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Category: R.I.P. Reading Challenge

Paranormal reading challenge hosted by Stainless Steel Droppings

The Secret of Crickley Hall

The Secret of Crickley Hall

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The Secret of Crickley Hall by James Herbert Publisher: Tom Doherty, 633 pages Format: Hardback Source: Purchased What it’s about: In The Secret of Crickley Hall, Gabe and Eve Caleigh along with daughters Loren and Cally have rented Crickley Hall while Gabe is working on an engineering project nearby. Gabe and Eve’s goal is to find some peace and quiet to mourn the disappearance of their child Cam and to prepare themselves to acknowledge Cam’s death, even though his body has…

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Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why

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Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher Prior to committing suicide, Hannah records tapes that she places in a box. These messages–thirteen reasons why–detail the series of events that led her to take her life. She mails the box of tapes to the first person on the list with instructions to listen and then mail the box to the next person on the list and so on. I wasn’t planning on reading this book, but I needed to find a banned…

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Lincoln in the Bardo

Lincoln in the Bardo

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I didn’t know what a bardo was until I picked up George Saunders’s novel Lincoln in the Bardo. Bardo is the state of the soul between death and rebirth. The translation of this Tibetan word is “between two.” And that’s exactly the condition of the souls in the Oak Ridge Cemetery in 1862 when Willie Lincoln, third son of Abraham Lincoln, was interred. The death of Willie Lincoln and the night-time visits of Abraham Lincoln set off a series of events that will change the ghostly residents of Oak Ridge.

R.I.P. XII Challenge

R.I.P. XII Challenge

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What time is it? R.I.P. time! I must admit, though, R.I.P. XII caught me by surprise this year.  In many ways, this has been a dispiriting year for many, so perhaps that played a role in my tardiness when it comes to my favorite time of year and the spooky books I love to curl up with when the days lengthen and darken. At any rate, better late than never to year twelve of the beloved autumn reading challenge in…

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Blood on the Tracks

Blood on the Tracks

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Review: Blood on the Tracks by Barbara Nickless For my fourth novel in the R.I.P. Challenge, I read The Raven Boys. In case you missed my earlier post and reading lineup, here is the concept behind this challenge: Started by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings, R.I.P. is a reading challenge in which imbibers come “together to enjoy the literature most associated with the darkening days and cooling temperatures of Autumn:” Mystery Suspense Thriller Gothic Horror Dark Fantasy Blood on the Tracks features…

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The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

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Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater For my third novel in the R.I.P. Challenge, I read The Raven Boys. In case you missed my earlier post and reading lineup, here is the concept behind this challenge: Started by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings, R.I.P. is a reading challenge in which imbibers come “together to enjoy the literature most associated with the darkening days and cooling temperatures of Autumn:” Mystery Suspense Thriller Gothic Horror Dark Fantasy As I read The Raven…

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The Red House Mystery & Northanger Abbey

The Red House Mystery & Northanger Abbey

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The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne I was surprised when I learned that the author of the Winnie-the-Pooh series had penned a mystery novel, and not just a mystery, but a murder mystery. Perfect for the R.I.P. Challenge. (In case you missed my earlier post and reading lineup, here is the concept behind this challenge:) Started by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings, R.I.P. is a reading challenge in which imbibers come “together to enjoy the literature most associated with the…

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R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril XI

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril XI

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“Now Autumn’s fire burns slowly along the woods and day by day the dead leaves fall and melt.” –William Allingham (1824-1889) Yes, autumn is here again! And you know what that means. It’s time for… R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril XI! Started by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings, R.I.P. is a reading challenge in which imbibers come “together to enjoy the literature most associated with the darkening days and cooling temperatures of Autumn:” Mystery Suspense Thriller Gothic Horror Dark Fantasy Carl says…

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Ghost Novel: The Face

Ghost Novel: The Face

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The Face by Dean Koontz Publisher: Random House Audio Format: Audio Recording Source: Pleasanton Library The Face is my second reviewed novel of The R.I.P. Reading Challenge hosted by The Estella Society. What it’s about: The Face is a poignant but darkly comic novel of suspense. The primary setting of Koontz’s book is the Southern California mansion Palazo Rospo where ten-year-old Aelfric (Fric) resides with a house full of staff but rarely his father, and never his mother. The title…

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The 20’s Girl, the Ghost, and All That Jazz

The 20’s Girl, the Ghost, and All That Jazz

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The 20’s Girl, the Ghost, and All That Jazz by June Kearns Publisher: Amazon Digital Services Format: Ebook Source: Purchased What it’s about: Gerry is desperate for money. Her late aunt thought nothing of leaving their English village and sailing to parts unknown or taking up with a new love at the drop of a feathered silk hat. Along with mounting debt, Gerry has inherited her aunt’s stunning wardrobe and old bookstore. Unfortunately, Aunt Leonie ransacked the bookstore for valuable…

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R.I.P X is here!

R.I.P X is here!

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(image courtesy Abigail Larson) It’s that time of year. Or as Shakespeare put it: That time of year thou mayst in me behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. (Image courtesy flikr creative commons via photopin) In the gray mood yet? Good, because R.I.P. X (R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril) is here, the brainchild of Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings, this year…

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Film Review: The Awakening

Film Review: The Awakening

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  Peril on the Screen: The Awakening Thanks to a recommendation by reader Joanna over at DanseNoir, I watched the ghost movie The Awakening. The Awakening features a story within a story, so there’s a mystery aspect as well as a supernatural one. As the movie opens, Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall) exposes a fraudulent seance followed by the dramatic arrests of the perpetrators. Britain is reeling from the momentous losses of World War I and the flu pandemic, and grieving…

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Book Review: The Haunted House by Charles Dickens

Book Review: The Haunted House by Charles Dickens

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Review: The Haunted House Publisher: Dover Publications Format: Print, 136 pages Source: Purchased The Haunted House is an anthology of connected stories, three of which Charles Dickens wrote, the others penned by writers of his time. The premise is that the narrator, for reasons of health (have you noticed how prominent discussions of health are in Victorian literature?) rents a country house for three months with his sister. They fall in love with the house and decide to invite their…

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