Welcome to Litsy!

I‘ve missed all the awesome Littens whose book recs and lives I got to know for many years. It‘s been about 7 months since I opened Bookish Notions in PA and it‘s going great- the 2 things I want to change are making more time to read and coming back to Litsy. 💗💗 I hope you‘re doing well and I look forward (a LOT!) to being part of the community again! Over the next few days I‘ll post reviews of some of the (very few) books I‘ve read this year.

It's not a castle per se, but it's castle-like enough! One of my favorite openings for a book EVER!

“No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood for eighty years and might stand for eighty more.“ ⬇️

One of these books I've heard so much about, but never read it. Until now. And oh, how I loved this eerie atmosphere. I guess Hill House got me too, at least I was reading it while in a stadium waiting for the game to begin. The tension is building up very slowly, but it getting more and more intense. I especially loved how the feelings between the characters are changing and changing and ever changing.

Shirley Jackson does creepy so so well.

Also, my goal of having fewer than 100 books on my TBR by the end of the year is in danger because of book purchasing. *sigh*

A slow-build Gothic novel that took me in a direction I wasn‘t expecting it to go in.

Book 45/60, Page 15,094/18,000 #read2025 @DieAReader

There‘s a reason I don‘t read ghost stories but I couldn‘t stop reading this book. It scared me, but when seen from Nell‘s perspective it seemed almost cozy which was just plain crazy and not true which was even scarier. For such a short novel it packs a wallop. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When someone mentions Hill House, my mouth won't stop talking about how wonderful and magnificent that book is. Although after finishing Hill House, some doubts or hypotheses moved into my head, and I may have many questions that perhaps have no answers, I love that book. The feeling of melancholy and terror that Shirley leaves in each chapter makes my skin tingle and doubt grows within me. Was Hill House really haunted?

#threelistthursday #tlt

24/100: four better than last week. 😂 Some of these made me cringe just by looking at the cover (talking to you, LORD JIM)!

Three faves:
JANE EYRE: in my top 5 of all time.
THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE: best ghost story ever written.
THE GREAT GATSBY: loved this since I first read it in high school--I still have my original book with all of my notes inside.

I really loved I Have Always Lived in the Castle, but this one not so much. It was okay.

Alright I won‘t lie, I expected more based off of the Netflix show, but this book was still great. It was a slow burn classic haunting that ended in tragedy. Definitely a great spooky season read!

It seems a bit wrong to choose a reread as my favorite book of the month, but I didn‘t read any new books that rose to the level of consideration. And there‘s a reason I reread it!

Yes, there are two blank spaces where the next tier up should go. It‘s hard to make decisions 😅

#readingbracket2024

I love Shirley Jackson so much.

But now I‘m out of spooky reads for October 😅 Luckily I still have the movies to watch!

#WickedWhispers Day 13 prompt -chilling (the tv adaptation was so chilling, books was considered like chilling too according to Google 🤷🏽‍♀️)
@@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

#HauntedShelf #FrightClub @Jadams89
#BookRecommendation 30 pts
I liked the book and tv adaptation even when it was different from the book

470 pts (previous) + 30 pts (current) = 500 pts

#WickedWords #Haunt
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

#wickedwhispers #haunt
In this case, the TV show was better!
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

I had part 1 of a shingles vaccine yesterday and it has hit me harder than any vaccine since my first covid booster. At least I can soak away the ache and enjoy a spooky classic at the same time.

If you‘ve seen the Netflix show (I took the liberty of improving the annoying Netflix promo fake sticker on the cover) the book is nothing like it at all. The only thing the same is a haunted house and the names of the characters. That was ok with me because I liked this story too. It totally gave me the creeps!

👻👻👻👻

I'm not sure what happened. I was eager to continue, but the plot was so vague, I can't even summarize it. Thrilling at some points, but not scary as I was hoping for. All in all just adequat.
(audiobook)

The book was very atmospheric and the prose was beautiful, the characters felt very flat and nothing was really happening for half of the book so it was a bit boring. Overall a nice quick read.

I‘m not really into horror, but this was more noir. It was fine. It wasn‘t gorey, which is nice, but I‘m reminded that there‘s a reason I don‘t read traditional horror.

#HauntedHouse 👻 #StorySettings 🐝🌷🎣🏕️🌳

#BookNerd 🤓📚💙

1. Westley from The Princess Bride. ? Hearing "As you wish" every day? Yes, please. ?
2. I'm going dark: The Haunting of Hill House

4-/5 ⭐

Devo ammettere che non ho capito proprio tutto in questo libro, ma è stata comunque una lettura piacevole.

This was so great! Absolutely draws you in on the horror front and then just pummels you in the end as you question everything that has been reported.

I‘m glad there was a mini series made of this because I had a hard time following the book.

Waiting for holds so thought I‘d listen to this in the meantime. I can‘t believe I‘ve never read this.

3/5 🌟

The initial half captivated me with character introductions and a compelling storyline build-up. However, as the narrative progressed, I anticipated a chilling turn that never materialized. Perhaps my skepticism played a role, but I found the climax disappointing. Instead of a haunted house tale, it delved more into an individual's psychological decline, echoing the idea that it's people, not houses, that bear haunting experiences.

