To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com 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 sequels, they demand rewrites. Painting: Today I painted the house Paul found...

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 the books and authors discussed in this episode include: “The Myth of Sisyphus” by Albert Camus “What is History?” by E.H. Carr “A Moveable Feast” by...

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com 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 far away as it seems. Painting: Today I painted a sand...

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com 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 the second instalment Painting: Today I painted the subtle...

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com Just in time for Halloween: In  Carrie, shy high school outcast Carrie White discovers she has telekinetic powers—just in time for prom. Bullied mercilessly, she unleashes a vengeful storm of horror, turning the night of glamour into a blood-soaked nightmare. Stephen King’s debut is a chilling reminder that you should never underestimate the quiet ones... or their rage. Painting: This week I painted Carrie covered in...

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is a gothic whirlwind of suspense, intrigue, and a whole lot of "who's-who" confusion. The unnamed protagonist stumbles into Manderley, only to be haunted by the shadow of her husband's glamorous, dead first wife—Rebecca, who seems more alive than ever. It’s a gripping tale of love, jealousy, and identity wrapped in a perfectly eerie atmosphere, where the past is never quite dead. Painting:...

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com A book can change your life. But what does that mean? What is an influential book? It seems, on the surface like a simple topic, but really it is intensely personal. Any book can be the change that you need at any point in your life. When I was tagged in this challenge to come up with a list of 5 books that would change your life, I sought out the first 5 books that came to my mind when I considered what had influenced me....

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com A short story is a brief glimpse into a different world. In Widow Fantasies, a collection of 33 short stories, we are transported 33 times into the visceral and violent beauty of the lives of women. Author Hollay Ghadery delves and dissects with sharp language that cuts us to our core as each story peels back a different layer of life some take for granted. A beautiful collection all wrapped up in a book that is itself, a...

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com A feisty heroine, Lyra, teams up with armoured polar bears and her soul-shaped demon to take on a corrupt Church, travel to parallel worlds, and challenge destiny itself. It’s a dazzling tale where science meets magic, leaving readers uncertain and questioning everything — including dust! Painting: Today I painted the Northern Lights Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include: “Northern Lights” by...

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid is a razor-sharp dissection of identity, belonging, and the blurred lines between love and loyalty. Through the eyes of Changez, a charming Princeton graduate, we witness a tug-of-war between the American Dream and his Pakistani roots. Hamid's storytelling is as seductive as it is unsettling, luring readers into a narrative where nothing—and no one—is as it seems. Painting: Today...

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com James Baldwin’s Another Country is like jazz in prose—sultry, unpredictable, and brimming with soul. Set in 1950s New York, it dances through the lives of artists, misfits, and lovers, exposing raw truths about race, sexuality, and human connection. Baldwin’s characters don’t just live; they burn, ache, and unravel. The novel paints love as messy, beautiful, and fragile, like life itself. It's a literary cocktail—equal...

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com A man who can never die traipsing through the annals of history. But the thing is, for him it isn’t history and instead, just the present day. A sweeping novel in which the main character adopts many names, takes on many lives and experiences the rise and fall of empires. And in that rise and fall, there is the constant – Stan. The man who has not adopted the shadows, but just doesn’t know how clearly in the light he is,...

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com I open at the close and today, after 7 books and 7 months, we come to the end of the Harry Potter journey. We are back for the final time for the magical finale where wands are swapped, lives are lost, and Horcruxes take the ultimate beating. It's a dark whirlwind of cloak-and-dagger secrets—literally—and Dumbledore’s master plan from beyond the grave. A wand, a stone, and an invisibility cloak? Call it the wizarding...

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively is a clever, kaleidoscopic dive into the memories of Claudia Hampton. Weaving through time, it’s like history told by an unreliable yet fascinating narrator, blending love, war, and introspection. Lively’s writing is sharp and witty, offering both sweeping moments and intimate detail, all while blurring the lines between personal narrative and historical fact. Painting: I painted a moon on a...

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com 24 years into the century is surely the best time to look back and decide which books are the best books of the 21st century surely? A solid list on flimsy foundations that will most certainly be changed year on year for the next 76 years, or until I die.. whichever comes first! Painting: I painted a book atop a podium Some of the books and authors discussed in this episode include: “Norwegian Wood” by Haruki Murakami “A...

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com The names Bond, James Bond. The introduction to one of literatures most famous spies. The man who smokes 70 cigarettes a day. A high-stakes game of words and cards, where James Bond, suave as a martini and sharp as a razor's edge, gambles his heart and lives on the turn of a card. A lyrical dance of danger, laced with tuxedos and treachery, this debut flickers like a baccarat table under the neon glint of...

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com Back again we go to Hogwarts for Harry’s 6th year of mayhem and madness. A novel in which so much is the same and yet there is a world of difference. The threatening tension from previous books of Voldemort is now realised and defined. And in that, a lifting of tension. We are free to indulge in the magically mundane and enjoy the final inbreath of calm, before the calamitous outbreath of the final chapter to...

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com The Novella. The Goldilocks length. Not too short, not too long, but that being said, a novella is tough to pull off. What is it that makes a good novella? Is it the length, the story, the characters? There might never be a correct answer to such a question – just a personal preference. Well, this week, tune in to hear about the 3 novellas I loved Painting: I painted a leaf coming out of a book to represent one of the...

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com Buying a book is the combining moment of pure excitement meeting the expectation of the unknown. But what happens when you buy a book, and it doesn’t live up to your expectations? It is bound to happen; it is impossible to like everything and be honest to yourself, so tune in this week to listen to my honest thoughts about 3 books I did not like as much as I thought I would. Painting: I painted 3 novellas because that’s...

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com You are on a train isolated in the middle of a desert. Everyone you are with is capable of committing murder and getting away with it, but also solving murders and framing others. A melting pot of mystery and ego all wrapped up in this year’s Mystery Writers Society annual event. And then, the best and worst thing that can happen, happens. A murder… Painting: I painted a question mark of train tracks and a fountain pen Some...

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com Where there is a Weyward there is a way. A novel about three women told through three stories threaded together by similar circumstances. Abuse of some sort and a connection to the natural world. Men labelled them as witches, but a name given to you is not a definition to who you are or who you have to become. Weyward is the story of women surviving against the oppression of men. Painting: I painted a crow across a stormy...

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com Harry, Hogwarts, chaos. Three things that seem to come around every year in Harry’s life and this year is no different. Only the chaos this year comes from the external threat of the dark lord Voldemort who is large and attempting to be in charge, mixed with a little political drama as the ministry for magic interferes at Hogwarts creating one of the most memorable villains. A lawful evil Umbridge attempting to spread a...

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com A book that haunts you, or maybe you are haunting it? Shirley Jackson’s ‘The Haunting of Hill House is an anxiety inducing horror story that puts the reader in two minds about the nature of haunting. Playing with the English language as much as the reader, Jackson places doubt on both sides as to the reality of this book with an ending that comes full circle… Painting: I painted a haunted house because, well why not! Some...

To follow and support us, click here: http://anovelreviewpodcast.com A war that divides a family, divides a city and a country. A girl that grows into a woman moulded by her experiences, but never letting them define who she is. Zulaikha moves through life with an honesty towards it, but a resilience to what it throws at her. This sweeping debut novel explores the resilience of humanity in the face of destruction and offers the reader a glimpse into the beauty that is all around. Painting: I...