The Girl Who Read Too Much
I got banned from reading at school.
Not for reading the wrong books, but for reading too much. Every break, every spare moment, my nose was buried in a book—working my way methodically through the library whilst the world around me continued without me. I was exploring other realities: Nancy Drew's mysteries, The Famous Five's adventures, the twisted psychological thrillers of Minette Walters (far too young, probably), and the magic of the Enchanted Forest. Anything that offered a portal to somewhere else.
By my teens, I'd told my mum I was a witch. Books did that to me.
In my first semester at university, I decided to be an "adult." I'd only read coursework, I declared. Serious academic texts only. I witnessed a slow descent into madness—my own. Turns out, I need fiction the way other people need air.
Libraries in the Forest
I still remember my boarding school library, nestled in the middle of a Zambian forest. I remember my first World Book Day—rain pelting against metal roofs whilst we sat making bookmarks, exploring worlds so fascinating and captivating that the storm outside ceased to exist. I remember being moved up a class because of my reading level, feeling simultaneously proud and mortified that books had betrayed my age.
It's safe to say: books have been my entire world for as long as I can remember.
I never imagined I'd create a life where I got paid to read them.
Scotland's First Horror Bookshop
Ghost & Quill was born from that same hunger—the need to escape, to explore, to find solace in other worlds. We're Scotland's first horror-themed bookshop, but we're so much more than our genre. We're for anyone who's ever felt like an outsider. Anyone who's found family in fictional characters. Anyone who understands that sometimes the darkest stories bring the most light.
We curate books with care—from pristine new releases to well-loved Second Chapter editions that come with their own history. Each book is chosen because it deserves to find the right reader, and each reader deserves to find their next obsession.
More Than Books
Alongside our carefully selected books, we create 1:24 scale dollhouse miniatures—tiny gothic worlds you can build with your own hands. Because sometimes, creating worlds is just as important as reading about them.
Our Mission
Ghost & Quill exists to empower literature and create spaces—both physical and metaphorical—for those who need them. We're starting online, evolving to pop-up shops, dreaming of a double-decker bus bookshop that will travel to communities without bookshops or libraries, and eventually building a permanent haunt that welcomes everyone who's ever felt like they don't quite fit.
An Invitation
I hope to share this love of books with you. I hope to hear your stories—about the books that saved you, the worlds you've escaped into, the realities you've made your own. No matter your genre, no matter your story.
Books are gifts from authors: a chance to explore a new reality and make it your own.
Welcome to Ghost & Quill. Welcome home.
Marlene
Founder & Chief Book Witch
Ghost & Quill – Scotland's First Horror Bookshop
