books

February 2026

February passed in a twinkling, in part because of my dedication to watching as much Olympics coverage as possible. I love the Olympics. I can’t help it.

My couchmate, Glen, enjoyed them too:

As did our weirdest Ring-necked Pheasant, Peeping Tom:

Or rather, Peeping Tom liked watching us watching the Olympics, because he couldn’t see the tv from his angle.

Tom has always been the most peculiar of our yard’s nye of pheasants (I just learned last week that they are a nye, not a flock, so there you go), preferring to roost in the oak tree instead of in the scrubby patch with the rest of his family. They are good, if occasionally noisy, neighbours, but Tom is obviously angling for a taste of indoor life. 

I did manage to get out for a few walks despite the icy conditions underfoot. Here’s Evie contemplating making a run for the river:

I was thrilled one afternoon to watch an exaltation (or an ascension) of Horned Larks hanging out on the dykes, but was less thrilled when I got home and realised the million photos I took of them were dismal. Here is one of the slightly less awful shots of one of them:

Embarrassing. But here’s a bit better one of a Black-capped Chickadee:

I’ve been…

baking the last of the shortbread cookie dough I made before Christmas

knitting a fourth hooded scarf since November, but I think that’s it for now

learning the names of groups of birds

listening to a yard full of Song Sparrows livin’ it up

making yogurt, still trying to perfect my technique

reading Cranford and The Impossible Fortune

watching Olympics, obviously

my favourite reads of February 2026

The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie (1942)

When the body of a young woman is found in their library, Dolly Bantry immediately calls her old friend Jane Marple to help save her husband’s reputation.

I’m not sure how many times I’ve read this one over the years, but Charlotte gave me a vintage paperback version for Christmas so obviously I was going to read it yet again. So good.

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (1851)

The ups and downs of daily life in a quiet village dominated by elderly spinsters.

A teensy bit slow at times, but good characterisation and regular dashes of humour made it an enjoyable read. The tv adaptation starring Judi Dench isn’t entirely faithful to the source, but close enough. And the casting was perfection.

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman (2025)

At Joyce’s daughter’s wedding reception, the best man tells Elizabeth that he is in danger, and then disappears, thus kicking off another investigation by the Thursday Murder Club.

Good pacing, plotting, characterisation, suspense. Richard Osman is really good at this.

A Jane Austen Year (2025)

A nice scrapbook of Jane Austen’s letters, photos of places she lived, excerpts from her novels, and descriptions of items she owned and activities she pursued.

This was a nice, quiet read, produced as a fundraiser for the museum Jane Austen’s House.

Shroud for a Nightingale by PD James (1971)

A student nurse dies during a medical demonstration in front of her fellow students and, much as they all want to believe otherwise, she was clearly murdered. Unleash Dalgleish.

A bit too long, but quite good. Interesting setting and crime with believable characters.

Other titles I read that didn’t make the list:

Hag’s Nook by John Dickson Carr (a mystery-thriller that started off well, but then lost me)

Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe (DNF when I realised I didn’t care what happened next)

The Return of Mr Campion: Uncollected Stories by Margery Allingham (I love you, Margery, but these just didn’t do it for me)

my favourite reads of January 2026

The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie (1960)

Includes the stories The Mystery of the Spanish Chest, The Under Dog, Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds, The Dream, and Greenshaw’s Folly.

All good stories. Very enjoyable. 

Art, Annotated by DK (2024)

A huge, heavy book, and an excellent survey of 500 pieces of art. 

The Art of Beatrix Potter (1955)

Includes an essay from Anne Carroll Moore on her relationship with Beatrix Potter, as well as samples of her portfolio (from age 9!) and illustrated letters she sent to young friends and relations. 

The letters ‘written’ by some of her characters are priceless. Sent from Tom Thumb: ‘Honoured Madam. Would you forgive my asking whether you can spare a feather bed? The feathers are all coming out of the one we stole from your house.’

