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It’s February, and you know what that means – Valentine’s Day! (I know – ugh.) I’m a rainbow sunshine hippy, and I do believe in love. But I don’t believe that you have to buy anyone tacky overpriced shit on a specific day to show that you love them. So in honour of being anti-Valentine’s Day (though not anti-love), here are my favourite stories about love, in all its complicated, horrible, wonderful, vital glory. Fingersmith, Sarah Waters – One of my favourite love stories,…

January is nobody’s favourite month. I don’t know about where you are, but here in Scotland it’s cold, it’s dark, and our wallets are now as empty as our Christmas stockings. So, if you’re as skint as I am, feast your eyes on the riches of this Top 10 (plus bonus #11) list I made, just for you. They’re all brilliant, and they’re all free. The library. New books, old books, classic books, cult books, books by authors you follow on Twitter….

This year I read 197 books. I tried to do a top 5, or even a top 10, but to be honest 197 books is a LOT of books (I did months of solo travelling and overnights in hotels, meaning lots of reading), and it was too hard to choose. So here is a highly personal, not-very-scientifically-chosen list of my 38 favourites.   Books out in 2015: Best Twist Ending: Our Endless Numbered Days, Claire Fuller Best Novel in Second Person: Scorper,…

Winter is my favourite season. Bright snowy days, long dark nights: perfect for a cup of tea and a good book. Here are my favourite books to get you through these chilly months. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Joan Aiken – My all-time favourite Christmas book. I loved it as a child, and as an adult I’ve yet to read anything as sinister as that stalled train in the middle of a snowy English countryside overrun by wolves. Strange Things:…

I LOVE a good horror story. And what better time than Halloween to curl up somewhere cosy and scare yourself silly? Here’s the ten creepiest books I’ve ever read: Through the Woods, Emily Carroll – These five graphic short stories are super-creepy and gloriously illustrated. Nyctophobia, Christopher Fowler – So tense, so creepy. I couldn’t get this out of my head for weeks after reading it. The Mall, S.L. Grey – I love this series! Point Horror for grown-ups. NOS4R2, Joe Hill…

I’ve been reading some truly wonderful books this summer. July was spent with circus mermaids, ghost-hunters, war orphans, millionaire madmen, and all the books of our childhoods. These were my favourites:   How to be a Heroine, Samantha Ellis – For anyone who grew up in books. I’m reading with Samantha at Wilderness festival next week, and I can’t wait to meet her. Etta and Otto and Russell and James, Emma Hooper – Beautiful, magical, sad and uplifting. Also, Emma is…