if a character's vape is vanilla and potato when it's actually raspberry and coconut.

The Long Shoe by Bob Mortimer is part of a series that began with The Satsuma Complex and continued with The Hotel Avocado. I loved The Satsuma Complex - giving it 5 stars in my review - in 2023 but somehow missed reading The Hotel Avocado. While each of the three books are set in the same world or Mortimer universe, The Long Shoe can easily be read as a standalone.

The Long Shoe by Bob Mortimer is a chuckle-worthy and entertaining mystery with compelling characters and yes, even a very long shoe. I hope the author continues this cozy crime series in the future.

For more on Bob Mortimer, check out my review of his autobiography And Away...

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: The Stuff of History by Steven Moore

Last month I was looking for an audiobook I could listen to while wrapping Christmas presents and writing Christmas cards and selected The Stuff of History: A Curated Compendium of Curious Objects and Forgotten People by Steven Moore.

Steven Moore is probably best known for being a TV presenter on Antiques Roadshow and Antiques Roadtrip and has been an antiques dealer, auctioneer, museum curator, author and journalist. What he offers in The Stuff of History is a compilation of topics and subjects from across different periods in history and from all around the world; sometimes focussing on a person and other times on an object.

One of my favourite chapters was the story of the 14 year old boy who broke into Buckingham Palace between 1838-1841 and allegedly lived there in secret by hiding in rooms and chimneys. He was eventually caught but not before he stole a pair of Queen Victoria's underwear and it was quite the scandal at the time.

The blurb prepares the reader for a carefully curated miscellany and the publishers couldn't have described the contents more accurately. The author clearly chose subjects he was was fond of, but the selection didn't seem to contain any unifying theme or overarching common thread. The history of the Resolute Desk in the White House sits comfortably alongside the rise of Chinese porcelain and the evolution of the fork. The frequent format of introduction: ('It is the 26th July and we're in London, it's 1935' and 'It is the 20th of June 1952 and we're in Long Beach California') became repetitive very quickly and in response I began to mentally prepare a list of alternatives to 'it is this and we are here'.

The audiobook is narrated by the author himself and readers will enjoy his voice and accent which is perfect for the subject matter being presented. However, the book doesn't seem to reach a logical conclusion, the last object is presented and that's it. This format could have gone on for another 20 chapters but I was hoping for a concluding chapter summarising the book and perhaps providing the reader with a glimpse into the world of antiques, how the author began his career or resources for those looking to learn more about antiques and history in general.

Instead, we're given a quiz at the end which I'll admit was an inspired inclusion. I was initially all for it but the author chose obscure facts from each chapter instead of asking questions that would help cement an important historical fact in the memory of the reader which was a lost opportunity in my opinion.

The Stuff of History by Steven Moore will appeal to readers with an obscure interest in history who want to feel as though they're dipping into a range of books covering art, collectibles, antiques and social history.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Best Australian Ghost Stories by Graham Seal

* Copy courtesy of Allen & Unwin *

As I understand it, to have a yarn in Australia is to have a conversation or a chat, to tell a yarn is to tell a story and to spin a yarn is to tell a tall tale or something that is unlikely to be true. In Best Australian Ghost Stories - Spine-chilling Tales of Hauntings, Apparitions and the Unexplained, Graham Seal continually refers to the accounts he's presenting as yarns, stories and hoaxes and in doing so diminishes the value of the stories and the likelihood of them being true and honest accounts in the view of the author.

Graham Seal is a prolific author of 14 books (including: Great Australian Places, Great Australian Mysteries, Australia's Funniest Yarns, Great Bush Stories, Great Convict Stories) and it seems to me this collection of ghost stories were likely unearthed during the comprehensive research undertaken for his other works and brought together here, despite the author not seeming to believe in ghosts.

In the Introduction, Graham Seal makes it pretty clear that he's a sceptic and doesn't believe in many of the hauntings and unexplained events he's about to inform the reader about:

"Outside works of fiction, Australian hauntings, vanishings and unexplained events happen - if they did - in a landscape marked by its rivers, waterholes and surrounding seas, its islands and its abandoned places." Page xvi

Broken down into unique categories - Bush Haunts, House Ghosts, Unsettling Places, Ghost Roads and more - there were often too many stories presented in quick succession; this pub has a ghost in it, this inn has a woman in white. The sheer number of cases cited along with the scant information available about each of them made it difficult to be spooked or reach the spine-chilling reading experience hinted at on the cover.

And then there were bizarre moments like this one. When discussing the plan by scientists to resurrect the Tasmanian Tiger using DNA technology, the author wonders how long it'll be before the same technology is applied to dead humans. Ummmm what? Humans aren't extinct so clearly he missed the point altogether. Either that, or this was an attempt at humour that sailed right over my head.

