Christopher Golden - Wildwood Road

121. Wildwood Road by Christopher Golden (2005)
Length: 351 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 13 December 2014
Finished: 16 December 2014
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 24 November 2014
Why do I have it? I like horror and Christopher Golden is a new author for me.

Michael and Jillian Dansky seem to have it all - a happy marriage, two successful careers, and a bright future. However late one October evening, that changes completely. It's while driving home from a Halloween masquerade that Michael briefly nods off behind the wheel. When he wakes up, he finds a little girl standing beside his car - a little girl who Michael apparently came within a breath of running over.

Shaken by her appearance at such a late hour, and concerned that the child isn't wearing the most appropriate clothing for the frigid weather, Michael tries to help her as much as he can. She leads him to a darkened empty house, filled with shadows and haunted by whispers and sends him away with a whisper of her own: "Come find me." With her curious command echoing in his ears, Michael drives back home.

In the weeks to come, it's clear that someone - or something - doesn't want the girl found. As much as Michael tries to fulfill the girl's request, he just doesn't seem to be having much luck. And when a cold, cruel, vindictive woman awakens in the guise of his once loving and caring wife, Michael's search shifts slightly. Suddenly his quest isn't just for the missing girl, but for the Jillian he loves and may have lost forever...on Wildwood Road.

First of all, let me say that Mareena got this book as a 'just because' gift for herself when she saw that Stephen King had written a blurb for the book, and decided that I could read it as well if I wanted. She knew of Christopher Golden as primarily a young adult author, although she has never read any of his books. So, Mr. Golden is a new author for her to read.

In my opinion, this book was very enjoyable and I'm certainly glad to have read it. The story was quite a different treatment of horror from the books that I usually read, and was interesting enough to hold my attention right until the very end. It was well-written and I appreciated that the plot was constantly moving; the pacing never slowed or deteriorated in any way and this story never became dull or boring; at least for me. Overall, I give this book an A! 

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Michael Phillip Cash - The After House

115. The After House by Michael Phillip Cash (2014) 
Length: 194 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 29 November 2014
Finished: 1 December 2014
Where did it come from? Many thanks to Michael Phillip Cash and to Red Feather Publishing for sending me a copy of this book to read.  
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 17 October 2014  
Why do I have it? I like horror and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Single mother Remy Galway and her daughter Olivia are just starting over with the monumental task of rebuilding their lives together after the failure of Remy's marriage. Now, almost a year after her divorce, she and her daughter have moved into a three hundred year old cottage in historic Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island. It is in this elegant, ancient whaling captain's house where Remy and Olivia hope to find peace and tranquility for themselves.

Little does this little family realize that there is in fact another occupant who dwells in the haven of their new home. Someone who lurks deep in the shadows of history, someone who strives to remain a relevant part of this reality. In the end, will the After House ultimately turn out to be Remy and Olivia's shelter or their final resting place? 

Let me say right from the beginning that I really enjoy Michael Phillip Cash's writing style - he certainly knows how to create a properly creepy atmosphere. I have read four of Mr. Cash's books in the past and have thoroughly enjoyed each of them for different reasons. This latest novel was certainly a departure for me; it was a quick and easy read, and while I would technically classify this book in the horror genre, the story wasn't necessarily all that scary; at least in my personal opinion.

I found this story to be slightly more playful and light-hearted in tone than Mr. Cash's other work, not overly comedic but definitely lighter in tone. I enjoyed reading The After House by Michael Phillip Cash and give it definite B+! - I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

B+! - (89-94%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Bentley Little - The Haunted

99. The Haunted by Bentley Little (2012)
Length: 389 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 10 October 2014
Finished: 13 October 2014
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 12 October 2013
Why do I have it? I like horror and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past. 

The historic district of Jardine, New Mexico seems like the perfect place to live for the Perry family. Julian and Claire Perry and their two children, Megan and James, have just recently moved into a beautiful Victorian house which is bigger and much, much nicer than their old house. They are ecstatic to be living in the house, but something isn't right...Something is definitely odd.

