Books I Read in December 2022

 Four books and one novella this month.

A Winter Book (2006) by Tove Jansson 

A Winter Book is a collection of semi-autobiographical short stories by Tove Jansson of Moomin fame, gathered from five previous collections. The stories in the first two sections deal with childhood and nature while the stories in the third section deal with old age. Spread through the book are black and white photos from the author’s life. While some of the stories didn’t seem to go anywhere, many of the others were quite moving.

A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings (2010) by Charles Dickens 

A few years ago, I started reading “A Christmas Carol” every December so when I saw a used copy of the clothbound edition from Penguin Books, I picked it up. I enjoyed “The Goblins Who Stole a Sexton” and “A Christmas Carol” is a five-star read, but I found most of the other stories and essays to be too wordy. 

A Maigret Christmas and Other Stories (2017) by Georges Simenon 

This is a collection of three crime stories that take place during Christmas in Paris. The first story is an Inspector Maigret story while the other two stories feature other characters from the Maigret novels. 

In “A Maigret Christmas,” Maigret is at home with his wife on Christmas morning when two of his neighbors stop by and ask for his help after a break in by a man dressed as Father Christmas. 

“Seven Small Crosses in a Notebook” takes place in the police headquarters control room during Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We follow André Lecœur, a telephone operator who works the night shift and keeps track of events by marking crosses in a notebook. Lecœur winds up working with members of Maigret’s team as they try to catch a killer. At first it felt like a standard police procedural but then I became more invested in the story as I gradually learned about Lecœur’s character, a loner whose unique way of looking at things aids in the investigation. It started off a little slow but became a page turner towards the end.

“The Little Restaurant Near Place des Ternes” is a shorter story that takes place in the seedy parts of Paris. A lady of the evening decides to go out of her way to help a naive young woman out on Christmas Eve. 

I was initially disappointed when I realized only one of the stories was a Maigret story but in the end, I enjoyed all three stories.

Christmas Gothic Short Stories (2022) forward by Dr. Jerrold E. Hogle 

This anthology includes over 400 pages of classic and new Christmas gothic short stories. It’s quite a selection with a nice variety. Most of the stories can be categorized as standard gothic style stories but there are also some humorous ones as well as some that are more horror than gothic. Although there were a few older stories that weren’t that great, it was a fun read. 

“The Shepherd” by Frederick Forsyth, from Great Flying Stories (1992) edited by Frederick Forsyth 

I’ve been wanting to read this novella ever since reading about it on a book blog.

On Christmas Eve of 1957, the pilot of a De Havilland Vampire jet is flying from northern Germany to Suffolk, England when his plane suffers electrical failure. I enjoyed this novella a lot. I liked the prose and the tension. I liked the ending as well, even as the pilot keeps coming up with rational explanations for what occurred, the reader can see coming.

According to Wikipedia, Forsyth wrote this story as a Christmas gift for his wife after she asked him to write a ghost story for her. He wrote the story on Christmas Day 1974. 

This fit in perfectly with the rest of the stories I’ve been reading this month. 

More Christmas Gothic Short Stories

Last year I learned about the history of ghost stories for Christmas and I read the ghost stories of M. R. James. I enjoyed them so much that I read Christmas Gothic Short Stories from Flame Tree Publications this year. The anthology includes over 400 pages of classic and new stories. In my last post I listed my favorites of the classic stories. This time I’ve listed my favorites of the new stories.

“Mr. Anders Meets a Stranger” (2022) by Marina Favila 

A toymaker is asked to make something elaborate for a mysterious pale man. When it’s completed the man brings his son to see it. The toymaker figures out that he hasn’t been dealing with an ordinary father and son. I liked the gothic horror/folklore-like atmosphere. 

“Aunt Hetty” by (2022) John Linwood Grant 

After hearing a story about how a fire broke out in the family house during Christmas of 1857, a man learns a family secret. Moody and well done.

