Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes, and it also has many interesting books. In this series, we are sharing some of the books we like from Minnesota, or Minnesota authors.
We are mapping our literary journey around Minnesota, so you can see all the interesting places where our books are set. Follow our progress on our Google Map, accessible by clicking that link or searching for the title CMLE Reads Across Minnesota!
One of the most fun things about this series is discovering some of the fun new Minnesota books I didn’t know about; so thank you to everyone who is sending in suggestions!!
This week’s book is one of several by Minnesota author Wendy Webb, all in the “spooky country house” gothic genre. As the days are getting shorter, and the cold Minnesota nights are long and dark, it’s fun to have a spooky story set here in northern Minnesota!
From Amazon: “Recently widowed and rendered penniless by her Ponzi-scheming husband, Julia Bishop is eager to start anew. So when a stranger appears on her doorstep with a job offer, she finds herself accepting the mysterious yet unique position: caretaker to his mother, Amaris Sinclair, the famous and rather eccentric horror novelist whom Julia has always admired . . . and who the world believes is dead.
When she arrives at the Sinclairs’ enormous estate on Lake Superior, Julia begins to suspect that there may be sinister undercurrents to her “too-good-to-be-true” position. As Julia delves into the reasons of why Amaris chose to abandon her successful writing career and withdraw from the public eye, her search leads to unsettling connections to her own family tree, making her wonder why she really was invited to Havenwood in the first place, and what monstrous secrets are still held prisoner within its walls.”
If you like this story (and I’m not finished with it yet – so don’t tell me how it ends!), Webb has a few other books in the same genre that also sound like fun to read.
If scary stories, or the idea of scary stories, may be your new book reading interest, be sure you check out our book group podcast episode on the Horror genre. We have a giggling fun time talking about podcasts, fanfic, and books that are all part of the happily-spine-tingling genre!