Word Hits

Read my guest post at Jenn’s Bookshelves!

–What is the First Book That Terrified You?

Posted in Book Reviews, Books, Fiction, tagged Halloween Reads, Murder Monsters & Mayhem, Mx3 on October 29, 2013| 2 Comments »

OrangeCover “What was the first book to terrify you?” asks Jenn of Jenn’s Bookshelves.

For me, it was A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess and Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.

These two books first terrified me in a way that I hadn’t known reading could do. Neither is a typical horror story, but both of these books gave me nightmares… more

What was the first book that terrified you?

Join Us for a Readalong of 11/22/63 by Stephen King

–The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Posted in Book Reviews, Books, Rave-views, Reading, tagged All Hallow's Read, Halloween Reads, The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman on October 28, 2013| 3 Comments »

Ocean at the End of the Lane lg Phantasmagorical is how I would describe Neil Gaiman’s novel The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

That is not to say this is a book of pure fantasy. Gaiman grounds his story in the ordinary, as told from the viewpoint of a seven-year old, unnamed boy. His father burns the toast each morning, his sister annoys him, and his great excitement is the weekly arrival of the new SMASH! comic.

This story feels real even as it veers off into the fantastic. The monsters are both human (his father, the opal miner) and supernatural (Ursula Monkton), and the shadows that lurk are predatory. There’s also a clever and creepy-crawly twist on the space-time theory of wormholes. All of this becomes plausible via Gaiman’s dark magical realism.

However, it is the emotional pull that gives this book its heft. Gaiman really taps into the fears of childhood, whether it’s the need for a hall light at bedtime or the helplessness of being in the grip of a menacing adult. The reader feels how important a kitten, or a new friend, can be to an awkward, bookish boy.

The whole story is permeated with a sense of loss—the loss of childhood, the loss of familiar things, the loss of loved ones. We first meet the narrator as a middle-aged adult, returning to his boyhood home for a funeral. The house is gone, replaced by tract housing, and most of the area is beyond recognition.

This particularly resonated with me, as I too went back to my childhood home to find that all the places once sacred to us kids were gone. The forest, where we believed a witch lived; the apple grove, where we climbed trees; and the tiny fish pond—all scraped and replaced by new houses with manicured gardens.

Though most of the novel takes place when the narrator is seven, this is not a children’s book. There are some very mature and disturbing themes. The bathtub scene, in particular, really rattled me, and my one complaint is that Gaiman never fully resolves this. I think best for parents to read first.

Early on, the young hero tells us that he “liked myths. They weren’t adult stories and they weren’t children’s stories.” This seems to be exactly what Gaiman is aiming for with The Ocean at the End of the Lane. It is a mythical, frightening, and mostly satisfying read.

This would be perfect pick for a gift for Neil Gaiman’s own #AllHallowsRead or as a scary read for the Halloween meme #Mx3 at Jenn’s Bookshelves.

Halloween Reads on Word Hits:

Death in the City of Light by David King

The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton

Give a BOO-k for All Hallow’s Read

Mx3 is a pre-Halloween celebration of books about Murder, Monsters & Mayhem!

–Death in the City of Light by David King

Posted in Book Reviews, Books, Nonfiction, tagged books, crime nonfiction, Death in the City of Light by David King, Serial Killer in Occupied Paris, true crime on October 25, 2013| Leave a Comment »

death in the city of light David King’s true account of a serial killer who roamed Occupied Paris during World War II served up an Mx3 triple play: murders, a monster, and mayhem. “The Monster of rue La Sueur” is what the French press dubbed Dr. Marcel Petiot, a well-respected and charismatic physician who led a macabre double life.

Petiot was convicted of murdering 26 people and suspected of killing nearly 60. The total body count could not be confirmed because most of the victims were chopped up and later found scattered around the city.

The doctor had set up a SAW-esque torture chamber, fitted with large hanging hooks and also a sophisticated Lumvisor viewer, so he could watch his victims suffer a slow, confused death. King offers an interesting look at the emerging field of forensics, as the police tried to identify Petiot’s victims from a mound of smoldering body parts.

The mayhem of wartime Paris worked to the killer’s advantage. Chillingly, he would lure desperate refugees to his lair by the dark of night, offering a safe passage out of France. At that time, people often disappeared at the hands of the SS, so few questions were asked when they did. French detectives initially held back on their investigation, believing that they had stumbled onto the work of the Gestapo. Petiot managed to elude authorities for months during the chaos of the German evacuation, the Allied Invasion, the Liberation of Paris, and the subsequent purge of the French police in which the detectives on his case were arrested for collaborating during the war.

