Book Review - Land by Maggie O'Farrell

Title: Land
Author: Maggie O’Farrell
Genre: Historical fiction
Published: 2026
 
Description: On a windswept peninsula stretching our into the Atlantic, Tomás and his reluctant son, Liam, are working for the great Ordnance Survey to map the whole of Ireland. The year is 1865, and in a country not long since ravaged and emptied by the Great Hunger, the task it not an easy one. Tomás, however, is determined that his maps will be a record of the disaster.
 
The British soldiers in charge are due to arrive any day, expecting the work to be completed, but Tomás is unexpectedly sent off course by an unsettling encounter in a copse. His life, and the lives of those of his family, will never be the same again. Liam is terrified by the sudden change in his taciturn father. What was it that caused such cracks to open in Tomás, and how is Liam, aged only ten, going to finish the mapping and get them both home?
 
Review: After the overwhelming success of “Hamnet”, I was really looking forward to Maggie O’Farrell’s new book and it was my in-person book club pick this month. Her writing has a way of completely transporting you to another time and place. “Land” has an intriguing premise and is stylistically exceptional, but unfortunately, the story largely failed to captivate me this time.
 
The story begins in 1865 on a rainy Irish peninsula, shortly after the devastating Great Hunger. The novel follows the taciturn Irish cartographer Tomás, who, commissioned by the British army, is meticulously mapping the transformed and traumatized landscape of Ireland. When he stumbles upon something mysterious in a copse, he has a revelation that turns his entire worldview upside down. And it changed his family’s life forever.
 
The novel is structured in four parts, no chapters. They shed light on the broad history of this family spanning several generations and continents. In part one, we follow Tomás and his young song Liam, crossing the peninsula and the massive transformation at the copse. Part two delves deeper into family life in Ireland and how Tomás rebellion against the authorities and the Church completely disrupt the family dynamic. In the third part we read about the family’s disintegration and it follows the children as they are forced to scatter across the globe. Liam travels to India to join the Jesuits, while daughter Enda flees to Canada with forged documents. In the final and fourth part the various storylines and continents are brought together. This concluding section connects the past with the future and shows how the remaining family members try to survive and keep the memory of their homeland alive.
 
Although the book is undeniably beautifully written, reading it was, unfortunately, quite a challenge. O’Farrell describes absolutely everything beautifully and with an impressive eye for detail, but this also makes the book move at a very slow pace. For me, most of the story was downright boring. I really had to struggle through it and resist the urge to put it down. It wasn’t until part 4 that it finally became interesting and more engaging for me, because that’s where the various storylines finale converge and the emotional weight becomes palpable. As for the rest of the book, I could not connect to the story nor the characters.
 
I thought her previous book “Hamnet” was fantastic, but “Land” unfortunately failed to live up to those high expectations. It’s a beautifully written historical portrait, but due to its lack of momentum, I can’t give it more than 2,5 stars.
 
Rating: 2,5/ 5

Movie Review - Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 145 minutes
Year: 2026
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, Sadie Sink, Florence Pugh
 
Description: A forgotten Peter Parker (Tom Holland) lives alone as a full-time Spider-Man until mounting pressure triggers a dangerous change and a powerful new enemy emerges.
 
Review: Ever since Spider-Man found his way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we’ve already been treated to three movies in which his personal motivations have consistently been simple and clear. No matter how crazy the stakes of the Spider-Man narrative became in “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, at the end of the day. Peter Parker just wanted to go to college with his two best friends. In “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” as well, the reason behind his actions is clear and person: he misses his friends.

Since the previous movie, Peter has been erased from the memories of everyone alive, and now he’s decided to just be Spider-Man full-time. From a distance, he watches as his high school friends Ned and MJ go through college without him. Meanwhile, he saves New York from the bad guys. But then a threat emerges that our superhero struggles with: something, or someone, that can jump from the body of one citizen to that of another.

His main companion in this film is Frank Caste, also known as the Punisher. Another lone wolf. And then there’s the character, who I won’t discuss because of spoilers, played by Sadie Sink. I was very excited that she was in it and I had some theories about who she was playing. I was right and it made me even more excited. Her role involves loneliness and loss. And in that way, she mirrors Peter Parker’s experiences. This was the heart of the film and gave it emotional depth.

There is something reassuring about the fact that tis young man with superpowers just can’t seem to get his life together. Peter Parker always feels a little like one of us. And like someone who makes obvious mistakes, from which he has to learn. No matter how super-intelligent or strong he is, this is a hero with very relatable problems. Mixed with superhero problems, sure, but at its core, it’s about thinks we all feel. And that’s definitely the rock-solid foundation of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day”.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - The Invite

Director: Olivia Wilde

Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Runtime: 107 minutes
Year: 2026
Starring: Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Penelope Cruz, Edward Norton
Description: Joe and Angela’s (Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde) marriage is on the rocks. When they invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbors (Penelope Cruz, Edward Norton) over for dinner, the evening takes an unexpected turn.