Unpopular opinion time.

I was disappointed by this one. It had the potential to be really brilliant, but all the directions it could have taken seemed to fizzle rather than pop.

We have a decent eerie set up, but instead of tension building to a tense climax, it comes in dribs and drabs and then peters out in a rushed ending.

Between mysterious ambiguity and frustrating lack of clarity, we have the latter.

Unsatisfying 😔

⭐️⭐️⭐️

"Well," Luke said after a little silence, "I'm sure we will all be very comfortable here."

Yes, Luke, I'm sure you will ?

In your evil, scary house.

That may be haunted...

This is one of those types of books that I don't read a lot of. I liked it but didn't love it. It did creep me out. I rated this book a 3 out of 5 stars.

Bk12 of #Scarathlon is done! I listened to the audiobook which was 7hrs long, a few of the hours on the time are extra from Troubled Blood which I‘m reading in print. After reading the new sequel, I had to go back & read the original. Creepy, dark & melancholic. #31x31 #Falling4Books #Rushathon #Spookaween #AfterDarkBingo #BodyCountBingo #LittenListen #PromptMaze #ErasGhostBingo #BookspinBingo #FangtasticReadathon👇 #SpookyGhostClub 3291pts

#ScarathlonPhotoChallenge

I feel like this book & especially the cover of this edition has a distinct #FallAutumn vibe.🍂🍁🍂 Hoping to watch the Netflix series this weekend.

+6 #Scarathlon points for Team #SpookyGhostClub 👻🖤

I watched the amazing series The Haunting Of Hill House on Netflix yesterday. Every time I watch it I find new things that connect to each other, it‘s truly a brilliant adaptation. #Scarathlon #SpookyGhostClub 101pts

Having just read one book of hers, I already feel like Shirley Jackson is going to be a new favourite author of mine. Her prose is sublime, layered, intricate, loaded and somehow effortless. This book was a beautiful mix between classic, jump-scare horror and psychological torment. Written and set in the 1950s it brilliantly reflects themes of feminism, loneliness, identity and more. (Continued in my comments 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻)

Enjoying some seasonal reading, and revisiting this for the first time since I was a teenager. I picked it up so I could follow along with the online reading lead by Ruth Franklin, but as is usually the case, I just couldn't stick to the schedule. 🫤🤷‍♀️

Started and finished this tonight on a whim. I loved it the first time and appreciated it even more the second time, especially after reading “A haunting on the hill“ earlier this month.

So so good.

#scarathlon Team #BOOklovers @bookwormjillk

Shirley Jackson is the GOAT for spooky season reading! And if you haven‘t watched the miniseries from a few years ago, start it tonight! It‘s so so good. #scarathlonphotochallenge #haunt #blackcatcrew

#AutumnPlease #Mansion
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Watched this Stephen King produced series from 2001. What a doozy… this is based on the book The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.

Is it fun when a cameo is done by the so called directors or authors of movies- like Stan Lee in all of his Marvel Movies? I think so, what do you think?

#scarathlon #TeamCryptKeeper @LiseWorks
#halloweenmovies @Clwojick @StayCurious

Day 17 of the #scarathlon photo challenge - Haunt

Today, I‘m sharing this book that I have on my Audible app. It has the word Haunt in it. I‘ve never read a Shirley Jackson book. This book sounds good. I‘ve been wanting to read it for a long time. Maybe I‘ll read it this month. I think it would be perfect for spooky season and all I want to read this month is spooky books.

#HHC

#Scarathlon #TeamCryptKeepers #PhotoChallenge
Day 17: Haunt. I read the book when younger and did watch the TV series which was good. @LiseWorks

A few books by the master for prompt 17: “haunt.”

#hhc #halloweenhexescoven #scarathlon

@dabbe @BookmarkTavern @Liatrek @JessClark78 @Chrissyreadit @TheDaysGoBy @vonnie862 @Sresendez12 @Nessavamusic @kelli7990 @JessieKB

#mansion #haunt Shirley Jackson is a master of horror, but it‘s possible the screen adaptations of her work have been even creepier. #AutumnPlease @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks #scarathlonphotochallenge #skeletoncrew @Emilymdxn

Photo challenge: Haunt. One of my fave reads & the wall sign I just crafted with my sister. #Scarathlon#photochallenge #beetlejuice #Halloweencrafts #TeamWhoYaGonnaCall

Spending all night watching The Haunting of Hill House with my love! He‘s never seen it and this is my 3rd rewatch. All nighter! 👻 #scarathlon #creepinitreal #cir

What can I say? It's a queer horror classic and a fucking masterpiece. This is my third reread. Excellent #audiobook narration by Bernadette Dunne. Now onto the new sequel of sorts, by Elizabeth Hand, that just came out. A group of people return to Hill House!! Can't wait for the house to fuck them up.

This tv show (and the others in this series) has me constantly checking the shadows for any hidden spooks!

#Shadow #ScarathlonPhotoChallenge #Scarathlon #MagicalMonsters