December Spotlight

 

I read, listen to, and watch a lot of true crime. So when I come across that I haven't heard about, that book usually goes straight onto my TBR. When the case is this crazy as this one, it goes to the top of the pile and gets put on my spotlight. Because what is this...

Of the hundreds of murder cases that noted South Carolina attorney Dick Harpootlian has prosecuted, one in particular haunts him. Donald “Pee Wee” Gaskins was a serial killer and rapist, a master manipulator who claimed to have killed over 100 people and is known to have murdered over a dozen, including a toddler, and his own teenage niece. Yet it was on Death Row that he pulled off his most audacious murder—killing another inmate with a military grade explosive.

As personable as he was ruthless, Pee Wee defied easy categories. He killed to avenge minor slights as well as for pleasure, using any convenient method—including stabbing, shooting, poison, suffocation, and drowning. Evidence suggested he forced at least one victim to dig his own grave, stand in it, and be shot.

With escalating callousness, Pee Wee murdered acquaintances, friends, family members, and strangers. Yet within his North Charleston community he was well-liked—a family man who took neighborhood kids to the beach and hosted cookouts. Ice-cold within but outwardly charming, he joked with judges, reporters, and Harpootlian himself, but didn’t hesitate to hatch a plot to kidnap the prosecutor’s daughter in order to extort an escape.

Dig Me a Grave is a haunting look at a prolific, remorseless killer, as well as a provocative exploration of justice and the death penalty.

HAPPY READING!!

November Wrap Up

November's end snuck up on me, probably because I had a trip planned for Thanksgiving, but I managed to get a lot of books read. A lot of really good books. I only DNFed one book this month. Which is is pretty good statistic, one of seven books. I even got so close to finishing my reading goal. Probably by the time I post this (I've been outta town), I'll have hit that goal. Just two books away! So here's the stats:

 

Books Read: 7
BINGO Books: 0

Pages Read: 1683

Negative, nothing, all these books and not a single BINGO square hit. I've given up getting a BINGO this year. I can't even blame the card; it's leaning into being a mood reader. While that's helped me not feel stressed about my reading, it's been hell on this challenge. 

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we haven't yet read. Generally, they are books that have yet to be released, but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous folks at Breaking the Spine.

Find the key. Put it back. Get rid of the ghost. It’s supposed to be simple…it’s not.

Thanks to his mother’s job at a local graveyard, twelve-year-old Will Stone has some unique talents. For one, he knows exactly how a burial vault works and why they’re used. For another, he’s great at genealogy and can decode centuries old records. Not your normal every day after school activities, that’s for sure!

But when a centuries old crypt key is lost, his normally peaceful existence at Graceland cemetery is shattered. Trees wither and die. The lake becomes covered with a sinister green slime that threatens to choke out anything living in it. And suddenly, the graveyard’s reputation isn’t the only thing in jeopardy . . . Will and his friends' safety is, too.

Suddenly, Will is forced to consider that the lost key might be an even bigger problem than he originally thought. A dark force has been unleashed within the cemetery gates, and along with his friends Stash, Michelle, and Henry, Will must use his unique skill set to figure out which restless spirit is draining the graveyard of life, and how to end the haunting for good.

Why I'm Waiting: You had my attention at 'mother's job at a local graveyard', everything else is a bonus.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Years ago, a tragedy shook a small community in rural Scotland. A bus driver kidnapped seven elementary school children, drove them into the wildnerness, and held them captive in a cave, before jumping from a cliff's edge. The children were unharmed, and for the most part, young enough to grow up and put their ordeal behind them.

But on the anniversary of their childhood trauma, Maggie, Ant, Ben, Stephanie, Lawrie, Seb, and Cass are on a school survival trip up in the mountains and cut off from the rest of the world when a storm hits. There's no help in sight and the group discovers they are just a stone's throw from the scene of their traumatic kidnapping.

As the group struggles to survive the elements, they realize someone else is on the mountain, someone who knows what really happened all those years ago, someone who wants them dead and is willing to take them out one by one.

