The Stroke of Winter

 

The Stroke of Winter

Author: Wendy Webb

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Publication Date: November 1, 2022

Once again, Wendy Webb does not disappoint. The reader is at once drawn into the story of Tess, a divorced middle-aged woman who has inherited the home of her grandparents, a large Queen Anne set on an island in Lake Superior. Tess plans to convert the house into a Bed and Breakfast. 

Almost ready for opening, Tess soon begins hearing mysterious noises at night. They seem to be coming from a section of the house that has been sealed off for as long as Tess can remember. She plans to convert this wing into a personal living space to use when guests are staying in the house.

Late one night, a white German Shepherd appears at her back door during a blizzard. Tess takes the mysterious dog into her home, where he immediately becomes her companion and protector. The dog growls at the noises that come from the sealed-off section of the house, frightening Tess even more.

What lurks behind the walled-up wing? Why are people seeing what appears to be a human figure in the unused wing, although there is no way to access the area? 

Tess calls in workers to open the wing and find out, once and for all, what is making the noises and what lies in the rooms that have been sealed off for decades. What they discover unveils a dark family secret kept hidden for years. What lies beyond that wall is so dark that it threatens to ruin all of Tess' dreams for the future.

Perfect reading for a long winter night, you will not be able to put this mystery down. A perfect combination of the supernatural and natural worlds, the novel is sure to please.

The Vanishing by: Wendy Webb

Title: The Vanishing Author: Wendy Webb Publisher: Hyperion Pages: 286 Copyright date: 2014

From Amazon:

Recently widowed and rendered penniless by her Ponzi-scheming husband, Julia Bishop is eager to start anew. So when a stranger appears on her doorstep with a job offer, she finds herself accepting the mysterious yet unique position: caretaker to his mother, Amaris Sinclair, the famous and rather eccentric horror novelist whom Julia has always admired . . . and who the world believes is dead.

When she arrives at the Sinclairs' enormous estate on Lake Superior, Julia begins to suspect that there may be sinister undercurrents to her "too-good-to-be-true" position. As Julia delves into the reasons of why Amaris chose to abandon her successful writing career and withdraw from the public eye, her search leads to unsettling connections to her own family tree, making her wonder why she really was invited to Havenwood in the first place, and what monstrous secrets are still held prisoner within its walls.

Oh, wow! This book was awesome! It kept me guessing from page one! I loved it! Were Adrian, Drew, and Amaris friends or enemies? Was Drew a real man or a centuries-old ghost? I love Wendy Webb's novels and I do believe this is my favorite. This is one of those books to take along on a vacation, or to dive into on a long snow day. You will not want to put it down. You need time to savor each and every page. One thing I love about Wendy Webb's writing is that she doesn't waste time on boring detail. Each page has a twist or turn that leaves you thinking the opposite of what you thought on the page before. She is an awesome writer. This book contains just the right mix of reality and the supernatural in an amazing setting. The book left me thinking, "huh?" but I won't ruin it for anyone. It is waaaay to good for that. THIS is the book to take along when you have some time to sink into a really awesome novel. 

The Witch of Little Italy

Title: The Witch of Little Italy Author: Suzanne Palmieri Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin Pages: 320

From Amazon:

In Suzanne Palmieri’s charming debut, The Witch of Little Italy, you will be bewitched by the Amore women. When young Eleanor Amore finds herself pregnant, she returns home to her estranged family in the Bronx, called by “The Sight” they share now growing strong within her. She has only been back once before when she was ten years old during a wonder-filled summer of sun-drenched beaches, laughter and cartwheels. But everyone remembers that summer except her. Eleanor can’t remember anything from before she left the house on her last day there. With her past now coming back to her in flashes, she becomes obsessed with recapturing those memories. Aided by her childhood sweetheart, she learns the secrets still haunting her magical family, secrets buried so deep they no longer know how they began. And, in the process, unlocks a mystery over fifty years old—The Day the Amores Died—and reveals, once and for all, a truth that will either heal or shatter the Amore clan.

I devoured this book. It drew me in from page one and I could not put it down. I loved it. A story of family, of mothers and daughters, of coming home. Palmieri melds the supernatural and the everyday world into a totally believable story. Both heartwarming and heartbreaking, this is the story of Elly, who has no memory of her childhood and comes to her long-lost grandmother's front steps in the Bronx, pregnant and on the run from an abusive lover. She is taken in by her grandmother and two great aunts, all old-world practicing witches with the sight. How did Elly lose her memory in this very house so long ago? And what happened on a fateful day in 1945 that caused half a large, loving family to disappear from the earth? Stories like this are why I love to read. I highly recommend this one. Read it.

Read this book if...

*you love stories of mothers and daughters

*you love family sagas

* you love stories with a touch of supernatural

*you love stories that take place in NYC

The Diviners

Title: The Diviners Author: LIbba Bray Publisher: Little, Brown & Co. Pages:578

I borrowed this book from my local library.

From Amazon:

Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.

This review may contain a few spoilers. I usually don't include spoilers, but I found it impossible not to do so in this case.

