The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Dr. Montague, a scholar of the occult, has asked three others to join him at Hill House, a mysterious "not sane" home, which stands secluded against the hills from which its name is derived. At first the gang's encounters are merely spooky, but little do they know the house is only beginning to harness its power.

246 pages.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

 The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Pages: 182
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

An atmospheric tale of a psychological suspense. A professor studying psychic phenomenon invites people who have experienced a psychic event once in their lives to spend the summer with him at Hill House, which is rumored to be haunted. The house is avoided by the townspeople who live in the valley below and the housekeeper and caretaker won't stay on the property after dark. Is the house really haunted or is it just the power of suggestion?

The book is short, but the detail and build-up to the scary moments may take to long for some readers. I enjoyed it, but a friend found it boring.

The 1963 film The Haunting is a great film version of the book but the 1999 remake should be avoided.

The current Netflix mini series, The Haunting of Hill House, uses the setting, character names and some direct quotes from the book, but weaves it's own story of psychological suspense, this time with a family as the people living in the house. Netflix definitely got the Gothic, creepy atmosphere and music right. I enjoyed this version as well.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

To get over the boys she's loved, Lara Jean Covey has a method: write each of them a letter and seal it away in a teal hatbox her mother had given her. When the letters are sent out, however, Lara Jean is mortified. One recipient is Peter Kavinsky, who has just broken up with his long-term girlfriend, Gen. Peter and Lara Jean agree to fake date, hoping it will get each other what they want--Peter back with Gen, and Lara Jean hopes to make Josh, the boy next door she's secretly loved for years, jealous. Of course, nothing goes quite according to plan. 

355 pages.

Me Before You by JoJo Moyes

After watching the movie trailer for Me Before You about a thousand times and impatiently waiting for my reserved copy to become available, I finally was able to get the book from the library! Even though it didn't quite live up to my (unrealistically) high expectations, it was still a pretty good book. JoJo Moyes creates great characters and situations for an amazing story. Moyes writes really well, but sometimes her writing feels like it's missing a bit of the magic for me. I'm still looking forward to the movie, but I will definitely bring a whole box of Kleenex!

369 pages

Divergent by Veronica Roth

A YA novel with a female heroine in a dystopian future, made into a popular movie - sound familiar?  I actually picked this up because I thought the movie trailer was interesting.  I didn't find this to be as compelling as the Hunger Games trilogy, especially the characters.  There are many of the same elements - female heroine, competing groups, teens fighting each other, although this time it's for an initiation into one of the society's factions - the Dauntless.  I felt that we needed more setup and background to the situation to get to know the main character before we were thrown headlong into the plot.  The book cover says 'One choice can transform you', referring to a ceremony in which teens choose which one of five factions they will belong to as adults.  The factions purport to uphold different views of how to best resolve society's problems in a peaceful way, but several are devolving into a power struggle over control of the society.   Lots of action, but not many real surprises. 487 pages.

The Monks of Tibhirine: Faith, love and terror in Algeria by John Kiser

What if the most effective way to fight terrorism is not to fight at all?  John Kiser explores this question in his book about the monks who chose to stay and continue their work in Algeria during the country's civil war.  The French Trappist monks lived in Tibhirine for many years leading a life of prayer and service to the local people.  They provided free medical care to those in need and strove to understand Islam, the religion of their neighbors and host country.  In the early 1990s however, the civil war in Algeria turned deadly for foreigners living in Algeria. Assassination, kidnapping, and murder became commonplace. In late March 1996, seven of the monks were kidnapped and their heads were found two months later.  Their deaths inspired ordinary Algerian Muslims to rise up in protest.  I read this book after seeing the film "Of Gods and Men" and recommend it for anyone interested in the clash of values between fundamentalist Islam and the western world. 352 pages.