The Haunting of Hill House

 

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, 246 pages

Paranormal investigator and scholar Dr. Montague wants to investigate supernatural occurrences the old fashioned way, gathering people sensitive to psychic phenomena in an allegedly supernaturally active location for an extended period and taking a bunch of notes. Two young women respond to his invitation; carefree Theodora and sad, lonely Eleanor. Along with the rakish young heir of the house they plan to summer at Hill House, which has claimed more than one life in the past. From first sight the house seems wrong, and this wrongness quickly expands to strange, unexplainable, and terrifying events that may yet claim another life.

This 1959 novel is foundational to the horror genre, and it's truly astounding how far I can see its inspiration spread now that I have read it. The board game Betrayal at House on the Hill is obviously directly inspired, as is Hilltop House from the podcast The Magnus Archives (and I suspect that the Sanderson sisters from Hocus Pocus take their name from heir Luke Sanderson), but more broadly this is clearly the template that launched 100 "strangers exploring a haunted house" stories. Purely on its own merits, I have sort of mixed feelings on the book. There were a lot of elements I would have liked to see more explored, and a lot of hooks that felt like they were going to go somewhere and then never did. I do, however, find myself thinking about it for several days after I finished it, and having a lot of fun trying to pick apart what actually happened. Definitely interesting for a look at one of the pillars of the genre, but I don't know that it's as spooky or character driven as people say.

The Lesser Dead

 

The Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlman, 362 pages.

Joey Peacock is an adolescent vampire. He's been an adolescent vampire about 60 years. He's spent his decades like any young vampire might: picking up girls in the punk clubs, watching sitcoms in the homes of hypnotized families, keeping up on the latest fashions, and prowling the subway tunnels under NYC. But the city is dangerous in 1978, and the strange undead children prowling the subway are the first sign that it may be more dangerous than he ever expected. 

This was a really cool vampire novel. It was published in 2014, but I had to double check that because it captured precisely the eternally young and cool vampire that was so popular in the 80s, along with some prejudices that also felt very true to the period. It also has the type of ending that sent me reeling, which I will leave it to other readers to discover. I recommend picking up the audiobook, which is read by the author and does a great job capturing Joey's voice.  

Enormous Wings

 Enormous Wings by Laurie Frankel (2026), 304 pages

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book: a seventy-seven-year-old women suddenly find herself pregnant (?!?!?!). 

Pepper has recently moved into a retirement home, found her people, and then found herself pregnant. What to do? I won't give spoilers, but that is a lot of the book. I liked the parts with her new friends in the retirement home, her family, and understanding aging and all that it entails. What I did not care for were the long, lecturing sections on a woman’s right to choose.  Additionally, another person's surprise pregnancy is introduced and it feels very contrived by the author to further make her points about body autonomy. I agree with a lot of her arguments, it just did not make for an enjoyable read. 

Drive Me Crazy

Drive Me Crazy by Lizzy Dent, 368 pages

Chloe has clawed her way to the top of Formula 1, and is ready to finally be announced as the first female team principle. But her billionaire boss chooses to use that same press conference to announce the hiring of the once-great, now-not-so-great driver Matt, who also happens to be an unrequited crush from Chloe's childhood. But as Matt joins the team, sparks begin to fly between the two, and Chloe is forced to prove herself as a Formula 1 boss while also allowing her love life to flourish.

This is a spicy sports romance about a sport I know NOTHING about, which made it intriguing in ways that had nothing to do with the romance. I respect and appreciate that. What I didn't necessarily love about this is the sheer number of times that Chloe says "no, we shouldn't do that" and Matt presses her anyway (and she immediately folds). It doesn't seem to work with her established career focus, and made both of them feel really juvenile in their thinking. That said, I probably will pick up more Formula 1 romances, because I definitely found that bit interesting.

Tsubaki Stationary Store by Ito Ogawa

Tsubaki Stationary Store by Ito Ogawa, 304 pages

Hotako runs a stationary store that she's inherited from her grandmother. Visitors request her services as a scribe, and she drafts letters using words and stationary that almost-magically solve the customers'problems. This is from a sub-genre of cozy Japanese novels where a business or similar instituion solves problems for patrons with intuition and know-how.

I dunno, it was okay. I mainly wanted to try this sub-genre to see what it was about. I could see occasionally being in the mood for something that was realy chewing gum for the eyes (or in this case, the ears, as I listed to the audiobook). But I get the impression that the readers of this type of novel really want predictability and I can't see myself going through a pile of books that are so similar. I recommend it if you want low-stakes, squeaky-clean relaxation. Or if you're into pens?

