I joined a book club in December 2024. The first book we had to read was ‘Evil Eye’ by Etaf Rum. I hadn’t heard of the book or the author before but I found it a compelling read. Rating: 4* https://amzn.eu/d/0bgM8tsL

Here’s what other people had to say about it:

‘A complicated mother-daughter drama that looks at the lasting effects of intergenerational trauma and what it takes to break the cycle of abuse’ Time magazine, ‘The Most Anticipated Books of the Year’

‘[A] masterfully written story . . . An absorbing tale of a woman who wants more for her daughters and for herself, it’s a five-star read’ Woman’s Weekly

Next, we had a book I absolutely loved which was ‘The Burnings’ by Naomi Kelsey. It’s historical fiction, set just before James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England, and it looks at the north Berwick witch trials through the eyes of Scottish housemaid Geillis and Danish courtier Margareta. Some people in my book club found the torture scenes too graphic; some were put off by the density of the book. I loved the way it linked so well with Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ which I was teaching at the time. (I made the mistake of lending my copy of ‘The Burnings’ to a student – that was the last time I saw it.) Rating: 4.5* https://amzn.eu/d/0jloaAOK

We had some other books that I read but which didn’t grab me, and then we came to Katherine Arden’s ‘The Bear and the Nightingale’ which was probably one of my favourite books that year. It’s historical fantasy, rooted firmly in Russian folklore and the dichotomy between the Church and the ‘old religion’ towards the end of the first millennium. I would strongly urge you to read this one if folk tales and fairy tales are your thing. I enjoyed it so much that I bought and read the other two books in the ‘Winternight trilogy’. Book 2 is ‘The Girl in the Tower’ and Book 3 is ‘The Winter of the Witch’. Arden is a lovely writer and her knowledge of Russia in the 900s is vast and impressive. Rating: 5* https://amzn.eu/d/089lgoJN

There was more fantasy later on with ‘A Fate Inked in Blood’ by Danielle L. Jensen. This had a Viking setting and was fairly enjoyable although it did get a little steamy at one point. In the end I didn’t like it as much as ‘The Bear and the Nightingale’ or ‘The Burnings’, so I’d rate it a little lower. Rating: 3.5/4* https://amzn.eu/d/04BZ14C5

The book club I joined first tries to offer at least one ‘Black History Month’ title every year. This time, we had ‘Homegoing’ by Yaa Gyasi. It tells the story over multiple generations of two sisters who grow up separately and lead very different lives. We see the thread of slavery following one line of descendants, and we also see the difficulties of living in America as a POC at a time when prejudice and discrimination overturn all notions of justice and human rights. I read this soon after finishing Lalita Tademy’s ‘Cane River’ (leant to me by a work colleague who said it was ine of her favourite books), and I found lots of similarities in the way the black women were treated by society as a whole. Rating: 4.5* https://amzn.eu/d/0bd6Q5Sm https://amzn.eu/d/0fn8pTvM

More fantasy arrived in the form of Leigh Bardugo’s ‘The Familiar’, an historical fantasy offset against the Spanish inquisition. This was the first time I’d read anything by Bardugo but I’ll definitely be checking out some of her other novels now. Again, very well written, and probably comes close to the Arden trilogy in enjoyment. Rating: 5* https://amzn.eu/d/0enlTPjc

There were other books, of course, but I’ve tried just to mention my favourites here. I’ve also tried not to give away too much in terms of plot because I’d hate to inadvertently give spoilers.

Happy reading!