classics

Review: Cold Moon Over Babylon by Michael McDowell

~ megs14malloy

Cold Moon Over Babylon (Valancourt 20th Century Classics)Cold Moon Over Babylon by Michael McDowell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cold Moon Over Babylon is a classic Southern Gothic tale that sets the bar high for others. I can’t tell you how many times this book has been recommended to me over the years.

I am so happy that I finally made time for it, because I absolutely adored it. It’s so good.

This story is set in the small, rural town of Babylon, Florida. We follow many folks in the town, but the main drama centers around the Larkin family after the youngest member, Margaret, disappears on her way home from town.

She was riding her bike home when she disappeared. Her grandmother and brother suspect foul play, but others aren’t immediately as alarmed as the family. The police even suggest Margaret, 14-years old, had run off with a boy.

Eventually, Margaret’s body, tied to her bicycle, is found in the local Styx River, just by the Larkin property. That puts the theories to rest. Margaret was viciously murdered.

We follow Margaret’s remaining family, her Grandmother, Evelyn, and her brother, Jerry, as they fight to find out the truth about what happened to Margaret.

This story is beautifully told. It is gripping from the start. The level of atmosphere that McDowell was able to bring to the page feels inspired. I could not only picture everything clearly in my mind, but I could feel it and smell it. It seriously moved me in so many ways.

My heart ached for the Larkin family, especially Jerry, trying to keep his Grandmother together in the face of another family tragedy.

I also thought the villain in this one was so well done. They’re a character you are going to hate. You are going to cheer for their demise. Following their perspective is like getting a front row seat in a sociopath’s mind.

Additionally, don’t even get me started on the horror imagery. Oh man, there are some creepy-ass scenes in this one. The entities haunting Babylon post-the crimes against the Larkin family. Yikes!!

One of my favorite scenes featured a character, Nathan Redfield, driving home from the liquor store and something, or someone, is after him. It was so vivid. It scared me, like legit scared. I had to turn more lights on.

I highly recommend this one. If you are a Horror fan, particularly if you enjoy Horror stories with a lush, small town feel, you have to pick this one up. I was so impressed.

Fabulously done by McDowell. I can’t wait to read more of his work. I have a feeling I will love his other novels just as much and hope to get to them soon.

RIP — Michael McDowell: June 1, 1950 – December 27, 1999.

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Re-Reading The Shining for the 4th-Time!!!

~ megs14malloy

The ShiningThe Shining by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was my 4th-time reading The Shining.

You read that correctly, the 4th-time. I’m aware rereading isn’t for everyone, but I am a huge supporter and fan of rereading, especially tried and true favorites.

I know a lot of people feel it is a waste of time, but for me, when a story is special enough to you, each time with it is like a whole new experience. That’s exactly how I feel every time I open the pages of this book.

Additionally, I feel like where I am at in my life plays a huge role in what I take out of a reading experience.

For example, the first time I read this, I was in high school. You better believe that 14-year old Meg walked away from this having picked up on different things than 44-year old Meg does, reading it now.

My experiences have shown me that rereading allows me to focus on different areas of any particular story. This time around, for me, I felt myself really drawn to the private thoughts and emotions of this cast of characters.

Jack’s experience, in particular, as he struggles with the position he finds himself in, his loitering addiction and the love for his family, hit me hard this time. Instead of seeing his horrible aspects front and center, I thought more about what was going on with him internally.

There were moments of clarity for him, when he could see beyond the fog of the hotel’s power, moments where he cherished his son and wife, but they would slip away like mist. It made my heart ache for the whole family.

This experience also reiterated for me how much I love Wendy and Hallorann. They got played dirty in the movie adaptation and we all know it. Not by the actors, the acting was fantastic, but yeah, they feel like completely different people in the book, IMO.

Again, I was beyond impressed with some of the scenes in this still having the ability to scare the shit out of me, even after all these years. The perfect example would be the first time Jack tries to trim the topiary.

That freaking scene gets my pulse racing every time!

I also felt like I paid more attention to the history of The Overlook this time through; like when Jack is looking into it. I really felt focused in those sections and loved being reminded of its intensely lurid history.

Finally, I would just give all the stars in the universe, yet again, to King’s sense of place with this one. His ability to transform a hotel into an actual character in the story is just a masterpiece. It’s basically the standard to which I compare atmosphere in all other stories.

