Taylor Fenner's Blog, page 19

Audiobook Review: Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand

Wylding Hall by Elizabeth HandBlurb:

In the aftermath of the mysterious death of their lead singer, the young members of a now-legendary British acid folk band hole up at Wylding Hall, an ancient English country house with its own dark secrets. There they record Wylding Hall, the album that makes their reputation – but at a terrifying cost when Julian Blake, their new lead singer, disappears within the mansion and is never seen again. 

Now, years later, the surviving musicians and their friends and lovers – including a psychic, a photographer, and the band’s manager – meet with a young documentary filmmaker to tell their own versions of what happened during that summer. But whose story is the true one? And what really happened to Julian Blake?

My Review:

Daisy Jones and the Six meets The Haunting of Hill House in this eerie, folksy story that is an audiobook must-listen.

A year or so ago I read Elizabeth Hand’s latest, A Haunting on the Hill – the only authorized sequel to The Haunting of Hill House. I was so excited but the book left me feeling meh. When I heard about this book I knew I had to check it out. And I’m glad I did because it was everything I was hoping for from A Haunting on the Hill and didn’t get.

Told through interviews in the style of Daisy Jones and the Six we go back to the 1970s and meet a folk rock band who were holed up in Wylding Hall, a Tudor-style home in the English country side to record their second album.

Lead singer Julian Blake is an odd duck. Musically gifted of course, but definitely into the unseen world of the occult. We watch him devolve as his band mates, manager, and friends recall their time at Wylding Hall leading up to his mysterious disappearance.

Wylding Hall is an eerie place and Elizabeth Hand describes it so well I felt like if I closed my eyes I could see it through the characters eyes. From the beak less birds to the hill in the woods and the doors that were at times locked and then open with no one having a key… like I said, this was all the eerie creepy vibe I was expecting from the Hill House book. I have a feeling the author tried her hand at getting that vibe with Wylding Hall, which was published in 2015 before penning A Haunting on the Hill.

Overall this was a strong 5-knife read. Definitely an audiobook I will return to when I want to relive the creepy experience. While this book is also in eBook and hardcover, I strongly suggest listening to the audiobook for the immersive experience.

My Rating:

5 of 5 Knives!

Can’t Wait Wednesday: We Used to Live Here

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released.

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

Adult, Horror/Thriller, Standalone

eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 320 Pages

June 18, 2024 by Atria/Emily Bestler Books

Blurb:

Get Out meets Parasite in this eerily haunting debut and Reddit hit—soon to be a Netflix original movie starring Blake Lively—about two homeowners whose lives are turned upside down when the house’s previous residents unexpectedly visit.

As a young, queer couple who flip houses, Charlie and Eve can’t believe the killer deal they’ve just gotten on an old house in a picturesque neighborhood. As they’re working in the house one day, there’s a knock on the door. A man stands there with his family, claiming to have lived there years before and asking if it would be alright if he showed his kids around. People pleaser to a fault, Eve lets them in.

As soon as the strangers enter their home, uncanny and inexplicable things start happening, including the family’s youngest child going missing and a ghostly presence materializing in the basement. Even more weird, the family can’t seem to take the hint that their visit should be over. And when Charlie suddenly vanishes, Eve slowly loses her grip on reality. Something is terribly wrong with the house and with the visiting family—or is Eve just imagining things?

Why I Want to Read This Book:

This sounds like the perfect set up for a horror movie and book. If a stranger came to the door saying they used to live there and wanted to look around for old times’ sake, would you let them in? I know I sure wouldn’t! (And not just because the last owner of my house is dead and it was a doctor’s office before that… I’ve got enough ghosts hanging around!) But when the visiting party’s child goes missing and ghostly things start happening? I’m riveted. Plus if they’re making a Netflix movie and Blake Lively (one of my favorite actresses) is in it then I simply must check out the book. Hopefully the library waitlist isn’t too long!

Will you be checking this book out? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Bookish Wishes

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and The Bookish and currently hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Bookish Wishes

This week’s TTT is about books on our book wishlists. My Amazon wishlist can be found here.

