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It's almost March and the team has been eagerly awaiting the arrival of some exciting new publications for 2024. We've been flipping through publisher catalogues, reading online reviews and watching author interviews, to compile the list of books we're most looking forward to getting to this year. Though by no means exhaustive, we hope some of these varied titles pique your interest and are added to your own creaking bookshelves! Let us know what you can't wait to read this year.   Marianne I'm not usually driven by trying to read titles as soon as they are released, but there are quite a few...

Valentine's Day is upon us once again, which inevitably means the Willoughby team have been discussing the romance books we've read or considered recently. Our first loves will always be books, and the characters brought to life through the magic of words. Our interests and reading preferences, when it comes to the romance genre, are rather different. Where one of us might prefer general fiction with love as a theme secondary to friendships or familial relationships, another would prefer romance front and central to the plot. Romantic fantasy or 'romantasy' is a particular favourite genre for one of the Willoughby...

Marianne I'm the Director of The Willoughby Book Club, and I'm so proud of our team and the service we offer. My career has taken me on a meandering path through bookselling in the UK and Ireland, and I am so excited to be able to bring all my experience to bear at The Willoughby Book Club, offering curated reading subscriptions. Access to books and reading is one of my favourite soapboxes, and I love being able to donate a book for each subscription we sell. When I'm not messing about with books I like painting and am inspired by...

Prophet Song by Paul Lynch Prophet Song was 2023's Booker prize winner, and Paul Lynch's fifth novel (and first Booker win). I don't often read prize winning books. I can fall into the trap of thinking they'll be too clever or experimental for me, so I'm sure I miss out on some fantastic titles because of it! Anyway, whether you love to keep abreast of prize winners or rarely touch them, take it from me, you NEED to read this one! Set in a dystopian near-future Ireland, this is the story of an ordinary, upper-middle class wife and mother of four,...