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Showing posts with label Emily Carpenter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emily Carpenter. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Top Ten Tuesday: Halloween Reading for Wimps (Me)
Here in the U.S., we're gearing up for Halloween, which kicks off our much-anticipated holiday season. Personally, I'm not a fan of Fright Night. Although I'm always happy to take a fun-size Reese's Peanut Butter Cup for the team, I've never been much for dressing up or braving haunted houses or even watching scary movies. Creepy books, though? I was a big Stephen King and John Saul fan as a teen and young adult. Old age has made a big wimp out of me, so these days, my Fall/Halloween reading is more about eerie, atmospheric books. I still dig a good Gothic chiller or a shivery ghost story, but I mostly prefer realistic mystery/thrillers with tense, heart-pounding plots and close, claustrophobic settings. When I saw that today's TTT topic is a Halloween Freebie, I started thinking about my favorite authors who capture the vibes I described above. I made a list of ten, but it felt so familiar that I checked and...yep, I crafted the exact same list for a Halloween freebie back in 2021! Some things never change. I almost just copied and pasted the old list since I'm lazy and I'm always looking for readalike recs based on my favorite authors, but I did come up with something else for this year. If you have a minute, though, check out my 2021 list. If you have any ideas for creepy(ish) books/authors I might like, I'd love to hear them. For now, here's my list of mysteries, thrillers, and a few supernatural spine-tinglers on my TBR that feel perfect for Halloween reading:
(As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.)
Top Ten Halloween-ish Reads on My TBR List
1. Gothictown by Emily Carpenter (available March 5, 2025)—Carpenter is one of the authors on my 2021 list. She's written a handful of books, all of which I've enjoyed. It's been a few years since she's published one, so I was excited to see that she has a new one coming out. It's about a woman living in a cramped apartment with her husband and daughter in post-pandemic New York City. Eager to embrace life again, she jumps at the chance to accept an unbelievable opportunity—for just $100, she and her family can buy a spacious home in a quaint Georgia town that's desperately trying to boost their economy. After one quick visit, the family makes the move. It's not long, though, before they realize something isn't quite right with their new town. There's a sinister presence that lurks under all the Southern hospitality, something that has them all in its clutches and doesn't want to let go...
2. The Haunting of Moscow House by Oleysa Salnikova Gilmore—When a group of Bolsheviks take over the Golitevas' ancestral Moscow home in 1921, the family is forced to move into the mansion's cramped attic. Sisters Irina and Lili find escape in volunteering with the American Relief Administration to help ease some of their comrades' desperate needs. In the middle of it all, the house starts whispering to the young women, hinting at its traumatic past. Then, one of the officials living in their house dies, leading them to wonder what exactly caused his demise. Was it natural causes or something...otherworldly?
3. The Highgate Cemetery Murder by Irina Shapiro—When her brother leaves her cryptic clues to a double murder, nurse Gemma Tate is roped into investigating the deaths. She's not any keener on working with police inspector Sebastian Bell than he is with her, but it will take both of them to stop a dangerous killer.
4. The Act of Disappearing by Nathan Gower—Julia White is getting nowhere with her writing career, her romantic relationship is on the rocks, and she's losing the battle against the mountain of medical bills she needs to pay somehow. When a famous photographer makes her a tantalizing proposition to research a mysterious death, she's both curious enough and broke enough not to refuse. Soon, Julia is embroiled in a shocking mystery that she's determined to solve.
5. Under the Surface by Diana Urban—A party in the Paris catacombs goes horribly awry in this YA thriller/survival story. While a group of trapped teens tries desperate to escape their underground prison, their friend aboveground races to save them. Will the kids make it out of the catacombs alive? Or will their bones join all the others lying beneath the City of Light?
6. Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce—Mina is struggling to get her foot in the door in her new career as a child psychologist. A journalist in her grief counseling group makes her an offer she can't afford to refuse. He wants her to live in the home of a 13-year-old girl who claims she's being haunted by a witch and treat her on-site. Curious and confident, Mina takes the job. It's not long before she's wrapped up in the affairs of a strange town that's obsessed with superstition and witchcraft. The more she learns, the more terrified she grows. How can she help her distressed patient to feel safe when she can't even help herself?
7. Bitter House by Kiersten Modglin—When Bridget's parents died, she was taken in by her grandmother, Vera Bitter. The cold-hearted old woman did her duty, but kicked her granddaughter to the curb as soon as she graduated from high school, and never contacted her again. Bridget is stunned, then, when Vera dies and leaves her home to Bridget. Not surprisingly, the oppressive house is filled with secrets, mysteries, and danger. As Bridget starts to unravel them, she realizes that nothing at Bitter House is as it seems...
8. The Curse of Morton Abbey by Clarissa Harwood—As a female solicitor in Victorian England, it's nearly impossible for Vaughan Springthorpe to be taken seriously. So, when she's hired sight unseen by a mysterious employer who offers her a suspiciously large amount of money to ready his Yorkshire estate for sale, she can't afford to say no. Not only does Vaughan find the village surrounding the estate strange, but odd things begin happening to her inside of the building. Is the old abbey haunted? Or is Vaughan going mad? What secrets does the crumbling pile keep?
9. The House by the Cemetery by Lisa Childs—As the daughter of the town undertaker, River Gold was constantly teased about being a ghoul. The town gossip hinted that she wasn't even a true Gold. When she fled at 17, River had no intention of ever returning to her insular hometown. Then, her father dies, her mother is accused of his murder, and she is unwittingly trapped once again in a hostile place overrun with secrets and lies. Can River clear her mother's name? Figure out who really killed her father? Find her way out again?
10. The Midnight Hour by Eve Chase—Twenty years ago, a recently widowed mother of two walked out the door of her home, blew a kiss to her children, and vanished without a trace. Two decades later, the home's new owner starts digging out the basement. What will they find and what will it tell them about what really happened to Dee Delancey all those years ago?
There you go, ten mystery/thriller novels that wimpy me wants to read sometime soon. Have you read any of them? What will you be reading during spooky season? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog. I also reply to comments left here.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Top Ten Tuesday: Happy Haunting!
If you can't tell, I'm a bit of a party pooper/stick-in-the-mud (I rock at Never Have I Ever). And I've always been that way! Case in point: I really don't like Halloween. It's not for any religious or moral reasons—I've just never been much for dressing up. Even as a little kid. As a mom, I've dreaded the expense and stress of Halloween costumes, the over-consumption of candy (rest assured, though, that I've always been stoic about doing my mom duty by picking the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Twix bars out of my kids' buckets after they go to sleep), and the whole tromping through the neighborhood to take kids trick-or-treating thing. It's just not me, you know?
All that being said, I do still enjoy a spooky story now and again. The older I get, the wimpier I get, so I've set aside the Stephen King books I consumed as a teen in favor of tales that are more Gothic and subtly scary—the kind that send a delicious tingle down my spine but don't give me nightmares. I much prefer ghosts haunting creepy old houses to brain-slurping zombies, blood-sucking vampires, soul-stealing demons, and other freak-me-out ghouls. Haunting is the vibe I usually veer toward instead of scary. So, which authors are my go-to for shivery stories? I thought you'd never ask! I've listed ten of my favorites below for today's Halloween Freebie Top Ten Tuesday list.
Do you want to join the spooky TTT party? Of course you do! Flit on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details. Bonus: Jana's list today is super fun.
