Haunted Book Club with Gav Cross & John Reppion

The second Haunted Book Club and we haven’t even started haemorrhaging too many stories yet!The Masque of the Red Deathby Edgar Allan PoeHarry Clarke’s iconic illustration to accompany a very non pockect sized edition…Thank you to every one that joined in especially if your name was Claire/Clare. Never too many Claire/Clare’s.Lots to say about this one - we didn’t find it scary. Some of us get the ‘ick’ from EAP. But it did stick around in our visual perceptions of horrible plagues…We aggregated the scores. Oh yeah. We scored it.Scare Factor: 1.5/10 - Not so scary at all but some of us love the florid language and style.Creep Factor: 2.5/5 - This one lingers… Those aristo’s and their partying.Satisfaction: 4/5 - It’s a classic for a reason. It’s got everything on the surface and so much more going on underneath.Was it a ‘Woo Hoo!’ or a ‘Boo Hoo…’?You should have a listen and decide for yourself.You missed ‘The AfterLive’. The Substack exclusive and cut section of the HBC. You have to be here live to be part of that…The next Haunted Book is 9pm, Tuesday 17th of March.The Eyesby Edith WhartonOur version of that will drop on your feed next week. Get listening or reading!Mar 3rd: Haunted Book Club - The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen PoeMar 9th: The Story - The Eyes by Edith WhartonMar 17th: Haunted Book Club - The Eyes by Edith WhartonMar 23rd: The Story - Spinach by EF BensonMarch 31st: Haunted Book Club - Spinach by EF BensonApril 6th: The Story - Man Sized in Marble by Edith NesbitApril 14th: Haunted Book Club - Man Sized in Marble by Edith NesbitApril 18th: Haunted Book Club Live LIVE - Norton Priory, Runcorn - The Curfew by Lucy M.BostonMay 21st: Haunted Book Club Live LIVE - Portico Library, Manchester - The Old Nurse’s Tale by Elizabeth GaskellDid you spot the Live LIVE?That’s right - you can sot with us in the same wonderful and atmospheric space that is Norton Priory or the Portico Library. We will still do the reading for you but you can join in live with like minded pals and us!Phew - that is a lot to take in. We know!Thank you again. Don’t turn around…(No, that still doesn’t feel quite right as a catchphrase either. We should workshop it).Gav & JohnMarch 2026Thank you eejits, Josie Ray, Rachael Prime, Chris Williams, Clare Williams, and many others for tuning into our live video with John Reppion and Gav Cross ! Join us for my next live video in the app.Subcribe for notifications about the the Haunted Book Club and more! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gavcross.substack.com

We had such fun at the first Haunted Book Club. Who knew that such a classic tail could throw up so much new thinking? That is of the value of a good conversation with good people and we hope we can keep that rolling with this dark red classic…The Masque of the Red DeathBy Edgar Allan PoeYou can close your eyes and hopefully enjoy this reading by Gav. Or you can take your copy off the shelf. Here is a link to the text online:Link to the story at the Poe MuseumAnd then on the 3rd of March at 9 pm, we will reconvene for the book club itself. John brings his expertise. Gav brings his enthusiasm and the questions to hide the fact that he doesn’t know as much as people think he does and hopefully you will be there to join in the conversation live on Substack:Link to Haunted Book Club on SubstackBut don’t worry if you can’t make it and you subscribe you will get that conversation drop into your inbox or Podcast player soon afterwards.Coming up on Substack we have:Feb 17th: Haunted Book Club - The Signalman by Charles DickensFeb 23rd: The Story - The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen PoeMar 3rd: Haunted Book Club - The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen PoeMar 9th: The Story - The Eyes by Edith WhartonMar 17th: Haunted Book Club - The Eyes by Edith WhartonMar 23rd: The Story - Spinach by EF BensonMarch 31st: Haunted Book Club - Spinach by EF BensonApril 6th: The Story - Man Sized in Marble by Edith NesbitApril 14th: Haunted Book Club - Man Sized in Marble by Edith NesbitMay 21st: Haunted Book Club Live LIVE - Portico Library, Manchester - The Old Nurse’s Tale by Elizabeth Gaskell This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gavcross.substack.com

