Laura | Books, Cats, Etc.

February 2026 Reading Wrap-Up I'm late posting my February wrap-up because of a lovely family holiday... but I managed to squeeze my reading in around roller coasters! This month I read 9 books – 6 new to me and 3 re-reads (which includes "The Body in the Library", which I talked about in my January wrap-up!). #TBRChallenge Via this month's #TBRChallenge prompts from…

I'm late posting my February wrap-up because of a lovely family holiday... but I managed to squeeze my reading in around roller coasters! This month I read 9 books – 6 new to me and 3 re-reads.

#ReadingWrapUp #BookSky

Book Review: Lord Edgware Dies, by Agatha Christie "Casting her white fur wrap on one chair, and her small jewelled bag on the table, the actress sank on to a chair and exclaimed: 'M. Poirot, somehow or other I’ve just got to get rid of my husband!'"

Book Review: Lord Edgware Dies, by Agatha Christie

"Casting her white fur wrap on one chair, and her small jewelled bag on the table, the actress sank on to a chair and exclaimed: 'M. Poirot, somehow or other I’ve just got to get rid of my husband!'"

#BookReview #BookSky #ReadChristie2026

Book Review: The Case of the Christie Curse, by Kelly Oliver “I’m writing from the middle of nowhere, or close enough, southern Mesopotamia. The Woolleys are excavating royal tombs at Ur. It’s all rather grand, with ancient staircases, crumbling walls, and heat thick as soup. And yet, I feel something is wrong, or at least not what it seems.”

One for all the golden-age mystery fans! Check out my #BookReview of #TheCaseOfTheChristieCurse by Kelly Oliver!

And many thanks to @boldwoodbooks.bsky.social, @rararesources.bsky.social and of course the author for having me on the #BlogTour!

#BookSky

Book Review: Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter, by Heather Fawcett “ …if the woman had informed me that bloodcurdling screams could be heard emanating from the shop in the dead of night, still I would have made my enquiries. This likely sounds absurd, akin to the follies of silly fairytale heroines who cannot stop themselves unlocking doors they have been expressly told not to open, but the fact those stories often leave out is that paying heed to vague warnings is the prerogative of those comfortably situated in life.”

Another thoroughly enjoyable book from author Heather Fawcett – and this time there’s cats! Check out my review of #AgnesAubertsMysticalCatShelter, out tomorrow! 🐈‍⬛

#BookReview #BookSky #NewRelease
@orbitbooksuk.bsky.social

Book Review: Nowhere Burning, by Catriona Ward “If the wild gets inside you, you can’t ever get it out.”

Released on 19th February from my go-to author @catrionaward.bsky.social, check out my review of #NowhereBurning, a twisty, multi-viewpoint story where nothing is quite as it seems!

@viperbooks.bsky.social @netgalley.bsky.social #BookReview #BookSky

January 2026 Reading Wrap-Up It's another year of reading, and once again my priority is to work through some more of the books I already own and bring down my tottering TBR pile! This month I made a good start, reading 6 books, all new to me. I'm also including the first #ReadChristie2026 book of the year below, as it was the January prompt and I finished on 1st February!

A new year, and a new wrap-up! Check out the books I enjoyed in Janauary below!

#ReadingWrapUp #MonthlyWrapUp #BookSky

Book Review: The Body in the Library, by Agatha Christie "Downstairs in the lounge, by the third pillar from the left, there sits an old lady with a sweet, placid spinsterish face, and a mind that has plumbed the depths of human iniquity and taken it as all in the day’s work. Her name’s Miss Marple."

I'm back (although slightly delayed!) for #ReadChristie2026 - and this month's promt was 'best opening' - so what could be better than "The Body in the Library"?

#BookReview #MissMarple #Booksky

Book Review: Arm of the Sphinx, by Josiah Bancroft "The man or woman who is rarely lost, rarely discovers anything new."

I love this series - check out my review of #ArmOfTheSphinx by Josiah Bancroft!

2025 Top 15 "People who could sit in a chair, open a book, and just think themselves around the world were magicians as far as she was concerned."

Better late than never! My round-up of my top reads from 2025!

#TopReads #2025Top15 #BookSky

Book Review: The York Minster Killings, by Wes Markin "As the last of the daylight died away, Riddick struggled to keep himself together. He felt a desperation he’d never felt before. The most peculiar yet. The desperation to help a killer."