King imbues Death in the City of Light with a smoky, atmospheric look at life in Occupied Paris: shrouded street lamps, air raid sirens, food shortages, a thriving underworld, and growing distrust among neighbors. As such, this book reminded me of Erik Larsen’s Devil in the White City.

The patient, determined French Police Chief Georges-Victor Massau came off much like the lead in a detective novel. Turns out, Massau was a great friend of mystery writer Georges Simenon and was in fact the inspiration for Chief Inspector Maigret.

My one beef, however, is that some of the most spine-tingling and conclusive revelations came in the Epilogue.

King dwells on the sensational trial, but relegates the harrowing, firsthand account of the only victim who escaped to the endnotes.

Halloween Reads on Word Hits:

Join Us for a Readalong of 11/22/63 by Stephen King

The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton

Give a BOO-k for All Hallow’s Read

Life Turns on A Dime—a Readalong of 11/22/63 by Stephen King

–Join Us for a Readalong of Stephen King’s 11/22/63

Posted in #112263Along, Books, Escapist Reads, Fiction, Reading, tagged #112263Along, 11/22/63 by Stephen King, 11/22/63 Readalong, books on October 22, 2013| 2 Comments »

Click here to sign up via Mr. Linky

Today we kick off the #112263Along! This two-month readalong of Stephen King’s 11/22/63 is hosted by Kristin, of My Heart Little Melodies. And, I am very excited to be her sidekick co-host. Check out Kristin’s introductory post:

The group read runs until Dec 22. The midway point will be *the* date of the title, November 22, which this year is the 50th anniversary of the day JKF was shot (a pivitol plot point).

We thought this would be a perfect timing to read 11/22/63, which has a time-travel angle. Though its not a horror story, it does seem fitting to start a Stephen King book in the run up to Halloween.

More on the 11/22/63 by Stephen King Readalong

Sign up for the 11/22/63 Readalong via Mr. Linky

#112263Along on Twitter

life turns on a dime—a readalong of 11/22/63 by stephen king

Posted in #112263Along, Books, Escapist Reads, Fiction, Reading, tagged #112263Along, 11/22/63 by Stephen King, 11/22/63 Readalong on October 20, 2013| 1 Comment »

Join us in a readalong of 11/22/63 by Stephen King!! #112263Along

–The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton

Posted in Books, Favorite Authors, Fiction, Rave-views, Short Stories, tagged Edith Wharton, Ghost Stories, Halloween Reads, Murder Monsters & Mayhem, Mx3, The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton on October 18, 2013| 4 Comments »

If a book could at once be chilling and cosy, that is how I would describe The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton. The settings of these tales will be familiar to Wharton’s readers: old New York, rambling country estates, wintry New England, and the Europe of American expats.

Moody and atmospheric, each story quickly drew me in, and I felt that wonderful, familiar pleasure in reading Wharton. But very soon, things begin to go off.

As I read, I grew tense and unsettled. While these are not horror stories, they leave you feeling creeped out and vulnerable. (I had to switch to lighter fare at bedtime.)

Wharton evokes the mysterious and supernatural. As she does to her characters, Wharton keeps the reader guessing about what is actually going on. These stories reminded me very much of Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw.

Ironically, this ambiguity gives the stories a realistic, firsthand quality. You get that same tingle that you would when sitting around a campfire in the woods. Except in Wharton’s version, it’s a dwindling fire in the dark library of a “damp Gothic villa.” Wharton sets one of these villas in Irvington, New York—named for Washington Irving (famed for “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”). Wharton was also a great fan of Edgar Allen Poe.

In the book’s introduction, British crime writer David Stuart Davies explains that Wharton was at once terrified of and fascinated by ghost stories.

“I could not sleep in a room with a book containing ghost stories and that I have frequently had to burn books of this kind because it frightened me to know they were downstairs in the library.”—Edith Wharton, A Backward Glance

Perhaps this fascination with the paranormal has carried on into Wharton’s own afterlife? Her home The Mount has been the scene of many ghost sightings. They’ve even posted online gallery of spooky images and offer “ghost tours.”

I highly recommend this book. It offers all the joy of reading Edith Wharton, plus some very spooky moments. Said Wharton of a good ghost story:

“If it sends a cold shiver down one’s spine, it has done its job and done it well.”

She has achieved just that!

This would be perfect pick for a gift for Neil Gaiman’s #AllHallowsRead or as a scary read for the Halloween meme #Mx3 at Jenn’s Bookshelves.

NOTE: There are several collections of Wharton’s ghost stories. I chose the Wordsworth Edition (paperback; published 2009; ISBN: 9781840221640) as it had the most stories. I also really enjoyed the forward by Davies.

