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There is something about the changing of the seasons that signals a turn towards bookishness as the mornings become crisper. I enjoyed reading a number of books this season, of course many of them with spooky undertones! Here are few of them:
The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell
A gothic mystery set in Victorian Bath? Yes, please! Laura Purcell’s novel follows Agnes, a silhouette artist whose world is plunged into murder and intrigue as several of her clients wind up dead. She seeks out the help of a spiritualist known as the White Sylph to uncover the truth — but are things really as they seem? Full of twists and turns, this is a page turner full of atmospheric brooding.
Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian
This historical saga is steeped in New England’s past of Puritanical patriarchy. As Mary Deerfield chafes against the increasing violence of her husband, suspicions of unfaithfulness and witchcraft are cast her way. Will Mary win her divorce case? Will she find the freedom and love she desires? I could feel the suffocating tension of a society steeped in religious dogma and male dominance in Bohjalian’s story. It’s worth making it to the end of this one to find out.
“Yes, this may be the hour of the witch. But the Devil? He most definitely wears breeches. The Devil can only be a man.”
Chris Bohjalian, Hour of the Witch
When Ghosts Come Home by Wiley Cash
What can I say about Cash’s book? It’s probably my favorite fiction read of the year. Set in the familiar coastal towns of Oak Island and Southport, North Carolina (just miles from my own home), When Ghosts Come Home begins when a mysterious WWII-era aircraft crash lands at the local airport and a body is found nearby, not a casualty of the crash but a victim of murder. Sheriff Winston Barnes is haunted by his own past as he sets out to find the murderer and uncover the truth behind what happened on that October evening when the plane went down. Set in the 1980s, Cash has managed to deftly craft a story that weaves together emotion, longing, and the tensions of race relations in a southern small town.
The Ex Hex is a fun, witchy romp. A bit predictable and trope-y, but the kind of saccharine treat you might want for the autumnal season. Can Vivian Jones reverse the curse she unwittingly put on her ex before it’s too late? The town of Graves Glen, Georgia might never be the same.
The Whisper on the Night Wind: The True History of a Wilderness Legend by Adam Shoalts
Part folklore, part natural history, part adventure story — Adam Shoalts has wrapped a lot into this quest to uncover the truth behind the Traverspine beast. The legend emerged from the most remote communities of trappers and farmers inhabiting the unforgiving terrain of Labrador in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Shoalts uses his historian’s skillset to track down the written accounts of the creature that menaced the wilds of eastern Canada for decades, then goes on his own harrowing journey to seek out the unknown.
I’m looking forward to curating my winter reading stack for the holidays and the chilly evenings of January. What about you? Don’t forget to support your local library or local indie bookseller (like Ghost Hill Press) this season ♥︎