#TheYorkMinsterKillings is the seventh book in Wes Markin's Yorkshire Murders series, and sees DI Riddick on a desperate chase across York... See my review below!

#BookReview #WesMarkin #BookSky @boldwoodbooks.bsky.social

December 2025 Reading Wrap-Up 2025 finished with a good reading month for me, and in December I finished a total of 10 books – all new to me and including two I finished as part of slow reads.

2025 finished with a good reading month for me, and in December I finished a total of 10 books – all new to me and including two I finished as part of slow reads. Happy New Year, and happy reading all!

#MonthlyWrapUp #BookSky

Book Review: The Midnight Feast, by Lucy Foley “The branches scrabble against the roof again. I can see them through the windows, pressing against the glass. I get up and draw the curtains, but it doesn’t make me feel all that much better. The questions I’ve been asking myself since I first read about the opening of The Manor come to me again. Who sent me that article? Why? And more importantly, most important of all: what do they know?”

A fast-paced and engrossing read that keeps you guessing until the end – check out my review of “The Midnight Feast” by Lucy Foley!

#BookReview #BookSky

Book Review: Don’t Believe a Word, by Susan Lewis "CONNOR: ‘We’re going to begin by admitting that we aren’t yet sure what the crime is here – bear with us and you’ll see what we mean as the mystery unfolds. It begins with a written story, or an extract from one, that has its roots, we’re sure, in some pretty strange facts.’ CRISTY: ‘It was brought to us by a young woman called Sadie Winters who has no idea of who she really is, where she came from or what actually happened to her when she was just under two years old. But something certainly did.’"

This is the second book in author @susanlewisauthor.bsky.social's Cristy Ward series, and it's even twistier than the first! Check out my review below...

#BookReview #BookSky

Book Review: Murder at Christmas, by G.B. Rubin "You had planned to drive down to Hurley Court in the morning to keep your promise to Algy. But Melissa also needs your help, and it sounds like it could be more urgent. What will you do?"

Do you think you’d make a good detective? Now's your chance to find out! Check out my #BookReview of #MurderAtChristmas by G.B. Rubin - an many thanks as ever to @annerandomthings.bsky.social for having me on the #BlogTour!

#BookSky #MurderMystery

Book Review: Little Eve, by Catriona Ward "My heart is a dark passage, lined with ranks of gleaming jars. In each one something floats. The past, preserved as if in spirit. Here is the scent of grass and the sea, here the creak of wheels on a rough path, here a bright yellow gull's beak. The sensation of blood drying on my cheek in the wind. Abel crying for his mother, Uncle's hand on me. Silver on a white collarbone. The knowledge of loss, which comes like a blow to the heart or the stomach. It does not reach your mind until later."

Catriona Ward is a go-to author for me, and I really enjoyed "Little Eve" with it's gothic mystery vibes! Check out my review below...

#LittleEve #CatrionaWard #BookReview #BookSky

November 2025 Reading Wrap-Up I had my reading mojo back in November, and this month I read nine books, all new to me (unusual for even the Christie to be a new one!).

I had my reading mojo back in November, and this month I read nine books, all new to me – check out my monthly wrap-up below!

#ReadingWrapUp #NovemberWrapUp #TBRChallenge

They are, real page-turners!

Book Review: The Festival, by Louise Mumford “Later, Libby replayed that moment, twisting it this way and that like a Rubik’s Cube, trying to find the combination of actions that would provide a different outcome. But in the end, it was simple. The music roared, as did everyone around her and there was nothing Libby could do to stop Dawn’s fingers from slipping out of her grasp as the throat of the crowd swallowed her friend whole.”

One for the mystery and thriller fans... Check out my #BookReview of #TheFestival by @louisemumford.bsky.social!

#BookSky

Book Review: Postern of Fate, by Agatha Christie “Look here, Tuppence,” said Tommy, “you’re not going to get a thing about this, are you?” “What do you mean, a thing, about this?” “Well, I mean working up a story of mystery.” “Well, it’s a mystery to me,” said Tuppence. “Mary Jordan did not die naturally. It was one of us. I think I know which one. Oh, Tommy, you must say that it is very intriguing.”

One last adventure with Tommy and Tuppence - check out my review of #PosternOfFate by Agatha Christie!

