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Stream of Consciousness #2
30 Days Stream of Consciousness: A Haunting
Stream of consciousness refers to the practice of writing down ideas as they come into your head. The conventions of grammar and appropriateness of language is usually ignored when using this literary technique. For those of you who cringe at the misplaced metaphor, or the comma splice, or the occasionally correctly spelled wrong word so frequently seen in this day of spell-check reliability, don’t worry there are a lot more things in here to worry about. Concern yourself with the things that go bump in the night. The unexplained. The unexplainable.
A word of caution to the easily offended: some of the word choice used by the voices may not be acceptable in mixed company. When you deal with fears like these it is important to allow the voice freedom.
A word of caution to the easily offended: some of the word choice used by the voices may not be acceptable in mixed company. When you deal with fears like these it is important to allow the voice freedom.
97 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 19, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 26, 2016
This was an interesting read. I usually don’t like the stream of conscious-style writing, but it definitely works for this book.
Though it is set in the current day, Lucinda takes time to build up the setting for the story with a couple of quick sketches right up front. Then, as the story moves along, adds new details to the world she is painting to bring it to life. Though the story is centered on one setting, there are a couple of others that aren’t as developed – a line here, a phrase there to anchor the story in the world. Reading this felt like I was looking at a classical painting – the focused detail in the center of the piece, and as the picture moved towards the edges of the canvas, the piece became more abstract. This is not an approach I have seen used before, but it suited the piece so well I didn’t notice until after I finished that the places mentioned outside of the main setting weren’t fleshed out.
The character development happens more through how the first person narrator is reflected in the support characters, rather than from watching the changes happen. I’m not exactly sure if the character develops, or fractures, to be honest. But, there are definitely some noticeable changes by the time you get to the last page. And, it makes for a fun trip through the pages.
The pacing of the story is an interesting mix of fast and middling. There’s no sense of anything being rushed, nor is there anywhere that events feel like they are lagging. Each chapter has it’s own internal pacing, as well as the overall story being told. I think this is what contributes to the final mix, and what enables the narrative to have such a wide swing in the ebb and flow for the pace.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable read. Normally I have trouble getting “lost” in shorter works, and this one had me from the first paragraph. A solid five out of five stars for me. And, with the content of the story, even my pukah helpers agree it was good. Will be interesting to see what else Lucinda comes up with.
Though it is set in the current day, Lucinda takes time to build up the setting for the story with a couple of quick sketches right up front. Then, as the story moves along, adds new details to the world she is painting to bring it to life. Though the story is centered on one setting, there are a couple of others that aren’t as developed – a line here, a phrase there to anchor the story in the world. Reading this felt like I was looking at a classical painting – the focused detail in the center of the piece, and as the picture moved towards the edges of the canvas, the piece became more abstract. This is not an approach I have seen used before, but it suited the piece so well I didn’t notice until after I finished that the places mentioned outside of the main setting weren’t fleshed out.
The character development happens more through how the first person narrator is reflected in the support characters, rather than from watching the changes happen. I’m not exactly sure if the character develops, or fractures, to be honest. But, there are definitely some noticeable changes by the time you get to the last page. And, it makes for a fun trip through the pages.
The pacing of the story is an interesting mix of fast and middling. There’s no sense of anything being rushed, nor is there anywhere that events feel like they are lagging. Each chapter has it’s own internal pacing, as well as the overall story being told. I think this is what contributes to the final mix, and what enables the narrative to have such a wide swing in the ebb and flow for the pace.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable read. Normally I have trouble getting “lost” in shorter works, and this one had me from the first paragraph. A solid five out of five stars for me. And, with the content of the story, even my pukah helpers agree it was good. Will be interesting to see what else Lucinda comes up with.
May 22, 2016
This was, for a weekend read, one of the most eerie and compelling books I’ve ever bought.
It’s short, yet the tension ratchets up so slowly and carefully that you will find yourself literally on the edge of your seat. Never mind the lack of “professional editing” – this is a taut, well-written and fascinating tale of a haunting – deeply disturbing yet somehow, great fun.
It’s short, yet the tension ratchets up so slowly and carefully that you will find yourself literally on the edge of your seat. Never mind the lack of “professional editing” – this is a taut, well-written and fascinating tale of a haunting – deeply disturbing yet somehow, great fun.
