Mini Reviews of Susan Hill's Dolly and The Small Hand

As part of my October Horror Month I have been reading scary stories and Susan Hill has made her name in the horror genre with well known stories such as The Woman in Black and The Man in the Picture. I have read two of her horror short stories and here are the reviews.

Book Title: Dolly

Author: Susan Hill

My Rating: 3*

Publisher: Profile Books

Publication Date: 05/10/12

Genre(s): Horror

Pages: 153

Format Read: Paperback

Goodreads: The remoter parts of the English Fens are forlorn, lost and damp even in the height of summer. At Iyot Lock, a large decaying house, two young cousins, Leonora and Edward are parked for the summer with their ageing spinster aunt and her cruel housekeeper. At first the unpleasantness and petty meannesses appear simply spiteful, calculated to destroy Edward's equanimity. But when spoilt Leonora is not given the birthday present of a specific dolly that she wants, affairs inexorably take a much darker turn with terrifying, life destroying, consequences for everyone.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson Book Review

Book Title: The Haunting of Hill House

Author: Shirley Jackson

My Rating: 4*

Publisher: Penguin Classics

Publication Date: Originally 1959

Genre(s): Horror, Classic, Gothic, Paranormal

Pages: 246

Format Read: Paperback

Goodreads: 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. But Hill House is gathering its powers--and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.

My October Horror Fest!

What am I going to read in October?

Throughout the month of October I am planning on only reading horror stories. I have never actually read a horror story, only watched scary films and I know the experience is going to be completely different as you can’t get a jump scare from a book but I think it’s going to be much scarier in other ways. The things you read stick with you for much longer and it will probably give me nightmares but that’s all part of the fun! This list isn’t my definite reading list for the month but it is full of possible options for what I (or you) could read that will definitely be a scare! I may even add on to the terror and watch some scary films and series. I will keep an update of all the scary books and films I dig into throughout October on my Twitter - @gemmasbookshelf.

The Last Summer by Andrée Michaud Book Review

Book Title: The Last Summer

Author: Andrée A. Michaud

My Rating: 3.5*

Publisher: No Exit Press

Publication Date: 25/01/18

Genre(s): Mystery, Crime, Thriller, YA

Pages: 318

Format Read: Paperback

Goodreads: It's the Summer of 1967. The sun shines brightly over Boundary Pond, a holiday haven on the US-Canadian border. Families relax in the heat, happy and carefree. Hours tick away to the sound of radios playing 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' and 'A Whiter Shade of Pale'. Children run along the beach as the heady smell of barbecues fills the air.

Zaza Mulligan and Sissy Morgan, with their long, tanned legs and silky hair, relish their growing reputation as the red and blonde Lolitas. Life seems idyllic.

But then Zaza disappears, and the skies begin to cloud over...

Originally written in French and translated into English, The Last Summer is a novel based in the town of Boundary where families go in the summer to enjoy their holiday. Zaza and Sissy are inseparable best friends who do everything together and know each other’s secrets and who always have the eyes of men and boys on them. However, in the year of 1967, tragedy strikes Boundary as a Zaza goes missing which changes the lives of the people of the town as the mystery unfolds of who the murderer is.

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle Book Review

Book Title: The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Author: Stuart Turton

My Rating: 5*

Publisher: Raven Books

Publication Date: 08/02/18

Genre(s): Murder Mystery, Thriller

Pages: 505

Format Read: Paperback

Goodreads: The Rules of Blackheath

Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m.

There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit.

We will only let you escape once you tell us the name of the killer.

Understood? Then let's begin...

Evelyn Hardcastle will die. Every day until Aiden Bishop can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others...