Wilderness by Dean Koontz (Short story, introduction to Innocence)

Addison Goodheart is 8 and there is something very wrong with him.  His mother can hardly tolerate to look at him and sends him out into the wilderness until she can face his presence again.  She tells him the story of the midwife who, horrified by what she saw, would have killed him had his mother not pulled a knife to defend him.
One day, while wandering the woods during a banishment from the isolated cabin that is all the home he has ever known, Addison is spotted by a hunter.  The hunter, who is enraged by the sight of Addison, tracks him through the woods.
This short story is the prequel to a series which begins with the book Innocence and that was released in December 2013.  I will be adding it to my list the second I finish this review.
I adore Dean Koontz.  My favorite book of his is From the Corner of His Eye.  I am particularly pulled in by his treatment of good and evil.  No moral ambiguity for Koontz, which I find refreshing.

Freud's Mistress by Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman

Ehh.  This was good.  But I would have liked more details about Freud and what he thought and where it came from.  This book went deep into the mistress's thoughts, etc. which are clearly conjecture and very little into historical events, facts, and reality. 
It is interesting that Freud had a relationship with his sister-in-law.  She lived in their house for 40 years and helped his wife raise her 6 children.  The authors even make the claim that she had an abortion at some point.  However, I kind of hate when books try to re-write or create history for us. 

Broken Harbor by Tana French

I was a bit apprehensive about this book because I read another of her books In the Woods which was sooooooo disappointing.  Basically, while that one ended, a huge portion of the story was NEVER EXPLAINED.  Which is not cool Tana French.  BUT, the story itself was so intriguing, so I thought I would check this out.
I finished this book a few days ago and then I have been thinking about the story and thinking about the story.  I REALLY liked this book.  It was pretty disturbing.  It wasn't hugely gory but I just can't stop thinking about it. 
A family has been murdered and only the mother survives.  The family's computer has been wiped clean and their are signs that some weird things were going on in the house.  The story follows 2 police detectives and their quest to find out what happened and why.
It's a great book and there are a lot of things to discuss. 

Aunt Dimity & the Village Witch by Nancy Atherton

This book is sweet and comforting and silly and enjoyable.  Perfect if you liked the Mitford series by Jan Karon.  It is part of a series of books (this is number 17 I think?) that revolve around Lori, mother to twins and resident of Finch which is a tiny village somewhere in England.  The residents of Finch know everything about everyone and every event that occurs in their village.  So when a new resident moves in, it is very exciting.  Oh, and Lori has this possessed book through which she convenes with her deceased mother's deceased best friend "Aunt" Dimity.  Dimity is also the reason Lori, an American, lives in Finch.  When Dimity died, she left her cottage in Finch and the book to Lori whom she had never met.  So if you are looking for a new, light series, I would recommend these.

Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness

GO GET THESE BOOKS NOW.  This is a post-apocalyptic series not unlike the Hunger Games or the Maze Runner trilogies.  Here's the storyline:  Todd lives on a distant planet.  His people arrived there to be farmers.  They encountered an alien species that they slaughtered.  Also on this planet, everyone can hear each other's thoughts or 'noise'.  Well, except for the women.  They are quiet, which leads to a lot of problems.  In Todd's town, which is completely isolated from any other settlements, all the women are dead.  And then Todd meets a girl.  They flee trying to save themselves and the future.  SO GOOD.  Also, suitable for teen readers. :)

The titles are The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and The Answer, and Monsters of Men.

The Harbor by John Ajvide Lindqvist

My month of spooky books continues with The Harbor.  This book was written by a Swede so it's a bit cumbersome what with all the names and locations. Anders is from an island.  He is married to a girl who used to vacation on the island.  One day they skate across the frozen ocean with their 6 year old daughter Maja to see the lighthouse.  Maja disappears.  It's now a few years later and after an exile, a divorce and a lot of alchol, Anders has returned to the island where a bunch of weird stuff is happening.  The sea is a major charecter in this book and it's wordy and a bit slow in parts.  It was good though, but not a book for those who like constant action. 