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

     

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes, the cover initially catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday, I'll post some of my favorite book covers. Coming soon!

Demons clash with inheritance claims as secrets unfold and violence is unleashed over twelve harrowing hours trapped in a house with the worst thing family.

When Papi Ramon, the patriarch of the wealthy Abreu family dies, he gives the family one last message in the “One of you is el bacà, the demon that I made a deal with. Get rid of them or you will be damned.” Xiomara, the uncontested favorite of Papi Ramon (and therefore the least liked in the family), watches as everyone dismisses this as the joke of a senile old man and demands the lawyer obtain the previous will Papi wrote.

While the lawyer drives back to his office, a storm breaks out, forcing the entire family—Xiomara’s aunts and uncles and cousins—to remain in the house. And the words of Papi’s will hangs over their heads even heavier than the rain clouds. Over the course of the night, scandal after scandal is revealed to the public about the family. Suddenly a tense few hours of surviving her family turns into a vicious night of recrimination, violence, accusations…and murder.

Xiomara is faced with an impossible uproot a demon and somehow kill it or excise the ghosts that linger within her own family.

And the clock is ticking...

HAPPY READING!!

Vacation Mode

I am officially in Thanksgiving mode until Sunday! I've escaped to my parents' farm to spoil my niece rotten and catch up with family. Might even do some cooking if my dad surrenders his kitchen. I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend with good food and all their favorite pies. Because we all know the sides and pies are the best part of the weekend. Right? RIGHT?! Hopefully, everyone finds some time to read their current books! 

HAPPY TURKEY DAY

&

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

     

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes, the cover initially catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday, I'll post some of my favorite book covers. Coming soon!

When former serial killer Carol takes her place in a luxury retirement home, she begins to find her feet with a small new group of friends. If she can only keep her past hidden, maybe she has a chance at happiness.

That's when she discovers that, absurdly, every other one of Sheldon Oaks residents was involved in the law somehow. It's not long before her true identity is leaked, and when a former police commissioner resident is murdered, naturally all eyes turn to her...

Now she must solve the case to prove her innocence—just as her new friends start their own investigations into whether there is more than one killer at Sheldon Oaks.

HAPPY READING!!

Mini Reviews

This was my second round with this story, and I forgot more than I remembered with this story. At least until about two-thirds of the way through the audio. Then it all came flooding back to me, and I spent the rest of the book stressed. Hoping I was wrong. I wasn't, which sucked. However, I love the cast they picked for this; it was perfect. Without a doubt, Inspector Lestrade and Wiggles are my favorites. These books themselves are a lot of fun, but the audio cast just makes it that much more fun! Now to read the last book in the series! Because it's time to see if Watson ever breaks the bond Sherlock forced upon him, and just how the two of them brought the world to the end. Maybe even find out if they managed to save it. 

Okay, I discovered these at the library weeks ago, the first book never hitting shelves at my branch. So finally, now that it's turning cold, and I have the desire to be out and about more and more, I put it on Hold. This was totally worth the wait. It was absolutely adorable! The perfect low-stress, curl up with your own cat, kind of read. I enjoyed it so much that I already picked up the second volume, and I'm so glad there are fifteen books in this series. I love that I have so much catching up on! If you want a happy ending (at least so far) and a light read this winter, jump on this. 

   HAPPY READING!!

The House of Quiet - Review

Author: Kiersten White

Genre: Young Adult / Horror

Format: Hardback

Pages: 304

Up until this book, Kiersten White was one of those authors whose books always ended up on my TBR, but never once got picked. So this Spooky Season, I put her book, The House of Quiet, on Hold at my library. Now, I'm notorious for not reading whole synopses of books. I read enough to decide this sounds like something I want to read, then put it on some sort of TBR shelf. Which is exactly what I did in this book. Sounds like a trippy haunted house book, should read during Spooky Season. I was very wrong about the haunted house part, not wrong about when I should have read it. 

