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Review: The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter by Hazel Gaynor

Posted on October 22, 2018 by Jenn

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter by Hazel Gaynor

The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter by Hazel Gaynor
Also by this author: Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and the Great War, The Girl from the Savoy
Published by HarperCollins on October 9, 2018
Genres: Fiction, General, Historical
Pages: 416
Format: Paperback
Source: the publisher

Longstone Lighthouse on the Farne Islands in Northumberland, England is the only home Grace Darling has known. Her father, the lighthouse keeper, has instilled in her a passion and love for the lighthouse and the sea it overlooks. Saving the lives of shipwrecked victims is one of the responsibilities of being the lighthouse keeper, so when a ship wrecks in 1838, Grace instantly joins her father in the rescue of the survivors. Following, Grace becomes a hero, an angel that swooped in to rescue the victims from the raging sea. Not a fan of the fame, Grace finds salvation in a rejuvenated friendship with a visiting artist, the brother of one of the victims she's rescued.

One hundred years later Matilda Emmerson, nineteen and pregnant, is sent from her home in Ireland to Newport, Rhode Island to wait out the arrival of her child. She resides with Harriet, an assistant lighthouse keeper who seems less than thrilled to have a guest in her home. In time, however, their connection is revealed, unveiling a bond that goes back centuries.

If this isn’t a page-turner, I don’t know what is! I devoured this in one sitting, instantly captivated by the strong, hard-headed female characters who both seemed to be ahead of their time when it came to the role of women in Society. Grace, forced into fame due to an act that she considered to be natural, and Matilda, a young mother banished from her family due to her pregnancy.

This novel is full of rich detail, from the characters to the setting. It’s not difficult to become invested in the characters and their fate. They each endured a terrible amount of tragedy and loss. The sea, too, is its own character, for it plays a very active role in the fate of those who reside near it.

All in all, I highly highly recommend this read. Be prepared to devote every waking moment!

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Author Links: Website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Posted in Historical Fiction, Review | 2 Comments

Dewey’s October 2018 #Readathon Closing Post

Posted on October 21, 2018 by Jenn

After the last update, I crawled in bed and read about another 175 pages. Total pages read: 1300, 10 Hours read!

Closing Survey!

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?

None, really. When I got tired, I went to bed 🙂

2. Tell us ALLLLL the books you read!

Broken Things by Lauren Oliver
Coldbrook by Tim Lebbon
The Godsend by Bernard Taylor
The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel by Alyssa Palombo (started)

3. Which books would you recommend to other Read-a-thoners?

I enjoyed all of them, but for different reasons. I’d recommend Broken Things and The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel for most “mainstream” readers.

4. What’s a really rad thing we could do during the next Read-a-thon that would make you happy?

I think you are all doing an amazing job already!

5. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? Would you be interested in volunteering to help organize and prep?

As always, I’m here to help!

Posted in Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon | Leave a comment

Dewey’s October 2018 24-Hour #Readathon Update Post!

Posted on October 20, 2018 by Jenn

Who is ready to get their read on!? I am! Thanks to a nice, restful evening last night I’m up and ready to go!

My real-time updates will happen on Instagram and Twitter, but I will link them all below! Here’s to a successful read-a-thon, everyone!

Update 1: When the dog wakes you up at 2:30 AM, you opt to sleep in for a bit! I’m up, showered, cinnamon roll and coffee in hand. Meatballs for munching off of later are in the crock pot. Let’s get this started! Starting off with Lauren Oliver’s Broken Things!

Update 2 (12:30 PM): First book finished! Going a little spookier with my next read!

Update 3 (6:00 PM): Second book finished. Zombie novel meets eco-thriller. Certainly unique! Switching to the Kindle now; holding a book for several hours is painful!

Update 4: (9:00): Third book finished! Removed Fantastical Tales of Terror from my reading queue. I couldn’t get into it at all. The first 4 stories were not fantastical or full of terror! Also, the font was teeny tiny; the format didn’t allow me to increase it on my Kindle either! So, I started Godsend, a book from the small press I just recently discovered. Nice, short and spooky! On to book 4!

Posted in Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon | 2 Comments

Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-thon Mini Challenge!

Posted on October 19, 2018 by Jenn

It’s time to take a break from reading and exercise the more creative side of your brain! For this mini-challenge, I task you with creating a haiku or short story using the titles from your TBR!

