Various,
The Little Prince and Other StoriesAnna Sewell, Black Beauty (1877) **
There are two ways to read this fictional account of contented servitude, similarly bleak. Unless she's especially crazy for horses, we'll stick with less depressing anthropomorphs.
Jorge Luis Borges, Collected Fictions
The Book of Sand (1975) *****
The search for illumination amicably surrenders to embrace the darkness.
Faves: 'There Are More Things,' 'The Mirror and the Mask,' 'The Book of Sand'
Shakespeare's Memory (1983) ****
Twilight wisdom.
Faves: 'August 25, 1983,' 'Blue Tigers,' 'Shakespeare's Memory'
Charles Dickens, The Complete Novels
A Tale of Two Cities (1859) **
Thanks to jigsaws, I might eventually get through this 7kg colossus after all, albeit spiritually in audiobooks. The tedious activity pairs perfectly with long-winded narratives brightened by colourful descriptions. The best of times, the worst of times.
Hard Times (1854) ***
The Shorter One / The Northern One, I still failed to get around to the least deterring Dickens for the longest time. Unsurprisingly, it turned out rather dreary and patronising.
Various, The Mammoth Book of Classic Chillers
Some nice mundane evil to start us off, even if the exotic setting could have helped to break up the bleak houses later.
Edgar Allan Poe, The Case of M. Valdemar (1845) ****
Lulls with dry faux-academia before throwing the intensity switch.
Martin Armstrong, The Pipe-Smoker (1932) ****
A corker of a closing line.
H. G. Wells, The Red Room (1896) ***
More noteworthy for its author stretching his genre legs than on its own vague and moralistic merits.
William Hope Hodgson, The Derelict (1912) *****
Dessert similes set a queasy atmosphere even before the horrific truth custard-pies you in the face.
Bram Stoker, The Judge's House (1891) ***
It's just a rat.
Blanche Bane Kuder, From What Strange Land (1935) **
Origin story of naughty boys.
Honore de Balzac, El Verdugo (1829) ***
Non-supernatural yet equally unimaginable horror. Can we go back to comforting apparitions now.
Elizabeth Bowen, Telling (1927) **
What a daftie.
M. R. James, The Treasure of Abbot Thomas (1904) ****
Ecclesiastical treasure hunt. It's having so much fun with stained-glass ciphers, it forgets it's supposed to be a ghost story until the end.
Roald Dahl, The BFG / Matilda / George's Marvellous Medicine
Between school and Jackanory, I only had the vaguest memory of this one, but Quentin Blake's iconic scribblings brought it all back. An irresponsible delight and an approachable early read. Looking forward to it.
The BFG (1982) *****
A timeless kidz' klazzik, even if some details have become charmingly retro now (though the Queen's still knocking about, as of time of writing). I think I read this one at school too, but those memories were overwhelmed by the Cosgrove Hall film, one of my earliest overwatched videos.
