Oct 2023 Reporting Thread - Haunted!

[Janice, Moderator]

October marks my favourite holiday of the year - Halloween.

This is the month to read something scary - or not. The attached list is 15 haunted places in the world to visit. Copy and paste the last into https://www.random.org/lists/

Hit "randomize" and the top site is the one you get to visit. Go to https://www.celebritycruises.com/blog... and follow the link for your site. Pick anything, scary or not, from your site and read a book based on it.

1: The Whaley House in San Diego, California
2: Alcatraz in San Francisco, California
3: New Orleans, Louisiana
4: The Unitarian Graveyard in Charleston, South Carolina
5: Bar Harbor, Maine
6: Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina
7: The Eden Brown Estate in St. Kitts
8: Rose Hall Plantation in Montego Bay, Jamaica
9: Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City, Canada
10: Dublin, Ireland
11: Mystery Island, Vanuatu
12: The Wall of Tears in Isabel Island, Galapagos
13: Voergaard Castle in Denmark
14: The Paris Catacombs in Paris, France
15: Bedlam Point in Sydney, Australia

General Rules:

1. The book may be in any format - paperback, ebook, audiobook.
2. The book may be combined with the Year Long Challenge and the Group Themed Read.
3. The book must be started and read between Oct 1 - 31, 2023 (based on your local time zone).
4. The challenge is for one book. You may read more books if you chose but you may only report one.
5. The book must be 175 pages or more determined by the issue you read.

In the case of ebooks & audiobooks, the ebook edition must be at least 250 pages and the audiobook must be a minimum of 6 hours long.

When you report your book, please state the site you visited, what inspired you, and which book was the result. Also tell us a bit about how you felt about the book.

[Marnie]

WoF Marnie

I visited the The Wall of Tears in the Galapagos. It was made of volcanic rock and housed several criminals.

I read Starter Villain and gave it 5 stars. The beginning of the book was hilarious and I enjoyed the implausible craziness of the villain world. Bonus points for cats and dolphins.

There is also a volcanic lair which is my link for the Wall of Tears.

[Anna]

Wof Anna M

The Wall of Tears, Galapagos. The Wall of Tears is a barrier made by forced labour using convict work who were housed in Galapagos. A lot of people died while building this wall.

I read How I Survived a Chinese "Reeducation" Camp: A Uyghur Woman's Story it's about Uyghur genocide in China and how Mrs Haitiwaji spend 3 years in re education camp. It was a horrifying and tragic account of a genocide that is still ongoing.

Connection: people lives are destroyed.

[Trudy]

WoF TrudyAn

The randomizer had me visit Bedlam Point in Sydney, Australia, where the first psychiatric hospital, Gladesville Mental Hospital in Bedlam Point operated from 1838 to 1997. Conditions were abhorrent; over 1200 bodies were found buried in a mass grave under the hospital.

I read Madwoman by Louisa Treger.

Connection: The novel is based upon the true story of Nellie Bly, a woman journalist who, in 1887, feigned insanity in order be committed to a New York asylum for the insane. Her purpose was to uncover the truth about the poor treatment of inmates.

The book described abysmal asylum conditions that other writers have also written about. Bly's reporting directly resulted in increased funding and improved living conditions for the women in the asylum.

[Janice, Moderator]

WoF Janice

I got Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Napoleon's granddaughter, Isabel Walewski Colonna.

The book I read was Vampires of El Norte. The connection to the site was that the author's first name was also Isabel. (Isabel Cañas).

I was disappointed with the book. I was expecting a horror story about vampires, instead it was a bodace ripping romance, full of unrequited love. There were vampires, but their presence was more of a backdrop. - 2 stars.

[Silver]

WoF Silver

I visited Voergaard Castle in Denmark. One of the things which really stuck out to me about Voergaard is that it was believed the owner of the castle was a witch whom did some pretty malevolent things.

I chose to read White Is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi

The connection is the book is about generation of women who are magically bound to a house and torment other residents or guests of the house.

I loved the book. It was written in such a haunting lyrical prose. It was also a very unique and original story. I loved some of the African and Caribbean folklore woven into the story. It also had some delightfully chilling moments. It wasn’t really scary pre-sea but it had a nice eerie atmosphere.

[Katrisa]

Janice wrote: "WoF Janice

I got Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Napoleon's granddaughter, Isabel Walewski Colonna.

The book I read was Vampires of El Norte. The connection to the s..."

Ya I was also disappointed in this one. I gave it 3 stars but it was rounded up. The Hacienda was better.