Now, it doesn’t have to be anything fancy; as you’ll see in the photo below I had a challenge of doing this challenge myself!

My haiku reads:

The Bone Witch
Brightly Burning
We Sold Our Souls
Chasing Ghosts!

You can share your entries by adding the link to the Mr. Linky below! At the end of the read-a-thon, I will select one person to receive a bookish Halloween prize!

Posted in Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon, Murders, Monsters, & Mayhem | 29 Comments

Dewey’s 24-Hour #Readathon: October 2018

Posted on October 19, 2018 by Jenn

Yay! My favorite fall activity, second only to Halloween itself, is upon us! Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-thon!

The October read-a-thon is always my favorite. It’s likely because I tend to focus on reading horror and all things spooky! The weather here is cool, perfect “leggings/layers/books” weather!

Here’s a sampling of my read-a-thon TBR (I did just pick up some MORE books from the library). I have a few on my Kindle as well. I certainly won’t read all of them (typically I do get through about 5 books and 1200ish pages) but I like having a variety to choose from!

My boys love read-a-thon for the food! Here’s what we have on our menu:

sweet & spicy meatballs and little weenies
Pizza rolls
Nuts!
Celery & peanut butter
Red Vines
Coffee
A host of pastries from our favorite apple orchard
More Coffee!

I’ll also be hosting a mini-challenge, so stay tuned for that!

Are you taking part in the read-a-thon? What books & snacks do you have lined up!?

Posted in Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon | 1 Comment

Review: Lullaby by Jonathan Maberry

Posted on October 19, 2018 by Jenn

Lullaby by Jonathan Maberry
Also by this author: Glimpse
Published by Audible Studios on October 4, 2018
Format: Audiobook

Matt and Gillian knew they were buying a haunted house. It seemed perfect, their dream home sat next to a lake in the Catskills. They couldn't resist the list price; it would allow Matt to build that home office he'd been desiring. It would be the perfect home to raise their new daughter...or would it. Quickly, their dream house turns into a nightmare and the perfect life they've built up is quickly shattered.

Anything…I mean anything, Jonathan Maberry writes I will purchase. I’ve devoured everything he’s ever written, from his zombie series, Rot & Ruin to his Joe Ledger thrillers. I can’t get enough. When I heard he was releasing an audio short, I knew it had to be mine.

Maberry excels at writing stories that chill you to the core. This is no exception. At just over thirty minutes long, this story gets to the core of what scares us. Haunted house? Yes, please! Add Scott Brick’s narration and you have an all around phenomenal listening experience! Best of all, Audible subscribers: it’s included in this month’s selection of FREE Audible originals! What are you waiting for?!

Highly, highly recommended!

Posted in Audiobook, Horror, Murders, Monsters, & Mayhem, Review, Supernatural | Leave a comment

Review: The Girl in the Locked Room by Mary Downing Hahn

Posted on October 16, 2018 by Jenn

The Girl in the Locked Room by Mary Downing Hahn
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on September 4th 2018
Genres: Ghost Stories, Young Adult
Pages: 200

Jules and her family move around the country frequently. Her father restores homes and now, at age 13, Jules just wants a place they can call home. When they move into the most recent fixer upper, Jules' father is thrilled with the potential. The home is over a century old and rich with historic beauty. Jules, on the other hand, can't get rid of this dark, foreboding feeling she gets, especially when looking up into the third-floor window. The room beyond the window is locked, furthering Jules' feelings of something ominous inside.

As her family gets used to the surroundings, Jules begins to see visions of a young girl. This isn't her first ghostly encounter; she's been seeing them most of her life. Jules learns that her new companion was a prisoner in her own home, locked up in the third floor room. Upon learning the circumstances behind the young girl's captivity, Jules makes it her mission to attempt to rewrite the past finally set the young girl free.

I’ve been a fan of Mary Downing Hahn as long as I can remember. She’s known for her ghost stores, my personal favorite being Wait Till Helen Comes. While this most recent release is labeled as a ghost story, it’s most definitely one of the most subtle that I’ve ever read. Rather, it’s more of a sad tale about a young girl left behind. Never are there any particularly chilling or scary scenes.

If you have a middle grader looking to sample something that touches on the supernatural, this “light” horror is the perfect fit. If you are looking for a more chilling read, I’d recommend sampling some of Hahn’s earlier titles.

