With all the hype surrounding Strange Pictures, curiosity eventually got the better of me—and before I knew it, I was reading it… only to end up regretting it.

The story itself has a lot of potential and, at its core, is actually quite interesting. However, the translation didn’t seem to do the book any justice. One thing I kept wondering while reading was why this book was categorized as horror. There was nothing particularly creepy or terrifying about it.

The pictures, which should have been the most important element of the book—especially considering the title—felt like an afterthought. Instead of being strange or unsettling, most of them were simple, childlike drawings or timelines referring to the events leading up to the murders. There was really nothing that unusual about them.

I’m honestly not sure who is to blame here—the original work or the translation. The writing in the translation felt off and often went in circles, repeating explanations of things we had already understood. This made the book feel unnecessarily long.

In the end, while the concept behind Strange Pictures is undeniably unique, the overall execution left me disappointed. It might still appeal to readers who enjoy unconventional mysteries, but sadly it wasn’t the reading experience I had hoped for.

Will I be reading the other two books? It will take quite a bit of convincing for me to pick them up.

Small boat is based on a true story giving us a brief account of 27 lives lost in French waters. The story is not told to us from the pov of the victims onboard that small dinghy but instead from the pov of an operator of the coast guard responsible for saving lives at sea.

The book opens with an introduction by Jeremy Hardings giving us an account of the true tragedy that took place on the night of November 23/24 2021. Thereafter the book is divided into three parts: the first part is an impactful interrogation between a woman coastguard officer incharge of receiving that call of distress and a police officer. The second part is told to us from the POV of one of the survivors who made that distress call onboard that small dinghy, while the third part moves back to the coastguard woman and her reflection of the whole tragedy without showing signs of remorse, empathy, sympathy or accountability of the tragedy that took place that night.

Are we humans so bound by territorial boundaries, countries, conflicts, caste, religion, rich, poor , personal opinions, political beliefs or do we sometimes fail in our assessment of a situation? Had the operator sent out help and done her duty, would things be different? Should only the woman coastguard officer be in the firing line and not her colleagues? Are we humans so truly unable to sit quietly in one place and need to move as soon as we hear of better opportunities elsewhere? Had the woman coastguard officer shown remorse, empathy, sympathy of her misdeeds, would she be punished? Had she really left her soul behind when she was on duty or was she responsible of cradling every victim that went through the channel each night? Did she fail as a human or did the system fail her? This book does raise a lot of questions on human behaviour and how we behave so inhuman from time to time.

Now coming to the technicalities of the book. Despite the writing being so strong, impactful and thought provoking for me it felt a little bit slow paced, thick and repetitive. I totally understand the stream of conscious kind of writing but the repetition of similar words—empathy, sympathy, judgment, dehumanisation—made parts of the narrative feel unnecessarily dense while it also added some extra pages to the book that could have been avoided. However, the author does present his ideas and perspectives quite strongly.

Overall, while the books theme and intent are powerful, a better balance between its three parts and a tighter narrative would have made it a far more compelling read for me.

Like many Japanese literature reads, this one was heartwarming, quietly sad, and deeply thought-provoking. It tells the story of three people from different generations and the emotional journeys they carry through life.

I wasn’t expecting the leprosy angle in the story, but I appreciated learning more about the subject and how sensitively it was handled.

In terms of writing style, I did find parts a little repetitive, and surprisingly, it didn’t feel like a short read even though it is. That said, the characters were incredibly lovable and stayed with me.

Overall, a good and enjoyable read. 📖✨

Started my year with this short but cozy and heart warming read. The Lantern of Lost Memories was the very first pick for my book club, and I’m so glad we chose it. All three stories were deeply touching, each one unfolding into a beautifully meaningful outcome.

The first story reminds us to be patient and never give up, even when the tides are rough—because there is always light waiting at the end of the tunnel.

The second story is bittersweet, a witty yet emotionally rich tale that gently teaches us an important truth: we can’t fix everything in life.

In the final story, we meet Mitsuru, a young girl mistreated by her mother and stepfather. A brief encounter with Hirasaka, however, changes her fate forever.

This book also highlights the quiet power of photography—its ability to preserve moments and bring forgotten memories back to life.

I can’t help but wonder what my own lantern of memories would look like once I’m gone. 📸✨

WOW! What an incredible debut novel by Jo Murray.

We are only in the second month of 2026, and I have already found my top thriller of the year. I’m sure this book will stay in my number one spot throughout the year. The author had me totally hooked from the very first chapter. The whole book played out like a TV series in front of my eyes.

When I was approved for an ARC, I was expecting more of an atmospheric, creepy read and was waiting for literally some sort of murder dissection, but I was surprised to read such an interesting courtroom thriller.

Dissection of Murder is a true reflection of the author’s professional barrister background. From the plot to the writing and the dialogues, the entire courtroom setup and the closing speeches all screams that this book is written by someone who truly knows the ins and outs of the judicial system.

The plot is simple — a high-profile judge is murdered, the defendant won’t say a word until the trial begins, a husband and wife go up against each other as prosecution and defence lawyers in court, putting their marriage at stake, a secret affair, an unknown witness, and a courtroom full of liars. What remains to be seen is whether justice will be served.

The book is written in a dual timeline and told from different POVs, which makes it all the more interesting — especially the POV from the unknown witness X. The more blind you go into this book, the more you will enjoy it. However, the book does become a bit predictable after a certain point, where you may figure out who the murderer is, but you still want to keep reading to see how and when justice will be served. Another aspect worth noting, and one that left me wanting more, was the cliffhanger ending—I was like, “No, tell me what happened, I want to know.”

I loved and thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good thriller, especially readers who enjoy courtroom dramas.

This book is also slated to become the adaptation of the second season of Presumed Innocent on Apple TV+

Book Release Date: 7th May 2026

Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers Pan Macmillan and author Jo Murray for this Arc.

This is my first time reading a book by this author, and I must say, I’m impressed.

The plot was gripping from start to finish, with a lot of suspense throughout. The story begins on a sad note, and that sense of sadness lingers across the book, creating an eerie, hair-raising atmosphere. Everyone is a suspect—there is no one truly trustworthy or with a clean slate. Even the seemingly innocent children, Cass and Mae, are not quite what they appear to be. There are no perfect or even particularly lovable characters in this story, yet I still found myself wanting to keep reading.

The narrative is told through two different perspectives and across two timelines (then and now), which made the story even more engaging. That said, I found the first half of the book to be slow-paced. However, once I crossed the 50% mark, it became completely unputdownable, and I stayed up late just to finish it. I also felt the writing was a bit repetitive at times, repeatedly reminding me of things I already knew. Still, this was easy to overlook because the plot itself was strong.

Another detail worth mentioning is that, despite being a psychological thriller, the author highlights some serious parenting issues. The book sheds light on how important it is for parents to be aware of what their children—especially younger ones—are doing online. What may seem fun and harmless to kids today can have serious repercussions.

Overall, it’s was a good book and a good thriller too end my year on.

If you are looking for a good thriller early next year, this is the book to watch out for. Coming out 3rd February 2026.