Litsy

The Haunted and the Haunters | Edward Bulwer-Lytton

pick

Another #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent pick from October—I wanted to read this because L.M. Montgomery highly recommended it in her journals. LMM loved ghost stories, so when she described this one in particular, I hunted it down and added it to our list. I‘m a coward about scary stories, so I read it in broad daylight—and didn‘t find it particularly scary. Then the night after I read it, I woke up in the middle of the night, ⤵️

BarbaraJean (Cont‘d) …was convinced I heard a voice speaking in my ear, couldn‘t stop thinking about this story, and was a leeetle scared of going back to sleep. The story itself was fascinating. I loved the setup: the logical/skeptical/scientifically-minded narrator wants to stay in an actual haunted house, and he REALLY gets what he asked for! Although it gets a little too explain-y in parts, it ends up being an interesting combo of supernatural and not. 5d

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PageShifter

Rage | Stephen King, Richard Bachman

pan

I am so used to having great characters by this author and I was disappointed. I felt for Charlie but he didn't feel dangerous like you would expect in this situation. Secondary characters were pretty flat. I wasn't worried for them.

I love hostage stories - they are usually so thrilling. Not this one. People were just telling stories and babbling, I was super disappointed.

I waited all the time that something would happen. And there didn't.

23 likes

BarbaraJean

The Haunted and the Haunters | Edward Bulwer-Lytton

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent

Do you enjoy reading scary stories?

What types of stories are scariest to you—ghost stories, thriller, horror…?

Did you find this story particularly scary?

rubyslippersreads, JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

BarbaraJean I definitely don‘t read horror, and I‘m kind of a coward about scary stories. I do like to read spooky-ish books in October, but definitely spooky lite! I don‘t mind “thriller” stories, but horror is too much for me. And supernatural/demon possession stuff freaks me right the heck out. This one pushed the line for me as far as scary. Funny story: I read it during the day, because I didn‘t want to end up like LMM—too scared to turn out the light!⤵️ (edited) 3w

BarbaraJean (Cont‘d) I thought it was creepy, but not TOO scary, until I woke up in the middle of the night that night convinced I heard a voice speaking in my ear… 😱 3w

TheAromaofBooks I am not really into scary stories. I enjoy thrillers as long as they aren't too graphic - I'm not a horror fan, but more because I don't like blood and gore. I'm not sure how much I would enjoy reading scary stories if I lived by myself (or with just an elderly grandma like LMM!). I didn't think this one was super scary, but like you I read it in broad daylight 😂 I can picture LMM reading it by lamplight in an old, creaky house and that sounds⬇ 3w

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) much scarier! 3w

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Hahaha—I hadn‘t thought about reading it in an old creaky house!! 😱 3w

20 likes5 comments

BarbaraJean

The Haunted and the Haunters | Edward Bulwer-Lytton

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent

From the setup through to the end, did the plot work for you?

What did you think of the logical/theoretical explanation the narrator inserts before the final resolution of the story?

What did you think of the discovery at the end? Was the resolution satisfying to you?

rubyslippersreads, JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

TheAromaofBooks Overall I liked it, but did feel like parts of it got a little lecture-y. I kind of liked having the explanations, especially the actual story behind the ghosts. 3w

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Yeah, the explain-y part bored me! I kind of wanted it to be more about the ghosts and what had happened to them in life. I thought the conclusion was so interesting—kind of a combination of supernatural and not. I really liked the setup with the narrator wanting to find and stay in an ACTUAL haunted house… and then really getting what he asked for!! 3w

19 likes2 comments

BarbaraJean

The Haunted and the Haunters | Edward Bulwer-Lytton

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent

LMM often mentions Bulwer-Lytton as an author she enjoys. He‘s famous for the line: “It was a dark and stormy night” and has a bad-writing contest named after him! (www.bulwer-lytton.com/)

Did you like Bulwer-Lytton‘s writing style in this story? Why or why not?

rubyslippersreads, JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

TheAromaofBooks While this one didn't blow me away, I thought the writing was solid and engaging. I liked the narrator and liked the way that he was skeptical in a sense, but did believe that these crazy things could happen. 3w

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks I thought the writing was solid, too. Having a logical/skeptical narrator who could be somewhat balanced in reporting what happened made the ghost story seem credible/plausible in a way! With the bits and pieces I‘ve heard about Bulwer-Lytton I thought it would be a lot more overblown/dramatic… although maybe if I were to read one of his full-length novels I would feel differently about his writing😆 (edited) 3w

18 likes2 comments

BarbaraJean

The Haunted and the Haunters | Edward Bulwer-Lytton

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead: This week we‘re reading an #LMMAdjacent book—The Haunted & the Haunters by Edward Bulwer-Lytton—with a discussion on Saturday, Nov. 2nd. This is a shorter one: my Kindle edition is 68 pages. All are welcome—let me know if you‘re not tagged and you‘d like to be!

In the comments I‘ll add LMM‘s thoughts about this story⤵️

rubyslippersreads, JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, LitsyEvents, julieclair

BarbaraJean “After I got home for keeps I read a perfectly harrowing ghost story. It was the most gruesome thing. I read it in bed and after I had finished it do you suppose I could get out of bed to put the light out? No!! …The story was Lytton‘s ‘The Haunters and the Haunted‘ and I can conscientiously recommend it.”
—LMM Complete Journals, Vol. 2 - June 2, 1902

I‘m planning to read it during daylight just to be safe. 😆 4w

TheAromaofBooks I don't usually read scary stories, so I'm a little terrified 😂 Also I'm only on chapter 12 of Seven Gables, but I am still plugging away! My word, NOTHING IS HAPPENING!!!! 😆 4w

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Haha—yeah, I‘m not much of a scary-story person either, and in re-reading LMM‘s comment I said: what was I thinking?! I‘m NOT reading it at night 🤣 And I think Seven Gables is the slowest burn ever. He even describes what happens in a very nothing-is-happening way 😏 4w

TheAromaofBooks I marked a sentence the other day where Hawthorne used SEVEN adjectives to describe someone in ONE SENTENCE 😂 4w

21 likes4 comments

snapsnarlgrowl

Apartment 16 | Adam Nevill

so-so

I wanted to like this one! I like the concept and the execution. The tension is phenomenal. I completely understand why everyone recommends it. I just don‘t know why it felt like a slog to me.

Hooked_on_books

Woodworm | Layla Martinez

so-so

Poe hovers over the top of this story of 3 generations of women and their unusual house. There are fantastical elements and perhaps fantastical powers. I wish it had pushed a little more, as I felt it was going somewhere and just didn‘t quite get there.

NBA longlist, translated literature

48 likes

JessClark78

Prophecy | David Seltzer

pick

‘Biological changes are beginning to occur. People are sick. Their minds are confused. Children are born dead...born deformed. And a family of campers has been found dead, mutilated by some indescribably brutal force...‘

This was a decent horror story with a unique monster. There is some gore and animal death.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#ReadAway2024 #TwinPeaksReadingChallenge #TPRC #WhatLiesInTheWoods

DieAReader, Andrew65, GHABI4ROSES, Yuki_Onna

DieAReader 🥳Great 2mo

Yuki_Onna Perfect! 👏 2mo

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JessClark78

Prophecy | David Seltzer

I am way behind on my reading challenges. Starting this next for the #TwinPeaksReadingChallenge. #WhatLiesInTheWoods Set in the woodlands/in or near a forest/rainforest.

#TPRC #ReadAway2024

DieAReader, Andrew65, GHABI4ROSES, Yuki_Onna

DieAReader 🥳Great 3mo

40 likes1 comment

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