In the Night Room by Peter Straub

I got this book by chance.  I went online and did a search for spooky books and found one by Peter Straub so then I just reserved a bunch of books by him.  This is kind of the sequel of lost girl lost boy.  In fact, the book lost girl lost boy is a charecter in this book.  Which is confusing and awesome.  About halfway through this book I was shocked and then wanted to stop and reread the first half.  It was thought provoking and scary and good.  It's one of those books that really makes you think and rethink and then think, 'but what about...OH!'. 
It's about a bunch of stuff that I can't really tell you without giving everything away but this is a great thinker's book.  :)

lost girl lost boy by Peter Straub

This time of year, I love to read creepy books.  So I did a search and this is one I came up with.  It won the 2003 Bram Stoker Award for best novel and it is GOOD.  Here's the story:  Tim is an author.  His sister-in-law has killed herself.  He goes home for the funeral and becomes reacquainted with both his brother and his nephew, Mark.  No sooner does he get home, that he finds out that Mark has disappeared.  It seems there is a serial killer in the area targeting teen boys.  Also, Mark had recently developed an obsession with the house behind his.  He thinks it killed his mom.

Oh it's good a spooky and scary.

Vacation by Matthew Costello

This book is scary and good.Here's the synopsis from Amazon: 

In the near future after a global crisis causes crops to fail and species to disappear . . . something even more deadly happens. Groups of humans around the world suddenly become predators, feeding off their own kind. These “Can Heads” grow to such a threat that fences, gated compounds, and SWAT-style police protection become absolutely necessary in order to live.

After one Can Head attack leaves NYPD cop Jack Murphy wounded, Jack takes his wife and kids on a much-needed vacation. Far up north, to a camp where families can still swim and take boats out on a lake, and pretend that the world isn’t going to hell.

But the Can Heads are never far away, and nothing is quite what it seems in Paterville. . . .

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Defending Jacob by William Landay

 



Now this is a goooood book.  It's a legal thriller/mystery. The book opens with a man being deposed in front of a grand jury.  He is describing the death of a teen boy in his community and how his family came to be wrapped up in the case.  I can't say too much more about it but if you are looking for similar books, I would recommend Serena by Ron Rash, Before I go to Sleep, We have always lived in the Castle, The Countess, A Reliable Wife, or An Absolute Gentleman.  Perfect fall spooky books.  Enjoy!

Tag Man by Archer Mayor

Ehh.  This book was alright.  It is a series about a police department.  It was alright.  There were parts that were pretty suspenseful but then there were parts that were confusing (don't know if it was poorly written or if I was just bored).  AND it was another of those books were the jacket notes are not only not really related to the book but just plain WRONG.  So stupid and annoying.  Pick a different book.

The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott

This book takes true details from the Titanic disaster and adds fictional details to flesh out a story.  Normally that really bothers me but this time it seems to work.

Tess works as a maid but wants to start a new life as a dressmaker.  She decides that she will get hired by the Titanic and get free passage to the United States where she will face endless opportunities in a new country.  She arrives too late and is instead hired by the famous designer Lady Gordon.  She and Lady Gordon both survive the sinking of the ship and become embroiled in the aftermath.  There are hearings both in America and in Britain regarding who knew what, who did what and why no one helped all those who died.

This was a good book and I learned a lot about the Titanic that I never knew.  I would recommend it but it won't make any of my favorite lists.  Overall, a good book.

Heft by Liz Moore

This is one of those books that I could NOT put down but wanted to just so that I could savor it and have it never end.  I really enjoyed the two main characters.  I rooted for them and wanted to help and fix them.  This author, who I haven't read before and haven't yet researched enough to tell you anything more about, did an amazing job of speaking for each of these two very different men.  This is primarily a book about missed opportunities and loneliness.  It also touches on mental health and the isolation it can cause.  I LOVED THIS BOOK.  Here's the basic outline:
Arthur Opps is obese and agoraphobic and hasn't left his slowly deteriorating house in 10 years.  The high point of his life has been his correspondence with his former student Charlene.  He hasn't heard from her in years, but he thinks of her often and keeps all her letters.  He has kept much from her.  The fact that he no longer teaches, that he is homebound and that he now weighs somewhere around 500 pounds.  Charlene is not well.  She has a son in high school, Kel Kellerman.  She has kept this fact from Arthur.  Kel is floundering under the weight of Charlene's problems.  One day she picks up the phone, calls Arthur and asks him to call and help Kel.
Such a great story, great characters and I want the author to write a follow up so that I can spend even more time with Arthur and Kel.  READ THIS BOOK!!

