REVIEW: It Found Us

 It Found Us
Author: Lindsay Currie

I love middle grade horror books! Every fall, I read as many as I can leading up to Halloween. I previously read Scritch-Scratch and What Lives in the Woods by this author and enjoyed them both. So jumped right on this one! 

First of all, the cover art is awesome! And, the story had all the elements for a creepy, ghostly story!

The Basics: Hazel Wood is always investigating things around town. She has a knack for following clues and getting to the bottom of things. But when her brother's best friend, Everett, goes missing after a game of hide-and-seek in a cemetery, Hazel discovers the whole thing may be tied to something that happened a century in the past. 

A graveyard. Ghosts. A spooky disappearance. Perfect!! 

I loved this story! The tale is spooky,but also age appropriate for middle grade readers. As an adult, the story kept my attention the entire time because I love ghost stories! 

Another great book from Lindsay Currie! I'm definitely looking forward to her next book! 

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Sourcebooks Kids. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

REVIEW: The Stranger Upstairs

 The Stranger Upstairs
Author: Lisa Matlin

Sarah's life is getting a bit chaotic. Her marriage is having trouble, and she has a lot on her plate with her career as a social influencer and therapist. So she and her husband embark on a project -- to renovate a house. But not just any house -- a murder house. A house infamous as the site of a murder/suicide. Even after 40 years, the house still has a sinister vibe. And, then strange things start to happen. Construction workers acting strangely. Weird accidents. Foosteps in the attic.....

I'm not sure I could buy an infamous house and renovate or live in it. I think I would constantly be thinking a person died in this room or that room, or imagine how scared they were, etc etc. My feelings about how I would react in a similar situation really made this story ultra-creepy for me. I ended up not being able to put the book down once I got into the story. I spent an entire Saturday binge reading this story!

I'm not going to say anything else about the plot. I recommend avoiding any spoilers. Go into this book like I did with very little information and just let the story unfold. 

Great, creepy and twisted story! I loved it! It would make a great movie! This was a perfect book to read as I begin my annual Spooky Season Reading. :)

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Random House/Ballantine. All opinions expressed are entirely my own**

REVIEW: Hemlock Island

 Hemlock Island
Author: Kelley Armstrong

There are scary stories....and then there are Scary Stories.  For me, I find the creepiest thriller/suspense stories are ones that keep me thinking "This could happen." I found myself frequently stopping while reading this book to think "Holy crap - something like this could actually happen to someone."

Going through a divorce during/after the pandemic isn't an uncommon thing. I'm going through one myself right now. Losing almost everything you own during a divorce and trying to hang on to the one thing you have left -- a house, property, whatever it may be -- is a common occurrence. But throw in being forced to rent the property to strangers and then having odd/creepy things happening that pulls in your ex, friends, relatives, etc.

For that house to be on an island. And, for all those people with awkward history to be trapped there together. Possibly with a killer. 

I was seriously creeped out by this story. 

At first I was pulled in by this new book because I enjoy Kelley Armstrong's writing. I've been a big fan of her Rockton series since it started, and just read the new novel in the spin-off series, Murder at Haven's Rock. But let's get real, if Kelley wrote it I would probably read the Encyclopedia of Stereo Instructions and love it. She's one of my favorite authors. 

Once I got started reading, I couldn't put the book down. Binge read time! The story seriously pulled me right in and creeped me the hell out. I love mysteries and thrillers that involve locked doors or a group of people not able to escape the situation. Ever since I read Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, I have loved this sort of story! 

Well done, Kelley! I loved this book!! 

**I voluntarily an advanced review copy of this book from St. Martins Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

REVIEW: Hansel & Gretel

 Hansel & Gretel
Adaptation: Neil Gaiman
Illustrations: Lorenzo Mattotti

I didn't realize that this graphic novel existed until I was searching around online for cool creepy reads to start my spooky season reading. Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite writers, and Hansel & Gretel is a freaking nightmare of a fairy tale. I went onto my local library's online site and found they did have it listed, but that their copy had gone missing. I requested they replace the copy.....flash forward about a month and I had a fresh new copy of this dark graphic story book in my hands. 

Wow! I remember this story of a witch kidnapping two children abandoned in the forest creeping me out as a kid, but done in Gaiman and Mattotti style it takes on an even darker edge. The illustrations are done all in black and Gaiman added war to the already dark themes of this classic Grimm Brothers tale.

Loved it! At 52 pages, it's a very quick read. There are many very dark illustrations. 

This was a fabulous graphic art book to start my spooky reading season! Gaiman keeps the original dark feeling of the story and expands on it a bit, making a war and impending starvation the reason why the children are abandoned in the forest. 

