Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Tales of Terror

Below are a selection of tales to get you in the mood for Halloween.

Ever since he nearly drowned in the ocean three years earlier, 10 year old Jack Peter Keenan has been deathly afraid to venture outdoors. Refusing to leave his home in a small coastal town in Maine, Jack Peter spends his time drawing monsters. When the drawings take a life of their own, no one is safe from the terror they inspire.

Review provided by the publisher.





The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco
Okiku is a lonely soul. She has wandered the world for centuries, freeing the spirits of the murdered-dead. Once a victim herself, she now takes the lives of killers with the vengeance they are due. But releasing innocent ghosts from their ethereal tethers does not bring Okiku peace. Still she drifts on. Such is her existence, until she meets Tark. Evil writes beneath the moody teen's skin, trapped by a series of intricate tattoos. While his neighbors fear him, Okiku knows the boy is not a monster. Tark needs to be freed from the malevolence that clings to him. There's just one problem: if the demon dies, so does it's host.

Review from the dust jacket flap.



Property of a Lady by Sarah Rayne
A house with a sinister past and a grisly power. When Michael Flint is asked by American friends to look over an old Shropshire house they have unexpectedly inherited, he is relucatnt to leave the quiet of his Oxford study. But when he sees Charect Hourse, its uncanny echoes from the past fascinate him, even though it has a sinister reputation that no one has lived there for almost a century. But it's not until Michael meets a young widow, Nell West, that the menace within the house wakes...

Review provided by the publisher.



To request these books, please click on the title or the book cover.

Posted by Cara






Monday, October 6, 2014

A Delightful Compendium of Short Stories by a Master Storyteller

Chestnut Street by Maeve Binchy 

Chestnut Street is a collection of short stories compiled after Maeve Binchy’s death in 2012. It is vintage Maeve Binchy as the characters represent the full range of humanity grappling with sorrows, joys and the complications of living.

Represented are teachers, office workers, nurses, window cleaners, shopkeepers and others with wholesome characters. There are also the bad eggs, salt of the earth, grifters, never do wells, in this case, deadbeat and unfaithful men, worriers, the brokenhearted and even some from across the ocean who find love on Chestnut Street. Each character’s story is presented in a matter of fact, down to earth tone that says this is the way life is for each character. The misfortune experienced in the lives of some is minimized by an undertone of humor that seems to say what really matters is how one deals with life not what happens in life. One cannot help but root for the strong, dislike but not hate the bad, and root for all in this collection.

For those who enjoy short stories tinged with joy, pathos and humor, this collection is a delightful compendium to the many walks Maeve Binchy presented in her stories. These varied streets in Ireland are replete with friends easily found.

 Reviewed by Karen