In the Absence of Honor by Jim Proebstle

I stole the synopsis from the author's website:When Jake Lorenz retreats to his family’s cabin in the North Minnesota woods for the winter, he’s looking for peace, quiet, and time to reflect on the loss of his wife and his job. But instead, he finds destruction and death—a gruesome murder scene on his very doorstep. The more he discovers about the death, the deeper he is drawn into a shadowy struggle for land, wealth, and power. There are forceful men who don’t want him to search any further: the corrupt tribal council that controls the nearby Ojibwe casino, the secretive and antisocial plutocrat who owns half the peninsula, and the ruthless Indian Mafia, to name a few. But to save the community he loves, which is set in this harsh and lovely wilderness, Jake must battle personal demons and the deadly forces of man and nature to learn the truth.
I liked this book, good back story and great mystery.

Agent 6 by Tom Rob Smith

A while ago I read the book Child 44 by the same author.  That was a great book.  This is the final book in the trilogy and also a great book.  If you like CIA-type thrillers, you will love these.  The main character is a Russian Secret Service Agent.  The books take you into the closed Soviet Union and provide fascinating insight into life behind the Iron Curtain.  LOVED this book.

Irma Voth by Miriam Towes

I finished this book a few days ago and since then I have been pondering. I am still not sure if I liked this book. It is the story of a young woman who is Mennonite and lives in Mexico. She is married to a young Mexican man and has been shunned by her family. However, her father has allowed Irma and her husband to live in a house on the family's ranch. A film crew arrives in the area to film an art film involving Mennonites and Irma is hired as a translator. The book was fascinating for it's brief insights into the Mennonite lifestyle. The book was disturbing and dark for no apparent reason through the beginning. I *think* I liked the book, but I still can't decide. The book jacket states that the author was born in a small Canadian Mennonite community and has written several books and a memoir of her father. I would LOVE to read the memoir just wondering if any of the father in THIS book was based on her father (and I really hope not!!). I think this book just wasn't Mennonite-y enough for me. I will check out her other books and think this would be a great book club book.

The Hand that Trembles by Kjell Ericksson

I should probably stop reading all these Swedish books. I am not chosing them on purpose, it's just one of those coincidences that happens in life. HOWEVER, you would think I would notice the author's name. I always find them a bit off. As if maybe something is missing in translation.
Anyway...this book is part of a series following a female police officer and her cases. In this book, a female foot is found. Also, a fellow police officer is troubled by a cold case. The story is interesting, but having not read any others in the series, I didn't love it. I liked it enough that if I easily came across others in the series, I would pick them up, but probably won't seek them out.

The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler

There is a lot of weird $h!t that goes on in Sweden. This book is in the vein of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (also Sweden). I LOVED THIS BOOK. It is so good and scary and scary and weird.

A psychologist has been asked to hypnotize the surviving member of a family massacre. Then more bad stuff happens. I can't really tell you anymore than that because the plot twists and turns and does loop-de-loops. If you liked Dagon Tatoo, go get this book right now!

The Maze Runner by (part 1 of the trilogy)

I read this book when in first came out in 2009. I was so sad that it was going to be a whole YEAR until the next one came out but then I kind of forgot about it. Now it is 2011 and everyone is going all kinds of crazy over The Hunger Games. I liked the Hunger Games but I LOVED The Maze Runner.

The story starts with Thomas. He is in an elevator and he knows nothing but his name. When the elevator opens, he is in the midst of an enormous maze. The only other people there are other teenage boys. They have formed themselves into a crude society with different jobs assigned to each. The most important job is that of a maze runner. One of 8 boys sent out during the day to run the miles and miles of maze searching for a pattern to get out and get back to their homes of which they have no memory. Every night the doors to the maze close and the monsters fill the maze. Every week supplies are delivered in the elevator and every month a new boy appears. Things are changing though. The day after Thomas arrives, a girl shows up with a note. She is to be the last one. EVER.

There are two subsequent books The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure. They are each engrossing and in no way do they stand apart. You must read them in order. The books are dark and scary and really good. They are labeled at my library as Young Adult. I have no idea why.

A Simple Act of Violence by R.J. Ellory

There is a LOT going on in this book. If you don't like complicated, run. I have even seen references to this book as 'Literature'. This is the story of a cop, hunting a serial killer with victims who are not what they appear to be. However, it's not really about that at all. It's complicated.

None of the victims exist. They have social security numbers that don't match their names, no family, no friends, no previous addresses. I am not sure how much of this story is factual, but if it is, it's highly disturbing.