Friday Face Off : Clinging and invasive
1 June 2018
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Books by Proxy, Friday Face off, Susan Hill, The Woman in Black
Here we are again with the Friday Face Off meme created by Books by Proxy . This is a great opportunity to feature some of your favourite book covers. The rules are fairly simple each week, following a predetermined theme (list below) choose a book, compare a couple of the different covers available for that particular book and choose your favourite. Future week’s themes are listed below – the list has been updated to help out those of you who like to plan ahead – if you have a cover in mind that you’re really wanting to share then feel free to leave a comment about a future suggested theme. This week’s theme:
Clinging and invasive – a cover featuring creeping vines
Hopefully everyone found this week a little easier. I had a few in mind for this but went with Susan Hill’s Woman in Black. A very atmospheric read indeed:
Again, there were a lot of covers for my book this week. I like a couple of these but my favourite is:
Next week – a cover featuring a stormy sky
Future themes: (if you’re struggling with any of these themes then use a ‘freebie’ of one of your favourite covers)
8th June – Raining Cats and Dogs – a cover featuring a stormy sky
15th June – Live in the saddle. Die on the hog – a cover featuring riders
22nd June -‘Murder most foul, as in the best it is’ – a cover featuring a murder scene
29th June – ‘Lips as red as the rose’ – a cover that is predominantly red
6th July – ‘The north wind doth blow, and we shall have snow, ‘ – a cover that is windswept
13th July –‘There’s more of gravy than of grave about you’ – a cover featuring a ghost or spectre
20th July -‘In winter with warm tears I’ll melt the snow’ – A cover featuring icicles or snow
27th July – “I saw huge buildings rise up faint and fair, and pass like dreams.” – a cover that is steampunk
3rd August – “Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars.” – a cover featuring a starry sky
10th August – ‘…Christine, who have torn off my mask and who therefore can never leave me again! – A cover with a mask
17th August – ‘Knock, knock… ‘who’s there?’ – A cover featuring a door ajar or closed
24th August – ‘To be a legend, you’ve either got to be dead, or excessively old!’ – A cover with a title featuring the word ‘legend’
31st August – ‘“Come buy our orchard fruits, Come buy, come buy’ – A cover featuring a goblin or dwarves
7th September – ‘Mirror, Mirror on the wall – A cover featuring a queen
14th September – “He had killed man, the noblest game of all, and he had killed in the face of the law of club and fang.” – A cover featuring a wolf or wolves
21st September – ‘I wandered lonely as a cloud’ – a cover featuring clouds
28th September – Eyes wide shut – a cover featuring eyes
5th October – “He sounded like a man who had slept well and didn’t owe too much money.” – A cover that is ‘noir’
12th October – “The impossible could not have happened, therefore the impossible must be possible in spite of appearances.” – A cover for a mystery novel
19th October -“If I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear!” – A horror cover
26th October – Trick or treat – A halloween inspired cover
2nd November – ‘Remember, remember the fifth of November,’ – A cover inspired by Bonfire Night
9th November – ‘All right! They’re spiders from Mars! You happy?’ – A cover feturing a critter of the eight legged variety
16th November – There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.’ – A scary cover
23rd November – ‘The child is in love with a human. And not just any human. A prince!’ – A cover featuring a mermaid/man
30th November – “..the children of the night. What music they make!” – a cover with a vampire
7th December – ‘I am Aragorn son of Arathorn; and if by life or death I can save you, I will.’ – A cover featuring a hero
14th December -“Heavy is the head that wears the crown” – A cover featuring a crown
21st December – ‘ho, ho, ho’ – A seasonal cover
28th December – A freebie – choose one of your favourite titles and compare the covers
2019
4th January – A cover that is fresh – New beginnings for a New Year
11th January – ‘I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king’ – A cover that depicts a novel set in the Tudor period
18th January – A cover featuring an Amulet – either in the cover or title
25th January – ‘Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.’ – A cover featuring a monk/priest/person of the cloth
1st February – A comedy cover
8th February – ‘Hi little cub. Oh no, don’t be ssscared.’ – A cover with snakes
15th February – A heart – for Valentine’s day past
22nd February – “Woe, destruction, ruin, and decay; the worst is death and death will have his day.” – A cover with abandoned building/s
1st March – ‘who will buy this wonderful morning’ – A cover featuring a shop or market
8th March – ‘Two little fishes and a momma fishy too’ – A cover featuring a fish/fishes or other sea creatures
15th March – ‘Beware the moon, lads.’ – A cover with a shapeshifter
22nd March – ‘A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse’ – A cover featuring a king
29th March – “I thought unicorns were more . . . Fluffy.” – A cover featuring a unicorn
5th April – ‘nomad is an island’ – A cover featuring a desert landscape
12th April – ‘Odin, Odin, send the wind to turn the tide – A cover featuring a longboat
19th april – ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times – A cover featuring a school
The Small Hand by Susan Hill
17 August 2011
Filed under Book Reviews, Challenges for 2011
Tags: Susan Hill, The Small Hand
Just finished reading The Small Hand by Susan Hill. The Small Hand is the story of Adam Snow. Adam deals in valuable antique books which he acquires for his wealthy clients. One day, after spending time with one of his clients he decides to take a short cut on his way back home and becomes hopelessly lost on the twisty country roads. He eventually comes to a track leading to a house and decides to try and find somebody who can give him directions. What he actually finds is a desolated and derelict house with an overgrown garden. Whilst standing looking into the garden he feels a small hand take hold of his. Oddly, he feels no fear but is strangely comforted. He returns to his car and manages to find his way home. However, all though this may seem like a benign incident he soon starts to experience other strange occurences.