The neighbors seem reluctant to visit. They seem so strange and somewhat standoffish towards the Perry family, although not actually hostile toward them. Claire just can't shake the feeling that someone is watching her. Teenage Megan receives increasingly menacing and obscene texts, and she inexplicably starts to carry out the titillating commands of an unseen presence. Ten-year-old James has a sudden onslaught of dreadfully bizarre nightmares and unsettling, ghostly visions.

Then there is the strangely sickening odor emanating from a specific corner of the basement. It smelled very strongly of soil, but there was absolutely nothing in the basement that could cause such a peculiar smell - at least nothing visible. It's a pity no one warned the family about the house; someone really should have. Now it's much too late. Because the darkness at the bottom of the basement stairs is rising...and there will be no escape.

I really enjoyed this book. In my opinion, it was a wonderfully creepy mix of an understated, almost mundane life being haunted by an inexplicably horrific supernatural presence. I appreciated that the horror in this story was well-maintained right until the end. 

I find that so often the horror in some of the books that I've read either falls apart towards the end, or becomes entirely unbelievable; at least for me. I do love reading books about haunted houses, though. This is the third book by Bentley Little that I've read, and he is an author that I definitely want to read more from in the future. I give The Haunted by Bentley Little an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)
 
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Chet Williamson - Dreamthorp

93. Dreamthorp by Chet Williamson (1989)
Length: 357 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 27 September 2014
Finished: 30 September 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 23 January 2001
Why do I have it? I like horror and Chet Williamson is a new author for me.

Welcome to Dreamthorp, Pennsylvania - an idyllic little resort town full of picturesque cottages, friendly neighbors and a sleepy, picture postcard-style atmosphere. It is to this quiet little town that two people from the city can finally come to get away from it all. A place where one can escape and start their life over...

Laura Stark is a woman on the run. She has fled to Dreamthorp in order to recover from a brutal attack perpetrated by a crazed rapist - the same attack during which she saw him mutilate her best friend. Dreamthorp seems like the perfect place for Laura Stark to hide - and forget the past... 

Tom Brewer is a recently widowed teacher and sculptor, determinedly trying to put his life back together and helping his grieving fourteen-year-old son, Josh. 

Then one day the peace of Dreamthorp is irrevocably shattered when a couple of local treasure hunters uncover several deeply-buried Native American artifacts. The couple's digging yields some ancient coins, beads, and an unusual-looking amulet. Once the haunted relics are unearthed, a hellacious and centuries-old evil is also unleashed; one that will inevitably exact a horrific vengeance that has no place outside of the gates of Hell. A series of brutal murders occur in the quiet town, rocking Dreamthorp - and its people - to its very core.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was certainly very graphic and gruesome in parts, and the story was somewhat far-fetched in places. However, I found the book to be surprisingly well-written, for horror that was written in the late 1980s and I'm currently looking for more books by this author. I would give Dreamthorp by Chet Williamson an A!

A! - (90-95%)   

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Alma Katsu - The Taker

84. The Taker by Alma Katsu (2011)
The Taker Trilogy Book 1
Length: 440 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 2 September 2014
Finished: 7 September 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 1 June 2013
Why do I have it? I like horror and Alma Katsu is a new author for me.

In the tiny town of St. Andrew, Maine, on a freezing wintry night, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting a quiet evening of frostbite and the occasional domestic dispute - just your typical midnight shift at Aroostook County Hospital. That's until Lanore McIlvrae - Lanny - walks into his Emergency Room, and completely changes his life forever. Lanny is unlike any woman Luke has ever met - a mysterious woman with a past and plenty of dark secrets. He is inexplicably drawn to her, sure that they have met somewhere before...despite the fact that she is a murder suspect and currently in police custody; under armed escort. 

A stranger and apparently new to town, Lanny is accused of a bizarre crime: allegedly killing a man and leaving his body in the Great North Woods. Lanny insists that while she committed the killing, the man had wanted to die. Always a practical man - a man of science - Dr. Luke Findley witnesses something which he can't explain - a miraculous impossibility that confounds him, and leaves him enthralled by this woman, whose very existence defies all reason. And so, as Lanny begins to tell her story - a tale of enduring love and consummate betrayal that transcends time and mortality, Luke Findley finds himself utterly captivated.