I was pleased to see the case of Minnie Brown and the unexplained poltergeist activity that took place in 1921 taken seriously but then disappointed the very next chapter when the author describes the events in a remote town in the Northern Territory in 1998 as Humpty Doo high jinks as he wonders whether it was all a hoax.

The author frequently uses negative language like shades and ghouls and phrases such as supernatural spice throughout the book which begins to build a mocking and condescending tone. The reader who picks up a book about ghost stories is more likely to have an open mind or a firm belief in the unexplained so the failure of the author to take the topic seriously struck a sour note.

I also found myself wondering why Seal chose to include stories where the ghostly activity was proven to be caused by hardcore hoaxers or prankers. What value do stories like these add to a book entitled Best Australian Ghost Stories? I didn't choose to read a book about Best Australian Hoaxes and in my opinion these accounts detracted from the theme and had no place being included.

Why the mocking tone? In the Ghost Roads chapter I could almost hear him rolling his eyes:

"While these events are disturbing enough, drivers also report their headlights illuminating ghostly figures along the road and - always dependable - the Yowie has been seen." Page 194

Ironically, this same chapter also contained one of the best stories which was entitled The Ghost of the Old Bridge and took place in Western Australia in the 1870s. What made it the most enjoyable of the collection was the long and detailed first person account from settler Thomas Scott included in the book. For the first time this allowed the reader to stick with one account and travel back 150 years to hear directly from a witness relaying a sighting seen by at least five others.

Several first hand accounts from direct sources were included and if more of these had been incorporated in favour of the hoax narrative, this book would have been a terrific read.

As it is, when I think of this book in the future, I think I'll remember it for the inspired inclusion of the poem 'The Ghost at the Second Bridge' by Henry Lawson. It's been a long time since I've read any Henry Lawson and reading the story of two men encountering the Black Lady in the middle of the night was immensely enjoyable.

As the End Notes attest, it's evident that a tonne of research has gone into the writing of this book, and that's to be acknowledged and admired. In addition, I was pleased to see Australian Ghost Stories by James Phelps mentioned in the author's Afterword as I read and enjoyed this last year.

Readers wanting to know if their local legend is included are likely to find it briefly mentioned in Best Australian Ghost Stories by Graham Seal, but if you're looking for a serious, deep and penetrating look into hauntings and apparitions in Australia that'll make the hairs on your arms stand on end, this isn't it.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: The Mushroom Tapes by Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper and Sarah Krasnostein

The Mushroom Tapes - Conversations on a Triple Murder Trial by Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper and Sarah Krasnostein is about the trial of Erin Patterson, accused of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. Charged with serving her family members a lethal lunch of beef Wellington in Leongatha in July 2023, the trial took place in Morwell in April - July 2025 where she was eventually found guilty.

I followed the news coverage of Erin Patterson’s trial quite closely and listened to every episode of the Mushroom Case Daily podcast on the ABC. For these reasons and more, I was deeply interested in the collaboration between these three Australian writers having read books by all of them.* Familiar with Helen Garner's penetrating coverage of murder trials I was also fascinated to know the types of conversations these women had on a topic I never seem to tire of.

The Mushroom Tapes is a slim offering at only 240 pages so immediately you know you're not going to get a comprehensive coverage of the trial. What surprised me on the very first page though was that the authors weren't in attendance at the beginning of the trial. They'd been asked if they were going to cover the trial and they each said no. All three authors equally hadn't wanted to write about the case and hadn't not wanted to write about it. 

However after they heard the evidence from Simon Patterson's Aunt Heather Wilkinson that the guests ate from grey plates and the host ate from an orange one, they changed their minds and were galvanised into action. Helen Garner said that she didn't want to follow another big trial by herself and was glad to be asked to work with Chloe; accomplished herself with two trials and two books to her name. On day five they decided to cover the trial together and piled into the car to Morwell.

In the early stages, the women weren't sure whether they were collaborating to write a book or produce a podcast so they recorded their conversations with a view to deciding later and it shows.

Sharing the duties of sitting in the courtroom and listening to the live testimony in Melbourne via media audio-link, the reader is given snippets of conversations taking place in the car to and from court or over the phone. Often reading like a script, the effect made me feel as though I was in the car with them but without hearing their full experience.

These conversations ranged from how they felt standing outside Erin Patterson's house to the Defence Lawyer's potential advice to the defendant regarding a guilty plea; noting that if her lawyers know Patterson is guilty they can't make arguments inconsistent with that as they have a duty to the court.

"Most charges end up resolving in a guilty plea. But the personality that commits a crime like this is the same personality that believes they can get away with it." Sarah, Page 77

Every intellectual discussion the authors had about the case was of interest, including the conversation about whether the defendant might have a personality disorder and whether she was envious of the love shown to her children by their father and grandparents.

