Bitter Honey by Caryl Lewis Caryl Lewis's self-confessed obsession with bees lies behind the second novel she's written in the English language. Bitter Honey is a tale of grief, friendship and new beginnings set at Berllan Deg, an orchard farm in the Welsh countryside. The farm and its cottage become a refuge for three women at different stages of their lives, helping them to make sense of their pasts and the possibilities for new futures.

Bitter Honey by Caryl Lewis

Caryl Lewis's self-confessed obsession with bees lies behind the second novel she's written in the English language. Bitter Honey is a tale of grief, friendship and new beginnings set at Berllan Deg, an orchard farm in the Welsh countryside. The farm and its cottage…

The Lost Man by Jane Harper Australian author Jane Harper’s third novel, The Lost Man is a twisty murder mystery that's as rich in atmosphere as her previous novels. It opens with a horrific image of a man alone in the scorching heat of the Australian outback. Hours from the nearest habitation and out of water, he crawls in the sand trying to stay in a narrow band of shade from a gravestone.

The Lost Man by Jane Harper

Australian author Jane Harper’s third novel, The Lost Man is a twisty murder mystery that's as rich in atmosphere as her previous novels. It opens with a horrific image of a man alone in the scorching heat of the Australian outback. Hours from the nearest habitation and…

My Reading Life: March 2026 When I decided to take on the role of hosting a month-long reading event I didn't anticipate that I wouldn't have much breathing space for reading anything unconnected to that event. I'm not complaining — I enjoyed every minute in my second year of hosting Reading Wales. I'm just explaining why there's a heavy weighting towards Welsh authors in this monthly re-cap.

My Reading Life: March 2026

When I decided to take on the role of hosting a month-long reading event I didn't anticipate that I wouldn't have much breathing space for reading anything unconnected to that event. I'm not complaining — I enjoyed every minute in my second year of hosting Reading…

ReadingWales26: The Testimony of Taliesin Jones by Rhidian Brook : Rhidian Brook’s debut novel The Testimony of Taliesin Jones, is a coming-of-age story about a lad searching for answers in a world of uncertainty. Eleven-year-old Taliesin (aka “Tal”) Jones has known…

Taliesin Jones is a true book lover. At eleven year's old he's already thinking how best to catalogue and shelve his book collection. Author name? Publisher name? By colour?
We've all been down those roads....

ReadingWales26: The Testimony of Taliesin Jones by Rhidian Brook Rhidian Brook’s debut novel The Testimony of Taliesin Jones, is a coming-of-age story about a lad searching for answers in a world of uncertainty. Eleven-year-old Taliesin (aka “Tal”) Jones has known only peace and stability in his life. Until just his birthday his mother ups and leaves home to live with Toni, her hairdresser. At first, Taliesin, his older brother Jonathan and his dad behave as if she's just popped out to the shops and she'll back soon.

ReadingWales26: The Testimony of Taliesin Jones by Rhidian Brook

Rhidian Brook’s debut novel The Testimony of Taliesin Jones, is a coming-of-age story about a lad searching for answers in a world of uncertainty. Eleven-year-old Taliesin (aka “Tal”) Jones has known only peace and stability in his…

ReadingWales’26: Sugar and Slate by Charlotte Williams Sugar and Slate is a memoir that uses a mix of poetry and prose to explore the complexities of identity. Williams grew up in the coastal town of Llandudno in North Wales, the daughter of a white, Welsh-speaking mother and a Black Guyanese father. She returns again and again to the feeling that to be half-Welsh and half Afro-Caribbean was to be half of something but never quite anything whole.

ReadingWales’26: Sugar and Slate by Charlotte Williams

Sugar and Slate is a memoir that uses a mix of poetry and prose to explore the complexities of identity. Williams grew up in the coastal town of Llandudno in North Wales, the daughter of a white, Welsh-speaking mother and a Black Guyanese…

Reading Wales Month — an end in sight Only a few days to go before the official end of Reading Wales Month '26. I can't believe I'm saying that — it feels such a short time since I posted the start of this event. Kath, my co-host at Nut Press, and I have been thrilled to see all your contributions so far and the eclectic range of books you've discovered.