“The Unforgiven” (2022) by K. M. Hazel 

An elderly man tells a story about what happened after a Christmas dinner from his childhood in which a mother’s act of kindness gets unwanted attention from the other side. Has a bit of a Dickens vibe with a punch. 

“Time and Tide” (2019) by Clare Marsh 

Two women are working at an island abbey on Christmas Eve. They keep track of when to return by using a tidal clock which lets them know when it’s safe to use the causeway. I liked the setting and how the history of the island ties into the ending. 

“The Last Christmas Tree” (2022) by Jane Nightshade

Three orphans from England are sent to live in America and arrive at Christmas. Strange things happen when they arrive. This one has a real nice old school ghost story feel to it. 

My top favorites:

“The Shallows” (2022) by Donna Cuttress 

A woman staying at a seaside resort during the Christmas holiday sees a woman fall from a rock into the ocean. When she tells someone, she’s told that she saw a ghost of a woman who died years ago. She is warned not to go into the shallows again, but she keeps thinking about the woman. The writing and the atmosphere gave me a strong M.R. James vibe. 

“Yule Cat” (2009) by JG Faherty 

Two children spend Christmas with their grandparents in the Appalachians. When their grandfather tells stories from Scandinavia of the Yule Cat which searches for lazy humans to eat, the children scoff. Their grandmother warns them that children today have forgotten the old ways. Later that night they discover how right grandmother is. I really liked the folklore in this one and the story was a wild ride.

“Christmas at Trelwany” (2022) by E. E. King 

A woman suffering from depression takes a trip to Trelwany Manor, the oldest estate in Cornwall. She plans on using the time to rest and finish a thesis she has been struggling with. While there she learns something about her mother and the area’s connection with witchcraft. I really liked the writing and the atmosphere in this one. 

“Gray Christmas” (2022) by Templeton Moss 

The people of a village call the disfigured old man that lives on the hill “The Gray One” and hide whenever he comes into town. One Christmas Eve a little girl sees him leaving his cottage and decides to follow him. I loved how this story commented on the passage of time and the forgotten dead. 

“The Dark-Eyed Boy” (2020) by M.C. St. John 

Twin boys are taken in by their uncle after their parents are killed. I liked how it was set up, how we learn the back story, and the introduction of Krampus folklore, and how everything ties together, all done in a few pages. Loved that ending. 

“Snowman” (2022) by Lamont A. Turner 

A family deals with an abusive father during Christmas. This one reminded me of stories from EC Comics. Excellent. 

“And a Piece of Coal Where Her Heart Once Beat” (2021) by Suzanne J. Willis 

Krampus, growing old, makes a decision about his future. Meanwhile a young girl decides she wants to meet Krampus. Short and dark with lyrical writing.

“Ashes at Midnight” (2022) by Cassondra Windwalker 

After a young woman is rescued from a fire by her childhood friend, she’s haunted by a strange figure. She grows up to marry her rescuer and he also becomes haunted but in a different way. A great story based on Irish myths. 

Between the classics and the new stories, Christmas Gothic Short Stories was a real fun read. 

Christmas Gothic Short Stories

Last year I learned about the history of ghost stories for Christmas and I read the ghost stories of M. R. James. I enjoyed them so much that this year I’m reading Christmas Gothic Short Stories from Flame Tree Publications. The anthology includes over 400 pages of classic and new stories. Here are my favorites of the classic stories. 

“Thurlow’s Christmas Story” (1894) by John Kendrick Bangs 

This author has three stories in this anthology, and they are all of a humorous type. I thought the humor worked best in this story. The first part of the story is a letter from a writer to his editor explaining why his story is late. His explanation involves a ghost and a mysterious benefactor who appears at the last minute. As humorous as the events are, the second part of the story which is the editor’s response had me laughing out loud. A fun story. 

