Vampires In the Lemon and Other Stories Grove by Karen Russell

Vampires In The Lemon Grove and Other Stories by Karen Russell

Read by Arthur Morey, Joy Osmanski, Kaleo Griffith, Mark Bramhall, Michael Bybee, Romy Rosemont, and Robbie Daymond

9 hours, 15 minutes

Published February 2013 by Alfred A. Knopf

Publisher's Summary: 

In the collection's marvelous title story, two aging vampires in a sun-drenched Italian lemon grove find their hundred-year marriage tested when one of them develops a fear of flying. In "The Seagull Army Descends on Strong Beach, 1979", a dejected teenager discovers that the universe is communicating with him through talismanic objects left in a seagull's nest. "Proving Up" and "The Graveless Doll of Eric Mutis" - stories of children left to fend for themselves in dire predicaments - find Russell veering into more sinister territory, and ultimately crossing the line into full-scale horror. In "The New Veterans", a massage therapist working with a tattooed war veteran discovers she has the power to heal by manipulating the images on his body. In all, these wondrous new pieces display a young writer of superlative originality and invention coming into the full range and scale of her powers.

My Thoughts: 

Book two for Readers Imbibing Peril (R.I.P.). Yea, me; although, I must admit that this was a complete coincidence. This is one of those books that I've been wondering about for a long time (a decade, actually), but it was getting an advanced copy of Russell's latest work (The Antidote) and having a break in the audiobooks I'd requested from the library, that finally had me picking this one up. 

Maureen Corrigan (NPR) had this to say about the first story in this collection: "The title story kicks off this collection by doing the near impossible: making me care about vampires, a breed more overexposed these days than Labrador retrievers." I agree, despite my major skepticism when the story began. Poor Clyde is a vampire who can no longer transform into a bat and fly; instead he spends his days and nights sitting at a table at the back of a lemon grove, where no one except one young worker, seems to be aware of what he is. He lives for the arrival of his wife, who descends nightly from a cave on high, along with thousands of other bats. It was his wife who made him understand that they could survive without blood and the two of them discovered that lemons work as a kind of analgesic for their kind. But has their marriage reached its end? And will the reality of that cause Clyde to do the unthinkable? I liked this story much more and it set the bar high. 

Like all collections of short stories (at least in my experience), not all stories are equal. I must admit that I gave up on "The New Veterans," which felt to me like it was dragging. But both "Proving Up" and "The Graveless Doll of Eric Mutis" impressed me with their originality and twists. In "Proving Up," Russell has set her story in Nebraska (something she has repeated in The Antidote), which always makes a story more interesting to me. Each of these stories is a work of fantasy, a genre that you know I often struggle with, but here the fantasy element almost never overwhelmed the story. I mean, even a vampire just felt like a sad old man to me! 

Perhaps my favorite thing about this collection was the fact that each of the stories was read by a different reader and each felt absolutely perfectly suited to the story they read. 

I more eager than ever to get back to The Antidote and Russell's Swamplandia, which I own...somewhere (is it in print? is it on my Nook?). 

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

528 pages / 16 hours, 3 minutes

Read by Gabra Zackman

Published October 2020 by Orbit

Publisher's Summary: 

In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.

But when the Eastwood sisters―James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna―join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote―and perhaps not even to live―the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.

There's no such thing as witches. But there will be.

My Thoughts: 

The Once and Future Witches is not my usual reading fare. But my dad, in a little sleight of hand, aided and abetted by the same people he was tricking, got my sister and I to each send the other a copy. The reason for that? Well, in my family, I've been known as the Wicked Witch of the West and my sister as the Wicked Witch of the East for going on twenty years. Plus, this is a book about sisters and feminism. When my dad heard about this one, he thought it was the perfect book for the two of us to read. 

This was meant to be a read/listen combination once I discovered that it was readily available on audio from my library. But some extra time in the car and a home project that gave me plenty of time to listen caused me to end up listening to the whole book. It's a good thing I found it on audio because I'm not sure when I would have gotten to such a long book in print, but it's the perfect time of year to be reading this one.  

