Mini Review

 

This turned out to be sadder than I thought it would be, but also really beautiful. It's so much more than a ghost story. Inside is a lesson on setting boundaries, and taking care of yourself first, and sometimes the scary thing isn't the real scary thing. There is so much jammed-backed in this book, but it was heavier than I expected so it did take me a couple of days to read. But, well worth the wait to stretch out because this has a wonderful happy ending for now kind of feel. I'd love to get more of this, but it also really works as a stand-alone. 

This was super adorable! It's also a really fun way to look at the things we see, do, and say that feel normal and every day, seem weird to others. But at the same time, it shows the weird ways we bend ourselves to fit in with the world around us. It was so much to Frankie D and his family to try to conform to not only the human world but a whole new country as well. It's filled with great one-liners, and sitcom-level comedy, and is adorable at every turn. It sets itself for the second book really well. It wraps all the issues of this book up and opens up the plot for season two with Eddie learning Frankie's secret. So what will happen to the family in book two?

This was my third read of this book, and it's still one of my favorite series. While Kady is still not one of my favorite characters in the series, she does have one of the best character arcs. However, Winnifred McCall is still my favorite character of all time. The audio cast is amazing, and if you loved the book but haven't listened to the full cast audio, I need to do that right now. Every character is spot on, and this is one of those books that thrives with full-cast audio. The reason for me re-read is because I still haven't read the last book in the series. (Super good at starting a series, really bad at finishing them.) So to fix that I'm going back and jumping back into this series and I'm going to wrap it up! Because I love everything about this series. Mostly just how the first two books connect (I'm sure how all three connect). As I was listening I was connecting dots, but so much happens that I'd forgotten since my last listen maybe two years ago. I've already jumped into the second book, Gemina. Such a good series, I cannot recommend it enough!

HAPPY READING!!

Book Mail

I was delighted to connect with Zeo Niu before the Kickstarter for Monkey went live. That meant I got to kick off my summer reading with this gem. It was honestly so much fun! Niu combined my love for Tank Girl, Mad Max, and odd science fiction stories and created something amazing. I was barely halfway through when I knew I wanted a whole series out of this story. 

While this first volume is jammed back with information about our main characters, it doesn't leave a few unanswered questions. It's a great introduction to the world (and how it ended). Monkey also left me wanting more and to know more about how exactly we got from the end of the world to that exact moment.

I didn't even think twice when I backed this project, and I've been so excited to get my hands on a physical copy. Mostly, I wanted to see the artwork on paper. It looked amazing on my phone or screen, but I wanted to be able to see it all in real-time, in glossy comic book form.

My fingers are crossed that Nui can create more of this comic in the future. I would a hundred perfect back a second issue! I'd try my hardest to be first in line!  

A huge thank you to Zeo Nui for reaching out and letting me know about this series. It's so much fun. I've already read it again, and I can't wait to hang the print on my nerd wall. 

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.

Once upon a time, Andrew had cut out his heart and given it to this boy, and he was very sure Thomas had no idea that Andrew would do anything for him.

Protect him. Lie for him. Kill for him.

High school senior Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the twisted fairytales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to reality—Thomas Rye, the boy with perpetually ink-stained hands and hair like autumn leaves. And with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to Wickwood Academy, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more.

But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve. Thomas won’t say a word about it, and shuts down whenever Andrew tries to ask him questions. Stranger still, Thomas is haunted by something, and he seems to have lost interest in his artwork—whimsically macabre sketches of the monsters from Andrew’s wicked stories.

Desperate to figure out what’s wrong with his friend, Andrew follows Thomas into the off-limits forest one night and catches him fighting a nightmarish monster—Thomas’s drawings have come to life and are killing anyone close to him. To make sure no one else dies, the boys battle the monsters every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew begins to fear that the only way to stop the creatures might be to destroy their creator…

Why I'm Waiting: Because this sounds amazing and haunting beautiful! 

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

After twelve-year-old Charlie moves from New York City to sweaty, sticky Florida, she’ll do anything to get back home. Even if it involves ghosts. Winklevoss Manor, Charlie’s new house, is a towering Victorian mansion famous for one thing—it’s haunted. Three ghosts—Ada, Arthur, and Guff—live there, and not by choice. They’re trapped, cursed for stealing a dead man’s diamond. A diamond that, just like the ghosts, is still in the house. And this gets Charlie thinking. . .Maybe if she can find the diamond and sell it, Charlie’s family could have enough money to move back to the city. But lifting the curse isn’t that simple, especially when she’s pitted against the school bully and three unruly spirits. It’s frightening to think about, but what if the only way to get rid of the ghosts and curses is by doing what Charlie fears the most—confronting the past that haunts her?

