October 28

Decades: Compiling The Ultimate Library with Molly Macabre

It is time for a Halloween trip to my Decades Library.

Welcome back to my ongoing quest to assemble the ultimate reading experience – my Ulitmate Library curated by book lovers, readers, authors, bloggers, journalists and publishers. In January 2021 I set out to fill the shelves of a brand new Library. I felt it an almost impossible task; to be faced with rows and rows of empty shelves and challenged with filling those empty spaces with briliant reads.

As I knew I could not possibly hope to fill the empty library alone I invited friends to help me put their favourite books onto those shelves. I ask them to nominate books which they feel should be included in the Ultimate Library – the not to be missed books they loved or that influenced them. So why is my Ultimate Library a Decades Library?

When my guest curators nominate the books to add to the Library shelves they have just two rulest to follow:

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

The Decades Library.

If you have not visited the Library before today this site is fully searchable and, as I am approaching the one hundredth instalment of Decades, there are lots of amazing book recommendations and nostalgic reads to catch up on.

As this is Halloween week I am delighted to be able to welcome Dark Bloom author, Molly Macabre to Grab This Book. As ever I pass the Curator Hat to my guest and I take a back seat:

 

Molly Macabre has been writing since middle school, working in genres that explore the dark crevices of mental health. After years of writing short stories and poetry, her debut novel released in 2024. A lover of all things spooky, Molly enjoys horror movies and books, noting Stephen King as her biggest literary influence. When Molly is not writing the darkest things her mind can conjure, she enjoys exploring dungeons, preferably ones rich with loot and guarded by dragons, playing video games, or listening to face-melting metal breakdowns.

You can catch up with Molly through her linktree: www.linktr.ee/mollymacabre

 

 

 

 

DECADES

1986

It by Stephen King

 

It is a creepy adventure and a brilliant tale about facing our fears. King does an incredible job building the lives and emotions of the characters. We watch them endure the ultimate tests of chilling events, and cheer them on in their resiliency.

 

 

 

 

 

1991

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

 

This is not a book I recommend lightly. It is, by far, one of the most difficult books I have ever read regarding gore and torture. It is also one of the most unique books I have ever read. The narrator is unhinged and unpredictable. The events are wild and interesting. I spent the entirety of the book wondering if it was all a metaphor and came up with no answers but the certain feeling that sometimes trying to conform can drive a person utterly insane.

 

 

 

2008

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

 

I loved this series as a young adult. Featuring strong characters and an in-depth dystopian world, the Hunger Games revived my reading hobby after a long hiatus. I devoured this book, loving everything from the intense action to the heartwrenching emotions to the well-earned romance.

 

 

 

 

2016

The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison

 

A dark tale with many twists and turns, this book was one of the first that got me into eerie thrillers. A man collects women he finds beautiful, hoping to preserve them and accentuate his garden. So many secrets and questions.

 

 

 

 

2024

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

 

This book is told from the point of view of an eight-year-old girl. I listened to this one as an audiobook, and the narrator actually performed as a young girl which only added to the creepyness. The very first chapter sets the pace for this chilling ghost story, putting me on the edge of my seat and leaving me there for the rest of the book. Malerman uses all the right techniques to spook the reader and I loved every minute. I was so curious how it could possibly end after delivering such a well-paced, terrifying narrative. The ending blew me away.

 

 

 

 

My thanks to Molly for making these selections. I have never made my own Decades choices but if (or when) I finally do I will start in 1986 with IT – my favourite book. I actually whooped when I saw Molly had selected It to be added to the Library Shelves.

I am also extremely excited to see Incidents Around The House – the June 2024 publication date makes this the newest of all the titles which can be found in my Decades Library…the previous “newest” book was published in 2022. In chronological order the Library begins with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and culminates with Incidents Around The House. How long until those two books are replaced at the start/end points?

 

Dark Bloom is available in digital and paperback format:

When a disease runs rampant, turning people into cannibalistic horrors, society comes to a halt. Kate manages to escape the sadistic captivity she has endured and collides with Nick, a Marine haunted by the scars of war.

They join forces to navigate a treacherous landscape, battling the undead and hostile survivors. But what happens when the monsters outside are the least of their worries?

Nick’s shame is crushing, and Kate’s distrust is swallowing her whole. Will they overcome the darkness that threatens to consume them from within? And what will become of a world overrun with creatures that cannot seem to stop…laughing?

DECADES WILL RETURN

 

 

 

 

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June 23

Decades: Compiling The Ultimate Library With Eve Smith

Welcome back to the Decades Library, my ongoing quest to assemble a collection of the very best reading recommendations.