Check out some other Intro posts by Read-a-thoners!

–Dewey’s Read-a-thon Intro Post

Posted in Books, Readathon, Reading, Reading Culture, tagged Dewey's Read-a-thon, Dewey's Read-a-thon Intro Post on October 12, 2013| 3 Comments »

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
Connecticut, not too far from New York City. We started at 8:00 am.

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton: I thought this would be a good pick to get me into the Halloween spirit. Also, I’ve only recently discovered this collection from one of my favorite authors.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
The fruits of #Augtober! For breakfast, I had white raspberries and flush-pink raspberries (still at the farmers market this late in the season) with fresh mint from my garden. Later I will enjoy local corn on the cob which still tastes like summer.

Also, I love reading with tea or coffee. I have a Nespresso machine, a coffee maker, and a teapot on deck to fuel me.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
I am absolutely not a book snob! I am just as likely to pick up Alice Munro (woot for the Nobel!) or Anthony Trollope as I am to pick up genre virtuosos like Sophie Kinsella or Stephen King.

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?
I was distracted last April and snuck outdoors a lot because the read-a-thon fell on the first sunny, spring-like day after a long winter.

Now, we have had a streak of lovely weather so I feel no guilt spending the day on my couch reading.

To that extent, I may not participate in many of the challenges. I’ve had a hectic six weeks and am reading starved—so I plan to savor this read-in.

Back to: So in Need of the Dewey’s Read-a-thon October 12, 2013
(updating post throughout)

Previous Dewey’s Read-a-thons

Here We Go, Dewey’s Read-a-thon April 2013

Read-a-thon or Read-a-5k?

Read or Cheer on the Dewey’s Read-a-thon!

Here We Go, Dewey’s Read-a-thon April 2013

–So in Need of the Dewey’s Read-a-thon!

Posted in Books, Readathon, Reading, Reading Culture, tagged Dewey's Readathon, Reading Challenges on October 11, 2013| 5 Comments »

readathon large After being away every weekend since Labor Day, I am so excited to sit on my couch and read ALL day for the Dewey’s Read-a-thon!!!

So far, we have over 400 readers around the world, who will start reading Sat. Oct 12th at 1 pm in London and 8 am EST in the US.

Why not sign up and join us?

More updates to follow, but I am SO looking forward to this long, therapeutic read-in.

8:00 am: Done! 3 books total:
The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton, by Edith Wharton
Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Also, a leisurely day of reading and decompressing. Much needed! Met several wonderful book tweeps along the way.

5:22 am: I did not plan this, but the reading gods woke me up! Cranked to finish book three: The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton. Also, had some punchy wee-hour twitter banter with the #Readathon tweeps!

11:00 ish: Feel asleep after finishing book two: The Great Gatsby.

9:07 pm: So perhaps I got carried away when I had a glass of wine whilst reading The Great Gatsby. Or maybe it’s just how relaxed one feels after reading all day. I’m already in bed with my book.

6:50 pm: I only got about 2/3 of the way through The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton. They are rather chilling. The sun is down so I’ve switched to a reread of The Great Gatsby. Must finish one before tomorrow.

3:16 pm: Ok, as I am from Dallas, I have peeked a few times at the Texas-OU game. #epic But mostly ensconced in spooky, period ghost stories by Edith Wharton.

2:28 pm: Finished my first book! Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey–an intriguing look at the habits of writers and artists (from Jane Austen to Andy Warhol). A short, fast read as mostly one-page vignettes.

12:28 pm: Oops! I’ve been so engrossed reading everyone’s Read-a-thon intro posts and by all the fun updates via twitter and the official Dewey’s Read-at-hon site … er, that I haven’t yet finished a book! (Oh well, they say that counts.) Going off-line.

Check out @Readathon on Twitter as well as #Dewey, #Readathon, and #RahRahReadathon.

11:22 am: Had to play fetch with the doggie. She is high energy!

10:26 am: Put up my Intro Post for the Dewey’s Read-a-thon. (Had to get some reading in first!)

9:17 am: Took a quick break to brew a nice pot of decaf. Smells wonderful!

8:02 am: Commence drinking Nespresso espresso (Roma blend).

8:00 am: Ready, set, #Readathon! Started with a leisurely read of the Sunday New York Times, a read-a-thon tradition for me. Yes, it will put me behind in the book count, but it is quality reading!

Previous Dewey’s Read-a-thons

Read-a-thon or Read-a-5k?

Read or Cheer on the Dewey’s Read-a-thon!