Yesterday, 9th March, I bought, on impulse two books that had their audiobook release on that day. Rather than put them on my TBR pile to wait their turn, I’ve decided to read them while they’re fresh.

I’m not entirely sure what to expect. Both authors are new to me. One story is described as ‘magical realism’ while the other is labelled ‘tragicomic’. I normally interpret these phrases as warnings to be cautious because they often don’t work for me. I’m taking a chance with these two because I liked the summaries and the covers and I’m hoping they’ll deliver an upbeat read.

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‘The Dog Of The North‘ by Elizabeth McKenzie (2023)

I came across ‘The Dog Of The North’ when I was browsing the Women’s Fiction 2023 Longlist. I thought I’d finally found a book with a dog in it that was being nominated for a prize. It turned out that The Dog Of The North’ is the name of an old van that the heroine borrows to try to keep her calamitous life moving.

Despite being canine-free, this book sounds like it could be a lot of fun and that it will feed me something more substantial than a genre éclair.

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‘Unlikely Animals‘ by Annie Hartnett (2023)

I took a look at ‘Unlikely Animals’ after reading a review on the Echoes In An Empty Room blog. I liked the sound of the book and I loved the cover so, even those it stands in the shadow of that magical realism label, I’m going to give it a go,