Christmas Pudding by Nancy Mitford (1932)

A group of eccentric friends gathers at a country house for Christmas.

This started off so brilliantly. I was live, laugh and loving it, but then it started to lose its juice when the attention focused on Philadelphia Bobbin (easily the least interesting character) and her potential love affairs. The first bit was hilarious, though.

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson (2024)

Ernest Cunningham is forced into action again when his ex-wife is found covered in blood, alone in the house with her murdered fiance. 

A quick, fun read.

Pigeon Pie by Nancy Mitford (1940)

Lady Sophia Garfield does some basic admin work during the war, but wishes she could be a glamorous spy. Despite her belief in her own skills, she somehow fails to pick up on a spy ring being run out of her own home until it’s almost too late. 

Amusing.

Sabzi by Yasmin Khan (2025)

It’s the rare cookbook I’d recommend here, but this definitely qualifies. Extremely appealing recipes, and as a bonus, there are zero photos of the author grinning and posing like a madwoman on every page like every other godforsaken cookbook these days.

Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham (1933)

A thriller in which Campion and friends try to track down pieces of evidence that would restore the ownership of an old principality to its rightful rulers.

This one was a bit weird, but there were lots of funny moments and I liked it.

Other reads not on the list:

Flora Nouveaux: Not Your Grandma’s Dried Flowers by Carla Wingett (always been a fan of dried flowers, but how she thinks the average person would access her fancy materials is a mystery)

Journal of a Country Curate by Francis Kilvert (DNF – grossed out by his remarks on little girls)

Kurashi at Home by Marie Kondo (totally agree with her premise that a sane environment makes you feel good, but doubt I’ll be hand-washing my floors any time soon)

A Mind to Murder by PD James (really slow first half and by the time it started to pick up I had soured on it)

Outwitting Housework by Barty Phillips (misnamed – I expected ideas for preventing and simplifying housework, not just basic tips on how to clean)

The Plan by Kendra Adachi (thought I’d get more out of it than I did, but it’s definitely aimed at younger mothers)

Shibui: The Japanese Art of Finding Beauty in Aging by Sanae Ishida (vague, brief)

The Woman’s Book of Creativity by C Diane Ealy (very dry analysis of creativity, ironically)

Yoshuku: The Japanese Art of Manifesting by Azumi Uchitani (like Shibui, above, and all the other boring ‘cultural curiosity’ books I’ve read recently – give me specific suggestions instead of endless pages of ‘isn’t being Japanese/Swedish/whatever nationality great?’)

my favourite reads of December 2025

The Allingham Case-book by Margery Allingham (1969)

A collection of short stories, some featuring Albert Campion.

Funny, clever, really enjoyable.

Cover Her Face by PD James (1962)

A devious housemaid is strangled in her bed and Dalgleish discovers she had a lot of enemies.

The first PD James I’ve ever read and I liked it a lot.

Do Admit! by Mimi Pond (2025)

A biography of the infamous Mitford sisters in graphic novel form.

I find graphic novels like this a bit hard to read when there are lines of text all over the page in every direction, but the Mitford sisters are so fascinating I persevered.

Night at the Vulcan by Ngaio Marsh (1951)

Young actress Martyn Tarne stumbles into a job as a dresser in a play with a cast that has complicated feelings about each other. When the star actor dies, some of the cast and crew are happy for her to take the blame.

A bit slow-moving and too focused on how sweet and charming Martyn is, but it was still pretty good.

Police at the Funeral by Margery Allingham (1931)

The fiancée of an old friend of Campion’s is the personal companion to a spiky elderly lady, who lives with her strange and unlikeable adult children and nephews, one of whom has disappeared. Campion goes to investigate.

Not my favourite Allingham, but her B-list books are still better than a lot of other authors’ A-list ones, if you ask me.

Remarkable Diaries (2020)

A large, beautifully illustrated book on diaries through the centuries, with a good range of subjects. It inspired me to hunt down a few so I can read more.

