The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton

Book Review

"...to be a woman of Pendle is both a blessing and a curse."

The Craftsman is released in the UK today, 3rd May 2018. It is written by Sharon Bolton and published by Trapeze.

I can tell I enjoyed The Craftsman because when I went back through my Kindle I found that I hadn't made any notes. Usually if I'm going to be reviewing a book I'll make a couple of notes or highlight parts to quote, but I was so into this book that I didn't break to note anything down.

It does mean that I don't have any notes to work from so this review may be a bit of a ramble!

The Coffin Path by Katherine Clements

Book Review

"One coin marks the first to go.
A second bodes the fall.
The third will seal a sinner's fate.
The Devil take them all."

The Coffin Path was released in the UK 8th February 2018. It is written by Katherine Clements and published by Headline.

This is another review that I'm very late in posting, I'm now trying to catch up with myself, almost there.

I've been reading quite a lot of short ghost stories recently, I like M.R. James, Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. So when The Coffin Path cropped up on NetGalley and was described as 'The perfect ghost story' I thought I'd give it a go.

This is an excellent book to read in a cold and miserable winter, it has a good balance of supernatural and human interactions. I do think the story line was a little predictable, but I still enjoyed the read.

The Secret of Vesalius by Jordi Llobregat

Book Review

"Barcelona was a place of wonder, but it could also be cruel to any person who failed to stay alert."

The Secret of Vesalius will be released in the UK on 16th November 2017. It is written by Jordi Llobregat and published by Riverrun.

A Gothic thriller set in 'fin-de-siecle' Barcelona, The Secret of Vesalius appealed to me right away, especially as I read it while I was in Barcelona and so irritated my husband by constantly pointing out places mentioned in the book.

I enjoyed The Secret of Vesalius, it's what my Dad would call 'a good yarn'. It's a murder mystery adventure with a Gothic setting, but there's not much originality in it; most of the characters are stock and the plot twists were sometimes so obvious they had the subtlety of a sledgehammer. However, I found this book fun, and if you're looking for a thriller with a big dollop of history thrown in then this is for you.

10 Stephen King Tattoos - Literary Ink Series

Welcome back to another literary tattoos post.

I've featured tattoos inspired by children's stories and Jane Austen's classic works, but this time it's a little bit different, these are tattoos from horror expert Stephen King.

I'm a big fan of Stephen King's books, but I'm not sure I'd want some of his more horrific characters and scenes inked permanently on my skin. Still, it was fun looking for these tattoos and there are some amazing ones out there; not just characters and images but Stephen King quotes too.

I've tried to just include tattoos inspired by King's books, so, though there are some amazing tattoos of Tim Curry and Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise, I've not included them as they're influenced more by the films than the book. Though I'm sure there are some with a bit of crossover.

There are still some great Stephen King tattoos though, check them out.

August 2017 Favourite Books

August's favourites are a little late this month. I had a week off to celebrate my birthday (30, how am I so old?), and I meant to be organised and schedule posts but never got round to it. I'm now rushing to hurry up.
This month's favourite books post is a steady balance of classics and new releases, with horror, humor and suspense all included.

July 2017 Link Love

Source

Some more monthly web love, with book lists, research tips and fashion that I'm not cool enough to wear.

The Upstairs Room by Kate Murray-Browne

Book Review

"It was there from the beginning, the day they first saw the house. Eleanor noticed the smell first."

The Upstairs Room will be published on 27th July. It is published by Picador and written by Kate Murray-Browne.

I included The Upstairs Room in my June Favourite Books post and now here's my full review. As I said before, this book is like a subtle version of a classic haunted house story. It unfolds slowly but that's part of its attraction, it's an in depth look at people and the way a building can affect them.

June 2017: Favourite Books

June was the month I started reading the Chief Inspector Barnaby books, aka the Midsomer Murders books. So nearly all of my favourite books this month are from the series.
I've also been battling through a couple of other long books, namely the complete collection of H.P. Lovecraft and Middlemarch on Audible. I've been reading them for months and it's taking forever, but I don't want to include them as I haven't finished them yet (also I'm not loving Middlemarch).

So a brief and Midsomer full Favourite Books post this month.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Book Review

"I liked myths. They weren't adult stories and they weren't  children's stories. They were better than that. They just were."

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is written by Neil Gaiman and published by Headline in the UK and William Morrow in the US and Canada, where I bought my copy.

I can't believe that I hadn't read any Neil Gaiman books until last year. As a big Terry Pratchett fan I started with Good Omens, written by Pratchett and Gaiman. Then I came across this lovely paperback edition of The Ocean at the End of the Lane at Mermaid Tales bookshop when I was in Tofino for my honeymoon and decided to try out my first fully Gaiman novel. I was not disappointed, in fact I was a little surprised; described as a fairytale for adults I thought the book might be a bit cutesy, but it manages to be nostalgic and magical but also terrifying and intensely sad.

Revival by Stephen King

Book Review

"This is how we bring about our damnation, you know - by ignoring the voice that begs us to stop. To stop while there's still time."

Revival is written by Stephen King and published by Hodder & Stoughton.

I think my Stephen King books are moving around by themselves. I thought I dropped my copy of The Gunslinger own the back of a chest of drawers, in fact I'm sure it fell down there, but a few weeks later it was sitting on my bookshelves again as though it had never moved.

