Katheryn97T
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katheryn97t.bsky.social
Katheryn97T
@katheryn97t.bsky.social
1.1K followers 680 following 900 posts
Currently reading Bunny by Mona Awad 💫 she/her
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katheryn97t.bsky.social
Since the Booker Prize winner will be announced tomorrow, here’s my thoughts on my personal favourite 💙📚
The cover of The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller. The bottom half is white to represent snow, with two houses on top, one at either side of the cover, and behind them the sky is purple and pink. One December morning in 1962, Rita crosses the field separating her husband's farm from the doctor's cottage and begins an unlikely friendship with Irene, bonding despite their different backgrounds over their pregnancy and the loneliness of their days. But as the harshest winter in living memory draws in, trouble is brewing in this quiet corner of English countryside... As soon as I started The Land in Winter, I knew that it was going to be good. I love the way this book is written, somehow concise and languorous at the same time, almost cinematic in the way it tells the story while remaining elliptic enough to keep the pages turning. I have seen reviews describing it as a slow read, but this wasn't my experience. It's a book that demands you take your time, but I would quite happily have read it in one sitting had time allowed. I was increasingly reluctant to put this one down, and I found my mind returning to it in the hours I was forced to. The story is also a quiet one, incrementally building in tension towards a crisis point, but centred around ordinary lives. And yet I found the plot riveting, as l came to care for these characters, the evocative writing making me believe in the world Miller has created. I also loved the way the story is told, moving fluidly between characters' perspectives and playing around with the timeline, so that you never quite know what is going to happen next. I knew early on that this was going to be a five-star read for me, and I wasn't disappointed by the ending. I really loved the time I spent with this book, and it's my personal favourite from this year's Booker Prize nominees.
November 9, 2025 at 8:30 AM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
Happy publication day to Palaver by Bryan Washington - my favourite of his books so far 💙📚

My thoughts ⬇️
The cover of Palaver by Bryan Washington, which features a two brightly lit vending machines against a nighttime, urban backdrop. The son has been living in Japan for twelve years and hasn't spoken to his mother in the last three, when she suddenly turns up unannounced. Once he realises how much it will cost to fly her back to America early, the son agrees that the mother can stay - as long as she doesn't get in his way... I've been a fan of Bryan Washington's writing ever since I read Lot (his debut short story collection), and fellow fans won't be disappointed by Palaver's grounded sense of place, descriptions of food you can almost taste, and layered sex scenes. But Palaver is my favourite of his books so far. Washington's sparse style of writing works so well to create a sense of distance between the son and the mother. If I've liked rather than loved Washington's previous books, it's because I found the characters a little unmemorable. Here, the focus on just two characters and the sense of their unknowability prevent that from being a problem. I loved the way Washington's terse dialogue and staccato paragraphs become part of his characterisation, as the son and mother so often leave things unsaid. This creates an ambiguity that lets the reader decide whose side they are on, as the story remains in third-person but flips between the son's and mother's perspectives. It also makes the son and mother feel like real people, elevating the dysfunctional family trope. I have to admit that the length of Palaver coupled with its frequent movements through time did mean I couldn't always completely keep track of everyone, especially since I took my time reading it, savouring the writing and perhaps finding the frequent breaks made it a little too easy to put down. But this means that I can look forward to rereading it, and seeing how all the little pieces come together to make the bigger picture.
November 4, 2025 at 8:02 PM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
📚 Bookish Checkpoint 📚💙

✨ Last Read: ‘Farewell, My Lovely’ - Raymond Chandler
✨ Current Read: ‘Venetian Vespers’ - John Banville
✨ Last Added To TBR: ‘Burying Jericho’ - William Hussey
✨ Next Up: ‘Passing’ - Nella Larsen
A hand holding a (shiny library) Everyman’s edition of The Big Sleep, Farewell, My Lovely, and The High Window by Raymond Chandler against a white wall. The cover of Venetian Vespers by John Banville, which features snow falling against a backdrop of Venice. The cover of Burying Jericho by William Hussey, which is bright pink with a black coffin in the centre, inside which is a neon green helter-skelter and the silhouette of a man. The tagline reads: Murder won’t stay buried. The cover of Passing by Nella Larsen, which is a film tie-in edition. The left-hand side of the cover is black and features Tessa Thompson, and the right-hand side is white and features Ruth Negga.
October 30, 2025 at 6:19 PM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
Happy publication day to The Murder at World’s End by Ross Montgomery - a fun and fresh take on the locked room mystery 💙📚

