The Graveyard Book October 20, 2009
Posted by sadiejean in Best Sellers, Book Reviews, General Fiction, Holiday Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young-Adult Fiction.Tags: Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book
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Halloween Book Review #3!!
—4—
For anyone who hasn’t read Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, Halloween is fast approaching and this is a great time to do it! But considering I’m the last one to read it, that may be irrelevant. But I am going to review it anyways, perhaps to encourage the last few of you to pick it up.
Nobody’s family was murdered when he was an infant, but he escaped into the local cemetery. There, the “residents” take it upon themselves to raise and protect Nobody (Bod), and adopt him as their own. Bod is granted full run of the graveyard, which means he acquires some of the ghosts’ abilities, such as being able to fade. He is taught by characters from all different eras of history. His guardian is Silas, a figure who is able to leave the graveyard to gather food and items for Nobody, as well as protect him from the man who is still hunting him.
You would think a story about a boy growing up in a cemetery would be morbid, and at times it is a bit frightening, but overall it is a story about a community, unusual as it is, coming together to love, teach, and raise a child. At first Bod is confined to the graveyard, but he is taught to survive and thrive outside of it as well. And what a wonderful set of characters! Ghouls and a witch, a Roman and a poet, and a little girl from the outside world who befriends young Bod even though her mother thinks him her imaginary friend.
I was definitely stressed at the end when the murderer known as Jack finds Nobody, and Bod must escape him and save his best friend. Besides this, the story is not too frightening or dark. I think it is perfectly appropriate for most children, and is great for adults too! Love it!
4/5
We Have Always Lived in the Castle October 11, 2009
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, Classic Literature, General Fiction, Holiday Reviews.Tags: Halloween, Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House, We have always lived in the castle
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Another Halloween Book Review…
—3.5—
I ordered Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle from interlibrary loans, and the copy I received was practically ancient. And I think the ambiance of the story was better off for it. It had that old book smell that makes reading a scary story at night just that much more authentic.
Not that this story was particularly scary; it was more just weird. Really weird. And I’m not quite sure I get everything that happened. But I’m also not sure I was supposed to.
No-one in town likes the inhabitants of Blackwood House. One of its three residents probably poisoned all the other family members that once lived there. Merricat is the only one who ever leaves the house, forced to enter town to shop for groceries and borrow books from the library. She is a young lady who is not at all right, but it is hard to put your finger on exactly why. Her sister Constance is an agoraphobe to the extreme, and Uncle Julian has dementia and a obsession with murder. What exactly is going on in this house? And what happened the day of the poisoning? As these things often go, a stranger brings irreversible change to this house and these haunted characters.
These are weirdo characters. They are unhinged to say the least. And yet, you almost want to sympathize with Merricat, as her world dissolves around her, while at the same time feeling that her world should never have existed in the first place.
There is something about books that I don’t quite get. I feel like they are incomplete when they finish. So this book left me just a bit unsatisfied. But despite that, this book has some of the best dark, macabre humor and some of the most neurotic characters I’ve ever read. More eerie than frightening, this is another good Halloween read.
3.5/5
The Hallowe’en Party October 3, 2009
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, Holiday Reviews, Mystery.Tags: agatha christie, Fiction, Halloween, Hercule Poroit, Mystery, The Halloween Party
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Here is my first in my Halloween Book reviews! It is the beginning of October and time to get into the Spooky Spirit. My first selection was The Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie. This book is perfect for those looking for a seasonal story that is neither scary, nor gory.
—3.5—
The Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie is one of the series of Hercule Poroit mysteries, one of her recurring detectives. It all begins with an old-fashioned, very quaint Halloween Party (of course), which ends with a young girl drowned while bobbing for apples. Poroit is called to assist in the investigation and solve the murder mystery. No one in town seemed particularly fond of the girl, and most called her a liar. So can her confession that she witnessed a murder be believed? If true, it seems a good motive for murder. In which case, the murderer must have been a member of the party who overheard her boast.
This mystery is quite dated, and so sometimes reads almost comically. And it was less than suspenseful through most of the book. But Christie does what she is good at, and provides some nice twists and great character development. This is a great Fall pick for those in the mood for a quaint mystery with a good ending.
3.5/5
The Christmas Shoes December 21, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, General Fiction, Holiday Reviews.Tags: Donna Van Liere, The Christmas Hope Series, The Christmas Shoes
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—3.5—
Donna VanLiere’s The Christmas Shoes is one of those Christmas books that seem like it’s just trying to make you cry the whole time. And if that is the goal, this book succeeds. The Christmas Shoes spends a Christmas season with Robert Layton, a lawyer who is allowing his career to take the place of his family. When Kate, his wife, tells him she’s had enough, Robert has trouble understanding why providing them with nice things and a home wasn’t what they wanted, and he doesn’t know how to win her back. On the other side of town Robert Andrews tries to prepare his young son for the death of his cancer-stricken mother, who probably won’t make it until Christmas. The lives of these two families cross Christmas Eve, and Robert finally understands what he must do to regain his family’s love.
Ok, it’s sappy. And a tear-jerker. But if Christmas isn’t a time for sappy stories, when is! It isn’t an earth-shattering experience, nor a fantastic piece of literature, but anyone looking for a nice, little book to get you in the Christmas mood should pick it up. It wont take more than a day to read, so you’ll have it done in plenty of time to make some more Christmas cookies and prepare for Santa’s visit in a few days.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
3.5/5
Thanks Aunt Jane for lending it to me!
A Christmas Carol December 13, 2007
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, Classic Literature, Holiday Reviews.Tags: A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
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A Christmas Story…..
—4.5—
Scrooge hates Christmas. But 4 Christmas ghosts visit him one Christmas Eve to help him realize his mistakes.
4.5/5
Hell House October 18, 2007
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, General Fiction, Holiday Reviews.Tags: Hell House, Richard Matheson
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Another Spooky Halloween Read…
Hell House…
—3.5—
Richard Matheson’s Hell House begins much the same as The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. The premise is similar, a spooky old house attracts a group of people to investigate a possible haunting. Hell House is different in that there are much more disturbances and dangers in this house. In The Haunting of Hill House the scares are psychological, while Hell House comes out and screams Boo!
If you’re a fan of the horror genre, don’t miss Hell House. There were plenty of surprises, and a few chilling scenes that will make you cower under the covers at night. I enjoyed The Haunting of Hill House a bit more due to its scary subtlety and bizarre characters.
3.5/5
Try Hell House if you enjoyed the scary story The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
The Haunting of Hill House October 3, 2007
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, Classic Literature, Holiday Reviews.Tags: Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House
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For a Halloween Review….
THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE…
—4—
Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House is the perfect read before Halloween. Eleanor is finally on her own after her mother passes away, and one can see from the beginning that she is not quite in touch with reality. Invited to Hill House by a paranormal researcher, Dr. Montague, Eleanor senses this is the something big she’s been waiting for. And while she was waiting for Hill House, Hill House seems to have been waiting for her. Joined by Theodora, just Theodora, and Luke Sanderson, the heir to Hill House, Eleanor witnesses the awakening of the house, as well as the awakening of herself.
At first terrified, Eleanor eventually becomes entranced with Hill House. She doesn’t want to leave, and Hill House wants her to stay. A great psychological horror story!
4/5
