Mini Reviews

 

Both of these are so much fun! I've been in a reading slump this month. Which is why both of these are perfect. I grew up watching The Golden Girls, it was one of my favorites to watch with my Great Grandma. And, as a lover of spooky season, I do love The Nightmare Before Christmas. Both were fun, easy to read, and perfect for the kind of mindset I've been in this month.

When this first came out I fell in love with Sevro, Darro, but mostly Severo. However, with the world that Pierce Brown had created, the plot left wanting more. Unfortunately at the time, my job didn't allow for any kind of free time, so reading series was hard because I always ended up never finishing them. So I decided to jump back into this series because it's time, actually it's past time. I had forgotten a good two-thirds of what was in this book, even whole characters. Mostly I had forgotten how much I missed some of these characters. This was my audiobook for the month and the full cast is absolutely amazing! I was worried about Sevro's voice, but it was spot on it. It was a great reminder of how much I love this series, the world, the characters, and the plot. It brought back all the questions of how everything connects and how it'll all unfold. So I'm jumping into Golden Son as my September audiobook, I already bought part one of the full cast audio.

This wasn't a planned read. I stumbled onto a radio station that just plays old radio plays, and the other day while I was running errands this was what was playing. Extra errands were run ahead of schedule because I didn't want to turn this off. While this is not one of my favorite canon stories, this radio play was a lot of fun. It's also been a few years since I've read this one, so that was nice because I'd forgotten quite a bit about this short story. 

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to 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 at Breaking the Spine.

When all hell breaks loose, you need a devil on your side

Sarita has been watched over by a guardian angel her entire life. She calls him Angelo, and keeps him a secret. But secrets can’t stay buried forever… When Angelo murders someone she loves, Sarita begins to see what's really been lurking in the shadows surrounding her. And she will have to embrace the evil within if she hopes to make it out alive.

Johnny Compton, critically acclaimed author of The Spite House and master of dread, takes you on a terrifying race of one woman against the hordes of hell. 

Why I'm Waiting: Because I have a feeling this lady has an evil guardian angel, I'm here for that. But, also I've heard great things about Johnny Compton so I definitely need to pick both this and The Spite House.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

“Ready or not. Whatever you do. The Hiding Boy is coming for you.”

Sixteen-year-old Nate Campbell grew up in the shadow of Murder Road – a street cursed by the vengeful spirit of the Hiding Boy.

Every few years, for nearly six decades, a different house on that street has been the scene of a tragedy.

Nate and his family move to a new town as they try to outrun the curse once and for all. But, when he is pulled into his new friends’ urban legend club, new ghost stories merge with old until there is nowhere left to run.

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'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon!

WELCOME TO MAPLE BAY, NOVA SCOTIA

For nearly a century, people have ventured to the idyllic seaside town of Maple Bay in search of a legendary lost pirate treasure, but locals know there’s more than just gold buried in the sand. As the paths of three strangers converge in Maple Bay, the truth is about to be blown wide open. But not before the bodies start to pile up.

Peter Barnett is rapidly approaching 40 with little to show for it when a mysterious letter invites him to Maple Bay and the mansion his estranged family has called home for generations.

Seventeen-year-old Dandy Feltzen is isolated and adrift following the death of her beloved grandfather, until his final request and a tantalizing clue sets her on a mission to solve the mystery he spent his entire life chasing.

Cass Jones has given up on her dream of being a successful author when an unexpected opportunity lands in her a housesitting gig in remote Maple Bay, where she stumbles on the perfect subject matter for her breakout book—and the handsome sailor who might be just the person to help her research it.

Peter, Dandy and Cass have never met, but they’re on a collision course with each other and the mystery that has defined Maple Bay for two centuries, and none of them are prepared for the shocking truths that may or may not still be buried there.

HAPPY READING!!

Book Haul

 

Did I mention that my mother and I shouldn't be left alone in a bookstore? Because really we shouldn't be, and we were. We hit two bookstores, one thrift store, and one Amazon bin store. Books were found in five places. My grandmother was also on the trip and I think she found one book, maybe two. 

Ma I think found four, maybe three. I however found a stack and discovered a new part of one of my local bookstores that I'd never noticed before. Which added two new books to my stack. 

At least I didn't have to shove my stack into a suitcase. Otherwise, I would have been in trouble. As it is, I need to figure out where exactly on my shelves these new books are gonna go. Because at this moment in time, the shelves are very much overflowing. 

I also can't just leave them stacked on the floor. Because my cat will a hundred percent will lick them until the pages are gone. He's a menace. It's a good thing he's cute!

HAPPY READING!!

August Silent Book Club

 

A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by Leftcraft and joined us for the August Silent Book Club! We had an amazing turnout and filled three tables at Leftcraft, and everyone was reading a wide variety of books. It was cool to see some new faces mixed in with returning readers. 