 
Review: Director Olivia Wilde does it again. Following her acclaimed directorial debut, “Booksmart”, she proves with “The Invite” that she is the undisputed queen of modern farce. This film is without a doubt the funniest movie I’ve seen this year. In fact, this hilarious, sharp and somewhat uncomfortable masterpiece is already a serious contender to land at the top of my year-end list.

The film follows Joe and Angela, a couple who, after fifteen years of marriage, have fallen into a deep rut and are on the verge of breaking up. In a desperate attempt to reignite the spark, they invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbors over for dinner Pina and Hawk. What begins as a pleasant evening of polite small talk quickly escalates into a wild emotional rollercoaster.

“The Invite” is a brilliant comedy that takes place entirely within a single apartment in San Fransico. The chemistry between the four lead actors is truly electric. Seth Rogen is at his best as the neurotic, awkward husband, while Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton steal the show as the eccentric, over-the-top neighbors.

Wilde perfectly balances the fine line between wicked humor and genuine emotion. The dialogue is razor-sharp, and the timing is so perfect. But behind all those edgy jokes lies, thanks in part to the psychological depth, a surprisingly mature and relatable story about relationships and midlife crises.
If you’re going to watch just one movie this year, let it be this one!

Rating: 5/ 5 

Movie Review - The Sheep Detectives

Director: Kyle Balda
Genre: Mystery/ Adventure/ Comedy
Runtime: 109 minutes
Year: 2026
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O’Dowd, Patrick Stewart, Emma Thompson, Nicholas Derry, Regina Hall, Bella Ramsey, Nicholas Galitzine, Brett Goldstein, Rhys Darby, Conleth Hill
 
Description: Every night shepherd George Hardy (Hugh Jackman) reads aloud a murder mystery, pretending his sheep can understand. When he is found dead, the sheep realize at once that it was a murder and think they know everything about how to go about solving it.
 
Review: “The Sheep Detectives” is a surprisingly charming and inventive film that cleverly combines the classic whodunnit with humor and charm. The film is a must-see for fans of quirky mysteries and feel-good cinema. In short: it’s a whodunnit with sheep as the amateur sleuths, which sounds ridiculous but is absolutely fantastic.

When the beloved shepherd George Hardy dies under mysterious circumstances, his flock of sheep is left devastated. Every evening, George would read detective stories to his sheep. What he didn’t know was that the animals understood everything. Since the local police are completely off the mark, the sheep decide to take matters into their own hands. They set out to fins clues, interrogate the humans suspects in their own unique way, and prove themselves to be brilliant detectives.

Hugh Jackman shines in his simplicity. He appears mainly in flashbacks, but his warm and sympathetic performance serves as the film’s emotional anchor. The sincere bond between him and his flock gives the story and unexpected emotional depth.

The talking sheep steal the show. With voices provided by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston and many others, each sheep is given a unique personality. The humor shifts effortlessly from visual slapstick for younger viewers to sharp, witty dialogue for adults.

The film has a cozy, countryside vibe, that perfectly complements the charming mystery. It feels like a so-called cozy mystery. But for the seasoned amateur sleuths, the resolution of the murder case could be a bit predictable.

“The Sheep Detectives” is one of the most surprising films of the year. It’s a lovingly crafted feel-good movie that will entertain both young and old. Anyone in the mood for an original atmospheric comedy with a touch of mystery absolutely shouldn’t miss this one.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Book Review - Strange Houses by Uketsu

Title: Strange Houses (Strange Houses #1)
Author: Uketsu
Genre: Horror/ Mystery
Published: 2021
 
Description: When a writer fascinated by the macabre is approached by an acquaintance, he finds himself investigating an eerie house for sale in Tokyo. At first, with its bright and spacious interior, it seems the perfect first home. But upon closer inspection, the building’s floor plans reveal a mysterious “dead space” hidden between its walls. Seeking a second opinion, the writer shares the floor plans with his friend Kurihara, an architect, only to discover more unnerving details throughout.
 
What is the true purpose behind the house’s disturbing design? And what happened to the former owner who disappeared without a trace? When a body suddenly appears and a young woman reaches out about a second house, it soon becomes clear that the writer and his friend may be in over their heads.
 
Review: With “Strange Houses”, Japanese author Uketsu has created a true internet sensation. The book promises a unique blend of mystery, psychological horror, presented in a highly unconventional format.  
When an unnamed writer asks an architect friend to inspect a Tokyo home’s floor plan, they discover windowless, sealed-off dead space. They soon realize the bizarre layout is custom-designed for murder, dragging them into a terrifying investigation involving missing persons, twisted family secrets, and a second mysterious house.
 
“Strange Houses” is without a doubt one of the most unique books I’ve read in a long time. Uketsu breaks with the traditional thriller structure by telling the story largely through dialogue, interviews, illustrations and floor plans. As a reader, you’re immediately thrust into the role of a detective; you study the drawings and try, together with the characters, to figure out what’s wrong. This interactive element ensures that the first part of the book moves along at a brisk pace. The suspense is masterfully built up, and the atmosphere is delightfully gloomy.
 