Shockingly, Helen has learned from attending family murder trials that just because you love someone doesn't mean you don't ever want to kill them; a statement which caused me to stop and ponder. It seemed to me the authors believed Patterson was guilty as they considered the difference between remorse and regret:

"Helen: Raimond Gaita says that remorse is a pained, bewildered realisation of what it means to have wronged someone. Sarah: Regret is self-interested. Remorse is a deeper thing." Page 134

Analysing Patterson's conduct in the witness box, they note that she's been unable to maintain a job, study or relationship for any sustained period of time despite having every resource, intellectual and financial at her disposal. They comment on her ability to unsettle them and notice that there's 'some force sheeting off her.' While they do discuss her persona and her false self, I was surprised they never talked about the family estrangements with her sister and her parents, and if they did, I'd love for it to have been included in the book.

I wasn't surprised to read that Patterson disagreed with every single witness but fascinated to hear that she talked back to the Prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC when being questioned on the witness stand with semantic critiques like these:

"Sorry, I was confused by the double negatives," and "You're going to have to rephrase that, so I know what you're talking about." Pages 200-201

I can't even imagine delivering that amount of snark or attitude in a Police interview room, let alone if I was in the witness box on trial for murder.

The authors often reflect on the huge scale of the media following this trial, their feelings on their own involvement and the incredible global interest in this case:

"Two hundred and fifty-two journalists and outlets are on the court media's daily email list, including representatives from fifteen international media outlets. There are seven podcasters, seven documentary crews, one television drama series and nine authors, including us." Page 140

Growing up in Gippsland, it's hard to fathom the sheer level of interest this case has generated and the authors often try to determine what it is about the murders and murderer that has captured this level of attention.

When acknowledging the closing arguments for the Defence by Colin Mandy SC, I was reminded of his address to the jury:

"If you think that it's possible that Erin deliberately poisoned the meal, you must find her not guilty... If you think that maybe Erin deliberately poisoned the meal you must find her not guilty. If you think that she probably deliberately poisoned the meal, you must find her not guilty." Page 209

Recalling this coverage brings a chill down my spine as I feared the jury would find Patterson not guilty after hearing it. When discussing her guilt or innocence, Helen acknowledges this as one of the most brilliant performances she's ever seen in her life while Sarah agrees Patterson is a liar but that liars can still be not guilty of murder.

Discussing what they would do in the event of a hung jury, Helen was clear that she wouldn't want to do anything with the tapes and would walk away from the project. Sarah mentioned she would be incapable of not attending a potential retrial while Helen would feel glad to escape one and doesn't want to write something that's going to attract the defendant's animus or attention.

Late in the book during the jury deliberations, they acknowledge that the podcast they'd started making has fallen over and that sometimes it feels as though the book they're still loosely imagining might do the same. This indicates to me that there was no clear plan at the outset and that one failed to emerge during the trial. And what's with the book cover? I was fortunate to purchase a copy signed by each of the authors but I thought it was the advanced reader's copy when I first saw it in the publisher's catalogue.

But most disappointing of all was the fact that there was no discussion or reflection on the verdict or the sentencing at all! The reader is privy to the verdict and the sentencing by Justice Beale, but then that's it. Without their thoughts on the verdict and the all important sentencing, The Mushroom Tapes feels unfinished. And perhaps it is.

True crime enthusiasts looking for a thorough or comprehensive summary of the trial will need to look elsewhere, perhaps to one of the seven podcasters, seven documentary crews or nine authors also covering the case. I had enough interest in this collaboration and Helen Garner's perspectives to keep reading but I was ultimately disappointed and wanted so much more from The Mushroom Tapes. I'd even be keen to listen to the raw footage!

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

*Books I've read by the authors:

Helen Garner
Everywhere I Look
Joe Cinque's Consolation

Chloe Hooper
The Arsonist - A Mind On Fire

Sarah Krasnostein
The Trauma Cleaner

Kill Your Boss Winner Announced

Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway to win a copy of Kill Your Boss by Jack Heath. I received 115 entries in total and everyone correctly identified that Kill Your Boss is set in a Public Library.

One entrant gave me their postal address instead of their email address so I'm unable to advise them of the outcome of the giveaway, sorry about that Suz!

The giveaway closed on Christmas Eve and the lucky winner was drawn today, congratulations:

Malvina!!

Congratulations Malvina! You've won a copy of Kill Your Boss by Jack Heath valued at $34.99 thanks to Allen & Unwin. I'll be sending your prize out to you directly along with a few bookmarks and you'll receive an email from me shortly so that you can provide your postal address. Congratulations and I hope you don't get any ideas to kill your boss after reading this clever Australian whodunnit.

Carpe Librum!

