Review – Hadrian’s Wall

Posted March 19, 2026 by Nicky in Uncategorized / 0 Comments

Hadrian's Wall: Rome and the Limits of Empire

by Adrian Goldsworthy

Genres: History, Non-fiction
Pages: 191
Rating: three-stars

Synopsis:
A beautifully produced account of the history and importance of Hadrian's Wall, by a bestselling author and expert on Ancient Rome.

Located at the far-flung and wild edge of the Roman Empire, Hadrian's Wall was constructed by Emperor Hadrian in the 120s AD. Vast in size and stretching from the east to the west coast of the northern part of Britannia, it is the largest monument left by the Roman empire – all the more striking because it lies so far from Rome. Today, it is one of the most visited heritage sites in the country.

Yet the story of the Wall is far more than the development of a line of fortifications and the defence of a troublesome imperial frontier. Generation after generation of soldiers served there, with their families as well as traders and other foreign and local civilians in and around the army bases. The glimpses of this vibrant, multinational community in Adrian Goldsworthy's masterly book bring the bare stones to life.

Goldsworthy also considers why and how the wall was built, and discusses the fascinating history, afterlife and archaeology of this unique ancient monument.

Adrian Goldsworthy’s Hadrian’s Wall is a slim little book that explains what the wall was (and wasn’t), the sequence of use, and some of the archaeology that evidences the things we know (and think we know) about it. There are some photographs, but they’re all in black and white (at least in the paperback edition I have), so it’s a bit muddy and not always easy to see the features in them, though as a non-visual person that doesn’t usually add much anyway.

There was a weird bit in the beginning where he talks about “today’s fashionable hostility to empires”, which was… worrying? But the rest of it was okay, just fairly factual, if essentially pro-Roman in its entire setup (we’re definitely looking at the wall from the Roman side, and not really concerning ourselves with “the Picts”).

I’d say it’s probably a good primer for someone who wants to dig in a little bit, but the book he recommends by David J. Breeze and Brian Dobson is much better if you want a deep dive. At least, I gave that one 4/5 stars, and noted my enjoyment — but I did read it back in 2018, so take that with a pinch of salt.

Rating: 3/5 (“liked it”)

Tags: Adrian Goldsworthy, book reviews, books, history, non-fiction

Review – Wain

Posted March 19, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Wain

by Rachel Plummer, Helene Boppert

Genres: Poetry
Pages: 126
Rating: three-stars

Synopsis:
Wain is a collection of LGBT themed children's poetry based on retellings of Scottish myths. The collection contains stories about kelpies, selkies, and the Loch Ness Monster, alongside perhaps lesser-known mythical people and creatures, such as wulvers, Ghillie Dhu, and the Cat Sìth. These poems immerse readers in an enriching, diverse and enchanting vision of contemporary life. The poems in this collection are fun, surprising, and full of a magical mix of myth and contemporary LGBT themes – it is a perfect read for children who are learning more about themselves, other people, and the world around them. Wain is fully illustrated, and suitable for readers of all ages.

Rachel Plummer’s Wain is a book of poems that reimagine various Scottish folktales and stories with LGBT twists: a selkie story is a trans story, a sea spirit flirts with a sea captain, etc. The poems are illustrated by Helene Boppert, in the same style as on the cover.

I definitely like the idea of the collection, though I found some of it a bit… obvious? Selkie story as trans narrative, for example. It’s not that it’s not fitting, or that I don’t think there should be trans selkie stories, so it’s hard to articulate just what I mean. Lacking in subtlety, perhaps? Though again, I don’t think subtlety is required. Several of the poems also had a kind of obviousness about them — a lack of layers and mystery, I suppose. I especially don’t get along with the ones that are just a bunch of sentences with full-stops, a collection of statements. I get that it is aimed at kids, but kids can handle subtlety.

That said, the art is lovely, and there were poems I liked. My favourite was ‘Green Lady’, in which a dead person has to choose a colour they want to take with them in death, which ends:

“Green as a sapling too soon torn
from its bank by a winter storm.
Green as the wide lawn’s wet grass.
Green as my dress —

the first I’d ever worn.”

That poem definitely worked for me!

So not a bad collection, and there’s definitely stuff to enjoy — especially, I suspect, for queer kids, the intended audience.

