We have always lived in the castle, by Shirley Jackson

 Oohhh this is so good and creepy: "is a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle that ensues when a cousin arrives at their estate."

It is full of innuendo and foreshadowing that makes you want to keep reading even though you get a little knot in your stomach about what may happen, but certainly that is Jackson's purpose and strength, -loved it!  The plot is simple, but mostly you don't get it till the end.  You know some weird stuff happened, because the family is tormented by the villagers because of some history between them.  Slowly the reader can guess or speculate what that event was, and whether or not the truth is being told or is it just figments of imagination on the part of the narrator, of memory or fantasy?

How Far We Go and How Fast

 

This is Leah Decter's 'fake' niece, and her debut.  I loved it but took a few starts to begin to enjoy it.  Set in Winnipeg in modern times.  It is a bit of a mystery as the main character keeps alluding to her brother who escaped, got away to the west coast.  She wants to follow him but can't quite manage to get it together.  Slowly the story of why she can't unfolds as she deals with family tragedy and her own character/self. She is musical and uses it to come to terms with her life.

The themes include family disfunction, mother daughter relationships, song writing as therapy, dealing with death.  It is appropriate for older teens. She writes well. I loved how she reveals the story, bit by bit, until the reader starts to anticipate the sequence of events as a mystery with a strong sense of foreboding.

The agony of Bun O'Keefe, by Heather Smith

 This teen fic book is a good one.  I liked the title but that was the only reason I bought it, so it was a pleasant surprise, having never heard of the author before. It is set in Newfoundland, 1986, though it could be anywhere.  Bun is a 14 year old living a very quiet and disfunctional life with her absent mom, who is a hoarder.  Bun gets the boot, and leaves to live on the street. She finds a welcoming community of young adults living communally in a house.  They function despite their differences and backgrounds and bond to keep the wolves from the door.  Here Bun is accepted but things are still tough.  She slowly comes to terms with herself, her new friends, and her mom.

Themes include emotional and mental well-being, suicide, sexual identity, sexual abuse, empathy.

William Bell, Stones

 This historical fiction book is set in Ontario, around the Barrie area.  The lead character is an interesting youngster getting ready to transition from high-school to a career as a furniture maker.  He falls in love with the new girl, and romance ensues.  She has a gift in that she senses spirits.  They find an old African Methodist church and witness the spirits, then they know some heinous crime was committed to a Haitian woman many years before.  She walks the pathway wailing for her deceased husband. She was a healer but was accused of being a witch.

It is a romance and a mystery with a social justice theme.

I really enjoyed the reading, which is at about a grade 8 level, and very well done. Bell builds the mystery carefully so that I was intrigued, as I learned about the Black history in southern Ontario, and the injustices done to the African community.