Welcome back to the Confessions of a Reviewer’s top five
lists!
This is it! The overall top five books of 2015!
Now, if you have been following the posts through the
week, you will obviously know that more than five made it through to the top
five. So, that left me with a dilemma. Do I now do a top seven, or stick with a
top five and bin a couple?
I decided to do neither. I had to be totally honest about
how I felt about these books. There were a couple of positions where I just could not
split books. I decided therefore, to go with my heart and below is what I came
up with.
This list is basically my favourite books of the year. I
have had a wonderful year in terms of reading and I have been lucky enough to
read some of these before anyone else had a chance to, and for that I am
eternally grateful.
I urge you to buy any of these books if you have not
already. You will be supporting some great authors and giving them
encouragement to continue with their writing and keep us entertained for years
to come.
This
list is made up of books I have read this year so the books may not necessarily
have been published this year.
In reverse order:
In fifth position!
People
Are Strange, by James Newman. A wonderful collection of
short stories that is a perfect read if you want to check out James work.
You can read my review of People Are Strange, here.
You can buy People
Are Strange, here:
In fourth position!
Bad
Apples: Five Slices of Halloween Horror, by the Bad Apples Crew is
a must have collection of tales, perfect for the Halloween season. The only
collection to get five stars across the board from Confessions. Ever.
You can read my review of Bad Apples, here.
You can buy Bad
Apples, here:
In third position.
Mr
Robespierre, by Daniel Marc Chant is one of the best short stories I have read in years. Fresh and
original, even though it is a complete rip off of 80’s horror, (that was
intentional) this is superb! This young man has a lot of talent that we will
hopefully be reading for many years to come.
You can read my review of Mr Robespierre, here.
You can buy Mr
Robespierre, here:
In joint second position!
I just could not split these two again!
Method
15/33, by Shannon Kirk, is, again, one of the most original
ideas I have read in a long time. Beautifully written, this is a mind-blowing
novel that will keep you riveted from start to finish.
You can read my review of Method 15/33, here.
You can buy Method
15/33, here:
Silent
Scream, by Angela Marsons. I
cannot emphasise enough how wonderful this lady’s writing is. Every single book
she puts out will have you engrossed from start to finish. British crime books
are safe in this lady’s hands for many years to come.
You can read my review of Silent Scream, here.
You can buy Silent
Scream, here:
And so to the Confessions of a Reviewer number one book
of 2015!
I make no apologies, because it is a tie again!
The
Cabinet of Dr Blessing, by Jack Rollins, is a gothic, horror
masterpiece. This story is just so wonderfully written I could talk about it
for days. This is Victorian horror at its very best, written by a young man
with a very bright future in this business both in writing and publishing with
Dark Chapter Press. Absolutely superb.
You can read my review of The Cabinet of Dr Blessing, here.
You can buy The
Cabinet of Dr Blessing, here:
GodBomb!, by
Kit Power, is another debut that completely blew my socks off. This is
storytelling at its very best. This is an author that everyone needs to read. GodBomb! is a work of art. Nothing else
to say.
You can read my review of GodBomb!, here.
You can buy GodBomb!,
here:
So there you go. Confessions of a Reviewer’s top books
for 2015!
You may not agree with them all. You may not agree with
any of them. You know what though? That is the wonderful thing about reading
books. If we all agreed, then it would be boring. We need to be different and
like different things. This is how we can recommend different books to
different people and hopefully someone, somewhere will connect with something
you like and spread the word. This is how we help these guys keep going at
producing wonderful entertainment for us.
I hope you have maybe found something in these lists that
you didn’t know about and you will go and pick it up.
Remember: A good book makes you want to live in the
story. A great book gives you no choice.
Thanks again for visiting Confessions of a Reviewer.
The Authors!
James Newman is the author of a diverse selection of horror and suspense tales, dark fiction told with a distinct Southern voice and more often than not with a hint of pitch-black humor. His published novels include MIDNIGHT RAIN, THE WICKED, ANIMOSITY, and UGLY AS SIN. When he's not writing, he enjoys watching horror movies (and showing off what he knows about the genre with the recent release of his first NONfiction book: 666 HAIR-RAISING HORROR MOVIE TRIVIA QUESTIONS), listening to loud rock n' roll, and even dabbling in some stage-acting every now and then.
In real life, James lives in the mountains of North Carolina with his wife and their two sons. Online, he divides his time between Facebook and his website.
And for more about James, visit his site or find him on social media:
Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads - Amazon Page
Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads - Amazon Page
EVANS LIGHT has been in love with the written word from an early age, and works in a variety of genres, but stories of the "Weird Tales" variety remain his favorite.
Frequently drawn to uncommon experiences, Evans has thrown himself headfirst into a wide range of unusual situations, from testing low-level-entry parachutes with British Army Airborne units to travelling the vast reaches of inner space using sensory deprivation tanks.
Evans has lived here and there across the United States, from the mountains to the beaches to the desert, and currently chooses to reside in a southern state where the weather is warm and living is easy. He is the proud father of fine sons and the lucky husband of a beautiful wife.
His brother, Adam Light, is also a bestselling horror writer, and the two frequently collaborate as "THE LIGHT BROTHERS".
