Happy Halloween!!

 

I hope it's a safe and fun day, full of your favorite candy and some spooky movies. May your night be full of treats and your tricks be jump scares from that one movie you have to watch with the lights on! To everyone who dresses up, I hope everyone gets their costume. And for those of us who don't, I like your Halloween PJs! 

And those of you waiting with your tree, I've got one more month of Spooky Season. You can have the floor after Turkey Day. Until then, HAPPY SPOOKY DAY!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

The Piano - Review

 

Author: Edgar J. Hyde

Genre: Middle Grade / Horror

Format: Paperback

Pages: 128

Okay, I grew up a Goosebumps kid, that was my origin story into loving horror. In all that time, I never once remembered going across the Creepers Series. It's a series also geared toward younger readers with creepy and spooky stories. They were published in the late 90s and have recently been getting re-published for a new generation. Still, I never remember seeing the original series until I discovered it at the Dollar Tree of all places. 

Now that it's spooky season, it seemed like the perfect time to take a peek at this series. So I started off with book one, The Piano. I know it's book one because, even though these are the reboot covers, the spines are numbered. A fact about books a miss, number of the series is published somewhere on the cover to let me know the order of things. The ironic part of all this, these are standalone books, so it doesn't matter what order you read them. Still, I respect their numbers, so I started with number one.

With the series, I did something I rarely do, and that was read reviews before jumping in. I did that for a lot of reasons, but mostly to get a feel for the nostalgia behind these books. See why people liked this series as kids, to see how excited people were for a new release. Naturally, in that process that process I came across a review that kind of struck with me as I read this, and I want to address that review now before any of us go further.

These books, and the series, are geared toward middle-grade readers. So please do no come into this series with adult expectations. We aren't the target audience. If you wanted something that makes complete sense and freaks you out. Find a different book.

Now onto my review.

I thought this was a solid middle-grade book, and the authors understand their readers' age group. Personally, I didn't find this scary, but a younger me who was totally afraid of the dark and had a flashlight by her bed. Yeah, she would have jumped at every one of those jump scares. It's also a solid haunted object story with two great young main characters. I found it fun and a quick read, and I wish my younger self had gotten a chance to read these before older me. But I appreciate that these are the core.

I won't compare it to Goosebumps, that's not fair. However, if your young reader likes that series, I would suggest this series as well. The books are smaller, but still a solid read. I like the large font as well, and the illustration in the pages breaks. I love a good illustration, no matter the book.

The thing I want to say those as someone who has gone back to read R.L Stine again, there is something I thought The Piano did better. It was nice to see parents who were present, paying attention, and knew what their children were generally up to. None of this running around amok, and I realize the era, and we still ran feral when not in school. But it was nice to see a middle-grade spooky book where the parents weren't blissfully unaware or borderline bad parents. This was a family that was scared together. I loved that for them.

So yeah, I liked this and will be working my way through these books, and I know the perfect place to donate them as I finished them. Because while I thought this first book was fun, and have high hopes to enjoy the others, I don't think this is a series I'll keep on my shelf. 

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.

Greetings and salutations from Hansel Park, owner of Ainsworth Press!

As an independent literary agency situated within the legendary Acheron Estate, we strive to bring our clients’ works to the masses. Seeking to fulfill readers’ needs and wants, we sign authors of every genre. If you’re interested in working with us, please send a letter of inquiry to the address listed below.

Alternatively, if you’re in the area and would like to drop by for a brief conversation, please feel free to do so. Never mind the mess or those wandering throughout the estate. One can’t pick their neighbors, can they? Should you hear any troubling rumors or odd speculation, just know that jealousy can inspire malicious intent.

Also, keep in mind that no harm has ever befallen an author. Come see for yourself.

Why I'm Waiting: This sounds wild and very much like my attention from the synopsis alone. Also, when I added it to my Goodreads, I was immediately told that if I liked this book to read Clive Barker. So that was one more reason to watch it.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Evander has lived like a ghost in the forgotten corners of the Hazelthorn estate ever since he was taken in by his reclusive billionaire guardian, Byron Lennox-Hall, when he was a child. For his safety, Evander has been given three ironclad rules to follow:

He can never leave the estate. He can never go into the gardens. And most importantly, he can never again be left alone with Byron's charming, underachieving grandson, Laurie.

That last rule has been in place ever since Laurie tried to kill Evander seven years ago, and yet somehow Evander is still obsessed with him.

When Byron suddenly dies, Evander inherits Hazelthorn’s immense gothic mansion and acres of sprawling grounds, along with the entirety of the Lennox-Hall family's vast wealth. But Evander's sure his guardian was murdered, and Laurie may be the only one who can help him find the killer before they come for Evander next.

Perhaps even more concerning is how the overgrown garden is refusing to stay behind its walls, slipping its vines and spores deeper into the house with each passing day. As the family’s dark secrets unravel alongside the growing horror of their terribly alive, bloodthirsty garden, Evander needs to find out what he’s really inheriting before the garden demands to be fed once more.

HAPPY READING!!

Muted Vol 1 - Review

Author: Miranda Mundt

Genre: Horror / Graphic Novel

Format: Paperback

Pages: 320

You know those books that never leave you alone? You see them once and have some benign thought about them. Like you like the cover, or that sounds like something you might like. So you keep meaning to do more research on it, or add that to my Goodreads or Library TBR. Then you start seeing it everywhere, and every time you keep saying, Oh yeah, this book. Know that feeling?

That was this book for me. I saw it during a random Instagram scroll that I didn't save quickly enough, because I'm still not very tech-savvy. Every single time I popped onto Netgalley, it was one of the books they kept telling me I wanted to read. While not incorrect, I don't have a great way to read comics and similar materials through them. My black and white Kindle makes them no fun, and reading on my computer is a guaranteed chance I'll get distracted (some goes for my phone).

So I waited for it to get published because I was certain I was going to like this one, adore it even. I mean, based on the cover alone, I was here for it. Could have gone to Webtoons and devoured so much of this the second I saw it on NetGalley? Yes, but see the above commit on distracted reading.

This was so worth the wait, though. Not only is the comic visually stunning, but it is also that. The entire book is done in full color, bright and bold. Miranda Mundt didn't just write the story; they also drew every single frame, colored them all, edited them all, and I'm sure the list goes on. On top of writing the entire story first on Webtoons through installments, and then editing that to fill a now two-volume (and more to come) series. Honestly, as someone with zero artistic ability in their own body, hearing them talk about their process was amazing. 

I also loved how the color scheme changes depending on who's in each panel. Some characters get a more dark vibe than others. I also really enjoy this style of art. It's drawn more in the new age kind of way, which makes me sound so old. But it's the style I'm seeing out of a lot of newer graphic novels and even animated series. It's a bolder and brighter, thicker line.  I really enjoy it, I think it fits with the story itself and allows for a lot of little details. So you're not just reading the words on the page, but letting the panels tell a piece of that story as well. 

As for that story itself, I love it. It's definitely a storyline you could see getting picked up for live live-action version. It's related in a lot of ways to the themes themselves. The magic structure and community of the magic users are well thought out, and you get a taste of both in this first volume. You also get a feel for three of the families in this community, with a bit of a whisper of a fourth. So it feels like a solid community, and it makes it easier to fall into the story itself with such a strong foundation. 

I really enjoyed Camille, our main character, as well. She's a well-rounded character who is easy to like and adore. I think there's a great number of readers that can see pieces of themselves in Camille's story. I honestly feel all the characters in these books are great in those aspects. Athalie, the matriarch for their family, is easily the worst character in this book, not because she's poorly written. Oh no, no, because she's so easy to hate. I spent three hundred pages wanting to slap her. Someone needs to slap Athalie in this series at some point. Nothing would bring me more joy. 

But, back to Camille, she could have easily been a Mary Sue character. One whose powers are amazing, and she can solve any puzzle, and her trauma is just something she brushes right off. I'm so glad that's not what happened. I'm also so grateful she's not one of the woe is me main characters that cannot really stand on their own feet because there's nothing good and every happens to me. I cannot thank Miranda Mundt for either of those things happening. Because yes, horrid things have happened to Camille, unfair things have happened to her, and are happening to her. Yes, she's feeling those things, dealing with those things, but she's also growing from them. You see it a little bit in this first volume, the strength she's taking from all this trauma. She's a strong main character. She has flaws because she has feelings. After all, we've seen her stumble.

She's not perfect. I like that. She's still a Chosen One character. She's destined for something great, I'm sure, but I like her because she's real. 

As for the ending of this book, it's a solid volume one ending. I feel like I have a solid understanding of Camille's world. I don't understand the magic completely yet, but I think that's the point. While quite a few questions did get answered in this volume, secrets were shared. I was also left with more questions. One of which I think I have figured out, though it's a minor thing in the grand scheme of the story. So the ending makes you excited for the second volume. What's going to happen, what's going to go wrong, all those sort of great not-so-cliffhanger, cliffhangers. 

Which is fine because not only is volume two out now, but I have a copy! Now to just find the time to read it without being bothered...

As I've mentioned, Muted is a Webtoons comic. Mirande Mundt has another series also on Webtoons. Which means if you call this link here, you can see more content and stuff if that's your thing! They also have their own website where you can see other projects and whatnot their working on here!

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!

Meet Alma Timperley. She
- Run a hotel
- Solve a mystery
- Talk to ghosts...?

December, 1914: After the death of her aunt, Alma Timperley is surprised when she suddenly finds herself the heiress to the Timperley Spiritualist Hotel in a pretty coastal town in Cornwall.

But not everything is as it seems... the hotel offers guests a very special the chance to communicate with the dead.

When the body of one of the hotel's maids is found, it is considered a tragic wartime accident. But the more Alma and the local police try to fathom what happened, the more they begin to realise this is much more than just a death - there might be a German spy in Falmouth.

With the stakes higher than ever, Alma must grapple with her own extraordinary secret if she is going to have more than a ghost of a chance of solving the mystery.

Being able to talk with the dead is one thing; solving their murder is positively ghoulish...

HAPPY READING!!

November Silent Book Club

We had such an amazing turnout for our Spooky Silent Book Club. So thank you to everyone who was able to come out and read with us! If you couldn't make it, no worries, the Edmonds Silent Book Club will be back on November 19th at 7pm. We'll still be at Leftcraft, taking over their family-style tables! Reading will officially kick off at 7:30pm. 

But! Next month, make sure you get there early. Because the year is quickly coming to a close. Which means it's almost time for a new yearly Reading BINGO card. So everyone in whose able to come can add their ideas for the 2026 cards. I'll have a mug, pens, and paper next to me. We're excited to see what people add!

Also, if you have any read books that need a new home. We're going to have a book swap basket next month. Anyone can take a book and leave a book. The books that don't find homes will be donated to free little libraries or thrift stores around the area!

I can wait to see what everyone is reading next month! If you have any questions about SBC or anything listed above, feel free to drop a comment. Or, you can slide over to Instagram and shoot me a DM (@Bookish_Whispers). 

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Three former Chosen Ones have joined together to spend their retirement in peace and quiet, running Second Life Books and Gifts in Salem, MA. A calm, peaceful, tourist-filled oasis, where they never have to worry about saving the world. Until some of the locals start summoning ancient creatures best left where they were…and they discover that their bookstore basement just may be the portal to the underworld. These ex-heroes may have thought they were done…but if they want to finish their retirement in peace, they’ll have to join together to save the world one
last time.

Fun, funny, and heartwarming, this is a story of community, second chances, and the healing power of scones.

HAPPY READING!!

Mini Reviews

What in the subdivision of Hellraiser was this? I don't know what I thought I was getting myself into with this one, but it wasn't some creepy skeleton situation with deep Clive Barker vibes. However, I was so here for it. I loved the bargain our main character had to make to avoid being the next sacrifice. I also love how he mentioned the evolution of how we consume music, and how he has to adapt to not fall victim to the creepy skeleton hell people. This is the perfect Halloween read, and for such a short book packs a massive punch. 

Ben Farthing's book has crossed my feeds here and there, but I've always been unsure if I would like it. So when I realized my local library had them, I figured now was the perfect time to check them out. What I thought this was going to be a horror spoof on the Boogeyman stories. In the best way possible, that was not what I got; instead, it was so much better. I was about twenty, maybe thirty, pages from the end when I realized what the twist was going to be. Even though the answer to the question had been staring me in the face since at least the halfway point. Still, I loved that you questioned whether it's real or sleep deprivation. This book was so much more than I thought it was going to be, and I'll need to check out more of Farthing's books.

No lie, I saw this book when I ran into my local Ace Hardware to snag a couple of things. At the time, I didn't have to flip through it, but the cover had my attention. So I snapped a photo of it, and later that day saw our library had a copy. This is geared toward younger readers and introduces them to creepy monsters from all over the world. Still, it was a lot of fun for older readers who love cryptids as well. But, is perfect for young readers during spooky season who don't like super creepy things. This shows the cute side of the cryptid world, even the ones that maybe you should boop on the nose.

I always feel bad about checking out the display books at the library, even though I'm sure that's the point of them being on display. For some reason, I always feel like I'm messing up something a librarian has worked on. Anyway, I'm glad I decided to add this to my haul, but this was beautifully heartbreaking. It's a bit of a story within a story that tells the story of how nothing is ever what it seems. That the perfect man, the perfect marriage, are rarely what they seem. It tells of the pressure on women to make it work, of the moment one woman decided she wasn't going to stand for it anymore. Of her finding herself and her pack and being free. I thoroughly enjoyed this. 

This is one of my favorite satire versions of Sherlock Holmes, and one of the many series I need to finish. So when I stumbled on the fact that now that I have a full cast audio version, I couldn't stop myself. These sound like a brilliant radio play, and I have been enjoying these so much. I had forgotten how much I adore this version of Watson and Lestrade. This series is so much fun, and it's been so much rediscovering it.

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 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.

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.

At sixteen Kyra is still haunted by the horrors she saw as little girl living with her mother’s drug addiction. Years later, Kyra doesn’t always feel like she belongs—and disturbing dreams come to her at night.

When a new party drug makes its way to her high school, Kyra’s life becomes an actual nightmare. A challenge spreads among the students thanks to a few videos circulating—and Kyra is unable to escape the inexplicably strange side effects.

Everyone around her seems to be mysteriously changing, including the people she loves the most. Her brother has a new personality overnight. Her best friend suddenly feels like a stranger. The only other person who seems to be noticing the eeriness around them is Logan, the new boy at school. Like Kyra, he has steered clear of the party scene.

But as strange occurrences begin to turn sinister, Kyra can’t shake the feeling that something unnatural is at play . . . as if something deadly spreading is in their veins. With Logan’s help, she decides to find out exactly what is behind the mysterious drug—before they’re next. As they begin to get closer to the truth, the line between Kyra’s past and her present blurs . . . and she will need to face the terrors inside herself to save everyone.

Why I'm Waiting: Because lately Clay Mcleod Chapman hasn't let me down when it comes to his books!

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Skip Hollandsworth has been covering true crime since long before the podcasts, networks, and television shows discovered it. Texas born and bred, the revered journalist joined Texas Monthly in 1989, and the stories he has written over three-plus decades have helped define a locale and a culture.

Curated by Hollandsworth, She Kills brings together the favorite stories he has written for the magazine, from the tale of the high schooler who grew so close to dear old Dad that she had “no choice” but to poison his refried beans, to the suburban dentist who killed her loving husband by driving over him three times with his teenage daughter in the car.

These are expertly crafted tales that will stop readers in their tracks and leave them gasping with shock and pleasure. Each story is updated by Hollandsworth, who provides background on his original storytelling and new information on the perpetrators and victims, where available.

She Kills is jaw-dropping, addictively readable compendium of the evil that women do. And why. 

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!

October, 2026: Lee Turner doesn’t remember how or why he killed his college roommate. The details are blurred and bloody. All he knows is he has to flee New York and go to the one place that might offer refuge—his father’s new home in Japan, a house hidden by sword ferns and wild ginger. But something is terribly wrong with the no animals will come near it, the bedroom window isn't always a window, and a woman with a sword appears in the yard when night falls.

October, 1877: Sen is a young samurai in exile, hiding from the imperial soldiers in a house behind the sword ferns. A monster came home from war wearing her father’s face, but Sen would do anything to please him, even turn her sword on her own mother. She knows the soldiers will soon slaughter her whole family when she sees a terrible a young foreign man who appears outside her window.

One of these people is a ghost, and one of these stories is a lie.

Something is hiding beneath the house of sword ferns, and Lee and Sen will soon wish they never unburied it.

HAPPY READING!!

NIght Worms Unboxing

October Theme: Pink Horror

It's the Spooky Season Night Worms package!! I know there are still 2 months left in the year, which means 2 more packages from them, but I can confidently say that this is my favorite package. Alma Katsu is one of my favorite authors. When I saw her new book was going to be included in the October package, I was so excited! It couldn't have been better timing, I'd just finished her book Fervor. I have so many hopeful reads for October. However! I do have a trip set in November, so maybe this is my airport book.

As for the second book, I have a lot of Hailey Piper's books on my TBR. Just haven't picked one up yet, and this is the perfect reason to finally do that. Because now it's on my shelf. 

I don't have photos of the goodie back because someone (the cat) needed to be involved at this point. The hot beverage this month was coffee; the flavor is perfect for Spooky Season (caramel apple). Definitely going to have to brew this on my next off. It smells so good!

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.

Fern has weathered the stillness and storms of a bookseller’s life for decades, but now, in the face of crippling ennui, transplants herself to the city of Thune to hang out her shingle beside a long-absent friend’s coffee shop. What could be a better pairing? Surely a charming renovation montage will cure what ails her!

If only things were so simple…

It turns out that fixing your life isn’t a one-time prospect, nor as easy as a change of scenery and a lick of paint.

A drunken and desperate night sees the rattkin waking far from home in the company of a legendary warrior surviving on inertia, an imprisoned chaos-goblin with a fondness for silverware, and an absolutely thumping hangover.

As together they fend off a rogue’s gallery of ne’er-do-wells trying to claim the bounty the goblin represents, Fern may finally reconnect with the person she actually is when there isn’t a job to get in the way.

Why I'm Waiting: I adore this series, and I'm very excited about another book!

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

When seventeen-year-old Dilly Rothbart finds her recently deceased father's hidden journal, her entire world is upended. For what she finds within are the steps to bring a dead soul back to life.

Intent on finishing her father's work and establishing herself as the greatest scientist in history, Dilly finds herself drawn into a medical underworld of corpse-stealing, grave-robbing, and even murder. And when her own twin sister steps in the way of her studies, she'll do whatever is necessary to secure the recognition she deserves.

This twisty, atmospheric Frankensteinian tale is about a group of ambitious young scientists who descend into corruption when a breakthrough discovery grants them the power of gods.

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!

Every year, campground manager Kate sends out a pamphlet titled “How to Survive Your Camping Experience.” In it is a list of rules to help campers have an enjoyable experience and hopefully survive any encounters with the campground’s… other… inhabitants.

With the campground in the throes of a 'bad year', it'll take a lot more than a list of rules to keep everyone safe. Monsters that were previously dormant are starting to stir and they're waking up hungry. Among them is the Lady in Chains, a creature feared by both human and inhuman thing alike.

Her reappearance creates an upheaval in the balance of power in the campground by renewing an old grudge with the harvesters, who are willing to sacrifice anyone they get their hands on in order to gain an advantage. On top of all this, the man with the skull cup has started taking an unusual interest in Kate. But with the harvesters on the prowl, the Lady in Chains hunting her down, and a sinister spider infestation, Kate is going to need all the allies she can get, even if those allies aren't actually... human.

HAPPY READING!!