Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
Mementos from the building’s time as a sanatorium are sprinkled throughout the hotel; it’s not every day that you stay in a hotel that includes display cases filled with medical devices as part of its décor, and Elin immediately finds these touches a little bit odd at best, and downright scary at worst. Think: rooms decorated in a sparse, modern style, featuring huge glass windows gazing out over stunning mountains covered in snow. Water plays a big part in that her therapy consists largely of being immersed in a sulphuric bath which “smells like rotten eggs” but seems to help. She brings to life the joy of swimming for a disabled person, and the difficulties that surround actually entering the water. I really enjoyed reading this book and the interesting things that she had to say about chronic pain and the implicit failures of our own bodies, as well as the ways that queerness intersects with chronic pain / being disabled.
The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse review: a new hero, plenty of
Reading it felt a bit like trying to catch something in the corner of my eye and not quite being able to see it. BLOOD SISTERS will be published in September, but thanks to Vanessa and her publisher, we’re able to get an exclusive early glimpse into the book right here in today’s blog post! Water is a source of comfort and delight for Abi, the narrator of Sanatorium (whose experiences may or may not be those of the author; always tricky to tell with autofiction). A few of the books on this list I’ve already been lucky enough to read, and the rest of them are all on my personal to-read pile for the weeks ahead—but I’m excited about all of them. This spine-tingling, atmospheric thriller has it all: an eerie Alpine setting, sharp prose, and twists you'll never see coming.
Ranked from Christmas level 1 - 5 (with Level 1 being Christmas in the background of the story, and Level 5 being a full-on, 100% Christmas-y plot! I loved this book and all its creepy, unsettling details (its killer’s penchant for wearing old-timey gas masks was a particular favorite scary element for me! Whether you’re hoping to keep the spooky season Halloween vibes going a little bit longer or are ready to dive into a wintry, chilling crime story, this month’s selection of new releases has you covered.
Sanatorium by Abi Palmer | Goodreads Sanatorium by Abi Palmer | Goodreads
There’s no better time to watch a slasher movie—or read a slasher book—than October, and if your idea of perfect Halloween entertainment involves villains like Michael Myers or Freddy Krueger, the book I’m recommending today is the Halloween read for you. Protagonist Elin Warner is a young police detective from the UK, who with her boyfriend Will Riley has gone to Switzerland to celebrate her brother Isaac’s engagement. Shocked by Laure’s murder, Elin begins to examine the body for clues, but she is also attacked by a masked assailant, just like the one who killed Daniel Lemaitre and Adele.
She receives a mysterious message from Laure asking to meet at the penthouse, but when Elin goes to meet her, Laure is already dead in the lift. I felt very aware that this was a book by someone who works visually as well as word, and it felt perhaps like part of something (a something I'd like to see), a text to be chopped up and projected onto walls with photographs or installations or read out to visitors wearing headphones. By the time tyres are thrown over their heads like oversized necklaces, and the smell of petrol wafts so strong that some in the crowd cover their noses, madness has staked its claim on what is left of the day.
Book Review: THE SANATORIUM by Sarah Pearse - Crime by the Book Book Review: THE SANATORIUM by Sarah Pearse - Crime by the Book
Ali’s experience illustrates how we are simultaneously bound by and yet not confined to our bodies so that there is a magic lantern effect in reading Sanatorium. Without further ado, I’m so excited to share with you my personal picks for the Top 10 Crime Books of 2022 in today’s blog post! She overlaps the realities of living with a disabled body with the life of the mind and soul, and explores all this through water: the relief she finds in bathing, the pressure of hydrotherapy, the freedom of movement in a swimming pool. She confronts them about it, and Cecile reveals that the police found Daniel Lemaitre’s remains, and that Lucas didn’t want her to know. Sometimes you just need to read a really fun psychological thriller—and that’s the boat I found myself in last week.Slow-burning yet simmering with tension and suspense, ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS is hypnotic, immersive, and emotionally-impactful—the kind of mystery you’ll sink into, not coming up for air until you’ve turned the final page. I found the inclusion of the little figures, so typical of rehabilitation leaflets, by way of punctuation between many of the pieces effective and disturbing. The Retreat is a heart-pounding, adrenaline-soaked thrill ride, packed with well-drawn characters, settings so real you could touch them, and cliffhangers and twists as belly-flipping as a dive off the fictional island's Reaper's Rock. I found I wanted to read Sanatorium slowly, so as to savour it (an experience I rarely have with books). As someone recently diagnosed with a disability affecting my musculoskeletal system and attempting to make sense of and peace with chronic illness (and who feels rather fobbed off by healthcare providers), this really resonated.
The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse | Waterstones The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse | Waterstones
In today’s blog post, I’m recapping my experience at Iceland Noir 2022, including a day-by-day recap of the festival, lots of photos, a rundown of the books I took home from the festival, and more!More than a year later, the father of one of the boys, looking for answers, contacts investigative psychologist Dr Philip Taiwo, who specialises in “studying the motives behind crimes and how they are committed”. It’s a brave author who sets their debut in a creepy hotel, cut off from the rest of the world by a snowstorm and a killer on the loose. Stacy Willingham’s masterful use of dual timelines adds intrigue and atmosphere to this compelling mystery, while her immersive writing draws readers into our protagonist’s increasingly unstable state of mind. During the book it is revealed that the funding for the author's sanatorium stay came from an arts organisation which gave me pause for thought. another quick lyrical affecting read, I felt a bit lost in it and also found multiple elements (queerness, the legs portrait) made me perk up and then they got lost too.
Great Deal 
New Comment