Reading Wales Month — an end in sight

Only a few days to go before the official end of Reading Wales Month '26. I can't believe I'm saying that — it feels such a short time since I posted the start of this event. Kath, my co-host at Nut Press, and I have been thrilled to see all your contributions…

The Queen of Dirt Island by Donal Ryan #readingirelandmonth26 The Queen of Dirt Island  follows four generations of the Aylward women as they negotiate grief and conflict. On the surface it's a family saga set in one small corner of Ireland but underneath is a tale that speaks to the universal themes of love and friendship. Donal Ryan's seventh novel begins with tragedy and loss. On the day Eileen Aylward gives birth to her first child Saoirse , her husband is killed in a road accident.

The Queen of Dirt Island by Donal Ryan #readingirelandmonth26

The Queen of Dirt Island  follows four generations of the Aylward women as they negotiate grief and conflict. On the surface it's a family saga set in one small corner of Ireland but underneath is a tale that speaks to the universal…

#ReadingWales26 Book Giveaway My co-host for Reading Wales Month, Kath, is holding a giveaway over on her blog. Kath describes Where the Seals Sing by Susan Richardson as "a stirring story about one woman’s love of the Atlantic grey seal and its natural habitats, together with a moving and compassionate story about a father and daughter’s love for each other. Richardson is a nature writer and a poet who lives on the coast of Pembrokeshire in West Wales.

#ReadingWales26 Book Giveaway

My co-host for Reading Wales Month, Kath, is holding a giveaway over on her blog. Kath describes Where the Seals Sing by Susan Richardson as "a stirring story about one woman’s love of the Atlantic grey seal and its natural habitats, together with a moving and…

#ReadingWales26 : Folding Rock 4 launch - Nut Press I must have been living under a rock because I only heard about Folding Rock a fortnight ago. It's a magazine showcasing new writing from Wales and beyond, has been going for a year and recently publi...

Nut Press joins the celebrations for a literary magazine that aims to be the Granta of Wales #ReadingWales26

live.nutpress.co.uk/2026/03/read...

The BBC Radio Collection | Dylan Thomas I have been very slowly making my way through this delightful BBC radio collection featuring the works of Dylan Thomas. Some of the recordings feature Thomas himself, but many have been turned into…

Brona fell in love with Dylan Thomas by listening to him read some of his short stories bronasbooks.com/2026/03/09/t...

#ReadingWales26

West by Carys Davies – #ReadingWales26 This month Karen of Booker Talk and Kathryn of Nut Press are hosting Reading Wales, celebrating the work of Welsh authors. I have chosen a book by Carys Davies, an author born in Llangollen, North …

West by Carys Davies - A gem of a novella reviewed for #ReadingWales26
shereadsnovels.com/2026/03/19/w...

Belinda Bauer:The Impossible Thing Review I chose Belinda Bauer’s The Impossible Thing to read for ReadingWales’26 March event by  BookerTalk . To take part in this event, we need t...

For #ReadingWales26 Indira chose a novel based on the illegal practice of stealing bird's eggs dharmakarmaarts.blogspot.com/2026/03/beli...

Spell the Month in Books: March 2026 Spell the Month in Books host Jana of Reviews from the Stacks has offered us a choice of three prompts for this month. I'm totally out of inspiration for two of these — Pi Day and March Madness — so have had to settle for the third option: Green Covers. Some of these titles are Virago Modern Classics editions which I make a point of buying if I ever spot one in a second hand book shop or charity shop.

Spell the Month in Books: March 2026

Spell the Month in Books host Jana of Reviews from the Stacks has offered us a choice of three prompts for this month. I'm totally out of inspiration for two of these — Pi Day and March Madness — so have had to settle for the third option: Green Covers. Some of…

#ReadingWales26: A Room Above a Shop by Anthony Shapland nthony Shapland's debut novel is a quietly powerful tale of two men trying to keep their love secret amid a growing AIDS crisis and an intolerant community whose relationship is whose existence The risk of exposure is a constant threat. love must remain a secret. homophobic, close-knit community. It's the late 1980s when M and B first notice each other in a pub.

#ReadingWales26: A Room Above a Shop by Anthony Shapland

nthony Shapland's debut novel is a quietly powerful tale of two men trying to keep their love secret amid a growing AIDS crisis and an intolerant community whose relationship is whose existence The risk of exposure is a constant threat. love…

Guest Post: Review of Gwyn Thomas ‘A Welsh Eye’. Illustration by John Dd. Evans. #ReadingWales26 Header image: ‘The Road to the Chapel’ by John Dd. Evans Publisher: Hutchinson & Co, 1964. Last year Paula at BookJotter handed on the baton from the Reading Wales challenge having …

Gwyn Thomas recalls growing up in the valleys of South Wales in "A Welsh Eye" #readingwales26

volatilerune.blog/2026/03/06/g...

