July Spotlight

 

Have you ever visited a forest or an abandoned building and gotten a bad vibe? There are places that are rife with rumors of hauntings, monsters, and sinister phenomena that can’t be explained. And there are just as many sites that are the confirmed home of disasters, murders, and man-made mistakes. Everyone’s heard about the Bermuda Triangle, but do you know these chilling sites?

There’s a lake tucked high in the frozen Himalayan Mountains . . . and it’s full of skeletons.Mount This mysterious mountain in California inspired the I AM cult and is said to host UFOs, bigfoots, and lizard people.Nahanni National Called the “Valley of the Headless Men,” this national park in northern Canada is famous for legends of a hidden gold mine . . . and a series of decapitated miners.Pine Best known as the home of the Jersey Devil, this desolate pine forest has also hosted pirates, the mafia, and moonshiners.Ciudad This fabled pre-Columbian “Lost City of the Monkey God” in Honduras doesn’t want to be found, and explorers seeking it have met violent ends.

HAPPY READING!!

June Wrap Up

Not bad, not bad. June got busy for me, all of a sudden, I was finding things to do left and right. Upside, all good things, well, minus taking the car in for maintenance. That turned into a whole thing and is a whole actual story.  Anyway, I did manage to squeeze in some reading. I stuck to smaller books, so I didn't feel like I was struggling through the month. Managed to knock out three books that I own, and three from the library. So an even split! How to Survive Camping was a holdout from May, and the others, well, P. Dejeli Clark's book was to jump into one I already own. I wanted to read them as much as I could. As for Happy Marriage, I'm obsessed with this series, and I will be reading at least volume 3, mayhaps even volume 4, this month.

Greer Stothers' book was easily my favorite read this month, and I'm so bummed that I have to wait until next year to jump back into this series. However, they are giving us a new book this year. So I can't be too mad.

Honestly, my all around stat for last month were great as well. Plus, I jumped into the Library Reading Challenge toward the end of June. One, I realized adults can join in. Two, I do love a tote bag. Lastly, three, I love that I can track everything with an app. While I do love pen and paper things, I feel like I'd lose it or it would get damaged. So the app is great!

Now, on to the actual stats:

Books Read: 6
BINGO Books: 2

Pages Read: 1165

Two BINGO books this month. TWO! Plus, I landed an actual BINGO! I knew How to Survive Camping: The Lady in Chains was going to be a BINGO book. I was saving my folklore square specifically for this book. However! I didn't expect Crossroads to end up being a BINGO book, but there was a cat in the book. Not just in passing, either, Pennylane was in quite a few pages. Which took care of the with a cat square!

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.

Enter a world of dungeons and dragons, magic and manticores, and goblins and gargoyles . . . 

Bait doesn't remember a time before the dungeon. Before the dragon stole her from her cot. She doesn't know what her name was before she was handed over to the monstrous denizens of the dungeon beneath the sorcerer's tower. Luckily for Bait, they decided not to eat her. And so she grew up in the dark – the goblins her adopted family, a vengeful minotaur her protector, a sentient skull her tutor, and a blob of corridor slime her main source of nutrition.

But the labyrinthine dungeon, with its haunted halls, buried temples and forgotten magics, draws treasure hunters like moths to flame. And as the outside world starts to intrude, Bait will learn what it means to be monstrous and she will have to decide where she truly belongs.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

 

The sleepy town of Cedar Lake Falls is best known as the shooting location of the campy ’80s horror flick Slasher. In high school, preppy Patrick, jock Jason, cheerleader Tiffany, stoner Freddy, goth Jennifer, and nerdy Michael had played the cast of Slasher during midnight showings, with virginal Carrie as the Final Girl, of course.

Years later, the friends reunite at the remote cabin where Slasher was filmed. They've changed since high school—Patrick came out, Mikey bulked up, and, well, Freddy's still stoned—and they're looking forward to a weekend to catch up. But when night falls, and the eponymous masked killer is spotted, the reunion takes a deadly turn. The friends discover their tires deflated and the phone line disconnected, and soon they’re being stalked by a mysterious assailant. Is someone trying to make their Slasher experience as authentic as possible?

One thing is for sure. Before the night is over, they each will have to take on the role they thought they'd left behind.

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 take a closer look at a book. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday, I'll post some of my favorite book covers. Coming soon!

There are many ways to bring down the man who betrayed you—and Myria Cadessa has thought of them all.

Cracking the Elysius Vault should’ve made Myria the richest thief in all Carintheum. Instead, it shattered her crew and left her rotting in jail while her double-crossing master walked away with everything that should’ve been hers.


But now she’s out, and it’s time to settle the score. Reunite her crew? A pleasure. Steal back everything her erstwhile leader took? And then some. She’ll just need to trick the king of all tricksters, with the law on her heels, and a troublesome new ally whose loyalties seem as conflicted as his feelings for Myria. It’s the most audacious heist she’s ever attempted, but she failed her crew once. This time, she’ll make it right—at any cost.


