Kell
16th September 2007, 15:38
The books that received the most seconds for the October choise are as follows:
The Secret of Crickley Hall by James Herbert
The Caleighs have had a terrible year...They need time and space, while they await the news they dread. Gabe has brought his wife, Eve, and daughters, Loren and Cally, down to Devon, to the peaceful seaside village of Hollow Bay. He can work and Eve and the kids can have some peace and quiet and perhaps they can try, as a family, to come to terms with what's happened to them...Crickley Hall is an unusually large house on the outskirts of the village at the bottom of Devil's Cleave, a massive tree-lined gorge - the stuff of local legend. A river flows past the front garden. It's perfect for them...if it a bit gloomy. And Chester, their dog, seems really spooked at being away from home. And old houses do make sounds. And it's constantly cold. And, even though they shut the cellar door every night, it's always open again in morning... The Secret of Crickley Hall is James Herbert's finest novel to date. It explores the darker, more obtuse territories of evil and the supernatural. With brooding menace and rising tension, he masterfully and relentlessly draws the reader through to the ultimate revelation - one that will stay to chill the mind long after the book has been laid aside.
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
A haunting tale of suspense and intrigue set in 19th century Paris. As Monsiers Richard and Moncharmin prepare to take over as acting mnagers of the Opera House, they discover their predecessors have bequeathed them the "Opera Ghost". A seperate memorandum book has been set aside for his various whims, including extravagant financial needs. Heedless of the numerous warnings to comply with these strange demands the managers shrug it all off as a practical joke taken too far. Then a sequence of eerie coincidences and tragic events follow, culminating in the sudden disappearance of the beautiful prima donna Christine Daae in mid-performance. Tortured by the pangs of unrequited love, the mysterious figure living beneath the Opera House has been awaiting his chance to strike - and once he does, he is deadly...
A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon
At 57 George is settling down to a comfortable retirement, building a shed , reading historical novels listening to light jazz. Then Katie ,his unpredictable daughter announces she is getting remarried to Ray. Her family is not pleased - as her brother Jamie puts it Ray has "stranglers hands". Katie cant decide if she loves Ray,and her mother Jean is a bit put out by the way the wedding planning gets in the way of her affair with one of her husband's former work colleagues. Jamies tidy life crumbles when he fails to invite his lover Tony to the nuptials.
Unnoticed in the uproar George discovers a sinister lesion on his hip and quietly begins to lose his mind.
The poll will close on the evening of Saturday 22 September to give everyone plenty of time to get hold of the winning book.
Cast your votes please!
The Secret of Crickley Hall by James Herbert
The Caleighs have had a terrible year...They need time and space, while they await the news they dread. Gabe has brought his wife, Eve, and daughters, Loren and Cally, down to Devon, to the peaceful seaside village of Hollow Bay. He can work and Eve and the kids can have some peace and quiet and perhaps they can try, as a family, to come to terms with what's happened to them...Crickley Hall is an unusually large house on the outskirts of the village at the bottom of Devil's Cleave, a massive tree-lined gorge - the stuff of local legend. A river flows past the front garden. It's perfect for them...if it a bit gloomy. And Chester, their dog, seems really spooked at being away from home. And old houses do make sounds. And it's constantly cold. And, even though they shut the cellar door every night, it's always open again in morning... The Secret of Crickley Hall is James Herbert's finest novel to date. It explores the darker, more obtuse territories of evil and the supernatural. With brooding menace and rising tension, he masterfully and relentlessly draws the reader through to the ultimate revelation - one that will stay to chill the mind long after the book has been laid aside.
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
A haunting tale of suspense and intrigue set in 19th century Paris. As Monsiers Richard and Moncharmin prepare to take over as acting mnagers of the Opera House, they discover their predecessors have bequeathed them the "Opera Ghost". A seperate memorandum book has been set aside for his various whims, including extravagant financial needs. Heedless of the numerous warnings to comply with these strange demands the managers shrug it all off as a practical joke taken too far. Then a sequence of eerie coincidences and tragic events follow, culminating in the sudden disappearance of the beautiful prima donna Christine Daae in mid-performance. Tortured by the pangs of unrequited love, the mysterious figure living beneath the Opera House has been awaiting his chance to strike - and once he does, he is deadly...
A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon
At 57 George is settling down to a comfortable retirement, building a shed , reading historical novels listening to light jazz. Then Katie ,his unpredictable daughter announces she is getting remarried to Ray. Her family is not pleased - as her brother Jamie puts it Ray has "stranglers hands". Katie cant decide if she loves Ray,and her mother Jean is a bit put out by the way the wedding planning gets in the way of her affair with one of her husband's former work colleagues. Jamies tidy life crumbles when he fails to invite his lover Tony to the nuptials.
Unnoticed in the uproar George discovers a sinister lesion on his hip and quietly begins to lose his mind.
The poll will close on the evening of Saturday 22 September to give everyone plenty of time to get hold of the winning book.
Cast your votes please!