Thanks for sharing this Paula

#ReadingWales26 10 New(ish) Books by Welsh Authors : If you’re looking for ideas on what to read for Reading Wales Month, check out some of the latest books by Welsh authors. They’ve either been published since Reading Wales Month ’25 or are about to be...

If you're looking for ideas for #ReadingWales26 Karen has put some suggestions together 10 New(ish) Books by Welsh Authors bookertalk.com/readingwales... @bookertalk.bsky.social

Review: The Dark Philosophers by Gwyn Thomas | Welsh Classic For Reading Wales 2026 comes this classic collection of three Welsh novellas, dark, comic, and ultimately disturbing. Set in the years between the wars, they explore poverty, inequality, and the ea…

FictionFan picked a dark but comic classic to mark #readingwales26 fictionfanblog.wordpress.com/2026/03/09/r...

The Fortunes (2016), by Peter Ho Davies It’s Reading Wales Month at BookerTalk and so it seemed a good time to read The Fortunes (2016) by Peter Ho Davies. Notable for his Booker longlisted first novel The Welsh Girl, (2007) Davies…

The experience of Chinese immigrants to the US as captured in The Fortunes by Peter H Davies #ReadingWales26 anzlitlovers.com/2026/03/12/t...

#ReadingWales26 10 New(ish) Books by Welsh Authors If you're looking for ideas on what to read for Reading Wales Month, check out some of the latest books by Welsh authors. They've either been published since Reading Wales Month '25 or are about to be released. Hope you find something to suit your mood. Bitter Honey by Caryl Lewis Caryl Lewis's second novel in the English language is a tale of love and redemption.

#ReadingWales26 10 New(ish) Books by Welsh Authors

My Reading Life: February 2026 Farewell winter — hello spring. The daffodils are in full bloom and there's a magnificent display of magnolia blossoms this year. We just have to hope we don't get any storms in the next few weeks otherwise it will be game over. It's also been a good reading month, most of which was spent getting ahead for Reading Wales Month and Reading Ireland Month.

My Reading Life: February 2026

A Literary Trip Around Ireland! #readingirelandmonth26 Ireland is a country rich in stories, and every county has its own literary heartbeat. From bustling cities to quiet villages, writers have drawn inspiration from the landscapes, histories, and com…

A book for every county in Ireland! This is a fabulous resource from Cathy at 746books 746books.com/2026/03/03/a...

#ReadingWales26: The Icarus Ascent by Mike Lewis On 14 July 1865, eight men set out to become the first to conquer The Matterhorn, one of the highest summits in Europe. Only three of them made it back alive. The expedition was put together in haste by two British mountaineers — Edward Whymper and Charles Hudson —who were determined to thwart an Italian-led expedition that was already en route to the mountain.

#ReadingWales26: The Icarus Ascent by Mike Lewis

On 14 July 1865, eight men set out to become the first to conquer The Matterhorn, one of the highest summits in Europe. Only three of them made it back alive. The expedition was put together in haste by two British mountaineers — Edward Whymper and…

This looks to be a fascinating choice Paula

My Year of Reading Welshly by Alex Johnson #ReadingWales26 A brief introduction and a few shared thoughts about my book choice for Reading Wales 2026: ‘My Year of Reading Welshly’ by Alex Johnson.

bookjotter.com/2026/03/01/my-year-of-reading-welshly-by-alex-johnson-readingwales26/ #ReadingWales26 #Dewithon26 #ReadingWales #Dewithon #Books @shedworking.bsky.social @bookertalk.bsky.social @katheastman.bsky.social @calonbooks.bsky.social

Thanks for promoting this Mairéad.

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus i chi :)

I'm spoiled for choice on what to read next

Reading Wales Month 2026 is Here : It’s 1 March today — a cause for celebration in Wales as we mark St David’s Day, our patron saint’s day. Google has joined in the festivities with a dragon themed Google Doodle on their home page. If ...

bookertalk.com/reading-wale...

Which option did you take??