Hello everyone,
My latest A-Z post is all about the letter F, looking back at all the memorable characters, authors, concepts, and settings from the books I read between the start of 2018 and the end of 2022.
While preparing this post I found there were not that many things beginning with F in the books I have read, and it is particularly low on characters compared to the other letters I have done so far.
Let’s get to it!
Fairy
I have read two books about fairies in the past five years, and both of them were in 2022. First there was Bone China by Laura Purcell, which hints at the presence of malevolent fairies at an old house. The other one was The Cottingley Cuckoo by A.J. Elwood, a paranormal novel inspired by the true story of the Cottingley fairies.
Faith
A trans girl who is the victim of a hate crime in All The Rage by Cara Hunter, prompting DI Fawley and his team to investigate. Pleasingly, she does in the end go on to have an empowering storyline.
The Familiars
The debut novel by Stacey Halls, which I read in the summer of 2019. Set in the 17th century, it focuses on the relationship between the wife of a rich landowner and a young woman suspected of being a witch. It was this book that saw me fall in love with Stacey’s writing style.
The Family Upstairs
A superb thriller by Lisa Jewell which I read in 2020. It tells the story of a woman who inherits a large and expensive house in London that was once home to a dangerous cult. With three points of view, it is an arresting read, and the sequel was published last year.
Father Arthur
The hospital chaplain in The One Hundred Years Of Lenni And Margot by Marianne Cronin. He develops a friendship with Lenni and they have many conversations that range between philosophical and amusing. It was these scenes, among others, which made me tear up while reading this book.
Felicity
The daughter of a University of Oxford Dean, who goes missing at the start of Magpie Lane by Lucy Atkins. She is mute and often neglected by her father and stepmother, and is instead left under the care of Dee, her nanny who is suspected of abducting her.
Felix (Ever After)
Felix is transgender and what he wants most is to fall in love. An art student in New York, Felix is a character who you really empathise with, and the book itself is a fun read.
Femi
One of four wedding ushers in The Guest List by Lucy Foley, and arguably the least insufferable.
Fengmei
The princess who the Celestial Majesties expect Liwei to marry in Daughter Of The Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan, only for him to fall in love with Xingyin.
Fiadh
An innocent and peaceful teenage girl who lives in the forest, in the Daughter Of Erabel series by Kristin Ward. When her mother is killed, she has to escape with an injured warrior named Gideon.
Fiona Barton
The author of a series starring journalist Kate Waters. The only one I have read is The Child which I found a decent read back in 2018. I have not returned to her books since, but I am not ruling that out.
First Army
The main arm of the Ravkan army in the Shadow And Bone series, commanded by the king and later Nikolai. They go into battle against the Darkling and his deathly creatures.
Fjerda
A location in the Grishaverse; an icy nation in the North whose inhabitants are suspicious of Grisha powers. The most notable Fjerdan is Matthias Helver, who is imprisoned at the start of Six Of Crows.
Fleetwood Shuttleworth
The main character in The Familiars by Stacey Halls. She develops an intriguing relationship with the mysterious Alice, and goes through a difficult pregnancy. Fleetwood was actually a real person who lived at the book’s real-life setting, Gawthorpe Hall.
Flinstead
The fictional seaside town which is used by Lesley Kara as the main setting for her books. I read The Rumour in 2019, and Who Did You Tell? in 2022.
Flora Banks
The title character of The One Memory Of Flora Banks by Emily Barr. She is a teenage girl who suffers from short-term memory loss, but the story takes her on an unlikely adventure.
Flora Robinson
The maid at Ellingham Academy in 1936, at the time of Alice and Iris Ellingham’s disappearance. Her role in the story turns out to be very interesting indeed.
Footman
The person who is hunting down Aidan Bishop in The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle, and trying the prevent him from solving the mystery of who killed the title character.
Forest Grove
A recently gentrified suburb that serves as the setting for Circle Of Doubt by Tracy Buchanan. Main character Emma has just moved there with her husband and young daughter, but the arrival of another new couple makes her life difficult.
Forget Me Not
I have read two books called Forget Me Not. The first was a rather forgettable thriller by Luana Lewis at the end of 2018, and the other was a mystery by Claire Allan in the summer of 2021.
Forging
The main magic system of the Gilded Wolves trilogy by Roshani Chokshi. As Severin and his friends travel across Europe, they make it their task to acquire Forged objects.
Foundling Hospital
In centuries past, mothers who gave birth to children outside of marriage usually could not keep their babies. Many were taken to the Foundling Hospital in London, and this is the basis for The Foundling by Stacey Halls.
The Foundling
See above. The second book by Stacey Halls, one which I read while on a country break in 2020 and really enjoyed.
France
The setting for several books which I have read. The most notable is The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles, which is set in the French capital during the Second World War. Others include A Song Of Isolation by Michael J. Malone, and The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell.
Francesca Harris-White
The owner of Camp Nightingale, a summer camp where three teenagers vanished in mysterious circumstances a number of years ago, in Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager. In the present day, Francesca is reopening Camp Nightingale.
Francisco Morales
A Mexican landowner in The Murmur Of Bees by Sofia Segovia, who along with his wife Beatriz, adopts a mysterious boy called Simonopio who has interesting abilities.
Frannie
One of the three siblings in That Night by Gillian McAllister. She covers up the fact that her sister killed a man while they were on holiday together in Italy, but it weighs heavily on her conscience.
Frannie Langton
One of the most powerful narrators I have ever read. In The Confession Of Frannie Langton, she tells of her experiences as a slave in Jamaica before being brought to London to be a maid at the Benham household. During the story, she falls in love with her mistress but then stands accused of killing her.
Friend Request
One of the first books I read after I started book blogging. This thriller caught my eye in 2018 and I was enticed by the premise. It turned out be a good read, but it was not as amazing as I hoped it would be either.
Frithghast
An unusual creature that supposedly haunts the woods outside musician Zach Crystal’s mansion in Deity by Matt Wesolowski.
Let’s Chat
And there we have it, everything worth remembering that begins with F.
Have you come across any of these books, authors, or characters? Let me know in the comments!
Happy reading 🙂
Previous A-Z of books posts
Stephen Reads Books 