Back in January 2021 I pondered the question: If I had a brand new library and was faced with empty shelves, which unmissable books should I put into my new Library to ensure only the very best books were available for the readers.  This was far too great a challenge to undertake on my own so I have been inviting guests to join me and asking them to nominate five of their favourite books which they believe should be added to my library shelves. My guests have included authors, publishers, journalists and bloggers – all booklovers and the variety of titles they have suggested has been astonishing.

Why is my Library called the Decades Library? Although I said my guests are asked to nominate five of their favourite books I haven’t quite made it as straightforward as that. I ask my guests to follow two rules when making their selections:

1 – Choose Any Five Books
2 – You Can Only Choose One Book Per Decades From Five Consecutive Decades

The oldest book to feature (so far) was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland which was first published in 1865. The most recent release was published in 2022 – Sinead Crowley’s The Belladonna Maze.  There have been many, many titles published in between these two which have also found their way to the Library shelves. I hope to be able to add many more too.

And now that we have been reminded of the rules and the ultimate aim of my Decades Library it is time for me to hand over to my guest: Eve Smith.

 

Eve Smith writes speculative thrillers, mainly about the things that scare her. She attributes her love of all things dark and dystopian to a childhood watching Tales of the Unexpected and Edgar Allen Poe double bills.

Longlisted for the Not the Booker Prize and described by Waterstones as “an exciting new voice in crime fiction”, Eve’s debut novel, The Waiting Rooms, set in the aftermath of an antibiotic resistance crisis, was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize First Novel Award and was selected as a Guardian Book of the Month. It was followed by Off-Target, about a world where genetic engineering of children is routine. Her latest thriller, One, is set in a near-future Britain ravaged by the climate crisis where a one-child policy is ruthlessly enforced. Eve’s previous job at an environmental charity took her to research projects across Asia, Africa and the Americas, and she has an ongoing passion for wild creatures, wild science and far-flung places.

You can order One and purchase Eve’s other books from all good retailers or directly from Orenda Books: https://orendabooks.co.uk/product/one www.evesmithauthor.com Twitter @evecsmith Instagram, Facebook and TikTok: evesmithauthor

 

DECADES

The Shining, Stephen King 1977 

 

This has to go down as one of the most frightening books I’ve read. Then I watched the Stanley Kubrick film adaptation which really did (and still does) scare the pants off me. I put it to the test with my daughters last year, and despite all the CGI and technical wizardry they’re accustomed to, they still said it was the most terrifying thing they had ever watched. Now they just need to read the book… 

 

 

 

 

The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood 1985 

 

I remember watching the original film of The Handmaid’s Tale with my sister. We’d never seen anything like it. I rushed out and bought the book and then proceeded to read everything by Margaret Atwood that I could get my hands on. I love the way she dramatises important issues in thrilling alternative worlds that feel chillingly plausible. Her work has been a major inspiration to me. 

 

 

 

 

The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver 1998 

 

I read The Poisonwood Bible with a local book club. The novel is about a missionary family who settle in the Belgian Congo. I don’t know how many times I cried, but it has to be one of my all-time favourites. Such a powerful story about family and motherhood, and the tragedies we unwittingly let loose on those we love most, despite our best intentions. 

 

 

 

 

 

Under the Skin, Michel Faber 2000  

 

Under the Skin is probably one of the most surprising books I have read. I mustn’t give any spoilers, but it almost changes genres part-way through. A tantalising mystery intrigues from the first page with tight, atmospheric writing and beautiful descriptions of the Scottish countryside. I thought it was brilliant.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel 2014 

Station Eleven is a stunning speculative novel that conveys a haunting vision of a post-pandemic world that we never could have imagined might become our reality. Beautifully written, with lyrical prose sweeping across continents, you are drawn into each character’s plight as they attempt to navigate the crisis. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five terrific reads to welcome Decades back. Another week where i have not read all five of the books recommended so I add two to my ever growing wishlist. Huge thanks to Eve for bringing back the Decades Library with these top reading recommendations. Don’t miss out on One – Eve’s new book – which releases in July from Orenda Books and can be ordered here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/one/eve-smith/9781914585746 or at your favourite independent bookstore.

 

 

DECADES WILL RETURN

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June 13

Twenty Books For Summer 1 of 20 – Elevation (Stephen King)

Castle Rock is a small town, where word gets around quickly. That’s why Scott Carey wants to confide only in his friend Doctor Bob Ellis about his strange condition: he’s losing weight, without getting thinner, and the scales register the same when he is in his clothes or out of them, however heavy they are.

