The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

I don't recall exactly when it was that I first heard about the movie adaptation of Susan Hill's The Woman In Black, but I know I've been dying to see it since that day. I bought the book, I've watched each new trailer with great anticipation, and I've literally bounced in my seat upon seeing it in the theaters. And this Friday, the wait will finally be over. All I can say is that I sincerely hope it lives up to expectations (and based on what I've read so far, I expect it to).

I love a great ghost story. Love them! They're my favorite particular flavor of horror. When done well, an author can build the ultimate in suspense and atmosphere while revealing little to nothing at all.

This is the case with The Woman in Black, a brief looking novel that's deceptively heavy. It's my first by Hill, but certainly not my last. I've had my eye on her Simon Serrailler series for a while and she's got a few more ghost stories in her backlist as well.

It's Christmas and Arthur Kipps's family is sitting around the fire telling ghost stories. What they don't know is that Arthur himself has been sitting on a tale of his own, one that is too tragic to recall. It's been years since he was sent out to Eel Marsh House to close out the house of the then recently deceased Alice Drablow. What Kipps experienced in that lonely and dank house has stayed with him all these years and has never been revealed to those around him. If Kipps has his way, it never will be, but the tale demands telling and so he has decided to write it out, if only for himself.

I'd expected the book to be a one sitting read -- at just 135 pages, who could blame me? Hill's writing begs to be read at its own pace, though. While it can certainly make for a perfect companion on a dreary afternoon, it took me about three sittings when all was said and done. I can say that I was sad to turn the final page and leave behind the gothic atmosphere built by Hill's words.

It's creepy and dark and I can't wait to see what the big screen has in store! I expect it will be slightly different, based on the description, that's to be expected, but if they can pull off the essence of the story... that will be the true test.

New releases 1/31/12

Some of the new titles hitting shelves this week are:

The Dark Rose by Erin Kelly

The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly (pb)

Dread by Gail Z. Martin (Fallen Kings Cycle #2)

The Lost Goddess by Tom Knox

Before She Dies by Mary Burton

Third Grave Dead Ahead by Darynda Jones

Sadie Walker is Stranded by Madeleine Roux

Helpless by Daniel Palmer

Bloodline by Alan Glynn

Home Front by Kristin Hannah

Austentatious by Alyssa Goodnight

Heir of Novron by Michael J. Sullivan

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

The Fear Index by Robert Harris

Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

Obedience by Jacqueline Yallop

A Little Night Magic by Lucy March

Three Weeks in December by Audrey Schulman

Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile by Julia Fox

A Wrinkle in Time 50th Anniversary Edition by Madeleine L'Engle

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Destiny and Deception by Shannon Delany (13 to Life #4)

The Dead of Winter by Chris Priestly

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Lenobia's Vow by PC Cast & Kristin Cast (House of Night Novella)

New on DVD:

Texas Killing Fields

Drive

Dream House

In Time

The Double

The Big Year

The Thing

New reviews at Bookbitch.com:

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

The Starlite Drive-In by Marjorie Reynolds

Pre-Pub Book Buzz: The Dark Rose by Erin Kelly

Like any other reader out there, I love it when an author wows me so much that I just have to have more. Erin Kelly's fabulous and dark debut, The Poison Tree, was one of those books. In fact, in finding the original post to link up here, I realized I even called it a WOW read. Haha. Didn't remember that.

Anywho, when I saw that Kelly's second book was releasing soon, I immediately put it on the wishlist/must buy list. I was lucky enough to get a copy for review and am taking a brief break from it to put up a pre-pub post. The Dark Rose is due out on Thursday, Feb 2, so if you like deliciously dark psychological thrillers/mysteries, mark your calendar! (And The Poison Tree is due out in paperback Tuesday, Jan 31.)

Here's the description from Kelly's website (note the UK title is The Sick Rose):

Paul has been led into a life of crime by his schoolyard protector, Daniel – but one night, what started as petty theft escalates fatally. Now, at nineteen, Paul must bear witness against his friend to avoid prison.

Louisa has her own dark secrets. Having fled from them many years ago, she now spends her days steeped in history, renovating the grounds of a crumbling Elizabethan garden. Her fragile peace is shattered when she meets Paul; he's the spitting image of the one person she never thought she'd see again.

A relationship develops between these two scarred people, and Louisa starts to believe she can again find the happiness she had given up on... but neither of them can outrun their violent pasts.

A story of secrets and guilt, The Sick Rose explores the extremes of obsessive love and loyalty, devotion and desperation.

And here's an interesting piece wherein Kelly talks about the upcoming book and some of her inspiration:

The Starlite Drive-In by Marjorie Reynolds

A bit of a change in reading pace, moving from high and epic fantasy to Marjorie Reynolds reissued Starlite Drive-In. It was such an easy and enjoyable read, though, that slipping out of the fantasy mindset and into Reynolds's own created world was no problem at all.

