Capturing life through words, sounds, and the lens. Fuelled by coffee and ink

The Folio

A paper trail of thoughts and ink-stained dreams


A living space for thoughts that emerge from a life of books, ideas, curiosity, and craft. Here we write about what moves and interests us, what we notice, and what we’ve learned along the way — from writing and reading to the experiences in between. Browse the posts below and linger where your curiosity leads.

Close-up of orange and black striped socks and Mary Jane shoes standing on a mirror in a city street, reflecting a crowd of identical brown and black shoes. Continue reading...

Tips to Embrace Being Different

Pocket Prose| Life & Legacy Reclaiming your authentic self isn’t a one-time event; it’s a daily practice of choosing evolution over conformity. Here is how to start feeling lighter today. Six Steps to Standing Out A one-minute guide to reclaiming your authentic self and stepping away from the collective normal.

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A personal photo of the Thomas Kell spy thriller series by Charles Cumming on a grey bookshelf, featuring a book review header and the signature of Jon and Caz Cole. Continue reading...

The Disgraced Agent & The Cold War’s Long Shadow: Charles Cumming’s Thomas Kell Trilogy

Book Reviews📚 | Thrillers – Espionage Spies, Lies, and the High Price of Loyalty A dark past follows Thomas Kell like a second shadow. For the disgraced ex-MI6 agent, trust isn’t just a luxury — it’s a liability. In Charles Cumming’s world, espionage isn’t about martini-fuelled glamour; it’s about the grinding paranoia of a Cold War that never truly thawed. We found ourselves drawn into Kell’s world not just for the tradecraft, but for the…

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A sophisticated Christmas book review header featuring "Murder at the Christmas Emporium" and "The 12 Days of Murder" by Andreina Cordani, set on a cozy windowsill with a reindeer mug, winter flowers, and a snowy Bath-style street scene, by Jon and Caz Cole. Continue reading...

Festive Fear & Fatal Secrets: The Andreina Cordani Christmas Collection

Book Reviews📚 | Detective & Mystery – Christmas🎄 Decking the Halls with Holly, Secrets, Manipulation, and Murder! If, like us, you love a good Christmas mystery with deviously dark twists, look no further. Andreina Cordani has you on the edge of your seat figuring out the killer among many suspects! The Twelve Days of Murder Eight friends form the Murder Masquerade Society, complete with playbooks and role-playing. But when one of them disappears, the game…

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Alexandra Benedict’s festive mystery books, The Christmas Jigsaw Murders and The Christmas Cracker Killer, on deep green velvet with a vintage magnifying glass and gold puzzle pieces. Continue reading...

Setters, Secrets, and Seasonal Suspense: Alexandra Benedict’s Midwinter Mind Games

Book Reviews📚 | Detective & Mystery – Christmas 🎄 Alexandra Benedict’s Festive Mysteries: Murder and Mind Games Do you enjoy deciphering clues? You’ll love Alexandra Benedict’s Christmas mysteries, in which she cunningly hides puzzles and games! From book and film titles to anagrams, these extras boost the fun. The Edie O’Sullivan Series Edie O’Sullivan, a somewhat grumpy elderly lady with a flair for fashion, is a renowned puzzle setter. Relationships with family and friends are…

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A festive book shelf featuring 'The Christmas Stocking Murders' by Denzil Meyrick alongside Christmas village decorations and candles, styled for the Jon & Caz Cole book review folio. Continue reading...

Snow, Stockings, and Secrets: Denzil Meyrick’s 1950s Festive Mysteries

Book Reviews📚 | Detective & Mystery – Christmas🎄 The Christmas Reading List: Magic, Mistletoe, and Must-Reads #ItsBeginningtoLookaLotLikeChristmas #Christmaspreparations Do you know how much work truly goes into preparing for the perfect Christmas? For us, it involves a very specific kind of labour: finding festive stories with a sharp, chilly, but still cosy edge. The Inspector Frank Grasby Series Denzil Meyrick’s Christmas mysteries are a masterclass in 1950s atmosphere. At the heart of them is Inspector…

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A vibrant red street mural in Deventer, Netherlands, featuring the town's name in illustrated letters, with colorful umbrellas hanging over a medieval cobblestone alleyway Continue reading...

A Day in Deventer | Exploring the Medieval Heart of the Netherlands

The Long Reads | Travel Diaries There is a specific kind of quiet you only find in the Hanseatic cities of the Netherlands. Deventer, perched elegantly on the banks of the River IJssel, is a medieval masterpiece that feels world’s away from the neon glow of Amsterdam. Famous for its spicy Deventer Koek and the Victorian whimsy of its Dickens Festival, this quirky riverside gem is where history actually breathes. Field Notes Country: the Netherlands…

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A silhouette of a figure leaping triumphantly from a platform into a shimmering golden vortex of light, symbolizing the empowerment of taking responsibility. Header for 'The Long Reads' by Jon & Caz Cole. Continue reading...

Own it: The Power of Taking Responsibility

The Long Reads📜 | Life & Legacy Is hindsight a burden or a gift? Explore how awareness and personal ownership turn responsibility into your ultimate superpower. The Myth of the Objective Truth Growth and personal freedom begin when we stop blaming and start owning. Responsibility isn’t a burden — it’s your superpower. Own your choices, own your power. Short on time? Jump straight to the One-Minute Guide: Six Steps to Self-Improvement for the actionable summary of this…

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A sophisticated book review banner for the Caius Beauchamp series by Charlotte Vassell, featuring "The Other Half," "The In Crowd," and "A Deadly Inheritance" on a dark wooden desk with an antique silver spoon, an auction paddle, and a martini glass. Continue reading...

Aristocrats, Art, and Addiction: The Caius Beauchamp Detective Series

Book Reviews📚 | Detective & Mystery Enormous fun: Brilliantly plotted, witty, and engaging — a masterclass in socially conscious crime writing A quirky, humorous, and cleverly written detective series that doesn’t shy away from contemporary and social issues; all the more praise for Charlotte Vassell in these hectic and polarising times. I was enticed and just couldn’t stop reading, and finished all three books one after another – rooting for the characters, despising others, and wishing…

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A close-up photograph of the British paperback edition of Erin Kelly’s *The Skeleton Key* (showing the intricate human bone and red rose tree cover) resting on a dark mahogany desk next to a vintage pocket watch with a cracked face, under moody dusk lighting. Continue reading...

Bones, Roses, and Riddles: The Obsessive World of The Skeleton Key

Book Reviews📚 | Thriller – Psychological Some books you read; others you inhabit. The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly is a modern Gothic labyrinth — a story that blurs the line between a fictional treasure hunt and a real-life obsession. As a true bibliophile, any story that involves books captures my attention. No wonder the premise of The Skeleton Key, with a creative idea for a book that, upon having been published, changes the lives of…

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