At The Bottom Of The Garden by Camilla Bruce

Started: 27.8.26

Finished: 12.9.26

Paperback

I enjoyed this book, but even though it was only 351 pages, it seemed to go on forever! When I was about halfway through I remember thinking, "well, surely that's it, there's nothing more to happen now?" and in a way, not much else did happen, it was a bit repetitive. I did like the sisters, and Dina, and the 'familiars'. I thought it was quite an unusual, but fun, angle to have the ghosts visible to everyone. It was difficult to feel any sympathy for Clara, even given her unfortunate upbringing, but her refusal to be anything other than just really annoyed by the ghosts was quite amusing!

A Haunting On The Hill by Elizabeth Hand

Started: 21.6.26

DNF: 28.6.26

Hardcover

TBR Prompt: ghosts and supernatural

I was looking forward to reading this, but unfortunately I decided to DNF it. I made it to page 212, but by this point I hadn't warmed to any of the characters. They all seemed a bit nasty towards each other, though I realise that that may have been the house affecting them. I found them all quite pretentious too, and the whole storyline of the play was quite boring. I did skip to the end and read the last few chapters, but overall I didn't really feel like this story gave Hill House (as a 'character' in itself) the credit it deserves. The few odd things that had happened up to the point where I stopped - the hares, the tablecloth, the boy in the woods, the magazine - were just that, a bit odd, but not in any way creepy. There were brief mentions of people who had died at Hill House in the past, one of which was clearly Eleanor from the original story, but other than that, no real links to the Shirley Jackson book. I think it might have been more interesting if there had been a link; maybe a descendant of Dr Montague or Luke, or someone researching what had happened to them. 

The White Road by Sarah Lotz

Started: 23.5.26

Finished: 24.5.26

Paperback

I've tried to keep my star ratings* simple by not using half and quarter stars, but if I did, this would definitely be either a 4.5 or 4.75. It was almost a 5, until it just dragged a little bit in part three. To be honest, I could forgive that and still round it up to a five. This is all to say that I loved this book! 

It follows Simon who, along with flatmate and colleague Thierry, runs a website where they capture footage of dead bodies. Simon is the adrenaline junkie of the two, with some climbing experience from his youth, so he's the one 'out in the field'. After a caving trip goes badly wrong, Thierry convinces him to join an Everest climbing party, so that he can record some of the deceased climbers who remain on the mountain. Again, this does not end well.

Although Simon is a bit of a jerk, he's a jerk with something of a conscience, haunted by his mistakes. Realising that what he's doing is morally and ethically wrong, he tries to make amends, but is it all too late?

The beginning of the book, with the spelunking trip, brought to mind the real life horrors of Nutty Putty (IYKYK). The Everest part reminded me of Thin Air by Michelle Paver, and even, in parts, of Dark Matter, my favourite ghost story, so that's high praise from me!

*I don't use them on this blog, but I do on Pagebound, Storygraph and Goodreads.

The House On Cold Hill by Peter James

Started: 18.5.26

DNF: 20.5.26

Hardcover

TBR Prompt: From the top shelf (of my bookcase)

Oh dear, it's another DNF! As much as I love a good ghost story - and this was a haunted house ghost story - it just wasn't holding my interest.

Rainforest by Michelle Paver

Started: 31.3.26

Finished: 1.4.26

Hardcover

TBR Prompt: Animal on the cover

This book is the story of an entomologist called Simon who is travelling to the rainforest, ostensibly to study mantids. Told from his POV, it's safe to say that he's an 'unreliable narrator'. We learn that he's grieving for someone called Penelope, with whom he believed he was in love, however as he divulges more into his journal, it becomes apparent that his feelings weren't reciprocated, and also that this trip may not have been entirely his choice. Once in the jungle, amongst the natives and their spiritual beliefs, Simon finds that the line between the living and the dead is a tenuous one.

Set in the 1970s, with some 1970s attitudes towards women and indigenous people, I never warmed to the character of Simon, or any of his colleagues really, though I don't think we were meant to. To me, he seemed spoiled and petulant; there were suggestions of a difficult childhood but these were never really explored in any great depth. He just seems to have grown into an angry, self-obsessed man with poor social skills. By the end of his jungle ordeal he has perhaps had something of an awakening, but I didn't feel that he'd fully redeemed himself in any way.

I enjoyed this book but it doesn't come close to my favourite, Dark Matter, by the same author.

The Apparition Phase by Will Maclean

Started: 6.2.26

Finished: 9.2.26

Paperback

This has been on my want to read list for a while, being described as a "gothic ghost story". It started off really well; I don't always like child characters, but I did enjoy reading about Tim and Abi, perhaps because I was also interested in ghosts and the macabre when I was young, though not to the extent that they were. I liked the concept of them faking a ghost photograph, only to be told that the ghost was real and that they'd invited it in, and I think I'd have preferred if the story had continued this angle. For me, it felt like the middle part of the book lost its way, but that might just be because I'm not really a fan of seances, and it was hard to know which of the other people in the group could be trusted. Plus the whole experiment and reason for them being there was quite ambiguous too. I did find the parts at Yarlings interesting, but only because I was waiting for something to happen, to link back to the events from a few years earlier. In the end things did kind of come full circle, just not in a way I expected. I know 'ghost' and 'ghost story' can have many different meanings; I definitely enjoyed this, but it wasn't quite what I was hoping for.

The Ghost That Haunted Itself by Jan-Andrew Henderson

Started: 27.7.25

Finished: 31.7.25

Kindle

Interesting. Made me want to visit Greyfriars Graveyard.