My thoughts ⬇️
The cover of The Murder at World’s End by Ross Montgomery (a Stockingham & Pike mystery), which is dark blue with a large house in the middle and waves at the bottom, all in dark brown. Believing that Halley's Comet will bring about the end of the world, the Viscount of Tithe Hall gives orders for it to be sealed from top to bottom. When the servants and guests wake the next morning, it is to find the world still standing but the Viscount dead... I love a locked-room mystery, and The Murder at World's End has both a remote setting with a small pool of suspects (which is what the term usually refers to) and a dead body found inside an actual locked room. Tithe Hall is also located on a remote tidal island. I loved the different possibilities investigated by the characters, as well as the final solution which manages to be both surprising and satisfying. The Murder at World's End also adds a fresh twist to the locked-room trope with its apocalyptic setting, which really adds to the tension and atmosphere in the first part of the book. The Murder at World's End is mostly narrated by Stephen Pike, Tithe's Hall newest under-butler, who immediately finds himself under suspicion but discovers an unlikely ally in Miss Decima Stockingham, the fearless and forthright matriarch he is ordered to wait upon. Their characters both have a touch of the cliché about them, but I loved the way Ross Montgomery uses them to tackle the class issues that pervade his book's setting. I found The Murder at World's End an absorbing and humorous read, especially in its depiction of the hapless Inspector Jarvis, and I would definitely be happy to read more books in the series.
October 30, 2025 at 10:02 AM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
The premise of two fed-up housewives convincing themselves they have earned a holiday has become a familiar one, but The Enchanted April continually surprises.

I can see why people are always recommending this one (4⭐️) 💙📚
The cover of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim, Collins Classics edition.
October 27, 2025 at 11:01 PM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
The Last Death of the Year by Sophie Hannah, her latest Hercule Poirot mystery, is out today 💙📚

My thoughts ⬇️
The cover of The Last Death of the Year (a Hercule Poirot mystery) by Sophie Hannah, which is white and features a lit match burning down. It's New Year's Eve in 1932, and Inspector Catchpool of Scotland Yard is looking forward to a well-earned holiday on the idyllic Greek island of Lamperos. But he soon begins to suspect that Hercule Poirot had another reason for inviting him, one that requires them to catch a murderer before the clock strikes twelve... The Last Death of the Year is the sixth book written by Sophie Hannah to feature Agatha Christie's famous detective, Hercule Poirot, but it can easily be read as a standalone. This is quite a slow mystery, in keeping with the gentle tone of the originals, but tension simmers from the very first page as Catchpool is recounting events that have already taken place. Catchpool makes for a relatable and humorous narrator, who guides the reader through the story, and reassures us that he is always a step behind Poirot too. In classic Christie fashion, The Last Death of the Year features a suspicious cast of characters in an isolated location, and Sophie Hannah (who has written a book about holding grudges) seems to have added her own twist by making the suspects a religious community centred around forgiveness. I greatly enjoyed the descriptions of Lamperos, and I loved the distinctive characters Hannah has created. I was also impressed by the mystery itself, which kept me guessing to the end without resorting to implausible reveals. This wasn't quite a five-star read for me, but I loved getting to spend more time with Poirot, and I continue to enjoy Hannah's take on Agatha Christie. Fans of cosy crime, locked room mysteries, and unlikable characters won't be disappointed.
October 23, 2025 at 10:06 AM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
My thoughts on Futility by Nuzo Onoh (4⭐️) - a book I can’t stop thinking about 💙📚
The cover of Futility by Nuzo Onoh, which is a kind of turquoise green and features ingredients including raw meat and eyeballs falling into a dish of red liquid. The tagline reads: Murder. Revenge. Soup. Chia and Claire are both disappointed with the way their lives have turned out, both frustrated by the way they are perceived by society, and both harbouring a dark secret. And after a chance encounter in Chia's restaurant, their lives become entwined, as both women will stop at nothing in their pursuit of revenge... Revenge is not a new topic for fiction, but Futility manages to make it feel fresh. I have deliberately not given much away in my plot summary, because one of my favourite things about this book was its capacity to surprise me. What I initially assumed was another book about a woman getting revenge on men (which I love as a subgenre, but am growing a little tired of) soon reveals itself to be so much more, and Futility uses its Nigerian setting to bring a supernatural element to the story that is brilliant and bonkers and genuinely dread inducing. I also loved the way Futility pulls you into the story, making you care about characters that do terrible things and that terrible things happen to, and part of the book's horror comes from watching events play out that you're powerless to stop. I loved the complexity of this book's protagonists, and fellow fans of unlikable women won't be disappointed. Futility wasn't quite a five-star read for me, and I did find it took a little while to get into as the opening chapters set up the different storylines, but I found it a compulsive read that I can't stop thinking about.
October 17, 2025 at 9:59 AM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
A magical tale of queer romance and found family - I have a few minor quibbles about this one, but I loved the story too much to care about them (5⭐️)

