I Read, Therefore I Blog

1. The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley.

2. Raven Winter by Susanna Bailey.

3. Careless People: A Story Of Where I Used To Work by Sarah Wynn-Williams.

4. Planet Omar – Ultimate Rocket Blast by Zanib Mian.

5. A Death In The Hospital by Caroline Dunford.

6. Hammer Vol 1: The Ocean Kingdom by Jeyodin.

7. Breaking: How The Media Works, When It Doesn’t … And Why It Matters by Mic Wright.

8. Sentient: A Novel by Michael Nayak.

9. Murder At The Black Cat Café by Seishi Yokomizo.

10. Cosmic Cadets And The Universal Uni-korn by Ryan Crawford and Rochelle Falconer.

11. Roots Of Love by Sarah Asuquo.

12. The Immortalists: The Death Of Death And The Race For Eternal Life by Aleks Krotoski.

13. Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell.

14. Vagabond by Tim Curry.

15. Jack The Fairy: The Week The Bad Fairies Escaped! by Tom McLaughlin.

16. Mog Spot And Say by Judith Kerr.

17. The Value Of Everything by Mariana Mazzucato.

18. Everything Is Lies by Helen Callaghan.

19. The Dad Trap by Ian Eagleton.

20. My Little Drummer by Sian Radford and Gwen Millard.

21. Love Notes by Andy Cope and Hannah Knowles.

22. Murder At Mt. Fuji by Shizuko Natsuki.

23. What’s Your Dream? The Workbook by Simon Squibb.

24. Into The Groove: The 1980s The Ultimate Decade In Music History by Justin Lewis.

25. Wild Darling by Alexandra Moody.

26. The Cut Throat Trial by S. J. Fleet.

27. The Sleep Room: A Very British Medical Scandal by Jon Stock.

28. Can Everyone Please Calm Down? by Mae Martin.

29. The Shadow Pony by Olivia Wakeford.

30. Hari Kumar: Ultimate Superstar by Rashmi Sirdeshpande.

The Blurb On The Back:

Everything is changing for eleven-year-old Evan. His family is split down the middle, and lately Grandad hasn’t been himself. But Evan can always depend on best friend Okie Dokie, his lovable dog.

When a school trip takes Evan to an old mine where Grandad used to work, things go disastrously wrong. Grandad used to work, things go disastrously wrong. Grandad refuses to talk to Evan about the mine, and especially about the pit ponies that worked down there in the dark. But Evan is desperate to know more. Can he uncover Grandad’s secrets before they are lost forever.

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The Verdict:

Olivia Wakeford’s novel for readers aged 9+ is a sensitive look at memory, loneliness and adapting to change that comes with a sprinkling of the supernatural and atmospheric illustrations by David Litchfield. Evan is well rounded and easy to empathise with, particularly his love of his Grandad and his jealousy of Melly and I think young readers will understand what it’s like to know that things are changing but not being given a say in them.

THE SHADOW PONY was released in the United Kingdom on 26 February 2026. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

The Royal Waterloo Hospital, London in the 1960s. Six young women lie asleep on low beds. Day and night no longer exist, extinguished by a potent cocktail of antipsychotic, sedative and anti-depressant drugs. The women are taken from their beds by the nurses and given electroconvulsive therapy before being put to sleep again. All under the watchful eye of Dr William Sargant.

THE SLEEP ROOM is a chilling expose of Sargant’s bizarre psychiatric treatments, which were inflicted on hundreds of women with mental illness - among them the actor Celia Imrie. At the story’s centre is a sinister and charismatic doctor, who was a hugely influential figure in post-war British society - lauded by Robert Graves and Aldous Huxley as well as regularly appearing on the BBC. When Sargant died in 1988, the obituaries were glowing.

But since then, women treated without their consent and with often horrific side-effects lasting decades have been campaigning to tell the truth about Sargant. Author Jon Stock tells these women’s stories as well as delving into the murky history of Sargant’s links with MI5 and the CIA, both of which took a close interest in his disturbing efforts to reprogram the human mind.

As compulsive as a thriller, THE SLEEP ROOM finally gets to the truth of a scandal at the heart of the British medical establishment.

