This week’s topic for Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl) is “Halloween Freebie”.

Today also marks the start of Witch Week, hosted by Chris and Lizzie, and their theme for this year is…Cryptozoo, “all about legendary animals, fantastic beasts and literary monsters.” I thought this would make an interesting top ten, so I am listing below a selection of monstrous animals and mythological creatures, all of which have appeared in books I’ve read and reviewed on my blog.

Not all of these are traditionally associated with Halloween, but I don’t think you would want to meet any of them after dark!

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1. The Minotaur
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

I’m starting my list with one of the most famous creatures from Greek mythology. The Minotaur has the head of a bull and the body of a man and is imprisoned in the Labyrinth of Knossos on the island of Crete. He appears in many novels and books of mythology, including Saint’s Ariadne, written from the perspectives of the Minotaur’s sisters, Ariadne and Phaedra.

2. Mari Lwyd
Silver on the Tree by Susan Cooper

This final novel in Cooper’s The Dark is Rising sequence features several beasts and monsters, including the afanc, a Welsh lake monster, and some very threatening black minks and polecats. Most terrifying of all is the skeleton horse known as the Mari Lwyd, another creature from Welsh folklore.

3. Medved
The Winternight trilogy by Katherine Arden

This is a wonderful fantasy trilogy set in medieval Russia and grounded in mythology, folklore and fairy tales. The novels feature several chyerts, or spirits, including the demonic Medved, who at one moment can appear to be a man, the next a bear.

4. Ox-headed demons
The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

The Ghost Bride is a very unusual historical fantasy novel in which a young Chinese woman receives a marriage proposal from a dead man, then enters the underworld to investigate his murder. Here she finds that the Chinese afterlife is populated with many ghosts, spirits and monsters, among them the sinister ox-headed demons, guardians of the underworld.

5. Tintaglia
The Realm of the Elderlings sequence by Robin Hobb

There are several dragons who appear throughout Robin Hobb’s sixteen-volume fantasy sequence, but for this list I have chosen Tintaglia, the blue female who is the first to hatch when dragons begin to return to the world during the Liveship Traders Trilogy. Like the other dragons in the series, Tintaglia is proud and unpredictable, and for the human characters she can be either an ally or a danger.

6. Jörmungandr
Ragnarok by A.S. Byatt

Another mythical being, this time from Norse mythology. Jörmungandr, also known as the World Serpent, encircles the Earth and bites its own tail. When it releases its tail, Ragnarök, the final battle of the world, will begin. Byatt’s novel is written from the perspective of a little girl who has been evacuated during World War II and relates the Norse myth to her own life in wartime Britain.

7. Kikimora
The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore

Like the Katherine Arden books above, this one combines Russian history and folklore, this time telling the story of the witch, Baba Yaga. The kikimora, a secondary character in the novel, is a house spirit from Slavic mythology. She has a birdlike appearance and lives in a swamp, where she plagues the dreams of any human who falls asleep near her watery home.

8. The Leviathan
The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews

At first this appears to be a novel about a woman accused of witchcraft in the 17th century, but halfway through it develops into something quite different with tales of a fearsome snake-like sea monster. I loved the foreboding atmosphere of the earlier chapters and would have preferred the book to continue that way, but I know other readers enjoyed the second half a lot more than I did!

9. The Beast Folk
The Island of Doctor Moreau by HG Wells

Sometimes the most frightening monsters are those that could really exist. In Wells’ classic science fiction novel, a man is shipwrecked on an island inhabited by a scientist who has been experimenting on animals. Thankfully Wells doesn’t go into those experiments in too much detail, but the results are both sad and horrific.

10. Behemoth
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

This list wouldn’t be complete without Behemoth, the demonic, chess-playing, vodka-drinking black cat from Bulgakov’s Soviet classic. I loved this book and must read it again to see if I can pick up on some of the things I know I missed the first time!

