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via A Mystery for the New Decade — Dark-Novels – great reads!
Readers, here’s a great post from an excellent blog, The Haunted Place. Read to the end to learn what happens to those who see this White Lady phantom! A Bad Luck Ghost
Copyright © 2019 Bookemjano – All rights reserved.
To learn more about real ghosts, please see About Ghosts: A Useful Handbook. For some great ghost stories, please see Death Be Not Loud, Rest In Fleece, and Sepia Seepage. To learn about ghosts in modern fiction, please see Infectious Ghosts. And so much more, at: Jan’s Amazon Page
I recently picked up this Kindle book to read. My, my! This is quite a book in the vicious figure of mother Sandy. It hits like a freight train as you realize its from a real childhood. It becomes sickening but you can’t stop reading to see what’s going to happen next. The mother is so hateful and cruel towards her kids and foster kids, it will make you ill. It should be read despite this and a heavy dose of preachyness in the latter third of the book. If you like true crime, check it out if you dare. It’s very well researched and written and will leave you mind-blown.
Written by Robert Wallace
Independently published – 404 pages
Publication date: Oct 8, 2017
My rating: 4/5 Stars
Buckle your swash…
😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
Owing to the indiscretion of an ancestor, the Rassendyll family shares heredity with the ruling family of the small Germanic nation of Ruritania. Every now and then a Rassendyll is born with the red hair and long nose common to the Ruritarian Kings. Rudolf is one of these red-haired Rassendylls and, being a young man with a plentiful inheritance and time on his hands, he decides he will visit Ruritania to witness the coronation of the new young King, another Rudolf. When he gets there he discovers that everyone is startled by his appearance – he doesn’t simply resemble the King, they are almost identical. So when King Rudolf is incapacitated before his coronation, our Rudolf steps in to take his place in order to prevent the King’s jealous half-brother, Black Michael (so called because he hasn’t inherited the red hair), from carrying out a coup and stealing not just the throne but the beautiful Princess Flavia, destined to be the wife of the King. But when the King is then kidnapped, suddenly Rudolf finds the impersonation will have to go on until the King is free…
Short novel or long novella, this is a swashbuckling adventure full of drama, sword fights, high romance and chivalric honour. And it’s great fun! Rudolf tells us the story himself, and it reminded me very much in style of John Carter in Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom books, where the first person narrator self-deprecatingly repeats the many compliments bestowed upon him by everyone he meets, so that we know he’s wonderful in every way without him having to tell us so directly. A great swordsman, a flawless linguist, a natural leader of men, and an irresistible wooer of women, Rudolf is also a man who puts honour above his own desires, even when faced by overwhelming temptation. But he lets us see his internal struggle to do the right thing, which stops him from becoming insufferable. The King is a weak drunkard and Black Michael is a hissable villain, so that the reader can only agree with the growing number of Ruritarians who begin to think that the impostor is an improvement over the real royals.
Ronald Colman as Rudolf and Raymond J Massey as Black Michael in the 1937 film.
Although Black Michael is the chief baddie in terms of the plot, it’s his henchman Rupert of Hentzau who becomes Rudolf’s main adversary. Rupert shares most of Rudolf’s manly attributes, but turns them to wickedness rather than good. So where Rudolf is not above stealing a kiss from an innkeeper’s daughter, Rupert is more likely to kidnap the girl and “ruin” her – such a useful euphemism! And while Rudolf will do the right thing even if it hurts him, Rupert will cheerfully sell his loyalty to the highest bidder. They are a little like Jekyll and Hyde – two extremes of the same personality, one good, one evil. And Rudolf recognises this himself – although he finds Rupert morally reprehensible, he still admires his spirit and bravado, and finds his outrageous behaviour amusing.
