Francesca's Thoughts

Let's go old-school internet and hold a conversation.

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell

14/08/2025

Best Books of 2025 So Far

Long time no chitchat. It feels a long time, because I was working on the final module of the semester when I last wrote and now the film debuted two months ago. How’s your summer? Done anything fun? Raged against the machine? Me too, if you count working on mirrornovel as an alternative to reading… Continue reading

Books

book blog, book chatter, book recommendations 2025, book reviews, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by VE Schwab, Francesca's Thoughts, Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang, Roots of Chaos, Susanna Clarke, The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon, The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater
19/02/2025

Read, If You Like ‘Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell’ by Susanna Clarke

The length of time it’s taken me to write this blog is almost equal to the length of time it took me to a) read the book and b) recover from my book hangover. I think book two of 2025 might be in my top three books of 2025 and it is only February. That… Continue reading

(All Hail) Creation, Books

alternative histories, book chat, book recommendations, book review, bookish, books, ebooks, fantasy, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Kindle downloads, Piranesi, reading, Susanna Clarke, The Bone Season

Let’s close the door on the rest of the internet.

Francesca Astraea here.

When I began this blog in 2009, I was a teenager. That’s why you’ll find some posts have been hidden behind a paywall. I was an incredibly different, less eloquent person when I was a teen, so if you want to read the thoughts of that teenager, you can join the No. 1 Readers’ Club for access.

What will you find here now?

This blog continues to evolve with me. My favourite topics are books and reading, travel adventures, the extensive works of up and coming rock band My Chemical Romance and the occasional update about my life and work as an author and scriptwriter. I’m also interested in digital minimalism, how we can solve environmental issues and why it’s probably a better idea to make a cup of tea than it is to shout at people you disagree with.

Speaking of tea… Make a cup and settle in.

Leave a comment on posts to continue the conversation and tell me your favourite MCR song! Oh, and while you’re here: this is a no-gen-AI household. You may not put any of my posts through an LLM. If you’re going to email me or write a comment, do it yourself.

Here’s how we can stay in touch:

Stories to escape into

Algorithm-free newsletter

let’s keep chatting at the No. 1 Readers’ Club

Keep this independent, conversational, anti-AI part of the internet going with a tip.

Or enter a custom amount

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell

Best Books of 2025 So Far

Read, If You Like ‘Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell’ by Susanna Clarke