Rating: 3/5 (“liked it”)

Tags: book reviews, books, Helene Boppert, poetry, Rachel Plummer

Review – Nobody’s Baby

Posted March 18, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Nobody's Baby

by Olivia Waite

Genres: Mystery, Science Fiction
Pages: 136
Series: Dorothy Gentleman #2
Rating: four-stars

Synopsis:
Becky Chambers meets Miss Marple in the second entry of this cozy sci-fi mystery series, helmed by a formidable no-nonsense auntie of a detective...

Welcome to the HMS Fairweather, Her Majesty's most luxurious interstellar passenger liner! Room and board are included, new bodies are graciously provided upon request, and should you desire a rest between lifetimes, your mind shall be most carefully preserved in glass in the Library, shielded from every danger.

A wild baby appears! Dorothy Gentleman, ship detective, is put to the test once again when an infant is mysteriously left on her nephew's doorstep. Fertility is supposed to be on pause during the Fairweather’s journey across the stars—but humans have a way of breaking any rule you set them. Who produced this child, and why did they then abandon him? And as her nephew and his partner get more and more attached, how can Dorothy prevent her colleague and rival detective, Leloup, a stickler for law and order, from classifying the baby as a stowaway or a piece of luggage?

Told through Dorothy’s delightfully shrewd POV, this novella series is an ode to the cozy mystery taken to the stars with a fresh new sci-fi take. Perfect for fans of the plot-twisty narratives of Dorothy Sayers and Ann Leckie, this well-paced story will leave readers captivated and hungry for the next installment.

I think maybe I should’ve reread Olivia Waite’s Murder by Memory before reading the new book, Nobody’s Baby; I had the broad details still in mind, but — perhaps because I didn’t find it that compelling in the first place — Dorothy’s relationship with Violet and the ins-and-outs of their awkwardness with one another hadn’t really stuck in my mind. The strongest element in both books with the relationship between Dorothy and her nephew Ruthie (and by extension his husband), and that stood out here as well.

I love the way that this one shows us a bit more to Ruthie: impractical, yes, but he’s a good guy, and that shines through in the way he instantly takes to the concept of fatherhood. I liked that it’s so natural and perfect for him, and that his husband isn’t perfectly on board with it but willing to join in for Ruthie’s sake — and has his own fondness for the kid, without being as natural a parent. They just seem really nice.

We see a bit more of the ship and the procecures around the passengers, learning about skimmers (devices which people can use to project memories) and flickers (movies made out of people’s thoughts/memories), and a bit of the culture around that. Everything’s relevant to the mystery, which is pretty fun, though not entirely fair-play because the technology is invented, so… you can make anything up, there.

Overall, a fun addition to the series which fleshes the world out some more, and really lets Ruthie shine too. I’m curious if there’s going to be more development of Dorothy’s relationship with Violet, though.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

Tags: book reviews, books, mystery, Olivia Waite, SF/F

WWW Wednesday

Posted March 18, 2026 by Nicky in General / 8 Comments

What have you recently finished reading?

Volume 13 of the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation manhua adaptation was the last thing I finished, I think! I enjoyed the adaptation quite a bit, it helped cement things in my head a bit more and give me more of an idea how things look (being totally aphantasic, I don’t imagine things in the way other people do). It’s still not my favourite MXTX story, but it was enjoyable in its own way.

What are you currently reading?

Oh boy. Let’s think. The last one I picked up was Steve Roud’s Folk Song in England, which is dense and slow going, but I would like to finish it before my graduation trip — if only so we don’t have to haul such a big book with us! I’m enjoying it, though; the far-away and petty-sounding arguments of the early folk song collectors are mildly entertaining, and the things they wrestled with are useful to understand.

I also started on R.F. Kuang’s Katabasis last night. I don’t feel like I have a good handle on what I’ll think of it yet, but it certainly feels like it has an axe to grind about the postgraduate experience at Cambridge, and abusive/careless advisors.

I’m also slowly easing into Joseph Shearing’s Airing in a Closed Carriage, which is a classic crime novel reissued this month by the British Library Crime Classics series, and definitely the chunkiest book they’ve published. It’s slow going, because it’s setting up a story based heavily on a real murder case, in which Florence Maybrick was accused of killing her husband. I really want to read up more on that case to get the context for this, really.

At the weekend, I started on T. Kingfisher’s Swordheart, and really want to get back to it. It feels like the male protagonist/presumably love interest (given the pattern of these books) maybe isn’t quite such a typical paladin as many of the other male protagonists? But of course I’m not far in and it’s all been from Halla’s perspective so far; we’ll see.

That’s still not quite it, but we’ll stop there, because the rest are pretty much on pause.

What will you be reading next?

An Opinionated Guide to London Museums (Emmy Watts) and An Opinionated Guide to London Bookshops (Sonya Barber and James Manning), somewhat on a whim. I won’t be in London that long for my graduation next week, and we do have some tentative plans already… but that includes a day of bookshopping and potentially some extra time to look at museums, so I thought I’d do a little research.

Tags: books, WWW Wednesday

Review – Stay for a Spell

Posted March 17, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 4 Comments

Stay for a Spell

by Amy Coombe

Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 384
Rating: four-stars

Synopsis:
A joyful, cosy fantasy romance for anyone who's ever wished they could live in a bookshop.

One curse, seven princes, and a bookshop that you’ll never want to leave…

Princess Tanadelle of the Widdenmar longs to build a life of her own making. During a royal visit to the cosy town of Little Pepperidge, Tandy’s dream comes true when she finds herself cursed to remain in a run-down bookshop until she finds her heart’s desire.

More than a little thrilled, she hires a new assistant, teenage goth Sasha, and settles into life among the stacks. Despite the infuriatingly handsome pirate, Bash, who keeps showing up at the shop with his good looks and his own curse to figure out, Tandy’s new life might just make her happy.

There are just seven, minor, problems. With her royal duties unfulfilled, the frantic King and Queen send the seven princes of the realms to bestow upon Tandy a kiss, each one hoping to break the curse.

After all, what more could a princess want, than a prince?

I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I saw other people talking about being interested in Amy Coombe’s Stay for a Spell, and I couldn’t resist: a princess ends up trapped in a rickety old bookshop, cursed to remain until she achieves her heart’s desire? You had me at “bookshop”, even if books set in and around bookshops often forget about the reading part and just treat books as purely magical in and of themselves. Admittedly, there is a bit of that here — Tandy’s love of reading draws her to the bookshop, and leads her to sell particular books, but sometimes the reading part still gets lost amid the selling of books and the handling of books as physical objects.

The premise is very wish fulfillment-y, and I feel like there’s a fair bit of the world that isn’t fully thought out and is a fairly generic fantasy world, but I had a lot of fun all the same. The obvious way to break the curse on a princess would be a kiss from a prince, is what her parents figure, so they send along the various princes of the realms… But things don’t work in the obvious way here all the time.

For a start, it’s not quite as heteronormative as it might sound: one of the princes who shows up, Calla, is female (and Tandy’s sister is also a prince) — the rank is “prince”, regardless of the gender of the person occupying it. There are two prominent queer kisses in the book, albeit neither of them is romantic: one of the male princes kisses the also-cursed pirate, Bash, while Calla kisses Tandy (and it’s arguably one of the best kisses in the story).

The princes are neither all wonderful people nor all slugs: they all stick around and all offer their help to Tandy, even when their kisses fail to cure her, and even when they’re a bit personally unbearable at times. I really liked that Driz turns out to be a pretty cool guy. Kinda ended up wishing they’d all get together, with Bash too; life would be interesting, to say the least.

The way things play out felt a bit… conventional, I suppose? Compared to the stuff I hadn’t expected, like Bash’s kiss from Driz, and Calla’s kiss with Tandy. It feels very wish fulfillment-y, since Tandy gets to just stop being a working princess and lay aside her duties to stay in the shop with Bash. Still, there are things that still defy expectation (Bash’s curse isn’t broken), and I did ultimately like how Tandy and Bash (inevitably) got together, and thought there was pretty good chemistry there.

You do discover at the end that there’s a bit of an insta-love trope, which I’d sort of suspected and sort of hoped was subverted in some way… but Tandy herself mostly experience instant attraction, along with some annoyance, so it’s not too irritating.

Overall, I’ve said a lot about this compared to normal because it genuinely surprised me at times, and was a delight. I wonder if there’ll be any other romances in this world? Maybe kissing Bash awakened something in Driz…?

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

Tags: Amy Coombe, book reviews, books, romance, SF/F

Top Ten Tuesday: Green Covers

Posted March 17, 2026 by Nicky in General / 27 Comments

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday theme is green covers, in honour of St Patrick’s Day. One day people will care half as much about St David’s Day and do something for that, right?

…Right?

Anyway, here are some green covers I dredged up! Since covers are the main thing here, I’m presenting them without too much comment and not as cropped thumbnails, but I tried to pick books I genuinely enjoyed or am looking forward to, of course.

Quite the mix, as ever for me! A few mysteries (Clues to Christabel, Serpents in Eden, A Case of Life and Limb), some fantasy (Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, The Big Reap, Paladin’s Strength), some romance (Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Mr Collins in Love, Paladin’s Strength), and some non-fiction… the only one I haven’t read yet is Welsh Food Stories, which I really need to get to.

And yeah, okay, maybe I was working in St David’s Day a bit, with Vanished Wales, Welsh Food Stories and Clues to Christabel (Mary Fitt lived and worked in Wales). It’s the right time of year for it, like, with the daffodils out and St David’s Day only just gone.

Tags: books, Top Ten Tuesday

Review – DPS Only!

Posted March 17, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 1 Comment

DPS Only!

by Velinxi

Genres: Graphic Novels
Pages: 426
Rating: four-stars

Synopsis:
Vicky Tan is a meek school girl with social anxiety who always introduces herself as an attachment to her confident, genius brother, Virgil, who has made a name for himself as one of the most popular competitors and streamers for the world famous "Xenith Orion" game.

Despite having aspirations of her own to compete and stream, Vic fears that she will open herself to the hate, doubt, harassment significant women gamers receive every day. She instead opts to stay in the background, acting as her brother’s assistant and manager. However, when opportunity arises in the form of a local competition, Vicky knows she can't stay away. Donning a disguise, she enters the esports scene under the moniker, "Aegis."

I grabbed DPS Only! on Comics Plus when I realised that it was written/drawn by Velinxi (Xiao Tong Kong), the artist who illustrated the English-language version of The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System. No surprises then that I liked the art and character designs a lot. The colours were great, too.

The story’s a bit of a coming-of-age thing, essentially: Vicky’s brother Virgil is a pro-gamer, competing in esports leagues, and he’s used the money to formally adopt her and get her away from their parents. She loves him, but he’s overprotective and sometimes infantalising, and he doesn’t really seem to see her. He has no idea, for instance, that she plays too…

It’s inevitable that the story ends with the two of them going toe-to-toe, but it takes a while to get there, exploring Vicky’s growing confidence, her growing interest in revealing herself after an initial reluctance to compete. I enjoyed that her team includes an older guy — games can bring such different age groups together, and some very disparate people, and I love how supportive Eric is with his slightly different perspective.

There was an obvious ending to this story, and I’m glad it didn’t fully go there, on reflection. Vicky’s still got a long way to go. But she’s on her way, and now Virgil has her back, properly. It’s lovely.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

Tags: book reviews, books, comics, graphic novels, Velinxi

Fantasy with Friends: Oz

Posted March 16, 2026 by Nicky in General / 8 Comments

It’s Monday, so time once more for the Fantasy With Friends discussion meme (hosted at Pages Unbound). This week’s question is as follows…

Do you have a favorite interpretation of Oz? Do you try to fit the different adaptations together, or do you see them as separate entities? (Do you try to make Wicked make sense with The Wizard of Oz? And do you think of the book or the movie versions in those instances?)

I am not actually a huge fan of the Oz books, having only read the first and not really enjoyed the book version of Wicked — I thought it was okay, but I didn’t really feel the hype, I guess! I’ve also not been enough of a fan of any other adaptation to really gain a solid opinion here, to be honest.

That said, I do enjoy the musical version of Wicked, so I promise I’m not a dead loss. I’ve seen it live once with friends, before I really knew it, and since then the songs have been in regular rotation for me. I don’t really watch movies, though, so I haven’t even seen those…

I think I’d view them each as separate entities, albeit ones that have interesting things to say to and about each other. Sometimes it might be fun to try to make it all fit, and sometimes it’s just enjoying each one for what it is.

Are there any adaptations/retellings/etc that people really love? Would y’all urge me to give Oz another shot?