HAPPY READING!!

Read-a-thon Wrap Up

 So over on Instagram, I joined in the Fall Back Into Reading, Read-a-Thon. It was super low stress and it ran from Monday to Friday. The low-stress aspect was what I loved about it because last week I was super busy, then got laid up with a cold, and then geared up for one more busy weekend. This was a nice way to give myself an excuse to curl up and read. While I didn't get a lot of reading done. I finished one of the books I started in August, set aside, and knocked a couple of graphic novels off my TBR! So a win in my books! 

Read-a-Thon Stats:

Books Read: 2

Pages Read: 473

This was a great drive to keep me reading this last week because it was really busy. I had back-to-back events these last two weekends that had me on my toes at work. Then one of my bookshelves gave up and broke, and that turned into a whole afternoon/evening project. I don't think I would have read at all this week if wouldn't have been for the Fall Back Into Reading, Read-a-Thon. It was the perfect excuse to curl up in a blanket nest and just exist. 

I even managed to crack open a book not on my TBR! So this will definitely be a read-a-thon I would do again!

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!

On a cold winter day in 1832, Sarah Cornell was found hanging in a barn, four months pregnant, after a disgraceful liaison with a charismatic Methodist minister, Reverend Ephraim Avery. Some (Avery’s lawyers) claimed her death was suicide…but others weren’t so sure. Determined to uncover the real story, intrepid Victorian writer Catharine Williams threw herself into the investigation and wrote what many claim is the first American true-crime narrative, Fall River. The case and Williams’ book became a sensation—one that divided the country and inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. But the reverend was not convicted, and questions linger to this day about what really led to Sarah Cornell’s death. Until now.

In The Sinners All Bow, acclaimed true-crime historian Kate Winkler Dawson travels back in time to 19th century small town America, emboldened to finish the work Williams started nearly two centuries before. Using modern investigative advancements—such as “forensic knot analysis” to determine cause of death, the prosecutor’s notes from 1833, and criminal profiling which was invented 55 years later with Jack the Ripper—Dawson fills in the gaps of Williams’ research to find the truth. Along the way she also examines how society decides who is the “right kind” of crime victim and how America’s long history of religious evangelism may have clouded the facts both in the 1830s and today. Ultimately, The Sinners All Bow brings justice to an unsettling mystery that speaks to our past as well as our present, anchored by three women who subverted the script they were given.

HAPPY READING!!

Weird Medieval Guys - Review

Author: Olivia M. Swarthout

Genre: Nonfiction

Format: Hardback

Pages: 204

This is my favorite little subgenre of nonfiction. The mesh of humor, satire, and pieces of history. This book does that spot on. This was everything I wanted it to be and then some. I mean, look at the cover, who would walk past that and not pick it up, and the title, sealed the deal for me. Those two things, are immediately in my bag because you are coming home with me. The best thing is this book didn't disappoint because you knew exactly what you were getting.

A laugh-out-loud good time. Seriously this book had me giggling from the first page to the last page. I have no idea how much of the information inside these pages is true, and if this is how people thought all back then. But I don't care. What I do care about is how just over-the-top funny each page is. I also liked that the pieces of this book were interactive. So you, yourself, get to be a part of the fun.

Thanks to this book I've learned a lot about myself, the first being there is not a single moment in time where I did not struggle to spell the word medieval. Even now I still get confused about where the stupid 'i' goes. It's been a real struggle. But on a fun note, thanks to this book I've learned many more things: my medieval name, what job I would have (shocker it's basically the job I have no, and no I didn't cheat), and even if I would end up in the jail. The answer to that last question is yes, yes I would, and no one I know is surprised by that answer.

Medieval art just by itself is wild and confusing and always leaves me asking so many questions. Mainly had any one of them ever actually seen a cat. Because nightmare fuel. But this book takes ideas like that and runs with it. It's so much fun to not just look at each piece that Swarthout included in this book but to see how it drives each narrative, and just adds to the humor. Because really, how is a snail a serpent. But also, why did we hate owls back then.