All The White Spaces by Ally Wilkes

Started: 4.7.25

Finished: 22.7.25

Paperback

The Stroke Of Winter by Wendy Webb

Started: 15.6.25

Finished: 21.6.25

Kindle

A Haunting In The Arctic by C.J. Cooke

Started: 6.6.25

Finished: 7.6.25

Paperback

The Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Started: 2.5.25

Finished: 4.5.25

Paperback

5 stars - top ten

"... Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone."

The Woman In Black by Susan Hill

Started: 26.4.25

Finished: 28.4.25

Paperback

Dolly by Susan Hill

Started: 25.4.25

Finished: 26.4.25

Paperback

Ghostwriting by Eric Brown

Started: 6.4.25

Finished: 8.4.25

Paperback

My favourite genre is ghost stories, so I inevitably gravitate to anything that seems to suggest it fits into that category. I spotted this book in a charity shop, but despite its title, it wasn't an immediate yes, as it appeared from the blurb that the author mostly tended to write science fiction (not a favourite of mine), and I wasn't quite sure what I'd be getting with this book. I took a chance though, and I'm so glad I did!

I enjoyed every one of these short stories. They weren't all 'ghost stories' as such, but there was just enough creepiness, or weirdness, in them that I would say they would fit into the paranormal / supernatural genre at least. Some sci-fi even crept in, and I didn't mind! 

My favourite was probably The Disciples of Apollo - the unexpected ending stayed with me for a long time. 

The only very slight negative which stood out for me (barely a negative at all really, just an observation) is the author's use of the name Caroline - it's clearly a favourite as three separate stories had a character with that name. The stories were all originally written and published at different times and in different publications, so why not re-use a name? It's just a bit unfortunate when they're compiled together in the same book. It didn't affect my enjoyment of this collection however.

The Mist In The Mirror by Susan Hill

Started: 11.1.25

Finished: 17.1.25

Paperback

Dark Matter by Michelle Paver

Started: 16.1.15

Finished: 18.1.15

Started: 13.1.19

Finished: 15.1.19

Started: 31.12.24

Finished: 1.1.25

Paperback

What can I say? Love it. Favourite book!

2015 Review: Now then, this is what I call a ghost story!! Beginning in 1937, a group of scientists set sail for Northern Norway, far into the Arctic, to study the biology and geology of the area, and to perform a meteorological survey. Two of the five drop out early on, but the remaining three make it to the bay where they will set up camp for a year, along with a pack of huskies.

As the story progresses (written as Jack's journal), we learn of the history of the area, particularly of the trappers and miners who had previously lived and worked there. The captain of the boat which had taken them to the bay had been reluctant to go all the way there to begin with; he'd hinted that something sinister had happened there in the past, and it later transpires that a miner was murdered there.

A few weeks into their stay, two of the three scientists have to leave, and the third, Jack Miller, stoically offers to stay on alone to continue with the survey. He has always been a loner, so being on his own (albeit with a pack of dogs) doesn't worry him at first. However, as time passes, and with the Arctic winter (24 hour darkness) looming, he becomes more and more unsettled. His journal entries become more paranoid and erratic, and he even admits that his neat handwriting has become a scrawl. He experiences feelings of terror and dread, and sightings of what, he soon realises, must be the ghost of the miner.

The author describes the bay - Gruhuken - so expertly that I felt I knew exactly what it looked like. I can't quite comprehend the idea of months of perpetual darkness, but again, it was described in such detail that I could understand the effect it had on Jack. After days of sitting in the cabin with the lamps lit, conscious of the blackness outside the uncovered windows but also aware of how visible he was, Jack frantically tacked blankets over them all. And then found himself constantly lifting back his improvised curtains to peer outside, just in case.

The 'ghost' sightings were actually quite few and far between, but it was the overall sense of isolation and unease, and that fear of what might be out there, in the darkness, that made this book such a good ghost story, in my opinion. I feel that this genre definitely benefits from a 'less is more' approach - the suggestion of something sinister is far more powerful than a full-blown description of the ghost or paranormal activity.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even more so because it meets two of the criteria of my 2015 reading aims - it's a ghost story, set in Norway! I'd definitely recommend it if you like a bit of an eerie tale.

Dark Matter

Started: 13.1.19
Finished: 15.1.19

I read this book a few years ago and it quickly became my favourite ghost story. I decided to read it again, just to see if it was as good as I remembered - I'm happy to say, it is!

Set in 1937, it follows a small group of academics who are embarking on an Arctic Expedition. The book is told from the viewpoint of Jack, written in the style of his journal about the trip. Due to illness and injury, the five-man team quickly becomes three, and then three become one - Jack volunteers to remain in the isolated bay where they have set up camp, to continue the scientific experiments alone. However, the 'polar night' is approaching - the months and months of continuous darkness, and the frozen sea which will mean that he has no way of escape. He has a pack of huskies for company, but otherwise he is totally alone... or is he?

This has pretty much everything I want in a ghost story. The era is just right, no internet and mobile phones to connect you to anywhere in the world - if you're alone, then you're really alone. Plus Jack has that very British 'stiff-upper-lip', no-nonsense approach to his situation, although as time passes, the reader wonders just how reliable his account is. Yes, there is a ghost present, and yes, Jack does describe what it looks like, but it's still vague enough to be creepy. Far more terrifying than the ghost though, is the overwhelming feeling of isolation and claustrophobia. Imagine being trapped on a secluded bay, unable to escape, being battered by violent storms, in total darkness day and night, knowing that there is 'something' out there, something malevolent, that means you harm?

I can't recommend this book enough if you want to read a really excellent ghost story. Preferably on a dark, foggy, winter's night, curled up in your favourite armchair, with just the reading lamp on, and a mug of hot chocolate. Just don't look out of the window......