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Hothouse by Brian Aldiss is a sci-fi/fantasy novel set a few million years in the future when the Earth has stopped rotating leaving one side permanently facing the sun while the other side is frozen cold. What if the Earth stopped rotating a bit sooner, like about now?

The physics are handled well, though the cause of The Slow, and The Stop, are not explained. Instead the affects and people's reactions drive the plot along. Lucky Britain is left facing the sun, obliquely, so can still generate solar power and grow crops. The rest of the planet is not fairing so well and Britain has used its island nature to insulate itself during the chaos, and revived the "blitz" spirit of the 1940s. The authoritarian government has a devistating plan to revive the British Empire!

This she-said-he-said novel goes round in circles with moments of brilliance that fizzles out, literally, before the end. The description of the Greek island holiday at the beginning was great. The last act felt like a well researched rehearsal for the author going "on the lamb".

I accidentally read this straight after MacInnes's more recent novel In Ascension, and I spotted a duplicate location, described as not designed for settled life - only for temporary workers. Also, the sea. This novel is more meandering, following the looping thoughts of a police inspector investigating a disappearance. There is even a chapter listing dozens of possible and implausible explanations.

I accidentally read this straight after MacInnes's more recent novel In Ascension, and I spotted a duplicate location, described as not designed for settled life - only for temporary workers. Also, the sea. This novel is more meandering, following the looping thoughts of a police inspector investigating a disappearance. There is even a chapter listing dozens of possible and implausible explanations.

@jamesjbrownjr I've only read the first of Cixin Liu's books (in English), and a small smattering of Jeff Vandermeer, yet I agree it does feel like the cross fertilisation of the two's main styles. As ever, being lauded as a potential literary prize winner doesn't make it palatable to everyone's taste.

A slowly told near future story of exploration, in the deep ocean, in space, inside ourselves. I particularly appreciated the themes of cooperation for survival. Individual strength may not be enough where a group can endure and thrive.

The scifi elements are handled lightly, told from the point of view of someone who doesn't know the details.

At the top of the mountain the view is spectacular, and then one must descend again.

This collection of Neil Gaiman short stories is sort-of aimed at children, teenagers, and young adults. Not all the stories involve mortal danger, and some are just mood pieces riffing on the themes of fantasy. Listen to the ghosts! Do go through the door! Do not go through the door!

As Gaiman quotes GK Chesterton, fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.

These tales have all appeared else where before, some in other Gaiman collections like Fragile Things. Locations from Gaiman's own childhood repeat - big houses, the Sussex countryside, etc.

The particular edition I read came from the Wrenbury Heath book swap depository in an old red telephone box, and I shall return it to circulation in other.

Seriously, this book needs a content warning - it's all cutesy sapphic cottage homemade soaps and cupcakes at the farmers market until the racoon gets its head stoved in.

I had already seen the film of The Lady in the Van staring Maggie Smith, so was intrigued to read the source. These are extracts from Alan Bennett's diaries, and cover the 20+ years he knew the eccentric "Miss Shephard". The bonus material is revealed after her death, how Bennett found out about her pre-van life.

There is much reflection on life, on politeness, and on guilt. During the Catholic funeral service it is clear Bennett is not a fan of their brand of Christianity.

The lady in the van is also a study in how to hold political views counter to one's own way of life. She admitted the hard right National Front party was probably closest to her views, yet politicians with those views would rejoice in having the streets jet-washed clear of homeless people.