Decades – Compiling the Ultimate Library with Tina Baker

Having a few days off from the day job has really knocked out my body clock. It’s a good job I remembered Tina Baker is joining me to share her Decades selections, I’d have hated for you to miss out on these cracking recommendations.

A quick explanation about the Decades Library for any new visitors. Imagine having to start a new Library from scratch. You have no books but only want the very best books on the Library shelves so visitors know whatever they choose to read it’s a book someone else loved.

Each week I ask a guest to join me and nominate new books to add to the Library shelves. They must follow two rules when making their choices:

1- Pick Any Five Books
2- You May Only Select One Book Per Decade From Five Consecutive Decades

It’s as easy as that – five books, five decades. So time to turn over to Tina Baker to get this week’s recommened books…

Tina was brought up in a caravan after her mother, a fairground traveller, fell pregnant by a window cleaner. After leaving the bright lights of Coalville, she came to London and worked as a journalist and broadcaster for thirty years. She’s probably best known as a television critic for the BBC and GMTV, but after so many hours watching soaps gave her a widescreen bum, she got off it, lost weight and won Celebrity Fit Club. When not writing she now works as a fitness instructor. She also rescues cats, whether they want to be rescued or not.

Call Me Mummy, Tina’s first novel, partly inspired by her own unsuccessful attempts to have a child, was a Number 1 Kindle bestseller. Its as also sold in Tesco as well as bookshops, which thrilled Tina as she and her family cleaned the floors of supermarkets for many years.

Her second novel, Nasty Little Cuts (be careful how you say it) is published by Viper Books on February 24th. She would be THRILLED if you pre-ordered it from all the usual places because Bertie the Emotional Support Kitten had major surgery just before Christmas. He’s now fine. The bank balance isn’t. Nasty Little Cuts is another psychological thriller in the domestic noir vein. It’s the story of how a marriage can break down to the point where no one might get out alive.

You can order Nasty Little Cuts here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0984N2N8W/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1
Or Call Me Mummy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08FNHJB4P/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

DECADES

I’m rubbish at choosing my favourite books. I usually go with whatever I’m reading at the time. But, in a miraculous plot twist, 5 of my actual favourites effortlessly spanned 5 decades, so IT WAS MEANT TO BE!

SHUGGIE BAIN, DOUGLAS STUART, 2020

I adore Shuggie. I wanted to adopt him, but Shuggie loves his alcoholic mammy, so that wouldn’t be fair. I also love Douglas Stuart. It was one of my proudest moments as a newbie author when he followed me back on Twitter.

I knew I wanted to read this book before it was published. When it became a Booker Prize winner I cried, I was so thrilled.

It touched me so deeply. Real, heart-breaking, beautiful and stark. One of the reasons I felt for Shuggie was because I too was a working class kid growing up in a pit town, Coalville, where all the pits closed. I’ve also loved alcoholics.

I’ve put this book on my Top Horror and Top Crime lists even though it’s more literary, because real life horror is scarier to me than vampires, and what Thatcher did to communities like Shuggie’s and mine was a bloody crime.

WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY BESIDE OURSELVES, KAREN JOY FOWLER, 2013

This is an ear wetter of a novel – I sobbed so much in bed that my ears were soaked with tears. I had to have one book about animals on my list. I have had closer relationships with my pets than many people.

This is a gut-wrenching story about love, families, jealousy and what it means to be human.

I’m still loathe to give away the twist (It’s Fingersmith level gobsmacking) but it involves some hideous experiments scientists have done on animals. I love science (yay, vaccines!) and wanted to be one, briefly, until I realised what I’d be required to do to rats.

BLONDE, JOYCE CAROL OATES, 2000

I would read a shipping list written by this author. I love her work. I’ve read this hefty novel several times. It’s a fictionalised version of Marilyn Monroe’s life, and, no spoilers, it does not end well.

Somehow, I felt I was inside Marilyn’s heart and mind, hearing all her inner secrets and vulnerabilities. It’s also a scathing examination of fame and how a person can struggle with being a disposable commodity and an icon others project so much onto, while wrestling their own demons.

THE VAN, RODDY DOYLE, 1991

I had to have at least one funny book, although it takes a lot to make me laugh in print. I adore Doyle’s dialogue and his working class characters. Two mates going into business together is often a recipe for disaster, but the warmth here is fabulous.

This was also shortlisted for the Booker Prize. I’m a bit of a reading snob I suppose.

Unusually for me, I also loved the film, and ditto The Commitments – books are always better than films. Fact.

Another fact, he was born on May 8^th, my brother’s birthday.

THE HANDMAID’S TALE, MARGARATE ATWOOD, 1985

This feminist dystopia was actually cited in my first divorce. True story. The ex whined that he’d wanted to see ‘anything’ but’ at the cinema, but I’d ‘made him’ see this. To be honest, the TV series is way better than the film.

I had nightmares about the world of Gilead, where women are treated as brood cows and all their rights taken from them. Look around the world, it’s already happening, has always been happening. It’s chilling.