In the summer of 1956, a drifter arrived at the Starlite Drive-In. Callie Anne Benton's father manages and runs the theater, taking care of the day-to-day maintenance and obligations. But a recent injury has left him bitter and crippled. Nothing much changes in Callie Anne's daily routine. Not until Charlie Memphis arrives. The owner of the drive-in brings him in to help out, a general handyman if you will. Young Callie Anne is smitten by the stranger. And for Callie Anne's mother, who hasn't left their house for years, Charlie Memphis offers something new as well. Years later, bones are found on the grounds of the old drive-in and Callie Anne is forced to face that summer once again.

Within just a few pages, Reynolds sends readers on a trip back in time to a summer seen through the eyes of a pre-teen on the cusp of great change. It's easy to fall in love with Callie Anne. Her observations will strike a chord with readers of all ages.

I also enjoyed that fact that many of the other characters evoke mixed emotions. No one is a static, one-sided caricature of the standard good guy or bad guy. Each character has different sides to them and Reynolds does a good job of showing those through her writing.

Starlite was originally publishing in 1997 and has been recently rereleased by Harper.

Winter is here so read A Game of Thrones!

My reading ebbs and flows throughout the year. I've yet to find a real pattern to it, which makes it all that much more frustrating. Sometimes I can read an average book in a day. Other times, that same book will take me all week.

Historically, I've had pretty bad luck with vacation reads. At some point, I completely lost my ability to tune out what's going on around me, which means that I now get highly distracted on planes, in airports, anywhere in general. Which also means that my bag full of books usually goes untouched in spite of my best efforts.

I happen to be in a slow reading period at the moment and that coupled with the fear that I wouldn't actually read anything on my trip led me to finally, finally begin reading A Game of Thrones. Again.

It was much easier this second time around. I'd abandoned it early on back in 2005. If you've seen the show (and I highly recommend that you see it or read the book), it does follow the book very closely. The differences between the two were so minor, it's one case where you definitely get a very good representation of the entire story through the adaptation. And the casting! The casting is spot on. Maybe if I'd read the book before seeing the show, my thoughts might be different, but Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage were especially fantastic as Ned Stark and Tyrion Lannister.

It's a whopper of a read at 835 pages (with the appendices) and it took me all of a week in my current reading slump. Course I was poolside and the warm weather was so nice for afternoon napping...

For a synopsis of the show and book, hit the link above (see it) to read my show post. I can't wait for a chance to dive into book number two. No way am I waiting until the second season starts to find out what comes next!

Where's My Bookmark: Fires of Eden by Dan Simmons

I put off the vacation book hunt until the last minute, so Friday before last found me swapping out possible selections literally until our shuttle arrived. One thing was for sure, I would be taking along George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones, but I envisioned a week of beachside reading and even that 800 page tome couldn't possibly fill it all (plus airport delays and plane reading...).

I did limit myself to mass markets, so that made it a bit easier. And for the sake of variety, I tried to cover all of the major subgenres. I had horror down to Peter Straub or Dan Simmons when I realized that the obvious choice was staring me in the face! In 1994, Dan Simmons released a book called Fires of Eden, in which a series of missing persons occurs at a new Hawaiian luxury resort. Perfect!

Well, Game of Thrones lasted me through the majority of the trip and I finally cracked open Eden the day before we were set to leave. I have to say, it's a fun vacation/plane/beach/anytime read.

Hawaii is in the midst of a historic volcanic eruption. The new Mauna Pele luxury resort should be packed full of tourists, but a series of murders and disappearances plagues the location. Byron Trumbo would like to unload the money pit as soon as possible, but bad publicity and a growing number of bodies may hamper his efforts. Things only get worse as he tries desperately to cover up the events. Meanwhile, Eleanor Perry has just arrived, set on following the path laid out in her great aunt's journal. Aunt Kidder visited the same spot back in 1866 and experienced something similar to the events of today. Along with Cordie Stumpf (nee Cooke -- of Summer of Night) and a local with more than a passing knowledge of Hawaiian folklore, Eleanor will do everything in her power to stop the inevitable disaster at Mauna Pele.

Amongst the ever growing list of Simmons's accomplished novels, Eden no doubt earns its fair share of criticism. It's a fun story, though, packed with Hawaiian lore that many are probably not familiar with. Simmons also ties in Samuel Clemens' (Mark Twain) writings on the area, making him a main character in the 1866 flashbacks of Kidder's journal.

One review referred to the book as a sort of environmental horror story, which is kind of appropriate. Hawaiian gods and goddesses wreaking havoc on a greedy developer's golf resort sure makes for great entertainment and a really quick read.

Fires of Eden is unfortunately out of print at the moment.

New Releases 01/24/12

Some of the new titles hitting shelves this week are:

The Legacy of Eden by Nelle Davy

Taken by Robert Crais

Bond Girl by Erin Duffy

Horizon by Sophie Littlefield (Aftertime #3)

The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson

Shatter by Michael Robotham (reissue)

Pineapple Grenade by Tim Dorsey

Angel Fire by L.A. Weatherly

Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

There Is No Dog by Meg Rosoff

New on DVD:

Real Steel

50/50

The Whistleblower

New reviews at Bookbitch.com:

Everneath by Brodi Ashton