This book took me by surprise from start to finish, with a handful of mysteries to solve and characters with powers to figure out. I spent so long trying to figure out the little puzzles that most of the time, the main plot got away from me. It became less important than the characters involved, but once the story wraps up, so does the main plot. Sort of, it's a bit open-ended, but I was satisfied with it.

Personally, there was a lot I liked about this book. I really enjoyed Kiersten White's writing. I loved that we got the point of view of all the teenagers inside the house. Even when those points of view don't make sense right away, it all means something. Pieces to the puzzle that will eventually fit together. Because for the end to happen, you need to understand all the teens and their powers. It just worked so well together. Even the couple of times we got the House Wife. 

I did spend a good part of the first book trying to figure out everyone's power, and then realized Lake and Forest had the worst powers ever. Though River had my favorite power and I quickly realized I would abuse that power immediately. The idea of the powers, how they were seen by the different classes, was also one of my favorite facts about this book. While the lower class so these powers as a way to step out of poverty, into something better. The rich, upper class would do and pay anything to not have their children have these powers.

The only around politics in this book is intense, but believable and well sorted out. I liked that we didn't get a long, drawn-out chapter on the politics of this world. Instead, we got to look through each character's eyes. Why Birdie and Minnow were in the House of Quiet. How River got herself sent there. The real reason Minnow was there in the first place. Why did they need to shut it down and move it, but why does the Doctor need to keep it open? All those things paint a picture of what their world actually looks like, and what the world around these teens is like.

Now, several times, I have mentioned that the characters are teens. That's because this book is a young adult, dystopian-esque, and gothic. So it is geared toward a younger crowd. Now White does one of my favorite things, where she doesn't "dumb down" her books, even though the age range for this book is younger. However, there is nothing too graphic on either spectrum in this book, though certain themes are alluded to a couple of times. There is a bit of violence, but nothing overly graphic.

As a whole, I really liked this book and the time I spent reading it. Without a doubt, I need to read more books by Kiersten White. I have two more on my physical TBR shelf. Because The House of Quiet gave me a bit of a book hangover.

HAPPY READING!!

Edmonds Silent Book Club

A huge thank you to everyone who came out last night! It was an amazing turnout, and we had to expand to an extra table! I loved seeing books being added to our book swap basket for the first time, as well. I can't wait to see what kind of gems find their way inside. Speaking of gems, so many good books were being read last night. It did kind of seem like some of the reading was intense, including me. Here's to hoping our next reads are a little lighter.

If you couldn't make this month's event, don't worry, because we'll be back on December 17th, 7pm, once again at Leftcraft! Next month, I will have the physical 2026 BINGO cards on hand. Hopefully, the virtual will be up soon after, if not before.

So I can't wait to see anyone next month, and I hope everyone has a good and safe Thanksgiving weekend!

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we haven't yet read. Generally, they are books that have yet to be released, but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous folks at Breaking the Spine.

In an isolated desert town, a young woman seeking a fresh start is confronted by ancient gods, malevolent supernatural forces, and eccentric neighbours. A witty horror-tinged fantasy, perfect for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Chuck Tingle, and Rachel Harrison.

When Selena travels to the remote desert town of Quartz Creek in search of her estranged Aunt Amelia, she is desperate and short of options. Fleeing an unhappy marriage, she has exactly twenty-seven dollars to her name, and her only friend in the world is her dog, Copper.

On arrival, Selena learns Amelia is dead. But the inhabitants of Quartz Creek are only too happy to have a new resident. Out of money and ideas, Selena sees no harm staying in her aunt's lovely house for a few weeks, tending to her garden and enjoying the strange, desolate beauty of the desert. The people are odd, but friendly, and eager to help Selena settle into her new home.

But Quartz Creek's inhabitants share their town with others, old gods and spirits whose claim to the land long predates their human neighbours. Selena finds herself pursued by disturbing apparitions, visitations that come in the night and seem to want something from her.

Aunt Amelia owed a debt. Now her god has come to collect.

Why I'm Waiting: I'm a fan of T. Kingfisher. So her books are always on my TBR!

HAPPY READING!!