1. Midnight on Beacon Street by Emily Ruth Verona2. Spookily Yours by Jennifer Chipman 3. The Family Plot by Megan Collins4. Forever Crushed by Amber Paige5. A Ghost of A Chance by Brittany Kelley6. The Ghost Ship by Kate Mosse7. Butcher & Blackbird by Brynn Weaver8. The Night in Question by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson9. The Last One by Will Dean10. The Twelve Days of Murder by Andreina Cordani

What books are on your book wishlist?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 10 June 2024 and WWW Wednesday: 12 June 2024

This week I’m linking up to It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? Hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date and WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words!

#IMWAYR is a weekly meme started on J Kaye’s blog and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

WWW Wednesday was created by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and was taken over by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. To participate answer the 3 W’s:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading:Do Not Open by Kiersten Modglin

I just started this short audiobook last night and I’m enjoying it. I didn’t realize it was set in Charleston, but bonus! It kind of reminds me of a gender-swapped Misery so far.

Crossroads by Devney Perry

I’m just starting this one. It’s the June pick for the Probably Smut Book Club Box.

Recently Finished:Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand

I felt kind of meh about this author’s “official sequel to The Haunting of Hill House – A Haunting on the Hill,” but this one! Whew! Now this was what I had been expecting! Daisy Jones and the Six meets The Haunting of Hill House and you really must listen to it in audiobook! I loved it!

Clueless at the Coffee Station by Bee Littlefield

I just finished this one this afternoon and I loved it!

Reading Next:The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

Ok, I’m not sure if this is my next read since there’s still over a week until it releases but it’s a priority read once the audiobook hits my audiobook app on the 18th.

What are you reading and loving this week?

The Sunday Post: Editing, Hiking, and Back to Routine

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme.

Editing, Hiking, and Back to Routine

Hey Book Blogger Friends! How was your week?

I got the line edits back from my editor for my next book, It Rose From the Ashes so I’ve been working on the corrections all week hoping to get them done before I head back for my first full week back to work this coming Tuesday. My editor has been so supportive and her changes make the story even richer. I also finalized the blurb and set up the cover reveal!

Yesterday I went for a nice hike at High Cliff State Park here in Wisconsin and took the Indian Mound Trail which has burial mounds that were built 1000-1500 years ago. It was also a gorgeous day for a hike!

Meanwhile, Friday was my first day back to work post gallbladder surgery. (boo!) Luckily I have the weekend off and I go back for my first full week back on Tuesday.

Recently on the Blog:

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 27 May 2024

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Was Super Excited to Get My Hands on but Still Haven’t Read

Can’t Wait Wednesday: Middle of the Night

Can’t Wait Wednesday: The Midnight Feast

WWW Wednesday: 5 June 2024

Time Travel Thursday: 6 June 2024

This Week on the Blog:

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? – 10 June 2024 / WWW Wednesday: 12 June 2024

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Bookish Wishes

Can’t Wait Wednesday: We Used to Live Here

Audiobook Review: Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand

New Book Mail On My Shelves:Physical:

I received my preorder of Fragile Sanctuary at the beginning of the week.

eBook:

I’ve been wanting to read this one so I picked up the ebook after reading the sample.

Time Travel Thursday: 6 June 2024

Time Travel Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Budget Tales Book Blog where readers take a look back at what they were reading this time last year (or the year before or the year before that…) and compare it to what you are reading now.

6 JuneThe Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

One year ago today I was just finishing the audiobook of this one, which I loved the twists of!

Currently Reading:

Today I’m almost finished with my reread of Dead Eleven!

Comparison:

One thing these two have in common? I listened to both of them in audiobook. While they both have a mystery at its core, Dead Eleven is more sci-fi horror where The Wife Upstairs is a thriller.

Have you read either of these books?

WWW Wednesday: 5 June 2024

WWW Wednesday was created by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and was taken over by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. To participate answer the 3 W’s:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading: Dead Eleven by Jimmy Juliano

This is a reread for me. I’m listening to it in audiobook this time to give it a little more depth.

Clueless at the Coffee Station by Bee Littlefield

This is written by an author friend I follow on Instagram. I started it last night and it’s super easy to get hooked on!

