The Whispered Tales of Graves Grove -Multiple authors

Edited by J.S. Baily and Kelsey Keating

Description
Nestled within the folds of the Canadian Rockies, Graves Grove probably isn’t the picturesque place you’d like to stay for long. Peculiar things happen here. The citizens seem normal superficially—they function well enough. But each one is deeply disturbed, wrapped in secrets and neuroses which drive them to strange behaviors.
And then there are all the missing children. And why is everyone afraid of that sycamore tree?
The Whispered Tales of Graves Grove is an anthology of stories taking place throughout the history of this mysterious town, from its founding to its future. Read them…if you dare.

 A themed anthology about a small Canadian town and the odd, and sometimes horrifying events that transpire there.

 

As soon as I saw the cover I knew this book would be coming on vacation with me. That old tree could not be a more perfect representative for this anthology, That sycamore is featured throughout the stories and is practically one of the main characters. All the tales take place in Graves Grove, a picturesque town with a dark past and a pervasive evil that still thrives to this day. One of my favorite characters who pops up in multiple stories is Copper the town stray dog. He belongs to everyone and to no one, and has a secret of his own much like the other residents. You will meet ghosts and demons, witches and trapped souls in Grave's Grove. Most of the stories are quite dark and eerie but one in particular was rather humorous. There is a bronze statue in the town square that somehow changes it's clothes on a daily basis. The townspeople are quite used to this. In one amusing story we learn how this came to be, and it was one of my absolute favorites in the whole collection.
4 out of 5 stars.
I received a complimentary copy for review.

 

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J. S. Bailey enjoys writing eerie tales of the supernatural that keep readers on the edges of their seats. She has published six novels and twenty-one short stories, with more on the way. Bailey is fond of long walks in the woods, British television, and lots of burritos. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband and cats.

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What a way to end a vacation

This is a picture of Isaiah, the tow truck driver who ended up bringing us home. I took it from inside his truck. (Yes I asked him if it was ok)What a way to end a vacation. We were all packed up and hit the road early enough that I expected to be home in time for lunch. Unfortunately that means we skipped breakfast. We were about an hour from home when the car just totally lost power. The day before it had lost the AC and the light just kept blinking, but that did not seem like a big deal at the time, until we got stuck inside a boiling hot car and the poor cat was with us in her carrier. My husband called Triple A and was assured  they would get to us in less than an hour. We found some shade to wait in, but it was a very scary street and a person came up to us and either tried to sell us drugs or asked us to sell him drugs I am not even sure because he was clearly already on something.

When an hour passed and no truck came, my husband called Triple A again and it was as if they totally forgot about us and had not sent anyone for us. This time they said it would be less than 20 minutes. I had to lie and say the cat threw up from the heat. Honestly I was more worried about her in that cramped carrier than about myself but at least she had gotten breakfast. Finally Isaiah arrived to rescue us. By the time we got home it was 3 pm and we had not a bite to eat all day and not a speck of food except cat food in the house. We were able to borrow a car and go grocery shopping and when we sat down to our first meal of the day it was about 6pm.

I was very happy to see multiple packages of books waiting for me, but honestly after this ordeal and needing to unpack and do laundry I have only begun to open my mail this morning.
If I have accepted a review request from you please understand that I may be a bit late. I will get to it as soon as possible.

On Vacation, See You Soon!

I didn't want you to think I've abandoned you. I will be away from the computer for 2 weeks with my husband at the lake house. I'll still be reading, especially considering we are expecting on and off thunderstorms, but I won't be able to post reviews until we return on July 27. This is our gorgeous view and my cozy reading spot. I'm looking forward to relaxing here but there is no internet and I am just not going to try to post reviews from my phone.
My current read is "The Whispered Tales of Graves Grove." https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36406228-the-whispered-tales-of-graves-grove  
It will be my first review when I return.
 I'm also bringing an advance copy of "Violet" by Scott Thomas.
Be good! I'll miss you!

We Live Inside Your Eyes by Kealan Patrick Burke

In the ruins of an old parking garage, there is an effigy lashed to a pillar. To anyone else, the remains of the woman with the goat skull head is a warning. To a lonely young boy looking for escape, it is a god of salvation. At its feet lay tattered old notebooks, scattered stories, tales of strange encounters, of broken people and monstrous things, and of corrupt hearts and evil minds. In order to complete his transfiguration, the boy must read these stories, but he has no idea the fate that awaits him.

WE LIVE INSIDE YOUR EYES is the much anticipated new collection from Bram Stoker Award-winning horror author Kealan Patrick Burke, featuring previously uncollected stories and two brand new tales written especially for this collection, the short story "You Have Nothing to Fear From Me", and the novelette "The House on Abigail Lane." With an introduction and story notes by the author.

A creepy collection of tales from one of my favorite horror authors. I had previously read The Mannequin Challenge when it appeared in  Halloween Carnival 4. It was one of the best stories in that anthology and it was enjoyable to revisit it here, My favorites in this collection were You Have Nothing To Fear From Me in which a lonely middle aged woman finally finds the perfect date, and Wicked Thirst, which  is a disturbing tale about an alcoholic who has given up on sobriety and is instead accepting himself the way he is. The longer story The House on Abigail Lane was also quite eerie and is of course about a particularly creepy house where people seem to disappear into thin air.
A solid 4 out of 5 stars from me.