Huge thanks to Tina for five storming recommendations. Nobody has turned around their five selections quicker than Tina did – even people who have told me they had given some thought to which books they may select before I had contacted them couldn’t match her speed. Given her five books smoothly fitted into the five decades it also makes it more likely there was less cursing at me than I have experienced in the past.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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February 15

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Russell Brown

Decades on a Tuesday? What on earth is happening? Well sometimes (hardly ever) the stars align and I can get some time to do a sneaky extra guest spot. In this case the stars which aligned were: I have a few days off work, I have had some Decades guests waiting in the wings for far longer than I would have liked (a flurry of replies does this), it is pouring and the dog is already walked.

Welcome again to my Decades Library. I am trying to assemble a library which has nothing but the best books on the shelves. I invite a guest to join me and I ask them to nominate five of their favourite books which they feel I should include in my Decades Library. Why do I call it a Decades Library? Well there are two simple rules which govern the selection of books my guests can choose:

1 – Nominate Any Five Books
2 – They May Only Pick One Book Per Decade From Five Consecutive Decades

My guest this week has a day job which I would love (it involves books) and was very much put on the spot when I rocked up on his doorstep asking if he would like to take on my Decades Challenge. To my delight Russell not only agreed to make his selections but he also picked my own favourite book which FINALLY makes it into my Library.

Russell Brown is the author of three novels: The Playground, War of the Wolves (book 1 of the Demon Gatekeeper Trilogy) and Chasing the Beast. Born in Sheffield during the Dark Ages, long before there were such things as smart phones and the internet, he now lives in Scotland, spending his time writing, avoiding doing any real work and digging holes.

You can follow Russell on Twitter @brown_author and Facebook @russellbrownauthor

Copies of his books can be purchased at all good book shops (real and online) or via the publisher’s website https://www.blkdogpublishing.com/

You can find him on Goodreads too: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16357816.Russell_Brown

DECADES

1960s
Dune – Frank Herbert

I first read Dune as part of a project while a uni. I can’t remember what the project was, but the book left a big impression. I remember getting lost in the world of Arrakis and the tale of Paul Atreides and his journey on the desert plant. Despite being written over half a century ago the book remains fresh, covering big issues we can all relate to like climate change, poverty, equality, and greed. Not to mention everyone’s favourites: love and revenge.

1970s
Falling Angel – William Hjortsberg

I’m a huge horror fan and Falling Angel is one of the best horror novels I’ve read. It’s a dark, suspense-filled roller coaster ride of a story, exposing the reader to the darkness that lives in all our souls. Harry Angel is an anti-hero, but you don’t realise this until well into the story and long after you’ve invested in his character. At the same time this book manages to be a true crime, New York detective story – based partly in the American deep south and a journey into the occult – go figure. Oh, and watch out for Louis Cyphre.

1980s
IT – Stephen King

I was given a copy of IT as a Christmas present from my brother when I was 16. I can still remember that amazing new book smell even now. I’m a big King fan and this is one of his best. Like all his novels it considers a vast swath of issues from friendship and family to bullying and racism. But it’s the undertow that gets you. Those hidden stories King loves to reveal bit by bit. Here it’s the idea of that hidden evil, often ignored and sometimes encouraged by adults, that lurks in every town. Agatha Christie’s wonderful Miss Marple, once said, ‘In an English village, you turn over a stone and have no idea what will crawl out.’ It’s the same here only this time the evil has a name – Pennywise the Clown.

1990s
Chocolat – Joanne Harris

In my opinion Joanne Harris is one of the best writers this country has ever produced and she’s from Yorkshire too, the lucky soul. I salivate every time I read Chocolat. The descriptions of food and drink and particularly chocolate, in the novel, are amazing. I swear I can smell the steaming cups of hot chocolate Vianne makes in her chocolaterie when I’m reading the book. I fully recommend reading this on a full stomach. But it’s not just a story about food, Harris’s characters are full of life and the little French town of Lansquenet sous-Tannes is as real as any you could ever visit. Like all good stories there’s a little twist or two as well. One of them is under the surface from the very beginning. Read the book and see if you notice it. I didn’t until I watched the film!

2000s
The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins

I love books that take a well-trodden path and find a new way to walk down it. The Hunger Games is definitely one of those. At first it seems like yet another teenage dystopian fantasy story. But look closer and you’ll fine it’s much more than that. Imagine a world where we must subject our children to the possibility of a gruesome death, just to survive? And that’s the starting point! Those familiar subjects are there again, family, friendship, loyalty, and love. But they are set against a backcloth of dictatorship, cruelty, suppression, and death. Oh, let’s not forget greed, that’s there too. You’re automatically drawn to comparisons with Nazi Germany, but these issues are unfortunately alive and kicking today, as we’ve seen recently in Syria and Iraq. The central character, Katniss Everdeen, is a hard-nosed survivor who you route for from the very beginning. But there’s subtlety in her too and she slowly falls for her companion and rival Peeta Mellark. It’s one of those rare books that you can’t put down until you reach the end. Or the second book of the series in this case.