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The Verdict:

Jon Stock is a novelist and journalist. This book is strongest when describing the ECT and narcotherapy treatments to which psychiatrist Dr William Sargant subjected patients - generally women - and includes first person accounts, including from Celia Imrie. However Stock’s argument that Sargant worked for the CIA and the MI5 on brainwashing using these techniques is circumstantial, as is his suggestion that Sargant sexually abused patients.

The Blurb On The Back:

He might be her sworn enemy, but perhaps it’s better the Devil you know …

Parker Darling is ready to take centre ice now that his older brothers have left to play hockey in college. But he shows up to the first practice only to find a new coach at the rink - one who already hates him for a dumb mistake he made years ago, with the held of the coach’s daughter, Mackenzie.

Kenzie Foster loves hockey too and she’s a ruthless goalie. If only her dad hadn’t forbidden her from playing - not that she’d want to be on any team with that arrogant jerk Parker Darling. She can’t believe she’s stuck on the bench at a new school, watching the Devils lose.

But when the team’s goalie is injured, Parker’s plan to turn things around gives Kenzie the chance to prove her dad wrong. They’ll need to work together to reach their goals - without getting too close to making another big mistake …

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The Verdict:

The conclusion to Alexandra Moody’s YA hockey romance trilogy is a well-paced enemies-to-lovers affair that hits all the beats you expect. Kenzie’s relationship with her dad is unconvincing with the reason for his over-protectiveness coming too late while Parker’s struggle to live up to his brothers reputation while making his own name is superficial. However, the hockey scenes are convincing and there was enough here to keep me turning the pages.

WILD DARLING was released in the United Kingdom on 12 March 2026. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Do you want to be … an astronaut? A YouTuber? A footballer?

This step-by-step workbook can help

MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE!

Simon Squibb is famous for asking people what their dreams are, and for helping them make it happen. Now he wants to help YOU unlock your potential, turn doing what you LOVE into your job, and build a HAPPY life for your future self.

So, pick up a pencil and let’s begin … What’s your dream?

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The Verdict:

Simon Squibb is an entrepreneur turned influencer who helps people start their own businesses and follow their dreams. This well structured, illustrated workbook couples encouragement with practical advice for readers aged 8+ to help them identify what they want to do with their lives and how best to achieve it. My only criticism is that it is aimed at work and I wish Squibb had applied it to non-work-related ambitions, which are equally important.

WHAT’S YOUR DREAM? THE WORKBOOK was released in the United Kingdom on 12 March 2026. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

A LITTLE book that will brighten your outlook and replenish your spirit

Love Notes is a small book with a big heart. Dr Andy Cope has teamed up with first-time author Hannah Knowles and award-winning illustrator Amy Bradley to create an uplifting book for anyone seeking more joy, meaning and love in their lives.

With warmth, wisdom and humour, Love Notes offers a refreshing antidote to a world that often feels overwhelming and disconnected. The message is simple but profound: love is the key to flourishing, and sharing it make the world brighter for everyone.

Packed with inspiring quotes, thoughtful reflections, light-hearted stories and vibrant illustrations, Love Notes is a treasure trove designed to make you pause, smile, and reconnect with what matters most.

You’ll love it, but you can’t keep it! Love Notes is designed to be passed on, and on, and on … creating a ripple of warmth across families and communities.

Whether you’re seeking fresh motivation, a spark of joy, or simply a reminder that love is still the most powerful force in the world, Love Notes will help you rediscover your best self and share it with those you cherish.

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The Verdict:

Andy Cope is a professional trainer, teacher and author. Amy Bradley is an experienced illustrator. Hannah Knowles is an author and motivational speaker. This well-intentioned but ultimately insipid and smug homily about love has a great layout but recycles a lot from Cope’s other books, seems uncertain of the target readership and makes no concession to those whose family lives are not conducive to its adopting its message.

LOVE NOTES was released in the United Kingdom on 22 January 2026. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

When William and Florence meet on the first day of Year Six, they instantly dislike each other.

William is impulsive, endlessly chatty, and struggles in school. His home life is safe and predictable - just him and Dad - and that’s how William likes it.

Florence is sullen, cold, and everything seems to me easily to her. She’s moved after her parents’ divorce, but she’s convinced she won’t be staying long because the’ll definitely get back together …

But then Florence and William find out that their dads have started dating each other! Now they must put their differences to one side. Because only if they work together might they stand a chance of SPLITTING UP THEIR DADS.