What do you think of my list? Which other literary beasts and monsters would you include?

This week’s topic for Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl) is “Reading Goals I Still Want to Accomplish Before the End of the Year”.

In January I made a list of some reading resolutions for the year ahead, so I thought I would return to them here and see how I’m progressing. There are only seven, so this is not a full top ten list this week!

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1. Finish my Classics Club list.
At the start of this year I had sixteen books remaining on my Classics Club list. I had hoped to read all of them during 2023, but as usual I’ve been distracted by other books and so far have only read seven of them, leaving nine still on the list. I’m planning to read at least some of the others before the end of the year, but I think this is one goal that won’t be complete until 2024.

2. Re-read some old favourites.
I’ve only managed one re-read this year – The Scapegoat by Daphne du Maurier – but it was one I particularly enjoyed as I wasn’t sure I’d interpreted things correctly the first time I read it. I really need to find time for more re-reads!

3. Resist the temptations of NetGalley.
At the start of January, the number of books I had waiting on my NetGalley shelf was down to single figures for the first time in years. I’ve been making an effort this year to be more restrained and request fewer books, but my reading slowed down for a while in the summer so the number on the shelf has slowly built up again. They are all books I really want to read, though, which is the most important thing.

4. Make some progress with my Reading the Walter Scott Prize project.
Unfortunately, I haven’t made much progress with this at all! I’ve read three books from this year’s Walter Scott Prize shortlist, but there were seven on the list so I still have the others to catch up with. I also still have lots of books to read from the previous years’ shortlists – I haven’t even managed to read last year’s winner yet!

5. Continue with some of the series and trilogies I’ve started and never finished!
I’ve had some success with this goal, finishing Robin Hobb’s Fitz and the Fool Trilogy and picking up the next books in Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series and Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin series. On the other hand, I’ve also started two more trilogies – the Eliot Chronicles by Elizabeth Goudge and the Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay. Who knows when I’ll get round to finishing them!

6. Take part in the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge and Read Christie 2023.
I’m doing very well with the Historical Fiction Challenge, which isn’t surprising as it’s my favourite genre. My target for the year was 50 books (‘Prehistoric’ level) and I’ve read 39 with almost three months still to go. For Read Christie 2023, I joined in with the monthly reads in January, February, April, May, August and September. I’m happy with that as I hadn’t planned to participate every month – I love Christie, but twelve books a year by the same author can be too much. I have Endless Night lined up for November, but not sure yet whether I’ll read anything for October or December.

7. Make every book I read a potential book of the year.
This is always the ultimate goal of every reader, surely? Of course I haven’t achieved it and have been disappointed in some of the books I’ve chosen to read during 2023, but I’ll stay optimistic and hope I find some more books of the year in the remaining three months!

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Did you make any reading resolutions in January – and if so, are you sticking to them? What are you hoping to accomplish with your reading before the end of the year?

This week’s topic for Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl) is “Books on My Fall 2023 To-Read List”.

I have a lot more than ten books I’m hoping to read this autumn, but here’s a selection of them:

For the Read Christie 2023 challenge:

1. Endless Night by Agatha Christie

Some possible reads for the upcoming 1962 Club:

2. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
3. The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer

Books from my Classics Club list:

4. The Elusive Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
5. Fire From Heaven by Mary Renault

Some NetGalley review copies:

6. The Winter Spirits: Ghostly Tales for Frosty Nights by various authors
7. The Devil’s Flute Murders by Seishi Yokomizo
8. Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
9. The Fake Wife by Sharon Bolton
10. Water by John Boyne

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Have you read any of these? Which books are on your autumn/fall TBR?

This week’s topic for Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl) is “Genre Freebie (Pick a genre and build a list around it.)”

As you all probably know by now, my favourite genre is historical fiction. For this week’s list, I decided to highlight some books I haven’t mentioned here very often because I read them before I started my blog in 2009. I’ve included a good variety of different time periods and geographical settings, so I hope there’ll be something to interest everyone.

