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We Have Always Lived in the Castle (Bound for Schools & Libraries)
We Have Always Lived in the Castle (Bound for Schools & Libraries) | Shirley Jackson
For use in schools and libraries only. The inhabitants of the Rochester house wield a strange power over their neighbors.
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keepingupwiththepenguins
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Pickpick

It‘s a remarkably complex story for one so short, and you can read a lot into it. I read it as a book about isolation – physical and psychological – and cruelty. It will send shivers up your spine, and it will no doubt frustrate you at times, but it‘s still an arresting read and you‘ll struggle to look away. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/we-have-always-lived-in-the-castle-shirley-...

40 likes1 stack add
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Nessavamusic
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Pickpick

A classic gothic horror about a family with dark secrets. I did guess the mystery, but the journey was entertaining and the sense of dread and the darkness of humanity was so well written. 4⭐️

57 likes1 stack add
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DebinHawaii
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Thanks to @TheSpineView for the #Two4Tuesday tag! 🤗

1️⃣ Soup, soup & more soup! 🍲🥄🥣😋

2️⃣ The tagged us a favorite for this time of year. It‘s set in late summer/early fall & has a spooky/creepy vibe. 🍁👻🍁

Who hasn‘t played yet? 🍁🤗🍁

TheSpineView ❤️ soup! Thanks for playing 1mo
31 likes1 comment
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candc320
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Pickpick

This was…not bad. It was an interesting sort of character study of three isolated relatives - one an old man not quite lucid, an agoraphobic but sweet older sister, and a young sister who seems much younger and innocent than normal. And that‘s about it 😂. I thought it was going to be scary but it just wasn‘t. It had a twist but I didn‘t really care about it 🤷🏼‍♀️. I did enjoy it overall, it just wasn‘t what I expected. 🌟🌟🌟💫

30 likes1 stack add
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kwmg40
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This is my recommendation for #HauntedShelf participants. It's creepy and spooky and IMO, even better than Shirley Jackson's better-known The Haunting of Hill House.

I also adore this updated Penguin Classics edition that my family gifted to me, with the penguin in the cat's clutches.

#Flerken @PuddleJumper

Sace This is a good one for spooky season! I read it a few years ago. 1mo
rubyslippersreads That penguin looks understandably nervous. 1mo
willaful Oh, excellent recommendation! 1mo
PuddleJumper Love that cover! 1mo
55 likes4 comments
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Doppoetry
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#Bookreport

📚Currently reading:

📕Fire & Blood
📕Akechi Kogoro
📙The Witness for the Dead

Progress:

Didn't listen to a lot of F&B last week due to the construction noise of our roof, but I did manage to finish one book. I hope to jump back into F&B this week.

TieDyeDude Oof, hope everything is okay with your house. 2mo
Doppoetry @TieDyeDude it's a bit of a fixer-upper and a lot of things need to be replaced. 😅 Not sure what the previous owners were thinking 2mo
7 likes2 comments
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Doppoetry
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Pickpick

Definitely an interesting read, but like Jackson's other work seems to be that I've read, it's very bare bones in terms of plot, even for a short book. I feel as if it gave us a bit more it would have been far more interesting. What I mean is instead of developing the plot points, the author leaves them as statements. The atmosphere was chilling and the character study was fascinating. I found myself wanting to read it more.

Doppoetry I'm sure it was on purpose but I do wish this felt a bit more fleshed out in the long run. I think that would have actually improved the atmosphere as well, making it darker, delving deeper, and wallowing in the plot points instead of leaving them as is. 2mo
TieDyeDude Thanks for the review. I was planning on reading this in October; I'll have a better idea of what to expect. 2mo
Doppoetry @TieDyeDude yeah! I went into it expecting more but the book mostly consists of inner dialogue. Very interesting to read but leaves you wanting more. 2mo
10 likes3 comments
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DebinHawaii
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Catch up from yesterday #AboutABook

Starting to think about fall & the spooky season & these are two books I‘ve reread & think I might read them again in October. #YouveReRead

AllDebooks Yay, me too!! 🖤🍁🖤 #sweaterweather 2mo
AmyG I should read Rosemary‘s Baby again. It‘s my most favorite movie. 2mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 🖤🖤🖤 2mo
Eggs 🖤💚🖤 2mo
52 likes4 comments
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Kris10H
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Pickpick

This novel is...bizarre, which is, at times, delightful and, at other times, very disconcerting. Pretty much what I expected from Shirley Jackson.

