The Smell of Ink/Lukten av Trykksverte

I recently read the gothic horror classic Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu for Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon, and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Carmilla is the original vampire story, steeped in the sexual tension between two young women and gothic romance. In an isolated castle deep in the Austrian forest, teenaged Laura leads a solitary life with only her father, attendant and tutor for company. Until one moonlit night, a horse-drawn carriage crashes into view, carrying an unexpected guest—the beautiful Carmilla. So begins a feverish friendship between Laura and her entrancing new companion, one defined by mysterious happenings and infused with an implicit but undeniable eroticism. As Carmilla becomes increasingly strange and volatile, prone to eerie nocturnal wanderings, Laura finds herself tormented by nightmares and growing weaker by the day... My Thoughts on the Book While I wished for a bit more details in the ending, it was still a lot of fun reading

Earlier this year, I read the splatter western novel Dust by Chris Miller and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads 1879: An unknown and timeless evil descends on East Texas. John Dee, bestowed with knowledge from beyond, moves through time and space, pursuing age-old horrors and ending their reign. As he seeks the hidden town of Dust to continue his lifework, another is hot on his heels, and will stop at nothing to rip the divine knowledge from Dee. As these opposing forces collide, Dee becomes both hero and villain in his quest against the Elders. He doesn't have time to be sorry - THERE ARE GODS TO KILL. My Thoughts on the Book Dust is one of those fast-paced and engaging books that's fun to read. I enjoyed the easy narrative style of the author, but a thing that put me off a wee bit was the slang/dialect given to Denarius, the black character of the book. Even if the setting (1879) is pretty crappy for black people, it would be nice treating

Etter å ha hatt La den rette komme inn av John Ajvide Lindqvist liggende i "skal leses"-haugen i mange år, endte jeg opp med å lese den tidligere i år og i dag kommer omtalen av boka. Beskrivelse fra forlaget En bloddryppende spenningsroman fra Sverige om vampyrer og hevn. Om en ung gutts ensomhet. Om det å bli oversett og forbigått, og om hvilke brutale krefter som bor i mennesket. Året er 1981. Livet i Stockholm-forstaden Blackeberg er som vanlig. Folk lever sine hverdagsliv og driver med sitt. Så rykkes tingene ut av sine vante baner. En tenåringsgutt blir funnet drept. Halsen er skåret over, og liket er tømt for blod. Ryktene om et ritualmord sprer seg. Innbyggerne lammes av frykt, men 12 år gamle Oskar fascineres av det bestialske mordet. Uten å være klar over det blir han etter hvert dratt inn i mysteriets mørke sentrum. La den rette komme inn er noe så sjelden som en realistisk spenningsroman om vampyrer og hevn. Og om en ung gutts ensomhet. Om det å bli oversett og f

It's Friday and perhaps time for a new Let's Talk Bookish post, courtesy of Book Nook Bits . As the theme of the week was Halloween freebie, I decided doing a bit of a twist, which is talking about my favourite place to read in the autumn. When I was house-hunting last year, I’m sure there was a few who thought I was a wee bit crazy as I was in search of an old house with a woodburning stove and enough room for all my books. It might be the case I’m a bit eccentric, but I did get what I wanted in the shape of a charming little house from 1901 – with the woodburning stove and enough space for all my books. My favourite place to both read and write during the autumn is basically my combined living/dining room and library. It does have a moody maximalism meets industrial vibe to it (or a bit of Steampunk Dracula as I jokingly call it), but it has turned into a bit of a sanctuary of sort, with me being an introvert having a few mental illnesses. I do after all have the possibility

I came across The Spooky Book Tags over at  Leigh Hecking and as I love Halloween and book tags, I obviously couldn't resist doing this tag, especially as it's so close to Halloween. What goes bump in the night?: Name a book that has legitimately scared you while reading it. As I don't get scared by books, I can't answer this question properly. Jack O’ Lanterns and Classic Costumes: A book you always reach for during Halloween time. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill Black Cats and Magic Mirrors: A book you love that is laced with superstition and/or magic. The Witchling's Girl by Helena Coggan Witch’s Brew: Favorite witch character in any book/series. Diana Bishop from A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness Ghouls and Ghosts: A book that still haunts you to this day (good or bad). Misfits by Hunter Shea Haunted Graveyard: You’re all alone in a haunted graveyard, you get ONE book to give you comfort, which is it? The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova The Undead: Fa

Recently, I read the Swedish horror/thriller novel The Lost Village by Camilla Sten and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads The Blair Witch Project meets Midsommar in this brilliantly disturbing thriller from Camilla Sten, an electrifying new voice in suspense. Documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt has been obsessed with the vanishing residents of the old mining town, dubbed “The Lost Village,” since she was a little girl. In 1959, her grandmother’s entire family disappeared in this mysterious tragedy, and ever since, the unanswered questions surrounding the only two people who were left—a woman stoned to death in the town center and an abandoned newborn—have plagued her. She’s gathered a small crew of friends in the remote village to make a film about what really happened. But there will be no turning back. Not long after they’ve set up camp, mysterious things begin to happen. Equipment is destroyed. People go missing. As doubt breeds fear and their very minds b

