Seasonal Favorites: Hill, Jackson, Bradbury, McMahon, Ludwigsen

When the days get shorter and there’s a shiver in the air, many people turn to spooky stories.  I always say I don’t really like horror, but I do like uncanny tales that make a little shiver run up my spine.  Here are a few of my favorites:

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill is a classic English ghost story. Our narrator becomes upset at hearing his family recount ghost stories because he has experienced the real thing. As a young solicitor, he was sent to an isolated house to sort out an old woman’s belongings, despite being warned away by the villagers.  If you like atmospheric, this one has it to spare.  There have been a couple of movie versions, but while the one with Daniel Radcliffe caught some of the feel of the book, I was disappointed by the changes made to the story.

Shirley Jackson is one of the classic authors of the unsettling. Her short stories like The Lottery linger in the mind long after the last sentence. She wrote the legendary The Haunting of Hill House, in which four people go to stay in an old house which is purported to be haunted, and my favorite We Have Always Lived in the Castle which opens with the iconic paragraph introducing Mary Katherine Blackwood. I was hooked from that moment on.

Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes is a book that always comes to mind when autumn approaches.  While it’s often shelved in children’s or YA, I find I appreciate it much more as an adult. Bradbury’s descriptions of the restlessness and unease that comes with the dying of the year strikes a chord, and the darkness that comes brings a shudder.  It was also a fine movie—and yes, the library has both book and movie!

Among the more modern authors, I like Jennifer McMahon’s The Drowning Kind.  A young woman goes home only to find that her sister who has been suffering from mental illness has committed suicide.  Her notes allude to something or someone connected to the spring behind the family home. Even though I figured out where the story was going, the book has such an intriguing vibe that I was drawn in—and I love the ending. It doesn’t answer all the questions, which is just how I like it.

A Scout Is Brave by Will Ludwigsen is another recent favorite. Bud Castillo moves with his family to Innsmouth, MA in the summer of 1963.  It’s a big change, moving from Queens to a small, dreary town with not much for a ten year old boy to do. Then he meets Aubrey, a pale, sheltered boy who wants to be a Scout and things seem to be looking up.  But there seems to be something dark lurking in Innsmouth. . . .  I love the way this story is told, from the point of view of an adult Bud remembering a pivotal summer in his life, and I also like the mid-century setting.

-Jeanne

Nevermore: Mama Makes Up Her Mind, The Water Is Wide, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Real Queer America

 

Reported by Garry

 

Mama Makes Up Her Mind: And Other Dangers of Southern Living by Bailey White is the hilarious and heartfelt collection of essays based on the author’s life in the South along with her eccentric relatives. First published in 1993, this memoir is a series of fifty short anecdotes about White’s experiences being a first-grade teacher (in the school she went to as a child), and living with her elderly mother in rural Georgia. This delightful book comes recommended by no less than three of our Nevermore readers, who agree that it is a lovely, easy, feel good book.  KN

 

The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy is another memoir set in the South. In this 1972 book, Conroy recalls his time as a teacher on the extremely poor and isolated Daufuskie Island (called Yamacraw in his writing) on the coast of South Carolina. The island was economically depressed and lacked much of what we take for granted as modern infrastructure – there are no bridges. Conroy found that many of his early-teen students were illiterate and innumerate, some not even knowing what country they lived in. Facing multiple hurdles, Conroy (or “Conrack” as his students called him) clashed with the authoritarian school board and utilized unconventional ways of teaching. Our reader says that while idealistic, Conroy has an honest voice in this book and that the resulting book is very authentic and moving.  PP

 

We Have Always Lived in the Castle is the classic psychological horror story by Shirley Jackson. Narrated by Merricat (Mary Katherine) Blackwood, this slim novel follows the remains of the Blackwood family, living in their immense estate after the deaths of several family members. The arrival of a far-flung relative sets in motion an explosive and harrowing series of events in this claustrophobic (and highly recommended) tale of family, murder and isolation.  CD

 

Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from the Red States by Samantha Allen is a combination of memoir and reportage. Allen, a former Mormon missionary and now a transgender reporter on LGBT issues, has traveled the country stretching from Provo, Utah to the Rio Grande Valley and even to Bristol!  Traveling through many “Red” states, Allen found that queer people are everywhere and are actively creating change and lives for themselves even in those states often dismissed as “obviously unsafe” for the queer community. Our reader comments that this book is “quite uplifting” and highly recommends it for showing that America is a more accepting place than we are led to believe.  KM