Scott also has new neighbours, who have opened a ‘fine dining experience’ in town, although it’s an experience being shunned by the locals; Deidre McComb and her wife Missy Donaldson don’t exactly fit in with the community’s expectations. And now Scott seems trapped in a feud with the couple over their dogs dropping their business on his lawn. Missy may be friendly, but Deidre is cold as ice.

As the town prepares for its annual Thanksgiving 12k run, Scott starts to understand the prejudices his neighbours face and he tries to help. Unlikely alliances form and the mystery of Scott’s affliction brings out the best in people who have indulged the worst in themselves and others.

 

 

I am taking part in the Twenty Books For Summer reading challenge (explained here) and the first review I get to write is for Elevation by Stephen King. It is a book I have had in my TBR for over 12 months and I picked up my copy at a charity bookshop, it was pristine condition and is a gorgeous wee hardback book.

Elevation was not the first book I started from my 20 planned summer reads, it just so happened I could not find the Lawrence Block book I was reading so I grabbed Elevation from the top of the stack. On a beautiful Scottish summer evening I sat in my garden as the sun went down and the heat of the day left us and I devoured this story in a single sitting. Not that this meant I had a lot of content to read, Elevation is only around 140 pages long and the whole book took me just 90 mins to complete.

Although my copy only cost me £2 I suspect I may have had second thoughts about picking up the book on initial release when it was a slim hardback retaling at £14.99.  I am a King fan but this seems a little steep for a read so brief. The Kindle version can now be claimed for £5 with the paperback retailing at £7 – that’s more manageable. Particularly as there is a lot to like in this story from a familiar King setting – we’re back in Castle Rock.

While the key thread to the story is fantastical there’s a healthy dose of King turning his attention to intolerances and prejudice as he gives a strong supporting cast the opportunity to shine. There are direct barbs to the Trumpian intolerances which are seeping back into American dialogue and I applauded how King tackled and called out those discriminatory elements.

Our lead character is Scott Carey. Scott is seeking the advice of the town’s retired doctor as Scott is losing weight. But his weight loss is not showing – on the outside he looks the same, sturdy (chunky) and people would likely say he could stand to lose a few pounds. But Scott IS losing a few pounds, one every couple of days it seems. Yet he can also fill his pockets with heavy coins or tools and they will have no impact upon the weight shown on his scales, it almost seems Scott can hold something and it will instantly become weightless. We follow Scott’s story as his weight drops and, like Scott, we will wonder what happens when he reaches zero.

My initial thought was that Elevation sounded like King’s earlier novel Thinner. A lead character in that stoty who is shedding weight after being cursed – the two tales are very different and other than the declining weight of the lead character they have little in common. Elevation stands well on its own and it gave me several cheering moments as Scott navigates the changes which are happening to his body but also to the town of Castle Rock.

A good start to my reading challenge – I never regret reading a Stephen King story.

 

Elevation can be ordered in digital, paperback and audiobook format: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07DNFC1C9/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i34

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March 10

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Steve Stred

Welcome to the latest update to my Decades Library.

Since January 2021 I have invited a guest to join me each week and I ask them which books they would add to my “ultimate library”.  I began this project with a question: If I had to fill a brand new library with nothing but the very best books – which books should I add to the library shelves?

Clearly that is a huge undertaking for one person to take on so I ask my guests to help me select the books for the Decades Library – they have to nominate their favourites or the books they consider unmissable and I will add them to my Library. But there’s a catch! I can’t just keep it vague and ask for “good books” I had to set some rules which would govern their choices. Two Rules.

1 – You Can Choose ANY Five Books
2 – You Can Only Choose One Book Per Decade From Five Consecutive Decades

Which is why I call my library the Decades Library.

This week I am delighted to take the Decades Library across the Altantic Ocean to pass the curator’s hat to Steve Stred. I’m a fan of horror stories but don’t read anywhere near as many as I would like. Fortunately Twitter lets me keep track of some wonderful reading recommendations and Steve’s Tweets often flag up new names and suggestions which I then try to hunt down.

When I saw Steve Tweeting about discussing other writer’s work I immedately contacted him to ask if he would like to take part in Decades, happily he was able to spare some time to make his selections – over to Steve.

 

 Steve Stred, A 2X Splatterpunk-Nominated Author. Steve Stred lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, with his wife, son and their staffy, Cocoa. 

His work has been described as haunting, bleak and is frequently set in the woods near where he grew up. He’s been fortunate to appear in numerous anthologies with some truly amazing authors. 

 

DECADES

 

1970-80 – The Neverending Story by Michael Ende (Translated by Ralph Manheim), 1979 

Now, my first experience with this novel was actually through watching the film adaptation of the same name. Of course, the film only follows the first half of the book, but after I had watched this for about the 100th time, I read the novel and was just blown away. Part fantasy, part thriller, part horror novel, it covers a lot of ground and doesn’t go easy on any of its characters. The book kind of showed me how I could approach my own writing – write what I love and not be confined to a singular genre. I love this novel (and movie) so much, that my wife and I named our son, Auryn, after the all-powerful amulet featured within. 