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About the author
Born and raised in a small harbor town in the south of Ireland, Kealan Patrick Burke knew from a very early age that he was going to be a horror writer. The combination of an ancient locale, a horror-loving mother, and a family full of storytellers, made it inevitable that he would end up telling stories for a living. Since those formative years, he has written five novels, over a hundred short stories, six collections, and edited four acclaimed anthologies. In 2004, he was honored with the Bram Stoker Award for his novella The Turtle Boy.

Kealan has worked as a waiter, a drama teacher, a mapmaker, a security guard, an assembly-line worker at Apple Computers, a salesman (for a day), a bartender, landscape gardener, vocalist in a grunge band, curriculum content editor, fiction editor at Gothic.net, and, most recently, a fraud investigator.

When not writing, Kealan designs book covers through his company Elderlemon Design.

A movie based on his short story "Peekers" is currently in development as a major motion picture.

Represented by Merrilee Heifetz at Writers House Agency.

The Sisters of Summit Avenue by Lynn Cullen

From Lynn Cullen, the bestselling author of Mrs. Poe and Twain’s End, comes a powerful novel set in the Midwest during the Great Depression, about two sisters bound together by love, duty, and pain.

Ruth has been single-handedly raising four young daughters and running her family’s Indiana farm for eight long years, ever since her husband, John, fell into a comatose state, infected by the infamous “sleeping sickness” devastating families across the country. If only she could trade places with her older sister, June, who is the envy of everyone she meets: blonde and beautiful, married to a wealthy doctor, living in a mansion in St. Paul. And June has a coveted job, too, as one of “the Bettys,” the perky recipe developers who populate General Mills’ famous Betty Crocker test kitchens. But these gilded trappings hide sorrows: she has borne no children. And the man she used to love more than anything belongs to Ruth.

When the two sisters reluctantly reunite after a long estrangement, June’s bitterness about her sister’s betrayal sets into motion a confrontation that’s been years in the making. And their mother, Dorothy, who’s brought the two of them together, has her own dark secrets, which might blow up the fragile peace she hopes to restore between her daughters.

An emotional journey of redemption, inner strength, and the ties that bind families together, for better or worse, The Sisters of Summit Avenue is a heartfelt love letter to mothers, daughters, and sisters everywhere.


I'm not going to go into the plot too much since everything you need to know is in the description. This was a stunning work of historical fiction and not just because it was set during my favorite time period. The writing is so evocative without being overly emotional or turning into a sob story. What you do need to know in case you aren't already aware is that the "sleeping sickness" was a real epidemic in those days and it truly did sicken people all over the world. No cause has ever been found. Encephalitis Lethargic was the medical term for this illness that remains a mystery to this day. I believe that at least half of the people who contracted it died. I don't want to give the impression that this story is only about illness. Marriage, and playing the hand you've been dealt in life are huge elements of this book. The bigger picture is about the two sisters, and their love for each other above all petty resentments, and their relationship with their mother "Odd Dorothy" as she had been known in the town where they grew up. Dorothy and her husband Bud "Rowdy Dowdy" are significant characters as well even if they mostly shine from the background.
I loved this book!
5 out of 5 stars

I received an advance copy for review

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Doggem by John F. Leonard

"Sentience? I’m just a throwaway toy, an inanimate object. How can I have thought and emotion? Opinion and experience? I’d shrug my shoulders if I could. The world is brimful of mystery."

All the kids adore Doggem, the class cuddly toy.
They each get to take him home. Hug him and love him and show him their world outside of school.
All they have to do in return is write his diary.
It’s George Gould’s turn and he’s going to introduce Doggem to a rather unusual family.
Before we go any further, it’s worth pointing out that both the stuffed toy and little boy are far from ordinary.
Doggem is no longer your run-of-the-mill snuggle doggy. Designed to fall apart after a few years. Perfect for squishing and squashing into a comfort blanket.
He’s a million miles from that now. Doggem has just become a living creature. Thinking and reasoning. Trying to make sense of an unexpected existence.
Strange places and scary experiences are in store during this sojourn with his latest custodian. Things no respectable fluffy dog should ever have to witness. It might end up in deadly territory.
Make no mistake, there is magic here. Some of it as black as a starless night.
And George?
Well, George is descended from decidedly dicey stock. There are folk in delightful George’s lineage who have indulged in practices of a somewhat shadowy nature. The ramifications of which aren’t ready to be consigned to history. They want to spill out of the past and have their say in the future...

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It's been 20 years since I was the parent of a kindergartener, but I still remember my son coming home with a stuffed toy and a note from the teacher telling me it was our turn to host said toy for the weekend, and to record in it's diary the events of our time together. I don't remember what we shared with the class but I do remember keeping quiet about our cat dragging it to the litter box in an attempt to bury it or maybe murder it. Perhaps the cat sensed something? In this short story Doggem goes home with a very special boy. George is to host Doggem for the entire 6 week school break. This is more than enough time for Doggem to become privy to dark family secrets that even little George has yet to discover.
Is there such a category as whimsical horror? If not, I think the author has invented it. This was an enjoyable read that would have fit in perfectly as an episode of Amazing Stories or Tales from The Darkside.

