The Sundial by Shirley Jackson
If this had been shorter. I am sure I would have loved it. But it just went on and on and it took me most of last night and this morning to get through. I loved the plot, and even the opening by Victor LaValle. But the whole book just wanders and then eventually we get to what I consider an odd and open-ended ending. At least I had a chance to read this while I had candles burning nearby. “The Sundial” with an introduction […]
Melmoth by Sarah Perry
So this was a 3.5 star read that I rounded up to 4 stars. I didn’t care for the Essex Serpent at all and worried I wouldn’t like this book, but I thought Perry did a good job with this. She took her own spin on Melmoth the Wanderer Novel by Charles Maturin. Just like with that book, Perry pushes the Gothic elements all the while telling several stories within the main story. I thought the writing for the most part was spot-on. I loved […]
Silversword by Phyllis A. Whitney
CBR 14 Bingo: Shadow In this book, the past casts long shadows, entangling the main character even in the present. Caroline Kirby, fresh off a divorce, returns to her childhood home in Hawaii, to the mother she had thought long dead and the mystery of her father’s death in a sacred volcano crater. I do like a certain flavor of vintage suspense books, with their gentle pace and their deep dark secrets. Here, the author set us up with a long ago mystery to solve, […]
O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker
On a windy night, at the foot of a set of stairs in a run-down mansion buried deep in the Scottish highlands, the body of a young woman is found. Her name is Janet; she’s dressed in her mother’s black lace ballgown. Outside, in the stormy skies, a jackdaw flies in search of her. He seems to be the only one who misses her. I had never heard of this 1991 novel, but I’m so glad I did. It’s a small gem; that rare combination […]
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
There is something about Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing that just speaks to me. I haven’t read enough of her books to make definitive statements about her writing, but in the works I have read, it feels like she writes with one middle finger raised. It speaks to me. I don’t delude myself, as a white American whose ancestors definitely fucked around in places they should not have been, I am part of the group she is raising that middle finger at, and I am fine with […]
They Drown Our Daughters by Katrina Monroe
Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review. Well this was a solid Gothic/horror read. The main reason why I couldn’t give it more than 3 stars though is the last 1/3 of the book dragged, didn’t make a lot of sense, and then I think the ending may tick off some readers. No spoilers, but was very surprised that Katrina Monroe went there. I also got a little lost in the chronology along the way. […]
