River Readers

*This review was originally published in the Jefferson City News Tribune on 11/11/18*

Cassidy's parents write about ghosts and the paranormal, but do they really believe? Cassidy does. She almost drowned and was saved by Jacob, who is now her best friend. Only thing is...Jacob is a ghost. After her experience Cassidy can now see beyond the veil and is contacted by local ghosts. She photographs them, or attempts to. 

This was a truly creepy book to read before Halloween. The black and white illustrations just make it more startling when color appears. These are not your everyday fairy tales or even the normal twisted ones I enjoy.

'It came from the woods. Most strange things do.' Five mysterious, spine-tingling stories follow journeys into (and out of?) the eerie abyss. These chilling tales spring from the macabre imagination of acclaimed and award-winning comic creator Emily Carroll. Come take a walk in the woods and see what awaits you there...
Goodreads.

Ragmatic engineer Anna works as a psychic in the Samson Brothers Circus, but she doesn't believe in anything supernatural—until her twin sister Kat is murdered and comes back as a very demanding ghost. Sharing a room with her sister was hard, but now they're sharing a body while trying to identify the killer. With few leads, a troupe full of secretive folk, and strange paranormal occurrences popping up around the circus, solving the case seems near impossible. But the murderer in their midst may be the least of their problems... (Goodreads.com)

Nice conclusion to the Percy series. Sometimes what you think is planned is way off course. Percy believes he is fated to die on or before his 16th birthday, but is ready to sacrifice himself to save New York. However, this final clash isn't all about him. Luke, Annabeth, Grover and many others all play a part in this final clash. Who knows what the future holds when everyone works together. Life will go on or maybe not!

First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a "haunting"; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena.

There were so many things I learned listening to this final book that I want to have a movie marathon and reread the books! Jim Dale's voice shows so many nuances that I missed I almost felt like it was a whole new book. I recommend listening to this series just to hear him. I miss this series as much now as I did when I read it the first time.

Even though I know what is coming in this book, it still hits hard. There is so much happening in this story that is dark and fore-boding, but also such a forecast of the last book. It is fun to see Harry as Quidditch captain and to see the developing relationships. Ready to finish out the series in audio, but may have to take time to re-read them all now.

This is an intense story which has very sad parts. I loved listening to it because I caught all kinds things I missed when I read it and things that aren't in the movie. Jim Dale is so amazing to listen to that I am eagerly making my way through the series!

Gorey's creepy-cozy drawings accurately project the ambience of the big old house in tiny New Zebedee, Michigan, where ten year-old Lewis, newly orphaned by an auto accident, goes to live with his benign and rather seedy warlock uncle Jonathan. With the help of gray-haired Mrs. Zimmerman, the cookie-baking witch next door, Jonathan amuses his nephew with an eclipse of the moon and other frivolous pastimes -- but the uncanny happenings become more sinister when Lewis himself, to impress a friend, manages to summon malignant Mrs. Izard, the house's former occupant, from her tomb.

There was so much in this story I didn't remember. I am enjoying this listening experience. Now on to the final book.

Marinka lives with her Baba in a house with chicken legs. Baba is a Yaga who helps guide the dead through the gate into the afterlife. Marinka is expected to become the next Yaga but she wants a normal life. She wants to stay in one place and make friends, maybe go to school. Right now her only friend is her pet jackdaw and she never knows when the house will decide to walk to the next destination. 

When Elizabeth's parents died she went to live with Aunt Purdy and Uncle Burlap who are definitely not interested in her. So it isn't really a surprise when she comes home from school to find them gone on a Christmas break. What is a surprise is that they are sending her to Winterhouse. Winterhouse is a fantastic hotel run by Norbridge Falls. At Winterhouse Elizabeth meets Freddy another young guest staying for the holiday. They have a shared love of word ladders and anagrams and together enjoy the activities at Winterhouse.

Sarah is an interesting person, she has a Masters in forensic psychology, her own blog, Youtube channel, Twitter, Facebook book, podcast and the list goes on, she is accomplished and genuine. I listen to Sarah on Facebook Live and this led me to her book, Haunted by the Abyss, which was fascinating. Sarah is a native Missourian who now lives with her husband and children in Minnesota, she speaks on psychology and parapsychology. This book deals with Sarah's life growing up and her learning to use and deal with her ability as a Sensitive.

This title was even better than the first in the series. Johnny has left the high school where he was trapped as a ghost, and it seems that he and Maggie are headed toward real love. Unfortunately, Johnny has no memories from the 50 years he spent as a ghost, including knowing anything about Maggie. He is angry and confused at all the changes that have happened in the last 50 years as well as seeing his high school chums listed in a memorial for Vietnam soldiers.