October Wrap-Up.

I was definitely happy to be reading some spookier reads this month! It's one of my favourite genres! I managed four reads, three of which were on my original list.

1. 'Pet Sematary' by Stephen King. It was good to finally read through something written by King that I really liked! The tension and atmosphere were expertly built, and the concept for this novel was truly horrifying. The quick ending let this one down a little though. 4/5 Stars.
2. 'Fence [Vol. 3]' by C.S. Pacat & Johanna The Mad. What more is there to say about this series that hasn't already been said? I'm hooked! It's 100% my guilty pleasure and I'm eagerly awaiting the next volume! 5/5 Stars.
3. 'The Phantom Of The Opera' by Gaston Leroux. Having loved the musical and the film for the longest time, I felt it was finally time to read the classic book. It was a little melodramatic at points, but I really enjoyed the style and reliving the tale. 3.5/5 Stars.
4. 'Wakenhyrst' by Michelle Paver. I've read a ghost story by this talented lady before, and thoroughly enjoyed it. This read had some of my favourite elements of horror - old houses, a historical setting, intrigue, and captivating characters. 4/5 Stars.

This month I read three books for the Beat The Backlist Challenge, making my yearly total twenty seven.

- Pet Semetary

- Fence [Vol.3]

- The Phantom Of The Opera

This month I read one book for the New Release Challenge, making my yearly total eleven.

- Wakenhyrst

This month I read one book for the Finishing The Series Challenge, making my yearly total five.

- Fence [Vol. 3]

This month I read two books for the Diversity Reading Challenge, making my yearly total twenty seven.

- Fence [Vol. 3]

- The Phantom Of The Opera

*Mini Challenge: Physical/ Sensory/ Cognitive/ Intellectual/ Developmental Disabilities*

Planned Reads for October.

It's Halloween, which means I get to read one of my favourite genres - horror! I have a lot of exciting reads waiting for me on my shelves, but I've picked out a few I'm hoping to get to.

I've read one of Michelle Paver's ghost stories before, 'Thin Air', and loved it! Now I've nabbed a copy of 'Wakenhyrst', an England-set period horror/mystery about a painting, a family secret, and murder. I'm a big fan of scary stories set in big, old houses so this should be perfect for me!

'The Phantom Of The Opera' by Gaston Leroux is a classic that has been on my list for a long time. I love the musical and the film, but have never read the book. I hope I love it just as much!

Kiran Millwood Hargrave's 'The Deathless Girls' is one of my most anticipated reads right now, and I really hope I get round to it! A feminist retelling of 'Dracula'! What's not to love?

I'm a big fan of Frances Hardinge, and 'A Skinful Of Shadows' has intrigued me for a while. It looks like it's full of my usual Hardinge loves - an original plot, plenty of whimsy, and some sinister spooks!

The master of horror, Stephen King, hasn't been on my Halloween list for a while and I strongly feel that I haven't found the right book of his yet. Having now become a cat owner, I'm really hoping that 'Pet Sematary' will give me the chills I've been looking for.

It is kind of bugging me that I still haven't read Melissa Albert's 'The Hazel Wood' yet. It definitely looks like a good read for October, and any blurb that contains thee phrase 'dark fairytales' has my attention.

October Wrap-Up.

October went really well! I managed to read six books, and most of them were the spooky October reads I'd been hoping for!