 

The Thread Collectors by Shaunna J. Edwards and Alyson Richman

Riverman: An American Odyssey by Ben McGrath

The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

The Red Cotton Fields by Michael Strickland

The Jackaby Series by William Ritter

What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe

By Hands Now Known:  Jim Crow’s Legal Executioners by Margaret A. Burnham

The Hurting Kind by Ada Limón

Queen of Our Times: The Life of Queen Elizabeth II by Robert Hardman

Broken News: Why the Media Rage Machine Divides America and How to Fight Back by Chris Stirewalt

Staff Picks!

 

With Rhythm and Roots upcoming we decided that instead of our usual display only featuring books about music that we would poll the staff for some of their favorite books.  Then we could set up a display of “Staff Picks,” using guitar picks.  Maybe a bit corny, but we had a lot of fun seeing what everyone chose.  The BPL staff certainly has varied interests!

That said, there were a few books that showed up on more than one list.  Here are some of those:

Two titles by TJ Klune kept turning up on lists. Klune writes strikingly original fantasies, peopled by memorable characters, and leaves his readers with a warm glow.   The House in the Cerulean Sea tells the story of Linus Baker, a bureaucrat who works in an office dedicated to checking on the care of “Magical Youth.” He lives a colorless existence until he’s sent to check up on an orphanage where he meets an amazing assembly, including a gnome, a dragon, and the mysterious Arthur Parnassus.  Oh, and the Antichrist.  Linus’ life will never be the same.

In Under the Whispering Door, Wallace Price’s life will never be the same, either—mainly because Wallace is dead.  He’s very disappointed and more than a bit angry when only five people show up at his funeral: his three law firm partners and his ex-wife, none of whom seem particularly upset by his demise.  This is probably because Wallace was, frankly, not a very nice person. The fifth person he doesn’t recognize. It turns out that she is his Reaper, sent to guide him to the waystation called Charon’s Crossing so he can pass into the afterlife. Charon’s Crossing is managed by Hugo, a ferryman who guides souls but Wallace is going to prove to be more stubborn than most.  Populated by a cast of delightful and unforgettable characters, this is another “feel good” tale by Klune that also tackles the big questions, like the meaning of life—and death.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson showed up on three lists. The story is narrated by Mary Katherine, known as Merricat, who lives in an old mansion with her sister and an uncle.  A family tragedy has made them outcasts from the town, and Merricat must keep a watchful eye to keep outsiders away. While Jackson’s best known book is arguably The Haunting of Hill House, our staff members seem more drawn to this title.  We found the book to be deliciously atmospheric, with intriguing characters and a mystery at its core.

Japanese author Hiro Arikawa’s The Travelling Cat Chronicles touched the hearts of a couple of staff members.  The story is told from the point of view of a stray cat adopted by a kind young man who takes the cat on a trip to find a new home.  Warm, poignant, and ultimately uplifting, this tale has a special poetic charm all its own.

Another author who has done well in translation is Fredrik Backman.  His breakthrough book was A Man Called Ove, about a curmudgeonly Swede who takes a dim view of modern society in general and his neighbors in particular. His Beartown was the start of a series of books set in a town whose inhabitants live and breathe for hockey, their one claim to fame.  It’s since become a TV series for Netflix.

Jon Krakauer writes compelling non-fiction, so it’s no surprise that his name turned up on the lists. Into the Wild examines the life and death of Chris McCandless, an idealistic young man who set out on a search for truth and ended up dying alone in the Alaskan wilderness, while Into Thin Air is the author’s personal account of a climb up Mt. Everest in 1996.  That’s the year that a storm hit, causing the deaths of eight people in one day, and remains a controversial event in the history of mountain climbing.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides was a debut novel that thrilled its readers, including two of our staff members.  Artist Alicia Berenson is a convicted murderer who shot her husband in the face six times, but since then has refused to speak.  A new therapist is determined to try to unlock the secrets she’s held since that awful day.

Finally, Agatha Christie is also included on a couple of lists, proving the classic, Golden Age mysteries never go out of style!

