I enjoyed this one. I love the premise of a girl who can see ghosts and a creepy house with the weird family.... sign me up! I think this book was well written, and it was a little slow in the beginning.... but so worth it. I recommend this one for those horror lovers out there.

Thank you Net Galley ARC

In 1962, Jemma Barker is desperate to escape her life (and no good man) in Chicago and accepts a job from the Duchon family in New Orleans. Light skinned enough to pass as white, the family looks down on Jemma, who could not pass as white. As things get increasingly weird, Jemma wants to leave, but with what money? And where would she go? The family thinks they are under a curse, and they believe Jemma can break it. When wven more secrets come to light, Jemma finds out she’s more entwined with the family and curse than she thought.

I loved the premise of this book, and the secrets helped with character development, structure, and pacing. I wanted to figure out what was going on as much as Jemma did, but it lost me with interest a little bit in the middle. I kinda zoned in and out of the story for a while, but they got me back at the end. Definitely more Gothic than horror, I think I would have liked a little more horror.

Don’t let me deter you with my criticism, though. I did enjoy it, and I do recommend. Just be ready for the somewhat slow pacing in the middle bits.

Love an atmospheric horrid novel! This one fell flat for me. The first half was great but the ending was a struggle.

This is a fun historical fiction-southern gothic-paranormal mystery. Del Sandeen takes you back to the 1960's and shows you what the life of an educated unmarried black woman was like. Jemma Barker's life in Chicago is falling apart when she is offered the job of a lifetime. The job offers her a new start on life and a move to New Orleans to work for the Duchon family. She believes she is hired to be a tutor, as she is a teacher, but when she arrives at the families estate she finds no children to teach. The eccentric family has not been honest with Jemma. The light skinned black family is a little antiquated and seem to despise her darker skin color, but they also seem to need her in their favor. The Duchons believe that Jemma is the only one who can free the family from a deadly curse. Offered unbelievable pay Jemma agrees to stay on and help, but as Jemma settles in to her new life down south, old problems begin to surface. Here is where things take a turn for the strange, and Jemma will have to get to the root of the mystery to save them all. The dark wonderland that Del has created is filled with messed up people and echoes of America's past. The paranormal aspects are the heart of the book, they will make you feel just as claustrophobic as Jemma. The Duchons are the perfect cast of morally grey, off-beat side characters that will help bond you to Jemma and leave you invested in the outcome of the story. This is the perfect book for a fan of historical fiction that wants to try dipping their toes into the spookier side of fiction. Fans of Crimson Peak, The Haunted Mansion and Sleepy Hollow should definitely give this book a spin

3.75 stars

1960’s Chicago: Jemma Barker is desperate to get away from her life and the spirits that surround her when a job offer that seems to good to be true lands in her lap. Feeling a small bit of hope she accepts no questions asked and takes the train to New Orleans to start her position with the Duchon Family. The Duchon’s turn out to be an upper class black family that are light enough to be white passing, and act as such looking down upon the staff and in turn brown skinned Jemma. But the family hasn’t left their home in years because of a curse placed on them. A curse they think only Jemma has the power to break.

Talk about atmospheric! The 60’s in New Orleans are scary enough on their own- with segregation still alive and strong, which impacts the story in a huge way. Mix in a curse and a group of enraged ghosts and you have this Southern gothic horror.

Outside of Jemma, the MC, the majority of the characters are wholly unlikeable. I was honestly ready for Jemma to pack it up and leave the family immediately, book over. But she stays on, and we learn secret after horrific secret about this family.

The pacing of the story could have been better and I do wish the ghosts had been used more. But, with good twists, layered family drama, generational trauma, and really strong character building I definitely enjoyed this debut.

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

I was really hoping to love this one, but it just never quite delivered for me. I wouldn’t classify it as a work of horror as those aspects were relatively weak. While there were some paranormal elements, they generally felt like background occurrences – the author could have leaned into this aspect much more to create more tension and atmosphere. The characters were also lacking in any significant development, which was frustrating. We were told many times about how awful/sad/misused they were, but they never felt alive.

