Tag: Horror

Review: The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

~ The Lit Bitch ~ Leave a comment

This book was going around Bookstagram (aka Instagram), for most of December. There were a couple of IG users that were hosting read alongs and I saw quite a few posts for this book and admittedly became intrigued.

This is an author that I have ever heard of before, which was actually surprising because she has written a number of ghost story thriller books so I am shocked that I haven’t come across her name before.

What ultimately drew me in and made me want to read this one was all the buzz on ‘the gram’ but also the cover. It looked haunting and the stark white contrast and eerie house completely drew me in. Before I knew it, I was desperately searching for a copy at my library that I could read and see what all the fuss was about.  Continue reading “Review: The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon” →

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Review: Melmoth by Sarah Perry

~ The Lit Bitch ~ 1 Comment

She’s watching you. Melmoth the witness. Always watching and always lonely. This book was on my radar since I’m a huge fan of gothic literature.

I have Perry’s novel, The Essex Serpent, to read and have heard rave reviews about it. With October in full swing and this book being released, I decided to start with this book before I read The Essex Serpent.

I have never heard the tales of Melmoth the witness but I love Prague and with this novel being set there, I could barely get the box unwrapped before I started reading this one.

It has been years since Helen Franklin left England. In Prague, working as a translator, she has found a home of sorts—or, at least, refuge. That changes when her friend Karel discovers a mysterious letter in the library, a strange confession and a curious warning that speaks of Melmoth the Witness, a dark legend found in obscure fairy tales and antique village lore. Continue reading “Review: Melmoth by Sarah Perry” →

Review: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

~ The Lit Bitch ~ 2 Comments

Right now, The Haunting of Hill House is everywhere thanks to the Netflix mini series. My sister and I do a buddy read for October/Halloween every year and each of us pick a book to read for the month and then we read it together. My pick was Frankenstein and The Haunting of Hill House was her pick.

I wasn’t terribly excited about this book, but I’ve been looking for something similar to Crimson Peak (the movie) and this one sounded like it would be in the same vein—-though a more modern setting.

I also picked up the Penguin Horror edition with an intro by Guillermo del Toro and I was incredibly impressed with his artistic insight into the Gothic and horror genre. I normally skip over the intros by people when reading classics etc, but Guillermo del Toro is one of my favorite directors and I was eager to see what he thought. Plus I LOVE Gothic horror—–more emphasis on Gothic than the horror—-and I was excited to see what his observations were for this book.

The classic supernatural thriller by an author who helped define the genre. First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. Continue reading “Review: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson” →

Review: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

~ The Lit Bitch ~ 2 Comments

Every year my sister and I pick two scary books to read. This year we went with two horror classics, The Haunting of Hill House and Frankenstein.

Neither of us have read these two books so we thought it would be fun to do a buddy read all month and discuss them. So we started Frankenstein first. It’s been on my list to read for so long. It’s like the classic horror story and everyone says how amazing this book is.

Mary Shelley began writing Frankenstein when she was only nineteen. At once a Gothic thriller, a passionate romance, and a cautionary tale about the dangers of science, Frankenstein tells the story of committed science student Victor Frankenstein. Continue reading “Review: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley” →

Review: Stalking Jack the Ripper (Stalking Jack the Ripper #1) by Kerri Maniscalco

~ The Lit Bitch ~ 1 Comment

Having a library card is the best thing in the world. After seeing this book on a few Instagram pages, I was lured in by the cover and title.

I wasn’t really sure I wanted to buy it though so I put a hold on it at my local library. After waiting three weeks for it to be returned, I was finally able to pick it up!

This is one of those times that I am so thankful for library cards.

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world (summary from Goodreads).
 Continue reading “Review: Stalking Jack the Ripper (Stalking Jack the Ripper #1) by Kerri Maniscalco” →