“The Horror-Horn” by E. F. Benson 

A man on winter holiday in the Swiss Alps hears stories about dwarfish creatures covered in long hair. They supposedly live in the mountain caves of the Ungeheuerhorn, the Horror-Horn. Later the man gets lost in a snowstorm and learns the truth about the legends. The H. P. Lovecraft Wiki page states that Lovecraft spoke highly of the story. This one reminded me a little of Robert E. Howard. Fast paced and hair-raising.

“Christmas Re-union” (1947) by Sir Andrew Caldecott

This story takes place during a Christmas party. A couple have a guest staying with them, a man who has become rich after going to Australia with his uncle, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances. After receiving a letter from Australia, the guest becomes nervous and says he needs to leave. A department store Santa who the couple have hired for the children arrives and the guest becomes even more nervous. Secrets from the past and a mysterious Santa make for an eerie story. 

“Where the Christmas Tree Grew” (1888) by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman 

On the last day of school before winter break, a young boy and some other children tease Jenny Brown, a shy eight-year-old from a poor family. She’s told that Christmas trees grow wild in the forest with presents on them and that she had better go to the mountain and find one before they are all gone. This one had me reading frantically to find how it was going to end. 

“Bring Me A Light!” (1960-61) by Jane Margaret Hooper 

Thomas Winmore inherits a small estate with a mysterious past. The locals believe it’s haunted and stay away. Winemore spends the night alone in the estate. What he encounters there leads him to learning about a terrible event from the past.

“Told After Supper” (1891) by Jerome K. Jerome 

A group of people tell ghost stories while drinking whiskey punch on Christmas Eve. The humor is well done. Between some of the names (Teddy Biffle, Dr. Scrubbles) and the witty humor, it was like reading a ghost story by P. G. Wodehouse. 

“The Great Staircase at Landover Hall” (1900) by Frank Stockton 

A man visiting a village learns that a mansion is being put up for auction. The husband and wife who lived there passed away and the heirs do not wish to keep the old building. After being shown around he decides to buy the place. He spends Christmas Eve alone in the mansion. At midnight the ghost of a beautiful woman appears. What happens when you fall in love with a ghost that only appears for an hour, once a year? A touching story. 

My top four favorites:

“Wolverden Tower” (1896) by Grant Allen 

Maisie Llewelyn is invited to Wolverden Hall for Christmas and befriends two mysterious young girls. What’s the secret of the recently rebuilt church tower? This story started out like an episode of Downton Abbey and then quickly turned into a ghost story with ancient rituals. I loved the writing, the suspense, and the ethereal atmosphere throughout.

“The Kit-Bag” (1908) by Algeron Blackwood 

Just before Christmas a man borrows a kit-bag (duffel bag) from his boss, a lawyer who just represented a murderer. While packing for a trip he hears strange things and then starts seeing movement in his supposedly empty building. Then it appears that his bag has been moved. Atmospheric and very, very creepy. Fantastic story.

“The Old Nurse’s Story” (1852) by Elizabeth Gaskell 

An old nurse tells her charges a spooky story about their mother. This is a classic gothic ghost story: An isolated manor, organ music at night, winter storms, ghostly apparitions, and secrets from the past. Outstanding.

“Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad” by M. R. James 

A professor goes on a golfing holiday on the coast of England. While he’s there he investigates the ruins of a Templar preceptory and finds an ancient bronze whistle. Strange things begin to happen which leads to a final confrontation at night. I read this for the first-time last year, and it was a pleasure reading it again. One of my favorite M. R. James stories and one of my favorite ghost stories. 

Now that I’ve read all the classic stories in the anthology, I’m working my way through the new ones. 

Thoughts on National Novel Writing Month 2022

“Beginning is hard, but continuing is harder. The most important thing creators do is work. The most important thing they don’t do is quit.” - Kevin Ashton 

I participated in November’s National Novel Writing Month for the fifth time this year. I haven't finished a novel yet but then again, I’ve never gone in thinking I was going to actually write a novel in thirty days. Instead, I’ve used the month to try and finish some of my short story ideas. 