A Complement of Scoundrels is a bold, raucous journey through the underbelly of an empire where the devil’s rules reign, and morality, loyalty, and friendship are values few can afford. But where there’s a wit, there’s a way—and Myria has plenty of that.

HAPPY READING!!

Mini Reviews

 

I loved Ring Shout, and I wanted to read more by P. Djeli Clark. So I thought I'd jump into the Dead Djinn Universe. Which meant starting with A Dead Djinn in Cairo. I liked using a smaller book to introduce the world and characters. This was a wild ride for only forty-three pages. It was definitely a great way to dip my toe into this universe. Sha’arawi was great, and I found myself wanting to know about them. And maybe see them kick some more butt.

This broke my entire soul. Holy crap. This was so well done that it was hard to put down because your heart just goes out to Chris. She's just been through so much, and I kept hoping she'd realize what she was doing and not do it. Because I spent the whole book not a hundred percent sure that this was what the tin said it was. Then again, Chris wasn't the only one seeing things. This was absolutely devastating and such a good read. It may have ripped my heart out toward the end, but I'd definitely read another book by Laurel Hightower. Even if she ripped my heart out again.

I love this series! Which is odd because I really didn't think this was going to be for me, but it's just so not to root for Suyi. She just deserves so many nice things, and Lord Kudo is trying his best to give her those things. But of course, even though so many good things happen in this book, it had to end with something terrible. Also, a cliff hanger?! I put the third volume on hold; the second, I realized how this one was going to end. I could feel it coming. But the way Lord Kudo came for her, burning the world down. Everyone deserves someone to come for them, so that when they're in trouble. 

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.

Terrifying true tales to keep you up at night—from TikTok sensation Sebastian Krahl
This deeply horrifying collection of 50 chilling stories is not for the faint of heart. Collected and told by viral true crime storyteller Sebastian Krahl, these true tales dive into the unexplained, the unsettling, and the unimaginable, with frightening and gruesome real-life accounts of murder, mystery, abduction, hauntings, and so much more.
From popular creator Sebastian Krahl—With over 9.5 million total followers, Sebastian Krahl (@Sebastiank22) is known for his well-researched and detailed recountings of true crime, paranormal encounters, unsolved mysteries, and more.
True, and truly scary—These stories don’t shy away from the darkest corners of reality—read them with the lights on.
Discover stories
A set of haunted bunk beds who turned a family's dreams into a nightmare. A woman whose ghost solved her own murder. A kidnapping victim who was kept in a box for years. An alien encounter from one of the real-life men in black. A murderer who lived in his victims' home for days. A set of creepy reincarnated twins.

Are you scared yet?

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

 

The sleepy town of Cedar Lake Falls is best known as the shooting location of the campy ’80s horror flick Slasher. In high school, preppy Patrick, jock Jason, cheerleader Tiffany, stoner Freddy, goth Jennifer, and nerdy Michael had played the cast of Slasher during midnight showings, with virginal Carrie as the Final Girl, of course.

Years later, the friends reunite at the remote cabin where Slasher was filmed. They've changed since high school—Patrick came out, Mikey bulked up, and, well, Freddy's still stoned—and they're looking forward to a weekend to catch up. But when night falls, and the eponymous masked killer is spotted, the reunion takes a deadly turn. The friends discover their tires deflated and the phone line disconnected, and soon they’re being stalked by a mysterious assailant. Is someone trying to make their Slasher experience as authentic as possible?

One thing is for sure. Before the night is over, they each will have to take on the role they thought they'd left behind.

HAPPY READING!!

the Lady in Chains - Review

Author: Bonnie Quinn

Genre: Folklore / Horror

Format: Kindle Book

Pages: 304

This series started as a Reddit situation, I don't remember the title cause I'm not a Reddit person. But, that's where these stories came from, as I believe short stories. Maybe creepy pasta things. It doesn't matter. What matters is I'm so glad that a publisher found them, adored them, and put them into bigger print. Because I love these weird little stories, and I adore Kate and her campground. So I was so excited when my hold for this came into the library, and I didn't even think twice before putting the hold on book three. Even though it's only 'on order'. Don't care, already knew I wanted to read.

Listen, I love this weird little campground that Bonnie Quinn has created. A haunted place where the land calls to all these folklore monsters to settle there. I adore the campers who keep coming back, and the ones who found Kate's books and thought, "I'm going to boop that killer creature right on the nose," despite the book they just read. Because I'm that person. I would have read that book and been like, gotta go there.

Now this takes place right after the first book. There aren't a ton of major spoilers of the first book, so you could read them out of order if you wanted to. For me, it was a nice refresher on the few things I had forgotten since I picked up the first book. Though I started to remember more pieces as this book carried on, for no real reason, other than little facts would just pop into my brain about the first book. I do love that this dives a little deeper into her family and the family's attachment to the camp. While the first book was more about Kate herself, this one dives a bit into how Kate became Kate.

