This was quite the ride. There are places it reminds me a bit of Annihilation but this is very much its own book. The acknowledgments mention that the novel was inspired by a line in "The Willows" by Algernon Blackwood and I can see that (also running off to reread the story). I have always enjoyed stories about people from this world slipping into another but it's not a fun time here. Definitely recommend.

I just need to say that if you ever have the chance to see Grady Hendrix live, leap at the chance! He is extremely entertaining, funny, and smart. And during the signing, he took time to speak with everyone. His shows aren't readings; they are full presentations on the subject of whatever book he is there for. I was a fan before, but now I think I may worship him.

Grady Hendrix just never fails to deliver. Here, in a home for pregnant teens in 1970, some of the girls discover witchcraft. Honestly though, the real horror of the story is how the girls were treated. This is a few years before Roe v. Wade so there were very few choices.

Cannot wait to see his show on the 29th!

I have to say I wasn't as enamored of this book as many people seem to be. I loved the parts with Marcellus, especially those narrated by him. The human parts of the plot, however, just didn't do it for me.

The Haddesleys are an old family that has a compact with the bog they live on: they take care of the land and the bog will provide the eldest male nd heir with a wife. But now the family home is in disrepair and the heir, well, he isn't so into the bog.

I felt a general sense of unease and uncomfortableness while reading and I mean that in the best way. Plus bog. We know how I feel about bogs.

The story of the Boogeyman continues. In the follow-up to Chasing the Boogeyman, Chizmar tells the saga of what happens once the Boogeyman has been apprehended. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to spoil the first book.

As with the first book, this is a novel interspersed with real-life details. Once again, even though I knew it was a novel, I kept googling things because they felt so true. Kudos to Chizmar!

This is the new Hill House novel, sanctioned by the Shirley Jackson estate. While it may not feel quite as timeless as Jackson's novel, it is an excellent continuation. Hill House is still menacing and creepy and the characters are worthy successors. The novel stands alone in its own right as a creepy haunted house story as well. I highly recommend this one.

A fascinating look at 13 witchcraft trials throughout history. I was familiar with a number of the trials but that didn't affect my feelings about the book. It also brings home how little things have changed in terms of who is generally accused and why.

Book mail, aka work mail, meets Ellie's standards

I have a long-standing fascination with bog bodies, so of course I was going to pick this one up. I loved it. Fedelm was killed and set in a bog two thousand years ago. When she is discovered and disinterred, figures from Irish legend slip through time to find her. The legends are prone to speaking in 21st century language which I found hysterical. Readers will definitely appreciate this more if they are familiar with the Ulster cycle and the Tain

Not your typical King novel but I loved it. The characters are wonderful and the storytelling engrossing.

Bookish company Out of Print now has a Mychal Threets collection

Hey everyone! If you happen to be near Winston-Salem, NC, the Bookmarks Festival of Books and Authors is the weekend of Sept. 27. There are ticketed, paid talks and free talks. I went last year and loved it. Will be going on the Saturday.

It's a bit hard to see how beaten up this book is. It lives in my beach/pool bag and has for years. It is definitely more fun to read on the beach--people tend to avoid you.

Anyway, while I really enjoy this book, this is definitely one case where the movie is better.

A short story from Orange World. Cillian unearths a bog body while cutting peat. He immediately falls in love with her and takes her home. His mom is not thrilled.

I have been fascinated by bog bodies for decades but I never thought to take one home with me.

It's a wonderful layered story.

Another book I absolutely adored. Granted I was predisposed to like it as it's based on Beowulf and set in the modern day. The mere wife is Gren's mother and this is her story. It is so beautifully written. And so so many nods to Beowulf, as one would expect.

An imagined week in the life of Anna Fort, Charles Fort's wife, in which she encounters secrets more ordinary than those her husband investigates, but secrets that are far more important.

I could not have loved this more! A double timeline story of Hannah's time with the pirate Ned Lowe and the women who discover her manuscript. A great adventure indeed!

I just love Adam Nevill. That said, this one fell a little short of what I expect from him. I did enjoy it, but I also felt a little let down.

A standalone in the HMRC series, this goes back to the founding of HMRC through queen Anne Boleyn. It's every bit as good as the first two books in the series with the added bonus of being set in the Tudor era. A big yes!

A novella in the AGGGTM universe. It takes place before the trilogy. It's a murder mystery party attended by Pip and her friends. A quick, fun read.

A standalone from the author of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. Six teens on their way to spring break in an RV. Which breaks down. With a sniper outside demanding one of them give up a secret. As engrossing as her previous books. If you like the trilogy, you'll like this.

I've been a fan of this comic for years. I was so thrilled to get this. And it did not disappoint. A super favorite of mine, how she convinced her mom.to.lwt her go to a birthday party after dental surgery, is included.

This whole trilogy was really good. In the first, there were one or two things I would have changed. The second was just great. I spent most of the third yelling at Pip in my head. But if you like true crime pods, definitely give these a shot.

This is without a doubt my favorite Penguin Classics cover of all time. The interior covers pirates from Francis Drake through Jean Laffite. New to me are the reports of 19th-century ships attacked by pirates. Everything is taken from source documents. Whether you are the least bit curious about pirates or you're a longtime fan, this one is one of the best out there.