Her impassioned account begins at the turn of the nineteenth century in the same small town of St. Andrew, Maine, at the time that it was a Puritan settlement. As a child, Lanny finds the love of her life in Jonathan St. Andrew, the privileged son of the town's founder. She promises herself that she will do absolutely anything to be with him forever. But the price she pays is too steep - an immortal bond that chains her to a terrible fate for all eternity. Now, two centuries later, the key to her healing and salvation lies in the hands of Dr. Luke Findley.

I must say that Mareena actually chose this book for me at the Library Book Sale that we went to in June of last year. While I would technically classify this book as horror, in my opinion, the story actually wasn't all that horrific - creepy or eerie perhaps, but not scary. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have chosen this book to read for myself - as this is not my usual choice in horror - although I still thought it was very well written and an interesting story nevertheless. 

I was certainly fascinated by this particular story; some aspects of the plot which seemed utterly implausible to me, actually made perfect sense within the story. In my opinion, The Taker by Alma Katsu was just the slightest bit too long, although I still enjoyed it very much. I give this book an A! 

A! - (90-95%)
 
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Don D'Ammassa - Blood Beast

80. Blood Beast by Don D'Ammassa (1988)
Length: 384 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 23 August 2014
Finished: 26 August 2014
Where did it come from? From Paperback Swap 
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 4 May 2013
Why do I have it? I like horror and Don D'Ammassa is a new author for me.

It may have been carved from cold stone...but it pulsated with nothing except the purest evil. It seemed to have existed for eons; in fact, no one could remember exactly where the stone gargoyle had come from. It was just an ugly stone creature high up on the walls of the old Sheffield Library. It perched there, looking out with malevolent eyes over the small town of Managansett, Rhode Island. And looking deep into the hearts of the townsfolk...waiting, always waiting...

Little Jimmy Nicholson liked to go and stare at the gargoyle. It seemed to look straight at him, as if it knew the deepest, darkest, most secret desires that dwelt in the eight-year-old's heart. And Jimmy knew that the gargoyle had the power to give him everything he'd ever wanted. However, first he had to be willing to do the creature's bidding - no matter how evil...

I actually enjoyed reading this book much more than I thought I would. For a horror book written in the late 1980s, I found that the story was very well-written and not too overdone. It held my attention and interest until the very end; unlike so many other horror books that I've read, which have a tendency to fall apart. 

If I did have one slight criticism though, it would be that the author was extremely detailed in writing about the day-to-day running of Managansett's largest manufacturing plant. Other readers certainly may find such details interesting; however, I found them much more intricate than I would have liked. I would still give Blood Beast by Don D'Ammassa an A!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Robert C. Sloane - A Nice Place to Live

77. A Nice Place to Live by Robert C. Sloane (1981)
Length: 278 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 16 August 2014
Finished: 18 August 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 16 August 2014
Why do I have it? I like horror and Robert C. Sloane is a new author for me.  

The tiny secluded village of Mill Harbor, Long Island - such a tranquil, restful waterfront community - possibly the nicest place to live. After ten years of marriage, Christine and Nick Marino are just as much in love now as they were when they first met. When they move to suburban Mill Harbor with their young son Joey, they truly believe they are living a dream come true. They live in a cozy, beautiful house, and their wealthy neighbors are just so friendly and welcoming. Yes, indeed, this is absolutely the perfect place to live and raise a family.

However, the Marinos will soon find that their perfect dream is gradually, undeniably, turning into a nightmare. Because something is awry in the charming village of Mill Harbor. Something is very, very wrong.

The Marinos learn that their lovely home was once the setting for appalling displays of violence, that their affable neighbors may not be at all what they seem. And some mysterious force is slowly changing Nick into something bestial and obscene - capable of terrifying his wife with inhuman acts of pure barbarism...

Christine and Nick Marino could not have been forewarned. Now it's too late. Somewhere in Mill Harbor a door clicks shut and something evil rushes out into the night. The Marinos are about to meet their new neighbor - the resident evil that dwells in A Nice Place to Live.   

