Review: ‘The Deep’ Nick Cutter

A plague is destroying the world's population. The 'Gets makes people forget. First it's the small things, like where you left your keys...then the not-so-small things, like how to drive. And finally your body forgets how to live. But now an unknown substance with extraordinary power to heal has been discovered in the depths of …

Review: ‘Women Don’t Owe You Pretty’ Florence Given

I know, my duvet cover is adorable Women Don't Owe You Pretty is the ultimate book for anyone who wants to challenge the out-dated narratives supplied to us by the patriarchy. Through Florence's story you will learn how to protect your energy, discover that you are the love of your own life, and realise that today is a …

Review: ‘Veronika Decides To Die’ Paulo Coelho

Veronika has everything she could wish for. She is young and pretty, has plenty of boyfriends, a steady job, a loving family. Yet she is not happy; something is lacking in her life, and one morning she decides to die. She takes an overdose of sleeping pills, only to wake up some time later in …

Review: ‘Cause of Death’ Geoffrey Garrett

Dr Geoffrey Garrett was for over 30 years a Home Office pathologist. This is his personal memoir, in conjunction with crime journalist Andrew Nott, of many infamous, unusual and heartbreaking cases and a fascinating history of his professional life, giving a unique insight into a pathologist's work. I came across Cause of Death while trawling …

August in books

Well, like July, I didn't read too much in August. I read three books. In all honesty, though, I've been struggling with my mental health for the past couple of months. I've had depression and anxiety for well over a decade and both just seem to have been a lot worse recently. I'm on medication …

Review: ‘Out’ Natsuo Kirino

In the Tokyo suburbs four women work the draining graveyard shift at a boxed-lunch factory. Burdened with chores and heavy debts and isolated from husbands and children, they all secretly dream of a way out of their dead-end lives. A young mother among them finally cracks and strangles her philandering, gambling husband then confesses her …

Review: ‘The Final Girl Support Group’ Grady Hendrix

In horror movies, the final girl is the one who’s left standing when the credits roll. The one who fought back, defeated the killer, and avenged her friends. The one who emerges bloodied but victorious. But after the sirens fade and the audience moves on, what happens to her? Lynnette Tarkington survived a massacre twenty-two …

Convenience versus the independent bookshop

My partner and I decided to venture into Glasgow city centre on Friday after steering clear of it for pretty much the entirety of the pandemic thus far. After having some lunch, we went to the Savoy Centre on Sauchiehall Street, which is one of the city centre's main shopping streets. Inside, we were met …

July in books

I read a mere three books in July, but they were great books and that's what matters ultimately, right? I think quality is more important than quantity, plus my reason for not having got through too many books is pretty positive. My partner and I both had a week off, so we decided to go …

Review: ‘Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers’ Mary Roach

What happens to your body after you have died? Fertilizer? Crash test Dummy? Human dumpling? Ballistics practise? Life after death is not as simple as it looks. Mary Roach's Stiff lifts the lid off what happens to our bodies once we have died. Bold, original and with a delightful eye for detail, Roach tells us …