It's Tuesday and perhaps it's time for another Top Ten Tuesday post, courtesy of That Artsy Reader Girl . As it was Halloween freebie week in terms of themes, I decided writing a top ten list with horror novels that feature the haunted house trope. Here's my ten picks in random order. The Haunting of Ashburn House by Darcy Coates Description from Goodreads There's something wrong with Ashburn House... Everyone knows about Ashburn House. They whisper its old owner went mad, and restless ghosts still walk the halls. But when Adrienne--desperate and in need of a place to stay--inherits the crumbling old mansion, she only sees it as a lifeline...until darkness falls. Strange messages are etched into the walls. Furniture moves when she leaves the room. And a grave hidden in the depths of the forest hints at a terrible, unforgivable secret. Something twisted lives in her house, its hungry eyes ever-watchful. Chasing the threads of a decades-old mystery, it isn't long befo

A while ago I read the paranormal novel The Well by Marie Sexton and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Twenty years after prom queen Cassie Kennedy is brutally murdered, six teenagers break into the house where she was killed to hold a seance. Haven knows his cousin Elise only wants to scare the crap out of him and his friends, but he's willing to put up with one of her pranks if it means a chance to spend a few hours with the new kid in town, Pierce Hunter. But when morning comes, Elise has disappeared without a trace. Twelve years later, Pierce and his twin brother Jordan are professional paranormal investigators, starring in their own ghost-hunting TV show. When Pierce calls Haven, insisting they return to the supposedly haunted building one last time, Haven reluctantly agrees. He's nervous about seeing Pierce again, but he's determined to get some answers. Did they really speak to Cassie's ghost that night? What happened to Elise? And the bi

Earlier this year, I read the splatter western The Thirteenth Koyote by Kristopher Triana and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads An evil has returned to the town of Hope’s Hill. When a grave robber unearths the corpse of Jasper Thurston, a piece of the body is stolen, one that will call the Koyotes from across the plains. They are a vicious company of outlaws, part madmen and part wolves. Their leader is Glenn the Dreadful, and he’s out to gather the power of the Menhir, a particle from an ancient evil. The fate of Hope’s Hill—and perhaps the world—rests in the hands of unlikely heroes. A rugged U.S. Marshall, a teenage girl out for revenge, an emancipated slave, a nun with a dark secret, and a mysterious half-breed with the number thirteen tattooed on his neck. The Thirteenth KoyoteGone to See the River Man and Full Brutal. Filled with gunfights as well as ghouls, it is a horror epic as big as the open range. My Thoughts on the Book The Thirteenth Koyote is a f

It's almost Halloween at this point and as I've got a weak spot for gothic horror novels, why not write a book recommendation list of five gothic horror novels to pick up this autumn? It's the perfect time to pick up such books anyway. Not that I personally need an excuse to pick up that genre of course, but the time around Halloween basically screams (gothic) horror novels. Anyway, here's five gothic horror novels to pick up. The Haunting of Las Lágrimas by W. M. Cleese Description from Goodreads Argentina, winter 1913. Ursula Kelp, a young English gardener, travels to Buenos Aires to take up the role of head gardener at a long-abandoned estate in the Pampas. The current owner wishes to return to the estate with his family and restore the once-famous gardens to their former glory. Travelling deep into the Pampas, the vast grasslands of South America, Ursula arrives to warnings from the locals that the estate is haunted, cursed to bring tragedy to the founding family of

Earlier this year, I read the horror novel The Exorcist's House by Nick Roberts and today I'll post my review of this book. Description from Goodreads In the summer of 1994, psychologist Daniel Hill buys a rustic farmhouse nestled in the rolling hills of West Virginia. Along with his wife, Nora, and their teenage daughter, Alice, the family uproots their lives in Ohio and moves south. At first, they are seduced by the natural beauty of the farm and enjoy the bonding experience of fixing the old house, but that all changes when they discover a hidden room in the basement with a well, boarded shut and adorned with crucifixes. Local legends about the previous owner’s predilection for performing exorcisms come to light, but by then, all Hell has broken loose. My Thoughts on the Book We all love creepy basements, don't we? All die-hard horror fans know that it's best to stay FAR AWAY from basements, especially if it contains a boarded shut well, am I right? The basement in

I came across the Halloween Creatures Book Tag over at  Book Vines and as I love book tags and Halloween, I couldn't resist doing this tag. WITCH – A magical character or book Bayou Magic by Jewell Parker Rhodes WEREWOLVES – The perfect book to read at night The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith FRANKENSTEIN – A book that truly shocked you Alright, this might be a bit of a spoiler, but I can't say I enjoyed the scene where a Bigfoot was raping one of the dead girls in Swamp Monster Massacre by Hunter Shea THE DEVIL – A dark evil character Dr. Helen Hildredt from The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon GRIM REAPER – A character that never should have died Not sure really. ZOMBIE – A book that made you “hungry” for more The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #1) by Jessica Townsend GARGOYLE – A character that you would protect at all costs Danny from The Shining by Stephen King VAMPIRE – A book that sucked the life out of you A Class of Conjuring by Evie Wilde sucked the life

It's Wednesday and perhaps time for yet another Top Five Wednesday post, courtesy of the Top 5 Wednesday Goodreads group . As it's soon Halloween, the theme of the week was books with dark covers. Four of the five books I've chosen, are retellings, while the remaining one has ties to European history, so if you're into retellings, this list might be something for you. Here's my five picks. Feyland (The Dark Realm #1) by Anthea Sharp Description from Goodreads What if a high-tech computer game was a gateway to the dangerous Realm of Faerie? When a game… Feyland is the most immersive computer game ever designed, and Jennet Carter is the first to play the prototype. But she doesn’t suspect the virtual world is close enough to touch — or that she’ll be battling for her life against the Dark Queen of the faeries. Turns real… Tam Linn is the perfect hero — in-game. Too bad the rest of his life is seriously flawed. The last thing he needs is rich-girl Jennet prying into hi