Welcome and introductions

[Hannah]

Welcome to the Gothicked discussion board.

Introduce yourself here and tell us why you're a gothic novel fan.

[Danielle The Book Huntress]

Hi, I'm Danielle. I haven't read much gothic romance, but I enjoy classic/modern gothic fiction. I'm eager to get some recommendations.

[Lisa]

Hi, Danielle. We have a bunch of books on the bookshelf, so perhaps you will find one that looks good to try out. :)

[Pamela(AllHoney)]

Hi, I'm Pamela and I was winged on gothic romance. I can't remember the name but the very first book I ever picked up outside of school was a gothic romance.

[Hannah]

Hi Danielle and Pamela, and welcome :)

Gothics were huge during my teen years in the 1970's (much like paranormals are today). I think the first ones I read were from the gothic powerhouses like Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt.

Like Lisa said, we've started a bookshelf of some of our favorites. I look forward to getting some good recs. from everyone!

Enjoy~

[Pamela(AllHoney)]

I read a bunch of Phyllis A Whitney and Victoria Holt but never read Mary Stewart for some reason. Most of what I read were small paperbacks but I don't remember who put them out. I probably read at least a hundred.

[Laura]

thanks for the invitation Hannah!!!

[Lisa]

Hi, Laura and Pamela. :) Glad you're here...

[Diane]

Hi all: I have always loved reading, my favorite is mysteries. But I remember well Mary Stewart and Phyllis Whitney, as well as Victoria Holt being the first mysteries I read as a young girl.

[Hannah]

Laura wrote: "thanks for the invitation Hannah!!!"


Dear Laura!!
I actually think Lisa must have invited you, but I'm glad you're here :)

[Hannah]

Diane wrote: "Hi all: I have always loved reading, my favorite is mysteries. But I remember well Mary Stewart and Phyllis Whitney, as well as Victoria Holt being the first mysteries I read as a young girl."

Welcome Diane :)
I'll bet a good number of us read Victoria Holt back in the day. Some of hers have stood the test of time IMO. On the Night of the Seventh Moon comes to mind.

[Hannah]

Pamela(AllHoney) wrote: "I read a bunch of Phyllis A Whitney and Victoria Holt but never read Mary Stewart for some reason..."

I think Mary Stewart is the Queen of gothic/romantic suspense. Check her out if you get a chance, Pamela, and see what you think. Some of her better ones are:




haha, so I listed quite a few, but she's good!

[Jaimey]

Hannah wrote: "I'll bet a good number of us read Victoria Holt back in the day. Some of hers have stood the test of time IMO. On the Night of the Seventh Moon comes to mind."

On the Night of the Seventh Moon is my favorite Victoria Holt novel! The Spring of the Tiger is a close second.

Two other Gothics I love are The Pride of the Trevallions by Carola Salisbury and Moonraker's Bride by Madeleine Brent.

I love the old Zebra Gothic line from years ago too.

Oh, I'm Jaimey, by the way. I grew up on Gothic romances, thanx to my mother. :o)

[Pamela(AllHoney)]

thanks for the recommends and I will keep my eyes out for those ones.

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~*]

Hi Hannah & Lisa..didnt know you were starting this group..looks good..hope you dont mind I came over without an invite..looking forward to reading & sharing these great gothic romances with others.

[Lisa]

Hi, Jaimey. Glad you're here. :) I might have to check out 'Moonraker's Bride.' I tried one Brent, I think, but it wasn't that one.

[Lisa]

Hi, Sandi, I hope a lot of folks find us without an invite! :) Glad you are here... and I think we chatted on the blog, too. It's nice to have a group that likes these novels.

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~*]

Yes we did & I love your blog! great info..& pictures!
I hope to find more great reads from there..Ive been checking in to see whats new!

[Laura]

and what about Dame du Maurier books? My favorite book by her? It's hard to decide but The King's General is one of them. What about you?

[Lisa]

'Rebecca' and 'The House on the Strand' are my favorites by her. I also like 'Don't Look Now,' the story made into a movie.

[Hannah]

Jaimey wrote: "Hannah wrote: "I'll bet a good number of us read Victoria Holt back in the day. Some of hers have stood the test of time IMO. On the Night of the Seventh Moon comes to mind."

[book:On the Night of..."

Hi Jaimey, and welcome! You and I have the same 2 picks for Victoria Holt! When I first read The Spring of the Tiger the twist at the end was a shock to me. Very good gothic.

I need to find Moonrakers Bride, I don't remember reading that one.

[Hannah]

Sandi wrote: "Hi Hannah & Lisa..didnt know you were starting this group..looks good..hope you dont mind I came over without an invite..."