Blood Over Bright Haven

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang, 428 pages

Because I am woefully tardy on blogging about this one, and I have about a zillion other things to blog about, I'm going to direct you to Regan's wonderful post here. She captures the essence of the book quite well, and I share her feelings on this one, especially the bit about how this is what I wish Babel had been.

Eugene V. Debs and Looking Backward

 Eugene V. Debs: A Graphic Biography by Paul Buhle and Steve Max with art by Noah Van Sciver (2019) 128 pages 

A new biography about Eugene V. Debs called American Socialist has just been written by Shawn Gude. I remembered I had a graphic biography of Debs on my reading list. The graphic version has a couple pages of prose giving historical information at the start of each chapter. This provides a nice overview. The graphic biography is more broadly about Socialism's rise and fall in popularity in America than an in depth biography of Debs' life. Debs' central cause was fighting for the labor class and making sure the poor have there basic needs met. He was also anti-war. This much is clear, but I wanted a stronger narrative throughout the book. The final chapter moves past Debs' life and traces his influence on later Socialist movements in America. Maybe the details and complete narrative I crave are present in Gude's new book.

Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy (1888) 222 pages 

I listened to the audiobook on Hoopla. This novel was mentioned as being very popular in Debs' early life. It pushed Americans to imagine a socialist future. A young Mr. West living in the late 1800s is put in a hypnotized sleep and Rip Van Winkle-style wakes up more than a century later. A doctor and his family in the year 2000 finds and wakes up Mr. West. The world and America specifically have become a Socialist Utopia. There is very little plot, but just conversation as the Doctor, or his wife, or his daughter share the political, industrial, educational, social, and economic philosophy of their world. Some aspects of this world resemble the future imagined in Star Trek. Ableism and sexism are still expressed unfortunately, although the author tries to show that there has been progress on these issues. The way the characters speak still feels very 19th century. "It must needs be so." Bellamy does predict a sort of streaming service that allows people to listen to any type of music or the sermons of their preferred preacher from home. The city of Boston is also described with skyscrapers and greenspaces. There is a twist near the end that was not unexpected. The ending was quite powerful as Mr. West takes a more clear-eyed view of the horrors of the social conditions of his late 19th century world. Have we forgotten that Capitalism and Robber barons will never serve the best interests of humanity? Things could be better.

The Last Contract of Isako

The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee, 528 pages

Legendary swordswoman Isako has been the longtime right hand of a captain of industry on the harsh planet of Aquilo. But after her client's unexpected retirement, she's ready to follow him: by walking out of the safety of their habitation and into the frozen wasteland to die of asphyxiation (what, did you think "retirement" meant something cushier?). Instead, she learns that her contract has been given to her client's rival, and before she is able to retire herself, Isako must track down her final apprentice and his client to find out what skulduggery they're up to. This was a really fun samurai-in-space book, full of intrigue, double-crossing, and meditations on work, life, and what we are owed in life. An excellent book!

Some Desperate Glory

 

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh, 438 pages

Every aspect of life on Gaea station is dedicated to avenging the murder of the planet Earth, and Kyr, barely an adult, is one of its most passionate devotees. Then adult assignments come through, and Kyr finds herself unable to stay in her home, instead going out to find her brother with his brilliant but deviant friend and a captive alien. Out in the wider world, Kyr finds that the universe isn't as it was always described to her, and vengeance may be more complicated than she ever thought. 

This book blew me away. I'm still not sure if Kyr is a likable protagonist, but she's certainly a compelling one, and she served this story perfectly. This story is full of twists that make it interesting from an action perspective, and a complex examination of vengeance and reparations that makes it interesting on a thinkier level. I usually like my space operas on the silly side, but this is an ideal example of the more serious side of the genre. I can't wait to talk about this one with Orcs & Aliens tonight! 

When Lemons Give You Life

When Lemons Give You Life by Anna Johnston (2026), 380 pages

Griff (64) is a grumpy, grieving chef who is living in a nursing home. Lisa (51) is his chaotic, estranged half-sister who refuses to give up on their relationship. Both have their personal issues to work through and secrets to navigate, but through love and food they find their way back to each other.

This book is like a Hallmark movie with some pointed societal takes. Griff's partner (and friend of Lisa) has been given a terminal diagnosis and the only way for them to remain together is for Griff to fake dementia and be admitted to the nursing home. Lisa cannot understand why Griff doesn't want a relationship, while simultaneously blocking the traumatic childhood they shared. Through his experiences at the nursing home, Griff realizes the lack of dignity many nursing home patients face and takes steps to remediate it through food. I could go on and on about the societal issues the author tackles (and really, it is too much), but in the end, the book is about relationships, love, and respect. I enjoyed the book, but was also super frustrated by it.