Ana De- Jesus

Red-rimmed eyes exhausted from crying. She’s lost count of the tears that streamed down her face with reckless abandon. The heart-wrenching pain after losing their cat Nala, who died in her arms. Her partner in another country unable to say goodbye. 2026 was a year that was challenging for them so far. A second cat, Loki who had to have surgery. Struggling to keep still, scared to lose him too. They say bad things come in threes, and theirs was triple that.

As an avid book lover (1000 books and counting), it is rare that I find a novel that genuinely surprises me. Seething Lane by Jack Jewers is an exception to the rule. Beneath its murder mystery lies something altogether more curious: a world of secrets, theatre, religious dissent and wonderfully complicated characters, all wrapped around one of history’s most fascinating diarists, Samuel Pepys.

Does your bedroom feel like you are stuck in a time warp? Does your sleep space lack warmth and emotion? I know mine did. It was clinical. White walls devoid of character. Mismatched furniture, and a lack of cohesion in the bedroom. I’d toss and turn in a bed that no longer supported me. Watching the darkness swallow me and my emotions whole. Panic attacks and adrenaline rushing through my veins. I had changed the bedroom several times over the years.