Simone Reddington

I am writing this in the weird post-Christmas, pre-New Year limbo when nobody has any idea what day it is, and we are all surviving on leftover treats mince pies and turkey-based dinners.  I’ve already received my personalised ‘Year in Books’ statistics from Goodreads and, with two days left of 2025, it’s time to reflect on the books that I read in the final quarter of the year.   

A Half Baked Idea- Olivia Potts 

I bought this from the lovely Linen Hall second-hand bookshop in Belfast, when I visited the city for my friend’s wedding back in August.  The 2019 book is a memoir in which Olivia Potts shares how prematurely losing her mother at the age of twenty-five prompted her to not only learn to cook, but to go as far to complete a Cordon Bleu cookery course.  Potts describes her grief in a beautifully raw and honest style, using recipes and descriptions of comfort meals that she enjoyed as a child to honour her mother’s memory.  As a fellow Northerner who also enjoys hearty food, I related to her a lot. The book also contains recipes to cook the dishes described by the author, if any budding chefs fancy tackling them. 

The Beekeeper of Aleppo-  Christy Lefteri

I started reading Christy Lefteri’s 2019 novel, The Beekeeper of Aleppo on holiday in Morocco, and it was so good that it kept me out of the pool for hours as I devoured it.  It tells the story of the journey taken by Nuri (the narrator) and his wife Afra, who are forced to flee their home in the city of Aleppo, after the Syrian civil war destroyed their lives as they knew it. Nuri’s narrative is split as he reflects upon their treacherous journey across the Middle East to Europe from the refugee hostel in England, where they still face an uncertain future and must come to terms with what has happened to them.  The beautifully written novel is based upon Lefteri’s own experiences volunteering in refugee camps and remains as relevant as ever in today’s political climate.  Refugees are humans who deserve compassion and shelter, like anyone else, and nobody risks their lives to cross borders by a dingy unless they are utterly desperate; contrary to what far-right politicians and British tabloid newspapers may want us to believe.     

Magpie– Elizabeth Day

I am a huge fan of Elizabeth Day and her work, especially her How to Fail memoir/manifesto which I read in the summer.  I was therefore very intrigued to see how her fictional work would compare, when I found a copy of her 2022 thriller, Magpie on my parents’ bookshelf.  Without giving away any spoilers (the book has a shocking midway plot twist), the narrative begins from the perspective of Marissa; a young woman who thinks her relationship with Jake, with whom she is trying to conceive a baby with, is perfect until a lodger moves into their home.  Kate acts as though she owns the house and has a relationship with Jake that is far too comfortable for Marissa’s liking, making her wonder if Jake is keeping any secrets from her.  I really liked the mixed narrative structure that allowed the reader to understand the story from the perspective of both female protagonists.  

Starter for Ten- David Nicholls

I am usually the type of person who insists on waiting until I’ve read the book before watching the film/TV adaptation, but I had already watched the 2006 movie adaptation of Starter for Ten multiple times, before I even knew that it was originally a book.  First published in 2003, it is the debut novel of David Nicholls, i.e the king of British romance and one of my all-time favourite authors. The bildungsroman story is set in 1980s Britain and follows a working-class teenager, Brian, who heads off to university where he struggles to fit in amongst his middle-class contemporaries.  When he joins the college’s University Challenge team entry to honour his late father’s memory, he falls madly in love with his teammate.  Beautiful and glamourous, Alice’s privileged background is a million miles away from Brian’s, but he is determined to impress her at whatever cost.  Starter for Ten is a beautiful and hilarious story that reminds me of my own university days and makes me feel very glad that I am no longer a naive eighteen-year-old who believes that cool people will respect me if I pretend to be someone who I’m not. 

True Crime Story- Joseph Knox

I really enjoyed reading Joseph Knox’s 2021 novel, True Crime Story, as it was unlike any novel I read before.  It tells the fictional story of the disappearance of bright and popular student Zoe Noland, who was last seen leaving a party at her Manchester halls of residence at the end of her first term at university. The case picks up mass media attention, but the police can’t find any trace of the missing girl until eight years later, when an aspiring writer takes an interest in the case. She conducts thorough interviews with various members of Zoe’s family and her friends, as well as their associates; uncovering the many dark secrets that surrounded Zoe in the months leading up to her disappearance.  Knox presents the narrative in the form of interview transcripts and email correspondence between the characters, which is effective as the reader feels that they are reading a genuine true crime book.  He evens places himself as character in the narrative, as a more established true crime writer whom Evelyn communicates with, which makes it feel more realistic. True Crime Story was last book that I finished reading in 2025, and the dark, gripping plot kept me hooked to its pages over the festive period.   

*This blog post was written and posted in 2026 but I read all of the books last year.