Last One Out by Jane Harper
A review of Last One Out, Jane Harper's sixth novel — an atmospheric, slow-burning thriller set in a dying Australian mining town. Melancholic, tightly plotted and deeply felt.
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
It's nearly thirty years since I read Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood. Given my recently rediscovered interest in all things Japanese, I thought I'd do something I rarely do — give it a re-read. Would it have the same impact on me?
Few and Far Between by Jan Carson
‘Few and Far Between‘ is a novel about a society that tried to put its trauma on an island and forget about it. The water, as Carson shows, always finds a way back in.
I Deliver Parcels in Beijing by Hu Anyan
Hu Anyan spent twenty years drifting between nineteen jobs across six Chinese cities, always at the bottom of the ladder, never quite belonging to the world the economy was building around him. What he left behind is a quiet, clear-eyed account of what that feels like from the inside — and an unexpected meditation on what it means to stay human when the system would prefer you didn't.
Becoming Yourself - Teachings on the Zen Way of Life by Shunryū Suzuki
‘Becoming yourself’ is the first collection in two decades based around the talks of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, the Zen priest whose unhurried wisdom and clarity made ‘Zen Mind, Beginners Mind’ a bestseller and a huge influence on Zen Buddhism in the West.
Flesh by David Szalay
The 2025 Booker Prize Winner ‘Flesh’ by David Szalay is the story of István, a Hungarian who we follow over the course of his life both at home and abroad. It’s written in a sparse, unsentimental manner that can be unsettling but always compelling.
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Lonesome Dove is a raw, sprawling epic about Two texas Rangers who lead a cast of unforgettable characters on a cattle drive north to Montana, in a story about friendship, longing and loss and the violence the American frontier is built on.
Aflame: Learning from Silence by Pico Iyer
Pico Iyer’s ‘Aflame; Learning from Silence’ is based on three decades of retreats at a Benedictine hermitage, detailing his encounters with the monks, fellow travellers and life events along the way, in this quietly reflective book.
Happiness Beyond Thought - A Practical Guide to Awakening by Gary Weber
This is a grounded, no frills approach to awakening that gives you the tools to finally end the constant mental chatter we all live with.
The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly
Mickey Haller AKA the Lincoln lawyer is back, this time involved in a civil lawsuit against an AI chatbot, which told a 16 year old boy to murder his ex-girlfriend. With billions at stake, Haller, aided by Jack McEvoy, is up against it in a timely and thoroughly entertaining legal thriller.
The Names by Florence Knapp
A single decision—what to name a newborn—fractures into three lives, three identities, three versions of fate.
Knapp’s debut spins tale of how names, trauma and inheritance ripple through decades, asking: Who are we if not the consequences of what we are called?
Collision With the Infinite by Suzanne Segal
What happens when the self disappears, but life carries on? Collision with the Infinite is Suzanne Segal’s startling account of losing her sense of “I” whilst standing at a bus stop— and spending years trying to live and understand what remained. It’s a raw and riveting book about awakening that doesn’t feel like bliss.
Men in Love by Irvine Welsh
With the trainspotting crew spread between Leith, London and Amsterdam, this is a propulsive sequel with plenty of dark humour but with an emotional punch. Men in Love is grubby, gripping, and unexpectedly moving.
The Half Known Life: Finding Paradise in a Divided World by Pico Iyer
The Half Known Life by Pico Iyer is a soulful journey through some of the world’s most divided places — from Iran to Belfast — in search of meaning, stillness, and what paradise might look like in real life. With lyrical prose and quiet wisdom, Iyer invites us to see how peace often emerges not in perfection, but in contradiction
In This Body, In This Lifetime - Awakening Stories of Japanese Soto Zen Women - Edited by Esho Sudan, Translated by Kogen Czarnik
Inspiring and moving accounts of nuns and laywomen practicing under a female zen master in post war Japan.
The Northern Bank Job: The Heist and How They Got Away With It by Glenn Patterson
Glenn Patterson’s The Northern Bank Job is an account of Ireland’s most audacious heist. Blending investigative detail with cultural insight, Patterson explores the 2004 Belfast robbery that shook a post-conflict North of Ireland. A must-read for fans of true crime, Irish history, and political intrigue
Heart be at Peace by Donal Ryan
Donal Ryan’s Heart, Be At Peace is a quiet, lyrical follow-up to his award-winning novel The Spinning Heart. A tender portrait of rural Irish life, legacy, and quiet grace.
Eimear Ryan - The Grass Ceiling: On Being a Woman in Sport
Eimear Ryan’s The Grass Ceiling is a powerful blend of memoir, sports writing, and cultural commentary that asks what it means to be a woman in Irish sport.
The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone by Olivia laing
Olivia Laing’s The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone is part memoir, part art criticism, and part meditation on what it means to be lonely in a world built for connection.
Butter by Asako Yuzuki
Japanese literary crime novel, Butter by Asako Yuzuki blends food, feminism, and mystery in a slow-burning exploration of desire and shame
