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Review; Bluebeard's Castle by Anna Biller

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A little while ago, I read the gothic novel Bluebeard's Castle by Anna Biller and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads A subversive take on the famous French fairy tale from the acclaimed director of The Love Witch, and for fans of Jane Eyre When the successful British mystery writer Judith meets Gavin, a handsome and charming baron, at a birthday party on the Cornish coast, his love transforms her from a bitter, lonely young woman into a romance heroine overnight. After a whirlwind honeymoon in Paris, he whisks her away to a secluded Gothic castle. But soon she finds herself trapped in a nightmare, as her husband’s mysterious nature, and his alternation between charm and violence, become increasingly frightening. As Judith battles both internal and external demons, including sexual ambivalence, psychological self-torture, gaslighting, family neglect, alcoholism, and domestic abuse, she becomes increasingly addicted to her wild beast of a husband.
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Review; Halloween - A Collection of Short Stories by Matt Shaw

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Earlier this year, I read Halloween - A Collection of Short Stories by Matt Shaw and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads October 31st. Halloween. A group of teenagers meet up in the woods, ready to tell camp-stories to a fellow (new) classmate. By the end of the night, the listening classmate has to decide which of the stories she has heard is "real", as opposed to just made up to try and scare her. The problem is, in this cruel world we live in, the "real" story really could be any of them... Is she prepared for the truth? Halloween is A collection of short stories, tied together with a central storyline. My Thoughts on the Book Halloween was a short and really fun read, especially if you've ever read other books by Matt Shaw (spoiler - the stories told in this book can be found in Shaw's other books). If you like gory, twisted, and dark tales, feel free to pick up this one,
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Weekend Cooking; English Rolls from Food To Die For

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As I've got a few spooky cookbooks of sorts, I decided I wanted to try a few of the recipes in those books. The blog  The Intrepid Reader and Baker  hosts this weekly meme called Weekend Cooking, so why not write a few blog posts that combine spookiness and cooking/baking? Anyway, a recipe I tried earlier this week was English Rolls from the cookbook Food To Die For by Amy Bruni (some of you might have seen here on the TV show Kindred Spirits). The book is all about haunted locations in the US, combined with history and recipes that is either inspired by the location or has some sort of ties to it. The English rolls I made, ties up with the Jennie Wade house in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The recipe was easy enough to follow, even if I had to use Google to figure out what a stick of butter is measurement-wise in grams, and do a Fahrenheit to Celsius calculation as I'm a Norwegian living in Norway and we use the metric system and Celsius, but it worked out anyway. The end result w
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Book Blogger Hop; Book To Celebrate Halloween

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It's perhaps time for yet another Book Blogger Hop post courtesy of  Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer  and today's question was " Do you have a favorite book or author that you turn to every October to celebrate Halloween? ". Book Blogger Hop Although I obviously read horror and paranormal books all year around, I amp it up a bit more during the autumn, especially around Halloween, but I don't have any particular authors or books that I turn to every October. I can't deny I love a good book with the haunted house trope though.
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Review; 30 Days of Night Vol. 1 by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith

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Recently, I read the graphic novel 30 Days of Night Vol. 1 by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads In a sleepy, secluded Alaska town called Barrow, the sun sets and doesn't rise for over thirty consecutive days and nights. From the darkness, across the frozen wasteland, an evil will come that will bring the residents of Barrow to their knees. The only hope for the town is the Sheriff and Deputy, husband and wife who are torn between their own survival and saving the town they love. My Thoughts on the Book While I enjoy vampire fiction, I felt the plot was way too thin in 30 Days of Night, even for a graphic novel and the story never quite developes properly. Some of the artwork was pretty good though.
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Top Five Wednesday; National Hero Day

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It's Wednesday, which means it's probably time for another Top Five Wednesday post courtesy of the  Top Five Wednesday Goodreads group  and today's topic was heroes. Here's my five spooky picks for this topic. His Final Girl by Brooklyn Ann Description from Goodreads DON’T GO IN THE WOODS Computer nerd, Wes Carpenter, dreads having to spend ten days at summer camp with the rest of his in-coming high school senior class. But when he meets strong-willed and confident farm girl, Linnea Langenkamp, everything about being away at camp improves immediately. When a malicious prank awakens an ancient evil, turning their summer romance into a bloodbath, Wes and Linnea pray they make it home alive while fighting for the survival of their classmates. With Wes’s ingenuity and Linnea’s knowledge of the forest, together they may be able to stop the killer, save the camp, and maybe even find their happily ever after on the way. The Whispering Dead by Darcy Coates Description from Goo
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Review; The Secret History by Donna Tartt

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As I've heard so much about The Secret History by Donna Tartt, I couldn't resist reading it and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality their lives are changed profoundly and for ever. Truly deserving of the accolade Modern Classic, Donna Tartt's cult bestseller The Secret History is a remarkable achievement - both compelling and elegant, dramatic and playful. My Thoughts on the Book I really enjoyed reading The Secret History and it's one of those books that sucks you in. It's a sort of reverse-mystery, as we know from the start that a group of college students murdered one of their fellow students, a bloke nicknamed Bunny. The author's
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