Monday, October 22, 2012

Teaser Tuesday 149: The Haunting of Hill House

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current book or recent read.
* Share a few "teaser" sentences from somewhere in the book.
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away. You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!


Am just starting The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson for a TNBBC group read. Most people are probably familiar with her short story, "The Lottery". While I have not read this particular book previously, I have seen the 1963 film version of the book, The Haunting. Here is the opening paragraph:



No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.



ABOUT THE BOOK

The classic supernatural thriller by an author who helped define the genre.

First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a "haunting"; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers-and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.


Shirley Jackson is unparalleled as a leader in the field of beautifully written, quiet, cumulative shudders."
~Dorothy Parker, Esquire"




19 comments:

Unknown said...

Kind of creepy! Good one!

Mine is from The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

http://mrscaptkirk51.blogspot.com/2012/10/teaser-tuesdays-oct-23.html

Kathy Martin said...

Very creepy! I will avoid this one. My teasers this week are from Crewel by Gennifer Albin and Edge of Oblivion by J. T. Geissinger. Happy reading!

CountryDew said...

Oh my, I read this a very long time ago - so long I scarcely remember it, though I do recall The Lottery with great clarity. Great choice for Halloween.

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

Very appropriate for the season! I still haven't read this one...thanks for sharing.

Here's MY TUESDAY MEMES POST

Anonymous said...

Sounds scary,a great read for now.

http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2012/10/teaser-tuesday_23.html

Alice Audrey said...

Not my kind of book. I'll leave the hauntings to you.

kayerj said...

this book scared me off of horror when I was twelve. I've never been back. Enjoy your read. kaye—the road goes ever ever on

Maude Lynn said...

I must get this!

Heather said...

Allison: Yes, it is a rather creepy beginning.

Kathy M: I was planning to avoid this one myself--until a friend gave me her copy.

Heather said...

Anita: Thanks. I'm wondering if your not remembering it is a good or bad thing. Guess I'll find out as I read... LOL

Laurel-Rain: Thanks! Sounds like this is one you have wanted to read?

Heather said...

Trib Books Mama: Hasn't been too scary so far, but I am only a quarter of the way in. Still, I think I'd rather read it during daylight hours. ;-)

Alice: Gee, thanks, LOL. I don't usually go for horror, but it is a classic, so we'll see what I think.

Heather said...

Kaye: I don't think I would have picked something like this up at twelve, though that's probably about how old I was when I first read The Lottery.

Mama Zen: LOL - finally! Someone who actually wants to read it! :-D

Ann @ Tea And Text said...

Oh great pick for a Halloween read!

My Teaser Tuesday features Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children!

Heather said...

Thanks, Ann!

Nash Nordin said...

That's one creepy teaser! Thanks for sharing!

ai love books

Duncan D. Horne - the Kuantan blogger said...

Beautiful teaser, loved it!
Here's mine: I love Dan Brown

Heather said...

Thanks Nash and Duncan!

Alice Audrey said...

To me, a classic would be Wuthering Heights.

Heather said...

Much as I love reading the occasional classic, I have attempted to read Wuthering Heights twice, and failed to get even half way through both times. I may try it again...in a decade or two.