Posted in 7-10 years of age, 8-12 years of age, Horror, Kid-Lit/Middle Grade, Murders, Monsters, & Mayhem | 2 Comments

Review: Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House

Posted on October 15, 2018 by Jenn

Image result for netflix the haunting of hill house

I felt it my duty as a fan of all things horror to partake in a binge-watch of Netflix’s take on Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House.

Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House was first published in 1959. It’s a true classic horror, filled to the brim with unnerving terror. In it, four characters – Dr. Montague, an occult scholar; his assistant, Theodora; Eleanor, a young woman quite familiar with poltergeists; and Luke, the heir of Hill House. There, instances of inexplicable phenomena quickly turn into terror, the House feeding on it’s most recent victims.

Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House shares nothing with the classic horror great, other than the title and the characters’ names. In this most recent take on this horror great, a family consisting of five children moves into Hill House over the summer. They don’t plan on staying long, rather they intend to fix up the long-vacant house to flip and sell once again. The supernatural acts aren’t as chilling to start off with, but soon it’s revealed that some of the Crains have “sensitivities” that lend them to be more affected by the House. Told in alternating time periods (then and now) and in ten episodes, you are better off watching without any sort of preconceived notions or comparisons to the Shirley Jackson classic.

I discovered just a few episodes in that this is nothing like the Shirley Jackson classic. That’s not to say that this isn’t a truly outstanding series, it is. How many, other than those already obsessed with Shirley Jackson, would be aware that there was a book of the same title? I was able to shut down all my preconceived notions and comparisons to Jackson’s classic and enjoy this for what it was: a chilling series perfectly for the Halloween season!

So, throw out any hopes of what it’s going to be and just sit back and enjoy! You won’t regret it!

Posted in Murders, Monsters, & Mayhem | 2 Comments

2018 Murder, Monsters & Mayhem Week 2 Recap!

Posted on October 13, 2018 by Jenn

It’s the end of yet another week of of Murder, Monsters & Mayhem! It finally feels like fall! Layers, leggings & boots are in my wardrobe today!

Here’s what happened on the blog this week!

Have you read any spooky books this week!?

Posted in Murders, Monsters, & Mayhem | Leave a comment

Review: November Road by Lou Berney

Posted on October 12, 2018 by Jenn

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

November Road by Lou Berney
Published by HarperCollins on October 9, 2018
Genres: Fiction, General, Historical, Literary, Suspense, Thrillers
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
Source: the publisher

Frank Guidry is a street lieutenant to mob boss Carlos Marcello. As a loyal employee he's never turned down a job, but this most recent one is particularly treacherous.

Just a few weeks prior, he was assigned a job to deliver and park a car in Dallas. Now, JFK has been shot. In Dallas. His next task requires him to retrieve that same vehicle, in a different location, and drive it out of the city. Guidry feels he knows to much for his own good. His suspicions are confirmed when everyone tied to Carlos turns up dead. Realizing he's next, he knows he has to vanish....quickly. All his connections are tied to Carlos, so his options are limited. He knows that soon hit men will be on his trail so he has to find a means to disguise himself.

He meets Charlotte, a housewife with two young daughters, fleeing a failing marriage. It's as if the fates have aligned themselves. Charlotte's car has broken down and she doesn't have the resources to replace it. They're heading to California to stay with her aunt. Posing as an insurance man on his way to Las Vegas, he's promised Charlotte assistance in obtaining a new car when they arrive.

What starts as an "out" for the both of them turns out to be much more. Unfortunately, fugitives shouldn't fall in love for it puts everyone in danger.

I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I agreed to review this title. At first glance, it’s not something I would normally read, despite being a huge fan of crime fiction. That said, I’d heard nothing but praise from others whose opinion I trust, so I went for it. I thought I was going to experience yet another alternative history. What I got instead was so much more.

Berney’s storytelling capabilities are outstanding. He quickly takes you back to 1960’s America in the wake of an act that shook not only the nation, but the world. He reminds us of an innocence that once existed, a true love of nation. This is far more than a tale of a man on the run from the mob. Rather, it’s a deeply captivating examination of the human condition, how two very different people, running from different things, can come together. The journey they take together, though brief, is more than just a physical journey but one in which each undergoes personal growth and self-realization.

If you are looking for a truly unique, wholly captivating read, this is the title for you. Highly recommended.

Purchase Links: HarperCollins

Author Links: Website, Facebook, and Twitter