Shona Ray
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shonaraywrites.bsky.social
Shona Ray
@shonaraywrites.bsky.social
1.4K followers 670 following 390 posts
Writer of gothic/horror/weird. Jericho Friday Night Live SL 2024. Thinker, wanderer, ex-anthropologist. London lawyer in my spare time. #amwriting #books #art #pwme
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shonaraywrites.bsky.social
Hmmm... which book to read next?
#booksky #horror #gothic #writers
A pile of books - The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward, The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and Now She is Witch by Kirsty Logan.
November 7, 2025 at 5:49 PM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
I love the part where we bring the tree* home and it fills the house with that lovely fir tree smell.

Oh OK then, you can play Christmas songs now.

*(Sustainably grown, don't panic! Decorations pending.)
Image shows a bare Christmas tree in a room with a wooden floor, a green futon, a TV and grey and white patterned curtains
December 15, 2024 at 6:17 PM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
Well I devoured this one in double-quick time! A pacey thrill-ride through a publishing industry that I sincerely hope has mellowed by the time I get to it.

Don't worry, I'm not hoping too much! 😬

#WritingCommunity
Photo of the book 'Yellowface' by Rebecca F Kuang, sitting on a cream cushion with a light brown leaf pattern. The cover of the book is plain bright yellow with some cartoon-style eyes in the centre looking to the left, and the title in large white capitals below.
December 9, 2024 at 5:05 PM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
Weirdly sinister message from Duolingo. I feel an episide of #blackmirror coming on
Screenshot of email from Duolingo with a picture of Duo the green owl mascot waving, then text saying 'Are you safe from Duo?' and an invitation to update your app to find out if you've done enough to keep Duo happy.
December 8, 2024 at 9:52 AM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
The challenge is to choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
#BookSky 💙📚 #Books #BookChallenge

Day 20: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Image shows the cover of the book, with a painting of a man wearing a white suit and red tie, looking self-assured, leaning one arm against the white pillar of what must be a grand building. The title and author are named below, on a plain black background.
December 6, 2024 at 9:49 AM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
The challenge is to choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
#BookSky 💙📚 #Books #BookChallenge

Day 19: The Magus by John Fowles
Image shows the cover of the book, with a drawing of an eagle flying away from a tree, on a plain cream background
December 5, 2024 at 1:11 PM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
The challenge is to choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
#BookSky 💙📚 #Books #BookChallenge

Day 18: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Image shows the cover of the book. It is plain white, with a rip in the middle as if it's a package, revealing a glimpse of a painting of a goldfinch. The title and author are in black capitals above and below, the text seeming handwritten.
December 4, 2024 at 12:53 PM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
The challenge is to choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
#BookSky 💙📚 #Books #BookChallenge

Day 17: Little Eve by Catriona Ward
Image shows the cover of the book, with a photo of a stone circle on green grass, under a dark grey, cloudy sky.
December 3, 2024 at 12:22 PM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
The challenge is to choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
#BookSky 💙📚 #Books #BookChallenge

Day 16: First Love, Last Rites by Ian McEwan
Image shows the cover of the book, with a black and white photo of a naked woman in shadow, squeezing her knee to her shoulder and looking to the side.
December 2, 2024 at 1:35 PM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
The challenge is to choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
#BookSky 💙📚 #Books #BookChallenge

Day 15: Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter
Image shows the cover of the book, with a photo of a ballet dancer on pointe, holding a door frame and looking down, as if backstage in an unguarded moment. She wears a bird costume, with shiny wings over her arms and a big tail. The photo is in black and white but has a greenish hue.
December 1, 2024 at 9:46 AM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
Took a while to switch to the meandering pace of this tale about a failing writer. But ultimately I loved its philosophical, almost existential feel. It's the kind of book that seems to flit on the surface of things, but sinks deep on reflection. #bookreview #writersky #WritingCommunity
Image shows the cover of 'The Longest Journey' by EM Forster, with a black and white photo of a man and woman sitting closely together on a lawn. They are wearing early 1900s clothing and the man holds a newspaper.
November 30, 2024 at 4:37 PM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
The challenge is to choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
#BookSky 💙📚 #Books #BookChallenge