Tags: discussions, Fantasy With Friends

Review – Repast: The Story of Food

Posted March 14, 2026 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Repast: The Story of Food

by Jenny Linford

Genres: Food, History, Non-fiction
Pages: 256
Rating: two-stars

Synopsis:
Our insatiable appetite for creativity in the kitchen--or around the open fire--is reflected in the fascinating objects explored in this book. Written by food writer Jenny Linford in collaboration with the British Museum, Repast focuses on artifacts in the museum's collection--from ancient clay cooking vessels to exquisite gold cups--spanning multiple continents and dating from prehistory to the modern day.

Taking a broadly chronological approach to the subject, the book is arranged into thirteen thematic chapters, starting with explorations of hunting and gathering and ending with the history of eating out; along the way, agriculture, alcohol, and cooking--among other subjects--are also investigated. Interspersed among the many remarkable objects examined in each chapter is a series of in-depth essays on such topics as tea (the world's most consumed drink after water), pork (one of the world's most consumed meats), and wheat (the source of 20 percent of the world's human calorie consumption), revealing the many social, cultural, and religious aspects of food.

Through a feast of words and images, Repast presents the irresistible, international story of food, drink, and the culinary arts.

Jenny Linford’s Repast: The Story of Food tries to tell the story of (human) foods through exhibits from the British Museum. It mostly highlights major food groups (like rice, maize, bread), methods of gathering food (like fishing and hunting) or techniques for preparing for food (like fermentation, baking, etc), and… overall it comes across as fairly run of the mill. The book doesn’t even begin to engage with why certain foodstuffs spread, for instance, or with the provenance of the items held by the British Museum, and comes across as pretty milquetoast — especially having recently read The Hungry Empire (which itself wasn’t THAT fiery).

There are some interesting pieces included from an array of cultures, but without somewhat more robust commentary, it’s sadly a bit disappointing. You might say that this stuff is out of scope for the story, but I don’t think so: food history, like fashion history, can tell you a lot about a time and place, and there’s so much to be told in terms of trade and fashion in food if you choose the right exhibits, and add a bit of discussion.

A pretty book, but disappointing.

Rating: 2/5 (“it was okay”)

Tags: book reviews, books, history, Jenny Linford, non-fiction

Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post

Posted March 14, 2026 by Nicky in General / 16 Comments

Hurrah, it’s the weekend! I hope everyone has fun plans.

Books acquired this week

Somehow it’s that time of month again already — my British Library Crime Classic subscription book has arrived! It’s quite the chonker, and not one I’d heard of before. My curiosity is piqued. In addition, two preorders came along, one via the mail and one landing on my ereader: I believe volume 13 wraps up the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation manhua, while Nobody’s Baby is a sequel to a book I quite enjoyed.

So I’ll have to get busy to re-clear the decks ready for my graduation spree at the end of the month!

Posts from this week

Time for a roundup! Reviews first:

Poetry: wake, by Gilliam Allnutt (1/5 stars, “didn’t like it”)
Thriller: Strange Buildings, by Uketsu (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
Romance manhwa: Tied to You, vol 1, by WHAT & Chelliace (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
Fantasy: Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint (light novel), vol 1, by singNsong (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
Fantasy romance: The Disabled Tyrant’s Beloved Pet Fish, vol 4, by Xue Shan Fei Hu (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
Mystery: The Double Turn, by Carol Carnac AKA E.C.R. Lorac (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
Poetry: Altar, by Desree (3/5 stars, “liked it”)

What I’m reading

As usual, let’s start with what I’ve been reading with a sneak peek at the books I’m going to review on the blog sometime soon:

There were a couple of rereads too, as I prepared myself for the newest Singing Hills novella. All in all, a pretty good reading week, even if I had trouble concentrating for a couple of days due to pain after a dental procedure. (I’m doing better now, though it still hurts to chew!)

As for this weekend, I’m planning to read the remaining volumes of the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation manhua adaptation. I might also start on T. Kingfisher’s Swordheart, since I have Daggerbound to review.

But, as ever… it’ll be down to my whim.

Linking up with Reading Reality’s Stacking the Shelves, Caffeinated Reviewer’s The Sunday Post, the Sunday Salon over at Readerbuzz, and It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? at The Book Date.

Tags: books, Stacking the Shelves, weekly roundup