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Vansa
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#WondrousWednesday not been on Litsy for a while, ever since the Android app was removed! I still find the website very fiddly! @eggs

Eggs 🥳🙏🏻🥰 3mo
11 likes1 comment
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AmandaBlaze
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Another Jackson title on sale for 99 cents today.

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iaietta
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Pickpick

4-/5 ⭐️
Una lettura molto piacevole, nonostante parlasse di una famiglia nella quale la maggior parte dei membri sono morti avvelenati

giulia.mosna Questo è più comprensibile di "the haunting of hill house"? 3mo
iaietta Decisamente! 3mo
7 likes2 comments
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HettyG
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Pickpick

This was a weird and engrossing tale, the dynamics between characters was fascinating and right now this audiobook is included with my Audible membership!

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BeeMagical
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@Yuki_Onna #SundayFunday

I don‘t usually! But there are a select few that I do enjoy 😊 and a few that I would definitely consider rereading/plan to!🐰💕

Smrloomis I never do…and feel weirdly guilty about it! 6mo
BookmarkTavern Wonderful! Thanks for posting! 6mo
28 likes2 comments
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Eggs
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“They are the children of the strangers,I told her. They have no faces. They have eyes.
Pretend they are birds. They cant see us. They don't know it yet. they don't want to believe it, but they wont ever see us again.”

#HauntedHouse
#StorySettings

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

60 likes2 comments
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i.z.booknook
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Pickpick

My second Shirley Jackson and this one was even better than The Haunting of Hill House. The Blackwood girls live with their uncle in their big, family home, shunned by the town because of suspicions of poisoning the rest of their family. Their lives revolve around mealtimes and ritual. Told from the perspective of the youngest sister, Merricat, she is methodical, has a unique view of the world, and protects the house and her sister (👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻)

i.z.booknook using talismans. This book was so engrossing, with the interesting views of the characters and the strained and complex relationships both with each other and the rest of the town. A very gothic feel, with the large house and the family living isolated, on the fringes of the town and other society, every inch of the book dripping with superstition and paranoia. I immediately wanted to read it again as soon as I finished it. 10mo
emz711 For sure better than hill house 10mo
36 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Bibliobear
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“I was pretending that I did not speak their language; on the moon we spoke a soft, liquid tongue, and sang in the starlight, looking down on the dead dried world.”

Honored to share a birthday with Shirley Jackson. Remembering her today.

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Blh87
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Pickpick

This was an interesting read. The story wasn‘t mind-blowing by any means, but I was entertained no less.

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Melismatic
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Pickpick

A cautious pick - as weird as people say but not nearly as spooky as I was expecting. More like intense melancholia.

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RowReads1
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1. I connect literary references. I color coordinate without thinking about it ?‍♀️. Mom mentioned I take two hours long bathes. I don‘t think that‘s all that quirky. 2. The above and anything by Angela Carter. #two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

TheSpineView Thanks for playing! 12mo
35 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Cazxxx
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Rereading this favourite 😻

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Addison_Reads
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Pickpick

This is a reread for me, and I think I loved it more this time around.

Shirley Jackson is a goddess of her craft, and the way she spins a story, building the atmosphere and suspense, is pure perfection.

The dysfunction of this family and the relationship between the sisters makes this a great read that will mess with your head in all the best ways.

60 likes2 stack adds
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Fall vibes 🍂🍁🎃

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guidosophia
Mehso-so

Could only be described as creepy in a whimsical way. Kinda boring and I did expect something scarier or spookier to happen bc of the creepy cover. But I liked the relationship between the sisters, it redeemed the book for me

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emmaturi
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Pickpick

This is a great read, quite creepy and chilling. The sisters Constance and Mary Katherine are both great characters. From reading it feels like Mary Katherine is 12 or 13, but she is 18, I think. The sinister feelings of the villagers to the Blackwood family are great, and the cover really tells you all you need to know about it. This is my second Shirley Jackson book and definitely will read more.

