Reading List 2021 Quarter One

The Red Badge of Courage is a war novel by American author Stephen Crane. Taking place during the American Civil War, the story is about a young private of the Union Army, Henry Fleming, who flees from the field of battle.

Audio Book Completed 14 February 2021

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Often considered one of the first ever psychological thrillers, Crime and Punishment is a gripping tale of a poverty-stricken young man in Saint Petersburg, Russia, who hatches a plan to kill someone for money. Once the deed is done, he finds himself racked with guilt, confusion and disgust for his act.

In this new recording, Will Poulter (Detroit, Midsommar, The Maze Runner) gives new life to the troubled protagonist, Rodion Raskolnikov, in a performance that will have you questioning where we draw the line between right and wrong.

Audio Book Completed 6 March 2021

Sheridan Le Fanu

Sheridan Le Fanu was lauded by contemporaries such as M. R. James for his innovations in the ghost story and mystery genres, and his mastery of conjuring atmosphere and driving stories to thrilling narrative crescendos. And yet, aside from some regularly anthologized short stories and novellas, much of the writer’s fiction remains unknown despite its quality. Aiming to firmly position Sheridan Le Fanu alongside other canonical horror writers published by the British Library, this anthology focuses on some of his lesser-known stories, exploring eight thoroughly Gothic tales of murderous families, dark castles, and ghosts whose business with the living remains unfinished.

Book Completed 14 March 2021

An unsettling collection of full-cast dramas from the long-running BBC Radio 4 horror series.

Throughout five series of Fear on 4 from 1988-1997, Edward de Souza was The Man in Black, a sinister raconteur who introduced a weekly half hour of terror and suspense. Here, he welcomes us to his house of horrors as he presents 13 terrifying tales that will make your flesh crawl.

The Snowman Killing by J C W Brook

Green and Pleasant by Bert Coules

Survival by John Wyndham

Soul Searching by Martyn Wade

The Beast with Five Fingers by William Fryer Harvey

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

By the River, Fontainebleau by Stephen Gallagher

The Face by E F Benson

The Monkey’s Revenge by Guy Jenkin

Fat Andy by Stephen Dunstone

The Journey Home by Bert Coules

Dead Man’s Boots by William Ingram

The Judge’s House by Bram Stoker

With eerie sound effects that enhance the atmosphere of dread, these bloodcurdling adaptations run the gamut from the mysterious to the macabre. With superb casts including Imelda Staunton, Bernard Cribbins, Anna Massey, Thora Hird and Sean Barrett.

Audio Book Completed 21 March 2021