I just loved this book from start to finish. I even took it to Silent Book Club, and everyone had to borrow to flip through the pages. So many people took pictures to add it to their TBRs. It's a crowd-pleaser and a great coffee table book. Just something for guests to pick up and flip through and have a small laugh. This was great, and a keeper. Thoroughly enjoy it!

HAPPY READING!!

Mini Reviews

 

Huge thank you NetGalley for letting me read this early! The country is huge and filled with haunted and creepy places to visit, and this book is just the tip of the iceberg. But what is great about this book is can both authors loved what they were researching and really wanted to share it with their readers. These weren't just tourist trap kind of stops, but places they found on accident or that locals sent them to. After reading the ebook version of this book, I really need a physical copy. I want to cover it with tabs and sticky notes of places to go, vacations to plans, or shops to visit online to support where I can. If you love haunted houses and the paranormal this is perfect for you. Travels of Terror hit shelves on August 27! 

I saw this while I was book shopping for my niece, and the cover caught my attention. So, I immediately added it to my library holds. Personally, I did really like this. It was unique, and I really liked the artwork that accompanied the story. I will say I'm not sure if this was a book I'd expect to find in the Children's Picture book section of the bookstore. The story itself is a little dark for young readers, especially at the end. Because that was a plot twist I didn't realize was going to happen. I'd say this sits from Middle Grade and up. Still a solid story and a quick read. I really like it and it was perfect for the start of Spooky Season.

Listen this was fine. It was quip and fun and kind of ridiculous. There were moments I really liked, but between those moments was this stupid show, contest, thing that made no sense. The competition itself made no sense. So this was just okay. I enjoyed it well enough and it was a very quick read. I just don't really have the will to finish this series. I don't care about the other brothers, I barely cared about Crimson. I'm not invested enough. It did have some laugh-out-loud moments between the main characters. 

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.

Faolan Kelly’s grandfather is dead. She’s alone in the world and suddenly homeless, all because the local powers that be don’t think a young man of sixteen is mature enough to take over his grandfather’s homestead…and that’s with them thinking Faolan is a young man. If she revealed that her grandfather had been disguising her for years, they would marry her off at the first opportunity.

The mayor finds a solution that serves everyone but He hires a gunslinger to ship her off to the Settlement, a remote fort where social outcasts live under the leadership of His Benevolence Gideon Dillard. It's a place rife with mystery, kept afloat by suspicious wealth. Dillard's absolute command over his staff just doesn't seem right. And neither do the strange noises that keep Faolan up at night.

When Faolan finds the body of a Settlement border, mangled by something that can’t possibly be human, it’s clear something vicious is stalking the palisades. And as Settlement boarders continue to drop like flies, Faolan knows she must escape to evade the creature’s wrath.

Why I'm Waiting: Because I adore Lish McBride's books and she's an insta-buy author for me!

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Have you ever wondered how smart, normal people end up enmeshed in extreme cults? Weird history expert J. W. Ocker strives to answer that question in Cult Following. Everything you've ever wanted to know about history's most notorious cults–and the psychology of the people who join them–is packed into this accessible, engaging volume. Walk in the footsteps of the followers who were lured into these sinister groups,   Branch Led by David Koresh, this cult was waiting out the apocalypse in 1993 when the FBI infamously raided their compound in Waco, Texas. This cult of drug traffickers in 1980s Mexico was led by Adolfo de Jesús Constanzo, who believed he had magic powers and committed human sacrifice.Brotherhood of the Seven The earliest known UFO cult, the infiltration and study of the Brotherhood by psychologists inspired the term “cognitive dissonance."Ho No Hana The founder, Hogen Fukunaga, claimed to be able to tell someone’s fortune by examining their feet. Breatherians believe that humans can live on air alone. Their founder, Wiley Brooks, claimed to have gone without food for nineteen years. This twenty-first century cult attracted several members of Hollywood and engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor, and racketeering under the guise of personal development seminars.In Cult Following, Ocker sheds light on the terrifying attraction of cults, demonstrating the elasticity of belief, the desperateness of belonging, and the tragedy of trust.

HAPPY READING!!

2024 Most Anticipated Pt 3

 

The year is officially on a downward slide into the next. With only four months left in the year, it's time for the last few books I'm looking forward to being published. My top favorites are Cult Following and Red in Tooth and Claw. However, I'm super excited for all of these to hit shelves. Though I must confess I started reading Cult Following yesterday and it's wild! Also, Don't Let the Forest In has a special place in my heart because a friend from Bookstagram is publishing it. So this one will be an instant buy for me to support them! 

