The Winter People - Jennifer McMahon

I was initially drawn to this audiobook because the turn of the seasons makes me crave mystery and ghost stories. I love listening to audio books, as I work around the kitchen so McMahon's creepy story about wishing a loved one back from the dead seemed a perfect distraction from canning tomatoes and making mincemeat for winter pies.

The story opens with a young couple living at the turn of the century in a small Vermont farming community. It's wintertime and bitterly cold. Food's a bit scarce, the farmhouse is drafty, but Martin, Sara, and their daughter, Gertie are making ends meet. Martin hunts in the woods behind the farmhouse, determined to care for his little family. The growing season is short and the fields are rocky, but martin ekes out a living for them. We read of one fall day when he returns to the house, having found a ruined homestead deep in the woods. He's found a bone ring that he gives to Sara. Her reaction is strong and definite ... get the ring out of the house and go bury it, return it to the earth. But Martin doesn't. He holds onto it ... his first mistake.

RIP IX - A Little Something Different

I have discovered, through a fellow blogger, a new graphic novelist/artist - Emily Carroll has done some truly interesting stuff with the horror genre. Here is a taste of her work, no pun intended. The piece is called Out of Skin and appears on here website. Check it out!

Her first book is called Through the Woods and is a collection of short horror stories that are made incredibly powerful because of her imagery.  I believe Out of Skin is included in the book. Really. Check it out! The book is intended for young adults and older. You'll see why when you get a look. It would be far too scary for youngsters.

Emily Carroll's webpage offering

This book and the website are the perfect addition to my reading and looking challenge at Carl's literary event called RIP IX. This is horror of the first order - spare words, strong images, and a lasting creepy impression. Good work, Emily Carroll!

RIP IX - Heart-Shaped Box - Joe Hill

" Horror is rooted in sympathy, after all, in understanding what it would be like to suffer the worst."

                                                                                                                        - Joe Hill

Judas Coyne has seen his share of  'the road'. He's spent years running from a horrible childhood in a podunk region of Louisiana. He's become a hardened, jaded, heavy metal rocker with a following of Goth groupies who he identifies by the states from which they've run. He's toured extensively and spent years on the road with his band, his groupies, his hangers-on, and his team of lackeys. He's a hardened man with a penchant for all things dark and creepy, so when his assistant suggests that he buy a ghost as a gimmick, well, what the Hell. And Hell is just what arrives at the door via UPS.

When a dark suit arrives in a large box, Jude thinks he's been taken for a sucker. Poor guy. Within hours, a presence establishes itself and it means no good for any involved with Jude. As for Jude? The elderly man making his presence known means to take Jude for a ride on 'the night road' - a ride that will take him straight to Hell.

Joe Hill's story might just have gone all gory and ghoulish, like so many other schlocky horror reads and don't get me wrong, it does have its moments of gore and disgust. Hill redeemed himself in my eyes, though, because he spent so much time exploring Jude's relationship with his girlfriend. Marybeth, otherwise known as Georgia, might go the way of all Jude's other 'lovers', but for the ghostly presence of 'Old Man Craddock'.  Marybeth and Jude are bonded when they are faced with defending themselves from the hatred of a ghostly father of one of Jude's previous 'girls'. What they face forces them to look at each other, the past life of the girl that Jude 'sent home' to Craddock, their own individual pasts, and the horrid future they face if they can't help right wrongs that must be reconciled. Jude's character undergoes an awakening that leads him to recognize just how flawed his life has been when it comes to women. He re-evaluates how he treated 'Florida', Craddock's daughter and in so doing, he recognizes a dark secret that Anna had - a secret that destroyed their relationship and brought on a tragic sequence of events. Jude, with Marybeth's love and support, finally does the right thing.

This was a pretty good audio book. I listened to it on a road trip out to New York and during meal prep time at home ... Stephen Lang did the reading and was fine in the character of Jude Coyne. The producers provided these edgy, sawing guitar riffs that began each CD ... it always put me on edge and served to get me a bit tetchy before beginning to listen to the story - a good trick. 

No spoilers, here. All I'll say is that it ends well.

shared at the review site for RIP IX - check it out and join the reading!

20th Century Ghosts - Joe Hill

I have discovered Joe Hill. During the day, I listen to Heart-Shaped Box on audio as I putter about in the kitchen, but at night, I have been enjoying his collection of short stories called 20th Century Ghosts.

I've curled deep in the covers before bedtime and read about a young girl whose spirit haunts a movie theater and who inspires the people who have seen and spoken to her to keep the theater open at all costs. Do spirits sometimes require us to maintain their earthly dwelling place? After living in a house in Rowley, Massachusetts that was haunted by an elderly man who became quite disturbed at some renovations that we were making, I related to this story.

Another story tells of a boy who has agonized over a childhood prank that had dire consequences and the haunting disappearance of the friend that urged him to commit the dangerous act. The fact that the boy's brother may have caused the friend's disappearance compounds the enormity of the boy's fearful guilt. Yes, guilt is a haunting emotion that can poison one's life.

I've read about a deranged father whose superstition regarding vampires destroys his family and ultimately leads to a darker deed. Are there really vampires hunting us? Hmmm ...

I've squirmed through a story about a murderous kidnapper who has the tables turned on him by one of his many victims. That particular story was the creepiest to me, for what mother doesn't have heart palpitations at the thought of one of her children being taken by a stranger with evil intent?

There seems no end to the dark imagination of Joe Hill and this time of year is the perfect time to light some candles, soften the other lights and enjoy a spooky read. Horror and mystery are not my usual chosen genres. Putting myself in an uncomfortable place as a reader is all for a purpose, though! It's time to participate in Carl's annual literary challenge called RIP IX, a book/story/movie share of all things mystical, horrific, Gothic, murderous, and fantastical. 20th Century Ghosts is the first of my offerings, not a new book or a new author, but new to me and my tender sensibilities! Next up, Heart-Shaped Box !

To join in the reading fun, hit the link for Carl's RIP IX post that I created above and check out all the options for participating ... there's a lot of good creepy reading out there! September and October are ripe for a jaunt through the genres of horror, mystery, crime series, Gothic horror, psychological thrillers, et cetera! Come on ... double dog dare you!

A Spooky Reading Challenge - R.I.P. IX

Okay, I'm up for this! Fall is here and before you know it Halloween will be knocking on our doors and rattling the window latches. Leave it to Carl to spur me to dig a bit into the murky, muddy, malevolent depths of the genres of fantasy, horror, mystery, Gothic romance, suspense, and real-life non-fiction mayhem. His seasonal literary challenge is called R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril and it runs through September and October. Visit his site called Stainless Steel Droppings  (cursor over blog title = link to site) to read about all the options for participating in this literary blogshare!

I am always impressed by Carl's level of preparation for his literary events. The badges are clever and really beautiful. He is always diligent in catching up with his participants. His themes are always fun and wide open to different readers' interpretations. To boot, he always promotes good dialogue between his various participants.

I'm opting to participate on a few levels. Thus far, I have an audio version of Joe Hill's haunting thriller called Heart-Shaped Box, Dennis Lehane's creepy psychological cop story called Shutter Island, a collection of spooky short stories by Joe Hill called 20th Century Ghosts, and finally a movie edition of Susan Hill's novel called The Woman in Black that stars Daniel Radcliffe. These titles and the movie should give me a few creeps ... I'm also looking for a real-life story that will creep me out. Suggestions anyone? I've already read Helter Skelter, In Cold Blood, and The Devil in the White City ...

So ... that's my scary reading list for the next couple months. What are you planning to check out as Halloween approaches? Check out Carl's blog to see about this neat reading share!