Non Fiction Reader Challenge 2025 Completed

The older I get, the more non fiction I enjoy reading and this year I successfully completed the Nonfiction Nibbler level of the Non Fiction Reader Challenge 2025. The challenge is hosted by fellow Aussie book blogger Shelleyrae at Book'd Out and I needed to read and review 6 books from any 6 of the 12 categories listed below.

Some of the non fiction I read during the year didn't qualify for the challenge and I couldn't find any books from the Garden and Islands categories I wanted to read. I still have 3 more reviews I'm hoping to complete before the end of the year but at this moment in time, I read 28 books from 10 categories and reviewed 24 of them so I'm very pleased with that.

Here's what I read:

1. History
- All Buttons Great and Small: A Compelling History of the Button, from the Stone Age to today by Lucy Godoroja
- The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff
- The Stuff of History: A Curated Compendium of Curious Objects and Forgotten People by Steven Moore

2. Memoir/Biography
- Always Home, Always Homesick by Hannah Kent
- All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert
- Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton

3. True Crime
- The Peepshow - The Murders at 10 Rillington Place by Kate Summerscale
- The Mushroom Tapes by Helen Garner, Sarah Krasnostein and Chloe Hooper

4. Science
- Unnatural Causes by Dr Richard Shepherd
- Hidden Potential - The Science of Achieving Greater Things by Adam Grant
- Wonderdog by Jules Howard
- Sensational by Ashley Ward

5. Health
- The Unclaimed by Pamela Prickett & Stefan Timmermans
- History Stinks! Wee, Snot and Slime Through Time by Suzie Edge
- Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green
- Sleep Hacks - Discover the Life-Changing Tranquility of Deep Sleep by Keith Barry

6. Food
- RecipeTin Eats Tonight by Nagi Maehashi
- Bored of Lunch Healthy Slow Cooker Even Easier by Nathan Anthony
- Poppy Cooks: The Potato Book - 101 Recipes from the Potato Queen by Poppy O'Toole
- The All-In-One Cookbook by Taste

7. Travel
- Beyond Suburbia by Warren Kirk

8. Garden

9. Myth, Legend and Folklore
- Gothic by Fred Botting
- Best Australian Ghost Stories by Graham Seal

10. Islands

11. How-To
- Difficult People by Rebecca Ray
- Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You by Ali Abdaal
- 488 Rules for Life by Kitty Flanagan

12. Published in 2025
- What to Expect When You're Dead: An Ancient Tour of Death and the Afterlife by Robert Garland
- Talk Your Way Out of Trouble: Life Lessons from the Law by Jahan Kalantar

My favourite non fiction books this year were from the memoir category and they were All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert and Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton. I'm currently reading The Darkroom by A.J. Hewitt for the true crime prompt but it's unlikely I'll finish it before the end of the year. What non fiction books did you enjoy this year?

I'm looking forward to signing up for this challenge again in 2026, and if you'd like to join me you can check out the details - including the new categories - at Book'd Out.

Review: The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor

The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor is based on the real events that took place between 1917 - 1921 when young girls Frances and Elsie from Cottingley in England took photos of themselves with faeries. The cousins aged 9 and 16 respectively, stirred up quite a storm at the time and even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle believed the photographs were genuine. The photographs were the subject of news and magazine articles and Arthur Conan Doyle was so convinced of their authenticity that he published a book in 1922 called The Coming of the Fairies.

In The Cottingley Secret, Hazel Gaynor imagines what might have happened from Frances' point of view and I found her take on the event to be a convincing one. The story is told in dual timelines and in the present day, 35 year old Olivia has travelled back to Ireland to farewell her late grandfather. With fond memories of their time together, he has bequeathed his beloved second hand bookshop Something Old to Olivia. Going through his belongings, she finds a document with hundreds of typed pages entitled Notes on a Fairy Tale by Frances Griffiths.

Written by Frances later in life, it begins when she is just nine and a half years old in Cottingley in Yorkshire in 1917. Frances loves to be outdoors and spends hours at the local creek where she sees real faeries. In Frances' manuscript, she mentions her father going to war and the heartache of not knowing when he is coming home or when WWI will end. When it eventually does end, the grief that follows leads to the rise of spiritualism right across the country. This was a unique period in time where people were looking for more and wanted to believe in faeries, making this an opportune time to pull off the perfect hoax... or was it?

Apart from dropping her collection of sympathy cards received after the passing of her grandfather into the kitchen bin - who DOES that? - Olivia is a likeable character. Her nana has dementia and is in a nursing home and the connection between Frances' manuscript and Olivia's nana and grandfather is a slow reveal.

Olivia's love of books is highly relatable and I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of the bookshop and it's eventual glow up; I just love a property makeover and this one had a touch of fantasy about it. Admittedly there is a light romance element but for someone who doesn't like romance novels, I was relieved the romance didn't dominate or interfere too much with the narrative.

