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Have you ever wished that there was a one-stop shop for all things book recommendations and book news? Well, wish no more because The Bookish Drop is here to satisfy all your bookish cravings (specific books and sweet treats are not included, sadly).
Catherine Shuttleworth, Danielle Kate Wroe, Talya Honebeek and Zoe Delaney will send you the latest book-related news straight to your inbox once a week.
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3 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Royal verdict on Meghan's intentions with Harry uncovered in brutal new claims
A royal author has claimed that a close confidant of the late Queen questioned Meghan Markle's relationship with Prince Harry and sent a warning about her The late Queen's cousin and confidant warned that Meghan Markle "could turn into nothing but trouble" and questioned her relationship with Prince Harry, according to explosive new claims. It has been seven years since Harry and Meghan tied the knot at Windsor Castle in May 2018, in a fairytale wedding attended by the whole of the Royal Family. But a royal author has now claimed that that a so-called close friend of the late Queen told her that she was suspicious of former actress Meghan's motives before the Sussexes tied the knot in the grand ceremony, despite intially being impressed when she first came on the royal scene. Writing on her Substack, Sally Bedell Smith claims that before her death, Lady Elizabeth Anson, a cousin of Elizabeth II and a high-society party planner, said that just days before the nuptials: "We hope but don't quite think she is in love. We think she engineered it all." She is also said to have warned: "It's worrying that so many people are questioning whether Meghan is right for Harry. The problem, bless his heart, is that Harry is neither bright nor strong, and she is both." And added: "Meghan is clearly brighter than Harry, but she has to be careful not to overshadow him." According to Bedell Smith, Lady Anson said that Meghan was "full of charm" as well as "intelligent and thoughtful" when she and Harry first became engaged in 2017. But as the wedding approached several months later, she claims that relations between the Sussexes and the late Queen became rocky. The Mirror has contacted the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for comment. Meanwhile, a source close to the couple to MailOnline said the claims were "just gossip". It comes as the author also claimed that Harry 'blew' his relationship with the late Queen in the lead-up to marrying Meghan Markle after making one major decision. Bedell Smith said Lady Anson told her that the former monarch was left 'dismayed' about some of the arrangements being made for the wedding and had become "very worried" about her 'weak' and 'besotted' grandson. She claims that the former monarch had been left shocked that Harry had asked the Archbishop of Canterbury to perform the ceremony without asking the Dean of Windsor first, and that the now Duke of Sussex thought his grandmother could just "do what she wants". According to Bedell Smith, Lady Anson said that due to this, Harry had "blown" his relationship with his grandmother. She writes that Lady Anson told her several months before the wedding: "She [the Queen] said she was really upset. I was shocked when the Queen told me this, how she was so saddened. I had no idea about the conversation, that he was rude to her for ten minutes. "They had tea with her the day before yesterday. She was trying to find out about the wedding dress, and Meghan wouldn't tell her." However, the author later claims that several weeks closer to the nuptials, Lady Anson told her that Harry and his grandmother had "patched things up" after he let her into the details of what they had planned for their wedding. Lady Anson was the daughter of Thomas Anson, Viscount Anson, and his wife, Anne Bowes-Lyon, who would later become Princess Anne of Denmark when she remarried. She was a niece of the late Queen Mother and was a close friend of the Queen and responsible for arranging many of her private parties. She founded the firm Party Planners in 1960 and went on to arrange events for a number of people in the royal houses as well as the Queen. Notable events Lady Anson planned include Sting's wedding, Margaret Thatcher's 70th birthday party and the Queen's 80th birthday party. In 2020, the late Queen made her a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, which is awarded to those having performed distinguished personal service to the monarch. Just months later she died at the age of 79.
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
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I read every day — these are 10 of the best books I would recommend to anyone
There's no feeling quite like sitting down after a long day and diving into a good book. But with countless reads to choose from, finishing one book and selecting another isn't always as easy as it sounds. While I do try to make time for the classics, as well as books published in previous years, I do always find myself gravitating towards the new releases, eager to find a new favourite I know I'll return to again and again in the future. If you're in need of some inspiration for your summer reading list, here are 10 of my absolute top reads of 2025 so far, with picks across all kinds of different genres. For more book recommendations, reviews and news, click here to subscribe to our free weekly newsletter, The Bookish Drop, on Substack. It's officially Love Island season, with both the UK and US versions airing right now. While I don't religiously watch dating shows anymore, I still gravitate towards any fiction inspired by or based on the world of reality TV. The Compound sees 20 contestants trapped in a remote desert compound and filmed 24/7 as they compete for luxury prizes and basic necessities - while also trying to find love. I don't want to give anything away, but this is a brilliant debut, with some unexpected twists, a simmering uneasiness and an ending I've thought about since I finished reading it. It's out on July 3, and I'd definitely recommend adding it to your summer reading list! Some books need to be read in one sitting, and Make Me Famous is one of them. The book revolves around Cléo, an aspiring singer who is obsessed with becoming famous. We see her rise to fame, as well as her present day, where she jets off on holiday to a remote island to focus on writing her fourth album in peace. Cléo is one of the most dislikeable protagonists I've ever read, which can sometimes be a recipe for disaster, but not in this case. The book is so immersive, so addictive and so twisted. 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When I saw Park Avenue described as 'Crazy Rich Asians meets Succession', I knew it had the potential to be a five-star read for me. I was hooked all the way through; it's so messy and brings has elements of mystery, romance and thriller. It's also a perfect travel read. I read this while on a weekend away and felt like I was watching a (very entertaining) film in my head the whole time! Sometimes you know before reading that you're going to love a book. But other times, a book you weren't so sure about just blows you away. I am someone who tends to steer clear of anything even remotely scary, so Make a Home of Me by Vanessa Santos has been one of the biggest revelations of the year for me. This collection of short stories, all set in houses that should provide protection but instead turn on their inhabitants, is unsettling yet inviting. The collection opens with a dinner party with a gruesome twist and goes on to tales of people driven to despair by a neighbour's crying baby, a family torn apart by strange notes and a woman's relationship with her new partner's strangely shy daughter. I ate every single story up, and would recommend this book to anyone, horror fan or otherwise. If you'd told me last year that some of my favourite reads of 2025 would be young adult novels, I wouldn't have believed you. But after falling in love with Rebecca Ross' Divine Rivals duology, I went on to Immortal Consequences, the first book in a new YA dark academia series following students at a boarding school on the fringes of the afterlife. In Immortal Consequences, the students must compete in the Decennial - a series of magical trials held once a decade. We follow six different students, all with their own motivations and hidden agendas. 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Daily Mirror
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- Daily Mirror
Five romantasy book series' to get your heart racing if you loved ACOTAR
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