The Ritual by Adam Nevill

Started: 10.5.25

Finished: 10.5.25

Kindle

I've seen reviews for this book suggesting that it's terrifying, but I just thought it was bizarre, and not in a good way. Part one started off ok when the four friends were lost in the forest. I like the survival/isolation genres and might have enjoyed it if it had carried on in that way, with a more believable threat, so it can have a couple of stars for that. But when more was revealed about who or what was hunting them, I became more and more disappointed.

Spoiler:

I just don't find goats scary!

And part two just seemed ridiculous!

Spoiler:

Where the heck did a teenage Odin-worshipping black metal band suddenly appear from?

Read it in one day in the hope that the ending was going to redeem it - it didn't.

Three Men In A Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

Started: 5.5.25

Finished: 9.5.25

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

The Body: A Guide For Occupants by Bill Bryson

Started: 18.4.25

Finished: 24.4.25

5 stars - top ten

Hardback

Fascinating book all about the inner workings of the human body, but also about the doctors, researchers and scientists who have made so many startling discoveries over the years. As with all Bill Bryson books, it's well-researched, well-written and gently humourous throughout. I bet he wishes he'd waited another 12 months before publishing it though; the chapters about viruses would've been about twice as long!

The Secret Collector by Abigail Johnson

Started: 16.4.25

Finished: 17.4.25

Kindle

Amazon First Reads - March

Really enjoyable quick read with likeable characters, reminded me a bit of A Man Called Ove.

And He Shall Appear by Kate van der Borgh

Started: 9.4.25

Finished: 15.4.25

Kindle

I didn't love this book, but I did enjoy it. I read it on my Kindle, and at the top of the page it said "shades of Saltburn" and to be honest, that's all I could think after I'd noticed that, particularly because it was about an obsessive friendship amongst a group of Cambridge students.

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.

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel

Started: 29.3.25

Finished: 5.4.25

Paperback

I'm not usually a sci-fi fan, but this sounded intriguing so I thought I'd give it a go.

I don't think the style of interviews and journal entries worked; it might've been better to have a first or third person narrative, interspersed with some of the case interviews, for example. I didn't like the unnamed interviewer, and some of the questions being asked, and answers given, just didn't seem realistic.