Into the Midnight Wood is out in January! #netgalley 💙📚
The cover of Into the Midnight Wood by Alexandra McCollum, which is dark blue and framed by the silhouettes of trees. At the bottom of the cover are the silhouettes of two people and a small dog, walking out of the wood and towards a house whose windows are all lit up.
October 15, 2025 at 9:48 AM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
An epic coming of age story you can lose yourself in, although not quite a 5⭐️ read for me 💙📚

Booker longlist ✅
A hand holding a (shiny library) hardback copy of The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai against a white wall. It is tilted to show how chunky the spine is.
October 13, 2025 at 2:11 PM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
Happy publication day to All of Us Murderers by KJ Charles - one of my favourite reads of the year 💙📚
The cover of All of Us Murderers by KJ Charles. In full 1970s Gothic style, down to the curly 70s font in yellow and the blue/green colour palette. It shows a scary house on the moors with looming turrets and evil lighting, and two men running from it. The front one is extremely dishevelled with messy hair and skew-wiff tie. The back one is ginger, neater. Both clearly afraid. the tagline is 'Love. Hate. Secrets. It's in the blood.' Zeb Wyckham's first glimpse of Wynn's remote Gothic manor is enough to make him regret his decision to accept his cousin's invitation to visit. By the time the guests (who include the rest of Zeb's contemptible family, not to mention his bitter ex-lover) start reporting ghostly sightings, the Dartmoor mist has rolled in and it is too late to leave... All of Us Murderers somehow manages to recreate the feel of a classic Gothic novel for the modern reader. There is a Gothic manor lit by flickering gas lamps that create shadows in every corner, atmospheric grounds thick with fog and isolated from the moor beyond by imposing walls, and stories of a family curse and hauntings that resemble events in Walter Wyckham's sensationalist novels. But the romance at its heart is delightfully queer, and the morals of our villains are gloriously called out. For all the dread of the story, this is a genuinely joyous book. I loved the sweet and spicy scenes between Zeb and Gideon, the complexity to Elise's character, and the ADHD representation from our protagonist. This genre-bending book manages to make playful allusions to its literary forebears without ever detracting from the world it creates. I loved the characters as much as the setting, and the fresh and funny writing had me hooked from the opening page. The plot does get a little carried away, but that is the point of a Gothic novel after all. I would give All of Us Murderers six stars if I could.
October 7, 2025 at 9:25 AM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
A medium and the ghost of her childhood best friend use their unique skills to solve a murder 💙📚

I loved the premise, but something about the story just didn’t click for me (3⭐️)
The cover of Grave Expectations by Alice Bell.
October 5, 2025 at 12:41 PM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
Happy publication day to Love at First Fright by Nadia El-Fassi - the perfect autumnal read 💙📚