After 13 months of Decades it is hard to believe that Chocolat and The Hunger Games are only just making their debut. Five cracking selections and my sincere thanks to Russell for his patience and his wonderful choices.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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February 11

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Quentin Bates

Welcome to Decades, an ongoing quest to assemble the Ultimate Library filled with books that were recommended by booklovers.

It began back in January 2021 when I asked the question: If you had to fill a brand new library with nothing but the best books ever written, which books would you put on the shelves? I realised I could not possibly answer that question on my own so each week I am joined by a bookloving guest (authors, publishers, journalists and bloggers) and I ask them to help me put great books into my Decades Library.

Why do I call it my Decades Library? Well each guest has to follow two simple rules when nominating books to go into the Library:

Rule 1 – Pick Any Five Books
Rule 2 – You May Only Select One Book Per Decade From Any Five Consecutive Decades

The Decades Library does exist as a Bookshop.Org shop so if you fancy seeing which books have been selected in the past you can click through this handy link: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/grab-this-book-the-decades-library

This week it is my pleasure to welcome Quentin Bates to the Decades Library. I first became aware of Quentin’s work through his association with Orenda Books and have read several of the novels he has translated for them, most recently Cold As Hell by Lilja Sigurdardottir. But I have also been picking up some of his own novels which I also highly recommend. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Quentin-Bates/e/B004JZ8EZA?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3&qid=1644531511&sr=1-3

Time to hand over to Quentin…

Best known as the translator of some of Iceland’s smartest and coolest authors*, Quentin Bates has also written a few books of his own, and with a bit of luck there might be a few more to come.If you really need to know more, his website is at www.graskeggur.is, and he’s on social media as gráskeggur.*Lilja Sigurðardóttir, Einar Kárason, Sólveig Pálsdóttir, Óskar Guðmundsson, Guðlaugur Arason, and more to come

DECADES

Just to be awkward, I’d like to take these in reverse order, stepping back in time a decade at a time…

2000s

Mýrin by Arnaldur Indriðason

This one was published in Icelandic in 2000, and it was a few years before it appeared in English as Jar City. This was Arnaldur’s breakout book, the one that made him an international name. I’m fairly sure I read this one in Icelandic first and was struck by how much of a leap it was compared to his previous books. It brings together a wonderful Nordic darkness with the backdrop of the seedy side of Reykjavík, and fine interplay between the very different characters of Erlendur and his colleagues Sigurður Óli and Elínborg.

This one absolutely led the way, demonstrating that this lump of volcanic North Atlantic rock could be the backdrop for outstanding crime fiction, with all of the elements adding up to something much more than the sum of their parts. It’s also a great movie and it’s a mystery why Erlendur hasn’t made more appearances on the screen.

1990s

Dead Horsemeat, by Dominique Manotti

I found one of Dominique Manotti’s books more or less by chance, devoured it almost immediately, and then did the same with all the rest that were available in English.

These are books that not only didn’t shy away from taking on tough themes before they became controversial, they positively grabbed them by the horns and were way ahead of their time.

Thirty years after they were published, this is still razor sharp stuff, some of the sharpest, smartest crime fiction with a strong political edge. These are another mystery. One of Dominique’s books won an International Dagger (Lorraine Connection, in 2008) and Dead Horsemeat (originally published in French in 1997) was shortlisted in 2006. So these books are clearly held in high regard, so why aren’t they better known?

1980s

Earthly Powers, by Anthony Burgess

I’ve just noticed that this is the only one of my five that isn’t a translation… The 1980s were when I was a seaman, and hefty books were just what was needed for long spells at sea. All the same, this vast (650 page) tale, spanning six decades, just flew past.

Anthony Burgess seems to have dropped out of fashion, but he’s very much worth discovering. The prose sparkles with wit, erudition and wordplay, deftly told, and Earthly Powers has one of the most brilliant opening paragraphs there is.

1970s

The Flounder, by Günter Grass

OK, it shouldn’t be called The Flounder, as the magical fish in question is actually a turbot, but The Flounder is a better title. This is a substantial book, and this one spans centuries rather than just a few decades, telling in terms of magic, gastronomy, politics and social upheaval the story of chunk of the Baltic coast, a part of the world that has been subject to more or less constant upheaval for as long as humans have lived there. It’s a complex and engrossing tale, or set of stories within a story, with many voices and a huge cast of characters, in addition to the those of the fisherman and his wife, and peppered with food, sex, joy and tragedy all the way through.

1960s

Asterix in Britain, by Goscinny and Uderzo

This was a birthday present when I was just starting to read. It was like a comic, but it was so much cooler and cleverer than the Beezer, and it opened up a whole new world. Of all the Asterix books, this one remains a favourite, poking gentle and affectionate Gallic fun at the Rosbifs across the Channel with their passions for boiled food and warm beer, the fact that it’s always raining (except when it’s foggy), and the ancient Britons carrying around with them portable roofs to stop the sky from falling on their heads.

Of course, I didn’t appreciate this when this arrived on my eighth birthday, but the first Asterix books were translated by Derek Hockridge and the extraordinary Anthea Bell, who brought to the translation a neatly humorous light touch that I suspect may equal (or even surpass…?) the original. The jokes and puns have to be theirs – as these are notoriously untranslatable – and the names… Calling the pub landlord Dipsomaniax is just a stroke of brilliance.

