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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 world book tour takes flight and this month we are off to Italy. The Moon and the Bonfires by Cesare Pavese asking the personal question of ‘what is a home?’ If you leave your home and come back to find that you and it have changed, is it still your home. Lyrically pervasive with…
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As 2024 comes to a close, I wonder where I will go next year. What magical countries will literature transport me to? That’s when an idea stuck me. A book world tour. 12 months, 12 countries, 24 books. A sample of some of the beauty that is out there is the vast world we inhabit.…
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Ho Ho Hello and Merry Christmas! In A Christmas Carol, Dickens wraps up Scrooge’s grumpy heart with a bow of redemption. Haunted by ghosts, he discovers generosity isn’t just for the wealthy. A festive reminder that even the most miserly souls can learn the joy of Christmas cheer! Painting: Today I painted a duck with…
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What is a book? What constitutes a novel? These are the questions I ask while navigating 7 and a half stories of urban dread and social destruction. The interplay of youth and the political, the navigation of social norms and customs against the backdrop of familial ties and responsibilities. 7 and a half stories weaved…
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In The Woman in Black, Susan Hill conjures a ghost story as chilling as Eel Marsh’s fog. Arthur Kipps, an unsuspecting solicitor, unravels the tragic spectre of vengeance—her hollow eyes haunting his every step. Hill’s prose dances like shadows, weaving dread into every corner, proving silence can scream louder than words. Painting: Today I painted…
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In The Amber Spyglass, Lyra and Will defy gods and universes, only to find that saving Dust means bittersweet farewells. Talking bears, wheeled creatures, and quantum physics spice the plot, while the ultimate message whispers: freedom, curiosity, and love outshine even celestial tyranny. Painting: Today I painted the mountains that Lyra is hidden in by…
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Stephen King’s Misery traps readers in a harrowing tale of obsession and survival. When best-selling author Paul Sheldon finds himself injured and at the mercy of his “number one fan,” Annie Wilkes, the line between admiration and madness blurs. Fueled by sinister hospitality and a typewriter’s click, it’s a chilling reminder: some fans don’t want…
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Non-Fiction November. Today we dive into the rich tapestry of truth-telling—no dragons, no dystopias, just the raw, messy beauty of real life. Whether it’s science, true crime, or biographies, we’ll find stories stranger than fiction. Ready to get real? Painting: Today I painted a mountain because the mountain is our view of history Some of…
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Octavia Butler’s Kindred is a riveting fusion of sci-fi and historical fiction that hurls its protagonist, Dana, from 1970s California into the brutal world of 19th-century slavery. Blending time travel with searing social commentary, Butler masterfully exposes how history’s injustices linger in modern veins, making this a page-turning reminder that the past is never as…
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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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