All the Murmuring Bones, by AG Slattard

Miren is the last of O’Malleys, a formerly rich and dominant family that attained its status with an unholy bargain with the mer people. They have not kept the bargain for several generations and have fallen on hard times, but Merin’s grandmother plans to restore their fortunes through Merin’s marriage to her cousin. This sends Merin on a quest for her true history and her independence. Good and moral people are few and far between in this dark tale full of witches, selkies, shape shifters and water horses. It’s a strange world, reminiscent of 18th century Ireland and filled with creatures from folk tales, but with some interesting quirks. Merin’s courage and determination sees her fight for her freedom, drawing on a murky salt water heritage heritage for the tools she needs to survive, but ultimately demonstrating that decency can win.

Don’t Worry Darling (2022), directed by Olivia Wilde

Alice and Jack are living a life of married bliss in the experimental desert town of Victory, where the men go off to work each day and the wives keep house. The loved up couple is in permanent honeymoon mode and it’s all cocktails by the pool and everyone knows their place in the 1950s-style paradise. But Alice gets flashbacks, glimpses of memories and dreams that don’t quite match the idyll and there is a feeling of something off. It’s not ok to ask questions about what the men are actually working on and a sinister doctor is on hand to help keep the wives toeing the company line. Visually stunning, the film has plot elements that don’t quite hang together but the pace and suspense are sufficient to quickly skate on past any doubts. Harry Styles was clearly hired to play Jack for his pulling power, as his acting is adequate at best. However Florence Pugh is compelling as Alice and the film would be nothing without her. Mad Men and the Stepford Wives meet the Handmaid’s Tale in what is ultimately a horror story for our times.

Blood of Tyrants, by Naomi Novik

Separated from his dragon and his colleagues by a shipwreck, Captain William Laurence has washed ashore in hostile Japan. His injuries include amnesia – he has lost most of the past eight years, including all memory of Temeraire and their service with the Air Corps. Rejoining his colleagues and continuing their mission to China puts into question the bond between aviator and dragon, which must be slowly rebuilt as Laurence’s memories gradually return. The pair eventually find themselves in Russia, once again fighting Napoleon and his grand ambition. Novik skilfully weaves her fighting dragons in and around real historical events and battles. The politics and social world of Russian dragons is similar to that of serfs and nobles, with similar consequences. This penultimate book of the series ends rather abruptly, with our heroes once again under threat. One can only assume they will finish up back in England to end the saga in the final book.

No Hard Feelings, by Genevieve Novak

With a strapline of Hungover, underpaid and overwhelmed this book could be mistaken for non-fiction. But it is actually just a description of Penny’s life. Stuck in job she dislikes, hankering for a relationship with a man who is just not that into her, Penny’s lack of self-worth undermines everything she does. Her self-destructive and self-sabotaging behaviour is infuriating, but all too recognisable. It is hard not to feel some sympathy for the mental health struggles of a 20-something waiting for her life to improve. It’s such a shame that so many smart, attractive and capable (mostly) women allow themselves to be treated so poorly. Novak does a good job of showing how and why this happens to so many. Her tone is light and sharply funny but the underlying theme has depth and darkness, providing a satisfying whole. She uses realistic shades of grey to depict best friends and the awful boss, although the supportive housemate is possibly a little too good to be true. The book could have probably done without quite so much intricate detail of inner Melbourne geography as well as the snide sideswipes of other cities and suburbs. Penny does actually take action to improve matters and, with the help of friends and family, makes some changes that offer hope for a better future, without suggesting there is a magic bullet cure for what ails her.

See How They Run (2022), directed by Tom George

Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap is celebrating its 100th performance in the West End and is about to be made into a film by an obnoxious Hollywood director. When he is found dead the case is investigated by a world-weary Scotland Yard inspector with an enthusiastic WPC as his offsider. The twisty plot involves Christie herself and sends up both the author and the play’s star, Richard Attenborough. The film is funny and suspenseful, with lots of sly in-jokes, paying homage to Christie’s oeuvre with tongue firmly in cheek. Amid a stellar cast, including Adrien Brody, Sam Rockwell, Ruth Wilson and Shirley Henderson, Saoirse Ronan shines brightest as the rookie copper, Constable Stalker. Set in 1950s London, it all looks beautiful and along the way makes a few gentle points about appropriating true crime stories for fictional entertainment.

A History of Dreams, by Jane Rawson

The story begins in the late 1930s with a pair of schoolgirls on a train being harassed by a group of young men. It is a scene as believable, relevant and infuriating as at any time in the eight ensuing decades, right up to the present day – so little has essentially changed in gender dynamics. The sisters, Maggie and Esther, are rescued by their feminist friend Audrey, a communist and a witch with the power to change dreams. Their academic ambitions thwarted by conservative and restrictive parents, the girls train with Audrey and their unconventional friend Phyl to work against the patriarchy. But in the shadows of WWII a rising tide of fascism in quiet little Adelaide threatens to overshadow their small gains and kill all their dreams. The delight of free spirited young women bucking the system turns to chilling despair in this depiction of Australia as a precursor to Atwood’s Gilead. The handmaids of the resistance and their allies similarly face torture, imprisonment and degradation by the fascist regime, with seemingly small chance of a revolution. Despite its grim trajectory, the novel’s message is don’t take any gains for granted, retain hope and never give up the fight for a better world. Although it may be back-breakingly tiring, women’s work really is never done and the fight for equality will never end.

Bravely, by Maggie Stiefvater

Princess Merida has returned to the kingdom of Dun Broch after a year of travel to find everything is just the same. She loves her home and her family but they also make her restless and unsatisfied. In a case of be careful what you wish for, Merida finds herself caught between two gods and a warlord, with a year to enact change or face ruin from one direction or another. Can she forge alliances with other kingdoms and at the same time prod her parents and her triplet brothers out of their comfort zones? And how will the quest change her? A follow-up to the story of the Pixar film Brave, Stiefvater cleverly picks up the threads of the original story and its humour to create a mix of history, folk tale and fairy story. It makes for a different kind of coming-of-age story, as Merida learns a lot about her family, her country and finally herself. As in the original film, Merida is an appealing and relatable heroine and it will be interesting to see if Disney takes this story up as a sequel.