Raven was kind enough to provide their own bio for me, so I’ll just shut up and let them get to it.
Hello! My nom de plume is Raven which is either (a) glamorous and mysterious or (b) a harbinger of doom depending on your viewpoint! In reality I am but a humble bookseller (21 years and counting) and book blogger at Raven Crime Reads based in the UK. I am a resident judge for the Petrona Award for Scandinavian Crime Fiction In Translation, and lurk on social media (links below) being pithy and interesting- in reality, probably deeply annoying and uninteresting…
X/Twitter- @ravencrime
Instagram- @ravencrimereads
BlueSky- @ravencrime.bsky.social
GoodReads- https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5973984-raven
The Storygraph- @raven88
Well, having been tasked by H.C. Newton—The Irresponsible Reader—to select five books with which to be washed up on a desert island, this was an enormously difficult decision. After much pondering and changing of mind, these are my final five!
Vikram Seth- A Suitable Boy
I have listened to the radio production, and watched the TV dramatization, but have never managed to make it through all 1349 pages of Seth’s magnum opus. I have tried on several occasions, but with the thought of being entirely alone on an island with possibly fewer distractions, this sprawling family saga, will be conquered once and for all…
Stephen King- The Stand
Despite being a confirmed fan of Stephen King, I have never read The Stand- 1325 pages- one of the very few of his I have not read over the years. Again, what an ideal time to get stuck into what is widely recognised as one of his finest books, and be enveloped in this nightmarish tale of apocalyptic destruction, sitting under a palm tree and listening to the waves lapping on to the beach.
F. Scott Fitzgerald- The Great Gatsby
Being a bookseller and a book blogger, my to-be-read mountain is of epic proportions, so I rarely have time to re-read anything. However, the one book I religiously re-read every year is this one. As one of the great American novels, this slim and affecting tale of life amongst the overprivileged folk of Long Island in the Jazz Age, remains one of my favourite books of all time. Would have to have a copy of this with me.
Raymond Chandler- The Big Sleep
I read this classic of crime fiction, way, way, before I should have done as a kid, and this is the book that I always cite as being the catalyst for my continuing passion for crime writing. Even now, my favourite authors of the genre, all have the spare, uncompromising style of Chandler, and that dry humour that underscores all of his books. Philip Marlowe would be a great companion to have on my desert island.
Magnus Mills- All Quiet On The Orient Express
This is probably a much lesser known book, but I wanted something to remind me of home, and the curious eccentricities of the British. Set in the beautiful surrounds of The Lake District, this remains one of the funniest, most surreal books I have ever read, and perfectly captures the quixotic nature of what makes the British, well, so British… A little piece of home when stranded far, far away…
Be sure to check out Raven Crime Reads and follow at least some of those social media accounts! That blog is (will all due respect to others) the best Crime Fiction-focused blog I follow. You want insightful takes? Here’s where you start.
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
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