The introduction in my Oxford World’s Classics edition is by Nicholas Daly, Professor of Modern English and American Literature at University College Dublin. He tells us about the impact and legacy of the book, which spawned so many imitations they became a sub-genre all on their own, of “Ruritarian romances”. There were successful stage adaptations in both London and New York, and several film versions, and Daly gives many examples of later books and films that were inspired by it. Ruritania itself, although imaginary, has taken on a life apart from the book. Wikipedia gives a list of instances when it has been used in order not to offend real nations: for example, “Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer cited Ruritania as a fictional enemy when illustrating a security treaty between Australia and Indonesia”. Isaac Asimov apparently also used it if he wanted to tell a joke that was based on ethnic stereotyping, substituting it for the nation or people in the original joke.
Anthony Hope
The plot is very well done. It’s quite simple – how to free the King and restore order – but Hope uses the impersonation aspect to tie all three participants up in a tangle where each is prevented from taking the easy option without destroying his own plan. And he skilfully puts the reader in the position of not being sure what the best outcome would be. This gives it the suspense that keeps those pages turning – it’s hard to put down so it’s fortunate that it’s short enough to be read in an evening.
A thoroughly entertaining read, perfect for the next time you feel the need to buckle your swash! Or should that be swash your buckle…? Either way, recommended!
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Oxford World’s Classics.
Amazon UK Link
Amazon US Link – This edition isn’t out yet in the US but can be pre-ordered here:
Readers, I ran across this eerie tale on Quora, and the kind author gave me permission to share here. Thanks to Tara Homner for this share and do read on for a truly unique and chilling story: A Sentient Ghost
Copyright © 2019 Bookemjano – All rights reserved.
To learn more about real ghosts, please see About Ghosts: A Useful Handbook. For some great ghost stories, please see Death Be Not Loud, Rest In Fleece, and Sepia Seepage. To learn about ghosts in modern fiction, please see Infectious Ghosts. And so much more, at: Jan’s Amazon Page
Quite a different story. Years ago when Daisy was a teen she saw a girl dying in a fire, but nobody in her town believed her, including her parents. She was sent away, her best friend and budding love betrayed her. Alone, she survived. Now she was back home for the best friend’s wedding. And the secrets were back with her.
With such a premise, the book could have been a thriller. This was more of a family drama along with insecurities and small town misgivings. My second book by author Kelly Heard, I followed the main character Daisy’s life keenly. I could feel her pain and frustration when nobody believed her. At one point, she was really alone. I was really sad and angry, especially with her boyfriend.
Courage was found within the words and inside Daisy. I liked how she stood up for what she had seen, and things got sorted out as they tend to in books. The whole plot had a lot of nuances and weird characters, quite apt for a small town. The author depicted the scenes authentically. But something felt missing, the logic and plot arcs felt incomplete or maybe I just didn’t understand Daisy’s ways. It could be more about me as life outside was too stressed.
Forgiveness was the underlying theme which was weaved in well, but I didn’t think I would be quite as unforgiving as Daisy. The mystery of the dying girl, reality or hallucination, was well played. I kept trying to guess what it could be. Luckily one of my weird, off the wall guesses came to be true, the other was absolutely shocking.
Overall, a fun read.
I received a free ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, and this is my journey into its pages, straight from the heart!! STRICTLY HONEST AND UNBIASED.
All my reviews can be read here
Readers, here are some first-hand accounts of ghostly experiences – enjoy! Via Charlene at Paranormal Hauntings blog: Some True Ghost Stories
Copyright © 2019 Bookemjano – All rights reserved.
To learn more about real ghosts, please see About Ghosts: A Useful Handbook. For some great ghost stories, please see Death Be Not Loud, Rest In Fleece, and Sepia Seepage. To learn about ghosts in modern fiction, please see Infectious Ghosts. And so much more, at: Jan’s Amazon Page
Readers, you’ll want to have a look at this true story of an unrelenting haunting outside of Manchester, UK. Not to be missed! From Helvetica’s Indie Horror Stories via The Rochedale Poltergeist