My Top Ten Favorite Go-To Authors for Haunting Halloween-ish Reads
-in no particular order-
1. Kate Morton
Favorite of hers: The Secret Keeper
2. Riley Sager
Favorite of his: Lock Every Door
Favorite of hers: The Sun-Down Motel
Favorite of hers: The Widow's House
Favorite of hers: The Invited
Favorite of hers: What She Knew
Favorite of hers: Until the Day I Die
8. Blake Crouch
Favorite of his: Dark Matter
9. Eve Chase
Favorite of hers: The Daughters of Fox Cote Manor
10. Maureen Johnson
Favorite of hers: The Shades of London series
There you have it, ten of of my favorite writers of haunting stories. What about you? Are you into scary stories? Who are your go-to authors for haunting/creepy books? Are you a Halloween lover, hater, or something in between? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Top Ten Tuesday: Island Fever
This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic asks the old cliché question: If you were stranded on a deserted island, which books would you want to have with you? Really, the only one I'd need would be How to Get Yourself Rescued From a Deserted Island for Dummies. That would get me off the island and back to my large home library pronto. Voilà ! Problem solved. Since this prompt (obviously) didn't really speak to me, I decided to spin it a little to make it more fun. How about Top Ten Most Memorable Books With An Island Setting instead? I've read lots of books set on islands big and small. For this list, I'm going to focus on the latter.
If you want to hop on the TTT train, click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.
Top Ten Most Memorable Books With An Island Setting
(in no particular order)
1. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery—This novel, the first in a beloved series, is set on Prince Edward Island, Canada.
2. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie—Eight strangers are invited to Soldier Island, a fictional speck of land on the English coast, in this classic murder mystery.
3. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton—On another made-up island, this one near Costa Rica, dinosaurs are alive, well, and available for viewing if you've got the dough. Sounds awesome. Until things start to go horrifically awry...
4. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko—This historical middle-grade novel, the first in a series, is about a boy who lives with his family on California's Alcatraz Island. Before reading this series, it had never occurred to me that children might have lived in the vicinity of the infamous prison, but they absolutely did! Crazy.
5. The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See—Jeju, a small Korean island, is the setting for this fascinating historical. It's about the island's female free divers, traditionally the breadwinners for their families, and how their trade changes over time.
6. Death in the Family by Tessa Wegert—The first in a compelling mystery/thriller series, this one is set on a private island in the Thousand Islands region of New York state. When a murder occurs during a family get together, Detective Shana Merchant and her partner are called out to investigate. Atmospheric and engrossing, it's a tense page-turner.
7. Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton—Bolton's written a bunch of intense thrillers, but this one is my favorite. It takes place in the U.K.-owned Falkland Islands. The mystery concerns a missing child whose disappearance in such an isolated and dangerous locale is at first assumed to be a tragic accident, but is soon determined to be something much more sinister...
8. Moloka'i by Alan Brennert—Set on Hawaii's famous island leper colony, this is an intriguing and eye-opening historical novel.
9. The Lewis Trilogy (The Blackhouse; The Lewis Man; The Chessmen) by Peter May—Scotland's Hebrides Islands are the setting for this atmospheric trio of mysteries.
10. The Weight of Lies by Emily Carpenter—In this tense family drama, a woman visits fictional Bonny Island, Georgia, the setting for a horror novel turned cult classic written by her mother. Determined to write a biting tell-all, she uncovers some astonishing secrets about her own family and past.
There you have it, ten memorable novels I've read that are set on small islands. Have you read any of them? What are your favorite books with small island settings? Which titles would you like to have with you on a deserted island? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
Thursday, October 08, 2020
Depressing and Disturbing, Carpenter's Newest Still Makes for Diverting COVID Reading
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Dove Jarrod is known far and wide as an evangelist and faith healer. Only her granddaughter, 24-year-old Eve Candler, knows the truth: Dove is a fraud. As head of fundraising for The Charles and Dove Jarrod Foundation, Eve's committed to upholding her grandmother's reputation as a miracle worker, even though Dove has admitted privately that she's no such thing. When a strange man threatens to expose her grandma as not just a fake but also a murderer, Eve knows she has to stop him. Dove may be the former, but there's no way she's the latter. Or is she? With the stranger breathing down her neck, Eve has no choice but to dig into her family's past to find its real truth—before everything her family has worked so hard to build and protect crumbles to nothing.