1. 'Starfighter [Ch.1]' by Hamlet Machine. Hmm. I really wanted to find a new M/m comic to get on board with, and I loved the sci-fi setting for this one but I'm really not a fan of dubious consent. I'm hoping to see more of a development later in Cain's character, but right now he's a jerk. 3/5 Stars.
2. 'Heartstopper [Vol.1]' by Alice Oseman. I have been waiting to read this. As soon as I found out that it existed I jumped onto reading 'Solitaire' so that I could meet the characters, Nick & Charlie, before reading them here. This is a great LGBT+ comic, I loved the romance and the English Grammar School setting! 5/5 Stars.
3. 'As Kingfishers Catch Fire' by Gerard Manley Hopkins. I was really in the mood to read some poetry, and Autumn makes me especially appreciative of nature. I liked the journal excerpts here a lot as far as descriptions of the wilderness go, but wasn't a fan of the preachy poetry or it's slightly bizarre rhythm. 2.5/5 Stars.
4. 'A Sudden Light' by Garth Stein. This ghost story really took me by surprise, I enjoyed it immensely! I can't believe it took me so long to read! I particularly loved the mystery and supernatural elements, as well as the interesting characters. I just wish the pacing had been a bit quicker. 4.5/5 Stars.
5. 'The Twisted Tree' by Rachel Burge. This was certainly an enjoyable, thrilling story with great references to Norse culture, mythology and life. I liked the constant twists too, but found the MC a bit too self-deprecating and didn't really feel the romance. Also, there's a bit too much left unresolved at the end. 3.5/5 Stars.
6. 'The Hatch' by Joe Fletcher. Another book of poems, this time a little more on the bizarre side of things. I liked the dark tone, sense of humour and visuals this collection conjured up. However, I did find that I didn't really feel anything while reading, nor did I find any of it all that memorable, and that was a big problem for me. 2.5/5 Stars.

This month I read three books for the Beat The Backlist Challenge, making my yearly total so far thirty two.

- Starfighter [Ch.1]

- As Kingfishers Catch Fire

- A Sudden Light

This month I read zero books for the Finishing The Series Challenge, making my yearly total so far one.

I read three books for the New Release Challenge, making my yearly total so far fourteen.

- Heartstopper [Vol. 1]

- The Twisted Tree

- The Hatch

I read three book for the Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge, making my yearly total so far twenty two.

- A Sudden Light

- The Twisted Tree

- The Hatch

Here is the result for Pretty Deadly Blog's Bookish Bingo card.

Made Into A Movie: Lolita; Vladimir Nabokov
Middle Grade: The Dreadful Tale Of Prosper Redding; Alexandra Bracken
One Word Title: Folk; Zoe Gilbert
Fire In Title Or Cover: As Kingfishers Catch Fire; Gerard Manley Hopkins
Set In A School: Solitaire; Alice Oseman
Black Cover: The Hatch; Joe Fletcher
Space Or Stars: Starfighter [Ch. 1]; Hamlet Machine
Fall Release: A Sudden Light; Garth Stein
Freebie: --
Dual POV: Steve & Mark; Tab Kimpton
Scares You: The Twisted Tree; Rachel Burge
Less Than 300 Pages: Teahouse [Ch.1]; Emirain
Features Animals: Into The Jungle; Katherine Rundell
LGBT+: Heartstopper [Vol. 1]; Alice Oseman

Planned Reads for October.

Boys and girls of every age...

Wouldn't you like to read something strange?

That's right folks, Halloween month is upon us and as a result, I am dying to read some spooktacular stories! I think this might be my favourite time of the year actually purely because I love the horror and mystery genres so much! So without further ado, here are my picks for this month!

'A Sudden Light' by Garth Stein is officially my oldest Netgalley request. I honestly, truly don't understand why it has taken me so long to read. I've actually already started it and it is so good so far, and contains everything this month needs - ghosts, atmosphere, mystery and a big, old house. Perfect.

I have been hankering for some poetry, which two years ago is something I never thought I'd say. But I like the look of Gerard Manley Hopkins 'As Kingfishers Catch Fire' as far as old school poetry goes. I'm hoping for some real appreciation of nature here, and another good input from Penguin's Little Black Classics collection.

I love reading horror, especially if it's set in the Victorian era. Something about that time period really works for the genre. 'The Corset' by Laura Purcell looks absolutely terrifying for that reason and it focuses on a serial killer which makes it even more intriguing to me. I've heard so many good reviews of this book and Purcell's previous book 'The Silent Companions', so I can't wait to get stuck in!

I love mysteries and adore Sherlock Holmes, so I've had my eye on 'A Study In Charlotte' by Brittany Cavallaro for a long time. I received it as a gift for my birthday and was so excited to get round to reading it! Autumn, for me, is the best time of year to read mysteries and I'm looking forward to this reimagining of one of my favourite detectives.

Ghost stories are my favourite thing to read of all the paranormal stories. Especially in the classic setting of an old, haunted house. I have great faith that 'A House Of Ghosts' by W.C. Ryan will be perfect for me, purely based on the title! Also, the cover is gorgeous.

As soon as I saw YA Nordic Horror, 'The Twisted Tree' by Rachel Burgeons had my attention. I've actually played a couple of video games that are horrifying and based around norse culture/folklore, and I think that this will give me those vibes. I like the cover a lot too, and the MC is blind which should be an interesting POV.

I remember really loving the poem 'The Highwayman' by Alfred Noyes, and 'Glimpse' by Kendra Leighton is a novel based on that poem. It certainly has the right Halloween-filled vibes on the front cover, and I'm hoping that the read itself will be just as enjoyable.

Witches are probably my next favourite thing to read about at Halloween. 'The Hawkweed Prophecy' by Irena Brignull looks fantastic and I love the synopsis for it! It does look pretty creepy too. Covers are important for me at this time of the year (you might have noticed) and this certainly hits the spot.

October Wrap-Up.

October looked like it was going to be a bad month for reading for me to begin with. I seemed to be getting through books at a snail rate and always had too much to do, even during my week off. However, things improved towards the end of the month and I'm pleased I managed five reads!

1. 'The Hate U Give' by Angie Thomas. This book, focussing on the very important #BlackLivesMatter movement, is very deserving of it's record-breaking time at the top spot of the NY Times Bestsellers List. It's powerful, emotional, and necessary, but also funny and eye-opening. The characters are charming and the story builds well. I do think that it is a little over-hyped and too long, but it's a fantastic read. 4/5 Stars.
2. 'The Elite' by Kiera Cass. This book was such a disappointment to me, and yet I expected it to be. I'd been putting it off for that very reason. It felt like 300 odd pages of filler material, mostly taken up by the MC's constant whining and moping about the love triangle she was now stuck in. I'm still drawn into the world enough to want to see this through to the end. Hopefully Cass actually uses the finale to further and resolve the plot. 2.5/5 Stars.
3. 'Lies We Tell Ourselves' by Robin Talley. This is the best book I've read in a long while, and certainly one of my top reads of the year. I'd never really put much thought into the period between segregation and integration in American history, but I will never forget reading the harrowing first chapter of this book. Ever. This book is everything that a diverse YA should be, and has some fantastic LGBT+ representation too. 5/5 Stars.
4. 'The Woman In Black & Other Ghost Stories' by Susan Hill. Another great read but for a totally different reason, I've been looking forward to finding time to read more ghost stories by Susan Hill. Halloween eve was perfect! I'd read 'The Woman In Black' before, and found that these other short stories are just as atmospheric and chilling. I love Hill's creativity and originality and came out of these spooked. 5/5 Stars.
5. 'Lot No. 249' by Arthur Conan Doyle. Feeling a thirst for a little more horror before the night was up, I decided to read this fifty page long short story. I've never read a paranormal story with an Egyptian mummy before and this was the first ever one to be written. Doyle had a great sense of humour which shines through in his complex and energetic characters and while the sentences were a little too convoluted, I loved this read! 4.5/5 Stars.

Now it's time to see how I did with my challenges this month!

This month I have read one book for the Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to twenty two. My read was:

- The Elite

This month I have read one book for the 2017 New Releases Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to ten. My read was:

- The Hate U Give

This month I have read one books for the LGBTQIA Challenge, bringing my yearly total to ten. My read was:

- Lies We Tell Ourselves

This month I have read two books for the Diverse Reads Challenge, bringing my yearly total to thirty one. My reads were:

- The Hate U Give

- Lies We Tell Ourselves

And here's my update on this quarter's Bookish Bingo card, courtesy of Pretty Deadly Blog!

Mental Health: Our Numbered Days; Neil Hilborn
Different Culture: I Am Malala; Patricia McCormick & Malala Yousfazai
Illustrations: The Little Red Wolf; Amélie Fléchais
Black Cover: The Hate U Give; Angie Thomas
Person On The Cover: The Elite; Kiera Cass
Magic In The Real World: The Girl From Everywhere; Heidi Heilig
American History: Lies We Tell Ourselves; Robin Talley
Horror: Lot No. 249; Arthur Conan Doyle
Yellow Cover: The Geek Feminist Revolution; Kameron Hurley
Required Reading: The Return Of Sherlock Holmes; Arthur Conan Doyle
Poetry Or Verse: O Frabjous Day!; Lewis Carroll
Paranormal: The Woman In Black & Other Ghost Stories; Susan Hill

Planned Reads For October.

I'm not really a fan of the cold weather, but there is something about October that really excites me. It's Halloween month of course, and that always informs my reading! I want to read spooky books with a paranormal twist, and I've got some great options lined up, as well as a few other choices in between!

'The Hate U Give' by Angie Thomas. This is of course a leftover read from last month that I didn't quite finish in time, but the black cover really fits in anyway! This book covers some very serious issues: namely racism and the #blacklivesmatter movement and I'm all about the #ownvoices representation this book has. It's been on the NYT bestsellers list for so long and I have a really good feeling about it.

'The Elite' by Kiera Cass. Wow, pretty dresses on a cover. Remember when that was a thing? It's really about time I got through some of these old series and I'll admit, I'm using this book to fill a challenge category. That being said it feels like an Autumn read and I did like the first book a lot. Fingers crossed this isn't just 'filler' material.

'Lies We Tell Ourselves' by Robin Talley. So I read Talley's 'As I Descended' in October last year, a retelling of Macbeth which fit perfectly into the month's supernatural theme. There's no paranormal activity to be found in this read but that cover mixed with the American History lesson will no doubt make it a compelling read all the same. Race is a big issue here, but I'm even more excited to see that it's LGBT fiction! Very intriguing!

'The Goblins Of Bellwater' by Molly Ringle. Oh yes. Now we're getting to the spooky stuff. This book is based on Christina Rossetti's poem 'Goblin Market' which I always found very creepy when reading it for school, and the synopsis here sounds really cool! I wanted a little bit of Fantasy before I delve into ghosts and I'm going to get it here I think!

'Glimpse' by Kendra Leighton. This book has been on my list for a ridiculously long time, and it's another one based on a famous poem I read at school: 'The Highwayman' by Alfred Noyes. I really liked studying that one so I'm hoping that this will be a good read to get into on a chilly Autumn evening!

'The Woman In Black & Other Ghost Stories' by Susan Hill. 'Spine-chilling' has been used to describe this book, and that's exactly what I'm hoping for when reading it! Obviously I've already read 'The Woman In Black' and I'll most likely skip that one. But as it's one of my favourite ghost stories, I'm excited to get into the 'others' in this collection!

'The Girl In The Tower' by Katherine Arden. I loved reading 'The Bear & The Nightingale' earlier this year, it was a gorgeous re-imagining of Slavic folklore and I imagine it's successor will be no different. There were definitely indicators towards a bigger plot-line in the last book that I want to read about!

'The Hawley Book Of The Dead' by Chrysler Szarlan. Another book that has been on the list for way too long, who doesn't like to read about witches during Halloween month? The cover is really pretty and I'm definitely intrigued by the synopsis. I'm really hoping to plow through these as I'm in for a good reading month if I do!