susan earlam ~ horror author

A bit overdue, as I try to do one of these every quarter, but better late than never!

I’ve been reading rather a lot and I’m reading books in tandem too. I find this works for me as I can have one book in my bag, one or two at my bedside and one downstairs. Tandem reading is also good if you are finding a book hard going and maybe you need some light relief…

Without further ado, here’s what I read over the past few months;

Read since November

1. The Night Circus- Erin Morgenstern. I’m so late to the party with this one but I loved it. Truly magical and it’s finally being made into a film.
2. Captain Fantastic: Elton John’s Stellar Trip Through the ’70s- Tom Doyle. My love for Elton grows ever larger. This book charts his determination to achieve his goals and the pitfalls and obstacles on the way. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. An access all areas look at Elton’s life in the seventies. It ends in 1980, and it really left me wanting more. I can’t wait for the film Rocketman to come out this year! See the trailer here.
3. The Heart Goes Last- Margaret Atwood. I’m embarrassed to say this is my first Atwood book. It’s very original, expertly written and full of dark, dystopian, but comedic moments. I found the characters tricky to like, but I think that was partly the aim of this story.
4. The Miniaturist-Jessie Burton. This unfolded slowly but splendidly. It was so much more than I expected, which was ghostly historic fiction. It really isn’t that at all, but a feminist tale of secrets, money and sexuality. I’m desperate to watch the BBC adaptation of it now.
5. The Good Menopause Guide– Liz Earle. I’ve read a few books on this topic, and perimenopause, sadly this one felt like it only touched the surface although there were a couple of great recipes in there.

Currently Reading

1. The Joy of Missing Out: The Art of Self-Restraint in an Age of Excess- Svend Brinkmann. I was sent this book from the publishing company and although I started it a couple of months ago, I’ve reached the mid-point and it’s become a bit dry. I shall continue and update you when I’ve finished.
2. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work- Mason Currey. Really loving this, it’s one I keep in my handbag as its broken up into digestible chunks of famous creatives and how they get their work done.
3. The New Astrology- Suzanne White. An interest I’ve had for years, but also great for creating characters for fiction!
4. The Left Hand of Darkness- Ursula K. Le Guin. I struggled with the first twenty pages or so with this one but have pushed through and am now enjoying it. A groundbreaking take on gender and politics.
5. The Art of Fiction: Illustrated from Classic and Modern Texts- David Lodge. I picked this up in my local GreenHouse Books in Cheadle. The small chapters make it easy to learn something useful each time I dip into it.
6. Secrets of the Universe in 100 Symbols- Sarah Bartlett. This is a library loan and if full of interesting stories related to symbols and signs we are surrounded by every day. It’s a great starting point for research into this subject (a bit Indiana Jones) but doesn’t go into a huge amount of depth.

What are you reading at the moment?