These are just a few of the selections that garnered more than one mention.  There could have been a lot of others, judging from the overheard murmurs of, “Gee, I should have included that one on my list…”

And as for displays, we do still have one set up featuring music—and genealogy! Rhythm and Roots indeed!

Chillers for the Season

 Selections by Jeanne

I’m not normally a horror reader.  Oh, I used to be, years ago, but that was before Richard Matheson’s Hell House aka The Legend of Hell House scared the bejezus out of me and kept me awake a couple of nights. Since then I’ve been cautious about the scary stuff I read because I am now much older and I need my sleep.  I do still pick up the occasional creepy book, especially this time of year.  Here are some I have enjoyed in the past:

Hell House:  Nope, nope, not going to pick this one up again.  The ending is still too vivid.  Matheson’s tale of a group of investigators who spend the night in an allegedly haunted house may be tame by today’s standards, even be considered stale after a legion of books on this theme, but I don’t care.  I’m not going to read it again.  I’m just going to respect it from a safe distance.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson:  Most people like The Haunting of Hill House, but I was drawn to this story of two sisters who are shunned by most of the town over an incident in the past.  Of course, Jackson's story“The Lottery” is an absolute gem; but I also very much like – and often refer to—“One Ordinary Day, With Peanuts.”  (For a different view of Jackson, by all means pick up her two domestic humor books, Life Among the Savages and Raising Demons. )

The Seeker by R.B. Chesterton: Graduate student Aine Cahill has a journal written by a female relative who was a friend (and perhaps more) to Henry David Thoreau.   As part of her research, Aine has come to Walden Pond to try to find evidence to corroborate Aunt Bonnie’s story but soon she begins to wonder if there is something else lurking in the woods.  This is one of those books that the minute I finished I tried to find someone else to read the book so we could discuss it.  Extremely well written, atmospheric, and with fascinating characters, this is one I recommend often.  (Chesterton is a pen name for Carolyn Haines, who writes the Sarah Booth Delaney mysteries, but the Chesterton titles are darker in tone and, so far, are standalones.)

The Other by Thomas Tryon:  Another book I read years ago, but which left a strong impression.  The story revolves around young brothers Niles and Holland who live on a farm in New England.  While twins, the two boys are very different in personality:  Niles is sweet natured and cautious, while Holland is daring and reckless, with a cruel streak. But is he responsible for a series of “accidents” around the farm?  This was Tryon’s first novel, but it was followed by another semi-classic horror tale, Harvest Home. He later turned to historical fiction before his untimely death.

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill:  After a number of folks on DorothyL recommended this title, I picked it up.  I soon put it back down again. This tale of a young solicitor sent to a remote village to settle an estate was written in the Victorian first person style and just seemed too slow.  A few months later, I picked it up again and was drawn in immediately.  The setting is vivid: a dark, desolate old mansion out in a salt march with the fog rolling in, and a dampness that seems to seep out of the words and straight into the reader’s bones. The ending is abrupt, shocking.  At first I felt a bit cheated, but I certainly remember it; so it certainly fulfilled its purpose.  By the way, if you’ve seen the movie with Daniel Radcliffe, then you have some idea of the atmosphere of the book.  That part was very well done.  However, the movie took a number of liberties, including changing the ending and turning it into more of a standard horror movie.

‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King: This was King’s second novel after Carrie and I liked it better.  For one thing, it was a dandy modern-day vampire story.  Set in Maine, the story revolves around a small town where two strangers have moved into a house with an unsettling reputation.  Then things really start to go downhill. . . . King has said that the inspiration for the book was wondering what would happen if Dracula moved into to a contemporary American village and the parallels are easy to see. 

Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin: Long before the first Game of Thrones book, Martin wrote a number of science fiction/fantasy books, including this gem.  Abner Marsh is a Mississippi steamboat owner whose fleet has been pretty much demolished.  Enter Joshua York, a mysterious gentleman who is willing to bankroll a fantastic new boat. . . but York’s secrecy worries Marsh.  Just what is York hiding? And what plans does he have for this boat? This is another great example of Martin’s ability to take a genre and reform it in new and interesting ways.

Happy reading!

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

Reviewed by Christy H.

