Happy Sunday, friends!
I hope you’ve had a good two weeks. I’ve been up to my usual hijinks and have nothing of note to report except that I’m sort of excited for Love Island to be over soon so I can have my evenings back? (I am in a prison of entirely my own creation…)
Today, I wanted to take a look at some books I’ve read recently and enjoyed, books that I’m slowly making my way through, a few on my TBR (To Be Read) pile that will be read soon, and the new releases coming out that I’m excited for. I love these types of posts by other writers on Substack, so I hope you indulge me for today.
Let’s just jump right in, why don’t we! (P.S. I’ve linked to each book’s Goodreads page so you can go read the more detailed plot summary yourself.)
Ghosts of Books Past

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore - This was a buzzy book last summer and I conveniently waited until the buzz died down by this summer to crack it open. Half of the story centres around the 1975 disappearance of Barbara Van Laar, the prodigal daughter of a wealthy family in upstate New York, from the summer camp her family owns. It’s interspersed with a storyline that focuses on the disappearance of her older brother before her birth. Yes, a double sibling disappearance!
I wouldn’t say this is a literary masterpiece by any measure, but it kept me enthralled over a few hundred pages, and it’s definitely a fun read for summer. If you’re not a fan of multiple perspectives/a wide cast of characters or a timeline that jumps around, maybe stay away from this one. Those things don’t bother me, so I had an enjoyable time!
The Compound by Aisling Rawle - In my Goodreads review, I described this novel as what would happen if the main character of My Year of Rest and Relaxation was cast in a season of Love Island, and I stand by that. The Compound drops you — without any context — at the beginning of a season of a Love Island-like reality show called The Compound (lol). Without giving too much away, the contestants on this show have to complete tasks to get rewards, while also alternately coupling up with and voting each other out of the compound. Oh, and they’re in the middle of a vast desert with hungry, wild animals roaming around :)
I read this in maybe two days, and really enjoyed the commentary on late stage capitalism, heteronormativity, and the general crappy current state of society. Read this one if you like your summer reads with a slice of social commentary, while still being readable and not hitting you over the head with metaphor (I’m looking at you, Yellowface, by RF Kuang).
Albion by Anna Hope - Albion is like a more serious Succession set in the English countryside (specifically, SUSSEX) that features some great commentary about identity, the climate crisis, legacy, ownership, and privilege. Again, I don’t want to give too much away, but this novel centres around an aristocratic family over one weekend while they bury the recently deceased patriarch of the family. This is a modern English country house novel that slides between characters omnisciently and features some truly beautiful writing about the natural world. I would love to sit down and discuss this book at length with the writer, but for now, I will recommend it to everyone and hope they read it (and then discuss it with me after)!
Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin - Last but not least, another absolute banger for you. Great Black Hope takes a look at race and privilege and grief and other super neat, easy-to-parse topics (lol)! I loved this novel because it took me places I’ve never thought about before and put me inside an entirely new experience, which is my favourite thing about reading. On a sentence level, the writing is extremely intelligent and hooked me right in. I almost wish I could read it for the first time again!
Currently Working My Way Through
Salty by Kate Myers - I’ve only read a few pages of this, but I loved Kate Myers’ debut novel, Excavations, and I’m hoping Salty will be just as funny and entertaining. From what I can glean so far, this is the story of two completely different sisters fighting to save some land that was important to them as children, with a vaguely Caribbean setting. I’m sold!
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall - I’m not super into this one yet, but it’s supposed to be a sort of gentle thriller set over many years in the English countryside. I love old family secrets, treachery of all kinds, and the English countryside, so I’m hoping this story will grab me soon.
Saltwater by Katy Hays - I loved Katy Hays’ The Cloisters, which was a gothic thriller involving the Cloisters at the Met. Saltwater is a psychological thriller that follows a rich family as a murder committed years ago comes back to light. I think the murder involves someone falling off/being pushed off a cliff, which was a major plot point in another thriller I read recently, so there seems to be a theme in my reading at the moment. It’s also set in Capri, which is convenient because in the summer I love reading books that take place in glamorous locales.
Malas by Marclea Fuentes - Curses? Creepy old women? Girls who can’t keep their mouths shut? Family secrets? Love them! I’m looking forward to picking Malas up again soon. It has an ominous, dangerous vibe that I haven’t found in any other book recently, and I’m apparently craving that right now.
BONUS READ!
The Guest by Emma Cline - I’m ashamed that I still haven’t finished this novel after it came out two whole years ago, but I saved it for the summer to enhance its claustrophobic, ominous vibes. I’ve heard mixed reviews but I enjoyed Emma Cline’s other books, so I don’t think this will be a miss for me. She just does an overarching, lingering sense of dread so well, which is honestly an iconic claim to fame! (No family secrets in this one, as far as I know.)