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1. Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd – I’ve read and enjoyed all nine of Edward Rutherfurd’s books, each of which explores the history of a specific city, region or country, usually over a period of many centuries. I’ve only reviewed his two most recent books, Paris and China, but I think his earlier ones were better, including Sarum which is set around Salisbury and Stonehenge and follows five families from the Ice Age to the present day.

2. North and South by John Jakes – The first in a trilogy in which we follow two families, the Mains from South Carolina and the Hazards from Pennsylvania, before, during and after the American Civil War. I enjoyed all three books, particularly the first two, and also loved the star-studded 1980s miniseries. I felt that the story being told from both perspectives – north and south, Union and Confederacy, slave owner and abolitionist – helped me understand the Civil War in more depth than other books I’ve read.

3. Cloud Mountain by Aimee Liu – I read this when it was first published more than twenty years ago and loved it. It’s about an American woman who marries a Chinese man in the early 20th century – a time when this was not considered acceptable – and it explores issues including racism and prejudice, war and revolution, all set during a fascinating period of Chinese history.

4. Katherine by Anya Seton – Again, I’ve reviewed a few of Anya Seton’s books on my blog, including Devil Water and Dragonwyck, but not my favourite, her 1954 novel Katherine, which tells the story of Katherine Swynford, mistress of John of Gaunt (son of Edward III). It’s much more than just a romance – I loved Seton’s vivid and memorable portrayal of medieval England.

5. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough – Another classic family saga I enjoyed when I was younger, this time set on a fictional sheep station in Australia where the story of Meggie Cleary and the priest Ralph de Bricassart plays out. It’s also another one that was made into a successful TV miniseries, although in this case I think I preferred the book.

6. Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati – This is the first of a series of six novels, although I lost interest after the third one and haven’t read the rest. The first book introduces us to Elizabeth Middleton, who leaves England in 1792 to join her family in a remote New York mountain village. Donati has said the series was loosely inspired by James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans.

7. The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons – The first in a trilogy set in Leningrad, now St Petersburg, during World War II and following the story of Tatiana Metanova and her love for the Red Army soldier Alexander Belov. The horrific descriptions of life during the Siege of Leningrad, where the people suffer from the actions of both the Nazis and their own communist government, will stay with me forever.

8. The Physician by Noah Gordon – I loved this book and its sequel, Shaman, and have been meaning to re-read both for years, although I never have. It tells the story of Rob J. Cole, a boy who grows up in 11th century England dreaming of becoming a physician and who later makes the long journey to Persia looking for an opportunity to study medicine and fulfil his dream.

9. Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor – My edition of this book states “The original bodice-ripper is back in print”, which is quite amusing as this 1944 novel is very tame by today’s standards. It follows the adventures of Amber St Clare in Restoration England, during the plague and the Great Fire of London and although I can’t remember much of it now, I do remember being shocked by the unexpected ending!

10. Shogun by James Clavell – I haven’t read much historical fiction set in Japan, but I did read this one, about a 17th century sailor and navigator, John Blackthorne, who is shipwrecked on the coast of feudal Japan. The character is based on William Adams, the first Englishman to visit Japan. I remember finding the book interesting, but it wasn’t one I particularly enjoyed and haven’t been tempted to read again.

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Have you read any of these? What are your favourite historical fiction novels?

This week’s topic for Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl) is “Books with animals in the title and/or covers with animals on them”.

I’ve read lots of books with animals in the title – the only problem was deciding on ten of them!

Here’s my list:

1. The Gabriel Hounds by Mary Stewart – I always enjoy Mary Stewart’s novels and I found this one, set in Syria and Lebanon, a particularly fascinating story. The ‘hounds’ of the title are owned by our narrator’s Great-Aunt Harriet who lives near Beirut and models herself on the real-life adventurer Lady Hester Stanhope.