I really enjoyed reading this book; it was very well-written and the horror was intertwined with every day life. I've been looking to read something in the horror genre for quite a while, and this just hit the spot. This was certainly quite an imaginative plot, and despite being rather fantastic and seemingly far-fetched at times, I was soon immersed in the story and reading it avidly - determined to find out what happened next. I give A Nice Place to Live by Robert C. Sloane an A! I'm on the lookout for more books by Robert C. Sloane to put on my Wish List.

A! - (90-95%)   

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Michael Phillip Cash - The Flip

59. The Flip by Michael Phillip Cash (2014)
Length: 391 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 11 June 2014
Finished: 12 June 2014
Where did it come from? Many thanks to Michael Phillip Cash and to Red Feather Publishing for sending me a copy of this book to read.  
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 11 June 2014
Why do I have it? I like horror and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Julie and Brad Evans flip houses for a living. They buy each house for a song, clean out the previous occupants' various abandoned items - things that can typically be classified as junk - and then they attempt to sell the houses for a profit. With the economy the way it is, business has been going relatively well for them - not necessarily tremendous, but certainly on a positive upswing. The couple just puts it down to the state of the housing market.

Their latest flip is Hemmings House; situated on Bedlam Street in scenic Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island. It's too good a deal to pass up, but the house comes with an ominous secret. Apparently, the ghostly previous occupants of this stately Victorian mansion do not wish to be dispossessed; and they're determined to cause any amount of bedlam among the living in order to stay right where they are. Will the Evans' new marriage survive their time spent inside Hemmings House?

It took me only a day and a half to read this book - and I absolutely appreciated that the story flowed along so easily. This is actually the fourth book that I've read by this author, and I must say that Michael Phillip Cash certainly knows how to create the proper atmosphere with his writing. The Flip has all the elements that I generally enjoy reading about - old houses, ominous secrets, ghosts, and a young couple with marriage troubles. Add in my latest interest; house flipping, and I'm hooked from page one. I give this book an A!

A! - (90-95%)
  

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Nancy Thayer - Spirit Lost: A Ghost Novel

56. Spirit Lost: A Ghost Novel by Nancy Thayer (1988)
Length: 199 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 21 May 2014
Finished: 22 May 2014
Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 21 May 2014
Why do I have it? I like horror and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

An overachieving young married couple from Boston, John and his wife Willy decide to leave their hectic world of big-city advertising behind for the tranquility of island life. Thirty miles off the mainland, Nantucket offers the peace John needs to further explore his future as an artist. In fact, there is plenty of room for a studio in the old house they buy, located on historic Orange Street.

Legend has it that, from such a house as the Orange Street residence, whaling captains set off on their three or four-year long trips to the Orient, while their lonely wives waited, climbing to the "widow's walks" above the houses to search the horizon for returning ships. Often their husbands never returned.

So, John and Willy settle into their new life. They feel cozy and secure in their Orange Street house, surrounded by their antique furniture and sure of their love for each other. Even after eight years of marriage, their passion and devotion are still as strong - if not stronger - than when they first met.

Some of his friends wonder why John chose Willy, a solid, rather plain-looking woman. But Willy has never doubted her husband's love. She understands their deep commitment to each other and feels totally secure in her marriage. Fortunately, Willy inherited some money, so they can live comfortably while John paints and she does embroidery.

Everything should be perfect. They have each other, their beautiful home on Nantucket, and time to explore their talents in the serenity that Boston just couldn't offer. But something is terribly wrong. Willy senses that a mysterious force is at work that could destroy her happiness and all that she cherishes. With dawning horror, Willy fights the malevolent, unknown entity - gradually coming to an awareness of her opponent in what could be a battle not only for her marriage but for her very survival.