Of all the books I've been excited to get my hands on this year, I've bought four, and one of them has been gifted to me through NetGalley. Which means I've actually read two of them! Better than last year considering I'm currently reading the third! 

I just have so many books on my selves, and most of these are sitting on my library TBR. Some have massive holds so I really just have to wait my turn to even think about putting them on hold. The rest is I'm such a mood reader. But these are the books on the top of my list for the last releases of 2024!

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!

Enter the dark side of discover the monsters, witches, and nightmarish traditions behind one of the most celebrated holidays in the world When we imagine the origins of Christmas, we picture halcyon images of mangers, glowing fireplaces, and snow-blanketed winter hills. But the holiday is celebrated during the darkest time of year in the Northern Hemisphere—a season so dark it has given rise to the most outlandish traditions imaginable. In The Dead of Winter, Oxford-trained historian Sarah Clegg delves deep into the folkloric roots of Christmas in Europe, comparing their often-horrific past to the way they continue to haunt and entertain us now in the 21st century. Detailing the hideous masks and curling horns of "Krampus runs" in Austria, the fearsome horseheads of "hoodenings" in Southeast England, and the candle-crowned young witches of Finland's St. Lucy Festival, the author captures the wild revelry at heart of the winter madness.   In Clegg’s fascinating investigation, these strange, wonderful traditions are cast in their illuminating historical context. And the closer we get to the dark magic and bright enchantment described in The Dead of Winter, the more we start to see how fun it might be to let just a bit of the ancient darkness in.

HAPPY READING!!

September Silent Book Club

Hello, it's me again, and yes I'm here to remind that I co-host a Silent Book Club. We meet at Leftcraft in Edmonds, Washington on September 18th at 7 pm and start reading at 7:30 pm. Bring whatever you're reading, however you are reading it to cozy up for an hour with fellow book lovers with good food and drinks. I have a giant TBR and a loaded Kindle, so I am still determining what I'll read in two weeks. 

If you have any questions, you can run over to Instagram and hit up @SilentBookClubEdmonds and DM Michelle, the other co-host! Or, you can DM me on Instagram @Bookish_Whispers. Either of us would love to answer any and all questions. And if you are in the area looking for something do this on September 18th, we hope to see you at Leftcraft!

HAPPY READING!!

Night Worms Unboxing

 

September Theme: Web of Lies

IT'S HERE! IT'S FINALLY NIGHT WORMS DAY! 

It's one of my favorite things about the start of each month! Mostly because who doesn't love getting mail of any kind. Bonus points for it being book mail. Extra bonus points because there's usually caffeine coming with those books. This month I was excited to finally get my hands on Through the Midnight Door by Katrina Monroe. It's been on my TBR since the start of the year, it sounds like it's going to be rough and punch me right in the feelings. But, I'm also gonna like it. My favorite kind of horror book. 

I'm so not going to like Crypt of the Moon Spider because I do not like spiders. They're one of like two things I do not like. This whole book is going to give me nightmares. I can already feel it. And yet, I'm still going to read it, probably at night, and never sleep again.

Listen, listen, when I opened this package, I could smell the peanut butter coffee. I am so excited to try this. I love peanut butter, eat it out of the jar with a spoon kind of love. Will live off of peanut butter and jelly sammies and fluffernutters for the rest of my life and be happy as a clam. So I cannot wait to brew this, the whole house is going to smell like peanut butter! The stickers were super cute as well. One of my friends who loves spiders has already claimed them for her own!

A huge thanks to the Night Worm gals for another amazing month with amazing books and goodies to go with them!

HAPPY READING!!

September Spotlight Read

 

Listen, listen, this book screwed me up big time. It was so freaking good, J.H. Markert is one of my favorite horror authors right now. However, he messed with my sleep cycle. I have weird dreams, don't stay asleep, and should not read them at bedtime. Yet, here we are because I will be reading Mister Lullaby during the spooky season, and I will read at night, curled in bed with my cat. So if you like a book that emotionally slaps you in the face. This is the book for you! I also read this early thanks to NetGalley and will get a physical copy. While I have no current need to read it again. I do want the complete set of Markert's books!

 

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.

HAPPY READING!!