April 16, 2018
To be fair, this read is a little outside my usual genre, HOWEVER, I've read plenty outside my genre and loved them. This review is HONEST. Whether you, the reader, find it helpful or not is up to you: You've got to give the book a chance and judge it in your own way.
30 days isn't a terrible book. NOT BY ALL MEANS. The writing is great. The story however just wasn't interesting to me. It almost read like a journal in a way. TO AVOID SPOILING: I will not go into much detail.
The beginning had a boring start. The character (she was so uninspiring, that I didn't even care to catch her name. I could be even using the wrong gender for all I know.) was moving into a creepy house.. Zzzz. Yah, hadn't seen that one like a million times.
As the story progress, a few things started happening. A lot of it was left to interpretation. And the ending was meh. -_- There were noticible tense problems but actually they weren't that big of a deal. I've seen industry giants do it all the time. Yes James Patterson, You.
That aside,
The book isn't bad. But 30 days of living in an haunted house and things happening all felt cliche'd. My mother loves horror. So growing up, I've seen almost everything. This review may seem a bit unfair.. But the author's ability is supposed to make it stand out from the rest.
In a way, it does. But for me specifically, it didn't quite reach the money.
A great book but lacks the glue to stick to me.
30 days isn't a terrible book. NOT BY ALL MEANS. The writing is great. The story however just wasn't interesting to me. It almost read like a journal in a way. TO AVOID SPOILING: I will not go into much detail.
The beginning had a boring start. The character (she was so uninspiring, that I didn't even care to catch her name. I could be even using the wrong gender for all I know.) was moving into a creepy house.. Zzzz. Yah, hadn't seen that one like a million times.
As the story progress, a few things started happening. A lot of it was left to interpretation. And the ending was meh. -_- There were noticible tense problems but actually they weren't that big of a deal. I've seen industry giants do it all the time. Yes James Patterson, You.
That aside,
The book isn't bad. But 30 days of living in an haunted house and things happening all felt cliche'd. My mother loves horror. So growing up, I've seen almost everything. This review may seem a bit unfair.. But the author's ability is supposed to make it stand out from the rest.
In a way, it does. But for me specifically, it didn't quite reach the money.
A great book but lacks the glue to stick to me.
May 22, 2016
A bit of Twilight Zone for your day
I don't usually read paranormal or horror-type stories so I stepped outside my norm for this. It was a quick jaunt through thirty days, learning about the main character, the house, and the goings-on. Some things are left to interpretation but that also gives you something to talk about.
The few things I didn't love related to the main character. He seemed a bit dim witted, which is OK of itself, but for someone with a philosophy degree, he was entirely reactionary and repetitive and not thoughtful at all. Some aspects of how he interacted with others and things he wanted and expected from others made him seem, to me, as if he was more likely a high school or college dropout. So, I considered him as such and enjoyed the story more.
There were some typographical errors and issues with the timeline that distracted me. I understand the stream of consciousness aspect of the story, but these were not those kinds of issues. Most readers would probably read over them and focus on the heart of the tale instead.
With all that said, I did find this interesting and I have some friends who would enjoy it. As I said in the heading, it's got a Twilight Zone feel and if that's your kind of thing, then grab this.
I don't usually read paranormal or horror-type stories so I stepped outside my norm for this. It was a quick jaunt through thirty days, learning about the main character, the house, and the goings-on. Some things are left to interpretation but that also gives you something to talk about.
The few things I didn't love related to the main character. He seemed a bit dim witted, which is OK of itself, but for someone with a philosophy degree, he was entirely reactionary and repetitive and not thoughtful at all. Some aspects of how he interacted with others and things he wanted and expected from others made him seem, to me, as if he was more likely a high school or college dropout. So, I considered him as such and enjoyed the story more.
There were some typographical errors and issues with the timeline that distracted me. I understand the stream of consciousness aspect of the story, but these were not those kinds of issues. Most readers would probably read over them and focus on the heart of the tale instead.
With all that said, I did find this interesting and I have some friends who would enjoy it. As I said in the heading, it's got a Twilight Zone feel and if that's your kind of thing, then grab this.
May 24, 2016
Ms. Moebius has written quite a fascinating ghost story from the perspective of someone who will choose to ascribe events to anything *but* paranormal activity.
While the book is in first person, that doesn't prevent the reader from having the feeling of watching a horror movie and wanting very much to yell at the protagonist and throw popcorn, while at the same time never being 100% certain who or what is haunting the house. Being able to 'see' the story unfold from behind the protagonist's eyes gives the story a very immediate and compelling feel, and allows Ms. Moebius to bring a great deal of solid characterization to him, while leaving the other characters a bit mysterious in their motives & leaving us to wonder just what else he's missing that's right in front of his face.
As an editor, I will admit that I read with a very critical eye and I did find a few small errors - two or three words missing, two or three homonyms - but nothing significant, and on the whole the book is quite well written. The plot is well done and paced in an ever-tightening gyre which admirably adds to the atmosphere of suspense, particularly aided by the 'ticking clock' of the 30 days.
In conclusion, I would recommend this book for those in search of a good case of the heebie-jeebs.
While the book is in first person, that doesn't prevent the reader from having the feeling of watching a horror movie and wanting very much to yell at the protagonist and throw popcorn, while at the same time never being 100% certain who or what is haunting the house. Being able to 'see' the story unfold from behind the protagonist's eyes gives the story a very immediate and compelling feel, and allows Ms. Moebius to bring a great deal of solid characterization to him, while leaving the other characters a bit mysterious in their motives & leaving us to wonder just what else he's missing that's right in front of his face.
As an editor, I will admit that I read with a very critical eye and I did find a few small errors - two or three words missing, two or three homonyms - but nothing significant, and on the whole the book is quite well written. The plot is well done and paced in an ever-tightening gyre which admirably adds to the atmosphere of suspense, particularly aided by the 'ticking clock' of the 30 days.
In conclusion, I would recommend this book for those in search of a good case of the heebie-jeebs.
May 26, 2016
30 Days Stream of Consciousness: A Haunting is the second book in a three book series (at least, so far) by L.E. Moebius. This is a novella length story written in first person stream-of consciousness style to tell the story of paranormal activities in the house the main character currently inhabits.
The premise of the story is this is a 'haunted house' that the main character's friend bought at auction. The man can live there for 30 days rent-free if he helps with repairs. He agrees even though he knows that there have been rumors about the place for years.
The story starts out fairly normally with just a few odd happenstances, missing keys, objects moved, and so on. The episodes of strange behaviors start to escalate as the days go on. He adopts a kitten that he finds and the cat starts to manifest peculiar habits. And the 30 days continue with odder and odder happenings.
There is a lot of things left to the imagination in the story and that helps in a way. I'm not especially fond of this style of writing, but it worked in this setting and made for an interesting read. If you like Twilight Zone type stories, then this one is for you.
The premise of the story is this is a 'haunted house' that the main character's friend bought at auction. The man can live there for 30 days rent-free if he helps with repairs. He agrees even though he knows that there have been rumors about the place for years.
The story starts out fairly normally with just a few odd happenstances, missing keys, objects moved, and so on. The episodes of strange behaviors start to escalate as the days go on. He adopts a kitten that he finds and the cat starts to manifest peculiar habits. And the 30 days continue with odder and odder happenings.
There is a lot of things left to the imagination in the story and that helps in a way. I'm not especially fond of this style of writing, but it worked in this setting and made for an interesting read. If you like Twilight Zone type stories, then this one is for you.
May 22, 2016
The stream of consciousness style works will for this kind of story. The slight mistrust of the first-person narrator helps build a sense of foreboding. The idea that anything can happen.
I was immediately hooked by the setup, then drawn in further by the kitten and the mysterious Claire. The twists and turns in the plot as the sad and terrible history of the house is revealed kept me reading solidly until the end. I enjoyed the little hint of romance at the end with the ‘choice’.
While the ending wraps up the main plot line, it left me with many questions around the edges. Was there a connection between the Walters family and Claire? Was the mom alive by the end of the story? However, that’s to be expected with this stream of consciousness style writing (we were warned :) ) I’m sure it will spawn many lively discussions as different readers come away with different impressions.
I was immediately hooked by the setup, then drawn in further by the kitten and the mysterious Claire. The twists and turns in the plot as the sad and terrible history of the house is revealed kept me reading solidly until the end. I enjoyed the little hint of romance at the end with the ‘choice’.