The plot of this book is entirely different from Nancy Thayer's later work, although the story was very well-written, in an easy style that I appreciated. The story was perhaps not as scary as I was expecting, but it was certainly eerie enough to still be enjoyable. I give this book an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Jeffrey Konvitz - The Guardian

45. The Guardian by Jeffrey Konvitz (1978)
The Sentinel Trilogy Book 2
Length: 293 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 8 April 2014
Finished: 12 April 2014
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 10 October 2000
Why do I have it? I like horror and Jeffrey Konvitz is a new author for me.

The very gates of Hell are about to open on the twentieth floor of an apartment building on the West Side. Evil is flourishing and soon no innocent will be safe. Through a window without curtains, an ancient blind nun sits perpetually gazing...keeping watch against the evil.

A body is found, burned beyond recognition. Then there are two more murders...strangely connected. And the discoverer of one of the bodies, a beautiful young woman, is brutally raped. Her innocent young child is exposed to horror. Her furious husband sets out on a relentless path of revenge.

In the final hour of evil, paralyzing terror is unleashed. One step beyond the very boundaries of belief is a cool, calculating, laughing priest intent on saving more lives from destruction. And so it begins...powerful, satanic, terrifying...a time you will never forget. The battle has already begun.

I must say that I wasn't all that sure what grade to give this book after I finished reading it. The story was certainly very scary, but I found that the horror was almost overwhelming. In my opinion, the frightening elements began to overshadow the actual story so much that this book confused me. This book is actually the second in a trilogy, so my feelings might be somewhat influenced by not having read the first book - The Sentinel - but I had to give this book a B+! 

B+! - (89-94%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Will Overby - The Island: A Novel of Terror

119. The Island: A Novel of Terror by Will Overby (2013)
Length: 245 pages 
Genre: Horror
Started: 30 December 2013
Finished: 31 December 2013
Where did it come from? From Amazon
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 14 October 2013
Why do I have it? Mareena downloaded this book for free from Amazon as a 'just because' gift for me, because she knows how much I enjoy horror and Will Overby is a new author for me.

The tranquil island of St. Celine boasts secluded pink-sand beaches and sparkling turquoise waters. Just an hour's ferry ride from Nassau, it's the perfect spot for tourists to 'get away from it all' - to rest, recharge, and de-stress from the harshness of life. In the wake of a personal tragedy, Sarah and her best friend Amy - professors of anthropology at a local college - arrive for a week of sun, margaritas, and maybe a little romance with some of the locals. 

But Sarah's obsession with a pair of honeymooners who recently disappeared from this paradise, leads to the discovery of a bizarre video posted online by the couple just hours before they vanished - images of a purported voudou zombie ritual from somewhere on the island. 

As Sarah and Amy attempt to verify the authenticity of the video and perhaps learn the fate of who made it, they uncover St. Celine's tragic and horrifying past - and the myriad secrets the island's inhabitants will protect at all costs. 

This book is definitely A! material - I really enjoyed reading it, and would certainly be interested in reading more from Will Overby in the future. The story was fast-paced and thrilling; although perhaps slightly more rushed than I was expecting - at least towards the end. Actually, Mareena told me that what first drew her eye to this book was the cover, and then the subtitle. She didn't even need to read the entire synopsis; before she thought she'd download it for me.

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Joe Hill - Heart-Shaped Box: A Novel

112. Heart-Shaped Box: A Novel by Joe Hill (2007)
Length: 376 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 29 November 2013
Finished: 1 December 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 20 April 2013
Why do I have it? I like horror and Joe Hill is a new author for me.

Judas Coyne is a collector of the macabre: from Disney sketches drawn by John Wayne Gacy, to a hangman's noose used at the turn of the nineteenth century in England - and everything in between. As an aging death-metal rock god, his varied taste for the unnatural is widely known to his legions of fans as the notorious excesses of his youth. But nothing he possesses can possibly rival his latest discovery - an item for sale on the Internet - something so terribly strange, Jude can't help but reach for his wallet.

"I will 'sell' my stepfather's ghost to the highest bidder..." begins the email, and right from that line Jude is intrigued. For a thousand dollars, he will become the proud owner of a dead man's suit, said to be haunted by a restless spirit. He isn't afraid. He has spent a lifetime coping with ghosts - of an abusive father, of the lovers he callously abandoned, of the band-mates he betrayed. So, what's one more?