There were a few things relating to the writing that detracted from my enjoyment. The author relied quite heavily on telling, which rarely works for me, especially when a work is supposed to be atmospheric and haunting. Make me see/feel what the characters are going through, don’t tell me “This is scary. This is evil.” This work was also at least 50 pages longer than it needed to be; some trimming/editing could have made the whole thing much stronger.

While the premise of this one is promising and the cover is gorgeous, it just didn’t work for me. There were many elements that could have made this a gothic horror if they’d been utilized better, but it wasn’t the case here. My thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The following review was published or updated in several Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia newspapers and magazines in November and December 2024:

Booking a full year of reading

Review by Tom Mayer

If only us readers could just spend our days … reading. What would a year look like? Here, the editors of Home for the Holidays present their yearlong list of books, culled from the past 12 months of reading and reviewing. A few of the titles you’ll immediately recognize, and you’ll likely have more than few in your own library. But just in case you missed a title or two, we’re showcasing the whole year’s worth of books that we’ve read and reviewed, month by month.

Except for the first title, the list is simply a list. To find the reviews of many of these titles, visit our newspaper parent, The (Athens) News Courier at enewscourier.com — with a slight caveat. Our newspaper webmasters are currently working overtime to improve our content management system, the foundation of any website, and while many of our archives are now found there, it may be a few weeks before everything is fully re-uploaded — including the most recent editions of Limestone Life and Home for the Holidays. For now, though, enjoy our literary stroll through 2024.

And about that first title: Not every college professor can make statistical analysis approachable, let along interesting to their students and the general population, but Athens State University emeritus professor of psychology Mark Durm is not every college professor. After spending nearly five decades teaching thousands of students, the “ol’ psychology professor” decided that he’d best get around to writing the one book out of his nearly 100 published pieces that’s he always wanted to write. Call it a legacy piece, but what it really is is a “best of” Durm’s peer-reviewed, book reviews, non-peer reviewed and magazine articles from his 47 years in higher education.

The result is “Professional Publications of an Ol’ Psychology Professor” (Dorrance) with full previously published articles ranging from studies on the effects of glasses on a child’s self-esteem to his ever-popular parapsychology pieces, Durm presents his internationally recognized efforts with a twist.

“It’s a different kind of book because it doesn’t talk about the research, it presents the research,” the professor says from his second-career office at Durm Properties in Athens, about a half-mile from where he first presented that research in person. “I’ve spent hours on all of these articles, especially in the peer-reviewed journal articles.”

And so, articles on divorce, sex, religion and other topics now populate the pages of Durm’s most recent book in an effort to both continue his teaching and satisfy what has been a lifelong wonderment.

“You know, most people don’t understand statistics, so it’s all in there,” Durm said. “What I’m trying to do is a more critical approach to ‘just don’t believe everything you’re told.’ … It’s things that were in my life that I wanted to see if they were so, by using a psychological analysis.”

And like any good professor, Durm didn’t do that research on his own — or take all of the credit. Among the co-authors of many of his articles in the book were students — many of who he’s lost touch with, but all of whom who he credits by name in his acknowledgements and for each of who, if they look up their ol’ mentor, he has a signed book ready to hand over. For the rest of us, you can find the book at any online bookseller — just as you can with the remainder of our list, presented by the month in which the book was published, read and reviewed.