I’m so glad I took the time to reread this. It was exactly what I needed to re-energize my reading. You better believe, this won’t be the last time either!

Earlier

Here’s the thing, July hasn’t been the best reading month for me. I’ve had a lot of 2-to-3-star books. I’m frustrated. I’m getting disgruntled and burnt out on it honestly.

I have never been in a reading slump before, but I definitely feel myself drifting into that territory…

I feel like in an effort to keep that from happening, I am going to reread one of my top-3 favorite books of all-time. If anyone can shake me out of this funk, it’s Jack Torrance. I hear the fourth times a charm!!!

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Review: They Do It with Mirrors (Miss Marple #6) by Agatha Christie

~ megs14malloy

They Do It with Mirrors (Miss Marple, #6)They Do It with Mirrors by Agatha Christie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Continuing along with my 2023-Reading Goal of reading all of the full-length novels in the Miss Marple series, in order, is the 6th-book, They Do It with Mirrors.

This is the 5th-installment that I have read. For those unaware, there is a collection of short stories that kicks off the series, which I didn’t read. I’m not crazy about mysteries in short story form, therefore, I chose to skip it.

In this one we follow Miss Marple as she travels to Stonygates, a rehabilitation center for young men with, shall we say, emotional and behavioral issues.

Caution: As this novel was penned in 1952, mental health issues are not discussed/handled as they would be in a novel of today. If you think that may be an issue for you, you might want to skip this one.

Anyway, Miss Marple goes there to visit her old school-friend, Carrie Louise, at the recommendation of another old friend, Ruth Van Rydock. Ruth believes something is going on at Stonygates that puts Carrie Louise in danger.

Mrs. Van Rydock knows if anyone is going to be able to get to the bottom of it, it’s going to be Miss Marple. And spoiler alert: she’s right.

I thought this one was a lot of fun. It is quite short, but I like the way it was laid out. Additionally, I loved that Miss Marple was in this one from the very first chapter. That is a first for the series. She generally has been coming into the narrative a bit further along.

The only reason I rated this slightly lower than the others I’ve read was mainly related to the length. I feel like just as I was starting to get connected to it, it was over.

I also felt the reveal was a little rushed. It felt sort of like, yep, it was this person. Shame, shame. Moving on. I would have enjoyed some more time at the conclusion.

With this being said, I still had a blast with this. These books have such a nostalgic and comforting feel for me. I absolutely adore them.

I’m looking forward to continuing on with the next book in the series, A Pocket Full of Rye!!!

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Review: A Murder is Announced (Miss Marple #5) by Agatha Christie

~ megs14malloy

A Murder is AnnouncedA Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

As some of you may know, one of my 2023-Reading Goals is to read all of the full-length novels in the Miss Marple series in order.

A Murder is Announced is the third novel in the series and generally considered one of the best. I had been greatly anticipating this one and had so much fun with it.

Christie’s stories are complete nostalgia for me. They’re comfort reads and this one, the classic set-up, it felt completely her.

This one is set in the village of Chipping Cleghorn and follows the events that occur after the local Gazette runs an advertisement stating, A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6.30 p.m.

No one knows what it means, but the village is a titter about it. Many locals decide there is only one way to find out, thus arriving at the stated destination at the appointed time.

As they gather in the residence, without warning the lights are extinguished and a gun is fired. As the lights come back on, a gruesome scene awaits them.

Who is the victim? Who is the killer and why?

As with the previous novels, Miss Marple wasn’t in the house at the time of the crime, but gets consulted after due to her expertise in such affairs.

This had a big cast of quirky characters and it was fun trying to work out all the connections and varied relationships. There is also talk of an inheritance of sorts and I always love that trope.

I wasn’t necessarily trying to figure out the whodunit whilst reading this, but I will say, the reveal did surprise me. I feel like Christie succeeded in pulling the wool over my eyes; a misdirection, if you will.

Overall, I loved it. It was such a great mystery, with intriguing twists that did ultimately surprise me.

Also, I feel like we got more face time with Miss Marple in this one and she was in more danger than ever before. It was tense and intriguing. Well done!

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Review: The Body in the Library (Miss Marple #3) by Agatha Christie

~ megs14malloy

The Body in the LibraryThe Body in the Library by Agatha Christie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Body in the Library is the second full-length novel in Agatha Christie’s beloved, Miss Marple series.

One of my 2023-reading goals, is to read all of the novels in this series in order. This is actually one of the ones I have previously read, but I was still so excited to pick it up again.

