HEX by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

I found this on a list of the best recent horror novels and got really excited since I've been trying to find something that could truly scare me. This fell short. It started out strong, a rural town in New York keeps itself off the radar since the whole town is cursed/haunted by a witch from the 1600s. That's right, this witch, who has her eyes and mouth sewn shut as her whispers make people want to kill themselves, walks around the town, hangs out in your house, stands at the end of your bed for days, and then poofs out of there to hang out somewhere else. The town keeps track of her movements through an app. Now the teens of the town want to out the witch to the world so they can live normal teenage lives and things go haywire. This is where things take a deep downward spiral into awfulness. Great premise, but terrible follow-through.

Pages: 384

The Whole Town's Talking by Fannie Flagg

The Whole Town's Talking by Fannie Flagg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In the tradition of Our Town but with her own imaginative twist, Fannie Flagg tells the story of Elmwood, MO through the everyday happenings of the town’s living and dead. 432 pages.

Did You Ever Have a Family: A Novel by Bill Clegg

Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg

June Reid is the sole survivor of an unbearable tragedy that grips the entire town of Wells, Connecticut. Shortly before her daughter’s wedding, a gas leak leads to an explosion at June’s house, leaving a bereft June and gossiping townspeople to make sense of it all. Directionless, June leaves Wells to drive across the country. Those she leaves behind whisper about what happened and if Luke, June’s thuggish boyfriend, was really responsible. With poetic language and through multiple perspectives, Clegg slowly reveals the narrative of a town touched by tragedy and the truth about those at its heart.

293 pages   

The Most Famous Illegal Goose Creek Parade by Virginia Smith

If you are looking for a fun, feel-good read, this book is sweet and satisfying, just like the recipes for lemon cake and vanilla scones that are included within. Millie is determined to restore a Victorian home and run it as a B&B in her small Kentucky town despite her husband's objections.

224 pages

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