The Yellow Dog by Georges Simenon (1931)

Maigret is brought in to investigate when a would-be assassin seems to be targeting a group of influential men in a small town. 

Simenon is economical – no wasting time on extraneous conversation or character-building or much description of any sort. I like it.

my favourite reads of November 2025

Art Work by Sally Mann (2025)

Part memoir and part advice to young photographers and artists of all kinds.

I wasn’t familiar with Sally Mann or her work before stumbling across this book, but I found her really funny and interesting and wise. 

Catching the Big Fish by David Lynch (2006)

Short pieces on film-making, transcendental meditation, reminiscences and his philosophies on life. 

I didn’t like it as much as Sally Mann’s Art Work, but I enjoyed his perspective. It’s just a book, of course, but I get the feeling he was a pretty decent, thoughtful kind of guy.

Every Salad Ever by Greta Podleski (2025)

I’ve always avoided those Looneyspoons cookbooks because the cartoons and overwhelming punniness are definitely not my thing, but this is cartoon-free and minimally punny and the recipes are very do-able in terms of time, effort and ordinary ingredients. I also like that the author wanted to keep it Canadian and off of Amazon. Gotta love a person with principles.

Leonard and Hungry Paul by Rónán Hession (2019)

Follows two quiet, gentle bachelors through some ordinary ups-and-downs of life. 

I kept waiting for terrible characters to come along and hurt them, but this is a world populated by mostly good and kind people. It’s a nice, ordinary story about nice, ordinary people.

Look to the Lady by Margery Allingham (1931)

Albert Campion helps the Gyrth family save an ancient chalice, a family heirloom, from thieves contracted to steal it for a wealthy buyer.

Very entertaining. I’m starting to think Margery Allingham might be my favourite author from The Golden Age of Detective Fiction.

A huge thanks to the Edmonton Public Library for sending a copy all the way to NS.

The Peepshow by Kate Summerscale (2024)

The fascinating and enraging story of the horrific murders committed by Reg Christie in London in the 1950s, as well as the effects that covering the story had on journalists and journalism.

Excellent, compelling reading, just like all Kate Summerscale’s books.

my favourite reads of October 2025

A Man’s Head by Georges Simenon (1931)

Maigret suspects that a man found guilty of a double murder didn’t do it and sets out to discover who did.

Quick-moving and enjoyable. There is a strange quality to all the Maigrets I’ve read so far and I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. A vagueness, maybe? There are definitely moments when I’m not entirely clear on what is happening. Maybe it’s Simenon’s style or maybe it’s the style of French books from the thirties. I am far from an expert.

Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham (1930)

An American judge is pursued across the Atlantic by a ruthless gang that has already killed four of his employees. (“Four murders in his house within a month? That ought to be stopped. He’s been told about it, I suppose?”) The judge’s adult children hire Albert Campion to help protect their father and expose the gang’s leadership.

Good plotting + fun twists + splashes of humour = very entertaining.

Swing, Brother, Swing by Ngaio Marsh (1949)

An obnoxious and widely despised band member is murdered during a performance by their guest drummer, the eccentric and unpredictable Lord Pastern. But did Lord Pastern really do it?

I liked this one a lot. Lady Pastern is hilarious.

Time Anxiety by Chris Guillebeau (2025)

Useful advice on how to live a happier life.

A quick, but valuable read.

my favourite reads of September 2025

The Collected Short Fiction of Ngaio Marsh (1969)

Contains essays on Alleyn and Troy as well as the short stories “Death on the Air”, “I Can Find My Way Out”, “The Little Copplestone Mystery”, “The Hand in the Sand”, “The Cupid Mirror”, “A Fool About Money”, “Morepork”, and a telescript of “Evil Liver”.

I prefer her novels, but overall I liked it.

The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham (1929)

A weekend house party in the country turns into a trap and the guests are held hostage by a gang of criminals.

Suspenseful, good pacing, clever plotting – I really liked it.

Dear Writer by Maggie Smith (2025)

Advice mainly geared toward poets, but lots of value for any writer.

