In The Woods by Tana French

Started: 18.5.26

DNF: 18.5.26

Paperback

TBR Prompt: Grey book

Another DNF, another one that could've been the last prompt because I'd been putting this off too. Not for me.

Box 88 by Charles Cumming

Started: 17.5.26

DNF: 18.5.26

Paperback

TBR Prompt: Book I've been putting off

Well, with a TBR prompt of "book I've been putting off" there was always a chance that I wasn't going to get far with this, and I'm afraid I DNF'd it just a couple of chapters in. Not my cup of tea.

Carrie by Stephen King

Started: 16.5.26

Finished: 17.5.26

Paperback / library book

Stephen King Challenge Book 1

I feel like everyone knows the plot already, but in short, Carrie is a girl with telekinetic powers, which become amplified with the late onset of puberty. Bullied by the other kids at school, and beaten down by her religious fanatic of a mother, she finally exacts her revenge on those who have hurt her. Written in the style of various reports from investigation commissions, witness statements and personal accounts, with flashbacks to the events discussed, this was a quick, easy read. I've seen the original film (Sissy Spacek) so I had occasional images from that in my mind as I read the book.

All The Colours Of The Dark by Chris Whitaker

Started: 10.5.26

Finished: 15.5.26

Paperback

TBR Prompt: A book from the bottom shelf

Whew, this was epic, in the original sense of that word! The story follows two childhood best friends, Patch and Saint, whose lives are changed forever after a tragedy. Through the years that follow, their search for truth and justice takes them on very different, and incompatible, journeys, at times stretching their friendship almost to breaking point. This was not a happy story, though there were some happy moments. There was a kind of bleak inevitability running through it, knowing that what happened to them as children changed the whole trajectory of their lives. 261 mostly very short chapters, sometimes less than a page, kept the pace going in what might otherwise have been quite a slog. Characters were well fleshed out and likeable (except the ones we're not meant to like), descriptions of setting and location were, well, very descriptive. The last few chapters were kind of 'chase scene' exciting, and the very end of the book reminded me a lot of The Shawshank Redemption. 

Hare House by Sally Hinchcliffe

Started: 7.5.26

Finished: 9.5.26

Paperback

TBR Prompt: black book

This is a curious book and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. It was very atmospheric; the setting of the south west of Scotland really came to life. I love anything to do with hares, and this story was full of them, in all their mystical and mysterious wonder. There was an unreliable narrator escaping from a troubled past, a woman who seemed to bear a serious grudge, another person who kept appearing randomly out of nowhere, talk of witchcraft, folk charms and possible hexes (and TW: some animal death). As I read it I had that feeling of creeping dread; that there was some kind of malevolence around Hare House. But... it never really materialised into anything, and I was left feeling a bit confused at the end of it. What had it all been about?

Mrs England by Stacey Halls

Started: 3.5.26

Finished: 7.5.26

Paperback

TBR Prompt: Set in the early 1900s

I really enjoyed this book, more than I thought I would. It tells the story of a newly graduated nurse called Ruby, who gets a job looking after the children of Mr and Mrs England. Unusually for these kinds of stories, the children's father is loving, attentive and engaged with them, whereas their mother seems distant and aloof. However, Ruby begins to realise that not all is as it seems with the family. As well as this, she is also dealing with past trauma from her own childhood. There was a sense of unease throughout the book; I was never sure who could be trusted, or what was motivating certain behaviours, and that uncertainty made me want to keep reading to find out. I'll definitely look out for other novels by Stacey Halls.

The Examiner by Janice Hallett

Started: 1.5.26

Finished: 3.5.26

Paperback

Oldest book on my list (from 14.11.25)

Janice Hallett definitely seems to have found her USP. This is the third one of her books that I've read, and again it's written in an 'epistolary' style, although this time it's in the form of WhatsApp messages and Doodles, which is the fictional intranet / messaging service of the Royal Hastings university, and also essays, diary entries and tutor reports.

Six mature students embark on a Masters Art Degree, and very quickly, tensions rise amongst the group. Personalities and egos clash, and it seems that people are not who they claim to be. Part of their coursework consists of creating a multimedia installation for a communications company, and on a resource gathering trip to the companies museum, things take a sinister turn. 

I couldn't really tell you more than that if I wanted to, because I was utterly confused! I've never been one of those readers who can figure out 'whodunnit' really early on, so that's more of a 'me' problem, than a book problem. I enjoyed the story and was eager to understand the who, the how and the why, but there was just so much going on, and things being introduced late in the story, that I gave up trying to work anything out and just waited for the answers to be revealed. I do like the unique format of these books, though I did find that this one reminded me a lot of The Appeal, with each group of characters having similar personalities (a young, eager one, an older dismissive one, a friendly keeps-the-peace one etc).

I've got a copy of The Mysterious Case of The Alperton Angels to read, and I'm sure I'll continue to look out for new books from Janice Hallett in the future. 

Top Ten

I was thinking about the books I'd put in my Top Ten. Usually I struggle to remember any details about books, even the ones that I've enjoyed, but there are a few that have stayed with me, so I suppose they should be the ones that go into my Top Ten. These are what I've come up with so far:

1) Dark Matter by Michelle Paver. Obviously. My favourite ghost story, it ticks all the boxes for me.