But what UPS delivers to his doorstep in a black heart-shaped box is completely unexpected. This is no imaginary or metaphysical ghost, no benign conversation piece. It's the real thing.

Suddenly the suit's previous owner is everywhere: behind the bedroom door...seated in Jude's restored vintage Mustang...standing outside his window...staring out from his widescreen TV. Waiting - with a gleaming razor blade on a chain dangling from one bony hand. And, Judas Coyne is about to learn that sooner or later the dead catch up...

Joe Hill is actually Stephen King's son - something that I didn't realize until Mareena told me when I bought this book back in April. Anyway, although Joe Hill has written many short story collections, I believe that this is his debut novel - and what a debut it is! 

I absolutely loved this book. I found the story to be fast-paced and action-packed, not letting up for an instant. Heart-Shaped Box: A Novel by Joe Hill was compulsively readable for me, and I finished it at a gulp. I give this book an A+! Definitely a winner in a family of winners, and I'm putting Joe Hill's other books - 20th Century Ghosts, Horns and NOS4A2 - on my Wish List.

A+! - (96-100%)
       
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Arthur Herzog - Heat

110. Heat by Arthur Herzog (1977)
Length: 277 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 24 November 2013
Finished: 27 November 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 5 April 2001
Why do I have it? I like horror and Arthur Herzog is a new author for me.

Somewhere in a secret underground laboratory, Lawrence Pick - an engineer who predicted and analyzed large-scale calamities that might affect the national security of the United States - gathers startling evidence that the world's weather may be rapidly changing, as a prelude to a fundamental alteration in global climate. They call him an alarmist - a gloomy, anxious pessimist. Lawrence resented the label, but for himself and a team of equally skilled scientists, the evidence is irrefutable.

When the evidence of a carbon dioxide buildup was first brought to his attention, the idea seemed ludicrous, too far-fetched. Until nature itself breathed life into the theory. Now, as freakish weather conditions prevail: extraordinary tornadoes and hurricanes, droughts, violent hailstorms and windstorms, as well as savage waterspouts - Lawrence's various 'over-reactive' weather predictions become a stunning reality.

"Condition Green" is no longer a theory as destruction runs rampant, but still neither the government of the United States nor the people will listen. Too late, the results of man's indifference is everywhere...with only one hope for survival.

I must say that while I ultimately ended up enjoying this book, I found reading it was a bit of a slog for me in certain places. In my opinion, the writing was too technically involved - the author used a little too much scientific jargon - and as a result, reading the story was slightly beyond me at times.

It was still a very good book, but for me, the thing that saved Heat by Arthur Herzog being rated a B+! or even a B! was that the action picked up appreciably towards the end. I give this story an A! This is certainly a book that makes you think - and worry!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Arthur Herzog - Heat

110. Heat by Arthur Herzog (1977)
Length: 277 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 24 November 2013
Finished: 27 November 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 5 April 2001
Why do I have it? I like horror and Arthur Herzog is a new author for me. 

Somewhere in a secret underground laboratory, Lawrence Pick - an engineer who predicted and analyzed large-scale calamities that might affect the national security of the United States - gathers startling evidence that the world's weather may be rapidly changing, as a prelude to a fundamental alteration in global climate. They call him an alarmist - a gloomy, anxious pessimist. Lawrence resented the label, but for himself and a team of equally skilled scientists, the evidence is irrefutable. 

When the evidence of a carbon dioxide buildup was first brought to his attention, the idea seemed ludicrous, too far-fetched. Until nature itself breathed life into the theory. Now, as freakish weather conditions prevail: extraordinary tornadoes and hurricanes, droughts, violent hailstorms and windstorms, as well as savage waterspouts - Lawrence's various 'over-reactive' weather predictions become a stunning reality. 

"Condition Green" is no longer a theory as destruction runs rampant, but still neither the government of the United States nor the people will listen. Too late, the results of man's indifference is everywhere...with only one hope for survival. 