Maggie Smith has a friendly, easygoing and encouraging way of writing that makes you feel not only that you could write, but that you should.

Died in the Wool by Ngaio Marsh (1945)

The body of Florence Rubrick, a brash politician in wartime New Zealand, is found stuffed in a bale of wool sent for processing by the sheep farm she shares with a bunch of dubious characters. Alleyn, in New Zealand on official spy-hunting business, is brought in to investigate.

Enjoyable.

The Little Nugget by PG Wodehouse (1913)

The rich, estranged parents of a horrible child, nicknamed The Little Nugget, are engaged in an ongoing war over the boy, with each side using spies and kidnappers to steal him away from the other.

Not quite as joke-packed as many Wodehouses, but there are still many very funny passages. 

Your To-Die-For Life by Karen Salmansohn (2025)

Essentially memento mori and therefore live accordingly, but it has lots of good advice and was a quick, pleasant read.

my favourite reads of August 2022

The Call by Edith Ayrton Zangwill (1924)

Ursula Winfield is a bright young scientist who abandons her scientific work to become a top suffragette. 

Her struggles to be accepted by the male-dominated scientific community and the horrors inflicted on suffragettes make for pretty compelling reading, but then the story focuses on Ursula’s stilted romance with Tony Balestier and I kind of lost interest.

Death at the Bar by Ngaio Marsh (1940)

An over-confident lawyer is killed by a poisoned dart in a bet gone wrong.

Very enjoyable.

Death and the Dancing Footman by Ngaio Marsh (1942)

Wealthy old bachelor Jonathan Royal invites a group of people (who have multiple reasons to hate each other) to his country house for a weekend party and then is shocked when someone ends up dead.

Suspenseful and good fun.

Doctor Sally by PG Wodehouse (1932)

Bill Bannister falls madly in love with beautiful Dr Sally Smith, but, thinking him a wealthy playboy, she isn’t interested.

The story is a bit thinner than most Wodehouses, but there were many very funny passages.

Fanny Burney’s Diary: A Selection from the Diary and Letters, ed by John Wain (1961)

A best-selling author as a young woman, Frances acted as a personal attendant to Queen Charlotte for five years, before marrying and having a child.

The entries in which she marvelled at the popularity of her novel and recounted everyone’s amazement at her genius got to be a bit tedious, but I really enjoyed the entries written while King George III was in crisis. 

The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien by Georges Simenon (1931)

Inspector Maigret watches a man mail a large wad of cash to himself and, wanting to know why he’s behaving so suspiciously, follows him. After witnessing the man commit suicide, his investigation into the man’s true identity and circumstances leads him to a crime committed ten years earlier.

Simenon’s style (exclamation marks! ellipses…) takes a bit of getting used to, but the plot was strange enough to keep me interested.

The Parasites by Daphne du Maurier (1949)

Recounts the strange childhood and difficult adulthood of Maria, Niall and Celia, the grown children of a famous dancer mother and a famous singer father.

Really good characterization, but confusing narration – sometimes third person and sometimes first person, although it was unclear who the ‘I’ was that was speaking. I saw this recommended as a ‘hysterically funny’ book and I wouldn’t say that, but it had its moments.

Pietr the Latvian by Georges Simenon (1931)

On the trail of infamous criminal Pietr the Latvian, Inspector Maigret is determined not to lose him.

I found it a bit difficult to understand what was happening at times, but enjoyed it.

Surfeit of Lampreys by Ngaio Marsh (1940)

A large, eccentric family always living beyond their means, the Lampreys are counting on rich Uncle Gabriel to bail them out of financial trouble again. Unfortunately for him, Uncle Gabriel ends up murdered in the Lampreys’ house and Inspector Alleyn has to figure out who did it and why.

Engaging characters, a clever plot – I really liked this one.

We Need Your Art by Amie McNee (2025)

Pep talks and lots of good advice for all kinds of issues artists, makers and writers face. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone struggling with their creative life.