And for more about Evans, visit his site or find him on social media:
Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads - Amazon Page
Frequently drawn to uncommon experiences, Evans has thrown himself headfirst into a wide range of unusual situations, from testing low-level-entry parachutes with British Army Airborne units to travelling the vast reaches of inner space using sensory deprivation tanks.
Evans has lived here and there across the United States, from the mountains to the beaches to the desert, and currently chooses to reside in a southern state where the weather is warm and living is easy. He is the proud father of fine sons and the lucky husband of a beautiful wife.
His brother, Adam Light, is also a bestselling horror writer, and the two frequently collaborate as "THE LIGHT BROTHERS".
And for more about Evans, visit his site or find him on social media:
Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads - Amazon Page
He is the author of several short horror stories, some of which have been published in his first collection Toes Up. He also has stories in the anthologies Dead Roses, Bad Apples, and Bad Apples 2. He is currently at work on a novella, and a novel-length work, with his brother and frequent collaborator, Evans Light.
And for more about Adam, visit his site or find him on social media:
Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads - Amazon Page
Edward Lorn lives in the southeast United States with his wife and two children. Not to mention, Ash and Coal (a.k.a. his Goombas). He is currently working on his next novel, EVERYTHING IS HORRIBLE NOW.
And for more about Edward, visit his site or find him on social media:
Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads - Amazon Page
In a prior life, Jason spent most of his time in front of a judge . . . as a civil litigator. When he finally tired of Latin phrases no one knew how to pronounce and explaining to people that real lawsuits are not started, tried and finalized within the 60-minute timeframe they see on TV (it's harassing the witness; no one throws vicious woodland creatures at them), he traded in his cheap suits for flip flops and designer stubble. The flops got repossessed the next day, and he's back in the legal field . . . sorta. But that's another story.
When he's not working, Jason likes to kayak, catch a movie, travel any place that will let him enter, and play just about any sport (except that ball tied to the pole thing where you basically just whack the ball until it twists in on knot or takes somebody's head off - he misses the appeal). And read and write, of course. He does that too sometimes.
And for more about Jason, visit his site or find him on social media:
Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads - Amazon Page
And for more about Gregor, visit his site or find him on social media:
Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads - Amazon Page
Daniel Marc Chant is an up-and-coming author of Horror and strange fiction. His passion for H. P. Lovecraft genre and the films of John Carpenter inspired him to produce intense, gripping stories with a sinister edge.
Currently based in Bath -- a picturesque town in Somerset, UK -- Daniel launched his début, "Burning House," to rave reviews, and swiftly followed with the Lovecraft-inspired "Maldición," the story of a lone survivor of a desert island plane crash fighting for his life with an ancient predator.
Daniel continues to hone his craft with a number of dark titles waiting to hit shelves, including "Mr. Robespierre" and "Devil Kickers." He also created "The Black Room Manuscripts" a charity anthology featuring twenty stories from twenty experienced authors and talented newcomers.
He hopes to one day contribute to the Cthulu Mythos. Although hopefully not as a sacrifice.
And for more about Daniel, visit his site or find him on social media:
Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads - Amazon Page
Angela Marsons is the author of Amazon #1 Bestseller SILENT SCREAM.
She lives in the Black Country with her partner, their bouncy Labrador and a swearing parrot.
She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read "Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people's".
After years of writing relationship based stories (My Name Is and The Middle Child) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.
She is signed to Bookouture.com in an 8 book deal.
And for more about Angela, visit her site or find her on social media:
Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads - Amazon Page
Shannon Kirk is the awarding-winning author of Method 15/33 (psychological thriller) and Heavens (Literary Fiction, TBP 2016). Method 15/33 has received multiple accolades: Winner of 2015 National Indie Excellence Award, Best Suspense; 2015 USA Best Book Finalist; School Library Journal's Best Adult Books for Teens (2015); and Finalist in 2013 William Faulkner William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition (when a Novella). Method 15/33 is optioned for a major motion film and has sold to multiple foreign rights.
Shannon enjoys writing in many genres of fiction and poetry. When not writing, she is a practicing lawyer and law professor, residing on Massachusett's Cape Ann with her husband and son and two cat writing accomplices, Marvin Marquez (in honor of Gabriel Garcia Marquez) and Stewie Poe (Edgar Allen Poe).
Shannon writes in several genres: literary fiction, psychological thriller, young adult, and poetry. She has been honored three times by the William Faulkner William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition for various works.
Shannon is a member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America.
And for more about Shannon, see her website or find her on social media:
Website – Facebook – Twitter – Goodreads – Amazon Page
Jack was born and raised among the twisting cobbled streets and lanes, ruined forts and rolling moors of a medieval market town in Northumberland, England. He claims to have been adopted by Leeds in West Yorkshire, and he spends as much time as possible immersed in the shadowy heart of that city. Fascinated by all things Victorian Jack often writes within that era and his period gothic horror works include The Séance and The Cabinet of Dr Blessing.
And for more about Jack, visit his site or find him on social media:
Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads - Amazon Page - Dark Chapter Press
Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads - Amazon Page - Dark Chapter Press
In his secret alter ego of Kit Gonzo, he also performs as front man (and occasionally blogs) for death cult and popular beat combo The Disciples Of Gonzo,
www.disciplesofgonzo.com
And for more about Kit, visit his site or find him on social media:
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