I enjoy reading Susan Hill. Her writing just seems to flow and appears effortless. I thought this was a good read and beautifully packaged as well (definitely the sort of book that you actually want to own the book – and not the Kindle version). Maybe not particularly chilling and perhaps (and this probably seems like a contradiction given the actual size of the book – which is easily readable in one sitting) stretched out in parts. I don’t mean that to be overly critical because it is very easy to read and I would actually probably read it again – maybe in winter time which might add to the atmosphere.
I thought Adam was a good character on the whole, although I don’t suppose we found out too much about him – other than he has a brother of course – but, he is likable on the whole (even if a little similar to the storyteller in the Woman in Black). I think, on reflection, I may have enjoyed this book if I hadn’t read the Woman in Black first as the WiB is by far the superior novel of the two and probably gave me expectations of something a bit more chilling. Probably if I hadn’t started to read the story with this sort of expectation I would have found it a bit more scary.
As it is, I would recommend this but with the proviso that you understand this probably won’t give you nightmares (if that’s what you’re looking for), it may give you a couple of ‘hair standing up on the back of the neck moments’ but not too much more in that department. However, I enjoyed it and would recommend just for Susan Hill’s writing style.
Rating B
The Small Hand
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
20 February 2011
Filed under Book Reviews, Challenges for 2011
Tags: Susan Hill, The Woman in Black
The Woman in Black is a ghost story told by Arthur Kipps. The story begins in a traditional way with Arthur’s family gathered round the fire on Christmas Eve and telling ghost stories. Arthur, who has real experience of ghosts undertakes to commit his story to paper. His story begins when he is a young and ambitious solicitor, keen to progress and impress both his boss and girlfriend. He is given an assignment to close the estate of a client who has just passed away and so travels to the east coast of the country (I must say that Arthur did put me in mind of Jonathon Harker from Dracula).
The client concerned is one Alice Drablow who lived a secluded existence at Eel Marsh house, arrived at by a causeway and surrounded not only by marshes and quicksand but also suspicion and fear. The story really begins when Arthur notices a lonely woman, dressed in black, at Alice’s funeral – the only other person there. The villagers refuse to speak of this woman let alone acknowledge any sightings of her and will have no dealings at all with Eel Marsh House. Refusing to give in to superstition Arthur is determined to complete his task and decides to spend time at the house.
The story is of course filled to the brim with your classic ghost story pre-requisites. A spooky and remote house, full of dark furniture and long corridors, a small village of frightened and superstitious people, changable weather, rolling mists, moonlit nights and slowly creeping feelings of dread.
I enjoyed reading this book, it’s only short, but I think that worked in it’s favour. The chilly feeling slowly builds until the last few chapters where Arthur spends time alone (although he has his feisty little companion Spider to forewarn him of any ghostly appearances!). Some of the night scenes are quite chilling in fact although overall I won’t say I found this book frightening. What I really appreciated was the writing style. The book actually reads like an old fashion gothic novel which I think is a real accomplishment given that it was in fact written in the 80s.
I would recommend this book if you fancy a bit of a spooky story on a dark night. It’s a subtle and old fashioned type of read however and won’t appeal to everyone. There are no dreadful and evil monsters or spectacular gore fests. The success of the book lies mainly in the brooding and myserious atmosphere which the author manages to create where eventually you almost find yourself holding your breath and listening out for noises yourself.
Rating B+
The Woman in Black
Books and travelling with Lynn 