2) The Terror by Dan Simmons. I loved the mix of historical fact and fiction. I loved the characters, especially Crozier and Goodsir. I loved the setting and the descriptions of the frozen conditions. Even the supernatural elements were just the right side of 'too weird' for me. I think about this book a lot.

3) The Sword Of Kaigen by M.L. Wang. Gripping high fantasy, complex world building, cinematic fight scenes where martial arts meet elemental magic.

4) The Fisherman by John Langan. Cosmic horror, hard to get my head around at times, but that's kind of the point.

5) Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. Beautifully written, emotional book.

6) The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie. First foray into 'grimdark fantasy' and really enjoyed it, looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.

7) The Ascent Of Rum Doodle by W. E. Bowman. Very funny book!

8) Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I'll put this here because it's the first, but also probably the best, even though I read it ages ago. It kind of represents the whole series though.

9) The Solitude Of Thomas Cave by Georgina Harding. I've read this a couple of times. 

10) The Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. I don't 'love' this, I struggle a bit with some of the writing, but I do enjoy the overall story of the haunted house, and in this case I think it helps that I've seen the film too, just to pad out some of the images and events.

For now...

TBR Picks For May

As previously discussed, from this month onward I'm going to read the oldest book on my list, plus a Stephen King novel.

My oldest book is The Examiner by Janice Hallett, which I've had since the 14th November 2025.

My first Stephen King book is Carrie.

I'm still going to choose another 10 books, because it's fun! And they are:

1. Book I've been putting off/don't fancy - Box 88 by Charles Cumming. When Chris was buying me books for Christmas, he took a chance and bought me a couple of random ones, including this. It's an espionage thriller, which is not something I'd choose for myself.

2. Grey book - In The Woods by Tana French. Funnily enough, this is the other book that Chris chose randomly, and to be honest, I could've chosen this for the first prompt, as it's also one that I've not really been wanting to read. [And it's the only grey book I've got]

3. The author's first name begins with 'M' - Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L Wang. This is one of my priority books.

4. Under 300 pages - Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio. 108 pages! Those first three are all quite chunky, so I've chosen what I think is the shortest book I've got.

5. Top shelf (free pick) - The House On Cold Hill by Peter James. I chose this because it's a big hardcover that I don't want on my shelf, but actually on reading the blurb it sounds like a haunted house story, so I might actually enjoy it!

6. Kindle TBR (free pick) - Diavola by Jennifer Thorne. This was a difficult choice, but I've had this one since January, so I thought I'd go 'oldest' again (although this is also a priority book).

7. Black Book - Hare House by Sally Hinchcliffe. My copy is mostly black, and also has black sprayed edges.

8. Bottom shelf (free pick) - All The Colours Of The Dark by Chris Whitaker. Another priority choice.

9. Non-fiction - To The Edge Of The World by Tilar J Mazzeo. One woman. One ship. One astonishing true story.

10. Set in the early 1900s - Mrs England by Stacey Halls. Quite a few to choose from, so just picked this at random.

Let's see how I get on in May!

April Reading Wrap Up

A real mixed bag this month. A couple of five star reads, but a few DNFs too. I feel like my reading has been slower than usual; this may be a combination of reading quite a few non-fiction, and also because towards the end of the month I finally got around to catching up on all the Outlander series 8 episodes (so far).

1. Rainforest by Michelle Paver. 

I was really looking forward to this but didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped I would.

2. Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney. 

A DNF; I'm definitely not into thrillers as much as I once was

3. The Sword Of Kaigen by M. L. Wang. 

My first 5 star read for a while, I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this!

4. Ascension by Nicholas Binge. 

Quite enjoyable, though some of the science aspects lost me.

5. Glimmers by Nadia Narain and Katia Narain Phillips

A DNF, but kind of a 'skimmed through it and got the idea' one.

6. Little Addictions by Catherine Gray

Another DNF, same as above.

7. Hold On To Your Kids by Dr Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Mate

Really interesting book about parenting and ensuring that you are your child's 'compass'. One to re-read and make notes on.

8. Dark Voyage by Helen Susan Swift

A disappointing DNF. I was really looking forward to getting into this series, but the writing style really put me off. It had loads of good reviews though, so maybe it's just me?

9. Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing

This was an extra book choice because I wanted another kindle book to read. I started reading it on my kindle, but then switched to the audiobook, which wasn't exactly word for word the same. It was funny and poignant, just like the tv series. (So sad to hear the news today that Ted has gone to the big briefcase emporium in the sky).

10. A Head Full Of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

This was decent, I don't remember much about it now.

11. Tress Of The Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

An enjoyable, swash-buckling kind of adventure, but cosy fantasy isn't really my thing, and I'm a bit worried about whether I'll enjoy other Brandon Sanderson books.

12. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Saved for this month as it was a book club choice. Big twist at the end!

13. The Watchers by A. M. Shine

Peeping Toms with teeth and claws. Might watch the film.

14. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

Gorgeous book about family, love and loss, and the effects of climate change.

TBR choices that I didn't manage to get around to:

The Witches At The End Of The World

Red Queen 

We Used To Live Here

I'm putting these back on the shelf, but if I pull out the same prompts, I'll re-choose these again.