The Sundial | 
so-soI was hoping for more. Slow to start, some obscenely rich people decide that the world will end, and they are the only ones who will survive. The characters were so unlikable. I did find myself interested towards the end. I wanted to see what would happen. Unfortunately the ending was a disappointment for me.
"“This is all very well,” Essex said, “but I do not see how it will keep out flying saucers.”
“I could put up signs,” Mrs. Halloran said irritably, “reading ‘NO LANDING OF INTERSTELLAR AIRCRAFT PERMITTED HERE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.‘ If any spaceships land on my lawn we will give them Aunt Fanny and Miss Ogilvie. I am really very angry, Essex; Miss Ogilvie, with her wanton chattering, has very nearly sent us all to Saturn.”"
“The sight of one‘s own heart is degrading; people are not meant to look inward—that‘s why they‘ve been given bodies, to hide their souls.”
""I want to tell you,” Aunt Fanny said and then—to the embarrassed surprise of everyone in the room, none of whom had ever had any occasion to believe that Aunt Fanny was capable of a single, definite, clear-cut, unembellished act—Aunt Fanny fainted."
"This was fear so complete that Aunt Fanny, once Frances Halloran, stood with nothing but ice to clothe her; was there something there? Something? Then she thought with what seemed shocking clarity: it is worse if it is not there; somehow it must be real because if it is not real it is in my own head; unable to move, Aunt Fanny thought: It is real."
Shirley Jackson's family dynamics and dialogue are, as usual, to die for. Like Edward Albee meets The Addams Family.
""Essex.” Mrs. Halloran turned easily in her chair and leaned her head back comfortably. “I want to hear how you wasted your youth. Only the scandalous parts.”
“The path gets straighter and narrower all the time,” Essex said. “The years press in. The path becomes a knife edge and I creep along, holding on even to that, the years closing in on either side and overhead.”"
It‘s here! Thank you so much, @AlizaApp , for this lovely #CupidGoesPostal parcel.💕 You chose two perfect (long anticipated) picks from my TBR! The tea-drinking dinosaur socks are awesome 😆😆 and the candle smells wonderful. The notepad and pens are so cute and I‘ll try my best to make the sweets last a day or two! 😉 Thanks, again! 💕💕
A great big THANK YOU to @BookishMarginalia for organizing. You‘re the best! 😘😘
Shirley Jackson likes to write about being trapped in #houses. I wonder if she had some traumatic event in a house once.
#NewHogwartsAdventure @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @vkois88
Bananas in the way only Jackson did it. Just started, and the matriarch of the creepy old house has already pushed her son down the stairs so she can have sole control of the estate. No one thinks this is odd except the daughter in law, who asks her kid if she wishes grandma was dead, and is answered promptly in the affirmative. That‘s page 1. Whoo boy
Another great creepy cover for a Shirley Jackson novel.
Thank FUCK my husband was at Tesco when my Amazon man came tonight😳. I feel slightly bad at today's #bookmail 🙈 I still have a few gifts to buy and 9 books arrived for me, another 8, for sister and daughter!! But look at those Shirley Jackson editions, they are so lovely. Waiting on another 3 of them. 📚💞😍😩
Maybe I shouldn't have laughed at that. But I kinda did.
pickShirley Jackson has my heart. I didn't like The Sundial as well as The Haunting of Hill House but it still should be more recognized IMO. It's the gothic haunted-house tale, old time drawing room, creepy and apocalyptic vibe you would expect from Dame Jackson. Also, her humor and wit shine on with some of the characters here even at their most cruel and shallow. Think of Oscar Wilde meets Clue meets the perfect B-movie. #AllHallowsRead @Litsy
A pumpkin spice latte, some SJ and a cookie. I think I have this shift at B&N handled. On a side note - Robert Beatty of Sarafina and the Black Cloak YA fame will be doing a signing tomorrow!! *Squee*
pickThe Halloran clan have gathered for a funeral and Aunt Fanny disappears off to the garden only to reappear again with news of her vision - the world is ending! But if they stay in the house they'll be ok! There is a little bit of everything in this book - gothic, a comedy of manners, an apocalypse, and a bit of a haunted mansion feel. Top it off with a crew of selfish foolish characters and you've got this weird, dark, funny and merciless book.
Fave place to relax is probably my bed after a long day with the kids. It isn't very much to look at. So I decided to share my fave spot at the library! I love window seats! The library is right next to the Central Park, which has a lovely lake (2mile walk around the lake) and several playgrounds. This picture was taken in winter or early spring when it was drizzling. We haven't seen rain here in ages! #augustphotochallenge #augustofpages
I'm kinda behind on my medal pursuit for the #bookisholympics! Finished my first book last night and onto my second. This opens promisingly.
In the first paragraph: "Young Mrs Halloran, looking after her mother-in-law, said without hope, "Maybe she will drop dead on the doorstep. Fancy, dear, would you like to see Granny drop dead on the doorstep?"
Having a pretty good morning, obviously.
pickI have started to devour the novels of Shirley Jackson and while I sometimes feel like I'm trudging through it a little I always am sad when I reach the last page.