Recently Finished:Hooked by Emily McIntire

This was an okay read. I was mostly in it for the spice. The writing wasn’t fantastic nor was the plot, but was that really why I was reading it? I don’t think so, so we’ll let it slide.

Reading Next:The Girls Who Disappeared by Claire Douglas

I borrowed this one from the library’s Hoopla last month and it’s due next weekend (June 15).

Have you read any of these? What are you reading this week? What books are on your summer reading list?

Can’t Wait Wednesday: The Midnight Feast

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released.

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

Thriller, Standalone

eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 368 pages

June 18, 2024 from William Morrow

Blurb:

Secrets. Lies. Murder. Let the festivities begin…

The deliciously twisty new locked room murder mystery from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Guest List and The Paris Apartment.

It’s the opening night of The Manor, and no expense, small or large, has been spared. The infinity pool sparkles; crystal pouches for guests’ healing have been placed in the Seaside Cottages and Woodland Hutches; the “Manor Mule” cocktail (grapefruit, ginger, vodka, and a dash of CBD oil) is being poured with a heavy hand. Everyone is wearing linen.

But under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. Just outside the Manor’s immaculately kept grounds, an ancient forest bristles with secrets. And the Sunday morning of opening weekend, the local police are called. Something’s not right with the guests. There’s been a fire. A body’s been discovered.

THE FOUNDER * THE HUSBAND * THE MYSTERY GUEST * THE KITCHEN HELP

It all began with a secret, fifteen years ago. Now the past has crashed the party. And it’ll end in murder at… The Midnight Feast.

Why I Want to Read This Book:

I read The Guest List by this author and enjoyed it. You all know how much I love locked door mysteries and this one sounds really good! I have it preordered in audiobook.

Will you be checking this one out? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

Can’t Wait Wednesday: Middle of the Night

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released.

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager

Standalone, Thriller

eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 384 pages

June 18, 2024 by Dutton Books

Blurb:

In the latest jaw-dropping thriller from New York Times bestselling author Riley Sager, a man must contend with the long-ago disappearance of his childhood best friend—and the dark secrets lurking just beyond the safe confines of his picture-perfect neighborhood.

The worst thing to ever happen on Hemlock Circle occurred in Ethan Marsh’s backyard. One July night, ten-year-old Ethan and his best friend and neighbor, Billy, fell asleep in a tent set up on a manicured lawn in a quiet, quaint New Jersey cul de sac. In the morning, Ethan woke up alone. During the night, someone had sliced the tent open with a knife and taken Billy. He was never seen again.

Thirty years later, Ethan has reluctantly returned to his childhood home. Plagued by bad dreams and insomnia, he begins to notice strange things happening in the middle of the night. Someone seems to be roaming the cul de sac at odd hours, and signs of Billy’s presence keep appearing in Ethan’s backyard. Is someone playing a cruel prank? Or has Billy, long thought to be dead, somehow returned to Hemlock Circle?

The mysterious occurrences prompt Ethan to investigate what really happened that night, a quest that reunites him with former friends and neighbors and leads him into the woods that surround Hemlock Circle. Woods where Billy claimed monsters roamed and where a mysterious institute does clandestine research on a crumbling estate. 

The closer Ethan gets to the truth, the more he realizes that no place—be it quiet forest or suburban street—is completely safe. And that the past has a way of haunting the present.

Why I Want to Read This Book:

Riley Sager is an auto-buy author for me and this one is almost giving me thriller Stranger Things vibes. I’m eager to see where Mr. Sager goes with this one.

Will you be checking this one out? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Was Super Excited to Get My Hands on but Still Haven’t Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and The Bookish and currently hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books I Was Super Excited to Get My Hands on but Still Haven’t Read1. Wild Love by Elsie Silver2. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski3. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller4. These Bitter Blooms by Emma Hamm5. Prom House by Chelsea Mueller6. The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber7. the rest of this series by Emma Hamm8. The Inadequate Heir by Danielle L. Jensen9. Only If You’re Lucky by Stacey Willingham10. In These Hallowed Halls Anthology

What books were you excited to get but still haven’t read yet? A lot of these are because I don’t feel in the mood to read fantasy often. The rest? Well I have no excuse for those