There Once Lived a Girl Who Seduced Her Sister's Husband, and He Hanged Himself

Calling these short stories "love stories," might be a bit of a stretch but that does not diminish their greatness. Raw, cruel, ironic, and playful these short stories won't leave your brain. Written by one of Russia's most acclaimed living writers; these stories are bleak, realistic, relatable, and compelling. From illicit trysts, divorce, children born out of wedlock, poverty, alcoholism, to horrible living conditions- readers are pulled along through a world of bleak (yet realistic) tales of woe and small triumphs. A fantastically quick read. I look forward to reading more of her short story collections!

The Plot

Ominous and unsettling this story of a cursed family is compelling, but leaves the readers full of questions. When a successful businessman and his wife are killed by a weird swamp creature, the man's estranged brother becomes caretakers for the two children he left behind while the police investigate to figure out what happened. Chase doesn't want to take them back to his stuffy studio and he doesn't want to stay in the house where they were murdered so he takes the kids to Maine, where the old family home is. Right off the bat weird stuff starts happening and the head of the police department is not happy to see Chase, accusing his family of always being trouble. Visions and monsters lurk around every corner. What is going on with the house and the surrounding bog and does it have anything to do with the death of his brother. The artwork is great but I have a lot of questions, I guess, I'll have to wait for part two to come out!

Mexican Gothic

What a ride! This gave off some real spooky vibes - reminiscent of The Haunting of Hill House and Rosemary's Baby. Mexican Gothic has a slow, unsettling, suspenseful pace where nothing adds up. Noemi's father sends her to a remote and isolated mansion in the Mexican countryside to check in on her cousin who has sent a very unsettling letter. Catalina mentions spirits, things in the walls, and voices and Noemi's father is convinced that someone needs to see her and evaluate if she needs medical help. When Noemi arrives she is instantly perturbed by the creaking old mansion; there is mold, windows don't open, and the staff and family are beyond peculiar and demanding. It's the most uninviting place she's ever seen. Like the letter suggested, her cousin Catalina is deeply disturbed and not right in the head. Noemi decides to stay and try to convince her cousin's husband to let her get psychiatric help or at least to get out of the damned house and get some fresh air. They're wrapped up in their own little world and something is deeply wrong. The longer she stays the more she too comes under the houses deeply disturbed spell. What is going on here and how can she and her cousin escape? Slow start, but one hell of an ending - didn't see it coming!

The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly

So stinking cute! I grew up in the region and we LOVED going to Medieval Times in Chicago, Illinois -this young adult feminist, coming of age, romance is set in the same location! Careful never to actually call it medieval times, the book is still obviously centered around the same thing. Jousting, serving wenches, knights, broadswords - the whole kit and caboodle. Kit has worked in the castle for three years with her friends and family. Her older brother is a knight, her Uncle is the king (manager) and her two best friends are also there. She loves everything about it....  except that girls can't try to be knights - it's only for men. The only place up from serving wench is princess. Kit knows she is just as good as the knights - she's been practicing with her brother for years! During one of the shows, her brother lets her ride out in his place (helmet on) and she rocks the night - even becoming the champion. When she rips off the helmet and reveals she is a girl she becomes a viral sensation. But just because she's having a moment in the spotlight doesn't mean things are easy. Their electricity is turned off at home, she has a crush on her best friend, she's unsure how she'll pay for college, and she just wants to take care of her mom. A wonderful, witty, fun, and feminist read. Loved it.

Under the Tuscan Sun

If this were a little shorter this most likely would been bumped up to a 5 star review. As it was I adored hearing (I listened to the audio - it was great!) about all the hard work, money, and experiences thrown into a centuries old house in the Italian country side. It made me want to visit Italy even more. The food, the language, the sights, the sounds, the way of living. I was swept right in. Granted not many except the very wealthy could recreate Frances Mayes experience. Undertaking a whole house flip - overseas - would be very costly. Especially when you only live in the house during Christmas and in the summer. In places it was a bit drawn out - but overall it was pretty solid.

Mount Hope

So good and I'm so sad this series is over. I mean I get it, there are only so many Jane Austen novels you can adapt, but I really enjoyed this. I like Sarah Price's writing style and these books are just nice fluffy reads that you know will wrap up nicely. Per usual I won't summarize this one because I assume that anyone reading this adaptation will have read the original, Mansfield Park. Remarkably similar, I like the few tweaks they made to make it finish in a modern day Amish community. Instead of getting caught by their father putting on plays, they get caught singing hymns in English! The scandal!! Fantastic as always!

Sense and Sensibility

Sense and Sensibility has always been my favorite Jane Austen story and I was so happy that this modern day adaptation did it justice! Set in a modern day Amish community - many things are still similar. Modesty, patriarchal societies, gossip, etc. Some minor differences include youth singings instead of balls, shunning instead indecency, and a spotlight on religion. A fantastic adaptation of my favorite and one that I will definitely read again!