Took by Mary Downing Hahn
As you may know, if you know me at all, I'm not a fan of scary stories. I'm not into horror books or movies. Trying to watch a spooky movie usually ends badly.
Nightmares abound.
Nope, nope, nope, nope.
So, when my best friend mentioned Mary Downing Hahn as an excellent storyteller, I was intrigued.
"Tell me more," I said.
"She's a young adult writer who specializes in ghost stories," she explained.
Nope, nope, nope, nope.
Yeah. That was my immediate inner reply. I can appreciate the fact that Hahn is a master at her craft. It makes me happy to know my friend sees her as a mentor and has long enjoyed her reading material.
Of course, I know how that feels. There are authors I love and love to share. The last two weeks, I've blogged about new authors I've recently read. They have books I've fallen in love with, and they've been the start of new learning and growing for me. I was more than happy to share them with you, as you can see.
So, I was delighted to listen to my friend's recital of the enjoyable stories that helped inspire her own writing. In fact, Dorian created a new series of ghost stories, which she told me were sparked by her own reading and this favorite author.
I bought my friend's book Dark Haunting: Love Never Dies (Grim and Ghoostly Tales, Book 1) to support her writing, but also, because I was willing to overcome my fears and give it a try. It's on my to-read list, and I plan on getting to it this summer. Although, I'm not a ghost, horror, spooky reader, I'm always willing to try something new and support fellow Indie authors.
In fact, I've already bought some new Indie authors to read this summer, and I can't wait to share these new stories with all of you. I will be rating and reviewing them as I work my way through fiction and nonfiction. I can hardly wait!
However, you might be wondering why I even created a review blog for Mary Downing Hahn when I obviously am not a fan of the genre.
That's a very good question. I appreciate how insightful you are. Well, as you may have guessed, I did read one of Hahn's books. I took up the challenge, and I have two friends to thank for giving this author a try.
Dorian, of course, for her positive recital of how Hahn had given her something to look forward to in the reading world growing up, and another, newer friend from work. My coworker and friend, Susan, told me that she had just read a book, and she'd thought of me.
Susan knows of my love of reading, my writing, and has even taken on reading The Battle. So, when she pulled a book out and handed it to me, I was more than willing to give it a try. I respect her opinion, and I love sharing books with her. Needless to say, when I saw this book in her hand, I definitely wondered what to say.
She held up Took by Mary Downing Hahn, and in that moment, I thought of Dorian. Susan told me she had never read a book quite like it. She shared that it had an intriguing plot, and she thought it would be a story I would enjoy.
My mind had its own conversation going on:
Nope, nope, nope, nope.
Being me, I didn't want to say "no" to Susan. I didn't want to hurt her feelings or make her think I didn't respect her opinion. She told me it was a book she enjoyed and thought I would appreciate it as well. Therefore, I needed to give it a chance. I had Dorian's word and hers as well to give this author an opportunity to entertain me, and although, it wasn't my favorite genre to give a go, I would do it.
The decision was made.
Years ago, I had given the horror/ghost/scary story a chance. I read some those Goosebumps and Fear Street books. That's how I know nightmares abound. Yet, I suppose as an adult, reading kid-friendly horror stories shouldn't terrify me too much.
I decided to read the book.
I read it in one day.
It was a creepy tale about a family moving to a new town and getting caught up in an urban legend. The little girl goes missing, and the brother has to be brave enough to rescue her. In all fairness, I actually enjoyed this story. It wasn't too scary (I know, you're shaking your head and saying, "Becky, it's a kid's ghost story. You can't be that fearful."), and I enjoyed the layout of the story.
My friend, Dorian, was right. Hahn is a delightful writer who weaves a spell-binding tale.
My friend, Susan, was right. I found I enjoyed this tale and how it all came together and its own unique plot.
Lesson learned.
My friends know things. They know about good books. They won't steer me wrong. Now, I might have to read more of Hahn's books, and I suspect I'll have to hear a "I told you so" at some point.
I can live with that.
I enjoyed this story. I appreciated the author's writing style, and I loved how everything progressed. I liked that it had a happy ending, and I was surprised and enchanted with how it unfolded. What a fun, quick read that helped me appreciate a new author and didn't make me cry. Or have nightmares. For those points and the characters themselves, I rate this book as 5/5. If you enjoy ghost stories and if you're into trying new authors, then I would recommend this book to you.