This was also a very special Silent Book Club. My Ma and my Mim came for a visit with the sole purpose of joining us for the book club. Which was really cool for me because that's three generations of readers sitting side-by-side! I came by bookworm tendencies honestly.

I'm a reader because of both of the ladies, and I'm a book hoarder because of Ma. Both of us should never be left alone in a bookstore. It was super cool to get show them our book club, and send them home to start one in my hometown!

Our next meet-up will once again be at Leftcraft in Edmonds on September 18th at 7 pm! So if you are in the North Seattle area that day, come and join us. Get some great food and drinks, and settle down to read for an hour!

HAPPY READING!!

Currently Reading

 

I haven't done one of these all month because I haven't been reading. Some of it has been gearing up to have family in town. Some of it has been work being busy. A lot of it has been no drive to read anything, no books or Kindle or audiobook. Anytime I have a second to read, where I should read, I end up either doom scrolling, or zoning out to the TV.  My solution was to jump into one of my favorite series, but this time through the full-cast audiobook. 

That helped a little, and finally getting my Ma and Mim under my roof also helped.  

I'm still trucking along on two NetGalley books that are getting published in a few short weeks. A part of me is worried that I'm not giving The Curse of the Dead Man's Diamond enough grace because I've been in a cranky mood. It is really cute, and it's the perfect spooky season book. But, I've just not been in the mood for it or its cozy haunted house vibes.

As for Travels of Terror, I've been reading it slower on purpose to take in. I don't want to plow through and miss anything. Because, let's be honest, these two are just giving me more spooky places to visit.

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to 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 at Breaking the Spine.

Alfred Smettle is not your average Hitchcock fan. He is the founder, owner, and manager of The Hitchcock Hotel, a sprawling Victorian house in the White Mountains dedicated to the Master of Suspense. There, Alfred offers his guests round-the-clock film screenings, movie props and memorabilia in every room, plus an aviary with fifty crows.

To celebrate the hotel’s first anniversary, he invites his former best friends from his college Film Club for a reunion. He hasn’t spoken to any of them in sixteen years, not after what happened.

But who better than them to appreciate Alfred’s creation? And to help him finish it.

After all, no Hitchcock set is complete without a body.

Why I'm Waiting: Because I too am a Hitchcock fan, and would stay at this hotel. So it only feels right to have this book on my TBR.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

 

Based on the popular podcast, The Big Hot Book of Death is a smart, funny look at the American culture of death and how we’re remembered. It's safe to say everyone thinks about death-whether they want to or not. But have you ever wondered about what sort of keepsakes you can make with your remains, or given any thought to the most scandalous deathbed confessions throughout history? Well Madison Reyes and Spencer Henry have, and they've spent countless hours scouring the darkest corners of the internet, digging through newspaper archives, devouring documents, and picking the brains of death industry experts to bring you Obitchuary, a darkly funny and deeply poignant exploration of all things death.  With chapters like "Coffin Confessions," “Executions to Die For,” “The Last Word,” and “If These Dolls Could Speak," Madison and Spencer guide us through surprisingly colorful history, traditions, and contemporary practices. They also demystify taboo topics with incredible and hilarious details, including FUNerals, as they call them, cremations and themed funerals, famous body snatchers, and so much more. Shocking, macabre, hilarious, and moving, Obitchuary digs deep into the physical aspects of death while also carefully exploring what death says about our humanity, and the ways we choose to remember those we've lost. So go ahead, crack open the book--we know you're dying to read it.

HAPPY READING!!

A Little Vacation

After today I'm off for three days! I was supposed to take this vacation a week ago, but an amazing blessing fell in my lap at work. Totally work the reschedule in and of itself and I don't regret giving it up. Because it was totally worth it. But! That wasn't the only reason I postponed my small little vacation.

The other reason is yesterday I had two amazing special guests arrive! My Mim and my Ma are here for a few days. Mostly to see me, but of course to join us for Silent Book Club! I haven't seen either of them since May, and neither of them has seen my job since I changed careers during COVID.

So I'm super excited to spend the next few days with them! Cook for them, and maybe do some shopping. I might even drag them into a bookstore, or three. Doesn't matter, I'm super excited I don't have to share them with siblings! 

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'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon!

In the second volume of this middle-grade graphic novel series, our heroes search for the mysterious school of wizardry, but are thwarted at every turn by thick mist, winding woods and fearsome creatures!


Our heroes are lost.
Squire and Sir Kelton have promised to get Cade to the school of wizardry. Strangely though, the path they’ve taken has brought them into a bewildering, misty forest, rife with fearsome gnolls and a boisterous rival knight. To get them out, Squire tries every trick in the book, but books don't hold all the answers. Can he muster up his confidence, remember his duties, and find a way to escape the forest?