The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor will appeal to readers of historical fiction interested in the case of the Cottingley Fairies and who enjoy mysteries, family secrets and intergenerational connections.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

WIN a copy of Kill Your Boss by Jack Heath

Intro

Kill Your Boss by Australian author Jack Heath is the third book in the Kill Your series and features Detective Sergeant Kiara Lui who investigates a death at the local public library. Kill Your Boss can be read as a standalone and I gave it 5 stars in my recent review. Luckily for you, I received an additional copy from Allen & Unwin and am running a giveaway with permission from the publisher. I'll be sending the prize out to the lucky winner after Christmas so enter below and good luck!

Blurb

What would it take to turn you into a killer?

Detective Sergeant Kiara Lui has just broken up a loud brawl between two blokes in front of the Warrigal Public Library. But just as she's about to leave the scene, a man inexplicably plummets from the sky and slams into the bike rack right in front of her, dead.

Neville Adams was the head of library services, hated by staff, borrowers, and in fact anybody who had ever met him. Kiara quickly seals the building, trapping everyone who might have pushed him off the roof. She expects to have someone in custody within minutes.

Instead, the investigation becomes the most challenging and dangerous of her career as it spirals outward, ensnaring half the town. It seems that Neville was connected to the disappearance of Emmylou Chisholm - a case that Kiara could never solve, and that has haunted her ever since.

If the killer isn't found fast, the first two victims won't be the last ...

Giveaway

This Carpe Librum giveaway has now closed!

Historical Fiction Challenge 2025 Completed

At the beginning of 2025 I signed up for the Medieval Reader level of the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2025 hosted by Marg at The Intrepid Reader. I was required to read 15 historical fiction novels and I managed to read a total of 17 to successfully complete the challenge.

Some of my favourite reads of the year were historical fiction and here's what I read:

1. The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
2. Dunstan by Conn Iggulden ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3. The Good Wife of Bath by Karen Brooks ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4. Emily's House by Amy Belding Brown ⭐️⭐️⭐️
5. The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
6. The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
7. Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
8. The Mad Women's Ball by Victoria Mas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
9. The Pretender by Jo Harkin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
10. The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods ⭐️⭐️⭐️
11. The Haunting of Mr and Mrs Stevenson by Belinda Lyons-Lee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
12. A Magic Deep and Drowning by Hester Fox ⭐️⭐️
13. Buckeye by Patrick Ryan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
14. The Woman in the Mirror by Rebecca James ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
15. By Her Hand by Marion Taffe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Additional books read for the challenge:
16. Boleyn Traitor by Philippa Gregory ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
17. The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor

Have you read any of the books from this list? I'm planning on reading Cape Fever by Nadia Davids soon and if I finish it before NYE it'll bring my total to 18 books for the challenge.

I'm signing up for the challenge again next year so if you want to join me, visit Marg at The Intrepid Reader for details. In the meantime, feel free to share any standout historical fiction you've been reading this year.

Carpe Librum!

Review: Sensational by Ashley Ward

It's widely accepted that we have 5 senses: vision, hearing, taste, smell and touch but according to Ashley Ward, we might have as many as 53 senses. Ashley Ward is a Biologist in Sydney specialising in the field of animal behaviour and in Sensational - A New Story of Our Senses he delves into disciplines as diverse as psychology, ecology, medicine, economics and engineering to expound on the senses.

Listening to the audiobook narrated by David Morley Hale, the author addresses each of the primary 5 senses in their own sections. He also points out many other senses we already know about but may not have considered, like the sense of time, the sense of direction and the sense of balance or proprioception.

One of the most interesting facts I learned was that plants register vibrations and also make sounds. You might remember the scene in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when Professor Sprout delivers a lesson on how to safely repot a mandrake, noting that the screams of the plant's roots can be fatal to those who hear them. Well, according to the author:

"It'd be a long stretch to say that plants scream, but when they're stressed or damaged, plants emit high ultra sonic sounds and they do this at a volume that's roughly the equivalent of our conversation, about 65 decibels." Chapter 6

Fascinating! But also isn't that just a tad creepy? Next time I'm trimming the dead ends from the leaves of my peace lily I'll be worried it's emitting sounds of distress. I wonder if they can also produce sounds of relief when watered, or perhaps when their dead ends are trimmed. Let's go with that.

I didn't know humans can distinguish over a trillion different smells and that women have a better sense of smell than men. Sensational by Ashley Ward is full of information like this and is recommended for readers with a serious interest in science, biology and anatomy.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Kill Your Boss by Jack Heath

* Copy courtesy of Allen & Unwin *

Detective Sergeant Kiara Lui is back in Kill Your Boss by Jack Heath. We last saw Kiara in Kill Your Husbands, the second in the series that began with Kill Your Brother back in 2022. Kiara is working in the small town of Warrigal in New South Wales (not Warrigul, Victoria) when a body falls from the roof of the public library onto a bike rack directly in front of her.