#netgalley #romancelandia
The cover of Love at First Fright by Nadia El-Fassi, which features a man and woman in each other’s arms against a sparkling purple background. When filming begins on an adaptation of one of her books, horror writer Rosemary and lead actor Ellis are determined to hate each other. But when they're forced into close proximity in a haunted manor, events quickly spiral beyond their control... Love at First Fright is a romance with supernatural elements, as Rosemary's ability to see ghosts is an integral part of the story but the main plot is driven by the romance between her and Ellis. What starts off as an enemies-to-lovers romance quickly becomes a spicy dom/sub romance, and I enjoyed that we get that initial tension without having to wait too long for the payoff. The first half of Love at First Fright also explores the age-gap trope, with 41 year-old Ellis worrying that his feelings for the 29 year-old Rosemary make him a cliche, while the second half explores the celebrity romance trope, as Rosemary discovers what dating a famous actor entails. I found Love at First Fright a page-turning read, funny and steamy in equal measure, and with a delightful supernatural subplot. I also loved the details about horror books and films, and about Rosemary's life as an author. It wasn't quite a five-star read for me, as I thought the romance plot dragged a little once the supernatural subplot came to a close, but I enjoyed it very much, and I think it is the perfect autumn read.
October 2, 2025 at 9:58 AM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
Time to find out what all the fuss is about 💙📚
The cover of Katabasis by R.F. Kuang, which features the tagline: To Hell with love.
September 25, 2025 at 6:54 PM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
I love this series a little more with every book 💙📚

The Unfathomable Curse is out now - thanks to @titanbooks.bsky.social for an advance copy!
The cover of The Unfathomable Curse by Courtney Smyth. After spending the best part of a year avoiding her parents, Cornelia has been cut off from the Broadwick fortune, but she still can't bring herself to speak to them. And then the Wickermere Reaper abducts Cornelia's twin sisters, and she finds herself back in the family home, in a race against the clock to save their lives... The Unfathomable Curse is the third book in The Undetectables series, and I don't know how well it would work as a standalone. In addition to the main plot revolving around the Wickermere Reaper, there is also a subplot focusing on the Wrackton Digger, a character arc for Cornelia, and an overarching storyline that spans the entire series. The main plot resembles those from the first two books, as Mallory, Diana, and Cornelia have to put their own lives on the line to solve a fiendishly complex magical mystery in a race against the clock. But instead of Wrackton, the setting is an evocatively eerie Wickermere, and instead of the friends they usually rely on to help them, the witches have only the Ghoul Council headed by Cornelia's parents, who are also their only suspects. I love a mystery centred around a small group of suspicious characters, and this one kept me guessing right until the end. There is a lot going on in The Unfathomable Curse and it all ends on something of a cliffhanger. After The Undetectables focused on Mallory and The Undead Complex on Diana, in The Unfathomable Curse it is Cornelia's turn. As well as the main plot being centred around her family, we also get to see her processing the trauma of being abducted by the Whistler and dealing with her feelings about Mallory, the Broadwicks, and herself. I love that the series is structured like this, and I hope it is Theodore's turn next!
September 23, 2025 at 7:43 AM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
Currently reading 💙📚
The cover of The Living and the Dead by Christoffer Carlsson, which features a black and white image of a deer looking at the viewer. The tagline reads: One town. Two crimes. Twenty years of silence.
September 18, 2025 at 8:11 AM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
My thoughts on this enigmatic read from the Booker longlist:

Thank you to @fitzcarraldoeds.bsky.social for an advance copy 💙📚
The cover of One Boat by Jonathan Buckley, which is published by Fitzcarraldo Editions and so is all blue with the title, author, and publisher in white. When her father dies, Teresa returns to the small Greek town she stayed in when her mother died nine years earlier. As the days count down until she must return home, Teresa finds herself needing to know the truth about something that happened on her last visit. One Boat is a slow but short read, driven more by Teresa's narration than by the plot. In between scenes from Teresa's stay, we encounter her thoughts, dreams, and memories, and the central crux of the book seems to be how the lives of two of the people Teresa met on her first visit may or may not intersect. I loved the way the reader has to work to find meaning in the story as it floats between past and present, sometimes without clear distinctions. Yet One Boat is enigmatic rather than confusing, and it centres around only a few characters, all memorable in their own way. I also loved the way it evokes that holiday feeling, as Teresa spends her time on tourist activities, and I was impressed by how Buckley seamlessly threads observations about the darker sides of tourism into the narrative. One Boat's ending is a little abrupt but not dissatisfying, and I loved the way it came to embrace its metaliterary themes. This book won't be for everyone, with its reflective and somewhat enigmatic narrative, but it's short enough that l'd encourage you to give it a go. It wasn't quite a five-star read for me, but I can definitely see myself returning to it.
September 9, 2025 at 7:00 AM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
Robert’s plans for a quiet fishing trip are soon derailed when he becomes involved in a Native American reservation’s fight over water rights.

