Draula by Bram Stoker

 

When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula with the purchase of a London house, he makes a series of horrific discoveries about his client. Soon afterwards, various bizarre incidents unfold in England: an apparently unmanned ship is wrecked off the coast of Whitby; a young woman discovers strange puncture marks on her neck; and the inmate of a lunatic asylum raves about the 'Master' and his imminent arrival.

I ended up watching the 1930s Dracula movie after this and man did they leave so so much out! Now on to watch the Gary Oldman version :) 

Pages: 488

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace

 

Pages: 416

"Nineteen-year-old Signa Farrow, orphaned as a baby, has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being—and each has met an untimely end. Her last remaining relatives are the Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at the glittering and gloomy estate of Thorn Grove. Thorn Grove’s patriarch, Elijah, mourns his late wife, Lillian, through wild parties and drink, while eldest son Percy grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation and daughter Blythe suffers from the same mysterious illness that killed her mother. And when Lillian’s spirit confronts Signa and claims she was poisoned, Signa realizes that Blythe could be next to die.

Signa’s best chance of uncovering the culprit and solving Lillian’s murder is an alliance with Death himself—the very man she hates most. And Death, that fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side, shows her that their connection may be more powerful than she ever dared imagine."

I was initially drawn to this one for the cover. The first edition hardback is gorgeous and I need to find one;

I really enjoyed Signa discovering society life is not what she thought it was while at the same time trying to solve a mystery. I could not have predicted the ending and the Gothic vibes were amazing. Who doesn't want a murder mystery in a haunted mansion, being assisted by Death himself! I am now obsessed and want the next book to come out.

Arrowood by Laura McHugh

 Arrowood by Laura McHugh

Pages: 320

Rating 5 out of 5

This second novel, from Missouri author Laura McHugh is a gothic tale of family secrets in small town Iowa. A haunting novel from the author of The Weight of Blood about a young woman's return to her childhood home--and her encounter with the memories and family secrets it holds

After the death of her father, Arden Arrowood inherits the grand historical house, Arrowood, in her home town along the Mississippi River in southern Iowa. Searching to find her purpose and trying to finish her master's thesis she believes the quiet house and town are just what she needs. 

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.

Wychwood

 Wychwood
by George Mann
Pages: 400
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Book one in a new mystery series by my favorite author that no one else has ever heard of.

Ellie goes home to live with her mother while she works out what to do with her life after losing her job and her boyfriend and with him, her apartment. Sure she'll never find work as a journalist in her rural English village, she is shocked when a woman is killed near her mother's house in the woods that surrounds the village - the Wychwood.

George Mann creates fully fleshed out characters and atmosphere like no one else. Whether he is writing a Sherlock Holmes short-story, a steam-punk story or this mystery set in modern times he keeps you guessing until the very end.

Gondal's Queen

 Gondal's Queen
by Emily Bronte
Pages: 214
Rating: 4 out of 5

Fannie Elizabeth Ratchford presents a cycle of eighty-four poems by Emily Jane Bronte, for the first time arranged in logical sequence. This novel in verse, which Emily wrote about her beloved mystical kingdom of Gondal and its ruler, Augusta Geraldine Almeda, who brought tragedy to those who loved her. This Gothic romance reminds me of the works of Byron. This is the first work I've read by any of the Bronte sisters, except for Charlotte. But I now plan to seek out others.

Arrowood by Laura McHugh

Arrowood by Laura McHugh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love a gothic mystery and this one covered many of the reasons why - old houses, a hint of the supernatural, history, and romance. The overarching theme is about nostalgia and how our personal memories shape our perception of history and the meaning of 'home'. The author resides in Columbia, MO.

288 pages.

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware.

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware is a modern twisty, psychological thriller.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Nora hasn't seen her best friend, Clare, since she fled their college town ten years earlier. Now, she's invited to a hen party (England's version of a bachelorette weekend) for Clare in a cabin in the woods. Nora debates about going and stirring up the past. She is happy being single and living in her tiny apartment in London while writing for a living and rarely seeing anyone. But another school friend living in London contacts her and they decide if they both go, it can't be that bad, right?

But secrets from the party members past are slowly revealed. It's not until the end of the book that all the story is revealed and the reader finds out who really did what, who said what and who survives the weekend.

Pages: 352

Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray

Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

This is book two in The Diviners trilogy by popular teen fiction author, Libba Bray. This series combines all my favorite fiction genres: historical fiction, mysteries, Gothic and paranormal. Character driven with enough detail to recreate 1927 New York City and weaves in consequences of real historical events.

You do not have to read the first book in the series: The Diviners, but it would give you background information on the main characters that could be helpful in understanding their group dynamic and who knows whose secrets. The conclusion of the first novel is  also alluded to throughout this story.

 Set in 1927 New York City the story begins with the readers meeting, Ling Chan, a dream walker. She can enter other peoples dreams and she can speak to the dead when she is dreaming and deliver messages to the living from them IF they want to be found. Ling meets Henry, a hopeful Broadway musician, who is also a dream walker and he can influence people's dreams and change them from sad to happy. Ling agrees to help him try to find an old friend of his in the dream world. Little do the two of them know, that a mysterious force has been released in New York City and people are going to sleep and not waking up. The sleeping sickness slowly destroys the body while the person sleeps.

Meanwhile, fresh from her adventure in Diviners, Evie O'Neil publicly announces that she is a diviner and has become the newest media darling with her own radio show doing psychic readings on objects that belong to the audiences dearly departed. But she has alienated her uncle and most of her friends with her new high-flying, partying life-style. But Henry and Ling will need Evie and all of her and Henry's friends to help them figure out what is causing the sleeping sickness and poisoning the dream world.

Pages: 624 but it is sooooo worth the journey with these characters!

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

Ralph Truitt is a wealthy businessman in an isolated area of Wisconsin. He advertises in Eastern newspapers for 'a reliable wife'.  Catherine Land, who's survived a traumatic early life by using her wits and sexuality as weapons, answers the ad, portraying herself as 'a simple woman'. She plans to marry him, poison him, get his money, and return to her life a wealthy woman.

Truitt discovers he has been deceived as soon as she gets off the, but marries her anyway.  All this plays out against the bleakness of a Wisconsin winter, in a remote area that rivals 'Wuthering Heights'.

After they marry, Catherine discovers that Ralph has an his estranged son, and agrees to help find him. She begins to have misgivings about her plan to poison Ralph but still begins feeding him small doses of arsenic. He gets sick but doesn't die.

This is a dark, gothic tale with layer upon layer of psychological complexity and erotic overtones.

320 pages

"Dracula" by Bram Stoker

As a fan of vampire stories, I was looking forward to reading the most famous one of all - "Dracula."  However, I was disappointed at how slow it moved due to what I think was an overabundance of description.  Written in 1897, it is told in epistolary format; that is, it is told through the journals and notes of most of the major characters (though not Count Dracula).  Although this allows the reader to see the actions of the novel explained by various characters rather than an omnipresent narrator, I found Stoker to be way too wordy for it to be very effective.  Not until the final pages does the action pick up when the main characters are finally able to come face to face with the Count.

It was interesting to see just how much of what has become the popular idea of "Dracula" was really in the novel.  One thing I noticed is that Count Dracula does not believe Mina Harker to be his dead wife reincarnated centuries after her suicide as several modern versions of the story have stated.  I was surprised to learn that not only can the Count become a bat but also a dog, a wolf, and mist.  I can see how this book terrified readers when it was first published, especially women, to whom the Count was especially malevolent.

I'm glad that I finally read this classic tale but am disappointed that I did not enjoy it.  402 pages.