Thursday Give Away
I am thrilled to announce that for today’s Thursday give away, I have managed to get my hands on an advance copy of Simone St. James’s upcoming novel, An Inquiry Into Love and Death
Here’s the official blurb:
In 1920’s England, a young woman searches for the truth behind her uncle’s mysterious death in a town haunted by a restless ghost…
Oxford student Jillian Leigh works day and night to keep up with her studies—so to leave at the beginning of the term is next to impossible. But after her uncle Toby, a renowned ghost hunter, is killed in a fall off a cliff, she must drive to the seaside village of Rothewell to pack up his belongings.
Almost immediately, unsettling incidents—a book left in a cold stove, a gate swinging open on its own—escalate into terrifying events that convince Jillian an angry spirit is trying to enter the house. Is it Walking John, the two-hundred-year-old ghost who haunts Blood Moon Bay? And who beside the ghost is roaming the local woods at night? If Toby uncovered something sinister, was his death no accident?
The arrival of handsome Scotland Yard inspector Drew Merriken, a former RAF pilot with mysteries of his own, leaves Jillian with more questions than answers—and with the added complication of a powerful, mutual attraction. Even as she suspects someone will do anything to hide the truth, she begins to discover spine-chilling secrets that lie deep within Rothewell…and at the very heart of who she is.
I cannot praise this book– and the author’s previous novel, The Haunting of Maddy Clare
So, for a chance to win an advance copy of An Inquiry Into Love and Death
What’s your favorite ghost story/haunting novel?
The winner will be announced on Sunday. An Inquiry Into Love and Death
Honestly, it’s gotta be A Christmas Carol. Love that book 🙂
The Woman in Black!
The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Jane Eyre!
“The Last Time They Met” by Anita Shreve. I think it qualifies as a ghost story!
Oh, goodness, this is a tough one. I think I might have to agree with Rebecca B. and say The Woman in Black. Susan Hill manages to make horror cozy without rendering it any less terrifying. (The recent movie, however, left much to be desired.) Sarah Waters’s The Little Stranger is also fantastic.
Another terrific, non-traditional haunting story is Laura Kasischke’s The Raising. I’ve been giving it to all my friends.
I must say I’m so excited that An Inquiry into Love and Death is this week’s give-away; I really enjoyed The Haunting of Maddy Clare and have been eagerly anticipating her next effort!
It’s been close to 15 years since I read this, but I really enjoyed Danielle Steel’s The Ghost.
Leaping lizards, you’ve tapped into my favourite sub genre! Ghosts! Its hard to pick one specific novel, as I enjoy the Ghost Harrison series by Heather Graham, which are each a pure delight to read, but of them, “Ghost Walk” has stayed with me as I love New Orleans!
The most endearing ghost series I love is “Aunt Dimity” by Nancy Alterton, and I get a pure hoot out of EJ Copperman’s Haunted Guesthouse series!
The best news I read today on this post is uncovering that what I appreciate is known as “horror cozy”! Thanks Ms. Pam! 🙂 🙂 Ms. Willig, I love that you’ve given me ideas of where to go next, as its quite a hard genre to sort out when your not into the traditional horror/gore but rather psychological suspense! A bit like in films: Gaslight and the Haunting!?
Thanks for offering this bookaway! Its a book I know I’d enjoy reading! I’m going to check out the author after I submit this!
THANK YOU to infinity!
Ms. Willig, I not only clicked onto her website, but I clicked over to a link she had about ‘other’ gothic ghost stories, and I have a bevy of titles to dig through and see if I can get through the library OR through Powells!
THANK YOU so much for this post!! Wicked sweet!
Yay! I’m so glad! You’re welcome. : )
I would have to agree with the Renee and say A Christmas Carol. It’s Dickens and fantastic.
Definitely “Ammie, come home” by Barbara Michaels.
Love that series so much. Also, “The Crying Child”.
“A Stitch in Time” by Barbara Michaels
I absolutely loved “The Haunting of Maddy Clare,” but if I can’t count that as my favorite, I will say “The Woman in White” by Wilkie Collins.
“Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier or “The Woman in White”.
Thank you for the giveaway!!