And honestly, the shade she got for the way she is is a little not fair. Like, she's not only seen some things thanks to being raised in that camp, but also the secrets as well. The things she was never told, even though she was alwasy suppose to take over. Like, listen, as a child, I get it, and I do realize her parents died, but at some point, some of these stories needed to be shared. There should have been something: a video diary, an actual diary, a letter, or really anything. Honestly, I can't say that I wouldn't be as angry as Kate is, or shoot first like she does. Also, I get why she sometimes lets things happen to campers.

I'm just saying, FAFO. It's like people who pet the buffalo at State Parks. 

I just find these books really fun. Full of horrors and not so good time, but a lot of fun. I love seeing what pieces of folklore is going to turn up, and Bonnie Quinn writes a really good tale. I very much didn't see the twist until Kate did. However, I honestly could have done without the spiders in mouths or the hordes of spiders. I don't like spiders, Bonnie Quinn. I did not like any of that. It was gross, made my skin crawl, and I didn't enjoy those moments. So gross, but I guess that's the point.

If I had to complain about something other than the spiders, I would say I really thought she and Beau were going to start dating. There were a few pages there when I was like, I mean, I wouldn't be mad at it. He says he's going to kill her, and he's not choosing sides, and he was only there for a name or whatever. But, for someone not there to 'help' or someone 'not picking a side', he sure seems to be helping and picking Kate. It seems a little too helpful, and let less, I want to be the ancient one.

I'm just saying, we'd like to see it. I ship it, maybe in one of the next two books. Mayhaps.

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 take a closer look at a book. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday, I'll post some of my favorite book covers. Coming soon!

The American West is no safe haven for women—least of all in the Gold Rush town of Coloma, California. Not for Clara Tice, the blacksmith’s strange and stubborn daughter. Not for Mei, the healer whose calm presence the makeshift camp for Chinese immigrants contrasts sharply with her brother’s hard-eyed pursuit of riches. And certainly not for Haloke, a Nisenan Shaman’s granddaughter whose native village has been devastated by smallpox, hunger, and the relentless greed of Outsiders.

One night, Clara and Haloke meet at the river’s edge and watch in horror as Clementine Cobb, the town beauty, is lured across the water. Together they witness something terrible in the Night Pool. Soon after, an unseen attacker descends upon the mining men of Coloma, abandoning heartless bodies one-by-one. As the gruesome killings in Coloma threaten to incite further violence, Clara, Haloke, and Mei find themselves unlikely allies—without the gangs, guns, or bravado of the men who claim Coloma’s riches. The three women must work together to confront the evil that menaces them from both monsters and men.

A gripping tale of sisterhood, vengeance, and survival, The Night Pool explores the horrors of greed and lust, and the hidden strength of the most vulnerable among us.

HAPPY READING!!

Apparently Sir Cameron Needs to Die - Review

Author: Greer Stothers

Genre: Humor / Science Fiction 

Format: Paperback

Pages: 384

This was so much fun! Doubly so because I went into this not knowing a lot. I did read the back of the book, so I had some idea of what was going on. But it was one of those things where I read enough to know I wanted to read it, and that was about the sum total of it. So I missed the bit of information that probably would have prepared me for the small genre flip. Though I was picking up the context clues here and there.

Even not know that this was more science fiction than fantasy, I still absolutely loved this. And, honestly, I'm glad I didn't see any of the reviews until I was halfway through the book. Because yes, Cameron is annoying throughout the entire book. Mostly because he is the biggest himbo, literally. He looks like a hero, but that is where that stops. And I love that. I loved that he was dumb and oblivious and honestly kind of sweet in his own bumbling way. He's that character that you want nothing bad to happen to, but he's just a walking disaster on his own. So there's that.

I also love how absolutely terrible at social interactions Merulo is as well. Like he's doing this thing that's probably for the greater good of all people. Probably. Two wrongs don't make a right, and this world probably isn't any better than the one Merulo is trying to go back to. But it's different, and he's determined and awkward. And somehow his weird fits with Cameron's ridiculousness. Honestly, they are adorable together. Even if Merulo fights it until almost the bitter end. 

Like, there for a minute I was really worried about Cameron.

Also, I loved how much I got to hate Glenda. It's so easy to dislike her and everything that she does. I think at one point, even just her name made me roll my eyes. Her chapters, while important to see that point of view, were my least favorite. Because I spent the whole chapters, no matter how short, thinking 'how has no one slapped this elf?" Seriously, the whole book, I just wanted to slap her. The worst, more bad things should have happened to her. 

Another favorite was the little description under the chapter number. They gave you a little summary of what was going to happen, only kind of like a social media post. All narratored by whoever's point of view had the chapters, they were a fun and interesting way to get to know and understand each character. Like highlighting how absolutely terrible Glenda actually was.

It was also a nice surprise to learn that we're getting a second book. So more bad things can happen to Glenda, and there can be many more awkwardness between Merulo and Cameron. Because those two will never be normal, and I love this for them. However, I would enjoy it if I didn't have to until 2027 for said book. But what can you do?

HAPPY READING!!