Neville was Head of Library Services and was disliked by almost every person who was unlucky enough to know him or had the displeasure of working with him. Kiara has multiple suspects and we're given multiple character perspectives in this whodunnit including Neville, Kiara, Kiara's colleague Ben and several staff members at the library.

The Australian location is relatable and Jack Heath's sense of humour always makes me laugh:

'You ever heard that funny German word - the one that means "a face in need of a slap"?' 'Backpfeifengesicht,' Ben puts in. 'That's the one!' Steven says, delighted. 'I could never pronounce it. Think the Australian equivalent is "fuckwit". Page 187

However as Kiara investigates Neville's fall and the prime suspect turns up dead, there are glimpses of insight I always enjoy from this author:

"Coffee doesn't make you more alert, it just stops you from noticing how tired you are. It's like hiding the fuel gauge instead of filling up the tank." Page 77

I really enjoyed this analogy and found myself quoting it for a friend within a week of reading it. Even as I was doing so, I acknowledged the strangeness of quoting a crime author - of a killer cannibal series no less - during a conversation with a friend in need. Thanks Jack!

I believe Kill Your Boss can be read as a standalone although I enjoyed it more than Kill Your Husbands, tipping it over into 5 star territory. The library setting and the cast of characters made Kill Your Boss a highly enjoyable read and fans of Benjamin Stevenson will definitely enjoy this clever Australian whodunnit. 

I'll admit I'm dying to get back to the Timothy Blake series so fingers crossed Jack Heath returns soon to the best fictional cannibal ever created on the page.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Boleyn Traitor by Philippa Gregory

* Copy courtesy of Harper Collins *

Boleyn Traitor by Philippa Gregory tells the story of Jane Boleyn in a first person narrative and is easy to slide into. Married to George Boleyn - Anne Boleyn's brother - Jane holds the title of Lady Rochford and we pick up her story in the year 1534. At almost thirty years old, Jane is the first lady at King Henry VIII's court serving her sister-in-law Anne Boleyn; who is mother to Princess Elizabeth and 5 months pregnant.

Jane is in love with George and the entire Boleyn family and has been married to George for almost half her life. Jane reflects on her service to the old Queen, Katherine of Aragon but relishes her prestigious place at court.

King Henry's court is full of rising and falling fortunes and Jane is banished from court following her attempt to remove one of the King's mistresses on Anne's behalf. Later brought back to court by Thomas Cromwell, Jane is grateful to return and agrees to be one of Cromwell's many informants.

Scandal rocks the court when Anne Boleyn is accused of adultery and incest with her brother George and they're both executed for treason. Many accounts portray Jane as betraying her husband George by giving Cromwell evidence against the pair but in Boleyn Traitor, Gregory offers a different perspective.

The King marries Jane Seymour very soon after while our protagonist is grieving the loss of her husband and beloved sister-in-law, feeling lost without them:

"Jane Seymour sails downriver from Chelsea in Anne's barge, wearing Anne's clothes, and sleeps in Anne's bed, in Anne's sheets. The monograms on the sheets and towels and linen are picked out, and the A under the coronet is replaced with a newly embroidered J. In the evenings, we light the candles that Anne ordered; they have not even burned down. Everything is the same; only the queen is different, and the newly joyous mood of the court." Page 174

Much of the plot of this book felt familiar and not only because I've read so many books set in the Tudor court, but I happened to read The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory in January 2025. Published in 2006, it contains first person narratives from Jane Boleyn, Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard up until Jane and Katherine's death. Given Boleyn Traitor also follows Jane Boleyn until her death in 1542, much of the content was familiar, and I soon realised reading The Boleyn Inheritance just 9 months before Boleyn Traitor was bad timing on my part.

What sets these two books apart though is that Gregory portrays Jane Boleyn and Katherine Howard in a completely different way and there is greater emphasis on King Henry VIII as an out of control tyrant.

When it's clear Jane fears the worst for Katherine Howard (Kitty in this novel) she reflects:

"I think that those in service to a tyrant are called to strange and dark work. I want to think that I am a master courtier, steering her through a crisis in her marriage, and this will all blow over. But right now, I don't feel like a master courtier at all; I feel like her gaoler, and I think that when you enter the service of a tyrant, you never know what work you will sink to." Page 431

As an historian and bestselling author, I believe the author is using her platform to comment here on tyrants in history as a warning to the modern reader about what happens when a narcissistic tyrant is continually flattered and placated and no longer bound by the constraints of law and government.

Boleyn Traitor by Philippa Gregory is recommended to fans of Tudor history open to a refreshingly different take on Jane Boleyn, previously portrayed as a villain and divisive figure in history.