2. Frog Music by Emma Donoghue – I’ve read several of Donoghue’s novels now and have found each one very different from the one before. This one takes place in 1870s San Francisco and features a nightclub dancer, a trapeze artist and a woman who catches frogs to sell to restaurants. The plot is based on a true story of an unsolved murder.

3. The Viper of Milan by Marjorie Bowen – Published in 1906, this was the first novel by the very prolific Marjorie Bowen and is set in 14th century Italy, following the rivalry between the Duke of Milan and the Duke of Verona. I was surprised to find that it was one of Graham Greene’s favourite books and influenced his own early work.

4. Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson – The fourth book in Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie mystery series. I’ve read all of them but this one, which moves back and forth between a murder case in the 1970s and a modern day attempt to trace the origins of an adopted child, is not one of my favourites. Like the others in the series, I found that the crime element takes second place to the personal storylines of the characters.

5. The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie – A standalone Christie with neither Poirot nor Miss Marple, although another of her recurring characters, the crime writer Ariadne Oliver, does make an appearance. With a plot involving three women believed to be witches, this is an atmospheric and unsettling novel with a real sense of evil and a hint of the supernatural. It’s not one of my top few Christies but I did enjoy it.

6. Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively – The first and only one of Lively’s adult novels I’ve read, although I did read several of her children’s books when I was younger. The story unfolds through a series of memories and episodes which combine to form a portrait of our protagonist, Claudia. I found the book fragmented and confusing, but liked it overall, particularly the vivid descriptions of Claudia’s time in Egypt as a war correspondent.

7. Prince of Foxes by Samuel Shellabarger – A classic historical adventure novel published in 1947. Set in Renaissance Italy, it’s the story of Andrea Orsini, who is given the task of negotiating a marriage between Alfonso d’Este and Lucrezia Borgia. I described it in my review as involving “battles, duels, clever disguises, last-minute escapes, sieges, miracles and all sorts of trickery and deception”. I loved it, but still haven’t read any of Shellabarger’s other books.

8. A Marriage of Lions by Elizabeth Chadwick – This book, by one of my favourite authors of medieval historical fiction, tells the story of Joanna de Munchensy of Swanscombe and her marriage to William de Valence, the younger half-brother of Henry III. Set against the backdrop of the Second Barons’ War and the conflict between the King and Simon de Montfort, this is a fascinating read with a focus on two lesser known historical figures.

9. Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew’d by Alan Bradley – This is the eighth book in Bradley’s mystery series starring child detective Flavia de Luce. Despite the young heroine, these are not really ‘children’s books’ and Bradley has said they were originally intended for adults. This adult reader has certainly found that they have a lot to offer!

10. Leopard at the Door by Jennifer McVeigh – This book is set in Kenya in the 1950s and is surprisingly dark, which you might not have guessed from the cover. That’s because it deals with the Mau Mau Uprising of 1952, during which the Mau Mau people began to rebel against British rule, with lots of ensuing violence and brutality. It’s an interesting and balanced novel and I learned a lot from it.

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Have you read any of these? Which other books with animals in the title can you think of?

This week’s topic for Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl) is a “Love/Valentine’s Day Freebie”.

To celebrate Valentine’s Day I have listed ten books I’ve read with the word ‘heart’ in the title. However, they are not all love stories – in fact, most of them aren’t!

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1. Second Hand Heart by Catherine Ryan Hyde – A moving novel exploring the theory of cellular memory – the idea that a transplanted organ retains the memories and characteristics of its previous owner.

2. The Heart of Midlothian by Sir Walter Scott – This classic novel is set in Edinburgh during the 1736 Porteous Riots. It’s not my favourite of the few novels I’ve read by Scott, but I did like the heroine, Jeanie Deans, who walks all the way to London to try to save her sister’s life.