I'm a big fan of Emily Carpenter's unsettling thrillers. Some are better than others, of course, and her newest, Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters, isn't one of my favorites. Which isn't to say it's not an engrossing read. It is. The plot is a little patchy, but it still kept me riveted. I saw some of the twists coming but there were enough surprises to keep the story suspenseful and intriguing. This isn't a happy book (Carpenter's novels rarely are), but for the most part, I enjoyed this immersive read. It made for a distracting COVID read, even though it's sad and depressing.
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. You?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language, violence, blood/gore, disturbing subject matter, depictions of illegal drug use, and mild sexual content
To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC from the generous folks at Lake Union Publishing via those at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Top Ten Tuesday: Curbside Checkout, Here I Come!
It's Tuesday again. I think. I don't know about you, but these days, my Tuesdays don't look much different from my Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays! Nothing much has changed here except I've read a few more books, cross-stitched for a few (okay, a lot more than a few) more hours, and watched more episodes of The Middle. I did have a Zoom meeting for my church "job" this morning, so that added some excitement to my day. Other than that, it's the same ole, same ole around here. I'm not complaining—we're all healthy and staying (more or less) sane at my house. An extended member of our family died last week of COVID-19 after several weeks in the hospital, so that was a sobering reminder of why we're all sheltering in place. Please keep yourself and your loved ones safe and healthy!
On a lighter note, it's time for Top Ten Tuesday. If you're not familiar with this fun meme, you really should be. Head on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the info. Today's topic is Top Ten Book Titles That Would Make Great Band Names. I love music as much as the next person, but I'm just not feeling this one today. Instead, I'm going to give you a glimpse into my obsession with organizing my main Goodreads TBR list. Because I reached the limit of how many books you can have in a bookshelf (5000, if you're curious), I had to make separate lists for non-fiction and children's books. EDIT: I'm so sorry if I freaked anyone out with my unintentional lie about Goodreads bookshelf limits! What I meant to say was that if you go over 5000 on a single bookshelf, Goodreads will no longer let you put those books in want-to-read order (at least I can't figure out how). Since ordering my books is my favorite part of GR list-making, I keep my lists under 5000. Does that make more sense? So, today I'm focusing on the books on my adult fiction "bookshelf," listing the entries in want-to-read order. I'm going to briefly mention the titles I've talked about recently or repeatedly and spend more time on those I haven't highlighted yet.
Here we go with Top Ten Books on My Goodreads Adult Fiction TBR List:
1. The Sea of Lost Girls by Carol Goodman—I already talked about this book here. I've also lamented the fact that a copy of it is being held hostage at my county library, gathering dust on the "Holds" shelf. Well, good news! I just learned that the library will start curbside checkout tomorrow. I'm stoked. I've been wanting to read this book ever since I heard about it, so yay! I will liberate my on-hold book as soon as I can tomorrow morning.
2. The Girl From Widow Hills by Megan Miranda (available June 20, 2020)—I enjoy Miranda's thrillers and this one sounds as intriguing as her others. It involves a woman who achieved celebrity status as a child when she miraculously survived a near-drowning. As the 20th anniversary of the event approaches, the girl—now a woman living under a different name—starts experiencing strange symptoms that link her disturbing past to her threatened present. Can't wait!
3. All the Ways We Said Goodbye by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White—I highlighted this title here.
4. In Five Years by Rebecca Serle—talked about it here
5. The Cutting Place by Jane Casey—Maeve Kerrigan is one of my favorite fictional police detectives. In Casey's newest, the 9th installment in the series, Maeve is sent to investigate the death of a young female journalist who was killed while working on a story about an elite gentleman's club. I'm in for anything Maeve!
6. The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate—I've talked about this one before. I'm in the middle of the novel right now and I'm really enjoying it.
7. The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan—I'm not sure what's going on with the U.S. publication of this book. It came out in Australia in February but is not available for a reasonable price anywhere else as far as I can tell (there is a $40.87 copy listed on Amazon and a $30.36 one on BookDepository). Presumably, the hang-ups are because of COVID-19. Hopefully, The Good Turn will be more widely available soon.
