Category: superstition
+ childhood, fiction, folklore, Historical fiction, List, Magical realism, review, supernatural, superstition, USA, whimsical
My Top 5 Books of 2025
I’m a bit late this year with my reflection on my favourite books of 2025. It’s always hard. There weren’t obvious instant standouts as in previous years. I have tried to include a mix of genres and although I read a lot of crime fiction, which occasionally make my quarterly selections, my top books of the year tend to be something a bit different, so … Read More My Top 5 Books of 2025
+ crime fiction, gothic, gothic horror, Gothic mystery, Historical fiction, List, murder mystery, mystery, supernatural, superstition, thriller, Victorian Britain
My Top 10 Books of 2025 – Part Four
Here are my favourite ten books of 2025 Part Four, including audiobooks, of which there are quite a few. As usual a disparate selection, though somewhat heavy on the Gothic. One Tiny Cry by Christina Delay This was crazy bonkers at times and I loved every minute. Anything to do with religious cults is up there with my favourite genres, and One Tiny Cry is one … Read More My Top 10 Books of 2025 – Part Four
+ fiction, gothic, gothic horror, Gothic mystery, illegitimacy, jealousy, marriage, mythology, obsession, review, superstition
House of Splinters by Laura Purcell
Not every house is a home…Belinda Bainbridge has spent her life in the shadow of her anxious mother, so when her father-in-law dies at The Bridge, his remote ancestral seat, she is secretly thrilled. His death means she, her husband Wilfred and their children can relocate and finally begin to create their own happy home born a merchant’s daughter, she will now be lady … Read More House of Splinters by Laura Purcell
+ abuse, audio book, Australia, child abduction, crime fiction, family, fiction, grief, loss, marriage, motherhood, review, Scotland, secrets, superstition
Stranger in the Woods by Anni Taylor
Photographer Isla Wilson is thrilled she’s landed her dream job, but the clients who hired her are getting stranger by the day. It sounded so perfect – a month‘s assignment at the misty, sprawling Scottish Highlands property of brilliant architect Alban McGregor, and his wife, Jessica. But deep in the woods, there is a chilling playhouse.Two years ago, the McGregors’ daughter, Elodie, died after … Read More Stranger in the Woods by Anni Taylor
Rainforest by Michelle Paver
The jungle watches. The dead remember. The virgin rainforest seems a paradise to Englishman Simon Corbett. A last chance to salvage his career. A final refuge from a terrible secret. But the jungle is no Eden. It hides secrets of its own. It does not forgive. #Rainforest X/Twitter @michelle.paver @orionbooks @RandomTTours #bookX #booktwitter Instagram @michelle.paver @orionbooks @randomthingstours #bookstagram #blogtour As Simon is drawn deeper into its haunted shadows, he learns to his horror … Read More Rainforest by Michelle Paver
+ crime fiction, dark humour, gothic, gothic horror, Gothic mystery, Historical fiction, List, murder mystery, mystery, supernatural, superstition, thriller, Victorian Britain
My Top 10 Books of 2025 – Part Three
Here are my favourite ten books of 2025 Part Three, including audiobooks, as I haven’t listened to enough to have their own post this quarter. As usual quite a disparate selection. The Empty Cradle by Lisa Rookes This was so good. I’m not sure how a story could be scary, creepy, and really funny at the same time. I think that’s because it’s so well … Read More My Top 10 Books of 2025 – Part Three
+ fiction, review, siblings, superstition, twins, witchcraft, witches
The Howling by Michael J Malone (Annie Jackson Mysteries #3)
Scotland’s oldest legends are just waking up… Vowing once more to remove herself from society, Annie is living alone in her little cottage by the shores of a loch. But when an old enemy – now locked up in a high-security hospital – comes calling, begging her to find the son that she was forced to give up at the age of seventeen, Annie … Read More The Howling by Michael J Malone (Annie Jackson Mysteries #3)
+ community, female friendship, fiction, friends, friendship, lies, love, marriage, motherhood, mythology, relationships, review, secrets, supernatural, superstition
The Empty Cradle by Lisa Rookes
Amy’s so sure that her husband, Joel, is deeply invested in their future together. After all, it’s his dream of a family together that has them trying so hard to have a baby, despite a series of disappointments. It’s this certainty that leaves Amy absolutely floored when she learns of Joel’s affair with her best friend. Heartbroken and horrified, Amy flees to a dilapidated … Read More The Empty Cradle by Lisa Rookes
+ Edinburgh, fiction, folklore, gothic, gothic horror, Historical fiction, mythology, review, Scotland, superstition, witchcraft, witches
The Witch, The Seed and The Scalpel by Scott O’Neill
Edinburgh 1841. ‘Reaching out like a hungry white worm it twisted and spiralled, tasting the air. Then, evidently attracted by the flow of warm blood, it squirmed its way under the surface of my skin.‘ Every autumn without fail, a strange seed appears on the chestnut tree that marks the spot where the witch Margaret McKay was murdered. Legend states that anyone who catches … Read More The Witch, The Seed and The Scalpel by Scott O’Neill
+ crime fiction, dark humour, feel-good, gothic, gothic horror, Gothic mystery, Historical fiction, humour fiction, List, Magical realism, murder mystery, mystery, supernatural, superstition, thriller, Victorian Britain
My Top 10 Books of 2025 – Part Two
Here are my favourite ten books of 2025 Part Two, including audiobooks, as I haven’t listened to enough to have their own post this quarter. Again quite a disparate selection. The Cure by Eve Smith I’m so out of my comfort zone here. Firstly, I don’t usually read speculative fiction, sci-fi or dystopian future novels. And secondly, I don’t think this is entirely fiction, … Read More My Top 10 Books of 2025 – Part Two
+ 1950s, audio book, cosy mystery, fiction, Historical fiction, murder, murder mystery, review, superstition
Murder At Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd Nora Breen Investigates Book #1
A cozy mystery series about a former nun who searches for answers in a small seaside town after her pen pal mysteriously disappears 1954: When her former novice’s dependable letters stop, Nora Breen asks to be released from her vows. Haunted by a line in Frieda’s letter, Nora arrives at Gulls Nest, a charming hotel in Gore-on-Sea in Kent. A seaside town, a place … Read More Murder At Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd Nora Breen Investigates Book #1
+ crime fiction, folklore, Historical fiction, List, murder mystery, Nordic noir, Scandi noir, supernatural, superstition, thriller, World War Two, WW2
My Top 10 Books of 2025 – Part One
Here are my favourite ten books of 2025 Part One, not counting audiobooks. Quite a disparate selection for a change. Audiobooks to follow. Late Venetian by GN Lawson If you are looking for a fast paced thriller, Late Venetian is not for you. But it’s already one of my favourite books of 2025 so far. I’m not sure why – maybe because the two main characters … Read More My Top 10 Books of 2025 – Part One
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