JANUARY

Unbound (Blackstone) by Christy Healy NG/F

The Devil’s Daughter by Gordon Greisman NG/ARC

FEBRUARY

Almost Surely Dead (Mindy’s Book Studio) by Amina Akhtar NG

The Chaos Agent (Gray Man 13) (Berkley) by Mark Greaney NG

The Lady in Glass and Other Stories (Ace) by Anne Bishop ARC

A Haunting in the Arctic (Berkley paperback) by C.J. Cooke NG

Ghost Island (Berkley) by Max Seeck

MARCH

Hello, Alabama (Arcadia) by Martha Day Zschock

The Unquiet Bones (Montlake) by Loreth Anne White

I am Rome: A novel of Julius Caesar (Ballantine Books by Santiago PosteguilloMarch 5: Murder Road (Berkley) by Simone St. James

The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry (Holiday House) by Anna Rose Johnson

Ferris (Candlewick) by Kate DiCamillo

After Annie (Random House, Feb. 27) by Anna Quindlen

Crocodile Tears Didn't Cause the Flood (Montag Press) by Bradley Sides The #1 Lawyer (Little, Brown and Company) by James Patterson, Nancy Allen

Lilith (Blackstone) by Eric Rickstad

Life: My Story Through History (Harper One) by Pope Francis

APRIL

Matterhorn (Thomas & Mercer) by Christopher Reich

Friends in Napa (Mindy’s Book Studio) by Sheila Yasmin Marikar

City in Ruins (William Morrow) by Don Winslow

The House on Biscayne Bay (Berkley) by Chanel Cleeton

Two Friends, One Dog, and a Very Unusual Week (Peachtree) by Sarah L. Thomson

For Worse (Blackstone) by L.K. Bowen

A Killing on the Hill (Thomas & Mercer) by Robert Dugoini

The Clock Struck Murder (Poisoned Pen Press) by Betty Webb

The Book That Broke the World (Ace) by Mark Lawrence

The Forgetters (Heyday Books) by Greg Sarris

Lost to Dune Road (Thomas & Mercer) by Kara Thomas

Warrior on the Mound (Holiday House/Peachtree) by Sandra Headed

Pictures of Time (Silver Street Media) by David AlexanderBare Knuckle (Blackstone Publishing) by Stayton Bonner

Murder on Demand (Blackstone Publishing) by Al Roker

Home is Where the Bodies Are (Blackstone) by Jeneva Rose

MAY

Matterhorn by Christopher Reich

The Hunter's Daughter (Berkley) by Nicola Solvinic

The House That Horror Built (Berkley) by Christina Henry

In our stars (Berkley) by Jack Campbell

Freeset (book 2) (Blackstone) by Sarina Dahlan

Southern Man (William Morrow) by Greg Iles

Camino Ghosts (Doubleday) by John Grisham

JUNE

Specter of Betrayal by Rick DeStefanis

Lake County (Thomas & Mercer) by Lori Roy

Serendipity (Dutton) by Becky Chalsen

Shelterwood (Ballantine) by Lisa Wingate

The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra’s Needle (Holiday House) by Dan Gutman

Jackpot (Penguin) by Elysa Friedland

The Helper (Blackstone) by M.M. Dewil

Winter Lost (Ace) by Patricia Briggs

Shadow Heart (Blackstone) by Meg Gardiner

Lake Country (Thomas & Mercer) by Lori Roy

The Out-of-Town Lawyer (Blackstone) by Robert Rotten

Love Letter to a Serial Killer (Berkley) by Tasha Coryell

Sentinel Berkley) by Mark Greaney

JULY

Three Kings: Race, Class, and the Barrier-Breaking Rivals Who Redefined Sports and Launched the Modern Olympic Age (Blackstone) by Todd Balf