Unfortunately, the book was unable to maintain this high standard until the end. While the first part excels in its simplicity and tight focus on the first house, the second completely lost me. The plot shifted to a more complex backstory. So many new characters, intricate family trees, and historical motifs are introduced that the whole thing became quite confusing. The logic that was so strong at the beginning gave way for to far-fetched explanations that dampened the suspense rather than heightening it.
 
“Strange Houses” is a fascinating experiment that, thanks to its unique style and strong opening, is definitely worth reading. It’s just sad that the second half wasn’t as good.
 
Rating: 3,5/ 5 

Movie Review - The End of Oak Street

Director: David Robert Mitchell
Genre: Adventure/ Action
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 2026
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella, Christian Convery
 
Description: The Platt family bands together to navigate their new surroundings after a cosmic event transports their neighborhood to someplace unknown.
 
Review: In this adventure film, directed by David Robert Mitchell, the Platt family suddenly finds themselves in an unimaginable situation. It is the 1980s when a mysterious cosmic storm literally rips their American suburb from the ground an transports it to an unknown, prehistoric location.

Mitchell is best known for the indie horror film “It Follow”, but he proves with “The End of Oak Street” that a summer blockbuster budget can be perfectly combined with an original, fresh concept. Forget the CGI-heavy formulas; this film opts for a delightfully nostalgic, no-nonsense approach of the “Jurassic Park” films, with an 80’s and 90s vibe.

The film’s greatest strength is the chemistry within the family. Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor deliver rock-solid performances as concerned yet determined parents. Despite the absurd premise, they give the film a believable and authentic emotional core.

Visually, fantastic choices were made. Instead of fast-paced, chaotic action montages, they opt for impressive, sweeping shots in broad daylight. And despite the PG13/ 12+ rating, they don’t shy away from a few delightfully unsettling, intense moments.

If you want a scientific explanation though, for what is happening, you may be left somewhat unsatisfied.

It’s one of the most enjoyable and original films I have seen this year.

Rating: 4/ 5

Book Review - The Unknown by Riley Sager

Title: The Unknown
Author: Riley Sager
Genre: Thriller/ Horror
Published: 2026
 
Description: In 1926, five women disappeared from a remote island in Vermont. Now, one hundred years later, it’s happening again.
 
Struggling actress Marin Keane is shocked when she lands a role in a major motion picture about the unsolved mystery on New Avalon, an island on sprawling Lake Faraday in Vermont. She’s even more surprised when she learns that the role requires a weeklong research trip to that very spot.
 
Because New Avalon isn’t your ordinary island. A century ago, it was a commune for spiritual mediums. Until they all vanished in 1926. The only trace of them was five dresses hanging from the branches of an old oak tree in the middle of the island, one for each missing woman. Some locals say they simply left. Others think they were murdered. But the prevailing opinion, thanks to a diary left behind by one of the vanished, a young woman named Daisy Rue, is that a séance gone wrong conjured something supernatural that took them all one by one.
 
Not long after arriving, Marin and her castmates, including legendary actress Violet Wright and white-hot director Ronan Peters, begin to realize all is not right with New Avalon. They hear strange noises in the night and notice mysterious symbols left behind by the island’s previous occupants. And after a sudden health emergency leaves Marin, Ronan, and the other actors stranded on the island, the disappearances begin again.
 
Is it the work of someone trying to derail the movie? Or is the island’s alleged supernatural past catching up with the present? As fear and suspicion mount, Marin turns to Daisy’s diary, hoping it holds the key to figuring out what really happened to the women of New Avalon. And how to keep the island’s terrible history from repeating itself.
 
Review: Riley Sager is back with his latest thriller “The Unknown”, and it makes for a very entertaining read. In my opinion, this is a big improvement over his last two books, which unfortunately fell short. His 2025 release “With a Vengeance” I didn’t even finish. Although it’s not a new favorite, Sager does prove with this book that he still has a knack for the suspenseful thriller genre.
 
We meet Marin, a struggling actress who unexpectedly lands a major role in a movie directed by a popular director. The movie centers around a century-old mystery. In 1926 five women mysteriously vanished from New Avalon, a remote commune in Lake Faraday. To prepare for the film, the director gathers the cast on this island for an immersive rehearsal week. However, as the cast dives into the history and begins reading the diary of one of the missing women, the line between fiction and reality start to blur. And history seems to repeat itself.
 
The atmosphere here is the best part: Gothic and deeply unsettling. The dual-timeline between the commune of 1926 and the modern-day indie film set is highly compelling. The isolated island setting immediately ramps up the tension and the concept of actor being trapped there gives it a psychological touch. The book has supernatural elements, that you will question the entire time.
 
Riley Sager is known for his plot twists and he succeeds for the most part in “The Unknown”. It’s surprising and it takes some dark and twisty turns, but the conclusion eventually feels a bit far-fetched. It requires a heavy suspension of disbelief. If you don’t think it through too much it’s pretty good, but there are a few plot holes that don’t make sense. I do love how Sager made you guessing whether certain things really happened or not, right until the very end.
 
Sager is back, I liked “The Unknown “ so much better than the two book that came before this. But it does not match “The Only One Left” or “Lock Every Door”.
 
Rating: 3, 5/ 5