A reading streak

Hello! I’m just popping in to say that I’m on a Hilary Mantel streak. After finishing Bring Up the Bodies again (I started with Bring Up the Bodies, went back to Wolf Hall, then was impelled to re-read Bring Up the Bodies), I moped and pined for a while. Do you ever feel suspended between books? It’s a strangely unanchored feeling, for me, and I’m never quite settled until I’ve found my next book. I may start one or two novels or long works, or pick through a collection of poetry or essays, but I only really feel at home once established in a new book.

My husband finally ended my misery by giving me Beyond Black.

I eyed it suspiciously for a few days. After all, I was carrying Thomas Cromwell around with me, and Beyond Black is not about Tudor politics. It’s set in contemporary England (well, 1997). It’s about ghosts. Hmph, I thought.

I didn’t love the first, very short, chapter. It was heavily descriptive, with some sharp and compelling images, but it seemed to hover.

And then I turned the page and was completely sucked in.It’s nasty and hilarious and ruthless. It’s about some extremely unpleasant people. And it’s genuinely frightening.

You guys, I love it.

What are you reading, this week?