 

 

 

 

 

1980-90 – Pet Sematary by Stephen King, 1983 

 

‘Sometimes dead is better.’ I mean, King was my first introduction to true out and out horror. I was eight or nine when my neighbor let me borrow some of her King books. One of my first reads of his was Pet Sematary and I was destroyed and traumatized and begging for more. There are so many phenomenal scenes throughout, but it really set the stage for just how dark dark can be. I loved this one, but I don’t know if I can bring myself to go back and read it, now that I’m a dad. 

 

 

 

 

1990-2000 – Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, 1990 

I actually read this novel before the movie came out. Again, my neighbor let me borrow this book (and The Andromeda Strain) and I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I think this novel has influenced me heavily in the sense of a lot of my books taking place in the wilderness, things going horrifically wrong, and people having to try and survive against the creatures out there that want to kill them. Crichton has a magical way of writing his stories with fanciful prose, while maintaining a scientific eye to detail. 

 

 

 

 

 

2000-2010 – The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, 2008 

The timing of this novel coming into my life was perfect and horrific. One of my former bosses recommended it to me. I started reading it. Maybe two days after starting it, our dog at the time, OJ, had a spinal stroke and was partially paralyzed in his hind end. So, reading a novel from a dog’s perspective was a unique and enjoyable experience, but also really hard and emotional, knowing that OJ couldn’t speak to us and describe to us things he felt or what he needed. I know they made a movie out of this book, but for me, the book was so perfect, I don’t think I’ll be able to bring myself to ever watch it. 

 

 

 

2010-2020 – The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper, 2013 

If you follow me on any of my social media pages, you’ll know my love of Andrew Pyper’s work. The Demonologist was my introduction to him, and I can’t understate it when I say, discovering this novel changed my life. Not only as a reader, but also as a writer. When I found this book, I didn’t know this type of material was being written by Canadian authors. Yes, I was a sheltered kid, living in the middle of nowhere and the internet was just becoming a bigger part of my life when I found this book, but up until then, Stephen King and Michael Crichton were the ‘dark writers’ I read. This novel showed me how beautiful horror can still be, but also that you didn’t have to be American to be a successful horror author. It follows an expert on Paradise Lost, David Ullman, who is a non-believer in the demonic. He gets invited to Rome, to see for himself something that will change his beliefs, but ends up having to search for his daughter, when she’s potentially taken by a demon. Just a truly phenomenal and emotional experience. 

 

 

 

This was quite the reading journey – The Neverending Story to The Demonologist. Don’t say Decades doesn’t bring a diverse mix of titles to my Library. Huge thanks to Steve.

 

DECADES WILL RETURN

 

 

 

 

 

 

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January 27

Decades: Compiling The Ultimate Library with Heather J. Fitt

It was this very week in 2021 that I launched my Decades quest. So before we go any further I’d like to wish the Decades Library a very happy second birthday. Little did I suspect my quest to compile one of the best digital libraries would still be ongoing after all this time. Despite a couple of unplanned breaks in the second half of last year (demands of the day job) I have been honoured to host so many incredible guests here at Grab This Book – each prepared to give up some of their time to talk about the books they love.  I am beyond grateful for their kindness and the time they gave to keep the Decades Library growing.

But perhaps this is your first visit to the Decades Library?  You are very welcome, please let me explain what’s about to happen.  I set myself a challenge two years ago. If I had a brand new library which had no books on any of its empty shelves, which books should I bring to the Library to ensure it only offered the very best books to readers?

I quickly realised that I could not answer that question alone so I enlisted some help. Authors, bloggers, publishers, journalists have joined me over the last two years and nominated their favourite “unmissable” books which they think the very best library should offer. But I don’t just ask them to pick books at random – I made up rules.  Two rules to be exact and this is why I refer to my library as the Decades Library.

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

Easy!  Or is it?  Have a go at making your five selections and see how quickly you can nail down all five from five consecutive decades.  It’s not by accident that after two years I still haven’t managed to make my own five choices.

But enough of my rambling, it is time for me to give way and allow my first guest of 2023 to take the floor. This week sees the publication of Heather J. Fitt’s second novel (The Flight) so what better time to let Heather tell you about five of her favourite books….

 

Heather was born in Scotland and after moving around Europe with her parents and sister, settled in Hampshire where she met her husband, Stuart.