I had the following goals for NaNoWriMo this year:

• Complete four of my short story drafts by working on one a week.

• Write 500 to 1000 words a day.

• Beat last year’s word count.

• Write every day. 

Three of the drafts are incomplete stories from previous NaNoWriMo’s. The fourth is actually a completed story, the first story that I ever submitted for publication. It’s also my first rejection. I decided to apply some of the feedback that I received and expand upon it. My plan was to work on that one and then finish the other three. 

Beyond that, I hadn’t really done any planning or preparation. But as I began writing I realized that I was still trying to figure out my characters and their motivations. I started asking myself a lot of “how” and “why” questions. This led to asking and answering questions about my character's backstories and their world. I wrote these questions down and started writing out possible answers. This helped a lot, kept me writing, and led to ideas that I was able to put into the story. As helpful as it was, it wasn’t enough. 

When I got to the middle of the month it was clear I was running behind. I was writing every day, but only 200 to 600 words a day. And I was still working on the first story. 

I decided to rethink my goals and review what worked for me last year. In 2021 I read a book on writing for motivation, Creating Short Fiction by Damon Knight. It helped a lot. But this year I wasn’t reading anything like that. So, with all that in mind I came up with new goals:

• Finish the story I was expanding. 

• Try and get to a second story. 

• Increase my word count so I can beat last year’s word count.

• Read a book on writing. I pulled Steering the Craft by Ursula Le Guin off my shelf. 

• Write every day. 

I rethought my goals again within a few days. I just wasn’t increasing my word count and I was really wrapped up in the story I was trying to expand. So, I dropped two of the new goals. I decided to not worry about getting to a second story, not worry about beating last year's word count, and just focus on completing the one story. My stress level went down immediately. For the rest of the month, more often than not, I found myself getting into a writing groove when I sat down to write.

Reading Le Guin’s Steering the Craft was a big help. I had started it before, but I don’t think that I was ready for it. Between the feedback I got from all the people who read my story before I submitted it, and the feedback I got from the rejection, I had a better understanding of what kind of things I needed to improve. I didn’t finish the book but the advice and the exercises from the first few chapters were enough to motivate me to try and apply the lessons to my writing. 

One of the things I learned from NaNoWriMo this year is to adapt as you go. I felt good about my original goals but then reality set in. It helped to review and replan throughout the month. I think it also helped that I had more than one goal. I always had one particular goal to fall back on: Write every day, and update my word count, even if it was only one sentence. It kept me going. 

So, this is where I wound up at the end of the month:

• I met one of my original goals, to write something every day.

• I met one of my updated goals, to complete the draft of one story. 

 

NaNoWriMo is over and now I have some new goals: finish more stories. 

Books I Read in November 2022

“The reality is this: Life is just a balloon floating dangerously in a roomful of lit cigarettes. At any moment, second, day or week, Pop! And then everything as you know it is different or gone. Sometimes both.” — John Bolden, Spungunion 

Four books and two comic book collections this month. 

Rosemary's Baby (1967) by Ira Levin 

Rosemary and her struggling actor husband move into a New York apartment house with an unusual past. After she becomes pregnant, she starts feeling pain in her abdomen and strange things start happening.  She starts suspecting that the people around her are manipulating her somehow. A slow burn at first but every chapter drops a clue and increases a sense of discomfort and dread until the last chapter. 

Spungunion (2020) by John Boden 

Deke is a truck driver devastated after the loss of his wife. She was murdered while he was on the road and the killer was never caught. Through flashbacks we learn how he felt when first met the love of his life and when he found out about her death. After a period of just going through the motions of living and working, he decides to find some answers by driving down the Soul Road, a road that lost souls and the damned are driven down. 

An atmospheric story about love, loneliness, and revenge. I really liked the writing style. 

