Welcome to Litsy!

This is a little bit weird, kind of a jumble of things going on, but it actually really works. Pace & tension combine to make a creepy & vaguely menacing air that grows as the story unravels. The wood is atmospheric & eldritch with mysterious glimpses of ... ghosts? Fae? It has a tortured Victorian author & his uncanny novel at the heart of the plot & has some nice ideas about the concept of 'story'. Great story-telling.

My hold ran out on Libby before I could finish the book 😭2 weeks until it comes back around

Recently bereaved couple inherit a mansion surrounded by a creepy forest.

It was alright. Would have liked a less abrupt conclusion.

I enjoyed this book. It moved slowly, there were times I felt I read a lot but not much progressed in the story, but it felt like it was layering and gradually building to the final conflict. It was creepy and sad, but something was missing, the characters felt a little flat - I didn‘t care enough about them as I thought I should have considering the subject matter.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ This had all the elements I usually like in a story but it wasn‘t as captivating as I‘d hoped.

3.5 stars to this slim, intriguing story. Loved the premise and the beautiful writing, but elements of the story didn't do it for me.
Overall a quick, lovely read.

I have the day off work to help my parents with their move to a new house, but I'm trying to fit some reading in first! This book is one from my latest #libraryloot !

This slow and atmospheric ghost story set on the North Yorkshire moors is my choice for #250wordsorless A great read for this time of year!
#GratefulReads Day 3 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620

Day 26 #fallisbooked, the theme is #scary, this is not very very scary, only a little!
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620

If you're looking for a slow and atmospheric tale, try In The Night Wood - I loved it! #quoteoftheday

Mama, do you want me to bite dis book cuz it scared you? What a great book!!! If you‘re a fan of ancient folktales with a modern twist, suspense, literary allusions galore, English countryside with demonic forests, then this fast read might be for you! Thanks @Shadowfat for sending me this book for my #Scarathon swap! It was great! I loved it!!!! #TeamStoker

@Shadowfat I am so excited to dive into all the goodies you sent me!! Chocolate first, then book? Which book? Maybe light that deliciously scented candle (pine, my favorite!) and let fate decide!!! Love the stickers (those black kitties are sweet!!) and the book mark!! I‘m a Stranger Things fan too! I love this time of year!!!! Thank you so much!! #Screamathon

This was a very dark tale, I‘m not sure if you‘d call it magical realism or modern folk.Its more about grief & loss than anything else, the despair at the loss of a child and how it overwhelms you.Charles & Erin take up residence at Hollow House a year after the death of their 5yr old daughter, a death they both blame him for. But Hollow House has its own danger,surrounded by a wood in which strange things happen. #SummersEndReadathon #HSreadathon

Continuing on with the #HSreadathon & #SummersEndReadathon tonight until I drop from exhaustion! I started reading the 2nd Pern book but just wasn‘t into it so I‘m trying this little novel which has been on my #MountTBRStacksOfDoom for a few months. Charles has been obsessed with a Victorian fairytale since he was a boy, now he has the chance to live in the authors home with his wife, a relation of the writer. But Hollow House is full of secrets.

#BookMail Pt15 I think I‘m on a supernatural/horror kick at the moment, a lot of my recent purchases have been gothic in spirit. Like this one, about an American author who, after losing his daughter, moves to England with his wife to write a biography of the writer of the fairytale, In The Night Wood.An ancestor of his wife,they move into his manor, Hollow House, to write & for a new beginning. But the house is full of echoes, the forest, alive.

A modern-day ghost story that's as much about grief and madness as it is about the long-forgotten power that is stirring in the ancient forest surrounding Hollow House. With its sparse prose and dreamlike pace, In The Night Wood is both wonderfully atmospheric and quietly absorbing.

Currently reading 📖

Fantasy and tragedy mix with a sense of place so strong it‘s another character. Have to say I didn‘t love the very flawed protagonist but then you‘re not supposed to.

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

#fantasy #paperbook #librarylove

New start this weekend. Returning to paper after a stream of audiobooks. Feels good.

#fantasy #booklove

And because I don‘t have anything else to read (ahem), may I present today‘s #libraryhaul of all the holds that came in this week? 🙄

Love this book! I feel like this book was written for me. It has so many themes I love: Victorian, the Green Man, allusions to literature, beautiful words, stories within stories, and I loved every moment! Fantastic and smart, I‘m going to be thinking about how awesome this book is for a long time and one I‘m sure I‘ll read again.

First book of 2019! Sadly, it was only so-so. The story and premise were solid, but Bailey‘s prose style is *really* self-conscious and over-wrought. As I was reading, I was always more aware of his thesaurus than the tension and dread I was clearly meant to feel. Not terrible but #pretentiousAF.

A modern gothic fairytale.
The story is not surprising, but it is well done - and very short, 200 pages. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the book!

Wow!!!!! #BestBooksOf2018 for sure!!! This haunting, delicious and decadently written novel is simply AMAZING!!! I loved every lush word choice of the author!! So much so that his entire backlog is now sitting in my Amazon cart.... a perfect October read, but really just one of the most perfect reads that I have had in what feels like a long time!! I simply adored this dark fairytale for adults!!!❤️❤️❤️

A layered story about a mysterious wood, a perfect read for #spooktober, #scaretober, or whatever hashtag you are celebrating.