One More RIP Book....We Have Always Lived in the Castle

I realize that the RIP Challenge is over. I haven't had a lot of time to post the last few weeks. (To be honest, I think I did finish a day or two late anyway!) I still haven't even finished reviewing my short story collection from John Connolly (which I DID complete and found incredibly creepy and just wonderful). But I'll get to that too. For now, you are just going to have to settle for this review: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (210 pgs, Penguin, 1962). It is going to be used as a selection for the RIP IV Challenge.

My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death-cup mushroom. Everyone else in my family is dead.

If that's not one of the most unique and creepy opening paragraphs, then I don't know what is. Mary Katherine Blackwood, most commonly known as Merricat, lives with her sister Constance and their crippled Uncle Julian. Constance is a total recluse who refuses to leave her home. She had been accused of the murder of the rest of the family (a poisoning by arsenic), but had been acquitted by the courts. Unfortunately, the rest of the town didn't seem to agree with the ruling. In the beginning, we see Merricat going to the village for supplies. Everyone is a little distant, but it becomes clear that the Blackwoods are pariahs in town.

But their lives have routine. And all is the same until the day Cousin Charles enters the picture. And that is the beginning of the end.

There is not much more I can say about the storyline itself without giving something away. And trust me, it is best just to read it for yourself. From the beginning, things seem just a little "off". Merricat is an eighteen year old girl; and yet she is treated and acts like a child. And then there are her strange little rituals and her weird imagination. As the story progresses, with Merricat as the narrator, the reader isn't really even sure how much of the tale is real. She is not exactly the most reliable of narrators.

Shirley Jackson is amazingly adept at creating a story that is amazingly creepy in such a simple way. Not in the real sense of monsters or demons, but in an even scarier, psychological way. It truly is a gift of a great writer. From the beginning you know that something isn't right. And even though the "surprise" isn't much of a surprise by the time it is revealed, it is chilling in it's own way. From deep in your gut, you can just FEEL that it is all wrong.

It is a ingenious little story, and yet I hate to admit that I didn't like it. I can see the brilliance in the writing, but did I enjoy it? Not really. And I've been really trying to figure out why. I think it's because I didn't like any of the characters. To me, not one of them was likable. Although it is written to make Constance seem all sunshine and roses, to me she was just as much of a loon as Merricat. Actually, she was even crazier. (again, I can't say much more than that). Uncle Julian is old and senile. Cousin Charles is only out for his own personal gain. The villagers were mostly a vile bunch. And I disliked them all immensely. I guess, for me personally, I have to connect with someone to enjoy the story. Or at least this one anyway.

BUT, I loved The Lottery. And I really want to read The Haunting Of Hill House. I'm not giving up on Jackson. As I said, the story really is extremely well-written. It's good. I just didn't like it!! If you like creepy little tales, maybe this one is for you!! 3.5/5

Left To Die in a Horrifying Way

In the last year or so I have come to find out there are a few benefits to having a "Book Blog", especially if you are a bibliophile like me. One of those benefits is the chance to read books provided to you by publishers and/or authors. I was contacted about a month ago by Pump Up Your Book's Promotions, Authors on Tour looking to promote Lisa Jackson's newest novel, Left to Die (484 pgs, Zebra 2008). Since I haven't read anything by Jackson before, I thought this would be a great opportunity to try something new.

"He's going to kill you. Right here in the middle of this snow-covered, God-forsaken valley, he's going to kill you! Fight, Wendy, Fight!"

And so our story starts off with a bang! In the sparsely populated area of the Bitterroot Mountains in Pinewood County, Montana, a serial killer is on the loose. 4 bodies of missing woman have been found tied naked to trees and left to freeze to death in the bitter winter snow, with a star carved into the tree over their heads and letters added to a cryptic note with each added victim. Not one of them have a thing in common, and none are from the area. All have been victims of car "accidents", that have left them injured but cared for, at least until they found themselves tethered to a tree. But the accidents were forced by a gunshot to a tire, not a random accident. And the killer is meticulous in efforts to create the perfect crimes.

For Detectives Selena Alvarez and Regan Piscoli, this case has turned into a nightmare. With each additional body, the population of Pine County is getting more and more paranoid, and the pressure to crack this case is getting to be unbearable. Alvarez is a straight-laced, newcomer to the area, and she keeps herself and her past sheltered from everyone. Piscoli is a single-mother of teens that flys by the seat of her pants and is heading for trouble by seeing the latest drifter in town.

When Jillian Rivers receives a package in the mail with pictures of a man that looks a lot like her husband that supposedly died in an accident 10 years before, she initially freaks out. When Aaron died, he left her in a bad way. Apparently he had bilked a lot of people of their life savings in a pyramid scheme, and people were pointing fingers at Jillian. Postmarked Mizzouli, Montana, home of her ex-husband Mason, the letter was cryptic. Jillian immediately sets out for Montana and a showdown with Mason, only to be involved in a car "accident" along the way. When she wakes up, she is in the cabin of loner Zane MacGregor and she is terrified for her life. Having read about the serial killings, she has no idea if she is in danger or if she is being "saved" from a fate almost worse than death.

Left to Die is a first-rate thriller, that is action-packed from page one. There are a lot of characters in this book, and lot of different story lines. One would think that might muddy the waters, so to speak. But Jackson makes it work. Is Jillian the victim of the "Star-Crossed" Killer, or is her accident the work of a copycat, since she seemed to be specifically targeted?? Is Zane MacGregor a good guy, or the killer himself? And what about the secrets that both Alvarez and Piscoli keeping? How do they relate to the killer and/or killers?

My one major complaint about this book is that it is basically a segway for Book number 2. Now, I'm usually all about the series. But this book is so completely open-ended that I was a bit perturbed. I expected a little more to be tied up by the time I closed the book. And it wasn't. I almost feel like I was suckered into having to read another book (or two). But that doesn't mean I was disappointed in the content. The storyline was a real page-turner, and I found myself mesmerized by the incredible detail of the terrain and the killer's methodology. Lisa Jackson is a talented author that will leave you wanting more. I guess I just have to wait until NEXT August to get some answers. 4/5

Cute Book if You Like Fluff!

Scot on the Rocks (or How I Survived My Ex-Boyfriend's Wedding with My Dignity Ever-So-Slightly Intact) by Brenda Janowitz (pgs 304) is published by Red Dress Ink, a division of Harlequin. I started reading these books when they first came out, and get a book a month directly from the publisher. Most are really cute, but I definitely have to be in the mood for one.

Manhattan attorney Brooke Miller seems to have everything going for her. A great high-paying job (if you don't mind working till 9 o'clock ever night and most weekends), a wonderful Scottish boyfriend that is going to pop the question any day now, and a gorgeous apartment. So what goes wrong? Said boyfriend breaks up with Brooke because he decides to marry someone else! Said apartment just happens to be Douglas's. So not only is Brooke out of a relationship, she's out of a home! And all this just days before her ex-boyfriend's wedding -- to Hollywood's latest "IT" girl. A wedding that she was supposed to be attending with HER fiance!! So what's a girl to do?? Brooke comes up with a plan that involves her best friend Jack wearing a Kilt and getting her wonderful, gorgeous (albeit cheating) Scottish man back!

OK....so I had the book figured out by Chapter 2. I still enjoyed it. I mean, it makes you FEEL GOOD when all sorts of bad things happen to a person and in the end, they win out. That's why people READ "Chick Lit". To know that the "fairy tale" ending is out there! It gives them hope....and a bit of comic relief. Scot on the Rocks was pure fluff. If you don't expect more than that, it's a very enjoyable book. 3.75/5