The Balance (2020) by Kev Harrison

The setting is a village in Poland during the Cold War. Natalie is supposed to be watching her younger brother Kuba when he breaks his leg. With no access to antibiotics and Kuba in danger of losing his leg, she seeks help from Baba Yaga, the old woman in the forest. This upsets her mother, the townspeople, as well as the church.

The story drew me in right away and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. I really grew to like Natalie. She tries to do the right thing when faced with difficult choices. An excellent folk horror novella about balance and sacrifice. This was my favorite book of the month.

Song of the Red Squire (2022) by C. W. Blackwell 

Crime noir meets folk horror in 1949.  Charlie Danwitter is a WWII veteran who suffers from PTSD. Now he’s an agricultural inspector for the US government. He is sent to the backcountry of North Carolina to inspect apple orchards. After farmers keep running him off, he hears about an out of the way village and decides to head there. He discovers that the village has an incredibly old orchard and some very strange rituals.

Loved the prose, the dialogue, and the characters. As much as I liked the writing, the ending left me with questions, and I wasn’t sure what to make of the epilogue.

Comics:

Harrow County Omnibus Volumes 1 & 2 (2021) by Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook 

These two volumes collect the entire run of Harrow County minus the extras from the comics and regular collections. 

Harrow County, 1930s. When Emmy turns eighteen, she finds out the truth about her past and how she is connected to the creatures and ghosts of the forest known as haints. It’s a story of old magic and backwoods horror in a southern rural setting.

I love Cullen Bunn’s mix of dark fantasy and horror, the various characters, and the engaging storytelling. I like how Emmy grew throughout the story. I love Tyler Crook’s figure work, facial expressions, and creature designs. The watercolor artwork is gorgeous. I like how the Harrow County title is incorporated in the opening splash pages of every chapter. He also does an amazing job with sound effects, having them blend into the surroundings. It was a great read from start to finish. 

Books I’m planning on reading in December:

The Winter Book by Tove Jansson 

The Winter Solstice by John Mathews 

A Maigret Christmas and Other Stories by Georges Simenon 

A Christmas Carol and Other Writings by Charles Dickens 

Christmas Gothic Short Stories from Flame Tree Publishing

I’m sensing a theme…

More Quotes About Writing

I’m participating in National Novel Writing Month again. I’ve been writing everyday but not as much as I had hoped. One thing I do for motivation is read quotes about writing. Here are some of the ones that I’ve turned to for inspiration this month. 

“Show up, show up, show up, and after a while the muse shows up, too.” — Isabel Allende

“Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it’s only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, a journal entry. Writers are like dancers, like athletes. Without that exercise, the muscles seize up.” — Jane Yolen 

“If you write every day, the next day ideas have bubbled up from someplace that you had no idea was there.”  — Walter Mosely

“The process of writing is a really important one because even in the process of writing anything simple, your mind starts to notice connections, and connections are what fiction is made of.” — Neil Gaiman

“You have to write when you’re not inspired, scenes that don’t inspire you. The weird thing is later, you’ll look back and can’t remember which scenes you wrote when you were inspired, and which you wrote because they had to be written next.” — Neil Gaiman 

 

"No action simply for the sake of action. It’s got to serve a purpose — better if it serves 2-3 purposes: illuminate character, advance the plot, add a wrinkle, add an obstacle, culminate a character arc, or set the stage.” — Scott Oden 

 

"Try to leave out the part readers tend to skip.” — Elmore Leonard 

"What occurs in your mind is a great swirling mass of half-formed notions, which are interwoven with worries, memories, songs, and emotions; the signal-to-noise ratio is overwhelming. Putting the thought in writing crystalizes it and gives it life.” —  Luc Sante

 

“There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly; sometimes it’s like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.” — Ernest Hemingway 

“Looking back, I imagine I was always writing. Twaddle it was too. But better far write twaddle or anything, anything, than nothing at all.”  — Katherine Mansfield 

“Beginning is hard but continuing is harder. The most important thing creators do is work. The most important thing they don’t do is quit.” — Kevin Aston 

“Writing is like breathing, it’s possible to learn to do it well, but the point is to do it no matter what.”  — Julia Cameron 

 

Books I Read in October 2022

I only read two books last month, one of them being Stephen King’s 600-page Fairy Tale. For October I read one fantasy reference book and shorter horror books that have been on my to-be-read pile.