[Katrisa]

I got 12: The Wall of Tears in Isabel Island, Galapagos and chose to read Vampires of El Norte. My connection is that the author is Isabel Cañas (Isabel Isalnd)

I was really excited for this one because I liked her last book quite a bit, but this one had very little vampire and too much romance. :(

[Jayme, Moderator]

WoF Jayme

I got Rose Hall Plantation in Montego Bay, Jamaica and read Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
The Rose Hall Plantation is haunted by Annie Palmer known as The White Witch. My connection is the book I read is about a secret coven of witches (put in place by Queen Elizabeth I) who work with the British government to keep Great Britain safe.

I liked this book. The world building was detailed and the premise was interesting. There were some wobbly moments in the story, but this has the makings of being a good trilogy. I will read the second book because the cliff hanger had my jaw dropping - third book has not been written yet.

[Sharon]

WoFSharonBiskit

My site was Bedlam Point in South Australia.

I chose Shore Lodge, Susan Specht Oram as my book. A recently widowed mother is sent here to recover from her grief only to find out that her son has committed her. It is not a simple retreat, but a psychiatric hospital. She is mistreated, restrained, put in solitary, drugged and observed. What really set the tone for me was how family members, especially sons, brothers, and husbands could have their female relatives committed in order to have them out of the way (and reaping financial rewards.) This happened with frequency in Bedlam and it hit a note in Shore Lodge. It was a chilling book that had me reading it all in one setting.

[Ayacchi]

WoF Aya

I got Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City, Canada, where the 17th-century governor of New France, Louis de Buade de Frontenac, died there before marrying his fiancée and spends the evenings looking for her in the halls of the hotel.

I read At Bertram's Hotel. The story set in a hotel and someone died there.

I have to say that this is the least enjoyable Miss Marple's book I've ever read. I feel like the story goes in circle without anything strong enough to hold. Such a pity since I just said not long ago that I like Miss Marple's series than Poirot's.

[Nistha]

WoF Nix

I went to The Unitarian Graveyard in Charleston, South Carolina.

I read The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix which is set in South Carolina.

I really enjoyed this one, a perfect read for the Halloween season. The book is witty and represents a unique bond between the group of friends and how they unite against evil. I listened to the audiobook and will highly recommend it. I was so frustrated with all the men in the book haha and shows how much homemakers have to put up with.

[Kristie, Moderator]

WoF: Kristie

I got The Unitarian Graveyard in Charleston, South Carolina.

I read Nora Goes Off Script. The author's name is Annabel. My inspiration was this quote from the Graveyard's page:

"Many believe the apparition is the spirit of Anna Ravenel, the woman who is said to have inspired Edgar Allen Poe’s heartbreaking last poem, “Annabel Lee,”..."

I enjoyed the story. It was a little too much insta-love for my taste and there was a bit of a lag in the pacing during the second half, but overall I thought it was fun and easy to read. I like the way the female MC is a Hallmark-type movie romance writer and she says that they are all formulaic and you can plug in characters, situations etc, then she compares what is happening to her in the book to one of her movies. It sort of pokes fun at the story a bit, so it doesn't take itself too seriously.

[Lynn]

WoF: Lynn

I got The Whaley House in San Diego, California

I read The Hollow Places

Whaley house is now a museum, the main character in Hollow Places goes to work and live above a museum.

One of the less successful T Kingfishers for me. I didn't gel with the tone of the writing vs the situation that the characters were in. It did improve the further we went into the story, but not enough.

I do love her writing and her ideas. This was definitely an interesting concept that did keep me intrigued but I never really got attached to the characters, and I found the explanation of the other world unsatisfying in the end.

It was overall entertaining but not a Kingfisher I would recommend. 3 Stars

[Kristie, Moderator]

Lynn! You changed your picture! I am on the app and saw a different pic claiming the WoF name Lynn and was just about to explain how it works and that that name was already taken. Lol Love your pic!

[Sandra, Moderator]

WoF: Sandra from PA

I got Rose Hall Plantation in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and read Jamaica Inn, which although is not set in Jamaica, it has Jamaica in the title. I also think Daphne du Maurier is a good pick for October.

I liked the book and gave it 3.5 stars. I didn't find it as atmospheric as other books by the author, but her writing style is so good. She can transport one anywhere she decides to. Jamaica Inn was such a somber, scary place, as rose Hall Plantation was. One was haunted and the other haunting.

[Grainne]

WoF Grainne

When I gave the randomizer a spin I drew The Eden Brown Estate in St. Kitts.

The Eden Brown Estate is supposedly haunted by Julia Huggins who is the daughter of a wealthy businessman. Her groom was killed near her wedding day and she never married.

I read The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown.

The family name of the estate is The Eden Brown Estate and the family name of the author is also Brown.

[Janice, Moderator]

Badges have been posted. You know where to find me if I need to make a correction.