THE EVENING SPIDER
by Emily Arsenault
★★★★½

I enjoyed this book very much. I’ve read a couple of Emily Arsenault’s books, and her characters are always complex and relatable, especially the two women in THE EVENING SPIDER. It combines true crime from the 1800s with a modern day ghost story. There are two young mothers living in the same house more than a century apart, a secret diary, a grizzly murder, and troubled ghosts trying to make contact. I loved the spooky Gothic atmosphere, and trying to figure out who was doing the haunting, and what became of the characters who originally lived in the house. I liked the ending. The author doesn’t come right out and say who the restless spirits are, but she gives enough clues to where I was satisfied. Makes you think. Great book! {Borrowed from the library.}

ALL THINGS CEASE TO APPEAR
by Elizabeth Brundage
★★

This book had a strong beginning, but unfortunately fizzled out quickly. It starts with a man coming home from work to find his wife murdered in their remote farmhouse, and their 3-year old daughter was the only witness. It then jumps back to tell the tragic tale of the family who owned the house prior, which made me think there would be a build up to something shocking – there were ghosts left behind, after all. No, after the initial reveal, the book had a hard time holding my attention. The pacing was slow, and there was a lot of talking about and describing characters. Unlikable characters for the most part. Definitely more of a character study than a thriller/ghost story like I was expecting. The ending was okay, but I was hoping for something a little more surprising. {Book of the Month Club pick.}

MOTHER’S DAY: A SHORT STORY
by Renée Knight
★★★★

DISCLAIMER was one of my favorite books read last year, so I was excited to find this short story by the same author. At only 32 pages, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The story is told from the perspective of 9-year old Laura. Laura and her family return to a favorite holiday spot, only to find it’s not like she remembered. But, why? The author does a great job in building up suspense in a short amount of time, and the ending was not what I was expecting. A very good short story, well worth reading. {Kindle freebie!}