Tag: A year books 2026

The Chemist by A. A. Dhand

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

Have you ever read a book that you can immediately see as a film? ‘The Chemist’ by A. A Dhand is just one of those books. And, to me, that is a very well-written book, as you can feel like you are really involved in what is going on.

Now, this book is possibly not for the faint-hearted; as you know, I do not read blurbs, so everything about this book’s story was a surprise to me. And it needs to stay like that in my post, too, but I will say that it tackles some really tough topics, such as drug abuse, human trafficking, grief, loss and living in some of the toughest conditions imaginable, under the control of some really terrible people.

This is not a light-hearted story, and there are some really harrowing moments, but there is also some light in the dark, as you learn what people are willing to do to help those who are truly in need (even if you are not always in agreement with what they may do – but desperate times must lead to some really desperate measures).

I absolutely loved this book, which seems a strange thing to say about quite a tough thriller, but it was a brilliant read. And it is a fantastic buddy read. It is a book that the characters you love, you really love, and the characters you hate, you really hate, and you just have to know what is going to happen next.

Idris Kahn is the Chemist, who looks after the local community, most commonly handing out methadone to those who need it. Then, one night, as he attempts to help someone he loves, his life is turned upside down as he ends up stuck between two rival gangs and some of the most dangerous men in Leeds. And, from that moment, you never quite know what is going to happen next. But what you do know is that you hope that Idris and those he loves will be OK.

This book was so incredible that I am already excited for the publication of the next story, ‘The Kingpin’, because I just have to know what is going to happen to Idris Kahn next. A. A. Dhand has definitely become an autobuy author for me, and I am really looking forward to what stories he will be bringing us in the future.

A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I have been meaning to read ‘A Place Called Winter’ by Patrick Gale for quite some time. And, as ‘Love Lane’, the sequel, has come out this month, it bumped it to the top of the tbr pile. It fast became my book of March; Patrick Gale’s writing is always so beautiful and keeps you so engaged in the story he is telling.

In this book, I think that Patrick Gale has also created one of my favourite characters in Harry Cane. This man stole my heart, and I was rooting for him from the moment I started reading this book, and knew that he was a character that I would be invested in. (Just as I had been when I read ‘Mother’s Boy’ three years ago – where does all the time go? I am sure I only read it last year!). As well as this, there’s also one of the characters I have disliked the most in a book, in Manck, as he prays on those who he believes to be weak – when he is really a weak man himself.

Harry has always felt a little outside of the world he is expected to exist in, and when a series of events force him to leave England and see if he can make his fortune in the colonies in Canada, he embarks on a life that he had never expected himself. He leaves behind him a wife he knows does not love him as much as she could (and he cannot love her in the way she needs), and a young daughter and a loving brother. As time goes on and secrets are leaked, Harry becomes alone in the world attempting to start his life on the isolated plains of Canada with his only potential support being his neighbour Paul and his sister Petra. But why does that all mean he finds himself in an asylum?

That is a very rough summary of the story, as I do not want to give too much away for anyone who chooses to read this book – which I really hope you will. However, it is a book that really brings to life the struggles of creating a new life in Canada for so many young men at the end of the 19th and start of the 20th century. But, also, all the cruelty of the world that did not accept people for who they were. A world I always hope we have moved on from, but we all know there is still plenty of work to be done – but I hope the majority of people are much more accepting that everyone in the world is equal.

I cannot wait to read ‘Love Lane’ now, as I need to know what happens next in the story we have been introduced to in ‘A Place Called Winter’.

Piglet by Lottie Hazell

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

This book has been sitting on my shelf ever since a book event where I heard Lottie Hazell speak. I am not sure why I hesitated in picking it up, other than usual, collecting books and adding to the tbr pile is sometimes very different to actually reading them.

This book is going to be quite hard to review. I do not give spoilers, or particularly want to spend a long time trying to unpick the plot. It is a book I enjoyed but I am not sure I loved.

Lottie Hazell is interested in food writing in fiction and, this is fairly clear in this book as food is central to this story. However, I am not sure all the food related moments were required. It is clearly a study of the central character’s relationship with food, and how that relationship with food can so easily be disrupted by the events that take place in our life. Yet, at moments I found that potentially uncomformatable to read, maybe because food and diet is something that is always around us, especially with the social media world that is becoming such a driving force in society. Although, I did also find myself contemplating the idea that food can become something that is used to especially social status, and that our lead character sees food as something that can elevate her and lead to her acceptance in a better social class.

There is no denying that this is a thought-provoking read, and I finished it so I was invested in the book. But it is certainly not going to be a book for everyone. It is well written – it used the chapter headings successfully to almost make them part of the story which I enjoyed, and showed a well-crafted narrative (as I admit, I probably usually gloss over chapter titles if they have them, rather than just numbers). I would be interested to see what else Lottie Hazell writes as I enjoyed the writing. And there is no denying that she has created a book that can trigger discussion and sharing of thoughts; it is probably one very well suited to a book club.

So, I think it is safe to say that this book will stay with me and I am glad that I have read it. But I am not really sure on what my full thoughts about this book are and I would be intrigued to see what other readers have thought about it when they have read it. And, of course, that is another book successfully off the tbr pile in 2026.