What I Liked About This Book: 

• I'm always happy to read a book about sisters and how life may cause them to grow apart, but the bond will never be broken. In this book, that's true even into eternity. 
• Equally, I love a book filled with strong women and this book has a lot of them. Juniper comes in hot (and mad) and remains a force to be reckoned with. Agnes has the kind of anger within her that leaves little doubt that her strength can be counted on, even when she tries to avoid it. But it's Bella, the quiet librarian, who surprises everyone with her strength and her unwillingness to stop trying when it appears all is lost.
• Harrow is an equal opportunity writer when it comes to passing out the ways of witchcraft, pulling in Native American and African American witch ways (for the most part ways that we would recognize as homeopathic and natural remedies). She even allows men the opportunity to use witchcraft. I would have liked to have seen more of these other witches. 
• I appreciated that Harrow included gay characters. It felt a little bit like they might have been included as a tool to expand the reader base but it wasn't over done. 
• Gabra Zackman's reading of the book. She did an excellent job of voicing the different characters. 

What Didn't Work For Me: 

• I was really excited to read a book about suffragettes and was looking forward to how that might work with the witchcraft. Unfortunately, the suffragettes were pushed to the side with the emphasis on wanting to bring back witching ways rather than advancing the rights of women. To be fair, the suffragette leaders in this book were the very kinds of rich, white women that themselves pushed out black women in reality and an agenda aligned with their religion. Still, if you're going to write a book with an alternate reality, you could do a lot to blend the two. 
• It's a little thing, but I wish Harrow would have landed on the way each of the sister was going to be known. Sometimes James Juniper was just that, other times she was Juniper, and still other times Juni. Agnes was nearly always Agnes, but often Agnes Amaranth. Beatrice's change made more sense; in the beginning of the book, she was almost exclusively Beatrice until she claimed her power and then she became Belle. Except when she was Beatrice Belladonna. 
• This is a really long book that I felt could easily have been cut down 100 pages as it often felt like it was repetitive and somethings were just too over the top and could have been left out. 
• The last 20-25 minutes or so of the audiobook. It just felt like the story could have been finished up in the final big "scene" with a short epilogue. 

The Once and Future Witches was named one of NPR's best books of 2020. Their reviewer absolutely loved this book. Clearly it was a book that was right up her alley. It is not, as you know if you've been around for any period of time, up my alley. Sometimes those books surprise me, sometimes they do not. And sometime, like with this one, I find enough to like about the book to enjoy the story; but not enough to make me want to rush out and pick up another book about witchcraft. 

This counts as my kickoff to Reader's Imbibing in Peril (R.I.P.) XIX with Peril of the Listen. 

Death of a Witch by M. C. Beaton

Death of a Witch: A Hamish Macbeth Mystery #24 by M. C. Beaton
Published February 2009 by Grand Central Publishing
Source: checked out from my local library

Publisher’s Summary:
Returning from a vacation, Constable Hamish Macbeth senses a dark cloud of evil hanging over his Scottish village of Lochdubh. Newcomer Catriona Beldame has cast a bewitching spell over the town, causing the local men to visit her cottage at all hours of the night and infuriating the women. Hamish suspects that she is a great danger to the town. Before he can prove that Catriona is truly wicked, she is brutally murdered-and Hamish becomes the prime suspect in the case. The constable will call upon the assistance of a pretty female forensic expert as he attempts to clear his name . . . and perhaps even find some romance. But when more violence breaks out, loyal Hamish must use all his detective skills to restore peace to his beloved village.

My Thoughts:
I have long loved Hamish Macbeth. He’s tall, clearly handsome, and smart. He’s also something of a rogue – he’s got a trail of women who can’t get over him and vice versa – and he is forever finding himself in some kind of romantic tangle. He’s also forever finding dead bodies around the sleepy little village of Lochdubh. Honestly, I can’t help but think that I would be hightailing it out of that town if I lived there and that many people were dying. But Hamish wouldn’t be Hamish if he ever took the promotion his superiors are constantly trying to give him and Lochdubh would’t be Lochdubh if the villagers acted any differently.

Still, I may be growing tired of them. Certainly after reading quite a few of the Hamish Macbeth series, each of which is meant to stand alone, I'm growing tired of being reminded about how each character fits into Hamish's life. And, to be honest, I'm growing a bit tired of Beaton's tendency to repetitiveness within a book. I didn't love this one as much as I have the other Hamish Macbeth books I've read. Although, maybe it has to do with the fact that this is the first book in the series that I've read in print, rather than listening to them with a lovely Scottish accent.