The Night Ends with Fire (Berkley) by K.X. Song

Echo Road (Montlake) by Melinda Leigh

It’s Elementary (Berkley) by Elise Bryant

You Shouldn’t Be Here (Thomas & Mercer) by Lauren Thoman

Back In Black (Blackstone) edited by Don Bruns

The Recruiter (Blackstone) by Gregg Podolski

AUGUST

You Shouldn’t Be Here (Thomas & Mercer) by Lauren Thoman ARC

Not What She Seems (Thomas & Mercer) by Yasmin Angoe NG

Fatal Intrusion by Jeff Deaver/Isabella Maldonado

Death at Morning House (HARPERTeen) by Maureen Johnson

Fire and Bones (Scribner) by Kathy Reichs

Some Nightmares Are Real (University of Alabama Press) by Kelly Kazoo

The Brothers Kenny (Blackstone) by Adam Mitzner

Blind to Midnight (Blackstone) by Reed Farrel Coleman

The Wayside (Blackstone) by Carolina Wolff

Enemy of the State (Blackstone) by Robert Smartwood

You Will Never Be Me (Berkley) by Jesse Q. Sutanto

On Settler Colonialism: Ideology, Violence, and Justice (W.W. Norton) by Adam Kirsch

We Love the Nightlife (Berkley) by Rachel Koller Croft

Talking To Strangers (Berkley) by Fiona Barton

An Honorable Assassin (Blackstone) by Steve Hamilton possible interview see email

Dungeon Crawler Carl (1 of 6 but see next two months) (Ace) by Matt Dinniman

SEPTEMBER

Fatal Intrusion (Thomas & Mercer) by Jeffrey Deaver and Isabella Maldonado

When They Last Saw Her (Penguin) by Marcie Rendon

American Ghoul (Blackstone) by Michelle McGill-Vargas

First Do No Harm (Blackstone) by Steve Hamilton

A Quiet Life: A Novel (Arcade) by William Cooper and Michael McKinley

One More From the Top (Mariner) by Emily Layden

No Address (Forefront Books) by Ken Abraham.

Tiger’s Tale (Blackstone) by Colleen Houck

An Academy for Liars (Ace) by Alexis Henderson

Rewitched (Berkley) by Lucy Jane Wood

Gaslight (Blackstone) by Sara Shepard and Miles Joris-Peyrafitte

Counting Miracles (Random House) by Nicholas Sparks

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society (Ace) by C.M. Waggoner

The Hitchcock Hotel (Berkley) by Stephanie Wrobel

In the Garden of Monsters by Crystal King

Carl’s Doomsday Scenario (2 of 6 see next month also) (Ace) by Matt Dinniman

OCTOBER

The Hushed (Blackstone) by K.R. Blair NG

A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer (Berkley) by Maxie Dara

On Settler Colonialism: Ideology, Violence, and Justice (Norton) by WSJ Weekend review editor Adam Kirsch

Framed (Doubleday) by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey

This Cursed House (Penguin) by Del Sandeen

The Puzzle Box (Random House) by Danielle Trussoni

Two Good Men (Blackstone) by S.E. Redfearn

Dark Space (Blackstone) by Rob Hart and Alex Segura

This Cursed House (Berkley’s open submission)by Del Sandeen

Vindicating Trump (Regnery) by Dinesh D’Souza

The Book of Witching (Berkley) by C.J. Cooke

The World Walk (Skyhorse) by Tom Turcich

The Waiting Game by Michael Connelly  ARC, possible interview see email

Beyond Reasonable Doubt (Thomas & Mercer) by Robert Dugoni

Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook (3 of 6, with bonus material) (Ace) by Matt Dinniman

Frozen Lives (Blackstone) by Jennifer Graeser Fronbush NG

Vincent, Starry Starry Night (Meteor 17 Books) intro by Don McLean

Paris in Winter: An Illustrated Memoir (PowerHouse Books) by David Coggins

NOVEMBER

The Waiting (Little, Brown) by Michael Connelly

The Teller of Small Fortunes (Penguin) by Julie Long

Shadow Lab (Blackstone) by Brendan Deneen

Trial by Ambush (Thomas & Mercer) by Marcia Clark

Devil Take It (Heresy Press) by Daniel Debs Nossiter

SerVant of Earth (Ace) by Sarah Hawley

All the other me (Blackstone) by Jody Holford

The Perfect Marriage (Blackstone reissue re-edit) by Jenny Rose

DECEMBER

Trial By Ambush (Thomas & Mercer) by Marcia Clark

The Close-Up (Gallery Books) by Pip Drysdale

The Silent Watcher (Thomas & Mercer) by Victor Methos

Leviathan (Lividian Trade HC) by Robert McCammon

The Silent Watcher (Thomas & Mercer) by Victor Method

Assume Nothing (Thomas & Mercer) by Joshua Corin

One example link:
https://enewscourier.com/2024/11/29/in-review-booking-a-full-year-of-reading/