The first Haunted Book Club lands with a screech!The Signalmanby Charles DickensThank you to every one that joined in and I thinke we all went on a git of a journey with this story…It’s definite that we think differently now.We aggregated the scores. Oh yeah. We scored it.Scare Factor: 3/10 - Not so scary but THAT description of going down into the cutting…Creep Factor: 4/5 - This one lingers… This one gets stuck in the back of the brain…Satisfaction: 4/5 - It’s a classic for a reason. It’s got everything on the surface and so much more going on underneath.Was it a ‘Woo Hoo!’ or a ‘Boo Hoo…’? You should have a listen and decide for yourself.You missed ‘The AfterLive’. The Substack exclusive and cut section of the HBC. You have to be here live to be part of that…The next Haunted Book is 9pm, Tuesday 3rd of March.The Masque of the Red Deathby Edgar Allan PoeOur version of that will drop on your feed next week. Get listening or reading!Coming up on Substack we have:Feb 23rd: The Story - The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen PoeMar 3rd: Haunted Book Club - The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen PoeMar 9th: The Story - The Eyes by Edith WhartonMar 17th: Haunted Book Club - The Eyes by Edith WhartonMar: 21st: Haunted Book Club Live LIVE - Norton Priory, Runcorn - The Curfew by Lucy M.BostonMar 23rd: The Story - Spinach by EF BensonMarch 31st: Haunted Book Club - Spinach by EF BensonApril 6th: The Story - Man Sized in Marble by Edith NesbitApril 14th: Haunted Book Club - Man Sized in Marble by Edith NesbitMay 21st: Haunted Book Club Live LIVE - Portico Library, Manchester - The Old Nurse’s Tale by Elizabeth GaskellDid you spot the Live LIVE?That’s right - you can sot with us in the same wonderful and atmospheric space that is Norton Priory or the Portico Library. We will still do the reading for you but you can join in live with like minded pals and us!Phew - that is a lot to take in. We know!Thank you again. Stay creepy… (No, that doesn't feel quite right as a catchphrase. We should workshop it).Gav & JohnFeb 2026All the place we are can be found here:https://linktr.ee/haunted_bookclubJohn Reppion can be found here:https://www.moorereppion.com/Gav Cross can be found here:https://linktr.ee/gavcrossThank you eejits, Judith Wilde, Chris Williams, Kelly Williams, dean mcleod, and many others for tuning into my live video with John Reppion! Join us for our next live video! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gavcross.substack.com

Welcome to Part One of our very first Haunted Book Club.The story itself. The Signalman by Charles Dickens. (1866)With so many Short supernatural stories to choose from we have picked the first few for the book club. And we thought we would start with a humdinger. With something that has its own brand recognition. With something that is always being read, adapted, performed and feared…You can close your eyes and hopefully enjoy this reading by Gav. Or as John suggests you can take your copy off the shelf. Here is a link to the text online:Link To Story on GutenbergAnd then on the 17th of February at 9 pm, we will reconvene for the book club itself. John brings his expertise. Gav brings his enthusiasm and the questions to hide the fact that he doesn't know as much as people think he does and hopefully you will be there to join in the conversation live on Substack:Link to Haunted Book Club on SubstackBut don't worry if you can't make it and you subscribe you will get that conversation drop into your inbox or Podcast player soon afterwards.Coming up on Substack we have:Feb 17th: Haunted Book Club - The Signalman by Charles DickensFeb 23rd: The Story - The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen PoeMar 3rd: Haunted Book Club - The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen PoeMar 9th: The Story - The Eyes by Edith WhartonMar 17th: Haunted Book Club - The Eyes by Edith WhartonMar: 21st: Haunted Book Club Live LIVE - Norton Priory, Runcorn - The Curfew by Lucy M.BostonMar 23rd: The Story - Spinach by EF BensonMarch 31st: Haunted Book Club - Spinach by EF BensonApril 6th: The Story - Man Sized in Marble by Edith NesbitApril 14th: Haunted Book Club - Man Sized in Marble by Edith NesbitMay 21st: Haunted Book Club Live LIVE - Portico Library, Manchester - The Old Nurse’s Tale by Elizabeth GaskellDid you spot the Live LIVE?That’s right - you can sot with us in the same wonderful and atmospheric space that is Norton Priory or the Portico Library. We will still do the reading for you but you can join in live with like minded pals and us!Phew - that is a lot to take in. We know!Get to know us both a little more when Gav chats to John here on Substack, live. Feb 10th at 8.30pm. Tell Me Your Story: John Reppion. Subscribe to this Substack for updates.https://gavcross.substack.com/s/tell-me-your-storyWelcome to the Haunted Book Club. We bring the supernatural, uncanny and ghostly stories to your ears and eyes. And we want you to join us. Together we will be safe…Gav & John Feb 2026All the place we are can be found here:https://linktr.ee/haunted_bookclub John Reppion can be found here:https://www.moorereppion.com/Gav Cross can be found here:https://linktr.ee/gavcross This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gavcross.substack.com

