Tag: ghost story

Posted in Moments and Musings

Hello, 55!

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

Today is my birthday and I’m turning 55 years old.

It looks different than I thought it would look. My mother isn’t here to celebrate with me and my younger daughter is married now and lives three hours away. However, I’m very excited about this particular birthday as I’m now in the pre-stages of senior citizen-hood and I’m looking forward it. I know most people don’t like getting older. However, I’m a firm believer in embracing each year. I run up to it, hug it tightly, welcome it in and offer it some tea. I like to make each year feel right at home.

In the spirit of my birthday, allow a moment of self-indulgence as I list 55 things I’ve learned and discovered over the last 55 years of my life:

  1. Jesus first. Always, Jesus first. Without Jesus, nothing works.
  2. Make your plans and dream your dreams but then give them over to God. He will add His love and perfection to each one and give it back to you more beautiful than you ever imagined.
  3. Life is better with dog.
  4. Sometimes, you need time to sit in silence and just breathe.
  5. Grief is lifelong. Although, its waves aren’t always as powerful as they are in the beginning.
  6. Call people. Stop using apps to stay in touch. (I’m still learning this one.)
  7. Tears are release and healing. Sometimes, I make time for them. When I don’t, they seem to make time for me.
  8. A good ghost story is always a good thing!
  9. There aren’t enough good ghost stories.
  10. Blue is the best color in the world, followed closely by green.
  11. Pray early for your kids spouses. And pray often.
  12. The world may tell you God needs to change with the times but God is the same, yesterday, today and forever. He never changes. He doesn’t have to.
  13. The best steak is filet mignon and the best way to eat it is medium well.
  14. You can eat anything you want. You just need to watch the portion.
  15. A good walk or a good bike ride is the best physical stress reliever.
  16. A good talk with The Father is the best emotional stress reliever.
  17. A home should have many many blankets.
  18. The British write the best mysteries.
  19. It’s ok to speak the Truth. But it’s not only to be unloving.
  20. I fully plan to be the woman known for cycling through the neighborhood on her bike with flowers in her basket and a straw hat on her head.
  21. Take heart, God is in the midst of it all and He knows the way out.
  22. Crochet is life. Also, I don’t know how to knit.
  23. Embroidery is secondary to crochet. Because I still don’t know how to knit.
  24. It’s better to excel at one or two things than to be mediocre at a lot of things.
  25. I always looked forward to life in a 55+ community.
  26. Moving in with my 2 older sisters means I’ll be living in my own 55+ community. LOL
  27. Fresca is the best soda.
  28. Tea should be a staple in every home.
  29. Coffee should be a staple in every home.
  30. Chocolate should be a staple in every home.
  31. I’ll never understand people who don’t like ice cream.
  32. Hot chocolate should always be topped with whipped cream and cinnamon.
  33. Christmas is the best holiday ever.
  34. We should always make friends with crows. They remember and will bring you stuff.
  35. There’s nothing wrong with counting down to special days.
  36. The next season will always be better than your current one.
  37. Never rush through your current season.
  38. Menopause will make your feel like you’re going crazy. Take heart, dear lady, you are!
  39. Being the youngest in the family doesn’t mean I’m privileged or spoiled; it means I have others to look up to and learn from.
  40. Always spend time with your family.
  41. It’s an honor and a privileged to hold a loved one’s hand while they go home to Jesus.
  42. Funerals and weddings either bring out the very best in people or the very worst.
  43. The world is unkind. Don’t be like the world.
  44. You don’t need to make a difference in the world as a whole; just start with your world right where you’re at.
  45. Prayer isn’t always a labored thing. Sometimes, it’s a moment by moment quiet conversation with God.
  46. The inner voice speaking encouragement and direction to you most likely is the Holy Spirit.
  47. I don’t believe in mean dogs; only mean people who make dogs mean.
  48. Cats are like teenagers.
  49. I believe there’s no perfection to be found in being creative. That’s why I create; to tame my perfectionist ways. Also, so I won’t eat too much ice cream.
  50. I will miss my mother for the rest of the my life. 49 years with her wasn’t long enough.
  51. I look forward to being a grandma someday.
  52. Laughter truly is contagious. One should laugh every day.
  53. You don’t need a big house to be happy. Comfort and contentment can be found in the smallest of spaces.
  54. In any loving home, there’s always room for one more.
  55. Everyone should have cake and ice cream on their birthday.

