Dead Of Winter by Darcy Coates

Started: 6.11.26

Finished: 8.11.26

Paperback

Survival horror set in a remote cabin during a harsh winter storm. Short chapters if that's your thing; I kept having to hide the last few lines of each one otherwise my eyes would jump ahead to see what the cliffhanger was going to be. Lots of those eye-rolling moments where you want to shout at the main character "why did you do that?" but a good story, overall. I've read quite a few Darcy Coates books and I think she's a pretty consistent author; if you like her style of writing, then you can't really go wrong. 

The Lies Of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

Started: 30.10.26

Finished: 6.11.26

Paperback

Aaah, this was so good!!! I love this little band of thieves! I love that there's one we haven't even met yet! I love this weird world of glass and alchemy! I can't wait to see where their next adventures lead them!

Scarcity Brain by Michael Easter

Started: 21.10.26

DNF: 1.11.26

Kindle

In an attempt to stay off of Reddit (I've now uninstalled the app), I thought I'd try and have a non-fiction book on the go on my phone, and I've been dipping in and out of this one for a while. I think I've been losing interest in it recently though, so I'm calling it a day.

October Reading Wrap-Up

1. Good Girls Don't Die by Christina Henry

'Final Girls' and female friendships, slightly disappointing ending.

2. Boy's Life by Robert McCammon

Magical, whimsical, nostalgic - loved it!

3. Theo Of Golden by Allen Levi

Started off ok, but then I found myself skipping bits. Overhyped.

4. The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

DNF

5. Floating Staircase by Ronald Malfi

Enjoyed this, definitely want to read more of his books

6. A Murder Of Crows by Sarah Yarwood-Lovett

Was hoping this was a series I could get stuck into, but didn't really warm to the characters

7. Full by Paul Dermody

Lots of platitudes about being kind to yourself around food

8. The Mysterious Case Of The Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett

Ok, but I might be getting a bit tired of this format now.

9. After The People Lights Have Gone Off by Stephen Graham Jones

DNF, I think SGJ might be just a bit too weird for me

10. An English Ghost Story by Kim Newman

DNF, ghosts, yes, but just not my kind of ghosts. And a very annoying family.

11. The Hundred Year Old Man Who... by Jonas Jonasson

Fun!

12. The Cabin At The End Of The World by Paul Tremblay

Terrifying!

13. The Familiars by Stacey Halls

Really good, based around the Pendle Witch Trials

The Familiars by Stacey Halls

Started: 28.10.26

Finished: 30.10.26

Paperback

I think this is the second Stacey Halls book I've read, the first being Mrs England, and I've enjoyed both of them.

This one is set around the time of the Pendle Witch Trials, and though it's fiction, it does feature some real people. It's a fiercely feminist story of women trying to help other women, and the dangerous lengths they have to go to in order to survive and fight the powers that be.

The Cabin At The End Of The World by Paul Tremblay

Started: 25.10.26

Finished: 28.10.26

Paperback

Now this was terrifying! A family holiday descends into horror with the arrival of four strangers who refuse to leave until they've delivered their message and awaited the outcome. Every parents' worst nightmare, not knowing whether your child will be safe, or if you'll be able to protect them. The tension throughout was unbearable; I'm sure there were moments where my heart was racing or I was forgetting to breathe! The fact that these were just 'normal' people is what made it so scary; this kind of thing can (and does) happen. Not exactly 'enjoyable' but five stars for psychological terror vibes! 

The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

Started: 24.10.26

Finished: 25.10.26

Paperback

The present, and past, adventures of 100 year old Allan Karlsson - this was a really fun book! 

An English Ghost Story by Kim Newman

Started: 21.10.26

DNF: 24.10.26

Paperback

I really thought a book called "An English Ghost Story" would be perfect for me, but I haven't been able to finish this one. It's about a family called the Naremores who are seeking to start a new life for themselves in the countryside, in a house called The Hollows, the former home of a popular author of children's books. It seems that they are escaping some trouble in their old life, but it wasn't clear to me what that was. Whilst on a house-hunting mission, as soon as they arrive at The Hollows they all know instantly that it's 'the one'. Very quickly, they realise that the house is haunted, or rather charmed or enchanted. Strange things happen, but they accept it all without much question. At first the house seems to welcome them, but then it seems to turn on them and their previous problems start to rear up again, although I didn't get that far. 

I thought the family were awful, nothing likeable about them really, and I didn't like the way they spoke to each other. The young boy was in a kind of 'army phase' so he was always spying and doing recces, and using acronyms/initialisms like PP for paternal parent, or HH for ha-ha. His big sister (BS) was mooning about the boyfriend that she'd left behind, and MP (maternal parent) was yearning to be more than just a housewife. There was also the mysterious Vron, her friend from before who the rest of the family referred to as the Wild Witch (though she hadn't appeared by the time I stopped reading). And the dad believed he was the head of the household and the saviour of the family. Basically I think the house lured them in and then turned them against each other.

I made it about halfway through, but I just wasn't enjoying it.

After The People Lights Have Gone Off by Stephen Graham Jones

Started: 4.10.26

DNF: 21.10.26

Kindle Unlimited

These short stories were all just a little bit too weird for me. Sometimes I just don't understand what a particular sentence even means, and sometimes I think the dialogue is odd. I struggled a bit with The Only Good Indians too, for similar reasons. I really want to read The Buffalo Hunter Hunter though, but if I can't get on with that either, I might have to accept that Stephen Graham Jones is just not for me.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett

Started: 19.10.26

Finished: 21.10.26

Hardcover

Another 'mixed media' type of novel from Janice Hallett, this time consisting of transcripts of Whatsapp messages, emails, audio recordings, novel excerpts and screenplays. Two true crime journalists have to work together to find new angles on the story of the Alperton Angels (lots of angles and angels throughout the book!). The Angels were a cult who planned to murder a baby who they believed was the AntiChrist. The baby survived and is now 18, and it's a race to see who can find them first, to get the all important interview.

In all the Janice Hallett books I've read so far, I find that she always seems to have the same type of characters - an overly ambitious one, a 'snooty' one, a bubbly one, a creepy one, a two-faced one etc - and this book was no exception. Although the plots are different, everything else is very samey. I know that the mixed media stuff is kind of her USP though, so I can't say that I wasn't expecting it. I did find myself skipping parts of it though, like the novel excerpts and the screenplay. And in the transcripts where Ellie added little comments of her own such as 'did you shrug here?', 'there was a long pause, like he doesn't want to answer', I found these a bit clunky. I know they need to be more 'tell than show' because they're audio recordings that have been transcribed, but I think that's possibly why a whole book full of them doesn't work too well.