BOOK REVIEWS
See what our booksellers have been reading each month.
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APRIL 2025​
JACK
Idle Grounds by Krystelle Bamford​
At a family barbecue, three-year-old Abi vanishes; the adults are too self-absorbed to notice, reflecting on their late mother Beezy, whose presence still looms over the family home; so it falls to the remaining cousins to find her.
Krystelle Bamford writes in first person plural, placing us amongst the gaggle of cousins - the oldest of whom is only twelve. They’re less concerned for Abi herself and more so for getting in trouble for losing her, and there are constant distractions along the way. Their search takes them from the house to the woods, leading us deeper into both the grounds and the family history.
It’s never clear whether what occurs is in their imagination or not, and that’s a theme that runs throughout the story. This book is chilling, not only for what they experience and understand, but the implication of what they don’t.
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OLIVIA
Swept Away by Beth O'Leary
Ever wondered what it would be like to be stuck on a tiny houseboat with your one night stand? As you can imagine, it’s an absolute nightmare! But with Beth O’Leary’s signature romantic flair, this horror story becomes a hilarious and swoon-worthy love story. With a feisty, independent heroine, a quirky, secretly romantic hero, an accidental knife wound and multiple misunderstandings, will they let down their guard and, more importantly, will they actually survive?
WARNING: Please do not attempt a romantic nautical getaway, it won’t go swimmingly.
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JOE
Inspector Imanishi Investigates by Seicho Matsumoto
I first discovered Matsumoto’s work when Penguin Classics began brand-new translations of his 1950s work, beginning with Tokyo Express. Regarded as the godfather of Japanese detective fiction, these are classic detective tales from the era before CCTV, computers or DNA tests; proper old-school sleuthing.
Imanishi is a polite, dogged, middle-aged detective, with an endearing habit of sitting and writing haiku poetry when he is stuck on a case. The case is engrossing, but also the setting: this is Japan as it was, changing after the war and the American occupation, old and new ways of living clashing.
I had never heard of Matsumoto until these new translations, now I’m addicted to them.
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FIONA
Cary Grant’s Suit by Todd McEwan
A charming meander through film. Perfect for anyone who got together in the playground to recreate their favourite scenes, or claims to dislike musicals in between mesmerising Christmas matinees. But is the cinema the most romantic place to spend a rainy day? No, the author concedes it is a bookshop!
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MARCH 2025​
JACK
As Young As This by Roxy Dunn​
Margot has always believed that each of her romantic partners will eventually whittle down to a husband, and yet, here she is: single again in her mid-thirties. Each chapter recounts a new relationship; from a teenager at a party, to her first real heartbreak, and the gradual complications of love that come with age and maturity.
The time-jumps between chapters feel like dropping in on an old friend, with a bittersweet undertone that Margot may be much older when we next see her.
Certain things will forever remind her of lost loves, bearing each like a scar. The ups, downs, beginnings, and breakups are something we all experience; as such, it’s impossible to not see a bit of yourself in Margot. Roxy Dunn has created a beautifully intimate experience. I wanted to read this book forever.
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SARAH
Probably Nothing by Lauren Bravo
Packed with laugh-out-loud moments, all-too-relatable scenarios, and a great deal of warmth and charm, Probably Nothing reads as a black comedy, drawing you in with rich and complex characters, and a very entertaining plot!
Lauren Bravo explores the modern conditions of anxiety, people-pleasing, parenthood, etc, with both humour and sensitivity, while also presenting the eternal dilemma of whether one should settle or not because “life is short.”
I couldn’t put it down!
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STEPHANIE
The Dandelion Riots by Kim Smejkal
This punch of a book, short and powerful, dives straight into a brutal world. Cursed at birth for a crime they haven’t yet committed, girls have to fight against a society that despises and controls them. Their only chance is to stand together, touching upon sisterhood and feminism.
Throw in a dose of romance, at times almost eye-rolling but eventually beautiful, and Flower Power has never been so dangerous.
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FIONA
The Green Kingdom by Cornelia Funke
Set in Brooklyn, The Green Kingdom encourages finding green spaces in urban areas and asking advice from experts and other generations. As Caspia meets various merchants and enthusiasts in her search through the botanical past, she endears herself to the community she has just joined and makes new friends, young and old. A beautiful story that incorporates interesting facts about plants and their uses through time, making it a lovely springtime gift.
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OLIVIA
My Favourite Mistake by Mirian Keyes
Brilliant, funny and honest! Returning to the Walsh family antics, this new novel follows Rachel’s sister, Anna, as she navigates menopause, breakups, new relationships, a new job, moving back to Ireland from the Big Apple, and turning fifty.
Laugh-out-loud, but with Keyes’ trademark poignancy, this is a perfect uplifting read.
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JOE
Why Don't You Love Me? by Paul B. Rainey
Claire and Mark seem like the worst couple in the world: she won’t leave the house, drinks all the time, he can’t remember the names of their children and has no idea how to do is job, and clearly they don’t like each other.
But as the story slowly unfolds, against a backdrop of international and domestic tension, they start to remember former lives, and in a very slow-burn manner, the real truth of why they are as they are starts to become clear.
A fascinating read which starts as one thing but then slowly leads you down a very different path. Highly recommended.
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