A Book Club you don’t ‘have’ to do the reading for.We’ll read it to you…For enjoyers of eerie tales, curious to know more about the stories that make their skin crawl. Join Norton’s Narrator Gav Cross and author John Reppion as they delve into the stories behind some of your favourite spine-tingling tales. Whether you’re a seasoned ghost story expert or a newcomer to the realm of creepy fiction, Haunted Book Club welcomes all new members with open (and possibly skeletal) arms.Join in the conversation or sit quietly in the dark. Whatever you choose. Keep glancing over your shoulder…How does it work?Every other Tuesday, live here on Substack, we will host a book club focusing specifically on a classic short supernatural tales. https://gavcross.substack.com/s/haunted-book-clubWe have made some choices of the first few. But of course what we want is to know what we do next… We want you to be part of the choosing. We want to know what gives you the shivers and why…John will bring his extensive expertise in this field to give us an insight to the story, the author and its influence. Gav will ask some of the stupid questions because he is not as informed or clever as he pretends to be. But this is a Book Club so we want you to be part of that conversation as well. Let us know what you thought of the story how it made you feel, if you are a fan or not…What do you do?Obviously, we want you to join in. We want to chat to you as well. Don't get me wrong we love chatting to each other and that's basically what we've been doing for years now but we want to include you in that as well. We think it would be better if you know the story before coming to the book club. Many of you will already know these stories very, very well. Obviously, the best way to enjoy them is with a candle lit armchair by the fire, reading a first edition. If you don't have access to any of those things, we will do a reading for you over at Gav's other strand of Substack. You can also find this & lots of other stories on his Youtube, Spotify and your usual Podcast Places:https://gavcross.substack.com/s/phantastic-stories-with-gav-crossWhat happens next?Join in! Subscribe!Invote?Comment?Share?Buy some candles?Get to know us…John is popping on to Gav’s other Live Podcast:https://gavcross.substack.com/s/tell-me-your-storyCome along live or listen back after. Let’s find out about how John gets his ideas for his own work and the collaborations with Leah Moore. (Link Below.)We are over on Instagram & Facebonk too. Links here:https://linktr.ee/haunted_bookclubThat’s a LOT of stuff. Coffee? Tea? A tincture of something else…?Gav & JohnJohn Reppion is a writer, born in Liverpool.Since 2003 he has co-written comics in partnership with his wife, Leah Moore, as Moore & Reppion. John’s solo-scripted comics work has also appeared in 2000 AD, Judge Dredd Megazine, and Heavy Metal Magazine. He has written books and articles on Weird History, Folklore, Superstition, and Magic for the likes of The History Press, Fortean Times, Daily Grail Online, and Hellebore Zine. John’s Horror and Weird Fiction has appeared in anthologies from the likes of Titan Publishing, PS Publishing, Swan River Press, and Sarob Press.https://www.moorereppion.com/Gav Cross is a storyteller and performer. He creates weird and scary shows for grown ups and families. “The War of the Worlds - An Abridged & Performed Reading”, he brings humour, heart, and a touch of chaos to venues, festivals, and theatres across the UK. Currently ’Norton’s Narrator’ for Norton Priory, bringing terror and shouting to the good people of the area.https://linktr.ee/gavcross This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gavcross.substack.com