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The Verdict:

Ian Eagleton’s standalone contemporary novel for readers aged 9+ is a fun and empathic, lgbtq+ friendly read that shows ADHD and autism in a way that’s easy to relate to. Will is well drawn, fascinated by detective mysteries and frightened by the disruption his dad’s love life poses dad but also prone to jealousy and destructive acts while Florence is an interesting counterfoil, who hides her vulnerability behind indifference.

THE DAD TRAP was released in the United Kingdom on 15 January 2026. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Who really creates wealth in our world? And how do we decide the value of what they do? At the heart of today’s financial and economic crisis is a problem hiding in plain sight.

In modern capitalism, value-extraction is rewarded more highly than value-creation, the productive process that drives a healthy economy and society. From companies driven solely to maximise shareholder value, to astronomically high prices of medicines justified through Big Pharma’s ‘value based pricing’, we misidentify taking with making, and have lost sight of what value really means. Once a central plank of economic thought, this concept of value - what it is, why it matters to us - is simply no longer discussed.

Yet, argues Mariana Mazzucato, if we are to reform capitalism - radically to transform an increasingly sick system rather than continue feeding it - we urgently need to rethink where wealth comes from. Who is creating it, who is extracting it, and who is destroying it? Answers to these questions are key if we want to replace the current parasitic system with a type of capitalism that is more sustainable, more symbiotic and that works for us all. The Value Of Everything will reignite a long-needed debate about the kind of world we really want to live in.

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The Verdict:

Mariana Mazzucato is Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London. This interesting book makes pertinent points about how value is viewed in economics and how it incentivises companies and executives to engage in behaviour that demonstrably does not add value. It is theory heavy but Mazzucato writes so it’s clear to follow and she makes interesting points about switching to a more stakeholder-focused model.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

When Jack accidentally magics his best friend Charlie through an inter dimensional portal and onto Lonely Island, he realises he might have broken one rule too many. Especially when he discovers that Lonely Island is a prison for ruthless Twinkle and her gang of bad fairies!

Tricked into releasing the bad fairies, Jack and Charlie must confess to Mum and Uncle Dave and enlist the help of the magical kingdom. Can they dodge Bonzo the Bogeyman’s snot missiles and stop Twinkle and her gang from taking control of the entire world?

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The Verdict:

The third in Tom McLaughlin’s self-illustrated comedy fantasy series for readers aged 7+ is an entertaining if slim story about friendship that’s packed with jokes (including some laugh out loud one-liners) and the kind of gross situations that readers of this age enjoy. However, I wish there’d been some more development of Twinkle’s relationship with Jack’s mum and uncle because it would have given the plot more depth and drama.

JACK THE FAIRY: THE WEEK THE BAD FAIRIES ESCAPED! was released in the United Kingdom on 4 September 2025. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Agnes eyes it, then takes it with two fingers and flattens it against her mud splattered apron. For a moment she cannot tell what she is looking at. It is a printed page. There are many letters, so many, in rows, grouped into words. There is her husband’s name, at the top, and the word ‘tragedie’. And there, right in the middle, in the largest letters of all, is the name of her son, her boy.

On a summer’s day in 1596, a young girl in Stratford-upon-Avon takes to her bed with a fever. Her twin brother, Hamnet, searches everywhere for help. Why is nobody at home?

Their mother, Agnes, is over a mile away, in the garden where she grows medicinal herbs. Their father is working in London.

Neither parent knows that one of the children will not survive the week.

Hamnet is a novel inspired by the son of a famous playwright. It is a story of the bond between twins, and of a marriage pushed to the brink by grief. It is also the story of a flea that boards a ship in Alexandria; a kestrel and its mistress, and a glovemaker’s son who flouts convention in pursuit of the woman he loves. Above all, it is a tender and unforgettable reimagining of a boy whose life has been all but forgotten, but whose name was given to one of the most celebrated plays ever written.

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The Verdict:

Maggie O’Farrell’s gripping historical novel (now an Oscar-winning film) is about love, grief and making sense of personal tragedy, all shown through the lense of Shakespeare’s family (although the man himself is never named). Shown mainly through the eyes of his wife, Agnes (here a determined woman with a supernatural ability to tell a person’s fate) it’s above all else a very human story that shows Shakespeare as both a man and a playwright.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.