 

The Complete Guide to Middle Earth (1979) by Robert Foster

An excellent reference book for the world of the Lord of the Rings. Entries are listed alphabetically. I didn't read every entry, but I used it quite often while watching The Rings of Power.

The Haunting of Hill House (1959) by Shirley Jackson

A classic gothic horror novel. This started out pretty slow then got really interesting. My full review is here: 

We Learn by Writing: The Haunting of Hill House: The Book by Shirley Jackson and the Series by Mike Flanagan

Hammers on Bone (2016) by Cassandra Khaw

Lovecraftian cosmic horror meets hard boiled noir. Private investigator John Persons is hired by a ten-year old boy. The boy says his stepdad is a monster. As the reader soon learns, John Persons knows all about monsters. 

Like most crime noir, things aren’t always as they seem. Things don’t go as planned and our P. I. has to deal with them. It’s a dark story in that it’s cosmic horror but also in that the story comments on domestic violence and abuse. It’s all well done and very creepy. 

While I enjoyed the Raymond Chandler-like hard boiled prose and 50s slang, at times it seemed like it was too much. Also, there’s a reveal in the Interlude that threw me off and made me wonder how reliable the narrator was going to be for the rest of the book. 

I’m up for reading more stories about John Persons. The epilogue seems to set up things to be explored in future stories. I see there is a second book in the series, but John Persons isn’t the central character.

Nothing But Blackened Teeth (2021) by Cassandra Khaw

Five thrill seeking friends rent out an old Japanese mansion for a wedding. It was chosen by the couple getting married because it’s supposedly haunted by a ghost bride.  

I liked the setting and all the references to yokai. Unfortunately, I didn’t really care for the characters. While I liked some of the descriptions and metaphors that were used, there were times where it felt too wordy.

Mapping the Interior (2017) by Stephen Graham Jones 

A modern ghost story that explores loss, grief, and memory. Junior, a young Native American boy, lives with his younger brother and widowed mother in a small house. Junior begins to believe that the ghost of his father is walking through the house wearing full Blackfeet regalia and tries to catch glimpses of him. 

Great opening line. I liked the narration by Junior throughout. The prose was smooth, and the story flowed well. Starts out atmospheric and haunting then moves to creepy.

Night of the Mannequins (2020) by Stephen Graham Jones

A teen prank involving a mannequin doesn’t go as planned. Then the bodies begin piling up. This fast-paced novella was like an 80s horror movie with dark humor. 

This is the second book I’ve read by Stephen Graham Jones and the second time he’s gotten my attention with a great opening line. He then kept my attention with engaging narration from the protagonist even though the story got as crazy and dark as it did. I’m looking forward to reading more of this author’s work.

The Hellbound Heart (1986) by Clive Barker 

A man seeking ultimate pleasure opens a puzzle box that summons beings called Cenobites. Things get bloody. 

Fast paced and creepy. I liked the writing. For example, there are some paragraphs where Barker describes the passing of the seasons that were just lyrical. An interesting contrast to the darker parts of the story. 

This novella was made into the 1987 film Hellraiser. 

Cycle of the Werewolf (1985) by Stephen King 

Each chapter covers one month of a year in which a werewolf is terrorizing a small town. This was originally planned as a calendar with illustrations by Bernie Wrightson and short vignettes by King, but King decided to expand it into a novella instead. 

The first few chapters set up the story and then as the months pass, we get to know more of the townspeople. The story really gets going in July when we meet young Marty and his uncle. I really liked the interaction between the two. Things get wrapped up rather quickly in the last three chapters, but I enjoyed it. 

Each chapter has three illustrations by Wrightson: a black and white double page spread, a color illustration, and a small b&w spot illustration. The double page spreads that open each chapter are gorgeous. The details are outstanding.

A Night in the Lonesome October (1993) by Roger Zelazny 

Thirty-one chapters of mystery, adventure, horror, and humor, narrated by Snuff the dog. Snuff is the companion to a knife wielding gentleman named Jack. Together they are players in “The Game.” As the story progresses day by day, the reader discovers more players (The Count, the Doctor and his Experiment Man, and the mysterious Larry Talbot being some examples) and more details about “The Game,” leading up to the final confrontation on October 31st. 

This is one of my favorite books. After I discovered it I learned that many people re-read it every October. This was my third read. 

The Haunting of Hill House: The Book by Shirley Jackson and the Series by Mike Flanagan

 “No living organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.”

— Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House (1959)

The Book:

Four people stay at an old mansion hoping to gather scientific evidence of the supernatural. 

I found the first half unbearably slow. We spend a lot of time getting to know Eleanor, one of the people invited to stay at the house and I was beginning to think that I just wasn’t going to like this book. But then I found the second half so compelling that I finished it in one sitting. As I got further into the book, the dialogue and the complex relationships between the characters drew me in. Then it got genuinely terrifying. Now I want to reread it someday and pay more attention to the first half.

I have mixed feelings about the writing style. I thought that some sentences and paragraphs went on too long. On the other hand, sometimes the writing was a sheer joy to read. While it took its sweet time to get going, in the end it was a fascinating read. 

After finishing I found myself still thinking about it days later. I decided to watch the 1963 movie adaptation The Haunting, directed by Robert Wise. I liked it a lot. It’s well-done and follows the book pretty closely. Next, I watched the 2018 series, The Haunting of Hill House directed by Mike Flanagan. Wow.

The Series:

The ten-episode series is not so much an adaptation of the book as a new story that’s strongly inspired by the book. A couple moves into Hill House with their five children and plan to spend the summer renovating it. Unlike the book we get to the spooky stuff pretty quickly. The series jumps back and forth between two timelines, the events at the house and events years later when the children are grown up. 

The series takes lines, scenes, names, and a couple of characters from the book, and tells a new story about family, grief, and trauma. It’s all very well done and while you don’t need to have read the book to enjoy it, if you have read the book, there are details that will add a lot to your enjoyment. 

I liked how each episode built upon the next. I liked how scenes were often revisited from a different perspective which gave the viewer new information. The jump scares were well done (one in particular actually made me jump out of my chair!) but the best scares came when slowly realizing that there was a ghost in the background of a scene. 

I liked the mix of family drama and spooky stuff. It was similar to what Shirley Jackson did in her book but with a larger cast. Once again, the relationships between characters drew me in. The cast, both the child actors and the adults were amazing. 

Three episodes really stood out. First, episode five. The way the previous episodes led to this episode and the reveal at the end blew me away. 

Next, episode six. It’s a great story but it’s also amazingly directed. About ten minutes in I noticed something. The camera hadn’t cut away. It eventually does but the entire episode is done in five long shots, moving effortlessly between a funeral home in the present and the house in the past. The story and the direction work so well together. It was the perfect next step after the events of the previous episode. 

Finally, episode ten, “Silence Lay Steadily.” Everything comes together and the final revelations are heartbreaking.  But the story still finds a way to end in an uplifting way. I had some mixed feelings about how things played out but then came the final lines. And because of one word, having read the book will make those closing lines all the more meaningful. 

Absolutely brilliant storytelling and direction. This and Midnight Mass (2021) have made me a big Mike Flanagan fan. 

Now I’m even more motivated to re-read Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House. And when I’m finished, I’ll be re-watching the Mike Flanagan series. I believe both are worth revisiting.