After leaving the rat-race in 2018, Heather re-trained as an editor and proof-reader and entered the world of publishing. These days she works as a part-time freelancer and a part-time Commissioning Advisor for Bloodhound.

Heather was inspired to start writing her novel by the authors who have become her closest friends. Now the ideas are flowing she has plans to write several more over the coming years.

Her debut novel, Open Your Eyes, was published in 2022 by Bloodhound Books, and her latest, The Flight, was published on 26th January 2023.

You can get Heather’s books here:

Open Your Eyes geni.us/OpenYourEyes_

The Flight https://geni.us/TheFlightCover

And Heather is online at all these places:

Twitter: @HeatherJFitt

Instagram: @heatherjfitt

Facebook: Heather J. Fitt Author

TikTok: @heatherjfitt

DECADES

 

1980s – The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay

This is a book I borrowed from someone at school, and, despite its length, I devoured. It’s also one of the few books I’ve read several times over.

 

 

 

 

 

1990s – 13 More Tales of Horror by Various Authors

 

This is a bit of a cheat. I was a teenager is the 1990s – well, for most of them – and I LOVED all of the Point Horror books, so this anthology really represents all of them!

 

 

 

 

 

2000s – On Writing by Stephen King

 

I read this one in the last few years. I’m sure many people will have picked it, but it really is an excellent book and it’s not just for writers.

 

 

 

 

 

2010s – Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes

To me, this is one of the best and most important fiction books that discusses domestic violence. To this day, the character Lee terrifies me.

 

 

 

 

 

2020s – Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby

 

Shawn Cosby is a fairly new author on the block, but when I read this last year I knew I was going to read everything he ever wrote. I would say it’s a book of our time, and don’t forget, “love is love”.

 

 

 

 

Brilliant! Five great selections to kick off the new season of Decades. I am always delighted to see horror stories added to the Library shelves (and we don’t have many short story collections) so the Point Horror collection made me happy.

My memory is awful but is this the first time a book has made it into the Library which was written by a former Library Curator? Elizabeth Haynes made her five selections last year and now Into The Darkest Corner has found its way onto the Library shelves. I would be greatful if someone with a better memory than mine can tell me if this is indeed the first time this has happened. Then I look at Razorblade Tears and it reminds me that Mr Cosby is very high on my wishlist of future guests – he just doesn’t know it yet. Does anyone want to warn him?

My thanks to Heather for these wonderful reading recommendaitions. Don’t forget to pick up your copy of her brand new book The Flight – published this very week: The Flight https://geni.us/TheFlightCover

 

DECADES WILL RETURN

 

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May 16

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Caron McKinlay

It isn’t Friday but it IS time for a return to the Decades Library. It has been a while since we last visited the Library and I apologise for the brief hiatus which just so happened to coincide with a change of role in the day job (same job, new work), exam season in Scotland (teenager Grab has been working hard and we have been supporting where we can) plus lots of other fun reading things which I simply cannot talk about just yet.

But it’s time the Library welcomed a new curator and as it is Publication Day for The Storytellers I wanted to share Caron McKinlay’s selections today – rather than wait for Friday to roll around.

As it has been a couple of weeks I will recap what the Decades Library is all about. I am assembling a Library of the very best books. I started this project back in January 2021 and I had no books on my Library shelves. I did not know which books would represent the “very best” and I knew that I would not be able to fill a Library with just my personal selections so I invite guests to join me and ask them to nominate their selections for inclusion within the Decades Library. I ask them to pick their favourite or memorable reads or the books which they believe the best libraries should offer to readers.

Each guest must follow just two simple rules when nominating books to the Decades Library:

1 – Select ANY Five Books
2 – You May Only Select One Book Per Decade From Five Consecutive Decades.

 

So with a huge congratulations on publication day I pass to Caron McKinlay for five new selections.

Caron grew up in a mining town on the east coast of Scotland where her dad would return from the pit and fill her life with his tall tales. She never thought about making a career in writing – that was what posh people did, not someone from a working-class council estate.

However, her father’s death was the cause of deep introspection and her emotions gave birth to a short story, Cash, which was published in the Scottish Book Trust’s anthology, Blether. This gave her the confidence to try and believe in herself.

When not blogging, reading, and writing, Caron spends her time with her daughters. She doesn’t enjoy exercise – but loves running around after her grandsons, Lyle and Noah, to whom she is devoted.

Caron had three childhood dreams in life: to become a published author, to become a teacher, and for David Essex to fall in love with her. Two out of three ain’t bad, and she’s delighted with that.

