The broadcaster and writer Muriel Gray champions The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton because she believes books that deal with the supernatural are often unfairly dismissed as unworthy of literary praise. But she says you can't argue with a Pulitzer Prize winning author such as Wharton who decided to write a collection of ghost stories as a way of overcoming her own fears. As well as being disturbing and downright spooky the stories contain a lot of social commentary about the values and prejudices of early 20th century society. Leah Davis is the voice of late night RnB and hip hop on Capital Xtra. She also runs a book club on her show. Her choice is Luster by Raven Leilani, a rather nihilistic tale of a young New Yorker who is struggling to make it in life, unable to hold down a job and living in a vermin infested apartment. She gets involved with an older married man with surprising results. Harriett's choice is More Than A Woman by Caitlin Moran a poignant and sometimes hilarious account of middle age and motherhood. A discussion about Botox ensues.
Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Maggie Ayre