Secret Book Swap | No. 8 - North Berwick January
Books we swapped:
The Dictionary of Lost Words – Pip Williams
Set against the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary, this quietly radical novel follows Esme, who begins collecting words discarded or ignored by the male scholars around her. A tender, immersive story about language, power and the voices history leaves behind.The Last Runaway – Tracy Chevalier
A young Quaker woman emigrates from England to 19th-century America, where she is drawn into the dangerous moral conflict of the Underground Railroad. Thoughtful and restrained, this is a novel about conscience, courage and quiet acts of resistance.Raising Hare – Chloe Dalton
When Dalton unexpectedly becomes caretaker to a wild hare, she finds herself drawn into a profound relationship with the natural world. Lyrical and observant, this is a meditation on care, coexistence and the fragile line between wildness and belonging.Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks
Spanning pre-war France and the trenches of the First World War, this powerful novel traces love, trauma and memory across generations. Harrowing and deeply human, it captures both the brutality of war and the endurance of feeling.Small Things Like These – Claire Keegan
In a small Irish town in the run-up to Christmas, a coal merchant makes a quiet moral choice that carries enormous weight. Spare, restrained and devastating, this novella shows how decency can exist — and matter — in silence.Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens
Growing up alone in the marshes of North Carolina, Kya Clark becomes both a local mystery and a quiet observer of the natural world. Part coming-of-age, part crime story, this is an atmospheric novel about isolation, resilience and belonging.Fourth Wing – Rebecca Yarros
Thrown into a brutal dragon-riding academy where survival is never guaranteed, Violet must rely on intelligence as much as strength. Fast-paced and addictive, this fantasy blends high stakes, danger and romance with relentless momentum.The Housemaid – Freida McFadden
A live-in housekeeper accepts what seems like the perfect job — until cracks begin to show in the household she serves. Sharp, twist-driven and compulsive, this psychological thriller thrives on power shifts and buried secrets.The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
Bilbo Baggins is swept from his comfortable home into an epic journey involving dragons, treasure and unexpected bravery. Warm, adventurous and timeless, this classic celebrates courage, friendship and the magic of the ordinary.The Buddha of Suburbia – Hanif Kureishi
Growing up in the suburbs of 1970s London, Karim Amir is restless, ambitious and searching for belonging across class, race and sexuality. Wry, provocative and sharply observed, this novel captures youthful longing, cultural collision and the messy exhilaration of becoming yourself.
Mamie Philp
Guest writer, Mamie Philp
A few years ago, Mamie read an article that begged the question ‘what did you want to do when you were eight years old?’ and her instinctive response was ‘write stories’.
Maybe because crime and thrillers are her favourite genre, she was drawn to write a murder mystery.
Mr Murdoch is Dead, a murder mystery set in Mamie’s home county of Ayrshire, and the first in the DI Kim Berry Series, might have been Mamie’s first novel but it was by no means her first book having written 3 memoirs written for clients and two non-fiction books following a career in the civil service and as a teacher.
This is Mamie’s second time as our guest writer, having joined our group in Davidson’s Mains in 2025. We are delighted to have her with us once again talking all things writing, publishing and what happened to poor Mr Murdoch!
Mr Murdoch is Dead - A DI Kim Berry story
When popular history teacher Raymond Murdoch is found dead at Riverwood Academy, the town of Ayr is rocked. Newly promoted DI Kim Berry returns from Glasgow to lead the case, uncovering a web of secrets involving multiple suspects, a local drug dealer, and a mysterious visitor.
As past and present collide, Mr Murdoch Is Dead delivers a twisty small-town whodunit and introduces a compelling new detective.
Banned Book Reading
Good News Update
While our banned book talks are a core part of our evenings, and something we will continue to do, this month, partly because it is the end of a dark and gloomy January, and partly because the world seems to be just a little bit on fire right now, I decided we were in need of some good news to set us up for the year ahead.
So I invite you to take a look at the variety of book themed good news updates we shared this month.
Join us at future secret book swaps: