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Welcome to A Novel Review, the book podcast where every week, Seamus reviews a different book. For 2025 Seamus is doing a ‘Book World Tour’ where every month he ‘travels’ through literature to another country. The rules are simple: Each month he reads two books – one male and one female and the author has
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The Subtle Knife, the second book in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, takes us on a journey between worlds. Here, 12-year-old Will discovers a knife that can slice through anything, even dimensions. Paired with Lyra, they navigate sinister forces and philosophical dilemmas. It’s a spellbinding tale where science, magic, and moral ambiguity intertwine for
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Just in time for Halloween: In Carrie, shy high school outcast Carrie White discovers she has telekinetic powers—just in time for prom. Bullied mercilessly, she unleashes a vengeful storm of horror, turning the night of glamour into a blood-soaked nightmare. Stephen King’s debut is a chilling reminder that you should never underestimate the quiet ones…
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Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is a gothic whirlwind of suspense, intrigue, and a whole lot of “who’s-who” confusion. The unnamed protagonist stumbles into Manderley, only to be haunted by the shadow of her husband’s glamorous, dead first wife—Rebecca, who seems more alive than ever. It’s a gripping tale of love, jealousy, and identity wrapped
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A book can change your life. But what does that mean? What is an influential book? It seems, on the surface like a simple topic, but really it is intensely personal. Any book can be the change that you need at any point in your life. When I was tagged in this challenge to come
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A short story is a brief glimpse into a different world. In Widow Fantasies, a collection of 33 short stories, we are transported 33 times into the visceral and violent beauty of the lives of women. Author Hollay Ghadery delves and dissects with sharp language that cuts us to our core as each story peels
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A feisty heroine, Lyra, teams up with armoured polar bears and her soul-shaped demon to take on a corrupt Church, travel to parallel worlds, and challenge destiny itself. It’s a dazzling tale where science meets magic, leaving readers uncertain and questioning everything — including dust! Painting: Today I painted the Northern Lights Some of the
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The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid is a razor-sharp dissection of identity, belonging, and the blurred lines between love and loyalty. Through the eyes of Changez, a charming Princeton graduate, we witness a tug-of-war between the American Dream and his Pakistani roots. Hamid’s storytelling is as seductive as it is unsettling, luring readers into a
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James Baldwin’s Another Country is like jazz in prose—sultry, unpredictable, and brimming with soul. Set in 1950s New York, it dances through the lives of artists, misfits, and lovers, exposing raw truths about race, sexuality, and human connection. Baldwin’s characters don’t just live; they burn, ache, and unravel. The novel paints love as messy, beautiful,
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A man who can never die traipsing through the annals of history. But the thing is, for him it isn’t history and instead, just the present day. A sweeping novel in which the main character adopts many names, takes on many lives and experiences the rise and fall of empires. And in that rise and
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