I must say that while I ultimately ended up enjoying this book, I found reading it was a bit of a slog for me in certain places. In my opinion, the writing was too technically involved - the author used a little too much scientific jargon - and as a result, reading the story was slightly beyond me at times. 

It was still a very good book, but for me, the thing that saved Heat by Arthur Herzog being rated a B+! or even a B! was that the action picked up appreciably towards the end. I give this story an A! This is certainly a book that makes you think - and worry!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

John Saul - The Right Hand of Evil

106. The Right Hand of Evil by John Saul (1999)
Length: 427 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 9 November 2013
Finished: 14 November 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 21 November 2001
Why do I have it? I like horror and John Saul is a new author for me.

For the Conway family, moving into their ancestral home in Louisiana after the death of an estranged aunt promised a fresh start for them - a completely new beginning. Situated in the small town of St. Albans, the sprawling Victorian house seems to swallow up the sunlight. Surrounded by dense woods and a stifling sense of melancholy, the residence has sat abandoned for the last forty years. 

Deep within the cold cellar and etched into the very walls, is the long dark history of the Conway name - a grim bloodline tainted by suicide, strange disappearances, poisoned by voodoo rituals, and rumors of murders. Such a house has developed a life of its very own - an eeriness which is palpable, dwelling in the shadows and biding its time.

The Conway family knows nothing of the soul-shattering secrets that snake through generations of their past. They do not realize the terror that awaits them. For with each successive generation of Conways there ultimately comes a hellish day of reckoning...

I do have several books by John Saul on my bookshelf, but I believe that this is the first book by this author that I've read. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The book was extremely well-written, the plot captured my attention and held it all the way through the story. I will say that I found the story slightly repetitive at certain points - at least in my opinion. Overall, though, I give this book a definite A! and look forward to reading more from John Saul in the future.     

A! - (90-95%)
 
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Warren Smith - The Strange Ones

104. The Strange Ones by Warren Smith (1972)
Length: 190 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 5 November 2013
Finished: 6 November 2013
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 21 November 2001
Why do I have it? I like horror and Warren Smith is a new author for me.

This book is filled with various true accounts of personal brushes with the unexplained: incidents of parapsychology; the paranormal, unexplained disappearances at sea, anomalies of medicine and the occult. While I certainly enjoyed reading most of these stories, I must say that this book wasn't entirely riveting to me. I found that the stories, while interesting, just weren't as detailed as I would have preferred. I give this book a B+!

B+! - (89-94%)
 
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Michael Phillip Cash - The Hanging Tree: A Novella

100. The Hanging Tree: A Novella by Michael Phillip Cash (2013)
Length: 77 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 25 October 2013
Finished: 26 October 2013  
Where did it come from? Many thanks to Michael Phillip Cash and to Red Feather Publishing for sending me a copy of this book to read.  
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 23 October 2013  
Why do I have it? I like horror and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past. 

Set amid the eerie backdrop of Long Island, an area famously infused with age-old legends, two young would-be lovers contemplate their future while visits from those who have come before them reveal the lure of fate...and the power of free will. At seventeen, Arielle's relationship with her parents is slowly deteriorating. Angry and defiant, she is at a loss on how to cope with the tumultuous situation in which she finds herself. Arielle's only comfort is her relationship with Chad - an eighteen-year-old young man who seems to truly understand her struggles.  

Arielle and Chad often meet beneath the low-hanging branches of an ancient and majestic landmark, which the local community has nick-named the "Hanging Tree". It has long been rumored that the tree is haunted by ghosts. These apparitions span various centuries and differ widely in age, but each one of them shares one thing in common: their deaths are all somehow connected to the tree itself. 

As Arielle and Chad commiserate over their current situation and the precarious nature of their future, the spectral inhabitants of the Hanging Tree witness their conversation. One by one, the ghosts begin reminiscing about their own lives - and deaths - as they examine the inner demons with which their human forms long struggled.

I must say that I enjoyed reading this book very much. In my opinion, the plot and characters were well-developed and believable considering the length of the story. I give this book an A+! and look forward to reading more from Michael Phillip Cash in the future.