One of the things I love most about sharing the Decades selections each week is that it helps readers find new books to love. I don’t know if may of us will know all five of these selections but I have been investigating already and I am definitely going to be seeking out Jar City and getting it into my TBR.

What really made my heart sing though was seeing Asterix gain a place in the Library. My own childhood was a series of weekly trips to the village library where I would always take out an Asterix or Tintin book to include in my reading. Huge thanks to Quentin for the wonderful mix of old and new.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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February 10

A Loyal Traitor – Tim Glister

Duty or honour. Which would you betray?

It’s 1966. London is swinging, and the Cold War is spiralling.

Clear cut lines have faded to grey areas. Whispers of conspiracies are everywhere. Spies on both sides of the iron curtain are running in circles, chasing constant plots and counterplots. And MI5 agent Richard Knox is tired of all of it.

But when Abey Bennett, his CIA comrade in arms, appears in London with a ghost from Knox’s past and a terrifying warning that could change the balance of power in the Cold War for good, he has to fight to save the future.

He must also face an agonising choice: who will he believe, and who will he betray – his duty to his country or his loyalty to his friends?

I received a review copy from the publishers through Netgalley. My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to join this tour.

I don’t read many spy thrillers these days as I found too many of them were becoming tales of dry, political manoeuvres with clever writing but not much by way of thrills. But A Loyal Traitor may well bring me back to books about the Cold War as this is an exciting, engaging and exceedingly well told story which I absolutely loved.

Tim Glister takes us inside MI5 where lead character Richard Knox works. Knox will cross paths with CIA agent Abey Bennett who appears in London in the company of someone Knox never expected to see again who will thrust Knox and Bennett into a high stakes adventure.

On the opposing side there are deadly threats being dispatched with an unknown mission to keep the readers guessing. A prototype Russian submarine is lurking off the English coastline. The Brits are aware there is something out there but they don’t appear able to get a good trace on it – the Ghost Submarine is causing real concern to MI5. Also a deadly assissin is making their way around Europe, taking out people identified as threats to Russia and the KGB agents. Both sides in this covert conflict are brilliantly represented and the readers get to see how West and East are moving their players around the story. You never quite know what’s going to unfold but Tim Glister makes it clear everything is building up to an explosive conclusion – it really didn’t disappoint.

The characters feel very much like they could just step off the page from the 1960s and the authenticity they bring to the blog story got me very invested in their success (and hope they survive the experience).

A Loyal Traitor is wonderfully paced, never felt unlikely or had me suspending disbelief which really helped my immersion in the story. More of these would be very welcome.

A Loyal Traitor is published by Point Blank/Oneworld Publications and is available from today in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-loyal-traitor/tim-glister/9780861541669

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February 8

Hingston: Smoke and Mispers – Decima Blake

As the first door on the Advent calendar is opened, DS Hingston attempts to save the life of a teenager in a crowded London café, but ultimately fails. Seventeen-year-old Leanna Snow chokes to death.

Days later, a girl from Leanna Snow’s school is missing and another misper is found dead: his body hanging within the iconic Egyptian Avenue at Highgate Cemetery.

Working under the bombastic DCI Smythe and alongside Remi, his ex-girlfriend whom he still holds a torch for, Hingston discovers the magic of London this December is dark, deceptive and murderous.

Hingston and the Murder Squad are put to the test with this complex investigation that proves to be as mystifying as being asked by a magician to pick a card, any card, not knowing where you will be taken.

My thanks to the author for providing a copy of Smoke and Mispers for review

This was fun. After a wee run of books which didn’t really grab my attention I was glad to let Smoke and Mispers sink its hooks into me and pull me along with a tight, exciting story.

DS Hingston is on the scene when a teenage girl starts to choke on her drink. Despite his very best attempts to save her life he is unsuccessful and the girl dies. Just days later a classmate of the dead girl goes missing and Hingston is called to the school to investigate, there may be a connection between the missing girl and her dead classmate but finding out what that connection may be is going to be challenging. Perhaps not as challenging as dealing with the missing girl’s mother – even the Headteacher seems to cower in her presence. But Hingston feels her behaviour is totally wrong for a mother concerned about her missing daughter.

Hingston’s attention will be divided as in a London cemetery a body has been found hanging. Highgate Cemetry has an Egyptian Avenue and Egyptian history and the mythology of the nation will play a significant role in this book as the police find themselves investigating a number of associated incidents which all connect to this period of history. The Egyptian storyline rather caught me unaware (as I hadn’t read the blurb before I began reading) so I was totally caught up in events before I actually understood how significant some of the early clues were going to be to the story.

Perhaps if I had been better prepared I may have stood a chance in puzzling out where Smoke and Mispers may be heading? Happily for me I didn’t anticpate what Hingston and his colleagues were about to experience and I delighted in discovering the surprises at the same time as they did.

