Reading the Summer Solstice – Bookhenge
The Summer Solstice is a special time – it’s the longest day of summer (more reading time), it’s officially the first day of summer (time to get those hot summer reads ready) and it’s a time associated with the holidays, festivals, and rituals. SO which books to read to mark the occasion?
Three to capture your imagination and keep you cool if you use the book as a sunhat:
The Mask of Shadows – Edinburgh – Oscar de Muriel
Have you seen the “Scottish Play” Wonder how it became shrouded by mystery and superstition? This book will immerse you in the dark, spooky alleyways and the cold theatres of Edinburgh. Terror treads the boards and a grisly message is found smeared across the cobbles in blood, foretelling someone’s demise. More bloody prophecies continue to appear and get even more chilling. The Scottish play, the infamous curse, is all coming true. Just the hair raising read you need to read when the sun goes down. Watch out for those shadows though…
Dark Tides – Isle of Man – Chris Ewan
Jeepers. If you’re superstitious and wonder what happens at a Manx Halloween ceremony then wonder no more. This is set not during the solstice but an equally significant time where rituals and beliefs are held firm. There’s a lot to make you think and indeed shiver in this novel. When Claire Cooper was eight, her mother disappeared during Hop-tu-naa, the Manx Halloween. Ten years later and Claire and her friends took part in a Hop-tu-naa dare that went very very wrong. Read this in the dark under torch light for maximum effect!
He Said/ She Said – Cornwall, Lizard Peninsula – Erin Kelly
Now here’s a book set at the very time of an eclipse – In the hushed aftermath of a total eclipse, Laura witnesses a brutal attack. She and her boyfriend Kit call the police, and in that moment, it is not only the victim’s life that is changed forever. Fifteen years on, Laura and Kit live in fear. And while Laura knows she was right to speak out, the events that follow have taught her that you can never see the whole picture: something – and someone – is always in the dark…
Which book do you think you should read at this time of year? Visit Bookhenge…
