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!

Apples- Frank Browning

This is the time of year for apples. There's no disputing it. I went to the orchard the other day with my daughter and there were college kids, young mothers and tykes and the first foliage tourists all enjoying the views from the top of the hill at Alyson's Orchard. The farm stand was loaded up with the first 'early apples' - Macintosh and Golden Crisps, all sorts of squashes and gourds, the last plums, and of course, pumpkins. We were there for bags of apples,though. I had just finished Frank Browning's book on apples, timely to say the least.

Theories and mythology abound regarding the origins of the apple and Mr Browning has given us a rich exploration of the origins of apples from the mountain sides of Kazakhstan along the exploration routes between Asia and Europe. Some of the most interesting parts of the book are the pages that discuss theories about how apple seeds traveled thousands of miles with nomadic peoples and explorers and wild animals to drop and grow in isolation for hundreds of years, creating apple varieties that vary widely. His book tells of breeding programs across the ages that have created the most known varieties of apples, the use of apples within the cider industry, the politics of apple propagation, and the history and myth of the apple as a sacred image. The genetic aspects of the apple are explored also. Some of that knowledge went a bit over my head, but I got most of it if I read closely and really thought about everything Browning was putting forth. The book was really interesting and to boot, it ended with a chapter that included some great recipes. Of course, I have made a couple - a terrific pork shoulder braised in cider, apples, and mushrooms and an apple cake that is lovely to look at and even better to tuck into! Seasonal reading and seasonal eating - it doesn't get much better than that!

This is not a long book, but it is chock full of information. Browning is an NPR reporter and his writing style reflects a newsman's short, bulleted style of presenting information. He doesn't waste words, but is clear and direct in presenting the story of apples. His chapters are well organized and flow logically. He mixes the human interest aspects of apple propagation and botany really well with the technical information so that one is drawn on further into the book and not turned off by 'dry presentation of minutae'. He even includes a recipe for apple stack cake that comes from the area of Kentucky where he and his family have lived and tended an apple orchard for years. It's obvious he has great love for the orchard life, as he's given the world a great read that's all about the apple!

Saturday Snapshot - Welcome to Fall !!!

Sitting on the terrace wall are a row of pretty little pumpkins! Volunteers, all, they sprung from seeds that were pitched in the compost last fall ... delicata squash seeds, butternut squash seeds, pumpkin seeds, acorn squash seeds that made their way through the winter in the soil and came up in the lower garden when SB spread the composted soil in the spring. Some look to be lovely sugar pumpkins and some look to be delicata/pumpkin hybrids! Interesting, to say the least!

They are destined to be 'vases' for a church supper ... carved out, filled with small plastic cups of water and filled with chrysanthemum blossoms, they will be lovely little harvest home bouquets ... and then, I plan to cook the orange ones up to pulp for pies and stuffed raviolis, and roast the delicata pumpkins with a pork roast! Double duty for these pumpkins! It's the Yankee way!

shared with others at Saturday Snapshot

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!

SaturdaySnapshot

Sometimes the late summer sunsets seem like true peeks into heaven ... or a portal to some greater part of the universe, depending on your belief system.

shared with others at Saturday Snapshot photoshare, Melinda Ott's blog called West Metro Mommy Reads

Delicious! - Ruth Reichl

Let me just say that I love Ruth Reichl. She knows food and she knows New York City. She's not one to languish over her storyline in that she moves things right along, but still holds back certain details that intrigue. It's exactly what she's done with her latest novel. It's obvious from the start that young Billie Breslin has a strange 'something' in her past, but what it is remains a mystery until far into the book. Instead, Billie's  refusal to work in the kitchen after the first few pages of the book tease the reader. Her letters home to her sister reveal a tight family on the west coast, even as she makes her way as a young administrative assistant at Delicious!, a prominent foodie magazine based in NYC. She meets a host of interesting folks as she settles into her job and is introduced to life in the city - everyone from the editor-in-chief with his darling mutt to the cantankerous chef in the magazine's test kitchen. Especially endearing is the lovable Italian family that runs a popular neighborhood cheese shop and hires Billie for a weekend gig at the shop. Then, of course, there's the handsome Complainer who stops into the shop every weekend to mix it up with the shop sales folk. It's a fun blend of people that all come together to tell a story of a magazine that is closed abruptly and the mystery that surrounds its headquarters and a room full of correspondence between James Beard (a past employee of Delicious!) and a young fan during the WWII era.

This is a rich novel, full of small details about foodie trends, past and present. Reichl drops names of famous chefs and restaurants, also current and past. There are scenes where dinners and their menus get top treatment, all while moving the story line along. It's a fun read that will no doubt, inspire a few recipes in tribute to the book! Oh, and the girl gets the guy at  the end ... equally satisfying too when you've been reading chick lit. 

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!