Welcome Sandi! I'm glad you found the group. Lisa does have a great blog site, and she's posted some good, well thought out reviews (so much so that my TBR pile is in danger of collapse...)

[Hannah]

Laura wrote: "and what about Dame du Maurier books? My favorite book by her? It's hard to decide but The King's General is one of them. What about you?"

Have you read all of duMaurier's books now, Laura? I've only read 5 or 6 so far. Isn't The King's General set during the English Civil War at the real life house called "Mennibilly" (aka "Manderley" from Rebecca fame)?

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~*]

Thanks Hannah...what..you dont have a "gothic-romance shelf" by itself? than it looks smaller & more to get!:)

[Hannah]

Sandi wrote: "Thanks Hannah...what..you dont have a "gothic-romance shelf" by itself? than it looks smaller & more to get!:)"

You're right Sandi. When I initially set up my shelves back in 2009, I mixed gothics and mysteries together and I really should have seperated them. I might do that one of these days. Also, I know I've read many more gothics then I've listed, but I can't remember them all since I didn't keep as many when I was younger and now they're not as easy to find!

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~*]

Dosent that make you so mad!? Ive done the same thing..and when you try to find them to re-read..the sellers are asking $$$$..I could kick myself on some I let go :(

[Laura]

Hannah wrote: "Laura wrote: "and what about Dame du Maurier books? My favorite book by her? It's hard to decide but The King's General is one of them. What about you?"

Have you read all of duMaurier's books no..."

Hannah, I read Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, My Cousin Rachel (great book), Frenchman's Creek, The House on the Strand, Don't Look Now, The King's General, The Glass-Blowers, The Flight of the Falcon, The Parasites, The Birds, Castle D'or. Still to read: The Spacegoat, Hungry Hill and Rule Britannia.

[Laura]

and yes, The King's General was the first of du Maurier's novels to be written at Menabilly, the model for Manderley in Rebecca.

[Carol]

Hi and thanks to Hannah for mentioning this group.

I have read loads of Mary Stewart novels, Victoria Holt, no Phyllis Whitney yet, but I will start looking for hers! I also enjoy Susanna Kearsley (who has a distinct feel fo Mary Stewart).

The Victoria Holt novel that most stands out for me as Gothic is The Shivering Sands, Mary Stewart would have to be My brother Michael and hmm, nearly all of hers really!

Look forward to seeing what others recommend. BTW, agree about Madeleine Brent's Moonrakers Bride, and others by the same author - my all time favourite being Merlin's Keep.

[Hannah]

Sandi wrote: "Dosent that make you so mad!? Ive done the same thing..and when you try to find them to re-read..the sellers are asking $$$$..I could kick myself on some I let go :("

You're so right. It's very frustrating re-buying used books at higher prices then you originally paid for them back in the day.

[Hannah]

Laura wrote: "Hannah, I read Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, My Cousin Rachel (great book), Frenchman's Creek, The House on the Strand, Don't Look Now, The King's General, The Glass-Blowers, The Flight of the Falcon, The Parasites, The Birds, Castle D'or. Still to read: The Spacegoat, Hungry Hill and Rule Britannia..."

Wow, Laura, you have been on a roll with duMaurier. You've only got 3 left? I really need to get cracking with reading more of hers. I do love her writing style.

[Hannah]

Carol wrote: "Hi and thanks to Hannah for mentioning this group.

I have read loads of Mary Stewart novels, Victoria Holt, no Phyllis Whitney yet, but I will start looking for hers! I also enjoy Susanna Kearsl..."

Glad to see you here, Carol! Since you and Jaimey have both rec'd Moonraker's Bride I think that one is going to be the next one I try and get off Paperbackswap.

[Jaimey]

So many of you recommend Mary Stewart that I grabbed a few from my mom when I was at her house today. The only Stewart I've read is one of her Merlin novels and I liked that, so I imagine I'll like her other novels just as much.

I have a question. Is it OK if we start author specific threads for discussion purposes? :o)

[Lisa]

Jaimey, I think that's a great idea! Thread away. :) Hope you enjoy the novels you picked up.

[Ann]

Hi my name is Annie. I started reading gothic in high school (a very long time ago) Phyllis A. Whitney and Victoria Holt were my favorites!

[Lisa]

Hi, Annie. :) So glad you are here. I am rereading a bunch of Whitney's novels and am really enjoying them! Victoria Holt is proving more of a challenge for me the second time around. I really liked her back in high school some seventeen years ago, but I'm not sure about now...

http://gothicked.blogspot.com

[Ann]

well I'm not going to say how long it has been since I was in high school lol..... I don't know if I would love them as much now as I did then, so I will just keep the memories of them being my favorite authors when I was young.

