The A-Z Blog Challenge, Letter A

Letter A of My Favourite Books by title

Kicking off with the first letter, I have two books for this one. 

They are completely different genres but I love them both the same. 

The first is Ash, from one of my favourite Horror writers - James Herbert. The back cover blurb: 

David Ash – detective of the paranormal – is sent to the mysterious Comraich Castle, secluded deep in the Scottish countryside, to investigate a strange, high-profile case: a man has been found crucified – in a room that was locked. The reports suggest that the cliff-top castle is being haunted . . .

Who – or what – is the reclusive hooded figure that Ash has seen from the window walking across the courtyard in the dead of night?
What are the strange, animal-like sounds that come from the surrounding woods?
And why are the castle’s inhabitants so reluctant to talk about what they have seen?

. . . what Ash eventually discovers is truly shocking

James Herbert is a British horror writer who is sadly no longer with us. He died in 2013 at age 69 (suddenly and unexpectedly), and this was his last published book. This is the third novel following the character, David Ash - he was also in Haunted and Ghosts of Sleath - and it's a wonderful culmination of the character's work in the paranormal field. 

James writes with depth that evokes emotions, good and bad, you almost feel like you are there - but you'd rather not be! He enables the reader to get a sense of the a darkness without and the darkness within. There's a brilliant scene in this book where they are walking through tunnels in caves by the sea, it's pitch black, and there are spiders they can't see falling on them, when they discover this by striking a light, it's chilling. Not one for those that suffer arachnophobia!

***

The second is All The What Ifs from an Indie author who is a friend - and client, I'm her editor! -  Angela Lynn. The back clover blurb:

Ashley Morgan is trapped. She’s spent the last three years of high school being groomed to follow in her father’s footsteps. It’s a future she’s unsure of. Yet she tries her hardest to avoid her father’s disapproval while keeping the peace for her high-strung mother and autistic brother. Whenever her fears fester, Ashley works harder.

At the start of her senior year, Ashley reluctantly joins ACT an after-school community service club that is in disarray. The members argue. The advisor sleeps. And Lucas Malone, the club’s president, conjures unwanted memories of freshman year and his disastrous attempt to ask her to homecoming.

Ashley tries to remain uninvolved, but with each success in ACT she gains the confidence to face her future. She sets in motion plans that force her to choose between the bright future her father's mapped out or an unknown path of her own design. When the moment comes to make her choice, she’s plagued with doubt, because what if … she gets it all wrong?

 

This ranks as one of my favourites not because I have worked on it with the author and read it many, many times, but because every time I read it I found something else I loved about it. Within the first two pages I had strong emotions about one of the character - the main character's father - I hated him! And I also fell in love with Lucas Malone - *cough* I mean a serious book crush.

It is an engaging, heart-felt book and Angela writes with a light style, adding humour as well as depth. I can't rave about this one enough. But hey, this is the first letter of the alphabet, I am sure I'll be saying that about a few others too! 

So many books, so little time!