 

            Schizophrenia is a mental disorder with symptoms that may include hearing voices, persecutory delusions, as well as thought and movement disorders just to name a few. Onset symptoms usually occur between the ages of 16 and 30 with women on average showing signs around the age of 25. Marjorie’s symptoms begin at the age of 14. Because we the readers see events through the eyes of Marjorie’s eight year old sister Meredith we don’t get all the details of what is happening. What we do know is that something’s very wrong with Marjorie, and all the trips to the doctor and the medicine she’s taking isn’t helping.

            The family is already under quite a bit of strain when the novel opens. (Aren’t they always?) John, the girls’ father, has lost his job. Finding new work has been difficult and taken such a toll on his psyche that he’s turned to religion for guidance and peace – a fact that greatly annoys his wife Sarah and baffles his children. But with Marjorie’s illness getting worse and no sign of relief in sight, even Sarah reluctantly agrees to involve the church and, eventually, an exorcism. In a series of events unknown to us, because they are unknown to Meredith, the church somehow gets a production crew involved which uses the story to create a reality show called The Possession. The show is enough of a hit to inspire blog posts about its run years into the future – which we are occasionally privy to.

Early on in this book Merry, as her family calls her, refers to her big sister as “my Marjorie”, and I was immediately called to mind of the Blackwood sisters in Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle. It sounded like something either one of them would say. I then noticed the back cover had reviews with so many comparisons to Jackson (mostly Jackson meets fill in the blank with Stephen King, William Peter Blatty, or Stanley Kubrick). As I read on I did notice quite a bit of similarities: close sister relationships, broken families, slow building tension, large Gothic houses, and even similar nicknames for the youngest daughters.

I loved this book. I loved the foreboding atmosphere, and the unsettling imagery. I loved sweet, eight year old Merry who tried so hard to be a good sister and daughter. She made me wish I could hug her and make her feel okay again. Tremblay wrote her wonderfully; she acted and spoke like a real child.  I loved how pieces of important information were slowly revealed, some so casually I had to re-read them just to make sure it said what I thought it did. I loved how it was the perfect book to read during autumn. Luckily my house stays cold so it was easy to imagine crisp air outside and changing leaves while bundled in a blanket – even in unfortunate 90 degree weather. I am planning on purchasing this book for my collection because I can definitely see many re-reads in the future.

(sidenote: I have discovered Tremblay has written a short story titled We Will Never Live in the Castle which I love already and will have to hunt down.)

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Reviewed by Christy H.

Mary Katherine and Constance Blackwood are sisters. They live in a large, secluded house with their disabled uncle Julian. The rest of their family is dead.

This is the plot of Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle stripped to its bare bones. It’s a simple story and a short book, just fewer than 200 pages, but with characters and an atmosphere so rich excessive length isn’t necessary. I don’t want to spoil too much but within the first few pages here is what we know: Merricat, as Constance calls her, is 18 years old. She is heading to the village to get supplies – a chore she absolutely despises. But she does it because Connie is agoraphobic and refuses to set foot off the Blackwood property.

The catalyst for Connie’s fear occurred six years prior – when most of her family was poisoned. Connie, 22 at the time, became the primary suspect. She was charged but acquitted due to lack of evidence. She and the remaining Blackwood family, never particularly loved by the villagers, become even bigger outcasts. Since then Connie spends her time cleaning, cooking, and gardening while taking care of Julian and indulging Merricat’s every whim. Still, the Blackwood sisters seem relatively happy in their (mostly) self-imposed exile.

Merricat senses a change, however, and it shows up in the form of their cousin Charles. Charles’ father has died and left him nothing, and he is pretty obviously after the Blackwood sisters’ fortune. Obvious to everyone that is except Connie who becomes dangerously unlike herself. She begins scolding Merricat, something she never did before, as well as talking about the future and the possibility of venturing outside the confines of their property. This change frightens Merricat. She makes it very clear to Charles that he is unwelcome in her eyes but he is not deterred. The events that follow will once again change the Blackwood sisters’ lives, and even those of the villagers, forever.

I love and appreciate that this novel doesn’t go too much into detail. It gives just enough while leaving so much to the reader’s imagination. But it’s also frustrating! I want to know more! I want to know all about the Blackwood family – life before the book started, life after the book ended. Anything! I’m not generally a re-reader of books but this is the second time I’ve read this one. (The first being in high school, mind you.) I love it now even more than I did then, and I can definitely see multiple readings in the future. This is a quick, just-creepy-enough read to get you into the Halloween spirit but it will stick with you long after you throw those jack o’lanterns out.