Number 5- Let the Great World Spin- Colum McCann

 

In 1974- during the building of the World Trade Centre in New York City, a man managed to string a tightrope between the two towers, several hundred feet in the air.  He then spent a good amount of time walking between the towers and performing tricks. 

This stunt is the central event in this novel that ties together the lives of a selection of characters who witness or are affected by it.

We have an Irish monk called Corrigan who lives in the Bronx and tries to help the street walkers.  We have a selection of the girls he helps. Then there's a judge and his wife, still mourning their son who died overseas, an artist, and a photographer.

We follow all their lives, in some cases, just on the day of the sky walk, others we get to know from birth onwards.

I loved this book.  The characters are all beautifully drawn, and the narrative voice shifts in each chapter depending on whose story we're following.  Even the punctuation changes, some characters narrate their section with traditional quotes for speech marks, and other characters have speech on separate lines, indicated with a hyphen.

The prose is uniformly good throughout, regardless of which character is speaking. The insights into the lives of all segments of New York society all seem entirely convincing.

This is an easy first contender for book of the year. It's my first Colum McCann and probably won't be my last.

Number 4 - Appeasement of the Fiends- Alan Baxter

 

This review might be one of the most pointless I've posted.  There are only 24 physical copies of this book in existence.  Mine is number 6. 

This is a selection of short stories by Alan Baxter- an author that my regular readers will know I hold in high regard.

These stories are every bit as good as anything else I've read by him.

The best story for me is Click- a first person narrative from a competitive game of Russian Roulette, gradually whittling down from 6 competitors to one. The tension he creates in this story is off the scales.

Changes is a story that pulls out a whole different set of feelings. Told in short, almost impersonal, paragraphs each leaping forward in time, a boy undergoing an unusual change during his formative years, is subjected to cruelty and bullying. It's a desperately sad tale.  In a few short pages, this generated more genuine emotion than a lot of novels I could point you at.

Two Crows was a fun fantasy/crime crossover. Alan manages this genre crossover exceptionally well every time he uses it. 

Old High Hills, the closing story, is a nightmarish tale of two people stuck on a mountainside when an unexpected blizzard rolls in, and then stays.  Something is out there, and it's hungry. This is probably the most scary story in the book for me.

Those were the highlight although all the stories are good.  There's not a dud in this collection. I'd say to go out and buy it and see for yourself, but that could be difficult.  You'll just have to take my word for it.

Number 3- The Blue Hour- Paula Hawkins

 

My first full length novel of the year. I finished it last week, hopefully I will be more prompt for the rest of the year. I'd love to say it's an early contender for book of the year but it isn't. 

It's a solid little thriller with not really that much thrilling.

Grace is the ex-best friend of Vanessa, a successful artist, and executor of her will. She lives in Vanessa's old house on an island just off the coast, accessible only by a causeway which is covered by the tide for 12 hours a day.

She's locked in a protracted legal argument with the family who inherited all of Vanessa's art. They believe she still has works on the island that should have been handed over.

When someone notices that one of the found item sculptures that has been handed over contains a human rib, Grace's solitude on the island is about to be disturbed.

The secrets of the island are drip-fed through the narrative, along with some (quite a lot of) unrelated bits of drama with the family who own the artworks in question.

It's impossible to say what my biggest complaint about this book is without giving a huge spoiler, so apologies in advance. I will leave that to the very end. 

The story takes a long while to get going.  I can't say I was ever bored reading it, but I was never particularly enthralled either.  Becker and Grace are a good pair of central characters. Hawkins' prose is nothing if not fluid and easily readable.  The side plots with the Lennox family never really seem to add up to much and could be entirely excised from the narrative.

There was one of the plot twists that did take me completely by surprise, although, in retrospect all the clues were there, so kudos to Hawkins for that.

It was a solid no nonsense read. I probably will read another of her books, and hope that the story is a bit more engrossing.

Spoiler

Yet another example of the "she's fat and ugly, therefore she's the killer" trope.

2026- books 1&2 - Monstress Vols 9 & 10- Liu & Tadeka

 

I probably should have reread volume 8 at least before I read these two.