This was a book that started off so good! I loved the twists and turns and the dread as each secret was revealed. Then it felt like it peaked when the curse keeping them trapped in the house was lifted but there was still so much left of the book after that part. Instead we started getting this message of how you need to forgive and forget and move on and it just didn't fit considering all the horrible thing this family did.

I enjoyed this. A Chicago girl heads to New Orleans after a situation changing job offer, only to find the family hiring her have different plans in mind for her work. I liked the atmosphere and build up. You get a unsettling story in more ways than one. I’m a fan!

Del Sandeen's debut novel, "This Cursed House," is a captivating Southern Gothic tale that weaves together elements of historical fiction, family drama, and the supernatural. Set in 1960s New Orleans, the story follows Jemma Barker, a young Black woman who leaves her life in Chicago to accept a mysterious job offer from the wealthy Duchon family.

As Jemma delves deeper into the enigmatic family, she uncovers a web of dark secrets, generational curses, and unsettling paranormal occurrences. The author skillfully builds suspense through a slow-burn narrative, gradually revealing the sinister nature of the Duchon household. The atmospheric setting of the decaying mansion and the eerie presence of spirits create a chilling atmosphere that will keep readers on edge.

One of the novel's strengths lies in its exploration of complex themes, including the impact of racism, the burden of family legacy, and the power of resilience. Jemma, as a Black woman navigating a predominantly white society, faces discrimination and prejudice within the Duchon family itself. This adds a layer of social commentary to the supernatural elements of the story.

While the novel effectively blends historical fiction with horror, some readers may find the pacing uneven at times. The first half of the book focuses on character development and world-building, which can feel somewhat slow. However, the second half picks up momentum, delivering a thrilling climax that ties together the loose ends of the plot.

Overall, "This Cursed House" is an intriguing debut that offers a unique blend of Southern Gothic horror and social commentary. Fans of atmospheric storytelling and dark family secrets will find much to appreciate in this captivating novel.

A highly anticipated read for me and as someone who very much enjoys gothic horror stories, I was very excited to pick this up. There are good themes about racism and the history of slavery in the US, generational trauma, and 1960s segregation. Those elements I very much enjoyed and that setting kept me interested to see what would happen next. Without going too much into spoilers, there's also a theme of forgiveness, but that part of the book didn't impress me as much, and that's purely a personal taste of mine, and I would have liked to see a stronger and more compelling approach of reconciliation beyond a message that said "just let it go, feel your feelings, forgive and live your life in order to be free." Overall, this book was good, and I definitely thing that this will appeal to folks.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for a copy of this eArc in exchange for my honest thoughts. And thank you to my book bestie Colleen for buddy reading this with me!

Some content notes to be aware of: racism, slavery, incest, death, murder, classism, injury, suicide attempt (off page)

On surface this is a domestic horror about a cursed family trapped by death. Underneath it is an exploration of racial identity, self-loathing, and internalized anti-blackness. It combines the history and legacy of slavery, passing, and intergenerational trauma. It looks at the ideas of family and legacy with our own identities.

This book is light on the scares but high in the dread. It really delves into the psyche of the main character and the family she is working for. I think in some pieces the author could have trusted the reader a bit more to understand what was happening. It felt like everything and even some internal characterization pieces were being stated out loud for the point of explaining to the reader and I think that the writing was strong enough to understand those pieces without them being spelled out.

