Book Review | Women's Weird: Strange Stories by Women, 1890-1940 edited by Melissa Edmundson

Early Weird fiction embraces the supernatural, horror, science fiction, fantasy and the Gothic, and was explored with enthusiasm by many women writers in the United Kingdom and in the USA. Melissa Edmundson has brought together a compelling collection of the best Weird short stories by women from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, to thrill new readers and delight these authors' fans.

I'm fascinated by the history of horror, and I love reading old stories by authors like Algernon Blackwood, H.G. Wells, Arthur Machen, and Lovecraft. With the exception of Edith Wharton and Charlotte Perkins Gilman, I haven't read many weird tales written by women. I'm absolutely loving that these old stories are being talked about via publications like Monster, She Wrote and being reprinted in books like Women's Weird (the book I'm reviewing here) and Women's Weird 2 from Handheld Press and the upcoming Weird Tales book from Valancourt Books. I am in my happy place here, and this volume of stories is a GIFT.

Women's Weird begins with a lengthy introduction into weird fiction and the history of strange stories by women. This leads into a list of books for further reading about weird fiction and its authors, a biography on each of the women in Women's Weird, and the bibliographical information for each of the stories in Women's Weird. It's such a treasure. I didn't realize until I was finished with the last story that there is a glossary of terms for each story at the back of the book as well.

As for the stories themselves, this anthology is filled with ghosts and unexplained deaths, and I absolutely loved it. I'm pretty sure I had only read the first line of the first story before I was already looking up and ordering the collection that story first appeared in in 1895. I was blown away by Baldwin's story ("The Weird of the Walfords") and the rest of the stories that followed in Women's Weird. Fair warning - Edith Wharton's story "Kerfol" contains animal cruelty, but I loved that story as well.

I'm looking forward to hunting down more stories from all of these women, but first I'm going to read the next book in this series - Women's Weird 2: More Strange Stories by Women, 1891-1937 - which happens to be out today!

If you are a fan of the old Weird Tales stories or you love a great literary ghost story, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Women's Weird. Horror has such incredible women in its history; I would love nothing more than to know these tales were getting the audience they deserve.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5/5 stars

Review copy provided by the publisher

Book Review | Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

Catherine House is horror/thriller novel by Elisabeth Thomas.

A story about a dangerously curious young undergraduate whose rebelliousness leads her to discover a shocking secret involving an exclusive circle of students . . . and the dark truth beneath her school’s promise of prestige.

You are in the house and the house is in the woods.
You are in the house and the house is in you . . .

Catherine House is a school of higher learning like no other. Hidden deep in the woods of rural Pennsylvania, this crucible of reformist liberal arts study with its experimental curriculum, wildly selective admissions policy, and formidable endowment, has produced some of the world’s best minds: prize-winning authors, artists, inventors, Supreme Court justices, presidents. For those lucky few selected, tuition, room, and board are free. But acceptance comes with a price. Students are required to give the House three years—summers included—completely removed from the outside world. Family, friends, television, music, even their clothing must be left behind. In return, the school promises its graduates a future of sublime power and prestige, and that they can become anything or anyone they desire.

Among this year’s incoming class is Ines, who expects to trade blurry nights of parties, pills, cruel friends, and dangerous men for rigorous intellectual discipline—only to discover an environment of sanctioned revelry. The school’s enigmatic director, Viktória, encourages the students to explore, to expand their minds, to find themselves and their place within the formidable black iron gates of Catherine.

For Ines, Catherine is the closest thing to a home she’s ever had, and her serious, timid roommate, Baby, soon becomes an unlikely friend. Yet the House’s strange protocols make this refuge, with its worn velvet and weathered leather, feel increasingly like a gilded prison. And when Baby’s obsessive desire for acceptance ends in tragedy, Ines begins to suspect that the school—in all its shabby splendor, hallowed history, advanced theories, and controlled decadence—might be hiding a dangerous agenda that is connected to a secretive, tightly knit group of students selected to study its most promising and mysterious curriculum.

Catherine House was recently chosen as a group read in the Ladies of Horror Fiction Goodreads group. I didn't manage to read it during the chosen month so I'm doing a little catch up now!

I listened to Catherine House on audio, and the narration was excellent. The narrator made this book so easy to follow despite how vague the story was. I loved the atmosphere, and I loved the school setting.

Overall, though, Catherine House didn't work very well for me. I feel like this year has been filled with ambiguous entertainment, and I am more than craving some straight forward stories right now. I think Catherine House will work best for those who like to read deeper and find the artistic meaning behind what is and isn't said.

⭐⭐★★★
2/5 stars

Recent Updates and Currently Reading | October 11

I am really ready for hurricane season to be over! We got hit with another hurricane this week. This time we rode it out at home. We were only supposed to get tropical storm force winds in our area, but the weather folks got it wrong. There is no end to the gifts of 2020.

Finished Reading

I finished listening to Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas. I'll have my review posted tomorrow. ⭐⭐★★★

Currently Reading

I'm still reading The Return by Rachel Harrison and Women's Weird edited by Melissa Edmundson. I'm enjoying them both.

Added to the TBR

Over the Woodward Wall by A. Deborah Baker (aka Seanan McGuire) and The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher were both preorders that were released this week. I'm really looking forward to reading both of them!

Many thanks to CLASH Books for sending me a copy of Helena by Claire L. Smith. Helena releases this week!

So what about you? Let me know what you're reading (or watching) this week or leave me some links!

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This post is being shared as part of Book Date's It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Caffeinated Book Reviewer's The Sunday Post.

Recent Updates and Currently Reading | October 4

Were you able to see Mars next to the full moon this weekend? We set up our outdoor movie screen last night, and Mars looked incredible! I spent half the time watching the movie (and eating smores 😋) and half the time watching Mars.

Posted Last Week

Book Review | Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Book Review | The Midnight Lullaby by Cheryl Low

Finished Reading

I finished reading Dread Nation by Justina Ireland. My ⭐⭐⭐💫★ review has been posted.

I also read The Midnight Lullaby by Cheryl Low. I loved it, and posted a review for it as well. ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Currently Reading

I'm in the mood for thriller/horror this month so I picked up The Return by Rachel Harrison. I'm enjoying it so far. I can't wait to find out what is happening in this one.

I started listening to Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas. The narration is amazing, but the plot is lacking.

I also started reading Women's Weird edited by Melissa Edmundson, and it's amazing! I have a feeling I'm going to love this series.


So what about you? Let me know what you're reading (or watching) this week or leave me some links!

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This post is being shared as part of Book Date's It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Caffeinated Book Reviewer's The Sunday Post.