Dark Matter by Michelle Paver

      Disillusioned by his life Jack sets sail for the Artic where he will work as a wireless operator as part of a five man expedition team. As the night's draw thin and the sun disappears, things start to go bump in the night and people begin to go a little thin on the ground. 

      

      I absolutely adore this book. Told from the first person perspective we experience life on Gruhuken, where it is perpetual night and where the sea freezes and the ice talks. As ghost stories go this has to be up there with the best. Jeffery Deaver says that it's like Stephen King meets Jack London; and I know what he's saying, it's scary and compelling and a thoroughly good read.

      I can't remember a book that has scared me and hooked me like this for a long time, maybe it was actually Stephen King's 'Bag Of Bones' and this book reminds me of that one. It's well written, well crafted and stays with you. Not bad for a random book that I plucked up at my local library. This has all my favourite ingredients; a fantastic setting, horror, a great story and huskies! Can't beat huskies in a novel! I must read more from Michelle Paver!

      An amazing 5/5.

Need to Know : Writing Fiction

      This is a great little book released by Collins and written by Alan Wall. It is full of helpful advice for any wannabe writer, old or new. It is split into various sections including plotting, characterization and setting and is pretty much a must read.

      It also includes lots of neat writing exercises and is very much a creative writing course within a book. What I also loved was the way it uses lots of published novels as examples when going through each section rather than just talking about the elements of fiction writing.

      I have learned so much from this book and hopefully it will improve my writing and I plan to read more of this kind of thing in the next few months.


      Very helpful  5/5

Lenore Noogies

                                                         By Roman Dirge


     
      
I fancied something a little different and couldn't resist grabbing hold of this at my local library.


It's the first time I've read a graphic novel and I happily read it whilst sitting in my back yard with a can of lager and with the Chorley sun shining.(Which doesn't happen very often.) It's a series of silly stories in the surreal world of a cute little dead girl!

Well I couldn't think of a better way of spending a day off and it is hilarious! I kind of fell in love with the cute little dead girl and must catch up with her again at some point. Maybe again with a can of lager and a spot of sun.

If you fancy a laugh, a real laugh and not just a laugh that you get at the expense of acquiring a literary headache ( see the 100 year old man that jumped out of a window and disappeared), then read this! It's not a comic, honest, it's a graphic novel.


Ok it is a comic. 5/5

Book 24 A Kind Man

                                                           By Susan Hill


   
       Living somewhere in industrial England, this is about one woman's struggle to deal with life, loss and the impending doom of widespread poverty.

      It sounds gloomy but Susan Hill's beautiful prose is spellbounding at times and each page is almost edible as she paints words like not many other writers can. This is the story of Eve and how the joys of childbirth and marriage can crumble and force you to take a different, haunting path.

      I absolutely enjoyed reading this but found the ending left me feeling a little bit short changed and too many questions were left hanging for my liking. Maybe that was Susan't intention but personally I would have preferred a different one.

      I would have given this a 5 if it hadn't been for the ending.


      Wonderful, skilful writing,


      4/5 Must read more from Susan Hill.