With only books for solace

Irish Times recommends several books including

Madam

Phoebe Wynne

Quercus, £14.99

Caldonbrae Hall is a boarding school for girls; it looms over the sea in a remote part of Scotland, its gothic isolation and brooding atmosphere fitting for this modern gothic novel with a feminist impulse. There is an appetising tension as classics teacher Rose arrives into a world she at first doesn’t understand – and gradually comes to fear. Like Jane Eyre, alone, with only books for solace, Rose suspects there is a secret at the dark heart of the school. The girls are being prepared for the world, the prospectus says, but Rose cannot understand their codes, their strange classes and peculiar etiquette; the terrifying truth is revealed as she falls under the power and watchful eye of the school. Latin and Greek myths echo throughout, in a story that will not let you go. (Ruth McKee)

Far Out magazine wonders:

Kate Bush has one of the most distinctive voices in pop. Honestly, how many times have you attempted to reach those high notes in ‘Wuthering Heights’ and failed miserably? I’m guessing, like me, you’ve lost count. That’s because Bush is a unique talent, someone who has honed her voice throughout her long career. (Sam Kemp)

Finally, Book Riot has a quiz to find out which Brontë heroine you are.