Possibly my favourite Percival Everett so far. (5⭐️) 💙📚
The cover of Watershed by Percival Everett, which features orange, blue, and black C-shaped rings showing mountain scenery and water, with a fish at the centre which a silhouetted figure is casting his line towards.
September 8, 2025 at 7:59 AM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
A feel-good romance between Will, part-time bookseller part-time drag queen, and Patrick, star of a superhero blockbuster 💙📚

I really enjoyed this one, even if I had to suspend my disbelief at times (4⭐️)
The cover of We Could Be Heroes by PJ Ellis, which features a man in a superhero costume holding a man in his arms, who is wearing gender-neutral clothing with pink high heels. The tagline reads: Real love is nothing like the movies.
September 4, 2025 at 9:57 PM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
Booker longlist 12/13 - a multigenerational epic which opens with the presumed drowning of a Korean man, born in Japan and living in America 💙📚

A long read but a rewarding one (4⭐️)
A hand holding a (shiny library) hardback copy of Flashlight by Susan Choi against a white wall. The cover is a golden yellow, and features a photograph of a figure on a path at night (An Island in the Moon II by Paul Cupido).
September 3, 2025 at 2:26 PM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
Booker longlist 11/13 - a metafictional novel about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (and also about snails)

I’m not entirely convinced everything comes together at the end, but I loved this book all the same (4⭐️) 💙📚
A hand holding a (shiny library) hardback copy of Endling by Maria Reva against a white wall. The cover features clouds in the shape of a snail.
August 31, 2025 at 4:50 PM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
Not exactly the film I was expecting, but the cast alone makes it worth a watch
Poster for The Roses starring Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch, which shows them smiling at the camera while she holds a frying pan and he a wine bottle behind their backs, as if ready to use them as weapons.
August 31, 2025 at 10:34 AM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
Happy publication day to Watching You by Helen Fields (4⭐️) - a dark thriller that doesn’t disappoint 💙📚
The cover of Watching You by Helen Fields, which features a butterfly trapped under a glass with the silhouette of a person reflected in the glass. The tagline reads: A face in the crowd. A killer in the shadows. When Edinburgh's Major Investigation Team find three bodies and zero leads, forensic profiler Connie Woolwine is called in. But while she practices her unusual methods, someone is watching and planning his next victim... Watching You features characters from Helen Fields' other books, but it can also be read as a standalone. The story alternates between the police investigation into a series of brutal murders and the perspective of The Watcher, as well as between the present where the investigation is taking place and the past where The Watcher's obsession began. I really enjoyed seeing the different strands of this book come together, and I was torn between wanting to read as quickly as possible to find out what happens and wanting to savour the story. Helen Fields writes dark thrillers like no-one else, and this one didn't disappoint with the brutality of the murders or the suspense of the investigation. I also loved the way she wove real-life issues into the book, particularly the misogyny of a world where victims are usually women and killers usually men. Watching You wasn't quite a five-star read for me because I had to suspend my disbelief a little with the ending. But I found it an absorbing read that I can't stop thinking about, and I am very much looking forward to discovering more of Helen Fields' backlist.
August 28, 2025 at 7:41 AM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
Currently reading 💙📚
The cover of Futility by Nuzo Onoh, which features ingredients falling into a dish including raw meat and human eyeballs. The tagline reads: Murder. Revenge. Soup.
August 27, 2025 at 5:51 PM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
A young man dreams of building his own house on a plot of land believed to have been cursed by gypsies 💙📚

A slightly offbeat Agatha Christie, which delivers simmering tension and a killer ending (4⭐️)
A hand holding a Fontana paperback copy of Endless Night by Agatha Christie against a white wall. The cover shows a still from the 1972 film.
August 26, 2025 at 10:08 PM
katheryn97t.bsky.social
Booker longlist 10/13 💙📚

A quietly beautiful book that I read in one sitting, Seascraper is the story of a day and a half in the life of Thomas, eking out a living catching shrimp in the same way his grandfather taught him (4⭐️).
A hand holding a (shiny library) hardback copy of Seascraper by Benjamin Wood against a white wall. The cover features a foggy beach, with the silhouette of a horse and cart with a person beside it on the sand.
August 25, 2025 at 5:37 PM