Hingston is an extremely likeable lead character and the supporting characters in the Murder Squad are nicely defined and relatable too. Two of them squabble, one is dating the boss, Hingston used to date the one now dating the boss – it all makes them more engaging and I looked forward to the briefing scenes where the sniping and niggles would play out. Quick housekeeping too – this is Hingston’s second outing but I didn’t find I was disadvantaged by not having read the first story. One or two sub-plots do seem to have a foundation in the first book but all clearly explained by the author so there is no confusion.

Trying not to share too much of the story for fear of leaking spoilers but suffice to say there is a highly entertaining investigation for Hingston which has roots in the past and a legacy of evil which is being kept alive by people who should know better. Story is tightly written with some well worked twists and surprises and, as I said at the start, I had lots of fun reading Smoke and Mispers. It’s nice to find something which felt a bit different and left me ready for more.

Hingston: Smoke and Mispers is published by Pegasus and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09N7NSV1B/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

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February 5

The Last House on Needless Street (audiobook) – Catriona Ward

This is the story of a murderer. A stolen child. Revenge. This is the story of Ted, who lives with his young daughter Lauren and his cat Olivia in an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street.

All these things are true. And yet some of them are lies. An unspeakable secret binds the family together, and when a new neighbour moves in next door, the truth may destroy them all. Because there’s something buried in the dark forest at the end of Needless Street. But it’s not what you think…

From the multiple award-winning author of Little Eve and Rawblood, this extraordinary tale will thrill and move readers. A work of incredible imagination and heartbreaking beauty.

I received a review copy from the publisher through Netgalley but bought myself the audiobook to listen to and have reviewed that experience.

I have seen so many people loving this book, praising the writing and the story which caught them all unawares. I was really excited to read it and even decided to pick up the audiobook so I could get the best reading experience, by having a narrator tell me the story and ensuring I didn’t miss anything (which as a skim reader does happen quite frequently).

Sadly this just wasn’t one I enjoyed. It’s fascinating, often shocking, undoubtably cleverly written and must have been a nightmare to keep track of for the author as the timeline shifts around but you’re never clear when. Unfortunately it just didn’t click for me. Maybe it was the bible reading cat? I really don’t like cats (phobia) so to have cats play such a prominent role in the story didn’t help me get engaged with the characters.

I am delighted to have seen this title do so well for Catriona Ward and for Viper and I read enough to know that we are not going to all love the same books (life would be so dull). So I take from this the learning of something I never really understood (spoiler free review) and more than a few elements of the story which were chilling and tension packed as they helped keep me listening right ot the end.

Ultimately it wasn’t a book which worked for me but I am very much in the minority so I would still not hesitate to recommend it to readers seeking a dark, emotional story – particularly if you get a kick from an unreliable narrator.

I do want to make special mention to the brilliant narrator on the audiobook, Christopher Ragland, who brought many complex characters to life and in doing so made my understanding of events much clearer and kept me correct on which character was dominating events at any one time.

Clever, disturbing, highly recommended as an audiobook experience but sadly not a favourite with me.

The Last House on Needless Street is published by Viper in Paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08DD2RFPD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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February 4

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Mathew West

Welcome to Decades. For the last 12 months I have been on a mission to assemble a brand new library of wonderful books. I started this challenge in January 2021 with the question: If you had to build a new library from the ground up (and zero books) which unmissable books should I add to the library shelves?

This was a challenge I could not have undertaken alone, so each week I invite a guest to help me put books onto the shelves of my Decades Library. Why do I call it a Decades Library? That derives from the two rules which govern the selections my guests make:

Rule 1 – Choose Any Five Books
Rule 2 – You May Only Select One Book Per Decade From Five Consecutive Decades

Easy? I am told narrowing down to five books is tricky. But it’s rare someone’s first five selections fall into five consecutive publication decades and from that point the gnashing of teeth begins as my guests decide which books they need to swap out.

This week it is my absolute pleasure to welcome Mathew West to Grab This Book. Mathew is the author of the terrific chiller-thriller The House of Footsteps which published this week.

DECADES

Mathew West is an author. His debut novel The House of Footsteps is a gothic mystery-thriller set in the 1920s in a foreboding house on the English-Scottish border, and was released on 3 February 2022 by Harper North.

He lives in Edinburgh where he spends most of his time writing, listening to music that could generously be described as “eclectic”, watching bad horror films and walking around graveyards.

The House of Footsteps can be ordered here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B098M7DD71/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

1950s – My Cousin Rachel – Daphne du Maurier

I think that I have to start with a du Maurier, as she is such a huge influence on my own writing. I was tempted to pick Rebecca, of course, but that would have messed up my sequence of decades, so instead I have the chance to champion Rebecca’s slightly less-famous sister novel, My Cousin Rachel.

It’s a pretty straightforward setup: a young, slightly naive chap is beguiled by the widow of a beloved cousin – but does she really care for him, or is she after something else? Du Maurier does what she does best and draws her characters into ever-tightening webs while you read on, thinking that you know where it’s all going without ever quite being certain. At the centre of it all is Rachel herself – she’s constantly mysterious, enchanting and aloof, a woman born out of time who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it. The characters of Rachel and Ambrose and their mercurial relationship were never far from my mind as I created Amy and Simon in The House of Footsteps.

