IN THE MAILBOX
Can you tell by the cover alone that this is a horror novel?
It seemed to me that someone rolled themself in the snow and became an eerie snowman, but.... here's the book description.
Description:
Chilling holiday horror about an unhappy couple, Holly and Brian, running from their problems and straight into the maw of a terrifying beast, perfect for fans of Paul Tremblay and Sara Gran.
Now Sheriff Kendra Book is getting calls about a couple in trouble—along with reports of a brutal and mysterious creature rampaging through town, leaving a trail of crushed cars, wrecked buildings, and mangled bodies in the snow.
Holly and Brian... are starting to see the past, the present, and themselves in a monstrous new light.
This last line of the description has me curious about the monster and the couple. What do you think?
Thanks to publicist Johnny Nguyen of Soho Press for an ARC of this book
Publication: February 4, 2025; Regal House Publishing
The cover made me think of another horror novel. But it seems to be a mystery with magical elements.
Here's the description:
In contemporary Buffalo, Dan's world is upended when he unearths a young woman's skeleton while replacing the gas main in a city neighborhood. He and his archaeologist friends embark on a quest to piece together the mystery of her death.
In 1851, newly widowed Madeleine Talmadge and her orphaned nieces, Jane and Lydia, seek the aid of a cunning spiritualist, Alexander Dodge Lewis. Lewis leads them on a perilous journey from one séance to the next. Layers of time peel back to reveal long-buried secrets of loss, love, and murder. Riddle of Spirit and Bone offers subtle rumination on what can be observed, what can be known, and what can be trusted.
Thanks to Wiley Saichek of Saichek Publicity for an ARC of this book
Watching Helene on TV
I've been glued to the television watching the progress of Hurricane Helene from Mexico to Florida and up through Georgia and beyond. This was not just for entertainment, as I have relatives and friends up and down the Florida coast, and a few living near Atlanta as well.
I was glad to find out though that damages were not serious or were near misses. One had a Jamaican ackee tree split in half and a few other trees also felled in the front yard. Others described the hurricane leaving only minor damages. What a relief!
I loved visiting Tampa, St. Peterburg and Clearwater, and thought it would be ideal to live there. But I changed my mind after seeing all three cities under water after Helene!
Were you one of those who had to undergo Helene's wrath?
They say that since this was such a gigantic storm, no other hurricanes will be given the same name. Helene will be unique in U.S. hurricane history.
What are you reading/watching this week?
Ooh, Riddle of Spirit and Bone sounds fascinating, and I like the cover. Hope you enjoy!
ReplyDeleteHurricane Helene was a huge storm. We were hit with a hurricane in July, and we were worried we'd get hit with this one, too. I am so sorry to hear about the deaths and destruction Helene brought.
ReplyDeleteI am not quite sure what shape that winter monster is taking, but it looks a bit ominous. And the skeleton on The Riddle of Spirit and Bone looks spooky, too.
I was just looking at your Kdrama list on IG and I think I will copy it, see how many I have watched.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, if you don't live in Florida I wouldn't move here. The storms are bad, the property tax is high and it's getting almost impossible to get homeowners insurance for new places. We have been near the Tallahassee area for decades but this last brush with Helene has us looking to get out. But that's just my opinion. We do have power so I am thankful.
I have family in TN and NC that are dealing with flooding and stuff from the hurricane, super scary! The flooding is just unreal and my heart breaks for all those who are dealing with the fallout from the storm. I hope you enjoy your books. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteI like the premise of Riddle of Spirit and Bone, and I love the cover.
ReplyDeleteI used to visit Tampa a few times a year on business and always really enjoyed the city. So sad to see the destruction Helene is continuing to cause.
"The Riddle of Spirit and Bone" sounds interesting. Another one for the reading list.
ReplyDeleteI was watching Helene as well. What devastation! My brother and his family flew into Tampa on Saturday, to visit my SIL's aunt before they head to Disney this week. I asked him what it was like and he said it was just so sad, the damage. My SIL's aunt fared fine, but her neighborhood has lots of damage.
ReplyDeleteThe Riddle of Spirit and Bone is intriguing!
I'm very curious about Our Winter Monster! It's the perfect kind of book for this time of year imo. :D
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your family and friends are ok after the hurricane. We have a family house in Hudson, just north of Tampa. I'm about to reach out to the gardner and find out a. how he and his family survived and then b. how our house survived.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised that Helene hasn't had much coverage over here in the UK considering the amount of damage its caused... Feel so sorry for all those affected.
ReplyDeleteOur Winter Monster sounds good. I wonder what this is all about. I was lucky during the hurricane. We didn't get anything except windy and rain.
ReplyDeleteI love the covers of these. If I ran into them at bookstores, they would both jump out and demand to be picked up for at least a quick look. I watched a good bit of the hurricane coverage, and my heart goes out to those poor folks who suffered it's wrath. I find it more and more difficult to watch that kind of thing these days...all too common.
ReplyDeleteOur island had quite a bit of flooding, second only to Ian two years ago. This time the surge did not impact our house, but others were not so lucky. My heart breaks for those to the north of us. These storms just keep getting worse and worse!
ReplyDeleteI can't read horror these days, but both covers are neat. Hope you enjoy your week.
ReplyDeletehttps://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2024/09/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-sep-30.html
Our Winter Monster sounds intriguing. I live just outside of Asheville, NC. While our neighborhood was extremely lucky, the devastation has been incredible in the city itself, and much of the surrounding areas. But people are pulling together to help each other. I’ve been impressed.
ReplyDeleteIt turns out Helene has been awful in some parts. Scary destruction. And looks like you have some scary reads for October. Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI love the cover of Riddle of Spirit and Bone though I don't think either of these books are probably for me. They both look interesting though. I hope you're having a wonderful week.
ReplyDeleteOur Winter Monster looks and sounds intriguing. I'll have to check it out. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteOur son and his family live near Asheville but luckily on suffered a water outage. They also lived close to the areas hit in Florida in the past. So scary!
Our Winter Monster is apropos for Hurricane Helene.
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