http://www.allsparkhypnotherapy.co.uk/

Sparkfinder, 49 Hoadswood Road, Hastings (2025)

02/11/2025

📚 Book of the Week: Wrath of N’Kai by Joshua Reynolds 🕯️🔍

I love things with a Lovecraftian vibe — just not actual Lovecraft. Kirsten and I have both tried and bounced off his writing. So, after enjoying a Legend of the Five Rings novel by Joshua Reynolds, I thought I’d give one of his Arkham Horror tie-ins a shot.

Game-based fiction can be hit or miss, so I kept my expectations modest. But Wrath of N’Kai? Genuinely exceeded them.

Is it technically “well-written”? Hard to say — but it nails the pulpy tone it’s going for. Suspenseful, atmospheric, and packed with great imagery, it honestly does a better job of evoking that creeping horror than Lovecraft himself ever did (at least for me).

I kept turning to Kirsten mid-read and saying:
👉 “This is a whole lot of fun.”

The story’s helped along by a cast of deliciously clichéd characters, which works perfectly for the genre. The protagonist, Alessandro Zorzi, is a suave, aristocratic thief with a flair for the dramatic. Despite having handled plenty of occult oddities in the past, she spends the first half of the novel chalking everything up to coincidence. That denial makes her slow realisation all the more satisfying.

Her sidekick, a no-nonsense cabbie who passes as a man to keep working, provides a perfect counterbalance — grounded, sharp, and street-smart. The two together give the book its heart.

Now, my rating might look like I didn’t enjoy it, but don’t be fooled. I rate based on both enjoyment and literary quality, so while this scores lower on the latter, I had a great time reading it.
I’ve already added the next one to my TBR pile.

⭐ 2.75/5 — Pure, pulpy occult fun.

31/10/2025

Last night's session was a riot. Basically, John Carpenter's 'The Thing' if it as set in Sandpoint, and directed by the guys that did 'Horrible Histories'.
Link in the comments to the Highlights Video

27/10/2025

Latest Shades of Blood episode is up (link in comments).
According to the party, I'm full-on Matt Berry playing the elf, Tlaytin (pictured on left)
Latest episode includes bad puns, obligatory level 1 Giant Rat fight and making wax angels with a near naked goblin (which I re-enact on camera, albeit not near naked). End credits also include stats for the sessions to date.

24/10/2025

It's 4 weeks since we got a Thursday game played due to bad back, absence or holiday and 5 weeks since all players were present, so it was particularly cool to have everyone back on Foundry and Discord yesterday
Mixture of combat, town interactions and investigations and a big reveal!

15/10/2025

📚 Book of the Week: Trunk Music by Michael Connelly

While it’s a slight drop from The Last Coyote, returning to Connelly is always a safe bet. I know what I’m getting. Something procedurally tight, character-driven, and reliably satisfying storytelling. That said, this one was an odd experience: I actually preferred the narrative of Season 2 of the Bosch TV series which successfully wove together elements from Trunk Music, The Last Coyote, and The Drop. But even so, few can match Connelly's grasp of narrative, character psychology, and payoff.

This time, Harry Bosch is back at Hollywood Homicide with a new team. There’s a new lieutenant, Grace Billets who is sharp and assertive, whilst also supportive Bosch's approach to investigation. Alongside his old partner Jerry Edgar, Harry now also works with Kizmin Rider, a talented up-and-comer who brings a fresh dynamic.

Their latest case starts with a call during a concert at the Hollywood Bowl. A body is found in the trunk of a Rolls Royce up in the hills. The victim, Tony Aliso, a shady Hollywood producer with mob ties. It looks like a classic mob hit: “Trunk Music.”

But as Bosch digs deeper, nothing adds up. The Organized Crime division is suspiciously hands-off, and clues lead Harry to Vegas, and to a former flame now caught up in the case. With every step forward, resistance increases. Something bigger is at play.

This one kept me guessing to the end. Twists and turns are smart and earned, never the frustrating kind. The new characters start off shaky (both for Harry and me), but they grow into their roles beautifully. Connelly brings you along for that journey with his usual flair.

⭐ 3.75/5 — Not my favourite Bosch, but still a rock-solid ride.

14/10/2025

Got back from our holiday in the New Forest and first night back I'm getting my teeth into the excellent upcoming release from Cubicle 7, Warhammer Old World RPG
We thought we'd have some fun recording our sessions, so its up on youtube (links in the comments).
Here's Cameron working through some character options

25/09/2025

📚 Book of the Week: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig ⏳📖

Following on from my post on Monday about attending Matt Haig – In Conversation, I went on to finish his delightful, thought-provoking novel The Midnight Library over the next few days.

Haig’s writing style isn’t one I usually gravitate toward. He’s incredibly economical with language — something he openly discussed at the event, explaining his preference for short sentences and short chapters. Normally, I’d label that kind of approach a “beach read”… but in Haig’s hands, it becomes a strength.

He keeps the story moving at a steady pace, but still manages to drop in moments that make you stop and think — metaphors, analogies, quiet little questions — that leave your mind painting a much more vivid picture than the words alone ever could.

🔹 Brief synopsis:
When Nora Seed finds herself at rock bottom, she wakes up in the Midnight Library — a strange place between life and death, filled with books that represent all the lives she could have lived. As she explores them, she must decide what makes life truly worth living.

