Book Review: The Haunted Bookshelf Series Round III

It has become a new Christmas tradition of mine to read the latest releases of Biblioasis’ Haunted Bookshelf series around the holidays. Each year they release three previously-published ghost stories but with the additions of illustrations by Seth, meant to revive the Victorian tradition of reading ghost stories on Christmas Eve. I’ve done this a few years in a row now, and I especially enjoy the opportunity to read stories that have been published long ago, sometimes even a hundred years ago. Below are my reviews of the latest three additions to the series.

Podolo by L.P. Hartley

Podolo is about a small group who travel by boat to a deserted island for a picnic off the coast of Venice, but while there, spot a tiny malnourished cat. Angela is adamant that they bring the cat home to take care of, but when it proves too difficult to catch, she resolves to kill it instead. Upset by this decision but ultimately not willing to argue with her, her friend and the gondolier who brought them over decide to give her time to chase it, but fall asleep instead. When they awaken they begin their search for Angela as darkness falls, but they spot another person on the island, and their evening gets decidedly worse from there. This was one of my favourites in the series because of the mystery cat, and this feline influence is reflected in the illustrations. You can hear the tale, originally published in 1948 narrated on YouTube, and it’s quite a good version. I loved how spooky this story was – it had an eerie setting that was made worse by the appearance of this poor cat, and Angela’s strange reaction to it. The ending is quite good, but I can’t give away anymore details without spoilers.

Captain Dalgety Returns by Laurence Whistler

This book was an odd one for me, and my blasé reaction to it is likely due to the fact that I wasn’t able to read it all in one go. If you can, set aside time to read these entire books through in one sitting, as the spookiness has much more impact that way. Captain Dalgety Returns tells the tale of a father who is cold and uncaring towards his only daughter. He gets in his car to go to town, but the car gets in a minor accident while he’s there so he resolves to walk home. He gets caught in a thunderstorm and is struck by lightning, presumably dying. But he’s not ready to say goodbye just yet…This story seemed unnecessarily long, and leans heavily on the outdoor descriptions rather than any incidents that move the plot along. It was the least spooky of the three, and honestly just annoyed me with how vague the writing was.

The Amethyst Cross by Mary Fitt

Like Podolo, The Amethyst Cross also excels at creating a spooky atmosphere filled with tension. It’s about a young woman, Margaret, who has been tasked with finding a country cottage for her overbearing Aunt Dorothea to vacation in, so she can enjoy the surrounding moors for walking. A very cheap cottage is available, well-equipped and in a nice location, but the innkeeper responsible for renting it has warned Margaret that it’s haunted, which is why it mostly stays empty. Apparently an older woman was murdered there, while her valuable jewels were stolen. Aunt Dorothea lasts only a few days and soon leaves, but writes a letter to Margaret explaining why she couldn’t stay there any longer. The descriptions of the cottage from Margaret and Dorothea’s points of view are the perfect haunted house set-up, and the eerie history of these beautiful gems are a striking end to the story. Like many tales from that era, the plot is also a warning about the dangers of greed and covetousness.

I hope you’re having a wonderful holiday season filled with books, cups of hot tea and chocolate. I look forward to reading along with you in 2025!