I might be somewhat slow off the mark with this month's releases that I'm excited about, but I'm here! I apologise for missing severals months, time got away from me while I had my nose in many books.
October 2026 Book Releases
The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle | book review
There is something so exciting about being treated to a full-length Sherlock Holmes novel, particularly when this is the last one of them! Don't get me wrong, the short stories are brilliant, but it's fun to stay with the famous detective for many more pages.
Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik | book review
Raise your hand if you're absolutely loving this series! *raises all the hands* Despite vast stretches of this book leading to the comment "will they ever get off this boat?", I found this super enjoyable and I cannot get enough Temeraire in my life.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle | book review
Another great collection of short stories featuring the famous detective! I think this has been my favourite collection so far. Every single adventure in this collection was so much fun (whereas in some of the other collections there's been the odd one that left me a little cold). And you can't beat the euphoria of the dynamic duo finally reuniting.
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle | book review
This was my second time reading this, and it was every bit as good as the first time, helped by the fact that I could not remember for the life of me what the resolution of the story was. This is probably one of my favourites of the novel-length Sherlock stories, because the whole narrative is just so good and so tight (and has none of the weird half-book-length flashbacks that some of the others have).
Not for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher | book review
This, unfortunately, did not quite live up to my expectations. It was a good time and a fun read, but it was nothing to write home about. The humour was very forced and over the top, which I found distracted me and repeatedly brought me out of the story.
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks | book review
Straight onto my all-time favourites shelf this goes! I shouldn't have expected anything less from Brooks. Truth be told, I'd had this on my shelf for a long time and had completely forgotten about it. But you know what? I'm so glad I did, because that meant instead of reading it when I first bought it, I've now had the pleasure of reading this post-Covid.
Murder Most British by Helena Dixon | book review
Another great addition to this series! I just love how cute and cosy this crime series is. Once again, we are following our main cast of characters, and Murder Most British takes us to the heart of wartime London thick with smog and chock-block full of action.
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle | book review
Another great collection of Sherlock Holmes short stories, and of course, the very collection that ends in the Final Problem. I do think I prefer the full-length stories to these short stories, but there are some really great cases amongst the short stories that pack an unexpected punch.
His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik | book review
Well, this was absolutely delightful. I was a little uncertain if this was going to live up to expectations based on the first few chapters, but I soon got into the rhythm of the writing and was swept away on what quickly became a wonderful adventure.