Am I finished with Macbeth? Of course not. Because I love that Macbeth's a rebel; I adore the villagers' attitude; and, for the most part, I enjoy the crime storylines. Beaton mixes in a fair bit of humor; and there's none of the gore or extreme tension that tend to turn me away from other murder mystery books. Maybe next time I'll just go back to the audiobook...a Scottish accent will make any book better, right?

I chose this book to read for the R.I.P. Challenge.

Readers Imbibing Peril (R.I.P.) 14

It's that time of year again - time for Readers Imbibing Peril, or RIP. You all know by know that I'm not a big reader of scary books and I'm not crazy wild about Halloween so it would seem odd that I do enjoy this blog world activity every year. But I always enjoy the push to read books that are out of my normal comfort zone, books, perhaps that have been languishing on my TBR for all too long (like one of last year's reads We Have Always Lived In The Castle) or even books that have been on my shelves for years.

This year my goal is simple - read a book that I have owned in excess of 40 years which I cannot remember ever having read. How is that even possible? I hauled home armloads of books from the library every chance I got growing up, was thrilled to receive books as gifts, and read the backs of cereal boxes when there was nothing else new to read. To be honest, I can't actually remember if I did read it. Maybe I did and it's left my memory. But it seems unlikely that I would have forgotten any book I'd read so completely, especially when I actually owned so few books. So, after all of that, my one goal this year is to make sure I read 50 Great Horror Stories edited by John Canning.

Now, if I get through that, it's possible, just possible, that this will be the year I finally read Dracula. But if you'd like to give me other suggestions for books I might enjoy, I'm more than happy to put that one off for another year!

Here's what you need to know about RIP if you're interested in joining us:

The purpose of the R.I.P. Challenge is to enjoy books that could be classified as:

Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.

The emphasis is never on the word challenge, instead it is about coming together as a community and embracing the autumnal mood, whether the weather is cooperative where you live or not.

The goals are simple.

1. Have fun reading.

2. Share that fun with others.

As we do each and every year, there are multiple levels of participation (Perils) that allow you to be a part of R.I.P. XIV without adding the burden of another commitment to your already busy lives. There is even a one book only option for those who feel that this sort of reading is not their cup of tea (or who have many other commitments) but want to participate all the same.

Multiple perils await you. You can participate in just one, or participate in them all.

Peril the First:

Read four books, any length, that you feel fit (our very broad definitions) of R.I.P. literature. It could be Stephen King or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Shirley Jackson or Tananarive Due…or anyone in between.

Peril the Second:

Read two books of any length that you believe fit within the challenge categories.

Peril the Third:

We all want you to participate. This Peril involves reading one book that fits within the R.I.P. definition.

Peril of the Short Story:

We are fans of short stories and our desire for them is perhaps no greater than in autumn. We see Jackson in our future for sure! You can read short stories any time during the challenge. We sometimes like to read short stories over the weekend and post about them around that time. Feel free to do this however you want, but if you review short stories on your site, please link to those reviews on our RIPXIV Book Review pages.

Peril on the Screen:

This is for those of us who like to watch suitably scary, eerie, mysterious gothic fare during this time of year. It may be something on the small screen or large. It might be a television show, like Dark Shadows, or your favorite film. If you are so inclined, please post links to any R.I.P.-related viewing you do on our book review pages as well.

Peril of the Review:

Submit a short review of any book you read and you may see it here on the blog! Again, you may participate in one or all of the various Perils. Our one demand: enjoy yourself!
The R.I.P. XIV Challenge does not require you to read from a pre-selected list of books, but like many of you we love to get ideas from what others are thinking of reading. If you want to include a pool of potential reads when you sign up, either in the comments or on your own sign up post on your social media channel of choice (not required for participation), please do!
This challenge is always a joy because of one thing: you! You sharing your passion for books, reading, films, television, etc. helps bring us together and ensures that we all have a great time. Thank each and every one of you who choose to participate on any level. We are honored that you would choose to do so.

So sign up below and join us, won’t you? It’s going to be a screaming good time.

Starts September 1st. Use the #ripxiv hashtag on all the socials.

We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson

We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson
Published 1962 by Amereon LTD
Source: bought for my Nook

Publisher's Summary:
Alone since four members of the family died of arsenic poisoning, Merricat, Constance and Julian Blackwood spend their days in happy isolation until cousin Charles appears.