You can buy The Storytellers here: https://geni.us/theStorytellers

And Find Caron here:

www.twitter.com/caronmckinlay

www.instagram.com/caronmckinlay

www.facebook.com/mckinlaycaron

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZML8bGo9h/

Good Reads

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60844999-the-storytellers

Website

http://www.caronmckinlay.com

 

Decades

 

The 1980s

‘The Silence of the Lambs’ by Thomas Harris

Contemporary takes on the novel focus on Hannibal Lecter, the fearsome imprisoned serial murderer antagonist. But as the title suggests, the book is as much about the FBI agent Clarice Starling, her childhood as an orphan, and the screaming of slaughtered lambs on her cousin’s farm she experienced as a child. An eerie relationship grows between Starling and Lecter, as, perhaps for the first time in his life, he experiences empathy for another. Not exactly a love story, but a fascinating depiction of the way that relationships can grow, like weeds, in the unlikeliest of places as, at the end, he writes to her that he hopes, for her, the lambs have stopped screaming. I will never forget a section of the narrative where I thought “Huh what just happened” and had to turn back to read the pages again. I loved that!

 

 

The 1990s

‘The Notebook’ by Nicholas Sparks

I have always been swept away by grand romances. One of my favourite books is Wuthering Heights. In its own way, ‘The Notebook’ evokes the same sense, for me, of two people whose love transcends the passage of time and events. “I’ve loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough”. How romantic? Of course, like all the best books, the story is unfolded in ways that you would never expect, beginning with an old man reading a ’story’ to an old woman in a nursing home. But who are they, and who are the characters in the story he tells her? It’s such a beautiful story that makes me cry every time I read it.

 

 

 

The 2000s

‘The Time Traveller’s Wife’ by Audrey Niffenegger

Write a book that involves time travel, and you already have me halfway there. But this is so much more. The poignant story of how Clare waits, as the years roll by, to be reunited with her one true love as he is flung across history and back again is both heart-breaking and uplifting. The love story is what captures you. But it only works because of the superb manner in which Niffenegger deals with the time travel element, allowing you to suspend disbelief long enough to become enthralled with Clare and Henry’s relationship. Another one that had me sobbing at the end.

 

 

 

The 2010s

‘11/22/63’ by Stephen King

This mix of time travel and one of the world’s great storytellers is just hard to beat. As ever, with King, the characters leap off the page, and their stories are never as straightforward as you would have imagined. The central character, Jake, has set himself the task of using a time portal to travel back in time to prevent John F. Kennedy’s assassination. But life, for a character in one of King’s novels, is never easy and, in the end, he is forced to confront a moral dilemma.  This was brilliantly plotted.

 

 

 

The 2020s

‘The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue’ by V.E. Schwab

Yet more twisty time travels. There might be a theme developing here. In the eighteenth century, a young woman barters her soul to avoid an enforced marriage. Consigned by the Devil, to live forever but be remembered by no one. We follow her life and struggles as she learns to live a lonely life. But in the twenty-first century, she finally finds love with someone, Henry, who does remember her. What will the Devil do now? Such gorgeous prose and the book I wish I had the talent to write. It was always remain one of my favourite books.

 

 

 

 

I am reading The Storytellers at the moment and enjoying it immensely. Unfortunatley the secret reading I am doing is keeping me away from finishing it for the present but a review will be forthcoming as soon as I can catch up!

As for these magnificent Decades selections – I am delighted that another Stephen King book has made its way onto the Library shelves (particularly as it is one of my favourites). And The Notebook! That’s a real crowd pleaser too.

 

DECADES WILL RETURN

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March 11

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Margaret Kirk

Seven days seem to fly past so quickly at the moment and already I find I am rolling out the red carpet to welcome a new guest curator to the Decades Library.

Have you visited the Decades Library before? Let me quickly explain what’s happening.

Back in January 2021 I asked myself the question: If I were to build a new library from the ground up which books would I put on the shelves to make sure only the best books were represented?  I quickly realised this was not a question I could answer alone so I have been inviting guests to join me here at Grab This Book and asking them to nominate five of their favourite books which they feel deserve a place in my Decades Library.

Why is it a Decades Library? Well there are two rules governing the choices my guests can make.

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

Easy. In theory. But when it comes to making those selections and narrowing down which decades to represent I am told it can get a bit more challenging than you may believe.

Today I am delighted to pass the Curator’s Hat to Margaret Kirk who (before you scroll down) has selected five brilliant books which I will add to the shelves of the Decades Library.

 

Margaret Kirk writes ‘Highland Noir’ Scottish crime fiction with a gothic twist, set in and around her home town of Inverness.

Her debut novel, Shadow Man, won the Good Housekeeping First Novel Competition in 2016. Described as ‘a harrowing and horrific game of consequences’ by Val McDermid, it was published in 2017 by Orion. Book 2 in the DI Lukas Mahler series, What Lies Buried, was published in June 2019. Book 3, In The Blood, is set in Inverness and Orkney and is available from all good book stores.

