Bob’s Reads

The Mistletoe Bride (& other Haunting Tales) by Kate Mosse

Yet more spookiness! I’m writing a ghost story at the minute and (unlike when I was writing the novel where I avoided anything similar) I am immersing myself in ghost stories to see how other writers craft them. Anyway, this is a great collection of stories by Kate Mosse (author of ‘Labyrinth’ & more). Steeped in English and French history and folktales, they concentrate on the idea that the past is imprinted on the present through buildings and stories. There’s only one story that is particularly scary, but the writing is wonderful and Mosse’s love of history shines throughout. ORDER>>

The Whistling by Rebecca Netley

Spooky book! I do love a ghost story… It’s 1860 and troubled young Scottish woman Elspeth has left Edinburgh to take up the position of nanny on Skelthsea, a remote Scottish island often cut off from the mainland by storms. Her charge is Mary, a young girl who hasn’t spoken since the death of her twin brother William and the disappearance of her former nanny… what could possibly go wrong? It’s well-written and satisfyingly spooky with murmured lullabies behind closed doors and hints of witchcraft. ORDER>>

The Man on Hackpen Hill by J.S. Monroe

This is an odd one. I borrowed it from the library on a whim (the hardback cover looked spookier than the paperback travesty…) I’m describing it as Liz Nugent meets Mick Herron with a sprinkle of Dan Brown (crop circle conspiracies anyone?) Anyway, I enjoyed it. Bella is looking to uncover a big story during her stint at a newspaper so when she gets a tip to talk to disillusioned scientist Jim about the mysterious goings on at a government chemical facility she jumps at the chance. But some people will stop at nothing to silence them both… ORDER>>

Our Evenings by Alan Hollinghurst

It’s no surprise that I’m a big Hollinghurst fan after first reading ‘The Swimming Pool Library’ in my early 20s (The Spell remains my favourite btw). His latest, ‘Our Evenings’ spans the lifetime of bi-racial gay actor David Win – his education and career, his love affairs and, most poignantly, his relationship with his mother. It’s an accomplished novel with some beautifully observed writing and an emotional intelligence. Personally I’m slightly sick of reading about gay posh boys – but that’s my own English class thing showing – but David’s (& Hollinghurst’s) ability to observe and move across social classes manages to skewer this pretty well. It’s also telling on his view of modern politics and society. Well worth reading. ORDER>>

The Wildelings by Lisa Harding

Set in the ‘Wilde University’ (a loosely fictionalised Trinity College Dublin which includes Oscar Wilde’s childhood home as part of its buildings) in the 1990’s, The Wildelings follows the stories of childhood friends Jessica and Linda, and the two men they begin dating, Jacques and Mark, as they launch themselves into hedonistic undergraduate life in Dublin. As Jessica comes to terms with what happened to them through conversations with her current day therapist, we also get to experience the drama as it unfolds – moving from naive excitement to more deliberate harm, and eventually, tragedy. A riveting and disquieting read, The Wildelings is an engrossing novel about the folly of youth and how student life can shape our future selves. ORDER>>

The Violet Hour by James Cahill

Whilst writing my new novel I avoided reading gay fiction as I didn’t want anything to directly influence my own book so, with the novel finished and out on submission I could start to catch-up on my gay books! Tiepolo Blue was an oustanding debut by James Cahill so I was looking forward to his second, The Violet Hour. Set in the professional art world the novel revolves around abstract artist Thomas and his gallery agent (& one-time girlfriend) Lorna. The writing is superb, so man beautiful sentences, and it certainly kept me reading but writing a novel with so many selfish and unlikeable characters was always going to be hard and, for me, it didn’t quite add up to the sum of its parts. But I’ll definitely be reading his next novel, he’s a very talented writer… ORDER>>

Grave Expectations by Alice Bell

I fancied a bit of light-hearted murder (as you do…) so I picked this one up from the local library. Claire is a medium, of the dead people kind, and the only problem is that she can really talk to ghosts… When she’s hired to provide ‘entertainment’ at a country mansion for a special birthday party, it doesn’t go well after one of the guests dies in dubious circumstances. Then it’s down to Claire and assorted friends to solve the mystery. I quite enjoyed this. There’s a good and well-written non-binary character, some decent jokes, and the plot rattles along easily enough. Hopefully the couple of editing errors (Atlantic Books should do better!) have been corrected in the paperback edition because nothing greats 😉 on my nerves like a bad use of “Here! Here!”… (even more annoying is that it would have made a good joke…) Anyway, worth a read if you fancy some humorous death… ORDER>>

Notes from an Exhibition by Patrick Gale

Disclaimer – Patrick has become a friend after doing a couple of events with us in the Gutter! However, as with all my reviewing, I try to give an honest personal opinion on all my reads, if I really hate something I simply don’t review it because “ain’t nobody got time for that…”. If I remember correctly “Notes…” became a big bestseller after being featured on the Richard & Judy Bookclub in 2007. It’s the story of abstract artist Rachel Kelly, her marriage and her children. Each chapter begins with an ‘exhibition note’ from a retrospective that then informs the part of her story. It’s a clever device that allows the narrative to move through time and characters to build a complete picture of a talented woman plagued by mental illness, that also sparks her creativity. A beautiful, thoughtful and moving novel. ORDER>>

If It Bleeds by Stephen King

It’s been ages since I read any Stephen King but I picked up this collection of four stories from Castlebar Library the last time I was in town because I needed something page-turner-y to get me through a wet weekend and King is always a good storyteller. This was a mixed bag for me – ‘The Rat’ was the standout entry – a desperate novelist makes a Faustian pact with a (possibly imaginary) rat whilst sick and holed up in a cabin during a storm. But, as we all know, there’s always a price to pay… The title story here is a sequel to a previous novel, The Outsider, and doesn’t really work unless you’ve read the novel first in my opinion. Mr Harrigan’s Phone has been made into a movie I think? I enjoyed that one due to its moral conundrums and ‘The Life of Chuck’ had some clever ideas but went on a bit too long. Anyway, worth a look for King fans. ORDER>>

Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell

I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure story for ages 10+ by Katherine Rundell! Set in the snowy forests of Russia, Feo and her mother are Wolf Wilders, taking pet wolves that have been mistreated and rejected by Russian aristocrats and teaching them to live in the wild as they were born to do. When their wolves are accused of attacking local livestock and Feo’s mother taken away, Feo and her wolves must save her, and themselves… Hugely atmospheric and exciting, this is a great read for confident readers young and old! ORDER>>

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

I do love a haunted house… spooky bumps in the night and shivers down the spine is exactly my cup of tea! Reminiscent of ‘The Amityville Horror’ this novel mixes text from her father’s original book on the “true story of a haunting” with Maggie’s modern day exploration of what really happened in Baneberry Hall when she was a child. This clever page-turning thriller by Riley Sager manages to keep the tension going and rewards you with a decent enough ending (rare enough in thrillers of this type!) Apparently a film is coming… ORDER>>