Month: October 2024

What’s Ashley Reading?: We Used To Live Here

We Used To Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

First line: Description: Real estate listing for 3709 Heritage Lane-transcribed from the no longer operational www.seeking-home.net

Summary: Eve and Charlie cannot believe their luck when they purchase a large older home in the woods for a bargain. Everything is going smoothly as they start settling in until one day when a man with his family arrives on the porch telling Eve that the he used to live there. Rather than tell the family no, Eve invites them in to allow the man to show his family his childhood home. However, the short tour sets off a series of events that leave Eve questioning her every thought and memory.

My Thoughts: This book was recommended to me by someone who knows loves a spine-tingling story and it did not disappoint. From the very beginning, before much even happens, there is the feeling of something ominous in the lurking. Every interaction is more and more tense. This book proves that you don’t need gore or monsters to create horror.

In alternating chapters there are snippets of evidence from an investigation by an unknown character. It appears they are looking into strange happenings that may all be linked together. Each of these gives you a deeper sense of the strangeness that is taking over the house and the occupants.

As the main character, Eve continues to stay in the house things become stranger and stranger until everything comes crashing down. At the end of this book you may start to question if you understood what happened. I remember putting it down and just thinking for a moment, trying to gather my thoughts and try to put everything into place. But even now and after talking about this book with others, I still don’t know if or when things happened. Be prepared to be confused but completely taken in by this story.

I cannot wait to see what the author writes next!

FYI: Violence, language and scary scenes.

What’s Ashley Reading?: The Hitchcock Hotel

The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel

First line: The crow waits until the guilty one disappears; then he flies down the hallway.

Summary: Alfred Smettle has opened a themed hotel centered around his idol, Alfred Hitchcock and his works. On the first anniversary of the hotel’s opening he has invited his former college film club friends to enjoy his masterpiece. Having not spoken to his friends since the incident sixteen years ago, they are all surprised by his interest in them after all these years. Upon arriving they feel that something is off about the place and their host. Why are they here and what does Alfred really want from them?

My Thoughts: The cover is what drew me in at the start. It evokes some of Hitchcock’s most famous movies. I have watched several of Hitchcock’s films including Psycho, The Birds and Vertigo and enjoyed each one. They are masterpieces of the suspense genre. When reading Wrobel’s novel she includes lots of trivia about the director and his works. I have added several more titles to my watch list since reading this.

From the very beginning I could easily envision the Hitchcock Hotel. It would definitely require a certain type of clientele to stay there. As each character is introduced we learn that they are all hiding something from their past that could affect this little reunion. But unbeknownst to the guests, Alfred is planning something special for the weekend. As a reader you can feel the tensions between the friends. I could tell that the author was trying to do what Hitchcock did with his films. She layered the suspense and tensions while building the story. We know what’s coming (sort of) but the characters do not.

At the beginning it was a little slow but then as secrets are revealed and the final twist is introduced it is easy to forgive this. I did not even suspect how it was going to change at the end and really found it well done. This was a perfect read for the start of October!

Last, Current, Next: Jessie’s October Reading Shelf

Last Read :: “Anita de Monte Laughs Last” by Xóchitl González 

Format: Audiobook via Libby 

Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery 

Told from a split point-of-view from 1985 and 1998, Anita de Monte Laughs Last explores the desire to fit in a world that you don’t belong in with poetic writing that matches the art described. I will say, I feel that I would have enjoyed this more had I read a physical book instead of an audio, as the audio made it confusing to keep track of the split timeline. I took a lot into consideration while reading this, particularly the difficulties that minorities faced in both time periods that Gonzalez wrote with passion.  

Current Read :: “Daydream” by Hannah Grace 

Format: Physical 

Genre: Romance, Sports Romance, New Adult 

Daydream is the third and final installment in the Maple Hills series that follows a group of friends that play college hockey and their love interests. I have loved the Maple Hills series due to the large cast of characters and the witty banter between them. It feels like I’m a part of their friend group. Daydream is focused on Henry, the captain of the hockey team and Halle, the family chaos coordinator and aspiring author. So far, this book has kept me engaged and has showed great examples of mental health and neurodivergent characters in college while “figuring it out”.  

Next Read :: “She Gets the Girl” by Rachael Lippincott 

Format: Physical 

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, LGBTQ 

My next read is the October book pick for the Wine and YA book club. My first experience with Lippincott’s work was Five Feet Apart which I absolutely loved. I loved how realistic the characters were written and I’m looking forward to see how character driven She Gets the Girl is in comparison. She Gets the Girl is said to be an enemies-to-lovers, dual point-of-view, with lots of banter written by Lippincott and her wife. Online reviews are likening this read to a teenage rom-com movie with a 90’s vibe, but with LGBTQ representation. 

What books are on your Last, Current, Next?