A+! - (96-100%)
        
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Michael Phillip Cash - The Hanging Tree: A Novella

100. The Hanging Tree: A Novella by Michael Phillip Cash (2013)
Length: 77 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 25 October 2013
Finished: 26 October 2013
Where did it come from? Many thanks to Michael Phillip Cash for sending me a copy of this book to read.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 23 October 2013
Why do I have it? I like horror and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past. 

Set amid the eerie backdrop of Long Island, an area famously infused with age-old legends, two young would-be lovers contemplate their future while visits from those who have come before them reveal the lure of fate...and the power of free will. At seventeen, Arielle's relationship with her parents is slowly deteriorating. Angry and defiant, she is at a loss on how to cope with the tumultuous situation in which she finds herself. Arielle's only comfort is her relationship with Chad - an eighteen-year-old young man who seems to truly understand her struggles.

Arielle and Chad often meet beneath the low-hanging branches of an ancient and majestic landmark, which the local community has nick-named the "Hanging Tree". It has long been rumored that the tree is haunted by ghosts. These apparitions span various centuries and differ widely in age, but each one of them shares one thing in common: their deaths are all somehow connected to the tree itself. 

As Arielle and Chad commiserate over their current situation and the precarious nature of their future, the spectral inhabitants of the Hanging Tree witness their conversation. One by one, the ghosts begin reminiscing about their own lives - and deaths - as they examine the inner demons with which their human forms long struggled.

I must say that I enjoyed reading this book very much. In my opinion, the plot and characters were well-developed and believable considering the length of the story. I give this book an A+! and look forward to reading more from Michael Phillip Cash in the future.

A+! - (96-100%)
        
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Bentley Little - The House

96. The House by Bentley Little (1997)
Length: 360 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 9 October 2013
Finished: 15 October 2013
Where did it come from? Mareena downloaded this ebook from Amazon back in December of 2011 as an early Christmas present for me. Then I acquired a physical copy from Paperback Swap.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 17 December 2011 as an ebook; Since 9 October 2013 as a physical book.
Why do I have it? I like horror and have read and enjoyed The Resort by the same author in the past.

Five complete strangers from across America are about to come together and open the door to a terror they couldn't even begin to imagine. Inexplicably, four men and one woman are having heart-stopping nightmares which revolve around the houses where each of them were born. When terrifying events occur, each person is drawn to their identical childhood home to confront an ancient evil that dwells in a place they all call home - a sinister supernatural presence which has pursued them all of their lives, and is now closer than ever to claiming their souls.

I must say that after reading The Resort by Bentley Little, my expectations about reading this book were quite high. Perhaps they were slightly too high. Not that this book wasn't tremendously frightening - it certainly was. I just found that the story couldn't quite sustain the fear enough for me throughout the entire book. I think I would have preferred The House to be about fifty pages shorter. I give this book a B+!  

B+! - (89-94%)
    
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Bentley Little - The House

96. The House by Bentley Little (1997)
Length: 360 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 9 October 2013
Finished: 15 October 2013
Where did it come from? Mareena downloaded this ebook from Amazon back in December of 2011 as an early Christmas present for me. Then I acquired a physical copy from Paperback Swap.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 17 December 2011 as an ebook; Since 9 October 2013 as a physical book.
Why do I have it? I like horror and have read and enjoyed The Resort by the same author in the past.

Five complete strangers from across America are about to come together and open the door to a terror they couldn't even begin to imagine. Inexplicably, four men and one woman are having heart-stopping nightmares which revolve around the houses where each of them were born. When terrifying events occur, each person is drawn to their identical childhood home to confront an ancient evil that dwells in a place they all call home - a sinister supernatural presence which has pursued them all of their lives, and is now closer than ever to claiming their souls.

I must say that after reading The Resort by Bentley Little, my expectations about reading this book were quite high. Perhaps they were slightly too high. Not that this book wasn't tremendously frightening - it certainly was. I just found that the story couldn't quite sustain the fear enough for me throughout the entire book. I think I would have preferred The House to be about fifty pages shorter. I give this book a B+!  

B+! - (89-94%)
    
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight