We are back! It's a new year ,and we start with a delicious mix of books (and genres). Join us in our first episode of 2026!

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Books (in order of appearance):

Lessons from cats for surviving fascism by Stewart Reynolds

Clown girl by Monica Drake

The Party by Tessa Hadley

Wind and truth by Brandon Sanderson

Pip by Freya North

Red white royal blue by Casey McQuiston

Blood over bright haven by M. L. Wang

It's definitely all-caps-worthy: We did it! Let's dive into the whole reading year, and damn, what a journey it was! We talk about the books that have moved us the most, surprising reads as well as huge disappointments, talk about whether some books motivated us to learn new skills, and so much more...

You may want to have pen and paper ready: A ton of recommendations is coming your way!

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Books (in order of appearance):

Series:

Stormlight archives by Brandon Sanderson

Mistborn Saga by Brandon Sanderson

The Rebus books by Ian Rankin

DS Cross series by Ian Rankin

Perfect remains series by Helen fields

Standalones:

Hallucinating Foucault by Patricia Duncker

Dreams of the future by Siri Hustvedt?

The emperor of gladness by Ocean Vuong

Summer at Mount Asama by Masashi Matsuie

Small things like these by Claire Keegan

Wellness by Nathan Hill

Dueling with O-sensei by Ellis Amdur

A bookshop of one‘s own by Jane Cholmeley

Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton

I am glad my mom died by Jennette McCurdy

Love letters by Virginia Woolf and Vita Slackville-West

Five days in memorial by Sheri Fink

The way home, life without technology by Mark Boyle

So late in the day by Claire Keegan

Sunrise on the reaping by Suzanne Collins

Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata

Convenience store woman by Sayaka Murata

Katabasis by R. F. Kuang

Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck

Lessons in chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

The ministry of time by Kaliane Bradley

The fortune man by Nadifa Mohamed

Anna O by Matthew Blake Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors

Notes of an execution by Danya Kukafka

Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett

Deacon King Kong by James McBride

Lamb by Christopher Moore

Ripeness by Sarah Moss

The Body keeps the score by Bessel van der Kolk

Ask the dusk by John Fante

The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Red and hope by Kelley Skovron

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Gideon the ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Book of lives by Margaret Atwood

Toschka went to London and came back with books. A lot of books. And maybe Rina has broken her own "book-buying ban" too?

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Books (in order of appearance):

Ballet shoes by Kendall Feaver (playtext) and Noel Streatfeild (novel)

Neverland: The Pleasures and Perils of Fandom by Vanessa Kisuule

Beyond Black by Hillary Mantel

The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston

Gay's The Word | The UK's Oldest LGBT+ Bookshop

A bookshop of one's own by Jane Cholmeley

This much is true by Miriam Margolyes

Love in a Time of Politics by Katherine Zappone

The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict by Trenton Lee Stewart

Villette by Charlotte Brontë

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë

The secret life of plays by Steve Waters

Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

The left hand of darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Elements by John Boyne

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Even dogs in the wild by Ian Rankin

Rather be the devil by Ian Rankin

In the house of lies by Ian Rankin

The unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

The long Mars by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter

Clown girl by Monica Drake

Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson

The storm of echoes by Christelle Dabos

Without knowing it, Toschka and Rina both read books from Claire Keegan this week. This calls for an in-depth discussion! Also we have some important input about Sims 4....

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Books (in order of appearance):

Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny

Standing in another man's grave by Ian Rankin

The tainted cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

Small things like these by Claire Keegan

So late in the day by Claire Keegan

This episode focuses on real and fictional women. First, we take a look at Shakespeare through the eyes of Judi Dench. Then, Toschka and Rina praise Elodie Harper's depiction of ancient Pompeii. Next, we move on to the fictional character of Audra from 'Standard Deviation'. Finally, Toschka shares her first impressions of another of Shirley Jackson's masterpieces.

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Books (in order of appearance):

Judi Dench "Shakespear"

Elodie Harper "The Wolf Den"

Katherine Heiny "Standard Deviation"

Shirley Jackson "The Haunting of Hill House"

It's christmas market time! Well, not necessarily for us, but it definitely got us into reading (and ranting, female rage all over the place!) mood. From witchy trials to queer topics - the reading slump is over!

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Books mentioned (in order of appearance):

Fleshmarket by Ian Rankin

The naming of the dead by Ian Rankin

Exit music by Ian Rankin

Our evenings by Alan Hollinghurst

The hearts invisible furies by John Boyne

Weyward by Emilia Hart

Murder on the Leviathan by Boris Akunin

Rina lures us deeper and deeper into the fictional world of Ian Rankin. We discuss the award culture around fantasy and crime novels and take a deep-dive into comparing the recent adaptation of Frankenstein by Guillermo del Toro with the theatre play and the original novel!

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Books mentioned (in order of appearance):

Resurrection men by Ian Rankin

A question of blood by Ian Rankin

Middlemarch by George Elliot

Frankenstein (novel: Mary Shelly, Movie: Guillermo del Toro, Play: Nick Dear)

We present a huge BOOKHAUL! Toschka visited her favourite bookstore in Berlin "Curious Fox Books" and found some new (and old) gems! Rina is still making her way through Ian Rankins' novels and also discusses Mrs. death misses death.

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You can follow us on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@verymessymargins⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Books mentioned (in order of appearance):

Atonment by Ian McEwan

Solar by Ian McEwan

Orlando by Virginia Woolf

The haunting of hill house by Shirley Jackson

Woman in the window by A. J. Finn

Long island compromise Taffy Brodesser-Akner

Set in darkness by Ian Rankin

MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood

Mrs Death misses death by Salena Godden

The house of doors by Tan Twan Eng

Eight white nights by Andre Aciman