It has been a decade since I last read it, so I was due for a reread. It’s so funny, too, because somehow in the interim, I had totally rearranged the plot of this novel in my mind.

For example, I was thinking the body was found in the library at the tail-end of a dinner party, but that isn’t the case at all. I’m like, where the heck did I come up with that?

This story actually kicks off with Mrs. Bantry being awoken by her maid, Mary, letting her know, through sobs, that a dead body of a girl has been discovered in their library.

At first, Mrs. Bantry thinks she is dreaming. How the heck would a dead body have ended up in her home? She alerts her husband, Colonel Arthur Bantry, of the news. From that moment on, it’s off to the races.

Seriously, Christie wastes zero time with this one. The discovery of the body is announced on page 2.

Colonel and Mrs. Bantry have no idea who the young woman is. She certainly wasn’t an invited guest. From first glance, she doesn’t appear the type of girl who would be privy to their same social circle.

The authorities are notified, of course, but Mrs. Bantry also calls on her friend, Miss Jane Marple, who knows a lot about this sort of thing. A swift and vigorous investigation begins.

I really enjoyed getting to know the players involved in this one. There was such a great mix of people and getting to the bottom of the mystery was a wild ride.

Again, Miss Marple is sort of a side character at this point, but her reputation definitely proceeds her. She is known for being quite observant and knowing a lot about these types of things; crime and psychology.

I liked having Inspector Slack around again for the investigation and getting to know even more individuals in the greater-St. Mary Mead area.

This is such a classic. The vibe is just quintessential Murder Mystery set in a small village. It exudes what we’ve come to know as, Cozy Mystery.

Finally, I loved Miss Marple’s explanation of the hows/whys of this crime, and getting to that point was equally as fun.

Overall, I am certainly glad I reread this. It was fun to read hot on the heels of my read of The Murder at the Vicarage: A Miss Marple Mystery.

I am really looking forward to continuing on with this series and completing it all this year!!

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Re-Reading Stephen King’s Carrie, Review

~ megs14malloy

CarrieCarrie by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Carrie, Stephen King’s first published full-length novel was released in 1974 and at this point, I think it’s fair to say it’s a modern classic. This novel has been adapted to film four times, the most well-known being the original 1976-release starring Sissy Spacek as Carrie.

Incidentally, I did decide to listen to the audiobook for this reread, as I had only read the print copy before, and the audio was narrated by Spacek.

It was fantastic and I highly recommend that audio-version. Spacek clearly has an intimate connection with this story and with Carrie in particular. I felt like it made the audio experience extra special.

Assuming most people at least have a general idea of what this story is about, I will keep this short and simple. This story, through the incredible use of mixed media, tells the story of Carrie White, a bullied teen who lives in the small town of Chamberlain, Maine.

At the beginning, there’s an infamous scene taking place in the girls locker room at school, wherein Carrie experiences her first menstruation. Raised by a single-mother, religious fanatic, who believes only women who sin grow breasts, Carrie has no idea what a period is.

She’s frightened at the sight of the blood and panics. Her peers, who have already been bullying her mercilessly for years, are brutal in their reaction to the event, pelting her with feminine products and screaming at her.

It’s awful. The girls are awful. Carrie gets sent home for the day and the young women involved in torturing her are given a light slap on the wrist.

It’s at that time, under distress, that the first public signs of Carrie’s powers appear. At least since that rock incident when she was a child…

The plot progresses from there, advancing Carrie’s story from that point forward, as well as filling in some of her backstory, including her gut-wrenching, abusive relationship with her mother.

When one of the girls involved, Sue Snell, starts to feel remorse for the locker room incident, she concocts a slightly hair-brained and uber-naive plot wherein her popular, jock boyfriend, Tommy Ross, will take Carrie to the Spring dance instead of her.

Tommy isn’t crazy about the idea. Not because he has anything against Carrie, he’s not that kind of guy, but because he doesn’t feel like Sue’s tepid attempt at ridding herself of guilt will make any real difference in Carrie’s life.

Nevertheless, he loves Sue and is willing to do anything she asks. If only he hadn’t…

I had such a blast listening to this. I haven’t read this story in over 20-years and it was so great to revisit one of King’s earliest hits. Imagine reading and reviewing this in 1974, like ‘this Stephen King guy is an author to watch.’

I was struck immediately by the creative use of mixed media. I have read from other authors who have mentioned how this novel influenced them with that format and I can see why. It is so incredibly well done here. IMO, definitely still one of the best displays of that format published to date.

I think it is important to keep in mind how unique that would have been at the time of publication.

There have been numerous novels in the past few years that have embraced that narrative style, particularly if you think of all the ones including podcasting elements. It seems now an obvious choice as a way to tell a story, but it’s really not traditionally.

I’ll be honest, it did make me sad reading this though. I was reminded why I have never reread it until now. There are certain King’s, mainly this and Cujo, that are so good, yet so painful to read, because of how much empathy I feel for the characters involved, that I sort of avoid them.

As a Horror story, one could categorize Carrie as the ‘evil’, but you feel for her and I would assume that 99.9% of Readers will be on her side.

To me, it’s a bit like Frankenstein, another book I could only read once because I felt so damn bad for Frankenstein’s monster, and in a way, Carrie is the Frankenstein’s monster of modern times.

Carrie was created by the abuse of her mother and the constant harassment and ridicule of her peers. Sure, there’s an argument in the book that her powers are genetic and I get that, but having telekinetic powers doesn’t necessarily equate to killing hundreds of your peers and burning down your entire town.

I feel like there could have been other options for Carrie if she hadn’t been treated like complete trash her entire life.

I loved how this wrapped up too, how the speed that the mixed media jumped around in the aftermath of prom night increased the intensity of the conclusion. I just thought it was so well done and then that final little snippet, PERFECTION.

I’m so happy that I took the time to reread this one. Even though Carrie’s story is a painful one, it’s also powerful and absolutely one that will stick in your mind once your done.

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Review: The Murder at the Vicarage (Miss Marple #2) by Agatha Christie

~ megs14malloy

The Murder at the VicarageThe Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In 2022, William Morrow released new editions for the entire Miss Marple series. Each one features a beautiful floral design matched with stunning color combinations.

Like a Publisher’s dream, I promptly bought the entire set. Then with all of these precious new softcovers in hand, I thought, when I am going to read all of these?

Since there are twelve full-length novels, I told myself, very sternly I might add, that I would read one per month for all of 2023. That sounds like a solid plan, right?

Well, it would have been, but then I put off starting the first one until March; now I am behind and the pressure is on…

I have to say though, after completing this one, I am reinvigorated in my quest to read all of Miss Marple’s novels in order. This was such a fun time.

The Murder at the Vicarage is the first full-length novel in the series and I was actually surprised that Miss Marple is not the MC/narrator. The Vicar, Leonard Clement, is!

I don’t know why I didn’t know that, but I liked it a lot. It was fun to get to know the icon, Miss Jane Marple, from an outside perspective. You get her pluses and her minuses. A more honest interpretation, you could say.

I really enjoyed the mystery of this. It was completely engaging from the start. The murdered man, one Colonel Protheroe, was a bit of curmudgeon. He was a Judge and definitely had more enemies than friends. Even the Vicar had a cross word for him a time or two.

After Protheroe is murdered at the Vicarage, the entire village of St. Mary Mead seems to become involved in the investigation.

As you can imagine, no other citizen has more to offer in the solving of said crime than our Miss Marple. That woman misses nothing, usually because she’s spying on everyone from the comfort of her garden.

It was interesting for me to consider how the tropes involved in this story are all fairly well-known tropes today, but at this time, it wasn’t quite like that. It sort of all began with Christie, you know?

Her work has influenced so many creators over the years and her formulaic writing style is the epitome of a classic mystery. I love it. I found this to be so comfortable and fun, it was like a warm drink on an eerie night.

I am definitely continuing on with the series straight away. Next up is The Body in the Library: A Miss Marple Mystery, which will be a reread for me.

It’s actually one of my favorite Christie’s that I have read, so I am really excited to revisit it with my stunning new edition!!

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Stephen King Reread #4 of 2019: The Dark Half, Review

~ megs14malloy

The Dark HalfThe Dark Half by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


George Stark. Not a very nice guy.

Stephen King Reread #4 for the year and it was just as brilliant as I remembered. Equal parts warped, dark and brutal, this story is a must read for any King fan.

I won’t get into the connections between this and King’s own life and experience with Richard Bachman. Let’s hope this twisted tale of a pseudonym gone rogue is 100% a work of fiction.

