Friday Fiction - Books by my Bedside

Although I love my kindle, and it's proved it's worth a thousand times over, I still have to have a 'real' book to read now and then.  There's something special about turning the page, smelling the paper, hearing the rustle; it's a far more sensual experience than pressing a button!  It's a bit of a tradition in our family that I receive several books on my birthday and Christmas, along with other gifts, and this year was no exception.  In the mix this year were three books that I don't think I'd have chosen for myself, but so far what I've read has been a hit.  First on the hit list were these two:

Syd Moore's Witch Hunt is a genre 'mash-up' that combines psychogeography, ghost, horror and detective fiction.  The story revolves around the main character Sadie Asquith, a journalist, and her quest to uncover the link between 21st century happenings and the Essex witch hunts during the English Civil War.  It's gripping. 'nough said!

Now, when I unwrapped The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, I wasn't immediately enamoured.  I don't like circus'.  They freak me out.  However, finding myself in a reading desert one weekend, I decided to give it a go.  How wrong can I be about a circus'!  This one anyway.  It's a magical delight, in every sense.  Try this for a flavour...

Also residing on my nightstand are these two corkers:

I've never been a Marian Keyes fan, but first impressions are favourable. I'll save a verdict for when it's finished.   Deborah Levy's Swimming Home takes two middle-class families sharing a villa, when a stranger comes into their midst. There are the usual conflicts and twists but the ending is spiky and unsettling.  Try it and see.

What are you reading?  I'm on the hunt for inspiration...