The Winter Spirits: Ghostly Tales for Frosty Nights by various authors
Blurb
The tradition of a haunted tale at Christmas has flourished across the centuries. These twelve stories, authored by some of today’s most loved and lauded writers of historical and gothic fiction, are all centred on Christmas or Advent, boldly and playfully re-imagining a beloved tradition for a modern audience. Taking you from a haunted Tuscan villa to a remote Scottish island with a dark secret, these stories are your ultimate companion for frosty nights.
Featuring new and original stories from Bridget Collins, Imogen Hermes Gowar, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Andrew Michael Hurley, Jess Kidd, Natasha Pulley, Elizabeth Macneal, Laura Purcell, Susan Stokes Chapman, Laura Shepherd-Robinson, Stuart Turton, and Catriona Ward.
Review
I spotted this book by the checkout when I went to buy a pile of books from the bookshop and thought that looks intriguing. I’m so pleased I decided to buy it because once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down.
Some of these stories really creeped me out but there wasn’t one story that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy. The one which really got to me was The Gargoyle by Bridget Collins, I will be honest I wasn’t keen on switching my lights off at night after reading this story. I was convinced I would see something moving in the moonlight or hear something moving. I did feel disappointed with this story because I felt like it finished just as it was getting interesting. I wanted to know more!
I find it far too hard to choose a favourite story from this book but I think the ones I enjoyed the most were Inferno by Laura Shepherd-Robinson, The Salt Miracles by Natasha Pulley and Widow’s Walk by Susan Stokes-Chapman. Widow’s Walk was predictable but very cleverly done, nothing was quite said out loud so it made your imagination run wild. The Salt Miracles was excellent and a really good story I would have loved more of, in fact I would happily have read a full book about this storyline.
Quite a few of these stories were along the lines of if you are bad you get punished which could be a little repetitive but because the stories were so varied I didn’t mind this at all. Some of these stories were new authors for me but I will definitely be exploring more of their work especially Natasha Pulley whose writing style I absolutely loved. Her use of description painted the scene perfectly and I loved her characters.
I really loved this book and as all the stories were set either in Advent or Christmas it was the perfect read for December. I think I will read The Haunting Season next year during spooky season. I give this book a big 5 out of 5 Dragons.
(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)
I hope everyone has had a lovely Christmas Eve so far. I have managed a bit of reading but I have mainly been working and still have one more church service to play for later on. This week has been good for blogging and I finally think I’m catching up on my reviews.
Classic Victorian and Edwardian Ghost Stories edited by Rex Collins
Blurb
This is a book to be read by a blazing fire on a winter’s night, with the curtains drawn close and the doors securely locked. The unquiet souls of the dead, both as fictional creations and as ‘real’ apparitions, roam the pages of this haunting new selection of ghost stories by Rex Collings.
Review
I chose this book as one of my October spooky reads but I must admit I didn’t read it until after Halloween. I always love a good Victorian ghost story so I was really excited to read this book. Thankfully, it did not disappoint.
I’m not entirely sure about the first few stories of this book because they didn’t really feature any ghosts and hardly felt like ghost stories to me. In fact I’m still trying to understand why The Story of Mary Ancel by Thackeray was even included in the book because it didn’t include a ghost and couldn’t even be considered as eerie in my opinion.
This book contains one of my all time favourite little ghost stories and that is The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde. I’ve read this short story many times but I was quite happy to read it again in this book. My other favourites were the stories by Charles Dickens who never disappoints. The Haunted Doll’s House by Montague Rhodes I found rather creepy and I’m not sure I will ever look at my doll’s house in the same way again. The Tapestried Chamber was also rather creepy and I’m not sure I ever want to sleep in a room with tapestries on the walls after reading this short story.
I really found this book to be quite a mixed bag of stories but all of them I either liked or thoroughly enjoyed. I’m not a huge fan of horror so this was the perfect book for me. Give me a good classic ghost story and I am happy and this book had loads. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and give it 4 out of 5 Dragons.
(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)
Hauntings: A Book of Ghosts and Where to Find Them Across 25 Eerie British Locations by Neil Oliver
Blurb
For longer than recorded history there have been tales of spirits and of places where our hackles rise and our skin turns cold.Bestselling historian Neil Oliver travels the British Isles on a deliciously spine-chilling tour that spans several centuries and explores more than 20 sites – castles, vicarages and towers, lonely shorelines and forgotten battlefields – to unpick their stories..Oliver invokes his family’s history alongside that of kings and queens past as he probes why our emotions and senses are heightened in certain locations where the separation between dimensions seems gossamer thin. Our landscape is riven with these places, creaking from the weight of the secrets they hold, the echoes of tragedy and dark deeds . From Inverness to Devon, Co Dublin to Norfolk, Hauntings casts an enjoyably eerie glow with stories that, told generation after generation, are inextricable from place – and considers why they matter.
