Chris Fosten
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alphaood.bsky.social
Chris Fosten
@alphaood.bsky.social
95 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 read: I went to the library for something, spotted this on a shelf and sat to have a quick read. A short while later and I found myself at the end of the first chapter, having smiled throughout. So here I am.
#newread #onceuponatineinthewestcountry #tonyhawks
A hardback library book, "Once Upon a Time in the West Country" by Tony Hawks, the cover of whih shows a photo of the author on a bike facing two small pigs in the foreground.
January 25, 2026 at 8:21 PM
alphaood.bsky.social
New read: I am always a little wary of more modern Holmes stories, but found this one intriguing enough to try. #newread #sherlockholmes #thedevilspromise #davidstuartdavies
A library paperback cooy of "Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Promise" by David Stuart Davies, the cover of which shows the silhouette of the great detective holding a pipe and a coin with a pentagram design against a green background.
January 23, 2026 at 4:16 PM
alphaood.bsky.social
New read: Campion is pretty dependably enjoyable, so glad to find this in the local library.
#newread #TheMysteryMile #MargeryAllingham #crimefiction
A library paperback copy of "The Mystery Mile" by Margery Allingham, which shows an image of a red chess piece - a knight - on a black background.
January 21, 2026 at 11:20 PM
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
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