1960s – To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee

When I was about 14 my secondary school English class were allowed to choose between reading To Kill a Mockingbird, or Nineteen Eighty-Four. Most of the boys, myself included, opted to read the sci-fi tinged, anti-authoritarian Nineteen Eighty-Four – which I absolutely adored. But over the next several weeks we could also listen in as the rest of the class read and discussed their selection. I was fascinated by the snippets I overheard about Scout, Gem and Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. Fascinated enough that I read the book myself, at home, making this I think the first ‘serious’ novel I selected from my parent’s bookshelf and read purely for my own pleasure.

What else is there to say about To Kill a Mockingbird? Superlatives can’t do it justice. It’s a gift, and essential reading for anyone.

1970s – The Shining – Stephen King

To be totally honest I’m picking this as much for the film as the novel. They’re quite different, and having loved the film for many years I was amazed to finally read the book and discover that many of the most iconic scenes on screen don’t appear in the original text at all. Not that King’s book is lacking terrifying set pieces, of course.

There’s something so compelling about the chilling locale of the Overlook Hotel, its grisly and perverse past, and the inevitable slide towards history repeating itself when the Torrence family stay there alone over a long winter. Some of the best bits in the novel are where Jack battles the inner demons of his past, even more dangerous and irresistible than the very real spirits of the Overlook – it’s an internal torment that the film can’t quite do justice to.

1980s – Blood Meridian – Cormac McCarthy

The Shining may have been (arguably) improved by its big screen adaptation, but this is a book I hope no one ever tries to put on film. It’s a shocking, appallingly violent ‘anti-western’ that not only deconstructs but destroys the Hollywood myth of the Old West. The murders and mutilations begin almost from the first page – seriously, it’s not for everyone.

It’s brutal, bleak and harrowing, and made all the worse given it’s partly based on real events. But there’s also a strange beauty to the whole thing. McCarthy’s writing is almost shamanistic, in the landscapes he describes and the mystical, savage characters that inhabit them – most of all the enigmatic and terrifying Judge Holden. It’s not an easy novel, but immerse yourself in it and it will stick with you, like blood on the sole of your shoe.

1990s – Alias Grace – Margaret Atwood

Another novel based loosely on real events, in this case the sensationalised 19^th century murders of a young landowner and his housekeeper. But this isn’t a whodunnit: the Grace of the title has already been convicted for the killings. In telling Grace’s story Atwood has a huge amount to say about class, gender and the immigrant experience. Like My Cousin Rachel, in many ways this is the tale of what happens to a woman who tries to find her own path in a world weighted against her. But what I love most is the fluid, uneasy storytelling. The perspective shifts from Grace – the quintessential unreliable narrator, either mad or lying through her teeth to save her skin – and the doctor listening to her unbelievable story, who is sympathetic but too clouded by his own privilege to really understand. The ambiguity and unanswered questions might leave some a little frustrated, but (as I think this list shows!) I absolutely love a mystery that keeps you guessing, and my favourite evils are the ones which can never truly be understood.

And that’s my selection! I’ve had a lot of fun choosing, and it’s been an interesting challenge to spread my picks across the decades. I was surprised at how many of my absolute ‘must-have’ choices were published in the 1950s, as well as how few books from the 1970s I’ve actually read! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this, and I’m really grateful for the chance to enthuse about some of my favourite books of all time – without which, it’s fair to say, The House of Footsteps would never have been written.

Decades can share some familiar names but unexpected books and Mathew has introduced me to two titles I had not previously heard of from authors I instantly recognise. It’s the dream combination of recognition and discovery and a perfect illustration of why I love sharing these posts.

Thank you to Mathew for taking time to make his selections. I would urge everyone to seek out his book, The House of Footsteps, which published yesterday from Harper North.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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January 30

The House of Footsteps – Mathew West

If you loved The Haunting of Hill House, welcome to Thistlecrook…

It’s 1923 and at Thistlecrook House, a forbidding home on the Scottish border, the roaring twenties seem not to have arrived. But Simon Christie has – a young man who can’t believe his luck when he gets a job cataloguing the infamous art collection of the Mordrake family. Yet from the moment he gets off the train at the deserted village station he can’t shift a headache and a sense that there’s more to the House and its gruesome selection of pictures.

Simon’s host is glad of his company, but he gets the feeling the house is not so welcoming. As his questions about the Mordrakes grow, he finds answers in surprising places. But someone is not pleased that old secrets are stirring.

As night falls each evening, and a growing sense of unease roils in the shifting shadows around him, Simon must decide what he can trust and ask if he can believe what he sees in the dusk or if his mind is poisoned by what has happened before in this place between lands, between light and dark.

My thanks to Harper North for the review copy I received ahead of publication day through Netgalley.

Simon Christie was too young to serve in the Great War so he and his friends are cutting around Edinburgh after their studies finished. Unfortunately for Simon, his father decides it is time he found himself a job and Simon cannot help but agree. A degree in Art History sets him up nicely for a position with an auction house and Simon is ready to take on what the world can throw at him.