TBR Pile Books
The Sunshine Man by Emma Stonex - My Mum and I had the pleasure of meeting Emma at Hay Festival about a month ago (she was lovely!), and that got both of us excited to read her new release. Another thriller situation, this follows a woman looking to avenge her sister’s murder many years before. Emma’s last book, The Lamplighters, featured a wide range of well-written characters, and I’m looking forward to who I’ll meet in this story.
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due - I’ve been meaning to read this novel for a while. Apparently, it’s haunting historical fiction/horror set in a reformatory in the 1950s Jim Crow South. I appreciate when horror takes on social commentary, and I’ve heard so many great things about this novel. Also, anything set in Florida has that sticky, mildly suffocating vibe that I look for in a dark summer read.
Salt Bones by Jennifer Ghivan - I love horror that references Indigenous culture, and Salt Bones looks like it’ll lean into this while also exploring family secrets (!!), climate change, and other topics relevant to my interest. Another spooky read on the docket!
Coming Soon! New Releases I’m Excited About
The Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas (out August 19th) - I didn’t love this author’s last book (too much slow burn romance and not enough creepy goings on!), but I was obsessed with her first, and I am choosing to believe that this new release will follow in the same vein. The cover is stunning, and I am simply thrilled by the idea of “a demonic presence awaken[ing] deep in a Mexican silver mine” in the 18th century.
Boudicca’s Daughter by Elodie Harper (coming August 28th) - I read Elodie’s Wolf Den Trilogy a couple of years ago and fell in love, so it goes without saying that I am dying to read her next standalone novel. This book is also specifically relevant to my interests because I have a great fondness for the Boudicca statue across from Big Ben, which I made regular pilgrimages to in London with my Mum and brother as a child.
Best Woman by Rose Dommu (out September 23rd) - I’ve followed Rose on Twitter and Instagram for a while now and have always found her smart and hilarious. I’m looking forward to reading her novel, whose blurb reads:
“The "best woman" at her brother's wedding tells a little white lie in her quest to get the girl—her lifelong crush and the maid of honor—in this wildly entertaining debut novel about bad decisions and life's messiest transitions.”
Can’t wait!
The Salvage by Anbara Salam (out October 7th) - I only discovered this one recently, but my interest was piqued by the prospect of a gothic mystery centred around a marine archaeologist who sees a “ghostly” figure lurking in the shadows of a shipwreck off the coast of Scotland. The Salvage sounds perfect for spooky season, and I’m always looking for more books to add to my compendium of Haunting Seaside Tales™ (not a real thing, but I’m thinking of making it one!).
Heiresses: Marriage, Inheritance, and Slavery in the Caribbean by Miranda Kauffman (out October 7th) - This is rather something different from all the other books I’ve mentioned thus far, but I am extremely intrigued by this important non-fiction title. I’m hoping it will be well-researched, and although I’m sure it’ll contain upsetting material, I always relish the opportunity to look at history through a new lens.
Some Other Stuff
Something That Made Me Tear Up: (Side note: who knew VEVO was still a thing?!)
Something That Made Me Giggle (This one is really stupid, sorry!):
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Something That Left Me Highly Overstimulated But Used to Be a Regular Occurrence in My Life: A trip to the EATON CENTRE. I had to go downtown for a doctor’s appointment the other day, so I thought I would stop by for a visit to my old friend, the Eaton Centre. I don’t regret it, but I’m not sure I left the mall a better person; I was sweating, I was irritated, and I was overwhelmed by the range of new stores in the mall. I was also so rattled by the time I left that I got confused about whether to go north or south on the subway! With that in mind, I think the addition of a Simons to the mall is extremely positive, and I look forward to seeing it in a year when I next venture to the Yonge and Dundas area.
Thanks for reading! Let me know what your favourite recent reads were or what you’re looking forward to reading in the next little while. Also, please share any and all recent overstimulating excursions to the Eaton Centre — I’m all ears!
Diana
Well we had a very stimulating conversation on the return journey from the cottage about Albion so you know my opinion on it (“lukewarm and a little flawed” for those who weren’t in the back of the car with us.)
I too am very excited for Boudicca’s Daughter and as Diana knows I have had a great fondness for Boudicca since I was a little girl and saw the blades on her chariot on the statue - what does that say about me as a little girl?? 🤯
Not many statues of women in London which makes this one all the more remarkable. If anyone is in London, highly recommend you go to Westminster bridge and pay homage to Boudicca.
Also great book choices Diana. I am most excited about Natalie Haynes’ new one No Friend to This House UK publication date September 11