I received a complimentary copy for review.


About the author
John was born in England and grew up in the midlands where he learned to love the sound of scrapyard dogs and the rattle and clank of passing trains. He studied English, Art and History and has, at different times, been a sculptor, odd-job man and office worker. He enjoys horror and comedy (not necessarily together). Married with two astonishing children, he now lives a few miles from the old Victorian house in which he was born. Scribbling scary stories seems to keep him vaguely sane. 

Curse of the Dead-Eyed Doll Thomas Kingsley Troupe

Alejandro Padilla isn't superstitious and he doesn't believe the stories that an old sailor doll in a Key West, Florida, museum is haunted. Robert the Doll might look creepy, but that doesn't mean the doll is cursed. So Al ignores the tour guide's warning to ask Robert's permission before taking the doll's photograph. But it isn't long after Al's field trip to the museum that strange things start happening. Al is quick to dismiss the odd occurrences as coincidence and bad luck . . . that is until they become more frequent and more sinister. Is the doll tormenting Al? And if so, what will Al have to do to get him to stop?

Every state has its own spine-tingling stories of ghosts and mysterious hauntings grounded in its regional history. The Haunted States of America series uses real-life ghost lore as jumping-off points to new, chilling tales. An author’s note provides historical origins and fascinating facts, but beware: sometimes real life is stranger than fiction.

Age Range: 9 - 12 years

Grade Level: 4 - 6

Available for pre-order

In this spine tingling *but not too scary for kids* tale, 13 year old Al is having a run of bad luck and suffering some spooky consequences after a school trip to the museum where he disrespected a cursed doll. At first he assumes it's mere coincidence, but as things begin to escalate and his friends start to blame the curse, Al can't help but wonder if Robert the doll is out to get him. Is the fear all in his mind or is the curse for real?
The fact that there really is a Robert doll added to the creepiness of the story and it was a plus for me that there is an underlying theme for kids that it never hurts to be polite.

I received an advance copy for review.

Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood

From the author of Rust & Stardust comes this heartbreaking story, inspired by true events, of how far one mother must go to protect her daughter.

Dover, Massachusetts, 1969. Ginny Richardson's heart was torn open when her baby girl, Lucy, born with Down Syndrome, was taken from her. Under pressure from his powerful family, her husband, Ab, sent Lucy away to Willowridge, a special school for the “feeble-minded." Ab tried to convince Ginny it was for the best. That they should grieve for their daughter as though she were dead. That they should try to move on.

But two years later, when Ginny's best friend, Marsha, shows her a series of articles exposing Willowridge as a hell-on-earth--its squalid hallways filled with neglected children--she knows she can't leave her daughter there. With Ginny's six-year-old son in tow, Ginny and Marsha drive to the school to see Lucy for themselves. What they find sets their course on a heart-racing journey across state lines—turning Ginny into a fugitive.

For the first time, Ginny must test her own strength and face the world head-on as she fights Ab and his domineering father for the right to keep Lucy. Racing from Massachusetts to the beaches of Atlantic City, through the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia to a roadside mermaid show in Florida, Keeping Lucy is a searing portrait of just how far a mother’s love can take her.

 

 

Though a work of fiction, this novel set in 1969 through 1972 reminded me of the real life Willowbrook "school" that many people of my generation will recall seeing Geraldo Rivera breach with a stolen key and a camera in tow, showing the world the horrors inside. If you are too young to know what I'm talking about you really should look it up, and I believe there is also a documentary available streaming on Prime.

When Ginny, a not so happy housewife gives birth to Lucy, a baby girl with Down Syndrome it becomes painfully clear that there are three people in her marriage, herself, her husband and his father. The baby is whisked away on her father-in-law's say so and her husband insists it's all for the best. At first her husband claims they can't visit their daughter for 30 days. Eventually it becomes apparent that they are not to visit at all. He even has the audacity to suggest they have another baby as if Lucy was just a pair of defective shoes they could so easily exchange. When Ginny discovers this so called school is really a dumping ground where the disabled are neglected abused and uncared for, she takes matters into her own hands, defying her husband who is too weak to stand up to his father and learning that she is much stronger than she ever knew.

4 out of 5 stars

I received an advance copy for review.

 

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About the author

T. Greenwood is the author of twelve novels. She has received grants from the Sherwood Anderson Foundation, the Christopher Isherwood Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and, most recently, the Maryland State Arts Council. She has won three San Diego Book Awards. Five of her novels have been BookSense76/IndieBound picks. BODIES OF WATER was finalist for a Lambda Foundation award. Her twelfth novel, RUST & STARDUST, will be published in August 2018.

She teaches creative writing for San Diego Writer's Ink and online for The Writer's Center. She and her husband, Patrick, live in San Diego, CA with their two daughters. She is also a photographer.

More information on T. Greenwood can be found at her websites: http://www.tgreenwood.com and
http://www.ephemerafiles.com