HAPPY READING!!

Silent Book Club

Hello! Hi! It's that time again! Where I talk about Silent Book Club! If you are in the North Seattle area this Wednesday and need something to do, join us at Leftcraft in Edmonds. The event starts at 7pm come in and get comfortable and order drink and food. Reading will start at 7:30pm! 

Doesn't matter how you read or what you're reading! Bring a book, or a friend, and get reading for an hour of reading with our bookworms. I'm not really sure what I'll be reading. It might be a book about a cursed house, or a book about sightseeing aliens.

But, what I do know is this month will have two special guests! So I hope to see you there!

HAPPY READING!!

Book Haul

Okay, so I went to the store for one thing. To get Insha Fitzpatrick's new book, Sightseeing with Aliens. Because her series is amazing, and everyone should read them. They are silly, fun, and make everything better. I believe no one can be upset when reading her books. And, I ran to go get this book and I don't like aliens. They've creeped me out since childhood. 

But, Wednesday was my first day off since the book hit shelves, and I dove into the bookstore for it. I must collect them all.

I went into Third Place Books with the best intentions of only getting just this one book. What happened was drifted over to the graphic novels just to look. Then a book found its way into my bag. Sometimes things happen. I can't just walk away from a noir murder mystery with a supernatural twist. I'm only human.

Then I was waiting for my turn to the shelf where Insha's book was shelved, and wouldn't you know another book found its way into the bag. I don't even feel about it because the house ate Desmond! He was the best character in Holly Horror, I need to know if he's dead.

I think the next time I go to the bookstore I'm going to need an adultier adult. So if you know one, send them my way!

HAPPY READING!!

Ripped from the Headlines - Review

Author: Harold Schecter

Genre: True Crime

Format: Paperback

Pages: 374

Harold Schechter is one of my favorite true crime authors. I've thoroughly enjoyed every one of his books that I've picked up over the last few years, and Ripped From the Headlines did not disappoint. This was an interesting plot that immediately pulled me.

This is a well-thought-out and researched book packed with information. It's great for people who are new to the world of true crime, and just a lot of fun for those of us who can are true crime junkies. Because while I knew a lot of the criminals mentioned in this book. I did not know the movies that were based on their crimes. 

Sometimes you don't connect the dots when you're watching the movie. So for me, that was fun to learn some of my favorite films had some nefarious origins.

I also liked that this was a mixed bag of movies. They weren't just from one set period or genre. It bounced around from 'old school' movies to more current movies. While I've seen, or at least heard, of a lot of the movies mentioned throughout these pages. There was still a lot I hadn't heard of and is now on my list of things to curl up and watch this winter.

Each chapter is packed full of information from movie production to true crime knowledge. I think even movie buffs would find this book interesting. Schechter did so much research to fill these pages, and you can tell as you move from chapter to chapter. 

It was a fun read that I enjoyed listening to as I opened the restaurant I work at, drove home, and did chores around the house. There was never a moment where I started to get bored, or I felt the writing was dry. It was just really hard to put down, so I was trying to catch it at the chapter's end so I didn't have to drag myself away in the middle of the chapter.

My only complaint about this book was I had to slow down the audiobook a little bit. Which is something I've never had to do before. There was no clear spacing between the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. So I had to stop a couple of times to adjust as the chapters changed. 

That gave me a little bit of whiplash and made it hard to enjoy this book.

Still, this is one I'd love to add to my collection. Mostly so I can go back through and cover it with sticky notes and tabs. Movies to watch, fan facts, etc. This was a lot of fun, and the fast pace of the audiobook aside, I did really enjoy this one.

My neighbors probably could have done with me using my headphones during the Ed Gein chapter, but they already think I'm weird. So there's that.

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

 

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to 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 at Breaking the Spine.

The sole survivor of a serial killer might hold the key to stopping a new spree of murders in this propulsive thriller in the vein of The Black Phone and The Whisper Man.

Dark and twisting at every turn, fans of Catriona Ward will love this chilling new tale from the deviously inventive horror author that Peter Farris calls the “clear heir to Stephen King.”

Beware the one who got away . . .

Father Silence once terrorized the rural town of Twisted Tree, disguising himself as a priest to prey on the most vulnerable members of society. When the police finally found his “House of Horrors,” they uncovered nineteen bodies and one survivor–a boy now locked away in a hospital for the criminally insane.

Nearly two decades later, Father Silence is finally put to death, but by the next morning, the detective who made the original arrest is found dead. A new serial killer is taking credit for the murder and calling himself the Outcast.

The detective’s daughter, Tess Claibourne, is a detective herself, haunted by childhood trauma and horrified by the death of her father and the resurgence of Father Silence’s legacy.

