Tag: Magical realism
The Clockmaker by Roxan Burley
When Elenora Grey inherits her late aunt’s flower shop in the sleepy Devon town of Totnes, she hopes for nothing more than a quiet fresh start. But Time & Thyme is no ordinary florist. Beneath the ticking clock of East Gate Arch, strange things begin to stir — flowers bloom out of season, a cash register writes its own orders, and upstairs, behind a … Read More The Clockmaker by Roxan Burley
+ audio book, audio drama, fiction, Georgian England, Historical fiction, magic, Magical realism, prostitution, review
The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar read by Juliet Stephenson
One September evening in 1785, the merchant Jonah Hancock finds one of his captains waiting eagerly on his doorstep. He has sold Jonah’s ship for what appears to be a mermaid. As gossip spreads through the docks, coffee shops, parlours and brothels, everyone wants to see Mr Hancock’s marvel. Its arrival spins him out of his ordinary existence and through the doors of high … Read More The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar read by Juliet Stephenson
+ childhood, family, fiction, grief, Italy, loss, love, Magical realism, marriage, murder, review, secrets, supernatural, thriller
The Unravelling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline
When Julia’s husband is brutally murdered in a random attack, her life unravels in ways she never could have foreseen. Haunted by his death and spiraling into despair, Julia seeks refuge in a secluded Italian villa she has mysteriously inherited from a stranger. But her sanctuary becomes a prison as she uncovers disturbing connections to her own past – and faces chilling threats that … Read More The Unravelling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline
+ family, fiction, love, Magical realism, marriage, review, romance, speculative
The Color of Dreams by Michael Zajaczkowski Readalong
What if the key to saving your dreams—and your family—came in the form of a tiny, mystical angel? Ben Davidson’s life is unraveling. He loses his job unexpectedly, his family is slipping away, and the dream he once shared with his father is on the verge of collapse. Just when it seems like all hope is lost, a magical encounter with a glowing little … Read More The Color of Dreams by Michael Zajaczkowski Readalong
+ crime fiction, dark humour, feel-good, gothic, gothic horror, Gothic mystery, Historical fiction, humour fiction, List, Magical realism, murder mystery, mystery, supernatural, superstition, thriller, Victorian Britain
My Top 10 Books of 2025 – Part Two
Here are my favourite ten books of 2025 Part Two, including audiobooks, as I haven’t listened to enough to have their own post this quarter. Again quite a disparate selection. The Cure by Eve Smith I’m so out of my comfort zone here. Firstly, I don’t usually read speculative fiction, sci-fi or dystopian future novels. And secondly, I don’t think this is entirely fiction, … Read More My Top 10 Books of 2025 – Part Two
+ 1940s, audio book, diary, fiction, ghosts, love, Magical realism, Paris, review, secrets, stories, WW2
The Mysterious Bakery On Rue De Paris by Evie Woods
This is the magical tale of Edith Lane, who sets off to find her fortune in the beautiful city of Paris. Fortune, however, is a fickle thing and Edith ends up working in a vintage bakery in the positively antique town of Compiègne. Escaping heartache and singledom in Ireland, Edith discovers that the bakery on Rue De Paris is not exactly what it seems … Read More The Mysterious Bakery On Rue De Paris by Evie Woods
+ audio book, childhood, dark humour, family, fiction, ghosts, grief, Ireland, loss, Magical realism, mystery, psychic, review, supernatural, superstition
Himself by Jess Kidd
Blending strange kindnesses, casual violence and buried secrets: an unforgettable debut from a dark new voice in Irish fiction. When Mahony returns to Mulderrig, a speck of a place on Ireland’s west coast, he brings only a photograph of his long-lost mother and a determination to do battle with the village’s lies. His arrival causes cheeks to flush and arms to fold in disapproval. … Read More Himself by Jess Kidd
+ audio book, childhood, dark humour, family, fiction, grief, Ireland, loss, Magical realism, mystery, psychic, review, supernatural
The Hoarder by Jess Kidd
Maud Drennan – underpaid carer and unintentional psychic – is the latest in a long line of dogsbodies for the ancient, belligerent Cathal Flood. Yet despite her best efforts, Maud is drawn into the mysteries concealed in his filthy, once-grand home. She realises that something is changing: Cathal, and the junk-filled rooms, are opening up to her. With only her agoraphobic landlady and a … Read More The Hoarder by Jess Kidd
+ 1940s, childhood, fairies, fiction, Historical fiction, Ireland, Italy, List, Magical realism, nazi germany, review, USA, whimsical, WW2
My Top 6 Books of 2024
As we slip quietly into 2025 it’s time to reflect on my absolute favourite books of 2024. It’s six this time, four of which are audio books. It’s always hard. There were instant standouts again. I have tried to include a mix of genres but failed yet again. I read a lot of crime fiction, which occasionally make my quarterly selections, but my Top books of … Read More My Top 6 Books of 2024
+ crime fiction, dark humour, feel-good, gothic, gothic horror, Gothic mystery, Historical fiction, humour fiction, List, Magical realism, murder mystery, mystery, supernatural, superstition, thriller, Victorian Britain, World War Two, WW2
My Top 10 Books of 2024 – Part Three
Here are my favourite ten books of 2024 Part Three, not counting audiobooks. Quite a disparate selection for a change. Audiobooks to follow. Gallows Wood by Louisa Scarr I read this in ten staves with the Pigeonhole online book club. It was almost unbearable waiting for the next instalment. The book was so exciting, the suspense nail-biting. While this is the first in a … Read More My Top 10 Books of 2024 – Part Three
+ fiction, Ghost story, grief, haunting, loss, love, Magical realism, motherhood, mythology, review, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, supernatural, superstition
Ghost Story by Elisa Lodato
She came to write, but the island has its own story . . . Off the windswept coast of Scotland lies Finish Island, rugged and remote. Once a home, it now stands abandoned, a place of dark history and deep memory, a place that holds its stories close. Unable to write since her daughter’s death, it’s here that Seren comes to work, hoping that … Read More Ghost Story by Elisa Lodato
+ audio book, diary, fairies, fiction, folklore, Historical fiction, Ireland, love, magic, Magical realism, mythology, review, secrets, stories
The Story Collector by Evie Gaughan
In a quiet village in Ireland, a mysterious local myth is about to change everything… One hundred years ago, Anna, a young farm girl, volunteers to help an intriguing American visitor translate fairy stories from Irish to English. But all is not as it seems and Anna soon finds herself at the heart of a mystery that threatens her very way of life. In … Read More The Story Collector by Evie Gaughan
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