Beth is Dead - 2026 Book Review

Today is the anniversary of Louisa May Alcott’s death, the author of Little Women. And, because of this, I thought it would be perfect to talk about this reimagining, even through most of us only know one real thing about Little Women:

I should attempt to read Little Women (but me attempts to read classics in 2026 have ended with me quitting them so maybe not). So, let's chat about Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet!

Title and Author: Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet

Publisher: Scholastic

Buy from (Affiliate Link): https://uk.bookshop.org/

We start at that moment: Beth is discovered dead after a New Year’s Eve party. But she didn’t die of natural causes. Beth is murdered. The Marsh family are in shock over the news - who would kill their sweet, little sister and for what possible reason? They’re all determined to find the killer, but with each sister having their own motives, is one of the Marsh sister’s a murderer? And does it have anything to do with their father's latest novel, entitled Little Women?

January & February 2026's Tops and Bottoms

Am going to try something a little different with my reviews. Am hoping this idea (which I am "borrowing" from Winn from Literary Diversions - hope you don't mind...)

No, I am not going to do their Bingo Board of Hell (my mood reading brain is my worse enemy on that front)! Instead, am doing their Tops and Bottoms. It's a Ronseal (it does exactly what it says on the tin) - basically, instead of writing up my thoughts on EVERY BOOK AND AUDIOBOOK, I pick a few and go "Here are the best and worse over the past few months. If I can sum these up in a few sentences/a Gif, I will, but not all. You can go to my Goodreads/Storygraph for that! (oh, I need to update reviews on these platform!)". 

So, let's start with some VERY basic stats: over the course of January and February, I have:

• Read 6 eBooks
• Listen to 4 Audiobooks
• Did Not Finish (Quit) 4 Audiobooks

I DNFed Fellowship of the Ring

A second attempt of reading a classic this year and second classic I have quit. But maybe the only one I will consider coming back to at a later day. 

As you all know, dearest reader, fantasy is one of my go-to genres, but I have never read Lord of the Rings. I have seen the movies (I rewatched the original trilogy a Christmas or two back - though I have no interest in watching the Hobbit trilogy), but never read the books. To some of you guys, how can I call myself a fantasy reader without attempting to read the Godfather of modern fantasy?

#ReadItForward

 Bookshop.org kicks-off February charitable drive ‘Read It Forward’ to support young readers in the National Year of Reading

 

●        Authors Ben Miller, Gill Sims & Joseph Coelho are the 2026 ambassadors

●        10% of all children’s books sales this month to go towards supporting early access to reading

●        New books by Alice Oseman, Rob Biddulph, Holly Bourne, Alexander Armstrong, Rashmi Sirdeshpande out in 2026 all eligible for the initiative

●        Initiative in partnership with BookTrust and Scottish Book Trust

 

 

London, Monday 2 February 2026. Bookshop.org is bringing back its charitable initiative Read It Forward for a third year in a row, in partnership with BookTrust and Scottish Book Trust. Once again in February 2026, 10% of every children’s book sale (including pre-orders) will be donated to the charities, while also supporting independent bookshops.

 

Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize Longlist 2026 Annoucement

 LONGLIST ANNOUNCED FOR SWANSEA UNIVERSITY DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE 2026

HARRIET ARMSTRONG | ISABELLE BAAFI | COLWILL BROWN

SASHA DEBEVEC-MCKENNEY | SUZANNAH V. EVANS | SEÁN HEWITT

KANZA JAVED | ESTHER IFESINACHI OKONKWO | DEREK OWUSU

ISSA QUINCY | SABA SAMS | VANESSA SANTOS

 

www.swansea.ac.uk/dylan-thomas-prize | #SUDTP26 | @dylanthomprize
 

Swansea, 9:00am, Thursday 22 January 2026: The longlist for the world’s largest and most prestigious literary prize for young writers – the Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize – is announced today, with authors hailing from across the world including UK, US, Ireland, Pakistan, and Nigeria.

 

Worth £20,000, this global accolade recognises exceptional literary talent aged 39 or under, celebrating the international world of fiction in all its forms including poetry, novels, short stories and drama. The prize is named after the Swansea-born writer Dylan Thomas and celebrates his 39 years of creativity and productivity. The prize invokes his memory to support the writers of today, nurture the talents of tomorrow, and celebrate international literary excellence.

 

With an average age of 32, and comprising seven novels, three poetry collections, and two short story collections, the longlist is:

 

-          Harriet Armstrong, To Rest Our Minds and Bodies (Les Fugitives) – novel

-          Isabelle Baafi, Chaotic Good (Faber) – poetry

-          Colwill Brown, We Pretty Pieces of Flesh (Chatto & Windus, Vintage) – novel

-          Sasha Debevec-McKenney, Joy Is My Middle Name (Fitzcarraldo Editions) – poetry

-          Suzannah V. Evans, Under the Blue (Bloomsbury Poetry) – poetry

-          Seán Hewitt, Open, Heaven (Jonathan Cape, Vintage) – novel

-          Kanza Javed, What Remains After a Fire (W.W. Norton & Company) – short stories

-          Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo, The Tiny Things Are Heavier (Manilla Press, Bonnier Books) – novel

-          Derek Owusu, Borderline Fiction (Canongate) – novel 

-          Issa Quincy, Absence (Granta) – novel

-          Saba Sams, Gunk (Bloomsbury Circus) – novel

-          Vanessa Santos, Make a Home of Me (Dead Ink Books) – short stories

I DNFed Wuthering Heights

I had such plans. Such plans. 

Ok, let me rewind and get you up to speed. Last month, on impulse, I decided that I should be less scared to read classics and make an effort to push myself out of my comfort zone. You see, like most people, classics felt out of reach for some unknown reasons. I wouldn’t be smart enough to understand the delicate butter of why these cough have survived and remained so well-loved. 

So, I went “Just try one. Any one will do”, and I decided to requested several from my library and whichever came first, I would listen to. I requested Dracula, Frankenstein and Wuthering Heights. Wuthering Heights came to me first and so, I went in. 

Kindle Unlimited Free Trial Wrap Up

Remember back in October of last year, I activated a three month free trial for Kindle Unlimited because I wanted to see if it would be worth spending £9.49 a month to have access a sea of titles (mainly from indie authors). No? Here is the link to that article for your reading pleasure. Come back once you’ve read it.

You’re back? Right. Now those three free months are up, decision time. What titles did I read? Are there any that I put on my list that I haven’t read and am going to buy/continue my Kindle Unlimited for a month or so to read and, is it worth it? 

As you remember, these were some of the titles I had on my Kindle Unlimited radar:

Reindeer Readathon 2025 Wrap-Up

 It was that time of year! Yes, this is my wrap-up of 2025’s Reindeer Readathon!

For those who don’t know about the Reindeer Readathon, this is competitive Readathon with the theme of Christmas at its heart. It was created by Erik from Breakeven Books (here is the links to their YouTube, Instagram and Goodreads). 

I should put all the prompts down below so you can see the challenges. However, I am me and I’m a slow reader at the best of times so I’m going to do is list the prompts I achieved throughout the month of December, then chat briefly about the book/audiobook that completed each task. 

Shall we begin?