My Thoughts:
How's that for a succinct review? The problem is, this summary doesn't really give you a feel for this book. How about the first paragraph instead?

"My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been for a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length but I have had to be content with what I Had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death cup mushroom. Everyone else in my family is dead."

Guys, I have no idea why I haven't read We Have Always Lived In The Castle. And now I'm kind of sad that I can never read it again for the first time. It is an amazing blend of darkness and light. Jackson toys with her readers as Merricat, and her Uncle Julian, slowly reveal the Blackwood family history. The writing is incredibly vivid - the Blackwood home, the land around it, and the nearby village itself all become characters in the book.

"All of the village was of a piece, a time, and a style; it was as though the people needed the ugliness of the village, and fed on it. The houses and the stores seem to have been set up in contemptuous haste to provide shelter for the drab and the unpleasant and the Rochester house and the Blackwood house and even the town hall and been brought here perhaps accidentally from some far lovely country where people lived with grace. Perhaps the fine houses had been captured - perhaps as punishment for the Rochesters and the Blackwood and their secret bad hearts? - and were held prisoner in the village; perhaps their slow rot was a sign of the ugliness of the villagers. The row of stores along Main Street was unchangingly grey...whatever planned to be colorful lost its heart quickly in the village."

Merricat might be called precocious; she is certainly childlike in many ways. But there is a depth and a darkness to her the kept me wondering about her throughout. She is certainly one of the most interesting characters I've read in a long time and I think she's going to stay with me quite a while. She has an innate awareness of imminent peril, a belief in unnatural powers, a deep appreciation of the land around her, a profound love for her sister, and desperate need to maintain order and ritual.

I don't often reread books (almost never, actually) but I'm seriously thinking that this book needs to be reread every year about this time. I can't read it again for the first time but I'll still be happy to pick it up and savor Jackson's story again.

Readers Imbibing Peril (R.I.P.) Thirteen

It’s that time of year again, the time when everyone gets all excited about reading scary books and watching scary movies and getting to do it as part of a huge group celebrating Readers Imbibing Peril. Also known as that time of year when Lisa thinks she will participate and immediately remembers that she doesn’t watch scary movies and even has a hard time with scary books. I’m a wimp; I’ll admit it.

Still I want to be part of the fun and this year I’ve actually got a number of books ready to go (although when I’ll start them I have no idea and R.I.P.’s already been going on since September 1). This year I’m going to really push to read three books, maybe even four, time permitting. I’ll be shooting for Peril the Second but hope to reach Peril the First for the first time ever. On my list:

Diane Setterfeld’s Bellman and Black

Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived In The Castle

Wilkie Collins’ The Woman In White

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (this will be my final read if there is time)

As for Peril the Screen, I’m in for that one as well; I just need to decide what movie to watch. I mean, technically Beetlejuice qualifies. Even better, Coco, which I haven’t seen yet. Or maybe I’ll go really old school and watch The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. Or I could watch one of the genuinely scary movies I have managed to watch (even if it was through my fingers!) again, maybe Fallen or The Others.

What about you, are you joining the fun this year? If so, what’s on your list?

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril XII

It's that time of year again - you know, the time of year when I think I'm going to read a lot of books that qualify for the Readers Imbibing Peril "challenge," and even watch some movies and read some short stories, but then I'm lucky if I finish one book. Yep, that time. Because, apparently, it's fall. Not sure how I feel about that but maybe joining in some of the fun bookish activities to be had this time of year will help me get in the spirit of things.

As it happens, I have a couple of books downloaded from Netgalley that are publishing in October and will be perfect for R.I.P.:

The Witches' Tree by M. C. Beaton is one of her Agatha Raisin series, cozy mysteries with a sassy heroine. Mary Jane's Ghost by Ted Gregory is the story of an unsolved 1948 murder and the two men who, more than 50 years later, became obsessed with solving the case. Finishing both of these books would mean that I've completed Peril the Second.

I had so much fun watching old episodes of Dark Shadows on YouTube last year (or two years ago?), that I may try to do some more of those to complete Peril of the Screen as well.

Are you participating in R.I.P.? Are you one of the people with a giant stack of books to read? I'm always fascinated by what others choose to read for this.