What he may not have expected was the opportunity to visit Thistlecrook House, home of the Mordrake family and to catalogue their collected artworks. It has long been rumoured the Mordrakes have a vast collection of art treasures – even a Da Vinci – so Simon boards a train from Edinburgh and sets off South. Thistlecrook House sits apart from a tiny village on the Scottish/English border and is not an easy place to access. Simon will spend his days assessing the art collection and will rely upon the hospitality of his host for food and accommodation.

His arrival at Mordrake House follows a disconcerting series of encounters in the nearby village. Mordrake House has has reputation and the locals are wary. It also appears his host is a widower following the tragic death of his wife, drowned in the lake in the grounds of his home. Steeled with this knowledge, Simon is respectful of his host’s odd behaviour and secluded lifestyle. For when he arrives at Mordrake house the vast home is almost empty of life bar his host, an ever-present butler (who does not take a shine to Simon) and a few members of staff.

Tension mounts as Simon spends more time in the strange house. The artwork he has to assess has a singular and disturbing theme, many pieces are shocking or distasteful to the young man and he feels the drain spending time with them. Some rooms have an overpowering impact upon him too a compromise has to be found for his workspace as the attic which houses many of the art is overwhelming. But not all spaces in the house are negative places. In a library Simon encounters the other resident in the house. A young woman who enjoys curling up to read her book while keeping out of the way of everyone else.

With an ally in the house we find Simon can chat through some of his concerns and soon his infactuation with his new friend will start to distract from the work he is meant to undertake. Not that Simon needs any more distraction, his nights are plagued by the sound of footsteps. A heavy-footed individual spends hours each night walking the corridors and rooms of Thistlecrook House. The noise is distracting, upsetting and inescapable for Simon. He is particularly alarmed when he sees the shadow of this unknown person walking past his door.

As the story develops the tension cranks up. Mathew West has done a fabulous job of keeping the story flowing, the chills mounting and Simon’s story appears to be one which puts him on a path towards a dangerous confrontation. I really enjoyed The House of Footsteps and felt it perfectly pitched to deliver the creepy vibes.

The House of Footsteps releases on February 3rd and I’d strongly recommend getting a pre-order in place.

The House of Footsteps is published by Harper North and will be available from 3 February 2022. You can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-house-of-footsteps/mathew-west/9780008472931

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January 28

Decades – Compiling the Ultimate Library with Anne Cater

Time for another trip to the Decades Library. As you may know by now; each week I invite a booklover to join me and aid my ongoing quest to assemble the Ulitmate Library. It all began with the question: If you had to assemble the best collection of books for a new library but had exactly zero books to put on the shelves, which books would you choose?

Every week a guest Library Curator is asked to add some of their favourite books to the shelves of the Decades Library.

Why do I call it a Decades Library? Well there are just two rules governing the selection of books they can make:

1 – Nominate ANY five books
2 – You may only select one book per decade from five consecutive decades.

This week I am delighted to welcome one of my best blogging pals to Grab This Book. Anne Cater will be a familiar name for many in the bookish world and will likely need no introduction…but I asked her to write one anyway…

Fifty-something, living in rural Lincolnshire, surrounded by books, a husband and a cat.

I’ve been blogging at Random Things Through My Letterbox for around eleven years.

I review ‘commercial women’s fiction’ for the Express, and my reviews are usually featured in their S Magazine on a Sunday.

I’ve been a judge for the Crime Writer’s Association Dagger Awards – International Dagger (translated fiction) for the past three years, and was a judge for the British Book Awards (Pageturners category) in 2021.

As well as reading and writing about books, I organise Blog Tours on the behalf of publishers and directly for authors. I now do this full time after a long career in the NHS and the voluntary sector.

I have presented training sessions for Road Scholar in the US, for students at Lincoln University and spoken at the Conference for Self Published Authors.

When I am not reading, I am eating, or planning my next holiday.

Twitter @annecater

https://randomthingsthroughmyletterbox.blogspot.com/

DECADES

A Woman of Substance by Barbara Taylor-Bradford (1979)

I don’t really remember moving up from children’s fiction to adult fiction. I don’t remember Young Adult fiction being around when I was in my teens. I seemed to be reading The Famous Five one day and then, all of a sudden, I was in the middle of sweeping sagas and bonkbusters!

I still have my original paperback copies of The Woman of Substance trilogy of books. They are battered and torn and so well-loved. Recent interviews have shown me that I probably wouldn’t actually get along with this author as a person, but by God she can write a story!

The rags-to-riches story of Emma Hart is one that myself, my Mum and my Nana all read and all loved. Set in the North and featuring a strong willed woman, determined to succeed at all costs. Unlucky in love and betrayed many times, Emma was my ultimate heroine.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Maragaret Atwood (1985)

I was nineteen years old and my reading diet comprised bonkbusters, crime fiction and lots of romance. I spotted the cover of this one as I browsed in the Library on my lunch break and thought I’d give it a go.
This was so far out of my comfort zone and took me ages to read. I think I had to renew my loan at least twice. However, I was totally compelled and utterly horrified by the story. It’s not easy to read, the style is complex and the themes are emotionally draining.

