"Wylding Hall" by Elizabeth Hand (BR)

[Silvana]

Starts April 25th, go grab your copy!

[Meredith]

I'm in!

[Silvana]

Meredith wrote: "I'm in!"

Nice! Can't wait.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

*eye tics*
*looks at pile of books waiting to be read*
*more eye ticking*

I will be..,late. But I wanna join.

[Silvana]

I always imagine eye ticking as in the face of Master Shifu from Kungfu Panda.
https://goo.gl/images/7KXPh8

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Silvana wrote: "I always imagine eye ticking as in the face of Master Shifu from Kungfu Panda.
https://goo.gl/images/7KXPh8"

Yes! Today, that is me XD

[Silvana]

Just a friendly reminder!

I will be starting this tomorrow after The Man in the High Castle.

[Meredith]

I started reading yesterday. It started a bit slow, but picked up. I like the documentary interview style. Hand is doing a good job cutting between the different perspectives, though some of the characters are not very distinct to me in their voices.

[Silvana]

Good to know that I need to be more patient at the start, thanks.

[Silvana]

10% in and it is now... 12 AM. I need to sleep. But the book is so good!

It is one of those books that draws you straight in. The docu style is perfect.

I am listening to Velvet Underground while reading this. Joy.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

I found out that my library had this as an ebook, so I downloaded and started it today. Not very far in, but I'm also enjoying the documentary style writing.

[Meredith]

Silvana wrote: "10% in and it is now... 12 AM. I need to sleep. But the book is so good!

It is one of those books that draws you straight in. The docu style is perfect.

I am listening to Velvet Underground while..."

Oooh, good soundtrack.

[Meredith]

Getting creepy!!

[Silvana]

Ooh where are you now?
I will continue tonight. Apparently this is a short book :(

[Meredith]

Just finished chapter 9, at 50%.

[Silvana]

I finished and I am sad this is just a novella.

Wow was I scared. (view spoiler)[I did not see the photos but I could imagine it. Crazy that the group voted the one with the girl in white. (hide spoiler)]

[Mason]

Sorry, I am really slacking on this one! Was hoping to fit in between Wheel of Time books but of course, that didn't happen. Will be jumping on it next.

[Silvana]

No worries, Mason.
Colleen has just started as well.

[Tina]

I got this book in one of those humble bundle book deals, I had pretty much no idea what it’s about. I started reading it last night when I saw there was a thread for it. I’m about 10% in.

The documentary style is pretty neat, it feels like one of those VH1 specials. I love how the characters already have their own versions of events.

[Silvana]

Hey I also got it from that Humble Bundle deal. This book is one of the very few I have read from that bunch. I think there is another Elizabeth Hand's book in there, Blacklight.

[Meredith]

Finished. I liked it. I liked the interview style and the different perspectives on events. I liked the setting of the British folk musical scene. I think I wanted a bit more creepy spooky stuff though, since those bits were so effective. I wouldn't have heard about this book without this GR group and the buddy read thread, so thanks everyone!

[Silvana]

I also want more of those creepy stuff. What do you think happened with Julian? (view spoiler)[dead or became a ghost since Jonno saw him? (hide spoiler)]

[Meredith]

(view spoiler)[ I thought he was taken. He might have wanted to go, but I don't think the girl had good intentions. I wonder about the blood spots that Lesley found in Julian's room. Why didn't the police make more of a deal over them? (hide spoiler)]

[Tina]

Silvana wrote: "Hey I also got it from that Humble Bundle deal. This book is one of the very few I have read from that bunch. I think there is another Elizabeth Hand's book in there, Blacklight."

Yeah, three of her books were in that bundle, the other one is Saffron and Brimstone. I got it mainly for the Octavia Butler books (totally great) so discovering a new author is a total bonus.

I'm just past the 50% mark on this one. Aiming to finish it today or tomorrow.

I don't read much creepy/spooky stuff, but I'm really liking this one. (view spoiler)[ I thought the scene where they walked up on the Barrow and had a magical view was described beautifully, it was just the right amount of weird and wonderful. I also really love the creepy library at the top of the impossible stairs, creepy libraries are the best libraries. (hide spoiler)]

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

I'm something like 83% in. Should finish up today.

I'm not finding it super spooky, aside from a few moments. I think that while the interview style works for the story in general, it kind of hampers those moments for me a little bit.