I have never read Mary Stewart so I'm going to give her a try.

[Stacie]

Hello, I am Stacie. I read all kinds of things and like a classic gothic novel by Bronte or by another favorite author Barbara Michaels.

I am looking forward to perusing the bookshelves!

[Lisa]

Hi, Stacie. Glad you're here! Barbara Michaels is probably my favorite author of all of my favorites. ;)

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears]

Hi all!

I've been reading gothic novels for decades. I was happy when Zebra brought them back for a while and I've been trying to slowly rebuild my collection.

I love Jill Tattersall, Anya Seton and Victoria Holt, but also less well-known favorites like Rae Foley and Norah Lofts. I miss that creaking house and spooky atmosphere.

Of course the claasic gothic writers like Shelley, Bronte and Radcliffe are on my keeper shelf.

[Lisa]

Hi, Vixenne. Cool! Which Zebra Gothics did you read (if you remember)? Are they by the old favorite authors?

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears]

Lisa wrote: "Hi, Vixenne. Cool! Which Zebra Gothics did you read (if you remember)? Are they by the old favorite authors?"

I read a few of Clara Wemberley's gothics and they were quite good. I'd love if someone had a list or something.

[Lisa]

It seems hard to find those lists by publisher. You might do a google search for Zebra Gothics and poke around. They do sound good. :)

[Christina]

Hello.

I'm thrilled to have found this group! I'm new to Goodreads, too, and am still figuring out how it works.

I look forward to getting to know you all, and to sharing ideas and recommendations. I love reading book reviews, even when I have little interest in a book. :) Yes, I'm odd.

I'm 37, and have loved gothics since I was about ten, when Velda Johnston's "Light in the Swamp" fell into my hands. I went on to Victoria Holt and V.C. Andrews obsession as a teenager; (I still think My Sweet Audrina and Garden of Shadows are excellent gothics, Garden, because it is a bit reminiscent of "Rebecca," though clearly not as well written.) I have only stumbled upon gothics intermittently since, but decided to delve into them again, last year.

My preference is for stories set in the 1910s and before; somehow, a spooky house is just that much spookier and inviting by gaslight or candlelight, and with perhaps the hint of ghostly activity, real or imagined doesn't matter. I'd be especially grateful for book suggestions.

Sarah Waters's "Affinity" is the best book I've read in the last year! I'd say it counts as a gothic. If I could have a dozen more of them, I'd be contented for life. :)

Also, I've recently read Greygallows by Barbara Michaels (promising beginning, but kind of fizzled...or maybe my mind wandered. I may reread it.), and have discovered Dorothy Eden. The
Storington Papers was terrific, for being a bit shocking and unpredictable!

Currently, I am trying to read Phyllis Whitney, but am having trouble maintaining interest.

I also have Anna Gilbert on my list to search out. Has anyone read any of hers?

[Lisa]

Hi, Christina!

I have read two by Gilbert. I really liked one and not the other. And I love some of Velda Johnston's books. One of my favorite gothics by her is The White Pavilion.

Michaels is my favorite gothic/ghostie novelist. I, too, sometimes have a hard time getting into Phyllis Whitney's later works. Try her earlier ones like 'Sea Jade' or 'The Winter People.' I also highly recommend Monica Heath, Caroline Llewellyn, Susanna Kearsley, and others...

If you haven't seen it, check out the gothicked blog. There are lots of reviews, and you are sure to find some new favorites there. We also have contests, etc...

http://gothicked.blogspot.com

Best,
Lisa

[CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph]

Christina, Sea Jade is one of my favorite Whitney books too. I also liked Window on the Square and Hunter's Green, although it's been years since I've read any of them. some of her stuff really is not very good.

[Louiz]

Hello Everyone,

I'm really pleased to find this group, I love gothic fiction, and am currently working my way through my Barbara Michaels collection (and adding them as I go to my Goodreads books).

I've been reading gothic type stuff since I was in my early teens, starting with Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt.

I tend not to post a lot, and lurk instead. I'm most likely to be reading all the recommended authors I've not seen before!

Louiz.

[ToniS]

Hi. I'm Toni. I'm slowly working my way through Mary Stewart books. I've also read a lot of Daphne du Maurier and I love Sarah Waters. I'm lukewarm on Kate Morton. I'm always looking for a new author along the gothic suspense lines, so I'll be looking at the book list to see what looks good.

[Jill]

I have read three of Sarah Waters. She's excellent.

[Deidre]

I'm so glad to have found a group of people who love Gothic novels as much as I do! :)