While the ending wraps up the main plot line, it left me with many questions around the edges. Was there a connection between the Walters family and Claire? Was the mom alive by the end of the story? However, that’s to be expected with this stream of consciousness style writing (we were warned :) ) I’m sure it will spawn many lively discussions as different readers come away with different impressions.
February 12, 2017
This is the first stream of consciousness book I have read and I found the style quite interesting. I love paranormal stories and the book itself captured my attention and kept me reading. The main character was blisssfully ignorant to the events happening around him and I found it endearing how he continually explained everything away. I did not expect the ending and it left me with some questions, but I felt it was intended to allow the reader their own interpretations. Overall it was an enjoyable read.
May 30, 2016
Fifteen years ago, I worked at a biotech company in an old warehouse in a low rent part of town. Around the corner from that warehouse was an old dilapidated house with an overgrown yard, hidden sheds, and a population of cats. Every day I walked or biked to work and passed that house and peeked over the waist-high fence. I sometimes wondered what was back there. L.E. Moebius has an idea.
This book is not my usual type of reading, but it fits with my goal of reading more indie, self-published, and small press authors this year. It was quick and enjoyable, light (in a good way) in spite of the ghoulish subject matter. It felt appropriate reading for a long weekend that traditionally heralds the beginning of summer. I could imagine being scared by this story over a summer campfire.
The narrative voice mostly worked for me, carrying me along with the story and making me want to read more, something that ghost stories don't always do. I also found that the 30-day countdown mostly worked, adding tension until the foreshadowing and the final denouement. In both cases, however, I felt the book could have used more editing. Some of the days seemed like filler to get to 30, and they could have been made more different from each other. Also, if I were the author, I would lose the "30 Days Stream of Consciousness" part of the title and just call it "A Haunting." I believe this book is part of a series, all written in this style. If so and that is important to convey, perhaps refer to it in a subtitle. The current title is clunky and confusing.
I don't believe in ghosts either, so I initially found the narrator's skepticism charming and relatable, but by about day 20 it started to grate. It stopped seeming plausible that he would continue to blame the work crews for things that didn't make any sense, and that he would keep buying Claire's increasingly unbelievable stories. I found myself hoping for a kind of "Ghostbusters" sensibility in which I could gleefully suspend disbelief while the narrator confronted ectoplasm, slime, and villainy head-on, with gusto, but that didn't happen either. Instead the story uncomfortably straddled the line between a sad, horrific, tragedy of inhumanity that you might read about in the newspaper, and the narrator's almost breezy cluelessness.
I liked the supporting characters, especially the cats. And I didn't even end up feeling that bad for the narrator at the end, because he seemed to have gotten what he wanted and was apparently still around in some way to tell us about it. But I'm still not going to buy that house!
This book is not my usual type of reading, but it fits with my goal of reading more indie, self-published, and small press authors this year. It was quick and enjoyable, light (in a good way) in spite of the ghoulish subject matter. It felt appropriate reading for a long weekend that traditionally heralds the beginning of summer. I could imagine being scared by this story over a summer campfire.
The narrative voice mostly worked for me, carrying me along with the story and making me want to read more, something that ghost stories don't always do. I also found that the 30-day countdown mostly worked, adding tension until the foreshadowing and the final denouement. In both cases, however, I felt the book could have used more editing. Some of the days seemed like filler to get to 30, and they could have been made more different from each other. Also, if I were the author, I would lose the "30 Days Stream of Consciousness" part of the title and just call it "A Haunting." I believe this book is part of a series, all written in this style. If so and that is important to convey, perhaps refer to it in a subtitle. The current title is clunky and confusing.
I don't believe in ghosts either, so I initially found the narrator's skepticism charming and relatable, but by about day 20 it started to grate. It stopped seeming plausible that he would continue to blame the work crews for things that didn't make any sense, and that he would keep buying Claire's increasingly unbelievable stories. I found myself hoping for a kind of "Ghostbusters" sensibility in which I could gleefully suspend disbelief while the narrator confronted ectoplasm, slime, and villainy head-on, with gusto, but that didn't happen either. Instead the story uncomfortably straddled the line between a sad, horrific, tragedy of inhumanity that you might read about in the newspaper, and the narrator's almost breezy cluelessness.