#ReadChristie2025

Book Review: Her Many Faces, by Nicci Cloke “You were twenty-two, a waitress at March House – a private members’ club in the heart of Mayfair, whose patrons were some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in London. You were accused of murdering four of them.”

If you enjoy mysteries, courtroom dramas or unreliable narrators, this one is for you! Check our my review of "Her Many Faces" by Nicci Cloke below!

#HerManyFaces #NicciCloke #RandomThingsTours @annerandomthings.bsky.social

Book Review: Bluff, by Francine Toon "The envelope was addressed to me in block capitals. Inside was a small Christmas card, with a wintry scene on the front. Inside was written in a scrawl: Dear Cameron. Kindly leave things be. This is a warning. Stop asking about Joanie."

A gripping mystery, with a permeating atmosphere of dread - check our my review of #Bluff by @francinetoon.bsky.social!

#Mystery #GothicFiction #NetGalley #BookSky

Book Review: The Future of Travel, by Daniel Maurer "The pandemic taught us that travel is a privilege that can be stripped from us at any time."

What does the future of travel hold? In the latest in the fascinating FUTURES Series from @melvillehouse.bsky.social, travel and culture writer Daniel Maurer delves into this topic...

Check out my #BookReview, and many thanks to Nikki for having me on the #BlogTour!

#TheFutureOfTravel #BookSky

I think it was The Shining - I was expecting to enjoy it, but not as much as I did! How about you?

Book Review: The Cat, by Georges Simenon "Then, to take his revenge, he took out his notebook with pages that were divided into thin strips and he wrote in stick letters: The cat."

The ultimate tale of marital discord... Check out my review of "The Cat" by Georges Simenon!

#TheCat #PenguinClassics #BookSky

October 2025 Reading Wrap-Up October wasn't my best month of the year in terms of number of books read, but it was a great one for story and for dark, autumnal vibes!

After a bumper September, October wasn't my best month of the year in terms of number of books read, but it was a great one for story and for dark, autumnal vibes! Check out my wrap-up below!

#ReadingWrapUp #MonthlyWrapUp #OctoberReads #BookSky

Book Review: The Last Death of the Year, by Sophie Hannah "I expect you would not believe me if I told you it is possible to solve a murder simply by reading a list of all the suspects’ New Year’s resolutions, while knowing no more about any of them. Unlikely as it sounds, it is the truth."

In the latest of her Poirot novels, author Sophie Hannah takes the famous detective to a Greek island, where New Year celebrations do not go to plan... Check out my review below!

#Poirot #BookReview #SophieHannah #Booksky

Book Review: Towards Zero, by Agatha Christie "I like a good detective story,” he said. “But, you know, they begin in the wrong place! They begin with the murder. But the murder is the end. The story begins long before that—years before sometimes—with all the causes and events that bring certain people to a certain place at a certain time on a certain day."

Book Review: Towards Zero, by Agatha Christie

"I like a good detective story,” he said. “But, you know, they begin in the wrong place! They begin with the murder. But the murder is the end. The story begins long before that—years before sometimes—with all the causes and events that bring certain…

Book Review: The Shining, by Stephen King "I don’t think there’s anything here that can hurt you. I don’t think. But what if he was wrong? He had known that this was his last season at the Overlook ever since he had seen that thing in the bathtub of Room 217. It had been worse than any picture in any book, and from here the boy running to his mother looked so small… I don’t think— His eyes drifted down to the topiary animals. Abruptly he started the car and put it in gear and drove away, trying not to look back. And of course he did, and of course the porch was empty. They had gone back inside. It was as if the Overlook had swallowed them."

Which is your favourite, the book or the film?

Check out my #BookReview of #TheShining, a great spooky autumn read!

#StephenKing #ConstantReader #BookSky

Book Review: Katabasis, by RF Kuang "Alice Law, you naughty girl. You're trying to go to Hell."

A highly anticipated read for me… Check out my review of #Katabasis by R.F. Kuang!

#BookReview #BookSky

September 2025 Reading Wrap-Up September always has a ‘back to school’ feeling for me, and I look forward to choosing more autumnal books… And this month I finished a total of ten books – nine new to me, and one re-read!

A week late, but here's my reading wrap-up for September!

#BookSky #MonthlyWrapUp #SeptemberReading