When Tess’s daughter is kidnapped by the Outcast, Tess is forced to face her worst fears and long-buried memories. With no leads to follow, she travels back to Twisted Tree to visit the boy who survived and see what secrets might be buried in the tangled web of his broken mind.

With captivating prose and an old-school horror flair, Sleep Tight is a must-read, haunting tale from a true master of the genre.

Why I'm Waiting: I'm not, I've already read this, and it traumatized me for nearly a month. Parts of this book still live rent-free in my mind. It was a lot, but so freaking good! You can check out my review here!

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Discover everything about aliens in this fun handbook packed with eerie accounts of the extraterrestrial, fascinating science, and weird facts–perfect for middle grade readers and young sci-fi fans.

Incoming transmission . . . Are there aliens out there? What’s the deal with Area 51? Can outer space support human life? Explore the extraterrestrial in Sightseeing with Aliens, a field guide for the curious and the adventurous. Blast off to space and discover:

Weird science and eye-opening history! Read up on humanity’s forays into space and meet the Mars rovers. Fascinating accounts of alien encounters! What really happened in the 1947 Roswell Incident?Out-of-this-world science fiction! Tune into iconic alien media, from H.G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds to Star Trek. 
The third book in the Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural series, Sightseeing with Aliens is a hilarious and unabashedly weird investigation into how the unknown can shape our lives. Get to know the extraterrestrial with stellar illustrations and hands-on activities, like creating a time capsule and taking on the 7-Day Earthling Challenge to help Planet Earth. The whole galaxy is out there—grab your guide, and let’s go!

For more on the supernatural, check out Hanging with Vampires and Chilling with Ghosts!

HAPPY READING!!

The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn - Review

Author: Tri Vuong

Genre: Horror / Paranormal / Graphic Novel

Format: e-Book

Pages: 240

A huge thank you to Net Galley for letting me read this over the summer! The Strange Case of Oscar Zahn hits shelves tomorrow!

This was a great good start a strange little series. What originally drew me to the comic was the kind of Cthulhu-looking creature on the cover, and the idea of this skeleton paranormal investigator. It hit a lot of buttons that I normally enjoy with both comics and books. So I didn't hesitate to hit the request button for this, and was super excited when I saw I was going to get a chance to read this early!

Now that being said, this was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I really liked the worlds that Tri Voung created for this story, and how the two worlds weaved together through the ocean. It was really a cool concept and really well thought out. My favorite story was the one set in the aftermath of World War I. It was both a sad and bittersweet story that just left you really satisfied with the ending.  I also really liked the last story in the book about the little old lady and her cottage. I thought it showed that Oscar has at least one person in his corner.

The artwork is a little in the vein of Mike Mignola, only Tri Voung has a much brighter color pallet in places. Even in the darker moments, there is still a use of bright colors that allow for smaller details to push through. Those smaller details really show off the world that Tri Voung has created. The details on the whale and the little bits and pieces on Cassie and the island were really good. And I really liked the idea of the Hydronauts. They were each their own person and their suits were really cool. Along with their backstory.

My issue was really with an odd little intermission of the Hydronaut story that led to Oscar's sort of backstory. I understand it was set up a bigger picture and I a whole understood where they going with after reading the last chapter. But, personally, it sort of felt out of place with a story that was running parallel to it. I really felt like it could have been a chapter of its own on how Oscar was put on the path to the skeleton he is now. But I guess them being at the lighthouse after everyone sort of set them up a little I just felt like it pulled that story down a little because I sort of put the book aside and had to make myself finish the Hydronaut story.

However, I did like the way that story wrapped up.

As a whole I liked the first volume of this story, it set the world up really well and I like Oscar as a main character. I also feel like there are so many more stories that Oscar could tell, and I'd like to see how he went from man to skeleton. So I'd for sure pick up the second volume of this series.

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'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon!

Kathy Valence is forty-two, mid-divorce, and pregnant with her ex's baby. She's also a modern-day grim reaper employed by S.C.Y.T.H.E. (Secure Collection, Yielding, and Transportation of Human Essences), but frankly that's the easiest part of her life right now. Or at least it was, until her latest client's soul goes missing.

When she finally tracks down seventeen-year-old Conner Ortiz, he angrily denies he died of natural causes, despite what his file says. He insists that someone at S.C.Y.T.H.E. murdered him, and he demands Kathy find out who and why.

Kathy has only forty-five days to figure out what happened to Conner and help him move on before the boy's soul is doomed to roam the Earth as a ghost forever. She’s forced to rely on the help of her retired mentor, her almost ex-husband—and some sneaky moves by Conner himself. This is the wildest case of her career. . .and one wrong move could cost Kathy her job, not to mention her life.

HAPPY READING!!