Happy Birthday to me!

Photo by Robert Anderson on Unsplash

Posted in Bookish and Bingeable

The Drowning Kind

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

By: Jennifer McMahon

I live by a small lake. I’ve never feared it until I read this book. The idea now is to stay away from the water. 

Jennifer McMahon does it again with The Drowning Kind. Such a wonderfully magical, haunting story full of intrigue and suspense. I read this in under 24 hours and I’m not even upset about any sleep I lost. 

Jax is a young woman mourning the loss of her estranged sister, who struggled with mental health issues. This loss leads her to her grandmother’s home, a place Jax and Lexie grew up in. The house is situated next to a pool believed to have magical powers. Family history is explored as Jax discovered the pool’s relationship with her family going back to her great grandparents who made a wish to the pool in exchange for a child. Jax finds out what Lexie did just before her death – the pool gives and takes in equal measure. 

What I loved about this book: 

  1. The story felt original and well plotted. The pace was excellent. Dual timelines told in perfect timing (no pun intended) left me with a complete picture as the past and present converged by the end of the book – a technique I particularly enjoy. 
  2. Inanimate objects given a life of their own. Another favorite of mine. The pool as well as the house and the land, even the hills behind the house (Lord’s Hill and The Devil’s Hill) were allowed names and personalities all their own. It was flawlessly done. 
  3. THE ENDING!!!! Chilling, shocking and so sad. And yet, it worked with the story. I think I would have been disappointed any other way. 

What I didn’t like about this book: 

  1. It’s made me think twice about those walks around the lake next to where I live. 
  2. I’ll miss going swimming. 

If you’re looking for a book to provide a good amount of creep-factor, read this! Then go read everything else by Jennifer McMahon. 

My rating: :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:

Posted in Bookish and Bingeable

The Lost Ones

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

By Anita Frank

Some houses are never at peace.

England, 1917

Reeling from the death of her fiancé, Stella Marcham welcomes the opportunity to stay with her pregnant sister, Madeleine, at her imposing country mansion, Greyswick – but she arrives to discover a house of unease and her sister gripped by fear and suspicion.

Before long, strange incidents begin to trouble Stella – sobbing in the night, little footsteps on the stairs – and as events escalate, she finds herself drawn to the tragic history of the house.

Aided by a wounded war veteran, Stella sets about uncovering Greyswick’s dark and terrible secrets – secrets the dead whisper from the other side…

I loved this book!!! Gothic, ghostly, horrific, mystery….all the pieces were there for me. 

Stella is a grieving woman who goes to stay with her sister at Greyswick, a house full of terrible secrets. She finds her sister terrified. Her maid, Annie, talks with ghosts in the house and soon, it’s apparent that the house is harboring a deadly past and is looking for revenge. 

The main character of Stella is stubborn and strong. Still suffering from the loss of her fiance, she fights against the doctors and her parents who want to hospitalize her for “hysteria”. Upon arriving at Greyswick, she finds her bright, jolly sister frightened of every shadow. Stella delves into the mystery of the house, much to the dislike of the lady of the manor, her companion and the house manager. 

I absolutely loved her. I also loved little Annie, Stella’s maid with a gift for seeing and communicating with ghosts. She’s spunky, truthful and endearing. 

There were times when I, eager to get to the meat of the story, thought the story lagged. However, I actually discovered an appreciation for the author who took her time telling the story. It’s not really a who-dun-it as much as a what-happened. I found myself tumbling head-first into this story and didn’t let go until it was done. 

The ending was well done and again, not rushed through. Anita Frank does a great job of leading us through each and every step of the climax of the story, giving the reader time to recover before introducing the next twist. 

For a gothic ghost story lover, this book had all the goods. Creepy mansion. Weird housekeeper. Crabby old lady. Nice but mysterious companion. Babies crying in the night. Walls that whisper secrets. 

Absolutely brilliant. 

My rating: :star: :star: :star: :star: :star: 

Posted in Bookish and Bingeable

Christmas Past: A Ghostly Winter’s Tale

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

By: John Alcox

Thank you to NetGalley and The Story Plant for the eARC in return for an honest review. 

The winter holiday season is a time for gifts and music, for snow and miracles, and for family and going home. For Jessie Malone, it’s a time for sorrow.