Given my work as a psychotherapist, the themes in this novel hit especially close to home. It’s not the most gripping story I’ve read, 'How to Stop Time' by the same author had more narrative pull for me, but the questions this book posed, and the way they echoed stages of my own life, had me absolutely riveted.

A read that truly resonated
⭐ 3.75/5

22/09/2025

📚 Book of the Week: Book of Fire by Christy Lefteri 🔥🌲

I first discovered Christy Lefteri when Songbirds was gifted to me as part of a Christmas book bundle. It sat on my TBR list for a long time, as it sat firmly outside my usual genre comfort zone. What a mistake that was. When I finally picked it up, I was mesmerised. How could someone take such a harrowing subject and make it feel so deeply beautiful? Songbirds shot straight to #2 on my all-time standalone list and became one of the rare few books to earn a 5-star rating from me.

Book of Fire was one I’d actually bought for Kirsten a couple of years ago, her third Lefteri novel. She'd previously read, and fell in love with The Beekeeper of Aleppo. She's been gently nudging me to read iBook of Fire ever since she finished it… and a couple of weeks ago, I finally did.

When I closed the final page at the end of last week, I let out a contented sigh.

Once again, Lefteri takes a devastating event, this time, a community torn apart by a forest fire started by a greedy property tycoon, and weaves a story that’s thought-provoking, emotionally rich, and somehow quietly uplifting.

Told from two different perspectives across two timelines — during the fire and the immediate aftermath, as well as a few months later — Lefteri handles both timelines with care and sensitivity. Her prose is elegant without ever feeling over the top, and even though there’s no tidy happy ending, no sugar-coating of reality, the story still leaves you with something good in your chest.

It’s not action-packed or twist-laden. It’s just… beautifully human.

⭐ 4.0/5

19/09/2025

So the party, albeit somewhat different from the 4 that started out (damn character deaths) finally exited the 'No Longer Wailing Scrapyard'
Then find out they're in the employ of Trietta Ricia, Grand Duchess of Alkenstar

17/09/2025

Where’s Polar Star? 🐻📚🎲
Today we find Polar Star doing something we rarely see—studying hard. He’s nose-deep in rulebooks, brushing up on a brand new system in preparation for an upcoming game session. I suspect he’s just getting ahead so he can correct my mistakes, because I’m currently learning the rules to the recently released Warhammer: The Old World RPG from
Unlike my usual Pathfinder 2E therapeutic games (which are like Dungeons & Dragons, but, if you ask me, better), this new campaign will be one I’m playing in, just for fun. Not that Sparkfinder isn’t a blast… even if we’ve had a recent streak of character deaths. RIP, brave adventurers. ⚰️
But let’s be honest—learning new things can be hard. From a neuroscientific perspective, our brains are wired for efficiency. Familiar patterns and routines use up less energy, so when we try to learn something new, it takes more effort and creates discomfort. It’s why picking up a new skill, or in this case a whole new game system, can feel intimidating.
✨ But here’s the upside:
Challenging your brain in this way builds neural plasticity. That means forming new connections, improving memory, boosting problem-solving, and even helping reduce the risk of cognitive decline later in life. Learning—especially something complex—literally makes your brain stronger.
That said, the pressure’s a little higher with this one, since we’ll be recording the sessions and posting them online. So every mistake I make? Immortalised in glorious HD. 😅
Maybe having Polar Star act as rules referee will help take some of the weight off. With him keeping an eye on the rulebook, I can just focus on playing the game (and hopefully not embarrassing myself too badly on the internet).

16/09/2025

Book of the Week - Poison River by Joshua Reynolds
I’m a sucker for a game-related novel tie-in, whether it’s Forgotten Realms, Pathfinder, Battletech Legends, or Shadowrun. I’m always impressed at how authors can cram in so much lore from these sprawling RPG universes while still telling a cohesive story. But let’s be honest, most of them, while fun, don’t usually crack my top-tier reads.

Except this one manages it.
This book has earned a place in my Top 10 Reads of the Year (currently sitting at #10, though I expect it’ll get bumped soon enough). Still, that speaks volumes about how much I enjoyed it.

I’d read a couple of Joshua Reynolds’ Warhammer novels before and liked them, but I wasn’t actively chasing down more of his work. This changed that.

The blurb reads:
"Meet Daidoji Shin, gambler, duelist and layabout, watched over by an iron-hearted samurai bodyguard. Murder might be the best thing to happen to him..."
Which didn't set me up with high expectectations

However, set in the Legend of the Five Rings world of Rokugan, the simplest way to describe this would be:
"Samurai Columbo investigates a poisoned rice shipment and uncovers multiple murders."
But that undersells it.

Reynolds does a great job combining rich intricacies of honour, ritual, and political tension that define the L5R setting, all without slowing the pace. Daidoji Shin is a likeable rogue, the supporting cast is varied and engaging, and the City of the Rich Frog setting is brought to life well. I genunely had a good feel for the city by the book's end.

I've already picked up the next in the series, and I’ve also ordered one of Reynolds’ Arkham Horror novels from .books to pick up next month whilst on holiday with Kirsten and the dogs. Here’s hoping his work outside of the Warhammer universe continues to hit the mark.

A solid 3/5.

Sparkfinder

02/11/2025

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