Chris Fosten
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alphaood.bsky.social
Chris Fosten
@alphaood.bsky.social
94 followers 140 following 220 posts
Reader, poet, writer, listener | 1/3 of The Ood Cast (http://theoodcast.com/)
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alphaood.bsky.social
New reads: Escaping the horrendous outside world with a trip back in time to revisit the sweet and silly wisdom of the Moomins. Will be re-reading more of these in the next few months, I think.
#newreads #FinnFamilyMoomintroll #TheExploitsofMoominpappa #ToveJansson
Two paperback books, the first - "Finn Family Moomintroll" by Tove Jansson - is light blue and features a pair of moomins sitting on clouds, and the second - "The Exploits of Moominpappa" by Tove Jansson - is light green and shows a moomin standing on a mountain top holding a sheaf of papers and a walking stick with a flying submarine craft in the sky behind him.
January 16, 2026 at 11:04 AM
alphaood.bsky.social
New read: Catching up with the Coopers Chase gang again - each revisit is a lovely reminder of how good these books are.
#newreads #themanwhodiedtwice #richardosman #rereads
A paperback book - "The Man Who Died Twice" by Richard Osman, the cover of which is dominated by the author name and title, but had a trotting fox in the centre.
January 14, 2026 at 2:40 PM
Reposted by Chris Fosten
whenisbirths.bsky.social
You honestly don't have to show me what Twitter's saying. That's why I'm here and not there.
September 10, 2025 at 9:24 PM
alphaood.bsky.social
New reads: Kicking off a new year of reading with a gentle wander through the Hundred Acre Wood with these nice second-hand copies I got years ago to preserve the ones I remember reading as a child!
#newreads #WinniethePooh #TheHouseatPoohCorner #AAMilne
Two old paperback books - "Winnie-The-Pooh" and "The House at Pooh Corner" by A..A. Milne - the cover of one showing a small bear looking thoughtfully at some bees and the other showing the same thoughtful bear in a red jumper with a small piglet wearing a green outfit and a young boy dressed in a blue raincoat and hat.
January 7, 2026 at 6:30 PM
alphaood.bsky.social
New reads: Seeing in the new year with some older friends - just the first couple of chapters last night felt like a settling into a favourite armchair. Happy new year, everyone.
#newreads #newyearread #thethursdaymurderclub #richardosman
A paperback book - "The Thursday Murder Club" by Richard Osman - the cover showing mostly the title and author name, with a silhouette of a fox in the centre.
December 31, 2025 at 2:44 PM
alphaood.bsky.social
New read: well, an old favourite, really - and a perfect post Christmas caper, especially if you want to feel a bit better about your own alcohol consumption...
#newread #dashiellhammett #thethinman
A paperback book on a bookshelf - "The Thin Man" by Dashiell Hammett - the cover of which shows a pair of feet in formal shoes walking across a wet street.
December 30, 2025 at 7:13 PM
alphaood.bsky.social
New reads: My reading over Christmas week, with a definite theme... first, the stage adaptation of a favourite, then an entertaining book about Christmas telly and then a deep dive into John Masefield and the Box of Delights.
A paperback book - "The Box of Delights" adapted for the stage by Piers Torday. The cover shows a wooden box releasing shards of light, creating images of a Mr Punch puppet, a stag and a wolf in the starry sky, while two wolves approach through the snow. A paperback book - "Ben Baker's Christmas Box" by Ben Baker - the cover of which shows the neon outline of a television set, with the title on the screen. A hardback book - "Opening the Box of Delights" by Philip W Errington. The cover shows an open small wooden box, with images of the writer John Masefield and Patrick Troughton as Cole Hawlings behind.
December 29, 2025 at 4:47 PM
alphaood.bsky.social
New read: a slightly more trusted source for a festive read - hopefully Mrs Bradley will be just the tonic!
#newread #deathcomesatchristmas #gladysmitchell #mrsbradleymysteries #festivereads
A paperback book - "Death Comes at Christmas" by Gladys Mitchell - the cover of which shows an English village street in thick snow.
December 14, 2025 at 5:40 PM
alphaood.bsky.social
For years I've been listening to a ragged, 10th-hand recording of The Killing Season by R.D.Wingfield every Dec. I've tidied up my copy, never imagining it would be repeated from deep in the archives. But what a great surprise amongst the listings in the festive Radio Times!
December 13, 2025 at 1:04 PM
alphaood.bsky.social
New read: another festive adventure that I hadn't read before and had high hopes for because the premise is great, but... sigh. Maybe it's because I wasn't familiar with their other books or their style, but I was not a fan. Mercifully, it was both cheery and quite short.
#newread #festiveread
A small green paperback book - "The Christmas Thief" by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark. The cover shows a close-up of the branches of a Christmas tree with a bauble decorated with an image of a man in a red jumper dragging away a Christmas tree in the snow.
December 12, 2025 at 7:28 PM
alphaood.bsky.social
New read: A festive tale I'd never heard of, by a writer I've never read anything by... but rather enjoyed. Enjoyably just as romantic towards the train itself as the storyline between the main characters.
#newread #festiveread #thechristmastrain #davidbaldacci
The cover of a paperback books - "The Christmas Train" by David Baldacci - which shows a snowglobe with a steam engine inside.
December 9, 2025 at 7:16 PM
alphaood.bsky.social
New read: starting the festive reading with something short but warm and the friendly side of grim...
#newread #festivereads #ahighlandchristmas #mcbeaton #hamishmacbeth
A light purple paperback book - "A Highland Christmas" by M.C. Beaton. The cover is dominated by the title, but also features a Christmas tree with presents round the base and a fireplace.
December 3, 2025 at 5:05 PM
alphaood.bsky.social
New reads: two Target novelisations found in a charity shop - one of those rare times when I've found some I didnt already have in the wild!
