Reading - November 2025

Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks by Christopher Brookmyre (2007)

I hadn't read this for a while, so it was very enjoyable to come back to it. You might think that a satire of psychics, mediums and other related charlatans, idiots and idiocies would be too obvious - I mean, talk about shooting fish in a barrel - but as Brookmyre points out, the real problem is that belief in this kind of crap persists regardless. So if the satire is a bit heavy-handed occasionally, well, it's nothing these fraudulent con-artists don't deserve, and the plot motors along nicely as always.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis (1952)

I'm not certain, but I think this was the first Narnia book I read, and it's definitely the one I re-read the most as a child. Coming back to it now as an adult, decades later, is a slightly odd experience. It's clearly a children's book (duh), somewhat simplistic, unexpectedly episodic (which perhaps is a nice way of saying it doesn't flow particularly well) - and dated too (in fairness, it's 70 years old). But it was a nice read on a Sunday afternoon and I enjoyed experiencing it again.

31 Dream Street by Lisa Jewell (2007)

I was a big fan of Lisa Jewell's first six or so books, this and One Hit Wonder in particular, so it's nice to read it again. A nice romcom, with some interesting characters and several intertwined stories as well as the central relationship.

Treachery at Hursley Park House by Claire Gradidge (2021)

A thriller rather than the whodunnit I was initially expecting, enlivened for me by its setting in the very local area. A good balance of plotting and character, with some nice period details, but a slightly unsatisfying ending.

How to Art by Kate Bryan (2025)

The use of "art" as a verb gives me childishness amusement ("blimey, has someone arted in here?" never fails to get the desired eye roll from K) and honestly, it was mostly on the strength of the title that I bought the book. But it's a brilliant tour through the (deliberately) elitist world of art, aimed at someone like me, who would like to view more and own more art but is put off by the pretentiousness and snobbishness around it (even if, to be fair, at least some of this is more my perception than actual fact - we visited an art gallery for the first time the other day and the owner was very nice). I'm not a fan of the illustrations (by David Shrigley) but as Bryan emphasises, that's fine - they're just not my kind of thing. It is nice to have colourful pictures though and overall the book is highly recommended.

Unruly by David Mitchell (2023)

Based on my description of this entertaining run through the the kings and queens of England, C said it sounded like "Horrible Histories for grown ups" and that's a good summary (amusingly, The Times reviewer said the same thing, so C has clearly got an alternative career available). There's plenty I was woefully ignorant of, but it's an easy read and yet Mitchell easily conveys some fairly sophisticated concepts about the notion of monarchy alongside the never-ending soap opera that was and is our royal families.

Not In Love by Ali Hazelwood (2024)

Enjoyably spicy but otherwise a bit teenage-angsty, despite the ostensibly adult, science-based environment it's set in. It's described right at the beginning as "more of an erotic romance" than a rom-com, so I'm not quite sure why some reviewers were so surprised.