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emmaturi
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These are two books I bought today! #books

dabbe Loved Jackson's Castle. Can't wait to read what you think about it! 😊 2y
40 likes1 comment
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Maeve1
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Pickpick

😳Jan 7th 2023

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wideeyedreader
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I think Jackson is becoming a favorite author; her stories never let me down!

Cathythoughts Sooo good 👍🏻♥️ 2y
jlhammar Amazing book! 2y
45 likes2 comments
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Rissreads
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Pickpick

What a perfect start to the year with a perfect little book. This was fabulous! Even better that I only picked it up a few days ago at a secondhand book shop for $3. It‘s been on my tbr list for sooooooo long.
I loved everything about this one and was so relieved that Jonas was not harmed, anything but that! 🐈‍⬛
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

rajithr Sisters! Aren‘t they marvellous 🤩 2y
jlhammar It really is a perfect little book! So glad you enjoyed it. 2y
Rissreads @rajithr I wish I had one. 2y
Centique I loved it too - and what an awesome find! 2y
39 likes4 comments
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Ididsoidid
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Pickpick

Perfect Halloween reading. Great writing ensures a sense of something sinister on its way, a constant building of ominous energy. The ending was unexpected but it wasn‘t the explosive conclusion I think it deserved. 7/10

13 likes1 stack add
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dabbe
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Pickpick

Another haunting story where the house is an integral part (character) of the story. Merricat and Constance are bigger introverts than I am! #whoknew And, to top it off, one's a murderer! Or is she? The stuff that hauntings are made for.“

Favorite Quote: “I'm going to put death in all their food and watch them die.“

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Jenofur
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Time for the annual rereading of this unsettling gem by Shirley Jackson, one of my favorites.
🖤🖤🖤

vivastory I love this cover 2y
17 likes1 comment
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peanutnine
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Pickpick

This was my first time reading this classic horror. It was very creepy and atmospheric. Merricat's narration is unnerving as she describes the life she lives with her sister and uncle after the rest of her family was poisoned years ago and the villager's reaction to their presence.
#Scarathlon2022 #TeamMonsterMash @StayCurious #31by31 @Catsandbooks #Spookoween2022 @TheSpineView #Pointsathon @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES #AutumnAtoZ W @Texreader

AnnR 🎃🍁 Good choice for you Gothic square and a nice review. I just finished this book and felt much the same about the story. 2y
DieAReader 🎉🎉🎉 2y
Catsandbooks 🙌🏼🐈‍⬛🧡 2y
TheSpineView Excellent 2y
43 likes1 stack add5 comments
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SomedayAlmost
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This strange gem of a book, one of my favorites, features a sugar bowl one should avoid! #poison #scarathalon22 #photoprompt #TeamSlaughter

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Lizpixie
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#OminousOctober #Day13 #Orange A creepy family story in a classic Penguin edition. #Scarathlon #TeamSlaughter 6pts

Eggs 🧡🍊🧡 2y
46 likes1 comment
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CogsOfEncouragement
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Pickpick

Sad and creepy, yet darkly funny at times.
Perfect for October.
#TeamSlaughter #scarathlon

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Cazxxx
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🦇 These are my top picks of must read books for spooky season. What would you add? 🦇

49 likes1 stack add
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jlhammar
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One of my favorites (and a perfect October read, in my opinion). I love the cover art on this edition with Merricat holding Jonas. 🐈‍⬛

#OminousOctober #Cat
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Love it 🖤 2y
LeahBergen A favourite of mine, as well! 🖤 2y
IamIamIam Love this book!!! I listened to it recently & it was spectacular!!! 2y
Eggs Great choice! Great book! 🖤🐈‍⬛🖤 2y
65 likes1 stack add4 comments
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bthegood
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My September #2022ReadingBracket pick @chasjjlee -

Moving on to October reads now -

Make a great day everyone 🎃

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mollyrotondo
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was my second time reading this favorite! I read the Penguin Vitae edition this time. Just an amazing story about small town communities and a major insight into the two halves of Shirley Jackson‘s own personality. Very much recommend this one!

Palimpsest ♥️♥️♥️so much love for this book 2y
mollyrotondo @Palimpsest I will read this over and over it‘s so good! 2y
53 likes2 comments