Hiya! I’m Bethany, a 38-year-old crime fiction book blogger living in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. The perfect place for a crime fiction fan like me as it’s home to the renowned Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival held at the iconic Old Swan Hotel, where Agatha Christie was famously found in 1926 following her disappearance!

My bookshelves are packed with crime fiction, thrillers and mysteries. Although I do also enjoy reading some horror, transgressive and contemporary fiction. I set up my dedicated book Instagram in August 2023. I had been posting about books ever since joining Instagram originally but wanted to separate my personal account – I treat different accounts a little like differently dedicated photo albums! After a while, I became more confident with my reviews and they became longer and more detailed. I loved that writing about my reads afterwards would help me to remember them more. And that’s not a slight on books not being memorable, just my failing memory as I get older!

After venturing into the realm of bookstagram, I decided to set up BethReadsCrime.com as well. I do hope it helps fellow book lovers discover their next gripping read!

In 2024, I was a finalist for the UK Book Blogger Awards in the Rising Star category. I’m a member of The Likely Suspects WhoReadIt? book club, Tandem Collective’s Thrills & Chills book club, Book Break Insider and the Bloomsbury Creator Circle.

Outside of reading, I love:

• Exploring in my campervan: our adventures have taken us across Europe, landed us on two magazine covers, and even earned a few show-and-shine awards! Follow our travels via @vwdogbus.
• My dogs: Daisy (a golden retriever) and Cheddar (a chocolate lab).
• Escape rooms: I’ve completed over 100 so far!
• Video games: my favourites are classic point-and-click adventures like Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, and Sam & Max: Hit the Road, or cosy life-sims like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing. I spent eight years working in the video games industry, where I was honored to be named in the ’30 Under 30′ and as one of the ‘Top 100 Women in Games‘.
• LEGO: especially the modular building series
• Pinball: my favourite tables include Scared Stiff, Monster Bash and Medieval Madness
• Music: bands like The Postal Service, The Weakerthans, Hot Water Music and Metronomy

If you love crime fiction as much as I do, I’d love to be friends! Follow me on Instagram @bethreadscrime, BlueSky or explore my latest reviews and event coverage right here.

📩 Want to collaborate or chat about books? Get in touch via my contact page!