Review
I was quite excited about this book but wow what a surprise I had when I read it. This sadly is my most disappointing book of the year and I’m quite surprised I actually finished it because quite frankly the man is an over opinionated bottom and that is the polite version.
My first problem with this book is the fact that it has very little ghosts in it. Each chapter briefly mentions a haunting and by briefly I mean maybe a paragraph or two, the rest of the chapter is history and Oliver’s opinions or about how he is grieving for his dad. The best chapter and most informative about the hauntings was the one on Glamis castle. I really enjoyed that chapter and it made me do further research into the castle and its hauntings.
The second problem I had was Oliver’s opinions that personally he should have kept to himself. His opinions on people who use antidepressants were definitely uncalled for and the fact he didn’t mention it just once but kept bringing it up was even worse. I really didn’t feel like it was his place to judge. I can understand how he was trying to explain certain feelings and possible sightings of ghosts by environment and the individual people but it was not a balanced argument and overly critical.
My final issue was the fact that Oliver clearly has some guilt regarding his father and is not grieving well so he used the book to help. When deciding to read a book about haunted places in the British Isles I was really not expecting to have this thrown at me every chapter and really didn’t see the link. Overall, I was not happy with this book and think it is wrongly titled, I give this book 2 out of 5 Dragons.
(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)
About the author
Neil Oliver is a Scottish archaeologist, historian, broadcaster and writer who has become widely known as the presenter of BBC television’s series A History of Scotland and Coast.
His first fiction novel, Master of Shadows, is published by Orion in September 2015.
He lives in Stirling with his wife and three children.
The rules are answer the questions below and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you will read next?
Hello!
I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I have just returned from playing for my second Carol Service this year. I do love a Carol service and I love playing carols. I’m really starting to feel festive. My festive reads has also helped.
What I am Currently Reading
I have literally only just started this so I don’t know what to make of it yet. Fingers crossed it will be good.
What I have Recently Finished Reading
I finished both of these books this week and really enjoyed both of them. I read The Nutcracker every year as my Christmas tradition but I always try to get a different translation and this one did not disappoint and I flew through the book in two sittings.
What I Think I will Read Next
I’m not sure what I will next but I am looking forward to my reading plans in 2024 which will make quite a difference to my TBR pile I hope.
Please drop me a comment with your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.
It’s December 1952, and a dead stranger has been found lodged up the chimney of Holly House in the remote town of Elderby. Is he a simple thief, or a would-be killer? Either way, he wasn’t on anyone’s Christmas wish list.
A mystery that can’t be solved
Inspector Frank Grasby is ordered to investigate. The victim of some unfortunate misunderstandings, he hopes this case will help clear his name. But as is often the way for Grasby, things most certainly don’t go according to plan.
A Christmas to remember
Soon blizzards hit the North York Moors, cutting off the village from help, and the local doctor’s husband is found murdered. Grasby begins to realise that everyone in Elderby is hiding something – and if he can’t uncover the truth soon, the whole country will pay a dreadful price…
Review
This is my first Denzil Meyrick book and I must admit it was the cover that first attracted me to this book. This is my first festive read of the season and I was not disappointed. There wasn’t as much Christmas as I was expecting in this book but that didn’t detract from the story.
The thing I loved about this book was the hilarious characters that were in it. Inspector Frank Grasby was a laugh a minute. He definitely has a bit of a chip on his shoulder and he can be quite a prat at times but his heart is in the right place. He has also had quite a few disasters in his career and his latest one has landed him in some hot water that has left him investigating farm thefts in Elderby. However, things soon start to get interesting when people start getting murdered.
The story was a little bit predictable but still highly enjoyable. The setting in a sleepy village in the 1950’s with rationing still in place was perfect and of course once everyone was snowed in it really added to the atmosphere. Grasby soon begins to realise that everyone is Elderby has a secret they want to keep hidden.
I loved how this book is written as Grasby’s memoirs because it makes you as the reader privy to all his internal musings and thoughts even the ridiculous ones. I really enjoyed the humour in this book and it made the book a light and fast paced murder mystery. I will definitely read more books by Meyrick soon. I give this book 4 out of 5 Dragons.
(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)
About the author
Denzil Meyrick was educated in Argyll, then after studying politics, joined Strathclyde Police, serving in Glasgow. After being injured and developing back problems, he entered the business world, and has operated in many diverse roles, including director of a large engineering company and distillery manager, as well as owning a number of his own companies, such as a public bar and sales and marketing company. D.A. Meyrick has also worked as a freelance journalist in both print and on radio. His first novel, Whisky from Small Glasses, was published by Ringwood in 2012.
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