This was a fantastic debut and I cannot wait to see what this author does next.

Disclosure: I received a gifted ARC and finished copy. No review was required and all opinions are my own.

Short synopsis: Jemma leaves her life behind in Chicago to move to St Louis to work for the Duchon Family. Only to find out they’ve been cursed and think she can break it.

My thoughts: I love a gothic haunted house book and this one was done so well! I loved how intricate each character was (although there were a lot to keep up with). I love how decision from the past haunted them and the way they had to work through fixing things.

I loved how I was able to vividly picture the ghosts that haunted the house, and “see” them along with Jemma!

This one delves into the history of slavery and is set during the time of segregation. It explored colorism and the how separation existed between the black community by this who were able to “pass” as white, and those with darker skin. Keep that in mind as you read because although it is part of our the American history it is still really hard to read!

Read if you love:
- Gothic horror
- Atmospheric settings
- Ghosts
- Family curses

A terrifying southern gothic tale that left me wondering what was going to happen next. A fascinating look at a cursed family and the lengths they will go to remove the curse. Jemma, reeling from personal events in Chicago, receives a call inviting her to come to a manor in New Orleans as a tutor, or so she presumes. Not having anywhere else to go, she travels there and meets the Duchon family. Immediately, she senses something off about the house and the family.

The longer she stays the more lies she uncovers and the more danger she finds herself in. As she digs deeper into the family and their past, she realizes that she has to embrace what she has run from her whole life: her ability to see, and potentially speak to, the dead. A frightening tale about the sins of our ancestors haunting our present.

Wow! Jemma is a powerhouse of a character. Jemma is desperate when she takes a job in New Orleans for the notorious Duchon Family. Right off the bat, she notices strange things but this isn’t anything new to Jemma; she’s been able to see spirits all of her life. At the Duchon’s, she finds out that the entire family is cursed and they expect her to break it. Jemma has stepped into an absolute heap of crazy and every day brings about a new revelation about the Duchons. Steeped in secrets and lies, Jemma will have to work to save the Duchons to save herself.

There is so much I loved about this story – I love a gothic horror but the history is outstanding, as well. I have to say, Del Sandeen is an author to watch! I cannot wait to see what she does next.

My thanks to Berkley Pub for this gifted DRC!

To start with a positive, I did like the idea of this book, but that's about it.

The prose was clunky, the dialogue unbelievable, the characters had conflicting motives, and the pacing left me nothing to hope for.

If you want a book about a generationally cursed house and family, and also want to be in your feels the whole time with little suspense, this one may be for you.

This had an intriguing premise but I failed to connect with the actual narrative. It was fine but I was finding myself disinterested without much to critique or praise about this story. I wanted to love it, but at most I could appreciate it.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

This was a RIDE oh my gosh. The epitome of Gothic and it will have you gasping in shock as only a good Gothic can. While I felt that there was a bit drag in the second half, between the "big reveal" about her family and her final attempts to break their curse, a little pacing trouble is not enough to mar the this books with it's beautiful, overgrown, oppressive feel and the themes of race and colorism with which it is contending.

If you’re a fan of haunted houses, creeping dread, and chilling family secrets, This Cursed House by Del Sandeen is the perfect autumn read! This novel follows the story of Lila, who inherits her family’s old, decaying mansion. But what she thinks is just a run-down house with sentimental value soon turns into something far more sinister…

Sandeen does an incredible job setting up the atmosphere, making every creak, shadow, and strange occurrence feel so real. The characters are complex, and you can feel Lila’s inner conflict as she battles whether to stay or leave this ominous place. The history of the house unfolds gradually, hooking you with each piece of the puzzle, while the supernatural elements keep you on edge!

A haunted house story set in 1960s New Orleans around a mysterious Black family trying to break a curse? Sign me ALL the way up. Creepy, suspenseful, and full of dark secrets, THIS CURSED HOUSE was exactly the atmospheric read I needed this spooky season.