For those interested, Jane Boleyn also features in the following books I've reviewed:
The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory
Anne Boleyn - A King's Obsession by Alison Weir
Jane Seymour - The Haunted Queen by Alison Weir
Anna of Kleve - Queen of Secrets by Alison Weir
Katheryn Howard - The Tainted Queen by Alison Weir

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware

* Copy courtesy of Simon & Schuster *

The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware is the sequel to The Woman in Cabin 10, published in 2016. While some readers have patiently waited 9 years to find out what happened to Laura Blacklock after the events on the Aurora, I only had to wait a week. I read The Woman in Cabin 10 in the lead up to the release of The Woman in Suite 11 which I think was a huge advantage as all of the characters were fresh in my mind.

After the events in Norway, Laura published a book entitled Dark Waters and has been a stay at home Mum in the US raising two kids with husband Judah. After 6 years of occasional freelancing, Laura is ready to re-enter the workforce on a permanent basis and is interviewing for a job.

Although still introducing herself as Lo - ugh - I was pleased to see a more mature Laura in these pages. Now a Mum, Laura's excessive drinking is a thing of the past although she's still making questionable choices which drives the narrative forward.

Ruth Ware has an appealing way of including the everyday into a character's behaviour, and I particularly enjoyed this one:

"For the next half hour, I tried to distract myself. I scrolled my phone, did Wordle and the New York Times Spelling Bee..." Page 144

I do the Wordle with my friend every day and the New York Times Spelling Bee every night with my husband, so I loved seeing this reflected in the main character. But I always 'do the Wordle', but here Laura 'did Wordle'... have I been saying this incorrectly the whole time?

As I mentioned in my review of The Woman in Cabin 10, author Ruth Ware loves a locked room mystery and this time she literally gave us one. I found some of the sleuthing around the comings and goings of a particular hotel room a tiny bit tedious but it was all necessary to inform the plot and narrow down the suspect pool.

I loved learning the identity of the woman in the title - don't worry, no spoilers here - and the complex dynamic between Laura and the supporting character play out, which also formed the focus of the book. I recommend The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware to fans of crime and mystery novels, but you'll definitely need to read The Woman in Cabin 10 first.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware features a new-to-me type of protagonist. Laura Blacklock is a travel journalist invited to sail on the maiden voyage of boutique luxury liner Aurora. The cruise ship is headed to the Norwegian fjords to see the northern lights and Laura - who introduces herself as Lo - is on board to write an article about the journey.

After a few too many drinks over dinner with fellow guests on the first night, Lo sees a person being thrown overboard from the balcony next to hers, Cabin 10. The crew explain Cabin 10 is unoccupied due to a late guest cancellation and don't believe her account. The captain and owner of the ship conduct a full head count and confirm that every guest and crew member is accounted for. Nobody is missing.

An industry colleague - who happens to be Lo's ex boyfriend - suspects her anxiety medication might be to blame so Lo sets out to prove what she saw by putting her journalistic skills to work and investigating.

There was a little too much drinking on this work trip for my liking and I didn't like the nickname Lo, but they were minor niggles. There was a lot of time spent talking to crew members and trying to find the woman she saw in Cabin 10 the day she embarked and while I understand this was a necessary step in Lo's enquiries, it did grow a little tired. Thankfully the plot eventually moved on and the pace picked up again shortly after.

The isolation of the cruise ship at sea without phone signal or internet access created an Agatha Christie type scenario of sorts with a locked room mystery to solve. Only this time the characters were at sea although the isolated suspect pool was similar to that of One by One by Ruth Ware and I get the feeling the author loves to create these situational mysteries. The reader is left to decide if Lo is an unreliable witness or whether the woman in Cabin 10 did exist but was murdered and thrown overboard.

Published in 2016, I've seen comparisons to The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (published in 2015) however Lo was far less flawed than Rachel, making her a better protagonist capable of acting in her own best interests and furthering the plot in a more engaging way.

I recently watched the movie adaptation of The Woman in Cabin 10 starring Keira Knightley and Guy Pearce and definitely preferred the book. Understandably the movie cut out all the crew consultation but introduced new elements that just didn't happen in the book. One change gave characters a better motive, but that was the only improvement. I thought the ending of the novel was terrific and the 'last contact' between two main characters was an inspired choice by the author, completely absent from the movie. Overall, the book contained more danger and suspense making it far more entertaining and confirming the maxim that the book is always better.

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware is recommended for readers who enjoy mystery and crime thrillers and the sequel - The Woman in Suite 11 - has just been published. Guess what I'll be reading and reviewing next?

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: Wonderdog by Jules Howard

I was so inspired after listening to Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton that I wanted my very next audiobook to be one about animals. This, combined with the fact I've been catching up on the remarkable videos of Stella the dog communicating with her owner over on Instagram (@hunger4words) led to my decision to embark - pun intended - on Wonderdog by Jules Howard.

While the book was enjoyable on the whole, I really should have paid more attention to the subtitle, Wonderdog - How the Science of Dogs Changed the Science of Life. Styling himself as a zoological correspondent, author and public speaker on his website, Jules Howard was definitely focussed on the science of dogs in this offering, including what we thought we knew about dogs in recent history, how science has overlooked dogs and used them to conduct unmentionable testing in the past and what we know about them now. Leaders in their individual fields of science are mentioned and their studies referenced at a level that didn't really retain my interest.

Instead I enjoyed the few moments in between, like this footnote about eye contact and contagious yawning:

"Dogs can also catch a yawn off their owners, and in doing so, they join an esteemed group of animals who exhibit contagious yawns, just humans, chimpanzees and baboons manage the feat." Chapter 12

Jules Howard does a great job narrating his own work, however this is another case where I have misinterpreted the title Wonderdog and extrapolated a book all about the wonders dogs are capable of and how this has changed science over time. Instead, Wonderdog highlights the evolution of the science surrounding the canine species which was far less interesting to this reader.

Wonderdog by Jules Howard will appeal to readers with a deep interest in dogs and science, but I think I might have been better off listening to something else. How My Dog Saved My Life - Thirty Tales of Courage and Compassion by Cate Cochran sounds interesting.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: By Her Hand by Marion Taffe

Set in Mercia in 910AD, young Freda is inspired by stories, loves to forage in the woods and dreams of being able to write. Living with her sister and overbearing father, Freda's life is upended when her village is attacked by Danish raiders. Injured and lucky to survive, Freda is placed in the women's abbey Saint Ositha's by the newly appointed bishop. Bishop Ælle promises to teach Freda to write while capitalising on her miraculous survival in a bid to attract pilgrims to the abbey.

As she settles into her new life at the abbey, Freda struggles with her faith, continues to mourn her sister and is consumed by rage at the Vikings. Later in the book Freda's rage is stoked anew:

"I thought of Saint Paul urging us not to allow the sun to set on our anger. I smiled. This sun was not setting. This sun was rising on my anger, illuminating my rage in gold." Page 264-265

Freda is a feisty character and Marion Taffe expertly brings this period in English history alive, skillfully helping the reader make sense of the complicated politics of 10th century Wessex. A coming of age story, Freda must find her place in the abbey and eventually develops a connection with Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians. Freda is inspired by Æthelflæd's courage and steadfast leadership and their shared bond over grief.

"Death's twin sister is Grief. She waits at the door while Death takes the soul, then Grief enters the living. The first time you meet, she ties a chain around your heart and fastens it with hooks, and the hooks dig deeper with the effort of each beat. Grief is with you always. She is the long cold night. The eternal uhtcearu." Page 205*

*Uhtcearu (oot-key-are-oo) is an Anglo-Saxon word that translates to mean pre-dawn anxiety or nighttime sorrow.

I adored Taffe's writing in By Her Hand and I agree with the publisher that it will appeal to fans of Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell, Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks and The Anchoress by Robyn Cadwallader. I also think it'll appeal to readers who enjoyed The Good Wife of Bath by Karen Brooks, Rapture by Emily Maguire and Book of Colours by Robyn Cadwallader.

I was fortunate to purchase a signed edition of By Her Hand at Readings during a visit with a friend and the irony that it's signed by the hand of the author isn't lost on me. And can we take a moment to admire the stunning cover design? This has to be one of my favourite covers for 2025 and having recently enjoyed Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton, I took great pleasure seeing the hare on the cover and the meaning it has for the protagonist.

The importance of stories is a key thread in this historical fiction novel, and in a meta fashion, the author acknowledges the power of story in a conversation between Bishop Ælle and Freda:

"Have I not taught you that stories are spears in the right hands? Even a lie can be shaped, tamed, turned into an elegy to make a man yield. A poem can forge a kingdom. A riddle can crush a mind." Page 290

I always read the Acknowledgements section of a book but can't remember the last time I commented on one in a review but I have three observations worth noting from this one. I really enjoyed learning that the author tried to build Saint Ositha's in Minecraft with her children and I'd love to see it. Secondly, it was cool to hear the author made hearth cakes - frequently referenced in the book - with her children for research during lockdown. I'm imagining they would taste like damper but I'd love to try them. Thirdly, and I rarely see this, but Marion Taffe thanks the authors who provided generous and thoughtful endorsements for this book. It may seem obvious but often this is never publicly 'acknowledged' by authors in this way and her gratitude impressed me.

Australian author Marion Taffe has burst onto the scene with this debut and I thoroughly recommend By Her Hand to fans of historical fiction set during the early medieval period, even if this is your first time venturing that far back in history. You're definitely in safe hands but if you're not sure, you can read the first 39 pages in a free sample from the publisher.

My Rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★