This is the third installment in the DI Cormac Reilly series, which I enjoy. The story begins with the suspected kidnapping of a young girl. Short-staffed and hindered by red tape, Cormac and his partner make a horrible mistake in the case, which leaves the former suspended and the latter banished to a small town where he discovers some odd findings in a murder case that has supposedly been solved ...
8. Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen—An Atlantic City boardwalk psychic starts having strange visions that she thinks are related to two recent murders. When she launches her own investigation into the killings, she puts herself right in a killer's path ...
9. Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters by Emily Carpenter (available October 20, 2020)—I enjoy Carpenter's immersive thrillers and her newest sounds just as intriguing as her other books. This one revolves around Eve Candler, a woman who has kept her grandmother's secrets for years. No one else knows that the revered evangelist and faith healer was a complete fraud and a con artist to boot. When an even bigger secret about her grandmother surfaces, Eve risks everything to find out the truth.
10. Before Familiar Woods by Ian Pisarcik—I love the big lies in small towns trope, so naturally, I find the premise of this book appealing. It has to do with the murders of two boys and the subsequent disappearances of their fathers. It's left to one mother to figure out what is happening in her not-so-quaint little town.
There you go, the top ten books on my adult fiction Goodreads TBR shelf. Have you read any of them? What are the most tantalizing titles on your TBR list? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I'll return the favor on yours.
Happy TTT!
Monday, February 04, 2019
Carpenter's Newest a Gritty, Nail-Biting Thrill Ride
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
When her computer engineer husband dies in a car crash, 48-year-old Erin Gaines finds herself completely unmoored. She's not sure how to proceed with day-to-day living, let alone how to manage her role as CEO of Jax, the lucrative startup tech company the Gaines' own with several of their friends. Erin knows that, after five months, her paralyzing, zombie-like grief is wearing thin. Everyone—her friends, family, and co-workers—have expressed grave concern about her ability to function at all, especially as the head of a powerful company at the peak of its performance. After a particularly telling incident, Erin's loved ones stage an intervention, gently forcing her to enroll in a program at a luxurious "restoration" facility on a remote Caribbean island. Reluctant though she is to admit it, Erin knows a few weeks at Hidden Sands might be exactly what she needs to come back to herself.
Shorie Gaines, Erin's 18-year-old daughter, is thrilled her mother's finally getting some help. She's worried about Erin's emotional state, but she's also concerned over some weird error messages on Jax's operating system. Something isn't quite right and with the company's CEO conveniently out of the way, it's up to Shorie to figure out what. The more she digs, however, the more distressed she becomes. When she receives a cryptic S.O.S. from her mother, Shorie realizes what Erin's already discovered—Erin has been sent to Hidden Sands not to heal, but to disappear ...
I discovered Emily Carpenter's mesmerizing thrillers last year and was absolutely thrilled to discover she'd be releasing a new one in 2019. The premise and setting of her newest, Until the Day I Die (available March 12), is a bit different from her others. It's got a less Gothic, more modern spin, which I ended up liking even though I wasn't sure I would. Like Carpenter's previous novels, this one features a sympathetic heroine who becomes entangled in a unique, intriguing situation. As the story stakes rise, the action ramps up until the reader is frantically whipping through pages to find out what will happen next. Although the climax does come to a confusingly abrupt end (at least in the ARC), Until the Day I Die remains a propulsive, engrossing thriller from which you will not be able to look away. It's far-fetched, sure, but who cares? This is the kind of tense, nail-biting suspense that will leave fans thirsty for more. I thoroughly enjoyed Until the Day I Die and can't wait to see what the incomparable Emily Carpenter will do next.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty and Every Single Secret by Emily Carpenter)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language, violence, mild sexual content, and references to illegal drug use
To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of Until the Day I Die from the generous folks at Lake Union Publishing via those at NetGalley. Thank you!
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