Nope, nope, nope, nope.
So, when my best friend mentioned Mary Downing Hahn as an excellent storyteller, I was intrigued.
"Tell me more," I said.
"She's a young adult writer who specializes in ghost stories," she explained.
Nope, nope, nope, nope.
Yeah. That was my immediate inner reply. I can appreciate the fact that Hahn is a master at her craft. It makes me happy to know my friend sees her as a mentor and has long enjoyed her reading material.
Of course, I know how that feels. There are authors I love and love to share. The last two weeks, I've blogged about new authors I've recently read. They have books I've fallen in love with, and they've been the start of new learning and growing for me. I was more than happy to share them with you, as you can see.
So, I was delighted to listen to my friend's recital of the enjoyable stories that helped inspire her own writing. In fact, Dorian created a new series of ghost stories, which she told me were sparked by her own reading and this favorite author.
I bought my friend's book Dark Haunting: Love Never Dies (Grim and Ghoostly Tales, Book 1) to support her writing, but also, because I was willing to overcome my fears and give it a try. It's on my to-read list, and I plan on getting to it this summer. Although, I'm not a ghost, horror, spooky reader, I'm always willing to try something new and support fellow Indie authors.
However, you might be wondering why I even created a review blog for Mary Downing Hahn when I obviously am not a fan of the genre.
That's a very good question. I appreciate how insightful you are. Well, as you may have guessed, I did read one of Hahn's books. I took up the challenge, and I have two friends to thank for giving this author a try.
Dorian, of course, for her positive recital of how Hahn had given her something to look forward to in the reading world growing up, and another, newer friend from work. My coworker and friend, Susan, told me that she had just read a book, and she'd thought of me.
Susan knows of my love of reading, my writing, and has even taken on reading The Battle. So, when she pulled a book out and handed it to me, I was more than willing to give it a try. I respect her opinion, and I love sharing books with her. Needless to say, when I saw this book in her hand, I definitely wondered what to say.
She held up Took by Mary Downing Hahn, and in that moment, I thought of Dorian. Susan told me she had never read a book quite like it. She shared that it had an intriguing plot, and she thought it would be a story I would enjoy.
Nope, nope, nope, nope.
Being me, I didn't want to say "no" to Susan. I didn't want to hurt her feelings or make her think I didn't respect her opinion. She told me it was a book she enjoyed and thought I would appreciate it as well. Therefore, I needed to give it a chance. I had Dorian's word and hers as well to give this author an opportunity to entertain me, and although, it wasn't my favorite genre to give a go, I would do it.
The decision was made.
Years ago, I had given the horror/ghost/scary story a chance. I read some those Goosebumps and Fear Street books. That's how I know nightmares abound. Yet, I suppose as an adult, reading kid-friendly horror stories shouldn't terrify me too much.
I decided to read the book.
I read it in one day.
It was a creepy tale about a family moving to a new town and getting caught up in an urban legend. The little girl goes missing, and the brother has to be brave enough to rescue her. In all fairness, I actually enjoyed this story. It wasn't too scary (I know, you're shaking your head and saying, "Becky, it's a kid's ghost story. You can't be that fearful."), and I enjoyed the layout of the story.
My friend, Dorian, was right. Hahn is a delightful writer who weaves a spell-binding tale.
My friend, Susan, was right. I found I enjoyed this tale and how it all came together and its own unique plot.
Lesson learned.
My friends know things. They know about good books. They won't steer me wrong. Now, I might have to read more of Hahn's books, and I suspect I'll have to hear a "I told you so" at some point.
I can live with that.
I enjoyed this story. I appreciated the author's writing style, and I loved how everything progressed. I liked that it had a happy ending, and I was surprised and enchanted with how it unfolded. What a fun, quick read that helped me appreciate a new author and didn't make me cry. Or have nightmares. For those points and the characters themselves, I rate this book as 5/5. If you enjoy ghost stories and if you're into trying new authors, then I would recommend this book to you.
As always, thanks for joining me, and Happy Reading!
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