3. The Obscure Logic of the Heart by Priya Basil – The story of a Sikh man and a Muslim woman who fall in love as students, this is the only real ‘romance’ on my list, but it’s also so much more than that, touching on politics, poverty, gun crime and the work of the UN.

4. The Metal Heart by Caroline Lea – In this book set during World War II, Caroline Lea weaves the story of two twin sisters around the building of a chapel in the Orkney Islands by Italian prisoners of war. An interesting blend of fact and fiction.

5. Bleeding Heart Square by Andrew Taylor – This standalone historical mystery is set in 1930s London. It’s both an entertaining novel and a fascinating portrayal of the rise of Oswald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists.

6. The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne – The story of Ireland from the 1940s to the modern day as seen through the eyes of Cyril Avery, a gay man trying to come to terms with his sexuality, and written with John Boyne’s usual wit and humour.

7. With All My Heart by Margaret Campbell Barnes – A fictional account of the life of Catherine of Braganza, the Portuguese princess who marries King Charles II. First published in 1951, it does feel dated now but is interesting as Catherine is not a popular subject for historical fiction.

8. Written in My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon – The eighth book in Gabaldon’s Outlander series sees Claire and Jamie in America in the middle of the Revolutionary War. It’s not a favourite of mine – I loved the first four in the series, but have been gradually losing interest with each book after that.

9. The Oaken Heart by Margery Allingham – Better known for her Albert Campion detective novels, this is Allingham’s memoir of life in her small English village during the Second World War. Originally published in 1941, while the war was still taking place.

10. The Silvered Heart by Katherine Clements – Set in the 17th century, this novel is inspired by the real life highwaywoman, Katherine Ferrers, also known as ‘the Wicked Lady’. Not much is known about the historical woman, but Clements brings her story to life while also portraying England in the aftermath of Civil War.

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Have you read any of these books? Which other books with ‘heart’ in the title can you think of?

This week’s topic for Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl) is “New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2022”. There were lots of authors I tried for the first time last year, but the ten I’m listing below are all authors I enjoyed and am hoping to read again.

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1. Catriona McPherson – In Place of Fear, a mystery set in 1940s Edinburgh, was my first book by Scottish author McPherson. I think I might try one of her Dandy Gilver mysteries next.

2. Nevil Shute – I finally got round to reading Pied Piper last year and enjoyed it. A Town Like Alice is probably going to be the next book I read by Shute.

3. Frances Quinn – Frances Quinn’s That Bonesetter Woman was one of my books of the year in 2022, so I’m looking forward to reading her previous novel, The Smallest Man.

4. F. Tennyson Jesse – I had wanted to read A Pin to See the Peepshow, Jesse’s retelling of the Thompson/Bywaters murder case, for years and was finally able to with this new British Library edition. Her other books seem to be more difficult to find.

5. Tom Mead – I loved Death and the Conjuror, a new mystery series set in the 1930s and featuring retired magician Joseph Spector. The next book, The Murder Wheel, is out in July!

6. Karen Joy Fowler – Another book I enjoyed last year was Booth, Karen Joy Fowler’s fictional biography of the theatrical Booth family. Her books had never appealed to me before, but I obviously need to look at them again,

7. Patricia Wentworth – I chose Fool Errant as my first Patricia Wentworth novel for last year’s 1929 Club. I didn’t love it but it was entertaining and I’m hoping to try another of her books soon, maybe one of her Miss Silver mysteries.

8. William Boyd – Another of my books of the year for 2022 was my first William Boyd novel, The Romantic. He has a very extensive backlist which I’m looking forward to exploring.

9. Jill Dawson – I enjoyed The Bewitching, based on the true story of the Witches of Warboys. Her previous books seem to cover a wide range of topics and settings – the problem will be deciding which one to try next!

10. ETA Hoffmann – I read The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr for last year’s German Literature Month. It’s a very unusual and original novel and was a good introduction to his work!

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Have you read any of these authors? Which new (or new-to-you) authors did you discover last year?