I also don't actually remember getting this copy of Revival by Stehen King. I was just looking at my Stephen King books one day and realised that this new hardback was sitting among them as though it had always been there. I must have got it in a birthday or Christmas haul and forgotten about it. At least that's what I tell myself, but I think it may have just appeared.

However it got on my shelves I'm glad I read Revival, it felt like a return to classic King but also something a little newer and fresh. It stands uniquely n his back catalogue as an odd mix of not quite horror, not quite science fiction and not quite thriller, yet all of these things. I'm not explaining it very well, it's an unusual book, with the story spread over a long period of time and with one of the most terrifying endings I've ever read.

The Fourth Monkey by J.D. Barker

Book Review

"Don't stop reading. I need you to understand what I have done."

The Fourth Monkey will be published in the UK on 27th June. It is written by J.D. Barker and published by HQ.

This book has garnered a lot of attention on blogs and social media, with lots of 5 star reviews on Goodreads. But, as usually happens for me with majorly hyped books, I feel like I'm missing something. I did find The Fourth Monkey interesting and read it pretty quickly; it's got a particularly dark serial killer, a lot of twists and is fast paced. However, it's also completely unbelievable and borders on the silly. But, if you don't mind suspending your belief, and you have a strong stomach, then you'll probably enjoy The Fourth Monkey.

May 2017 Link Love

Source

The first half of May was mainly cold and grey, so I spent more time inside on the web than usual and discovered lots of book reviews, writing tips and random fashion and travel posts.
The sun did eventually come out and, like a true Brit I spent the rest of the time desperately roasting myself to the point of pinkness.

The Weight of Lies by Emily Carpenter

Book Review

"Ambletern was a different sort of place, a house brimming with history and secrets and promise. A house where things happened."

The Weight of Lies will be published on 6th June 2017. It is written by Emily Carpenter and published by Lake Union Publishing.

This book has some excellent elements mixed with some really terrible ones, it adds up to a mystery that is only OK, but is worth a read if you want something fairly frivolous and not too in-depth.

February 2017: Favourite Books

I've read quite a lot this month and I've had a few books that I enjoyed, but I wouldn't say they were favourites (follow me on Goodreads to keep up with what I'm reading). These four books are the ones that really stood out for me. For once they're not all crime fiction, I'm branching out!

January 2017 Link Love

My first Link Love post of the New Year. I don't know about you but January has really dragged for me, I know it's a cliche to hate January but this one has been rather dull and dismal. Although it has been punctuated with a few bright frosty days which make the twice-a-day dog walks bearable.

However, though January has been very Januaryish, there have been a lot of great things on the web, probably because content makers know that everyone's going to be staying in staring at their phones.

I've deliberately left out a lot of bloggers' resolutions and aims posts for 2017, I'm sorry but after twenty or so they become rather repetitive. Instead I've got some excellent book reviews on new releases and older classics, some great writing tips and a lot of randomness, including satirical comedy and lipstick.

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Book Review

"...foolish girl to believe in fairy tales"

The Bear and The Nightingale by Katherine Arden will be published by Ebury Publishing on 12th January, 2017.

The Bear and the Nightingale is perhaps the perfect winter read; freezing forests, folklore, fairy tales and a family dynamic to get into (I didn't intend the alliteration there but it worked quite well!).
Based on Russian folklore, this book is one of the 'grown up fairy tales' which are having a moment, like The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. This might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoy it, if it's done well, and The Bear and the Nightingale is mainly done well, though there are a few pace and plot elements that let it down.


Blurb from NetGalley

A young woman's family is threatened by forces both real and fantastical in this debut novel inspired by Russian fairy tales.
In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, a stranger with piercing blue eyes presents a new father with a gift - a precious jewel on a delicate chain, intended for his young daughter. Uncertain of its meaning the father hides the gift away and his daughter, Vasya, grows up a wild, willful girl, to the chagrin of her family. But when mysterious forces threaten the happiness of their village, Vasya discovers that, armed only with the necklace, she may be the only on who can keep darkness at bay."

Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard (Johannes Cabal #1)

Book Review

I've mentioned Johannes Cabal The Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard in my September Favourites and Halloween Books post, and keep saying I'll do a review, now I've finally got round to it!

6 Horror Books to Read for Halloween

This is such a typical book blogger post for this time of year, but it's one that I really wanted to do as I love to read a good scary book around Halloween. Not that it has to be October 31st in order to read spooky stories, but there's something about October that makes me want to hide under the covers and scare myself.

So, here are 6 of my favourite scary books to read for Halloween.

Nightmares: A New Decade of Modern Horror compiled by Ellen Datlow

Book Review

Nice spooky ghost stories for Halloween, that's what I thought about Nightmares: A New Decade of Modern Horror (Tachyon Publications) when I first saw it. But that's not exactly what I got.

Nightmares is an anthology of short horror stories, compiled by "editor extraordinaire" Ellen Datlow. This is the followup to Darkness: Two Decades of Modern Horror and covers the decade 2005 to 2015. It includes 24 stories from some of the most iconic horror authors, including Garth Nix, Gene Wolfe, Richard Kadrey and many more.