Margaret is also the writer of several award-winning short stories, including The Seal Singers, which has been published in translation in Germany and Switzerland.

You can find Margaret here:

Website:  https://margaretmortonkirk.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MargaretKirkAuthor/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/HighlandWriter

And Margaret’s books are here:

Amazon: Shadow Man https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shadow-Man-Margaret-Kirk-ebook/dp/B06VVS5P1H/ref

What Lies Buried https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Lies-Buried-Margaret-Kirk-ebook/dp/B07N6DRL4K/ref

In The Blood https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Margaret-Kirk-ebook/dp/B07ZK9CMXN/ref

OR

Hive https://www.hive.co.uk/

(supports local independent bookshops)

 

DECADES

 

Thank you for inviting me to contribute to Decades ! I changed my mind several times about which decade would be my starting point – I very nearly picked the 1890s, because I wanted to include a certain iconic horror novel. But how would it be fair to include Dracula and leave out Frankenstein, Mary Shelley’s more nuanced and arguably much more disturbing creation of 1818? And then I couldn’t have had one of my great heroes of the classic mystery genre, Dorothy L Sayers.

In the end, I’ve gone all modern, which allows me to genre-hop as I please, something I was also keen to do. My picks are all fairly well-known, but hopefully there’s something for everyone here – and I thoroughly recommend each and every one of them!

 

1970s – ‘Salem’s Lot  (Stephen King)

Very early Stephen King, and no, it’s not his best. It shows its age in places, and his protagonist, Ben Mears, is not a particularly compelling character. But King’s portrayal of small-town American life and attitudes always fascinates me, and this novel was the first I’d read which grabbed vampires by their mouldering, cobwebby capes and chucked them out into the contemporary world. Where, it seems to me, they have the potential to be infinitely more terrifying than confined to their Transylvanian homeland …

 

https://www.waterstones.com/book/salems-lot/stephen-king/9781444708141

 

 

 

1980s – Silence of the Lambs (Thomas Harris)

What can I say about this one that hasn’t been said?  It’s a masterful study in suspense, in drama, in character creation and development – there’s a reason so many books and courses on crime-writing pick this one apart to analyse the brilliance of its construction. (And let’s not forget, spawner of a million internet memes … 😉

 

https://www.waterstones.com/book/silence-of-the-lambs/thomas-harris/9780099532927

 

 

 

 

1990s – Good Omens (Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman)

The book which my husband and I bonded over, pretty much at our first meeting. I love fantasy, and I love clever, witty writing with a bit of bite. Is there any wonder this is one of my favourite books? (No, not another vampire reference). Pratchett is a huge loss to the writing world, and we’re all the poorer for not having him around to skewer the cruel and the vainglorious and the stupid in his own inimitable way.

 

https://www.waterstones.com/book/good-omens/neil-gaiman/terry-pratchett/9780552171892

 

 

 

2000s – On Writing (Stephen King)

Seriously, another Stephen King? Hey, my list, my rules. And this is his brutally honest and hugely influential non-fiction memoir and look back over his writing life. I read it initially just as a huge King fan, but now I think it was what gave me that initial nudge to think maybe I could try my hand at this writing thing (so if you were looking for someone to blame …)

Seriously, it’s one of the best books on writing I’ve read, mainly because it’s so honest and down-to-earth. And the final section on editing, where he actually shows how he does it? So, so good.

 

https://www.waterstones.com/book/on-writing/stephen-king/9781444723250

 

 

2010s – Just One Damned Thing After Another (Jodi Taylor)

‘St Mary’s – a group of tea-soaked disaster magnets who hurtle their way around History.’ Yep, that pretty much describes the protagonists of Jodi Taylor’s brilliantly irreverent take on the whole time travel concept (sorry, Dr Bairstow). But beneath the historical mayhem, there’s a subtle but growing darkness that hooked me from the outset. Another firm favourite!

 

https://www.waterstones.com/book/just-one-damned-thing-after-another/jodi-taylor/9781472264268

 

 

 

 

Boom – that’s how you do a Decades selection. King (twice) and Pratchett/Gaimen. Although I have never tried to nail down my personal five selections (I will save that for the very last Decades post) I would bet the farm on Good Omens making it into my five – no book has ever matched it for me. My thanks to Margaret for taking on the Decades Challenge, as ever, my apologies to your TBR.

 

 

DECADES WILL RETURN

 

 

 

Category: Decades | Comments Off on Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Margaret Kirk
February 25

Decades: Compiling the Ulitmate Library with Fiona Cummins

It’s time to add five new books to the Decades Library. Each week I am joined by a guest who nominates five new books to be added to my ultimate collection of essential reading.

Back in January 2021 I asked myself the question: If you had to fill a brand new library with nothing but the very best books, which books would you put on the shelves? I knew this was not a challenge I could complete alone so I invited authors, publishers, journalists and bloggers to help me. I ask each of my guests to pick five books which they feel should be included in my Decades Library.

Why do I call it a Decades Library? Although my guests are allowed to select any five books I ask that they only select one book per decade from five consecutive decades. This ensures I get a broad range of titles as it’s highly unusual for one author to have a backlist so extensive it covers five decades. There is one fellow though, King his name is, he pops up quite often…in fact stick around there’s another King novel making its debut in the Library this week.

This week it is my pleasure to welcome Fiona Cummins to Grab This Book. Regular readers will know I love the stories with a dark edge to them so it’s a real thrill for me to be able to share Fiona’s selections and add her chosen books to my library…

 

Fiona Cummins is an award-winning former showbusiness journalist and a graduate of the Faber Academy’s Writing A Novel course, where she now tutors in Writing Crime.

Her bestselling novels – RATTLE, THE COLLECTOR, THE NEIGHBOUR and WHEN I WAS TEN – have received widespread critical acclaim from authors including Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, Lee Child, Martina Cole and David Baldacci. Her fifth book INTO THE DARK will be published in April 2022. She is published in more than 15 languages.

When Fiona is not writing, she can be found on Twitter at @FionaAnnCummins, walking her dogs or indulging her love of nature photography.

When I was Ten released in paperback on 30/12/21 and the hardback of Into The Dark publishes on 14/4/22.

 

DECADES

I was thrilled when Gordon of the brilliant Grab This Book blog asked if I’d like to take part in Decades, his Desert Island Discs for books. Imagine filling an empty library – what joy that would be! That said, I found it incredibly difficult to narrow down my choices because there are so many fantastic stories in the literary cosmos. With that in mind, I haven’t necessarily chosen the best books but the books that made the most profound impression on me.

 

The Borrowers – Mary Norton – 1952

I was obsessed with this series about the Clocks, a tiny family who live in the walls and under the floorboards of the Big House, borrowing from ‘human beans’ to survive. As a child, I remember scouring the library shelves for these stories, burning to find out more about the adventures of Pod, Homily, and most importantly, 14-year-old Arrietty, a fellow book lover with a curious streak.

 

 

 

 

The Magic Toyshop – Angela Carter – 1967

 

I read this novel in my teens after a boyfriend bought it for me one birthday. I wasn’t familiar with Angela Carter’s work until then but it started a lifelong love affair with her writing. I was captivated by this coming-of-age story dealing with the complexities of family dynamics and blossoming sexuality through the prism of magical realism.

 

 

 

 

The Stand – Stephen King – 1979

I can’t remember the first book I read by Stephen King but I do know that once I’d discovered him, I devoured everything I could lay my hands on. In this epic post-apocalyptic dark fantasy, the world has been decimated by a weaponised virus (too close to home right now?!) and the survivors fall into two camps, driven by Good and Evil. King is truly a master at making the reader care about the fate of his (many) characters. His ability to bring them to life on the page is nothing short of genius.

 

 

 

 

Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit – Jeanette Winterson – 1985

Another coming-of-age story (I seem to have a weakness for these) about Jess – adopted into a strict Pentecostal family – who rejects her future as a missionary when she begins to have feelings for another girl. As a teenager reading this for the first time, this book, which Winterson describes as partly autobiographical, had a profound impact on me, opening my eyes to unfamiliar worlds, doing what the very best fiction should do. I later played Jess in a university drama production and this novel has been a fixture throughout my life.

 

 

 

 

American Psycho – Bret Easton Ellis – 1991

American Psycho blew my mind the first time I read it. This bleak satire allows us a first-hand glimpse into the mind of Patrick Bateman, a sophisticated, handsome and charming Wall Street investment banker who also happens to be a vicious and narcissistic serial killer. The brutality and sadism – the sheer scale of violence – stunned me, but I could not put it down. This was perhaps the first time I recognised the power of writing, that compulsion to read on, even though the subject matter was distasteful, because his storytelling had snared me in its iron grip.

 

 

 

And there we are for another week. Five fabulous books, some I instantly recognise, two I have read and one new name which I will need to investigate further. My thanks to Fiona for taking time to make her selections. Decades continues thanks to the support and kindness of all my guests who give their time to share the booklove.

 

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 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 19th 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

 

 

Category: Decades | Comments Off on Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Mathew West