Jessie is a graduate student living in London, where she hopes to be one of the first folklorists ever to trace an urban legend back to its original source. She’s also a grieving young widow unable to heal from the agony of her life-shattering loss.

In the bleak midwinter, Jessie learns of an urban legend about a lonely, wandering ghost, a British sailor named Sam who promised his bride that he’d be home for Christmas. The legends say he’s been trying to make it back to her since World War II.

As she investigates, Jessie learns that Sam’s story defies the patterns of how urban legends are supposed to work. It’s a puzzle she can’t let go. To solve the mystery, she must confront the impossible and, just perhaps, discover a miracle of Christmas love that survives beyond the grave.

A story that will engage all your emotions, Christmas Past bursts with wonder, enigma, romance, and the unquenchable spirit that comes from promises that must be kept.

This book was a DNF for me. I tried several times to pick it up and read it and just couldn’t get into it. I really loved the concept of chasing down older Ghost stories or legends to see where they originated from. Unfortunately, that’s where the magic ended for me. 

The character didn’t have much emotional output for me. The main character didn’t interest me at all. I really felt nothing for her at all. It annoyed me how many times she reminded us that she cannot get distracted from her main purpose of writing her dissertation. Her memories were lovely but again, no emotional reaction from me.

The imagery didn’t strike a cord either. I couldn’t feel London or Paris around me at all.

I did love the ghost stories and how the legends were relayed. It’s such an interesting concept of how a legend is born and how it travels from place to place. I also enjoyed reading about the effect each story has on folks as it gets passed down from generation to generation. The stories were stories of kindness and humans going out of their way for those in need. This is a theme much needed in today’s world so I was glad to see it.  

I wish I could have loved this but I didn’t.

My rating – :star: :star:

Posted in Bookish and Bingeable

The Strangers on Montagu Street

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

by Karen White

Psychic realtor Melanie Middleton is still restoring her Charleston house and doesn’t expect to have a new houseguest, a teen girl named Nola. But the girl didn’t come alone, and the spirits that accompanied Nola don’t seem willing to leave…( nicked from Goodreads)

I have four words to say about the ghostly aspect of this book. 

Dollhouses creep me out. 

They creep me out more than empty rocking chairs, more than creepy old dolls, more than clowns and even more than those shaggy old monkeys with cymbals attached to their hands that play for no reason at all. 

*shudders*

From the moment Nola, Jack’s estranged daughter, laid eyes on the dollhouse in Jack’s mom’s antique shop, I knew I was in for several nights sleeping with the lights on. As usual, Karen White gives us a super scary ghost story (complete with a ghost dog!) while weaving it into a more gentle one involving Nola’s recently deceased mother. 

We get a gift in this book – we get to go a little deeper in the characters. Up to now, we’ve only seen the talented, smug, sexy side of Jack who would love nothing more than to have Melanie put her trust issues behind her and give him a second glance. This book introduces us to the parental side of Jack – the Jack who stumbles and bumbles his way through attempting to parent a teenager (a teenager, no less! Karen’s not easy on this guy at all!). There’s a lovely side of Melanie we get to see also. 

Nola is a refreshing, funny, witty, sarcastic teenager who’s hanging on to life by a thread. I fell completely in love with her. As a mom of girls (both adults now), I wanted nothing more than to reach into the book, grab Nola and hug her under all the bad things in her life disappeared. I felt her distrust,  her every disappointment but most of all, I felt her complete love for her mother. I hoped the relationship between her and Melanie would give the latter some insight into her relationship with her mother but that inched along as the story progressed. 

What I did like to see if for once, we got to see Melanie lay down a bit of her OCD-ness and search inside for some real wisdom in dealing with Nola. Nola, unable to live peacefully with her dad, moves in for some much needed perspective and space while she heals. And yet, while Melanie is so capable of being so wise where Nola is concerned, I’m still left wondering why she fails to apply any wisdom to her own life. 

Still on rocky ground with her daughter, Ginnette makes a reappearance as does Melanie’s dad. There’s a super sweet reconnecting of these two characters in a “love never dies” type of way. It’s warm and heartfelt, even though I find myself wanting to kick Melanie’s dad for STILL failing to acknowledge the abilities of his ex-wife and daughter. 

Melanie finding out she’s pregnant is just rewards for trying so hard to retain any control over her rapidly fraying life. There’s nothing like a baby to shake one up and make one realize that little is within our control. 

My rating: :star: :star: :star: :star: :star: