Horror October!

Thanks so the lovely ladies at Novel Ink, I found out about Horror October! It's hosted by Novel Heartbeat and the sign-up link can be found HERE.  The event runs the entire month of October and celebrates Halloween and all things creepy.  This will be my first year participating, and I'm super excited.  Fall is my favorite time to read anything creepy and scary.  Horror October seems super low stress.  So stop by and see more of what it's about.  Help make this an annual thing for Novel Hearbeat!

• All my Throwback picks will be some my favorite Horror.
• Hopefully a discussion post of what I find creepier Horror books or Horror Movies.
• A TBR full of creepy books!
• Picking 4 of my favorite Horror-esque movies to post about.

The book list is super big, and my goal is make at least a large dent into it.  I'm going to start with The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, and we're getting ready to queue up Tucker & Dale vs. Evil.  Anyone else joining up for Horror October?

September Wrap Up

What was this month?!

Have you ever had those days were you can't seem to get your feet underneath you, no matter how much running around you do?  A day were you never seem to get caught up despite the fact you don't stop moving?  That was my September.  Work was crazy because my staffing situation changed because of College classes starting back up.  I also lost one of my fulltime people.  This also means we are entering our busy season, which YAY! I love that we're busy again, but it also means I'm exhausted after work.

All of this means I've been terrible at keeping to any kind of reading schedule!  I wish I could blame it on a slump, or not having anything to read.  Both would be a lie.  Especially that last one.  Under no circumstances do I not have anything to read.  I have stacks of books.  Stacks on stacks if I'm honest.

So I read one actual book and a couple of graphic novels.  Which hey at least I read!  It just did very little for my TBR.  

I was lucky enough to be able to attend two book events at my local bookstores this month! Both events were my first time seeing both authors talk about their books. 

The first was to see Amy Stewart talk about the second book in the Knopp Sisters Series. I haven't yet picked up the first book, but I bought the paperback not long after it came out with the idea to pick it up.  It was really cool to hear about the research behind the Knoop Sisters (who really existed) and how she turned their lives into fiction.

The second event was to see Kendare Blake.  Now I have read Anna Dressed in Blood, and I loved it! So I've been super excited to pick up her new book.  In fact it's my next read!  Kendare was amazing. I'm glad I waited to pick this one up until after I heard her speak about it.  The event made me all the more exited to read it now I've heard about how it came to existence.  BEES! 

Books Read: 3

Pages Read: 576

BINGO Books(s): 0

Favorite Book: Lost Boy

Least Favorite Book: N/A

DNFs: N/A

 

That was my Bookish month! I'm halfway through one book now, and then I'm picking up Three Dark Crowns.  I have a pretty good stack of creepy books to read this Fall.  It's my favorite season to read a good scary/creepy book.

So, how was everyone else's month?  Read anything good?  

Villains, Scoundrels, and Rogues - Review

Published: March 4, 2014

Author: Paul Martin

Series: Stand Alone

Genre: Non-Fiction

Even if you're an avid history buff, you've probably never heard of this disreputable cast of characters: A drunken, ne'er-do-well cop who abandoned his post at Ford's Theater, giving assassin John Wilkes Booth unchallenged access to President Lincoln; a notorious Kansas quack who made millions by implanting billy goat testicles in gullible male patients; and America's worst female serial killer ever. These are three of the memorable but little-known rogues profiled in this eye-opening and entertaining book.

Like in most books like this there were chapters that I really likes and others that I didn't.  However, the tally sat in favor for this book.  For the most part I hadn't heard of any of the people written about by Paul Martin.  A few however did ring some bells: Col. John Chivington, Dean O'Banion, Ed Gein, and of course Kate and Maggie Fox.  It was also kind of fun for me because a good number of these people had caused terror in the Midwest which is were I originally hail from.  Which might be a little sad that it wasn't until now that I'd heard of them or their misdeeds.

One of my favorite parts of this book was Paul Martin's writing style.  Mostly it was the little bits he'd add into the fact.  Just sliding his feelings and opinion on parts of the person histories that would make me laugh, or the he'd word things that never let the book get dry with the facts.  I never really found myself getting really bored, at least not with the writing.

The amount of research that was done for this book extensive, and you really can tell.  Not only because the back of book gives you access to Paul Martin's bibliography.  Just with the writing and story telling.  Each chapters tells a complete story that made these people infamous.  I never once felt like Martin was pulling facts out of the air.  Everything flowed, felt solid, and nothing seemed just thrown together to make is more interesting or make it sound better.

I also want to thank him for the third Chapter in this book.  While I doubt he sees this review, I still want to say it.  My Senior year I did a project on Captain Silas Soule and his role in Sand Creek.  It is a story that is dear to me, because I got to share his story with a lot of people in his home State that had never heard of him.  So I was really happy to see a chapter about the reason he was murder and done so well.  The last book I picked up about him was not so good.  So thank you for that, Mr. Martin.  

Really, the only thing I "negative" that I found was there were a couple of chapter where I wasn't really sure how they fit into the role of "Villains, Scoundrels, and Rogues".  Just people shoved in a bad situation due to the time period and really lack of other options.  Those chapters were few and far between.  So it wasn't really a huge deal.  It's honestly a really nitpicking thing for me to complain about, and it didn't stop me from picking it back up.

Three big stars is what I give Villains, Scoundrels, and Rogues.  I enjoyed my time with it and I've totally already passed it onto a friend I think will get a kick out of it.  My roommate enjoy the pieces I read out loud to her, because there were quiet a few required sharing.  Either due to the shock of what these people had done.  Or, just how silly it was.

Buy, Borrow, or Skip: This one is tough.  Personally I say I buy, I love compilations like these.  I have an entire shelf of them!  That being said it's a fun read show definitely borrow if your local library has a copy. 

Throwback Thursday - Redwall

Why mess with a good thing.  Another Thursday is here with another one of my childhood favorites! However, I have never actually finished this series despite my love for the first book. It might have to be a series I pick back up next year to finally finish.  It is quite an adorable read.

Original Publishing Date: 1986

Publisher: Hutchinson (UK) & Philomel (US)

Author: Brian Jacques

Series: Redwall

As the inhabitants of Redwall Abbey bask in the glorious Summer of the Late Rose, all is quiet and peaceful. But things are not as they seem. Cluny the Scourge, the evil one-eyed rat warlord, is hell-bent on destroying the tranquility as he prepares to fight a bloody battle for the ownership of Redwall. This dazzling story in the Redwall series is packed with all the wit, wisdom, humor, and blood-curdling adventure of the other books in the collection, but has the added bonus of taking the reader right back to the heart and soul of Redwall Abbey and the characters who live there.

I do remember the animated series from when I was kid, though I can't honestly recall any specific episode.  Redwall is a book that I've passed down to all my cousins that love reading.  It's a book I've re-read several times with the idea of marathoning the series, but for some reason never do. I honestly don't know why, I really do love this first book.

Has any one actually finished this series?  Should I give it another go?

Waiting on Wednesday - A Taste of Monsters

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming release that book bloggers are eagerly anticipating.

Release Date: September 27, 2016

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Author: Matthew J. Kirby

Series: Stand Alone

IT’S LONDON 1888, and Jack the Ripper is terrorizing the people of the city. Evelyn, a young woman disfigured by her dangerous work in a matchstick factory, who has nowhere to go, does not know what to make of her new position as a maid to the Elephant Man in the London Hospital. Evelyn wants to be locked away from the world, like he is, shut in from the filth and dangers of the streets. But in Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man, she finds a gentle kindred who does not recoil from her and who understands her pain. When the murders begin, however, Joseph and Evelyn are haunted nightly by the ghosts of the Ripper’s dead, setting Evelyn on a path to facing her fears and uncovering humanity’s worst nightmares.

What's everyone else's pick this Wednesday?!

Throwback Thursday - Matilda

So after last week I couldn't help but throw up another favorite book from my childhood.  I've read the book, seen the movie, and can't wait to see the Broadway play.


Original Publishing Date: June 1, 1999
Publisher: Puffin
Author: Roald Dahl
Series: Stand Alone

Matilda is a little girl who is far too good to be true. At age five-and-a-half she's knocking off double-digit multiplication problems and blitz-reading Dickens. Even more remarkably, her classmates love her even though she's a super-nerd and the teacher's pet. But everything is not perfect in Matilda's world. For starters she has two of the most idiotic, self-centered parents who ever lived. Then there's the large, busty nightmare of a school principal, Mrs. ("The") Trunchbull, a former hammer-throwing champion who flings children at will and is approximately as sympathetic as a bulldozer. Fortunately for Matilda, she has the inner resources to deal with such annoyances: astonishing intelligence, saintly patience, and an innate predilection for revenge.

I have read almost, if not all, Roald Dahl book out there.  They were some of my favorites growing up, and it was pretty awesome that they made the BFG into a movie this year.  My favorite book is James and the Giant Peach.

Anyone else have a favorite Roald Dahl book?

Waiting for Wednesday - The Women in the Walls

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming release that book bloggers are eagerly anticipating.

Release Date: September 27, 2016

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Author: Amy Lukavics

Series: Stand Alone

Lucy Acosta's mother died when she was three. Growing up in a Victorian mansion in the middle of the woods with her cold, distant father, she explored the dark hallways of the estate with her cousin, Margaret. They're inseparable—a family. 

I'm waiting on this one until October.  It feels like a good Halloween time read.  Fall always feels like a good time to read a spooky book.

So what's everyone else waiting on this Wednesday?

Throwback Thursday - The Phantom Tollbooth

When I was making my list of books to post about this month I couldn't believe that one of my favorite childhood books hadn't made the list yet.  I was always the weird kid growing up with my nose buried inside of book, and being able to spout odd facts because I read and loved the History Channel.  Oddly enough very little has changed since I've gotten older.  This book was one of my favorites because I was that weird kid.  Heck, I'm still that weird kid.  Only now I've embraced it and don't let it old me back.

Original Publishing Date: 1961

Publisher: Epstein & Carroll

Author: Norton Juster

Series: Stand Alone

For Milo, everything’s a bore. When a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room, he drives through only because he’s got nothing better to do. But on the other side, things seem different. Milo visits the Island of Conclusions (you get there by jumping), learns about time from a ticking watchdog named Tock, and even embarks on a quest to rescue Rhyme and Reason! Somewhere along the way, Milo realizes something astonishing. Life is far from dull. In fact, it’s exciting beyond his wildest dreams. . .

What other childhood favorites do you guys have?

Waiting on Wednesday - Cold-Forged Flame

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming release that book bloggers are eagerly anticipating.

Release Date: September 13, 2016

Publisher: Tor

Author: Marie Brennan

Series: Ree Varekai #1

The sound of the horn pierces the apeiron, shattering the stillness of that realm. Its clarion call creates ripples, substance, something more. It is a summons, a command. There is will. There is need.
And so, in reply, there is a woman.

I'm super excited for a new series from Marie Brennan now that I saw that the Lady Trent Series is coming to an end.  Super excited to jump into a new world that she's created, but first I'd like to catch up on the Lady Trent books.  Then I'll let myself buy this one.

So what's everyone else waiting on this week??

Most Anticipated - September Edition

This was one of those books that I sort of stumbled across through Goodreads, and I'm not entirely certain how I got there.  It was way back in the Spring when I added this book to my shelves.  Since then I've heard nothing but good things from those lucky to get an advanced copy of this.  So of everything hitting shelves in September, Three Dark Crowns is definitely on the top of my list.

Release Date: September 20, 2016

Author: Kendra Blake

Series: Three Dark Crowns #1

Publisher: HarperTeen

Every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born: three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

What's everyone else looking forward to reading this month?