The plot is getting very convoluted now but a time jump of a year since they were last in the "real" world has reset various parts of the storyline.  War has been raging and fragile alliances sought. 

All parties seem to be seeking Maika and her friends.  Maika's inner demon (old God) is now hosted by her father which has had a disastrous impact on his opposition in the war. 

However, a breakout from the prison world that housed many more of the old Gods is set to cause even more problems.

When I read the end of volume 9, I was so glad I'd also been gifted volume 10 at Christmas as I had to move straight onto it. Unfortunately, volume 10 ends on almost as much of a cliffhanger and I have no idea when volume 11 is due.

I hate to say it but I kind of hope that the end is in sight now and Liu has an endgame planned.  These are gorgeously illustrated and well plotted, but there seems an element of same old same old creeping in. 

The plotting is becoming labyrinthine and I seriously need to reread the full series to remind myself who is on whose side. Complexity of plot seems to be turning into a downside with months between each entry.

Intelligent magical cats are always a bonus though. It would be a real shame to see the end of this, but it can't go on forever.

The Annual Marc awards!

 So 2025 has been a mixed year.  I managed 79 books- even managed to finish my NYE read on NYE so as to not complicate the count from year to year. There were  a couple of disappointments and two DNFs.

In the order that I read them, my top reads of 2025 were

1- The Constant rabbit - Jasper Fforde

This is a few years old, but my first time reading it. In a world where rabbits have gained sentience and grown to human size, is there any way that humans and Lupus can coexist?

This was a brilliantly funny way to discuss some hard hitting real life themes of xenophobia and acceptance.

2- A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World- CA Fletcher

Again, this book has been around for a few years, but it was my first time.

In a post apocalypse world where basically humanity faces extinction due to 98% infertility rates in men and women, mankind has separated into far distant communes. When the narrator's dog is stolen by a visitor to their island, they set out in pursuit to get their dog back, leading to a trek across a desolate future British Isles.

The imagination on display here is formidable and the writing is fantastic.  I felt every emotion the lead character felt. One of my favourite post apocs.

3- Thornhedge- T. Kingfisher

The story of Sleeping Beauty from the POV of the fairy with the sleeping princess as the villain in a humane cage.

This was just beautifully written and told. Toadling is such a great character I didn't want the book to end.

4-Miss Benson's beetle - Rachel Joyce

This probably looks like an odd choice in between all the post apocalyptic mayhem and high fantasy concepts but it charmed me completely.  I loved the characters and was totally caught up in their quest to find the beetle, and themselves. Gorgeous gorgeous book.

5- A song for Quiet- Cassandra Khaw

A mindblowing story about a musician who can change worlds with his music, and the eldritch detective chasing him to stop it happening. All told in Khaw's incomparable prose.

6- Grace - AM Shine

The latest book by the author of The Watchers. This totally caught me from left field with some of the plot turns. And they were all earned.  the clues had been there from the start.  Add to that, Shine's deeply atmospheric prose and this was a definite highlight.

7- King Sorrow - Joe Hill

King's son proves once again that he's just as good as his daddy.  This epic story feels like its a half of its 900 page bulk.  The eponymous dragon is probably the best villain of the year. There were plot turns in this that made my jaw hit the floor.  Again, they were all earned.

8- Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke- Eric LaRocca

My first LaRocca book but certainly not my last.  This drove the chill bone deep in the title story. Probably the most psychologically twisted thing I've read in years.

It's definitely my favourite title of the year too.

9- Boys in The Valley- Phillip Fracassi

Another new writer to me. and another where I've gone out to find everything I can that he's written. Everything about this book is perfect.  The claustrophobia of the setting, the depiction of the characters, the steady increase of threat until the final 200 page outburst of violence where it's unclear who, if anyone might survive the night.

10- Watching Evil Dead- Josh Malerman

A brilliant dissection of the horror genre and the nature of creativity through the lens of one night introducing his now wife to the classic film series that is The Evil Dead. I wasn't holding out much hope before I started this, but, as you can tell from its placement here, it well and truly won me over.

10- Good Boy- Neil McRobert

The eagle eyed amongst my readers might spot something strange here, but this was too good to leave off the list.