#newread #doctorwho #targetnovelisations #destinyofthedaleks #fourtodoomsday #terrancedicks
Two small paperbacks next to each other, both Doctor Who Target novelisations by Terrance Dicks: "The Destiny of the Daleks," which shows a man with a mop of curly hair and a scarf looking thoughtful surrounded by daleks; and "Four to Doomsday" which shows a man in edwardian cricketing garbage in front of an alien humanoid creature sitting on a throne-like chair.
November 30, 2025 at 7:25 PM
alphaood.bsky.social
New read: before I move on to other things for a while, a few more - lighter - ghostly tales, this time from a writer I remember well from childhood and used to seek out in the school library (when I wasn't looking for Tintin or cricket books!)
#newread #whosafraidandotherstories #philippapearce
A slightly battered old paperback book - "Who's Afraid? and other strange stories" by Philippa Pearce. The cover show several images related to the stories within: a startled boy, a dog, a teddy bear with stern-looking eyes and a gentleman playing a violin.
November 27, 2025 at 6:01 PM
alphaood.bsky.social
New read: An excellent new anthology of ghost stories from the British Library's Tales of the Weird series. Plenty were new to me, with some old familiars thrown in too - fun!
#newread #thehauntedlibrary #britishlibrary #talesoftheweird #spookyreads #tanyakirk
The cover of a paperback book - "The Haunted Library: Tales of cursed books and forbidden shelves" edited by Tanya Kirk. The cover shows an illustration of a woman in a hat entering a library holding a candle to see some ghoulish figures in front of the shelves.
November 27, 2025 at 9:50 AM
alphaood.bsky.social
New read: a Susan Hill ghost story I knew nothing about until I stumbled across it in the local library, but it sounds both comforting and unsettling at once. #newread #thesmallhand #susanhill #ghoststory
A small hardback book - "The Small Hand" by Susan Hill - the cover of which shows a flowery carved pattern with the shadow of a small boy in the centre.
November 17, 2025 at 5:58 PM
alphaood.bsky.social
What perfect album came out the year you were 16?
November 17, 2025 at 5:08 PM
alphaood.bsky.social
New read: the next stop on my slow chronological readthrough of one of my favourite writers - this is one I never came across as a kid. A little less on the ghostly side, but a gentle joy, nonetheless.
#newread #penelopelively #thehouseinnorhamgardens
The cover of a small 1980s paperback - "The House in Norham Gardens" by Penelope Lively, which shows a teenage girl holding a ceremonial tribal shield standing in front of a victorian house.
November 17, 2025 at 8:17 AM
alphaood.bsky.social
New read: I remember watching two Robert Westall TV adaptations as a child - The Machine Gunners and The Watch House, moments from both have stuck with me ever since. And this was a novel I saw more than once in the visiting book stalls at school and shops and wanted to read.
The cover of a small 1980s paperback - "The Watch House" by Robert Westell, which shows a skill on a dusty floor.
November 6, 2025 at 7:07 PM
alphaood.bsky.social
New read: catching up a little with some spookier reads as the weather has made a turn for the colder... This one I picked up at a second-hand stall at Petts Wood May Day Fair when I was about 9, so has travelled quite a distance with me! I've read it several times, but fun to return to.
A small blue paperback book - "Haunted Houses" by Aidan Chambers. The cover shows a large, apparently abandoned, old house, with gate falling from its hinges and smashed windows, but with lights in windows of the top floor and a couple of bats flying in the foreground.
November 6, 2025 at 12:35 PM
alphaood.bsky.social
New read: a book I've had on my list for several years, and was a birthday gift from my brother this year - thanks Paul! Really enjoyable black comedy thriller which I whipped through in a couple of days.
#newread #themanwhodied #anttituomainen #thriller
The cover of "The Man Who Died" by Antti Tuomainen, which shows the title interweaved through a picture of a human body's nervous system.
November 5, 2025 at 12:24 PM
alphaood.bsky.social
New read: there was one last dramatic read before heading back home yesterday - a classic.
#newread #samuelbeckett #waitingforgodot #halftermreads
An old copy of "Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett, which shows a man with a whip holding a rope around another, stooped man, a tree and two men watching, surrounded by a geometric frame of yellow, green, olive and white.
November 3, 2025 at 8:08 AM
alphaood.bsky.social
New read: ended Halloween with Hamlet, as it starts with a pretty strong ghost game. I've chosen to read along with a great BBC Radio version too.
#newread #williamshakespeare #hamlet #bbcradio
An old paperback copy of William Shakespeare's "Hamlet", which features a bird standing on top of a skull The cover artwork for the BBC Radio production of Hamlet, which is made up of a collage of cast names and the title.
November 1, 2025 at 12:34 PM
alphaood.bsky.social
New read: forgot entirely to bring any ghost stories on our half term break, so popped into a local indie book shop yesterday to see what I could find. This was appropriately the closest I got, given that we're in Cornwall.
#newread #thebirdsandotherstories #daphnedumaurier #spookyreads #cornwall
A paperback book, "The Birds and Other Stories" by Daphne du Maurier, on a granite worktop. The cover shows a number of bird shapes, with five of them making the shapes of the word 'Birds'
October 30, 2025 at 12:36 PM
alphaood.bsky.social
New read: a really good half term adventure. I would have raced through it but for a few days when sleep was rather elusive, but I couldnt resist a story combining time travel and ancient Egypt.
#newread #huntforthegoldenscarab #timekeys #mgleonard
A blue paperback book on a kitchen worktop. The book is "Hunt for the Golden Scarab" by M.G. Leonard, and the cover shows two children standing in the doorway of an ancient Egyptian temple with magical music flowing around them.
October 30, 2025 at 10:14 AM