Alex can see ghosts. She is recruited into Lethe, the ninth of the secret societies at Yale. Her mentor goes missing and a town girl is murdered.

This book is so good at everything. I wish I hadn't taken so long to get to it, but that means the sequel is already out and I don't have to wait.

Not your average vampire story and also not your average vampires. The novel focuses on a few different people at different times, each nine years apart. We know what happens to them but we don't know the full story till near the end of the book. Definitely worth the read.

I'm an old pro at horror novels. They just don't get under my skin anymore. Until this one. I haven't found a book so horrifying since I can't even remember when. And horrifying on so many levels. Another win for Tremblay.

An enjoyable tale of an academic who studies the fae and her time in Norway to collect stories of the northern Folk. To her dismay, she is joined by a colleague, Wendell. To his dismay, she gets a little too involved in the stories she studies.

Just give me all the fairy stories please!

Oh Bunny, I loved this book sooo very much. I truly did!
Samantha is a student in a writing program in grad school. The four other girls in her class call one another Bunny and are inseparable. And one day they unexpectedly invite Sam to Smut Salon. Then things get really weird.

This is perhaps my favorite Dracula cover.
I reread this novel every few years--I just love it.

I could not stop laughing. If you enjoy British mysteries, do read this. The art makes it perfect. Beware the vicar!

The sequel to the novel Rabbits, which was based on the podcast. I loved both to the extent I even have a set of Path cards. I wished there had been a little more about the game in this one, but it was still excellent. R U playing?

This book was inspired by the tragic case of Bridget Cleary, burned as a changeling in the 1890s (The Burning of Bridget Cleary is an excellent account of this murder.) It questions folk belief vs. reason and what can happen to a person when all around them believes in something far from their own beliefs.

I have already seen the HBO series (it was one of the things that inspired me to get the book) so I knew how things would play out. But I love King's writing and it was still suspenseful for me. And now I have to.back and read the other Holly Gibney books before I get to Holly. Such a chore. 😀

Another hit for Dan Jones! This sequel to Essex Dogs takes the Dogs from Crecy to Calais. Of course the history shines through but so do the characters and the setting. Highly recommended

This is the basis of the absolutely heartbreaking series The Crowded Room. Billy was charged with robbery and rape in the 1970s, but something made him different from other criminals: his eventual diagnosis of multiple personalities. This is the story of his life before prison and in treatment. It's a hard read.

John Connolly is such a beautiful writer. It's evident in his Charlie Parker books, but his writing just shines in this story of a boy trying to.find his way home. There are many folkloric and fairy tale elements present, all used to perfect effect.

Ellie also approves.

The sequel to In the Rolling Deep, but this also works fine as a standalone. Mermaids. Or sirens. You don't want to meet them. I can't stress this enough. But again, people are going in search of them.

Oh, I loved this book so much! Definitely read Her Majesty's Royal Coven first. I don't want to say a lot because it would spoil the first book. I love the characters so much. By the next book, they are going to be old friends.

This I the story of Folkvi and Aslakr, siblings who happen to be very close and what happens when Aslakr becomes betrothed to Gerd. Set in the Viking age, when omens and magic are a part of everyday life, this is a slow burn literary horror with an ending that will stick with you.

Mermaids may not be what you think. The crew of the Atargatis (which is a great name for a ship in this book) has been hired for a mockumentary about discovering real mermaids. No one, not crew, not those hired by the network has survived. But footage exists and it's horrible. Mira Grant is the name under which Seanan McGuire writes horror and she is as skilled in it as she is in fantasy.

This will be one of my top books for 2024. Beautifully written and an intriguing plot and I couldn't put it down. It's the story of a house with a history and a young girl who discovers that history. A Gothic atmosphere pervades the story.

I was captivated by the whole Murdaugh saga since I found the Murdaugh Murders podcast early on. Naturally I wanted to read this book ASAP. It's a memoir about Mandy's beginnings in journalism and about how she became involved with reporting on the Murdaughs. It also follows the Murdaugh saga (of course). It's not a deep dive into the Murdaughs since it is a memoir (other books do that). I had a hard time putting this one down.

The best bird guide you will ever read (if you enjoy swearing). The illustrations are great. I laughed hard

Poe has been a favorite since my mom read us "The pit and the Pendulum" when we were kids. Reading Poe is like curling up in a.soft blanket with a cup of hot chocolate. And this edition is so beautiful.

Edith Holler lives in a theater. She has never stepped outside. There is a curse that should she do so, the theater will be destroyed.
I have now gotten Edward Carey's other books.

I'm a sucker for vampire lit. Always have been. Was completely tickled by the whole Mercy bit (I've known about Mercy for ages---Food for the Dead is a great book). I saw someone say somewhere that this is not a vampire novel. Hard disagree. There are different types of vampires in the lore. I loved this book
On a more personal note, the description of scoliosis surgery is spot-on. I had it done when I was 16. Oh, the memories.

Willy and Marianne mive from Brooklyn to a small town in Maine. There is a religious sect known as the Sin-Planters in the town. And there is something just not right with this little pram Willy is using to haul groceries.
CW: miscarriage

You've seen the algae. It turns ponds and rivers and other waterways a bright green. It's dangerous. We all know that. But we don't know how dangerous.