I admit this book is different from my usual reads, but the trailer sounded intriguing. I actually found it hard to put down. It does contain a few things I normally avoid- brutal murder, animal sacrifice- but, aside from those unpleasantries, it was a pretty good book. I got a little bogged down in some spots- had to skip a few paragraphs and get on with it. The slang can get annoying- the words pos-i-tute-ly and jake get used on every single (I kid you not) page. Set against the backdrop of 1920's NYC- speakeasies, flapper girls- the story follows several characters with unusual psychic gifts. Evie can hold any object and know the innermost secrets of the owner. Memphis has the power to heal, and his brother Isaiah has the gift of prophecy. Sam has the ability to be invisible, and is searching for his mother who was taken by the government as part of Project Buffalo- a mysterious, top-secret government paranormal project. Theta's gift I never completely understood except that she killed her ex-husband with it. Why are these characters being brought together and why are they dreaming the same dreams? Who is the mysterious man with the tall hat? And what exactly is Project Buffalo? I hope these questions will be answered in the next book....

And then, of course, there is the murder mystery itself. An evil spirit is released from a Ouija board and begins wreaking havoc on the city. Who is the spirit and what are the strange symbols left behind on his victims? Why are some of their body parts missing? Can Evie, Sam, her Uncle Will, and his assistant, Jericho, stop the killer before it is too late?

I had to struggle between 3 and 4 stars on this one. On the one hand, I  couldn't put it down. On the other, the slang and the bogged-down-in-detail parts got annoying. Evie, the main character, is a selfish spoiled brat who isn't all that likable. Will I read the next one? Sure- I will give it a try. Will I finish it? I'm not sure...

Read this book if:

*you love murder mysteries

*you love reading about the supernatural

*you love stories set in the Roaring 20's.

*you want to get wrapped up in a new series

Monday Memories

This is a meme hosted by Annette's Book Spot. Monday Memories is a place to post favorite books from the past. You can either link to an old review, or write something new about a favorite book from the past. What's important is what makes the book so memorable to you..

I am choosing Oral History by Lee Smith as my Monday Memory.

This is my favorite book EVER. The copy I own is my third copy because I kept lending it to people who loved it so much they refused to return it. (I finally learned my lesson.)  I don't loan my Lee Smith books.

The story begins when a college student returns to her family home in 1970's Appalachia. She intends to do an oral history project on how the family home place, an old cabin sitting high on a mountain, became so haunted that no one can live there. The story then reaches back to the early 1800's when Almarine Cantrell takes a wife, a witch known as Red Emmy, and lives with her in the cabin.  The story grabs you from page one.  EVERYONE I have ever recommended this book to has said they could NOT put it down.  It's just that kind of a book. Part ghost story, part historical fiction, part family saga...and ALL southern Appalachian fiction (my fave).

This is the book that placed Lee Smith as my all-time favorite author. I own many of her books, and she has her own special "Lee Smith" shelf in my living room.  I would love to meet her in person. She is an amazing writer.

Try this book. I PROMISE you won't be able to put it down, either. If you do try it, be sure and comment and let me know how you liked it.

Beth :)

The Cottage at Glass Beach

Title: The Cottage at Glass Beach Author: Heather Barbieri Publisher:HarperCollins Pages:302

I borrowed this book from my local library.

From the inside cover:
Married to the youngest attorney general in Massachusetts State history,Nora Cunningham is a picture-perfect political wife and doting mother. But her carefully constructed life falls to pieces when she, along with the rest of the world, learns of the infidelity of her husband, Malcom.
Humiliated bu the press, Nora packs up her daughters- Annie, seven; and Ella, twelve- and takes refuge on Burke's Island, a craggy spit of land off the coast of Maine.  Settled by Irish immigrants, the island is a place where superstition and magic are carried on the ocean winds, and wishes and dreams wash ashore with the changing tides.
Nora spent her first five years on the island but has not been back to the remote community for decades- not since that long-ago summer when her mother disappeared at sea.  One night while sitting alone on Glass Beach below the cottage where she spent her childhood, Nora succumbs to grief, her tears flowing into the ocean.  Days later she finds an enigmatic fisherman named Owen Kavanagh shipwrecked on the rocks nearby.  Is he, as her aunt's friend Polly suggests, a selkie- a mythical being of island legend- summoned by her heartbreak, or simply someone who, like Nora, is trying to find his way in the wake of his own personal struggles?


 From the cover blurb, I was a little hesitant.  I was afraid it would be another romance set on a beach.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was not the case.  It was part coming home novel, part mystery, with a little bit of the supernatural thrown in.  The mystery unveils itself a little at a time, and keeps you guessing up to the very last page.  I must say that I found Ela to be a bit irritating, and  unlikable.  As mother of a daughter, I feel guilty saying this, but it is true.  She seems totally unreachable.  I found myself thinking, "Well send her to her dad!! Get her some counseling! Just get her out of this story!"  Sorry, Ela, but you're a selfish brat. Some of her actions were justifiable, but seriously, the child needed counseling.  I can understand her being upset about her parents' separation, but she took it too far. The fact that both parents were so caught up in themselves that they couldn't see the child was mentally unstable was, sadly believable in this day and age. Lastly, I do feel there were a few unresolved issues in the end.  I still had questions.  I won't spoil it for anyone. Let's just say I'd have liked an epilogue. All in all, it was a good read.  Plenty of twists and turns. Not boring at all.

Read this book if....
*you love mysteries
*you love stories with a beach/ island setting
*you love stories about survival after divorce / separation
*you love stories with a supernatural element