I mean, a man gets beaten to death with his own prosthetic arm! That’s rough and that doesn’t even begin to brush the surface of this super violent narrative.

The story begins when our protagonist, Thad Beaumont, is just a kid suffering from debilitating headaches and auditory hallucinations. During surgical exploration of his brain, it is discovered that Thad absorbed a twin in utero and parts of that twin suddenly began growing again causing the symptoms he was experiencing!

With that strange occurrence out of the way, Thad goes on to live a normal life. He becomes a college professor and writer, gets married, has twins, creates a pseudonym, George Stark, to write under that he subsequently kills off after being outed…

You know, the usual.

There’s one problem with this life plan, however, George Stark doesn’t want to be dead. He wants to continue his successful pulp fiction writing and he needs Thad on board in order to do so.

When people involved with Thad’s career begin being brutally murdered, Thad is the prime suspect. Even though he has a solid alibi, there is physical evidence linking him to the crimes, like fingerprints!

Thad is innocent and sets out to prove it, as well as stop the person responsible. Along with everyone’s favorite Sheriff, Alan Pangborn, the pieces of the puzzle start to come together with startling results.

The sparrows are flying again…

If you are looking for a viscious, creepy read to pick up this Autumn, look no further. This King Classic has some of the best body horror ever written and will leave you with a sense of dreadful anticipation the entire way through!!!

Highly recommend!

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FAVORITES: Dracula Appreciation Post!!!

~ megs14malloy

DraculaDracula by Bram Stoker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A true masterpiece.

Believe it or not, I am still considering how to best write a ‘review’ for this, one of my favorite novels of all time.

I annotated this most recent time reading, in the hopes that it would help when it came to composing my final thoughts.

What I am really struggling with is the idea of little ole’ me ‘reviewing’ a masterpiece.

I guess my goal is more to compel people to read this amazing piece of world literature as opposed to providing a critique of Stoker’s work. Let me think on this a while longer. In the meantime, have a gander at this The Lost Boys gif — a movie greatly inspired by Dracula:

Review or not, I am so happy to have reread this for the 3rd time. Dracula is a book I will continue to reread periodically for the rest of my life.

If you haven’t read this yet, please give it a go, it may surprise you. You may think you know this story…

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Classic Horror: Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, Review

~ megs14malloy

The Haunting of Hill HouseThe Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Back when I was in college, a little film called The Haunting was released. Starring Lily Taylor, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Owen Wilson, this supernatural horror flick was essentially a modern-day re-imagining of Shirley Jackson’s, The Haunting of Hill House.

It was released in the summer and my Mom and I went to the theater to see it, where I promptly fell in love. Soon after I was able to buy it on VHS ((I know, right!?!) and commence watching it 2,638,400 times.

At this point, I had never read the original source material. As a matter of fact, this is the first time that I have read this 1959 classic. I finally decided to pick it up spurred on by the celebration of ‘Women in Horror Fiction’ month.

I listened to this on audiobook and was able to get through it very quickly. It is a short book, at just under 200-pages, and the narrator was absolutely fabulous. I was so invested in this story, her voice was mesmerizing and seemed to transport me into that damn house!

I think my early love of the film version, The Haunting really helped me to imagine the whole narrative. They did a great job in casting that film. Seriously. Lily Taylor WAS Nell. I loved Jackson’s creation of her character. The mousy, sheltered girl who finally gains her freedom after what had to be a traumatic experience of years caring for her ailing mother.

I know, I know. Meg, this is supposed to be a book review, but I couldn’t write this review without mentioning that movie, as I know it has impacted my reading experience.

I truly enjoyed this book. The build-up, the atmosphere, the suspense. I thought the supernatural, or alleged supernatural elements, were so well done. I had many spine-chilling, look over your shoulder moments with this and it was great.

The characters interactions with one another were also well fleshed out. I believed their relationships and their connections to one another. Each feeling compelled to participate for their own, very different, reasons. I especially enjoyed the complex relationship between Nell and Theo.

Then we get to the ending.

Things were rolling along, great guns, and then, POOF, we are finished.

A friend of mine explained it as such, it’s like she as writing this great book and then she just got tired of writing it. I agree with that.

Done with this project, drops mic, exits.

Even with this in mind though, I did really enjoy my time with this story. I may even revisit it again someday. This should be appreciated for the great piece of classic horror fiction that it is. It has influenced so many other stories and for that, I doff my cap to Shirley Jackson. A true pioneer in the genre.

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