Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings

Ethel Mannin’s AN AMERICAN JOURNEY is being republished in May by Boiler House Press thanks to Brad Bigelow who is the force behind @neglectedbooks.com
There is a story here: Back in 2023, I had been posting photos from my trips on the Greyhound bus. Brad saw them & got in touch asking if I… (1)

This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but me writing 6000 words for Inventory about Julie Covington.

I’ve finished it, 6600 words. The world may now end.

“It’s a very odd set-up.” #carolcarnac #thedoubleturn Timing is often all when it comes to reading, I find, and today’s book is a wonderful example of that. It arrived on the day I had finished reading the epic volume, “The Waste Land: A B…

On the blog today, another brilliant #CarolCarnac reissue from @blpublishing.bsky.social -such a clever and twisty one! @martinedwardsbooks.bsky.social kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2026/03/06/i...

#WWWWednesday
Last #book I finished: The Owl, the Duck, and - Miss Rowe! Miss Rowe! by #JohnCowperPowys
#Amreading: The Name of the Rose, by #UmbertoEco
#Amlistening to: Lock In, by #JohnScalzi
#TBR Reading next: The Inheritors, by #WilliamGolding

“You must get over these fancies…” #edgarallanpoe Back in January, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole after reading some classic cosmic horror by H.P. Lovecraft, and as I reported, I ended up investing in a number of new titles inspired by that bo…

On the Ramblings today, I explore a rattling good yarn from #EdgarAllanPoe - more here! kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2026/03/03/y...

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One of my indie books for the month and it turned out to be brilliant! 😃

Lovely selection of books there Ali! I had a good month - hard to pick favourites, but Paris Fantastique, short stories by @nicholasroyle.bsky.social was a real highlight.

Reading Independent Publishers Month 2026 This page is to collect together all of the reviews of books published by Independent Publishers during #readindies month 2026! Please do let me know about your posts in the comments below and I wi…

February and Reading Independent Publishers Month #ReadIndies are over, but we should be reading and supporting independent presses all year round. If you want some ideas of what to read next, check out my page with a massive amount of links! kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/reading-inde...

February – a marvellous month of #ReadIndies! February has been quite a month, and I have so enjoyed hosting Reading Independent Publishers Month. This is the sixth time the event has taken place, and I missed having my lovely co-host Lizzy th…

It's the last day of #ReadIndies month, and I share my February reads here: kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2026/02/28/f... Don't forget to leave a comment and share your own reads!

“I will show you fear in a handful of dust.” #readindies #thewasteland My final book for #ReadIndies is from a publisher who’s a huge favourite of mine, and I did wonder if I would get it finished in time as it’s a bit of a chunkster! Fortunately, I embark…

On the Ramblings today, my last review for #ReadIndies, and it's a chunkster - a stunning book about the composition of #thewasteland from @faberbooks.bsky.social - more here: kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2026/02/27/i...

International Booker Longlist for 2026 The longlist for the International Booker was announced yesterday and, although I am now finding it harder and more expensive to order English-language books, I will attempt to join the wonderful S…

A few initial thoughts about the International Booker Longlist for 2026 findingtimetowrite.wordpress.com/2026/02/25/i...

Radio Leeds Book Club tomorrow morning, live at 9.15ish. Tune in if you wanna hear me talk about books by the dazzling triumverate of Naomi Booth, @jamesscudamore.bsky.social and @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social, plus whatever else Rima wants to bring up. Not saying which books though 😀

Tea on Sunday by Lettice Cooper While the British novelist and campaigner Lettice Cooper is probably best known for her literary novels, such as National Provincial (1938) and The New House (1936), both in print with Persephone B…

New on the blog today for #ReadIndies, I've written about TEA ON SUNDAY by Lettice Cooper.

A very enjoyable 'closed circle' style whodunnit in which an elderly woman is bumped off in the run-up to her tea party on Sunday afternoon. #BookSky 💙📚 #CrimeFiction

jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2026/02/26/t...

Jan Hilliard's Morgan's Castle (#readindies) "What a lot of ways there are to murder someone, she thought..." Oh, what fun this one was!  The sixteen-year-old Laura Dean had thought sh...

Further praise for the new reissue of Morgan's Castle by neglected #NovaScotia novelist Jan Hilliard's 1964 novel.

#canlit #cdnhist

reesewarner.blogspot.com/2026/02/jan-...

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Most welcome - absolutely loved the book, and still very haunted by the stories!!

Will have to search that one out!

Thanks! I love his non-fiction and was so happy his fiction is just as good!

“I love a dedicated second-hand bookshop as much as the next collector.” #parisfantastique #readindies Confingo Publishing is an indie press based in Manchester, and they have an intriguing list of titles on their books. They’ve appeared on the Ramblings before as they issue Dave Haslam’…

On the Ramblings today for #ReadIndies, a stunning short story collection by @nicholasroyle.bsky.social from @confingopublishing.bsky.social "Paris Fantastique" - so good! More here: kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2026/02/25/i...

An excellent resource for #ReadIndies! 😊

The second-rate works of a great writer are worth reading because they offer the best criticism of his masterpieces.

—Virginia Woolf, from 'The Common Reader'

Totally agree. When my Eldest was at school they would send him home with The Princess and the Pea etc which was a real struggle to get him to engage with. When they started sending home space partrol type stories that was half the battle won!!

Oh dear.... So sorry the book didn't work! The best laid plans etc etc.... 🤣

“… stay under the radar.” #readindies #corylusbooks I’m happy to be able to share my thoughts today on a book from a really interesting indie press – Corylus Books. As I mentioned when I reviewed another title they released, “Black…

It's the last week of #ReadIndies and on the blog I share my thoughts on a gripping political thriller from @corylusbooks.bsky.social - more here! kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2026/02/23/s...

Ooooh, nice selection! Two I've not seen before, I rarely come across them in the wild nowadays! ♥️

Freezing Point by Anders Bodelsen (tr. Joan Tate) First published in Danish in 1969, Freezing Point is another thrilling entry in the Faber Editions series, an expertly curated selection of rediscovered gems dedicated to showcasing radical literar…

New on the blog today, I've written about FREEZING POINT by Anders Bodelsen (tr. Joan Tate).

I loved this chilling dystopian nightmare shot through with absurdist, deadpan humour - another knockout addition to the Faber Editions series! #BookSky 💙📚

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Last up, a rather chunky and intriguing one which is perhaps a little outside the usual mould as it's based on a historical real-life case - can't wait. Now the usual issue - what to read next???? 🤣

And the last two are Crime Classics from British Library Publishing - firstly, a new Carol Carnac title which is very exciting!