Ania Ahlborn’s Within These Walls – When I’d Move Out of This Haunted House

It’s time once again to look at the age-old question of the haunted house genre – Why don’t they just move?  Sure, sometimes you’re snowed in at the Overlook and there’s no conceivable way to get out but most times, if I was in the protagonist’s shoes, I’d just up and move.  I don’t care if I was in debt and didn’t have the money or means to sell and buy again.  That’s what bankruptcy’s for!  Getting away from ghosts!  In fact, imagining when I’d move and the alternate story it would lead to as I watch/read a scary haunted house story is one of my horror coping mechanisms.  So, in honor of Halloween and all things scary and spooky, haunted and horrific, macabre and malevolent, I’m doing a li’l series about this.  In each installment I consider a haunted house novel and ruminate on when, if I were living within the events of the novel, I’d move the heck outta that house.  This time I’m looking at Ania Ahlborn’s Within These Walls which managed to freak me out in two horrible, particularly unfair ways! 

This piece contains minor spoilers for certain incidents in the novel but the ending and all major twists are left out of the discussion.  So read on based on your comfort with such spoiler territory ;D.

Jac Jemc’s The Grip Of It – When I’d Move Out of This Haunted House

It’s the age-old question of the haunted house genre, isn’t it?  Why wouldn’t they just move?  It crosses my mind with every haunted house movie I watch or novel I read.  Sure, sometimes you’re snowed in at the Overlook and there’s no conceivable way to get out but most times, if I was in the protagonist’s shoes, I’d just up and move.  I don’t care if I was financially in debt and didn’t have the money or means to sell and buy again.  That’s what bankruptcy’s for!  Getting away from ghosts!  In fact, imagining when I’d move and the alternate story it would lead to as I watch/read a scary haunted house story is one of my horror coping mechanisms.  So I thought, in honor of Halloween and all things scary and spooky, haunted and horrific, macabre and malevolent, I’d write a li’l series about this.  I’d read haunted house novels and ruminate on when, if I were living within the events of the novel, I’d move the heck out of that house.  First up, is Jac Jemc’s The Grip Of It which is simultaneously the best and the scariest haunted house story I’ve ever read!

This piece contains minor spoilers for certain incidents in the novel but the ending and all major twists are left out of the discussion.  So read on based on your comfort with such spoiler territory ;D.

Black Widow: Forever Red – Some Thoughts on YA

A month or so ago Jeff alerted me to the exciting reality that Barnes & Noble (at least the one by him) had the hardcover editions of BOTH Margaret Stohl’s Black Widow novels – Black Widow: Forever Red and Black Widow: Red Vengeance – in their bargain section.  A hurried trip to and quick investigation of my local Barnes & Noble yielded the same prize!  I love Margaret Stohl’s work on the Captain Marvel series.  I love Black Widow as a character.  So, naturally, they both came home with me.  Given all the grading that comes with the end of the school year, I didn’t have the chance to read either until now.  I finished the first novel, Black Widow: Forever Red, the other day and I enjoyed a great deal of it…but it also highlighted one of the problems I find at times with YA novels in general.  And this, I felt, warranted a little reflection.

Top Five Wednesday – Favorite First Sentences

This week those crazy cats over at Goodreads have issued the following challenge to the world of Top 5 Wednesday writers – put together a list of your top five favorite first sentences.  Sounds intriguing right??  It is!  However, once I considered it, I realized this would end up being trickier than I thought.  I am excellent at quoting films or shows I love – and even certain lines in literature.  But, with the exception of a few classic lines, I don’t tend to remember the first sentence of even the books that are most beloved to me.  But I didn’t let that stop me!  So here you have it folks, my list of five favorite first sentences!

Romeo and/or Juliet and/or My Experience

Yesterday, the angelic forces of Amazon Prime delivered Ryan North’s new book Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable-Path Adventure to my door.  I’ve spent most of today lost in the book, trying to pick my own way through one of Shakespeare’s most classic plays.  As the day wore on, I began debating whether or not to write about my experience with this book for my blog too.  Then I had a revelation!  I was facing a CHOICE here.  I had to CHOOSE whether or not I wanted to write about this book.  My revelation seemed to scream what I should do.  So here we are.  But you get to choose too!  You see, you can decide whether or not you want to read this.  If you don’t , please return to your regular life.  Be happy and live peacefully.  OR you can read how my day with Romeo and/or Juliet went and just possibly live happier and more peacefully.  The choice is yours!