Honourable mentions go to Grady Hendrix's Final Girl Support Group, Guy Kay's Written on the Dark, Sonny Morraine's Your Shadow Half Remains, and Charles Lambert's Little Monsters.  It was close but I already had 11 in my top 10.

My DNFs were intermezzo by Sally Rooney- where I felt huge sections written by Yoda they were, I really just don't get on with her writing- and Satantango by Lazlo longnameIcantbebotheredwith- This dragged for me.  I'm not into sentencs that go on for two pages.  It felt as dry as one of Ghandhi's flip flops to me.

The worst books that I actually finished were When the Moon Hatched by Sara A Parker- dreadful faery porn with occasional dragons- A Cruel Fate by Lindsey Davies- this was a real shame because I liked the last of her books I read but luckily this was very short- and Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Arnfield- there's a good idea or 6 floating around in that book, but I thought the execution was just dull as a vey dull thing.

Number 79- Good Boy- Neil McRobert

 

This isn't connected to the recent film of the same name (which is a good thing tbh) but is one more in the series of short books set in the North West of England.

A week after the disappearance of a young boy in a playing field near her house, Margie Jones witnesses a man digging in the spot where the boy was last seen. She goes out to confront him and finds that he is burying his pet dog.

When she takes him back to her house to rest and warm up, he tells her an incredible story of the field, the dog, and the thing that lives in the field.

I raced through this on New Year's Eve and it's actually a contender for best book of the year.

This book hit nearly every emotional spot with pinpoint aim. It features a genuinely scary monster, and also a moving story of a boy and his dog, laced with gentle humour and heartbreak.

I really can't praise this book too highly. Neil McRobert is a new name to me, but I will be seeking out more of his work for absolute certain. He has the deft easy touch with his writing that drags you in and makes you care for his characters, which makes it all the more upsetting when bad things happen to them.

There are 6 books so far in this series of novellas.  The three I've read have been very good, and this one excellent. The people at Wild Hunt Books really know what they're doing.

Number 78- A Christmas Ghost Story- Kim Newman

 

I read this during Twixtmas- those couple of "what the heck" days that happen between Christmas and new Year when it's beginning to feel notably less like Christmas.

The set up is simple initially.  Angie and Rust (don't call him Russel- he doesn't like it) live in an isolated house set just outside one of the most haunted villages in England. It's December and they've started with their unusual Christmas traditions. On the first of the month, an anonymous card arrives addressed to Rust. It contains a strange and vaguely threatening message.

Every day another card arrives, each with a threatening message. All this is mixed in with Angie's clear memories of a scary show she watched as a child, but which did not exist.

As the book moves on, things get weirder and weirder and the final section of this book might be one of the strangest things I've read this year.

Rust was a great protagonist, relatable and capable of genuinely funny humour that didn't detract from the escalating threat.

The prose is polished and easily readable.  I had good fun with this.  I've read a few of Kim Newman's books in the distant past and he's always a solid reliable read.  Check out his work as Harry Adam Knight as well, especially The Fungus. 

Number 77- The Off Season- Jodie Robins

 

I'm playing catch up on the books I read over Christmas.  This short novella was my Christmas/Boxing day read. It's one of a series of horror novellas set in the North of England and published by Wild Hunt Books.  I read one earlier last year - This House Isn't haunted But We Are- and it was very good indeed.

Tommy's marriage has broken down and he's returned to his native Blackpool somewhat against his will for a friend's funeral and to watch his recently widowed father.  It's fair to say his life is not going well.  It's the off season and the whole place is depressing. The story starts with him in a small café with his dad and a small group of friends.

A group of performers show up outside despite the dismal weather and set up their stalls. The café empties steadily as all those inside are almost bewitched by their presence.  Tommy and his Dad find themselves inside the throng of revellers. Old truths come to the surface and an old wish of his Dad's is discovered.

This is a well written book that builds the atmosphere steadily.  The last half definitely worked better for me than the first half. Once the story started moving I found this was a weird and wonderful piece of writing.  I did think it took a good chunk of the book to get going though.

It's well worth reading for those who like character and family studies dealing with grief and loss and eventual hope woven in with their wyrd tales. Fortunately, I am one of those people.