Day 14: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Image shows the cover of the book, with a blue silhouette of a woman surrounded by sketced white branches on a light brown background.
November 30, 2024 at 10:19 AM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
It pleases me that when (if?!) my novel is published it would sit somewhere between Edgar Allan Poe and Anne Rice. Seems fitting.
(And also close to Camilla Raines, who I have only just discovered!)
#WritingCommunity #writers #writersky
Image shows the P-R shelf in a bookshop Horror section
November 29, 2024 at 3:07 PM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
The challenge is to choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
#BookSky 💙📚 #Books #BookChallenge

Day 13: Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley
Image shows the cover of the book, with a lino-print style image of a hare in red with its back arched and ribs visible, against a white background.
November 29, 2024 at 8:54 AM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
The challenge is to choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
#BookSky 💙📚 #Books #BookChallenge

Day 11: Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Image shows the cover of the book - a yellow background with a black pattern suggesting natural shapes like insects and leaves
November 28, 2024 at 1:19 PM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
The challenge is to choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
#BookSky 💙📚 #Books #BookChallenge

Day 11: Atonement by Ian McEwan
Image shows the cover of the book, with a black and white photo of a girl in a white dress sitting on some stone steps, gazing into the distance in a thoughtful pose.
November 27, 2024 at 12:50 PM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
The challenge is to choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
#BookSky 💙📚 #Books #BookChallenge

Day 10: Disgrace by JM Coetzee
Image shows the cover of the book, with a thin dog looking out at a desert wasteland.
November 26, 2024 at 7:06 AM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
The challenge is to choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
#BookSky 💙📚 #Books #BookChallenge

Day 9: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (and Six More) by Roald Dahl
Image shows the cover of the book, with a cartoon London street scene where a person is throwing money out of a window and people crowd below to catch it.
November 25, 2024 at 12:49 PM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
Can't tell you how pleased I am with these! I've been wanting to make them for years but couldn't find the right recipe. Vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free. And also v tasty! Caramel adapted from Kirk Haworth's winning pud on the Great British Menu 😋
Image shows two millionaires shortbread on a white plate on a wooden kitchen worktop
November 24, 2024 at 3:08 PM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
The challenge is to choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
#BookSky 💙📚 #Books #BookChallenge

Day 8: Euphoria by Lily King
Image shows the cover of 'Euphoria' by Lily King. A red and blue parrot flies in a clear blue sky.
November 24, 2024 at 10:07 AM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
The challenge is to choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
#BookSky 💙📚 #Books #BookChallenge

Day 7: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Image shows the cover of 'The Haunting of Hill House' by Shirley Jackson. A shadow of a woman in a long skirt among reeds appears in black and white and upside down, as if reflected in water.
November 23, 2024 at 9:36 AM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
The challenge is to choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
#BookSky 💙📚 #Books #BookChallenge

Day 6: A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Image shows the cover of 'A Clockwork Orange' by Anthony Burgess. The title and author are typed in haphazard red letters on a hazy background of a grey landscape under an orange sky.
November 22, 2024 at 10:23 AM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
The challenge is to choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
#BookSky 💙📚 #Books #BookChallenge

Day 5: Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold
Image shows the cover of 'Carter Beats the Devil' by Glen David Gold. A man wearing a white bow tie and black suit plays cards with a man dressed in red with horns on his head.
November 21, 2024 at 1:20 PM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
The challenge is to choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
#BookSky 💙📚 #Books #BookChallenge

Day 4: Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
Image shows the cover of the book 'Siddhartha' by Herman Hesse. It is an abstract painting of a figure on a blue and cream background, with a suggestion of a flower emanating from its head.
November 20, 2024 at 1:31 PM
shonaraywrites.bsky.social
Is anyone else having trouble loading the Art Feed?
#artfeed #art @bsky.art
Image shows part of a phone screenshot with an error message about an issue contacting the art feed server, saying 'Upstream service unreachable.'
November 19, 2024 at 5:26 PM