It's spookier for me if someone is living an experience than if they're recalling it years later.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

Finished this last night. Pretty decent story. Giving it a 3- maybe 3.5.

I do think the descriptions of the barrow and the library and stuff were cool, but I think it could've been explored a bit more, too. I like the sort of reveal at the end about the (view spoiler)[grave (hide spoiler)] found on site.

I'm wondering what the girl was supposed to be, though. I mean, (view spoiler)[ghost seems obvious, but there was all that stuff about how thing she was and the feather's on her feet and the connection to the Wren and the story about the mermaid, so was she meant to be some sort of bird-girl spirit? Or a girl that had been sacrificed in the past, as part of the wren stuff? (hide spoiler)]. Though I suppose the ambiguity is part of the point, since everyone has their own theories.

As for Julian, I definitely think (view spoiler)[she took him. He seemed willing to go, tbh, even if he had to die for it. Though he definitely seemed under a thrall, so not quite copus mentis. (hide spoiler)]

[Silvana]

colleen the convivial curmudgeon wrote: "Finished this last night. Pretty decent story. Giving it a 3- maybe 3.5.

I do think the descriptions of the barrow and the library and stuff were cool, but I think it could've been explored a bit..."

I think the interpretation is definitely up to the reader.

My biggest question is about the locals, they clearly knew what's going on but why (view spoiler)[they did not want to tell anything (a usual trope). Do they think the girl will hurt them? If yes then why? Is the band not the first who encountered similar fate in Wylding Hall? (hide spoiler)]

[Meredith]

I feel like the locals (view spoiler)[ were your typical locals, suspicious of outsiders, etc., but for a real reason - they knew something and they were definitely not happy to have the band there and Julian poking around in the woods. I wonder what was the thing Julian did that was the reason he was taken. Reading the old books, using them in his songs, climbing the mysterious barrow? (hide spoiler)]

[Anna]

I forgot we had a BR of this, thanks GR book page for reminding me!

I don't have much to say, but I listened to this today and it was great! I really enjoyed the audio, it fit very well with the interview style. So just popping in to recommend the audio if someone is thinking of reading this.

I'm thinking of reading Waking the Moon, has anyone read it, is it as good as this one? I understand that the style will be different, but I was very positively surprised by my first Elizabeth Hand, so I want to try something else. Winterlong is the other option, but I'm not very into the (view spoiler)[ rapes (hide spoiler)] mentioned in some of the reviews.

[Silvana]

Great that you are liking it, Anna.

I do want to read more from the author sometime in second half of next year since I have copies of Blacklight and Safrron & Brimstone. Also, reading the reviews of Waking the Moon, which sounds like an interesting, lush story, kind of made me want to avoid reading it tbh, as many pointed out stuff that would bother me.

[Anna]

Hmm, I didn't look at the reviews for Waking the Moon, I'll take a look!

edit: OK, looks like it has sexytimes, might not be my thing. Maybe I'll have to look into her other works.

[Silvana]

My biggest concerns are that it looks like it has a strange notion of evil patriarchy and more evil matriarchy as well as an MC with lack of agency. However many also enjoyed it for the mythical stuff and her writing.

[Anna]

I honestly just went for the one I've heard most about, makes sense to look into all the option and choose something that actually sounds good to me.

[Meredith]

It's been a while since I read Waking the Moon and I didn't care for it that much. As I recall, the second half was better than the first half, but not enough to make up for it. Silvana's comment above also is fairly accurate.

I did like Wylding Hall.

[Silvana]

Meredith wrote: "It's been a while since I read Waking the Moon and I didn't care for it that much. As I recall, the second half was better than the first half, but not enough to make up for it. Silvana's comment a..."

Did you read other books from her, Meredith?

[Anna]

I'm going to leave it on my TBR and see how I feel the next time I see it there. I also just saw that her crime novel Available Dark takes place in Helsinki, and it's on Storytel, so I might have to listen to it (or the series since this is book two), even though I'm not a crime/thriller reader.

[Meredith]

Silvana wrote: "Meredith wrote: "It's been a while since I read Waking the Moon and I didn't care for it that much. As I recall, the second half was better than the first half, but not enough to make up for it. Si..."

Just the two.

[Michele]

Anna wrote: "I'm thinking of reading Waking the Moon, has anyone read it, is it as good as this one?"

I absolutely love it. It's my favorite of all her books, and a regular re-read for me :)

[Anna]

Great, maybe I'll get to it sooner than later after all!