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
Is it real or is it all in her head? Creepiest thing ever.
I heartily second that. I come away with a different conclusion every time….
I absolutely love Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King.
Jennifer Crusie’s Maybe This Time hit a lot of my favorite tropes in a gothic ghost story. I also love lots of older Barbara Michaels for that.
In children’s/YA, Diana Wynne Jones’ Time of the Ghost is satisfyingly confusing and just creepy enough.
Speaking of children’s creepy Gothic, does anyone else remember “Jane-Emily”? I can’t remember who wrote it, but I do remember being absolutely obsessed with it as a pre-teen….
Not a ghost story, but definitely haunting… “Rebecca,” by Daphne du Maurier.
Definitely “Rebecca”! Love that book!
The Haunting of Maddy Clare was terrific. When I was a kid my grandparents’ bunkhouse had a lot of old books stored in it. I ran across The Uninvited and that is still a favorite. They made a movie of it years ago with Ray Milland.
Rebecca and a Christmas carol. So good…
I read Ammie Come Home by Barbara Michaels when I was in high school; I now have one copy on my keeper shelf AND a copy in the “Classic” section of my kindle.
I read “Ammie Come Home” by Barbara Michaels wheh I was in high school, and I still have a copy on my keeper shelf, plus one in the “Classic” list on my kindle.
Kate Mosse’s Labyrinth series haunted me long after I finished it…
My favorite is also Aunt Dimity!!!
Casper the friendly ghost
It’s a toss-up between Barbara Michaels (Ammie Come Home and The Walker in Shadows) and the four that Manning Coles wrote (The Far Traveler and a series of 3 – Brief Candles, Happy Returns, and Come and Go). The Coles books are definitely not of the creepy variety!
Tryst by Elswyth Thane
I’m not one for haunting/ghost stories they just don’t get along well with an over active imagination, but I loved Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger (author of The Time Traveler’s Wife).
Has to be the Moonstone.
The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
I haven’t read that many ghost stories. Of the ones I have read I guess I would say Jane Eyre. I really enjoyed The Haunting of Maddy St Clare as well.
Definitely Wuthering Heights. So spooky!
While I adore The Haunting of Hill House and basically all things Jackson, I always think of that as an “evil house” book and not so much a ghost story. And yes, “Evil House” is probably only a subgenre in my mind. That said, for ghost story, I think I’d have to go with The Uninvited by Dorothy Macardle.
And I was lucky enough to get my own copy of An Inquiry…, so you can take me out of the running.
True about the Evil House category…. Hmm, trying to think of others now: Barbara Michaels’s “Someone in the House”, certainly.
The House on Tradd Street series by Karen White. They are awesome!
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Edith Wharton has some ghost stories too, but I haven’t gotten to those yet.
The Haunting of Maddy Clare has been the ghost story that has most recently stuck with me. I also liked Bag of Bones by Stephen King.
Labyrinth /Kate moss
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
either that our The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St.James (which is why I’m super excited for this giveaway!)
I’m not sure that Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is considered a true ghost story, but a dead character haunts the lives of the present.
I just read a review of An Inquiry into Love and Death and would love to read it. Thanks for the giveaway chance Lauren.
I’m concuring with Laurel… let’s go with Rebecca!
“Bride of Pendorric” by Victoria Holt. Ms. Holt’s novels are terrific – does anyone read them anymore?
Wurthering heights..
haven’t read a lot of ghost stories
too scary
Oh there’s ghost in Lisa Kleypas’s new Friday Harbor series. It made a cameo in Rainshadow Road which I loved, and am looking forward to Dream Lake…
I really haven’t read many ghost stories, so I’ll go with a recent one: Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger was fairly spooky, IMO.
I’d say the woman in black, Rebecca, or as a child wait till Hellen comes.
Your own A Night At Northanger in the short story collection Jane Austen Made Me Do It starts off with an incredible and creepy atmosphere. (The camera crew standing around trying to act casually but you know they’re all creeped out.) Lauren, you’d be really goooood at a gothic story!
I don’t read many ghost stories or horror, but as a kid, I loved (and was terrified of) Wait Till Helen Comes.