I have never ever forgotten it and recently re-read it. It is still a masterpiece, but it felt like a totally different book, reading it with my years of experience, instead of a fairly innocent young girl.

Our greatest living author. No doubt.

Lady Boss by Jackie Collins (1990)

This is the third book in the Lucky Santangelo series, the sequel to ‘Chances’ and ‘Lucky’, and only just sneaks into the 90s. However, I have to include Jackie ‘The Boss’ Collins.

Most women of my age will have devoured these books too. Lucky Santangelo is a ball-breaker business woman, on her fourth marriage by the time Lady Boss is out.

What a woman! For a young woman who lived in a tiny village in the middle of England, this was totally and utterly eye-opening ….. and eye-watering in parts.
The glamour, the fashion, the parties, the sex!
Truly magnificent.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (2007)

By this time, my choice of reading had expanded dramatically. I was reading more literary fiction, more fiction set in other countries and I was learning more.

I’d read Hossieni’s first novel, The Kite Runner and had been blown away by it. I was desperate to get my hands on this one.

What is so very special about this book is that Hosseini tells the story from a female viewpoint. Maybe this would be frowned upon today, I don’t know, but what I do know is that it is heartfelt and beautifully done. I was very ignorant of what was happening in Afghanistan then, I knew little about the Taliban or how women were treated.

There’s a scene in this story that still haunts me, all these years later. I see the news this year and I think of Mariam; the lead character, and it chills me. Hauntingly beautiful and just as relevant today as it was then.

Breakers by Doug Johnstone (2016)

I had read Doug Johnstone before I read this one. I’d always enjoyed his books, but Breakers, for me, took his writing to another level.

It is probably one of the hardest hitting, contemporary stories that I’ve ever read. At its heart, it is a crime novel, but it is also an expressive and insightful story about modern family life. With a mixture of humour, violence and community spirit, it is a book that totally encapsulates what it is to be different and how hard it is to overcome the constraints of your natural environment.

Beautifully and perfectly crafted.

When I started my blog back in 2014 I don’t think I ever envisaged a time when Barbara Taylor Bradford would appear on these pages. But in the context of a library of the best books out there then it is absolutely right BTB appears – I sold barrowloads of her books back when I was a baby-faced bookseller. My thanks to Anne for finding time away from her spreadsheets to make her Decades choices.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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January 24

Dead Souls – Angela Marsons

When a collection of human bones is unearthed during a routine archaeological dig, a Black Country field suddenly becomes a complex crime scene for Detective Kim Stone.

As the bones are sorted, it becomes clear that the grave contains more than one victim. The bodies hint at unimaginable horror, bearing the markings of bullet holes and animal traps.

Forced to work alongside Detective Travis, with whom she shares a troubled past, Kim begins to uncover a dark secretive relationship between the families who own the land in which the bodies were found.

But while Kim is immersed in one of the most complicated investigations she’s ever led, her team are caught up in a spate of sickening hate crimes. Kim is close to revealing the truth behind the murders, yet soon finds one of her own is in jeopardy – and the clock is ticking. Can she solve the case and save them from grave danger – before it’s too late?

An addictive, sinister crime thriller that will have readers on the edge of their seat.

My thanks to Bookouture for the review copy I received through Netgalley

It is almost five years since Dead Souls released. I have been meaning to read and review this book for a long old time but *somehow* five years slipped by and the book remained on my kindle calling to me. Obviously the series has moved on somewhat since this sixth book was released so I am behind. This is excellent news for me though, it means there are lots more Kim Stone books to look forward to and there are fewer bloggers posting spoilers on the next title in the series as they post cryptic reactions to the latest Kim Stone cliffhangers 🙂

Although Bloggers do try to share reviews of new and upcoming books, good books never get old and an unread book will always be new to someone. Dead Souls is a great book and well worth the wait I put myself through to return to a favourite series.

Stone is reunited with her former partner. The two fell out some years before and relations remained tense ever since. They had worked for two different forces but now a body has been found in a field which sits on the boundary between the two different authorities and the pair will be brought together. It’s going to be a distraction from the investigation which is managing to grow arms and legs of it’s own (literally) as the body in the grave has more limbs than a body should – a mass grave? Multiple victims?

The centre of focus for Stone must be the two families that share the land. It’s an odd relationship as the landowners are allowing a second family to live on their land seemingly free of charge…what could have occured in the past for such a generous offer to be made?

Meanwhile Kim’s colleagues are stepping up to cover the other cases which Stone cannot assist with. There are a series of racially motivated attacks taking place and investigations suggest there may be links between the crimes. This is a difficult read as there are BNP and white supremacist characters who do not bring joy or entertainment to my reading. Their hatred is toxic but the police have to deal with the abuse and the anger of their suspects as they try to extract information through calm and patient questionning.

Angela Marsons does a great job of balancing the toxic elements of her supporting cast with a thoughtful and pertinant response. It gives this novel a much more gritty feel and you really want to see the bad guys get their comeuppance. Shocks in store on that front!

A great series and Dead Souls was a delight to return to after my extended hiatus.

Dead Souls is published by Bookouture and is available to order here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06XFZYNM1/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i10

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