The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

The Haunting of Hill House is more eerie than scary. Jackson's writing is so tight and so descriptive in ways that make you think about ordinary things, like houses, differently. The plot itself is not outstanding, maybe because it's almost become a template of haunted house stories. Three people, Eleanor, Theodora and Luke, are invited to stay in a supposedly haunted house for the summer to aid a scientist, Dr. Montague, in his pursuit of paranormal investigation. We some started banging, laughs, cold spots, a ghostly scene, but really the story is about Eleanor. We see this world through her eyes. Eleanor's eyes. She is insecure, introverted, and often finds herself fantasizing about her current and future situations. She's not a reliable narrator to any extent. Eleanor is affected by the house more than any of the others. While they all see and feel some of the manifestations, but some she only hears and others are directed at her by...
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Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

Told by an unknown narrator, the story is focused on a "secret" of a woman named Lady Audley and the ultimate revelation of what that secret is. While you may think relatively soon into the book that you know Lady Audley's Secret, that the author has told us, you'd be wrong. The secret remains closely guarded right u to the time it is confessed by Lady Audley. I will be honest, though, the secret is not the strong part of the book. She lays down clues and throws hints here and there without giving way too much and keeping the secret well-guarded until the time is right for a confession by Lady Audley. I enjoyed the writing. The descriptions of the settings and characters put you there with them. I listened to Lady Audley's Secret just after The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. They were written around the same time and both "sensational" novels, but this one felt tighter to...
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FrightFall Wrap-up

FrightFall Wrap-up

The FrightFall Readathon technically ended Monday, but the post-readathon ended yesterday. The one main "rule" of FrightFall is that you must read at least ONE scary book (which can be a thriller, mystery, Gothic novel, or similar for those who are faint of heart). Here are all the scary, thriller and mystery books I read this month. I am not big into horror, so most of mine really aren't that scary. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury "The Diary of a Madman" by Guy de Maupassant Peril at End House by Agatha Christie The Lady in the Cellar by Sinclair McKay We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson From Russia with Love by Ian Fleming Cherringham #1-3 by Matthew Costello and Neil Richards Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie After the Funeral by Agatha Christie The Mysterious Mr. Quin by Agatha Christie Death and Dancing Footman by Ngaio Marsh Cherringham #4-6 by Matthew Costello and Neil Richards ...
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FrightFall Readathon

FrightFall Readathon

The FrightFall Readathon starts today. This is pretty much the only time of year I read horror, or even slightly scary books. Michelle at Seasons of Reading is our hostess. We started today at 12:00am central time and end at 11:59pm central time on October 31st. From Michelle's post: Just remember...the one main "rule" of FrightFall is that you must read at least ONE scary book (which can be a thriller, mystery, Gothic novel, or similar for those who are faint of heart). Since we are doing a month-long, I hope you will indulge the scary a bit more, but that is entirely up to you. It is all about the reading after all. I have We Have Always Lived in the Castle on my list for this month. It fits for this readathon, and it's my Classic Club dare book. I'm also joining in on Something Wicked This Way Comes read-along at Castle Macabre, but I probably won't stick with the schedule. I'm...
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