Book Reviews

The following books have been read and recommended by members of Suffolk Book League. The submissions are written by members and like many people, we're always keen to get a good recommendation.

If you are a member of Suffolk Book League and want to submit a summary of what you have been reading, please email enquiries@suffolkbookleague.org We'd be delighted to hear from you.

The Ghost Lake

Reviewed by Jeff Taylor Wendy Pratt (The Borough Press an Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers Ltd paperback edition published 2025) In this recently published memoir, The Ghost Lake , the Yorkshire writer Wendy Pratt writes about making a pilgrimage around the periphery of Paleolake Flixton, an extinct post-glacial lake in North Yorkshire, a handful of miles south of Scarborough. She visits locations ‘that have acted as journey markers in her own life’. Wendy takes ‘a serie

Work: Postgraduate University of Suffolk Anthology Launch

Reviewed by James Phillips (UoS Talking Shop Press) Have you ever considered Suffolk’s occupational heritage? Whilst agriculture with the county’s lush, green fields, or perhaps the port industry with those towering cranes may spring to mind, the current postgraduates at the University of Suffolk have explored the concept in their latest anthology Work: an Anthology of Suffolk Stories. At the launch in October, Dr Amanda Hodgkinson introduced the evening, with Senior English

Wild East

Reviewed by Olivia Ackers Ashley Hickson-Lovence (Penguin Random House: 2024) Wild East is a Young Adult verse novel about an East London boy trying to navigate a move to East Anglia and pursuing his dream to become a rapper. What captured me first about this novel was how easily the rhythm of the language flows, and creates a wonderfully moving story. In fact, it was so quick and enjoyable to read, I finished in a day! We follow Ronny, a fourteen year old boy, in the after

Don't Forget We're Here Forever: a New Generation's Search for Religion

Reviewed by Keith Jones Lamorna Ash (Bloomsbury Circus: 2025 ) Two friends of Lamorna Ash had formed a comedy duo. They did not seem the sort to adopt a religious style of life, so she was astonished when they decided to seek ordination in the Church of England. Her astonishment led her to reconsider the widespread view that interest in, let alone practice of, the Christian religion was inexorably waning in the United Kingdom. So she started asking people of her own and more

Glorious Exploits

Reviewed by Olivia Ackers Ferdia Lennon (Macmillan Publishing Group: 2024) In 2024, Ferdia Lennon’s Glorious Exploits won the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize, and it is no wonder why. The blend of dark Irish humour and Greek mythology uses a unique, almost absurd, voice in its storytelling. This novel depicts two unemployed potters, Lampo and Gelon, who amidst a war-torn Sicily, decide to put on a show. They aim to produce a performance offering to feed any Athenians who ca

Heads Will Roll

Reviewed by Olivia Ackers Josh Winning (Penguin Michael Joseph: 2024) I thoroughly enjoyed the slasher atmosphere that is present throughout this book, which was heightened by the choice of music I listened to whilst reading it (Friday the 13th-esque sound rooms on YouTube!) I completely devoured this book (or did it devour me?) and how it was wrapped up. I am a huge fan of horror movies and books, so this is right up my alley. Josh enriches the piece with references to hor

Renaturing: Small Ways to Wild the World

Reviewed by Andrew Burton James Canton (Canongate: 2025) Questions of scale lie at the heart of the climate and ecological emergency. Many of us feel overwhelmed at the scale of environmental destruction unfolding at a planetary level and feel powerless to bring about any meaningful change through our own actions. This can lead to a crippling sense of paralysis, even hopelessness. What, we may ask, can be done? For James Canton, Director of Wild Writing at the University of E

Prophet

Reviewed by Dymphna Crowe Helen Macdonald and Sin Blaché For fans of Helen Macdonald this is an unexpected departure. Helen is best known for her book H is For Hawk , in which described how she processed her grief after the sudden death of her father by training a goshawk that she named Mabel. Her personal story was entwined with reflections on falconry, nature and healing. Prophet , on the other hand is a present day science fiction thriller with a touch of noir, that came