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The Eights by Joanna Miller is a well-researched historical novel set in 1920, the year women were first allowed to go to Oxford. It follows four young women - Beatrice, Dora, Marianne, and Otto - as they deal with school, grief after the war, and the problems that come with being pioneers in a school that is mostly men.
I really liked the setting and the historical background, especially the small references to the suffragette movement and the effects of World War I that are still felt today. The way the women were friends was sweet and well done. But I had trouble really connecting with the characters. This may have been because the story was told in the third person, which kept me from getting too close to them. The first third was a little confusing because the voices were still settling down, and I wanted to see more scenes of academic life to balance out the social focus.
This is still a thoughtful and enjoyable read for people who like feminist historical fiction and stories about found family. Oxford has never felt so full of life.
Specifically for hand sewing. Mending clothes has become a lost skill. Between 'huishoudkunde' (home ec) and my grandmother, I have some rusty sewing skills, but when I fell down the Youtube rabbit hole of updating them, I found Bernadette Banner. Banner researches historical means of making clothes, but the skills she imparts is timeless. Also easy to follow with great descriptions and loads of photos, and including personal investigations into the why of slow fashion, mending and making.
But not for kids! I absolutely love stories that feel like folk- and fairytales, with an old world feeling but are new and meant for adults. Language of Thorns is a collection of stories like that, all beautifully woven and captured for the readers immersed delight. If you like Naomi Novik's Uprooted, or The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, you'll likely love this.
Absolutely satisfied with how well exclusive books has rapped up my books to protect them. Thank you so much for that
Lisa Jewell never misses when it comes to crafting a compulsively readable thriller, and Don't Let Him In is no exception — though this one left me both hooked and slightly frazzled.
This is the story of Nick Radcliff (among other names), a master manipulator who infiltrates the lives of multiple women, leaving behind a trail of emotional wreckage, stolen money, and shattered trust. After the death of Paddy, a beloved restaurateur, Nick reaches out to his widow Nina under the guise of an old friend. Her daughter Ash is immediately suspicious — and rightly so. What unfolds is a chilling, multi-POV, multi-timeline narrative that exposes just how deep Nick’s deception runs.
I usually love a con artist thriller, and while this one had some brilliant moments — especially the tension of watching characters catch up to what the reader already knows — it was also a bit of a maze. There are so many characters and overlapping timelines that I found myself flipping back more than once to reorient.
That said, the short chapters and fast pacing kept me turning pages. Jewell’s writing is sharp, and I appreciated the inclusion of Nick’s perspective — disturbing, yes, but it added a layer of psychological depth. I even felt a flicker of sympathy for him at times (which I’m not sure was intentional!).
The themes — manipulation, grief, mental health, and female empowerment — are well handled, and the ending, while slightly far-fetched, delivered the kind of catharsis I was hoping for. I especially loved Martha’s storyline and would happily read more about her.
Overall, Don't Let Him In is a dark, unsettling read that’s perfect for fans of psychological thrillers and true crime vibes. Not Jewell’s most flawless, but definitely one of her most disturbing — and that’s saying something.