I liked the supporting characters, especially the cats. And I didn't even end up feeling that bad for the narrator at the end, because he seemed to have gotten what he wanted and was apparently still around in some way to tell us about it. But I'm still not going to buy that house!
May 28, 2016
I do not normally read horror, ghost, spirit type books and had never read anything in the stream of consciousness style. However, this one seemed to have an interesting premise, so I picked it up. I will say that I appreciate the author giving a heads up about the style right up front. Had she not done that, this book would be getting a one star. Once I read her explanation at the beginning I was able to let go of the errors and just read the story with an open mind.
The story takes place almost entirely in an old abandoned house. The single character had grown up next to the house and was familiar with the area and some of the back story on the dwelling. He moves in to help a friend and it all gets odd from there.
I liked the device the author used to convey the story through only one point of view. However, the character has a degree in Philosophy, but has no common sense at all, making him not very compelling. However, there is mention of something in his recent past that could have caused him to have less than critical thinking skills, so again I was able to overlook this flaw. The "writing in my diary" style was interesting. My attention was kept firmly in that first person narrow viewpoint and it tied all the events together in a way that got me in the character's head.
The book could use a good proofreading and editing. If leaving the manuscript completely as is with no revisions is how "stream of consciousness" is done, then I will likely not read this type of book again. The warning at the beginning of the book helped, but some of the misspellings, completely missed words and an odd capital letter in the middle of a word were just things that could have been fixed easily with a single read through. Had those been cleaned up a bit, they would not have been as distracting as I read the story.
My final disappointment with the book was the ending. I've never liked the kind of ending that leaves you hanging without really knowing what happened and this book did not change my mind on that. There were so many tantalizing little tidbits and hints that I eagerly kept reading to find out more about them, alas I was disappointed.
The story takes place almost entirely in an old abandoned house. The single character had grown up next to the house and was familiar with the area and some of the back story on the dwelling. He moves in to help a friend and it all gets odd from there.
I liked the device the author used to convey the story through only one point of view. However, the character has a degree in Philosophy, but has no common sense at all, making him not very compelling. However, there is mention of something in his recent past that could have caused him to have less than critical thinking skills, so again I was able to overlook this flaw. The "writing in my diary" style was interesting. My attention was kept firmly in that first person narrow viewpoint and it tied all the events together in a way that got me in the character's head.
The book could use a good proofreading and editing. If leaving the manuscript completely as is with no revisions is how "stream of consciousness" is done, then I will likely not read this type of book again. The warning at the beginning of the book helped, but some of the misspellings, completely missed words and an odd capital letter in the middle of a word were just things that could have been fixed easily with a single read through. Had those been cleaned up a bit, they would not have been as distracting as I read the story.
My final disappointment with the book was the ending. I've never liked the kind of ending that leaves you hanging without really knowing what happened and this book did not change my mind on that. There were so many tantalizing little tidbits and hints that I eagerly kept reading to find out more about them, alas I was disappointed.
May 30, 2016
I admit I have a bias for polished writing. Stream-of-consciousness is a disturbing but fresh approach. Once I began to focus on content alone, I entered the narrator’s world and stayed there, reading the story through in one sitting.
It’s a gripping story. Trying to separate fact from fantasy, free will from possession, life from death is challenging. The narrator’s deadpan reporting of even big events makes them more eerie. Always there’s the backdrop of the countdown, and growing suspense. I did not guess the ending, with its surprising twists, before I reached it. Though questions remain, I consider those part of the story’s appeal. All in all, an enjoyable read.
It’s a gripping story. Trying to separate fact from fantasy, free will from possession, life from death is challenging. The narrator’s deadpan reporting of even big events makes them more eerie. Always there’s the backdrop of the countdown, and growing suspense. I did not guess the ending, with its surprising twists, before I reached it. Though questions remain, I consider those part of the story’s appeal. All in all, an enjoyable read.
July 25, 2017
I have to say I found this haunting story rather fun. The narrator (we don't get to know his name) is such a sincere straight-man it was entirely up to my own imagination to make the story scary. Even with so much creepiness, his earnest obviousness to the goings on in the house gave me a layer of insulation from the house's terrible history and a huge amount of bravery. (I'd never go in that basement by myself.
Ever.
Ever.
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