Mattotti's illustrations are fabulous! They definitely fit the dark theme of this story. I love the lines and dark simplicity of the drawings.

The last two pages of the book give a bit of background and history on the story of Hansel & Gretel. Very cool! 

Definitely a great book to kick off my annual Spooky/Halloween season reading!

REVIEW: Lending a Paw

 Lending a Paw
Author: Laurie Cass

I have read the entire Bookmobile Cat series, and it's one of my favorites! So, I decided to backtrack and listen to the series from the beginning on audio. :) Just because. 

Lending a Paw is the first book in the series. 

The basics: Minerva Hamilton, known as Minnie, is a librarian in Chilson, Michigan. She lives on a houseboat with her rescue cat, Eddie. Minnie is excited about driving the library's new Bookmobile, but on the first day, she finds the body of a local businessman and philanthropist behind a rural farmhouse. In fact, the dead man gave the library the funds to purchase the Bookmobile. Minnie Eddie are on the case! Who killed the library's main benefactor? And, will they decide to take out Minnie too because she's asking questions?

I enjoyed re-visiting this book! I enjoy Minnie as a main character. Eddie is a love. And the side characters are all entertaining and add so much flavor to the story. Erin Bennett narrates the audio book and does a great job. From the various voices for the characters and Eddie's signature Mrrrr, I enjoyed her performance from start to finish. 

So glad to be revisiting this series from the beginning! Love it! 

REVIEW: A Troubling Tail

 A Troubling Tail
Author: Laurie Cass

I've been reading this series since 2017 when I happened to see book 1 at my local library. Cute cat. Bookmobile. Colorful cover. Yep -- had to read it. So glad I did! It has become one of my favorite cozy mystery series over the years!! There are only a few series that get my Favorite Stamp of Approval. Book series that send me to my computer to pre-order new books the minute I can....wait for my copy (or request an early review copy while still ordering a physical copy)....and then disappear into my room to binge read. The Bookmobile Cat Mystery series is on that list!! 

When this book showed up as available to review, I knew I couldn't wait until August to get my Minnie and Eddie fix. I requested my review copy, and scheduled a binge read day. Nothing like taking a day for myself, reading a book I enjoy, sipping on my favorite tea.....and just having a totally turned-down, self-care day. 

A Troubling Tail is the 11th book in this series. This time, Minnie ends up doing some amateur sleuthing (with her sidekick Eddie of course) when a local businessman is murdered and the local police have no leads. This new book is very entertaining! There is plenty of investigation and Eddie helping, a good number of suspects and little twists, and the plot moves at a nice pace. I can't wait to listen to the audio book! I always read the story to review by publication date, and then listen to the audio once the book is published. 

In honor of my long-term enjoyment of this series, (and while I'm waiting for the audio of this newest book to come out) I'm re-listening to the audio books starting with book 1. I wanted to refresh my memory and see how the characters have developed since the start of the series. I am having so much fun listening to the days where Minnie had to hide the fact Eddie was on the bookmobile! :)

I'm definitely eagerly awaiting the next book in this series!! After six years of reading, I still love every time Eddie says Mrrrr! 

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Berkley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. Mrrrr!**

REVIEW: The Ghost and Mrs. McClure

 The Ghost and Mrs. McClure|
Author: Cleo Coyle

I read the first five books in the Haunted Bookshop series more than 10 years ago and fell in love with the characters. I was SO happy in 2018 when the author started adding new books again! Then the audio books popped up on Audible+, so I decided to revisit the series from the start! I have the whole series in paperback on my keeper shelf, and now I can enjoy having them read to me! Woot! 

The basics: Penelope McClure is recently widowed. She decides to start a new life, moving to Rhode Island to help her aunt run her bookshop. Just when things start looking up, a best-selling author drops dead in the middle of a book signing and Penelope discovers the bookshop is haunted by the ghost of a long-dead detective, Jack Shepard. 

I love this series! I love ghost stories and cozy mysteries -- and this is a fun blend of both. The humor and a big dose of old time detective-speak make these stories entertaining. Penelope and Jack make a great crime fighting duo!

Narrated by Caroline Shaffer and Traber Burns, the audio book is just over 7 hours long. Shaffer and Burns do a great job of voice acting! Very entertaining listen!

So happy this series is included in Audible+. I'm going to listen to the entire series! 

 

[7/22/2023 - I just listened to this audio book again because I'm listening to the series from start to finish. I tried to do this a few years ago and life interrupted. So started over at the beginning again! I just love the characters, esp Jack, of course.]