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Showing posts from September, 2025

Top Ten Tuesday; Book Covers That Give Off Autumn Vibes

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It's Tuesday, which means it's probably time for a new Top Ten Tuesday post courtesy of  That Artsy Reader Girl  and today's topic is book covers that give off autumn vibes. As I love autumn (heck, I even got autumn leaves incorporated in one of my tattoos), I obviously couldn't resist this topic, so here's ten spooky autumnal picks. We Are Always Watching by Hunter Shea Description from Goodreads They’ve watched over the house for generations… The move from New York to the decrepit Pennsylvania farmhouse is as bad as West Ridley thought it would be. His father’s crippling vertigo only seems to get worse, and even with his mother working herself to the bone, they’re out of money and options. Grandpa Abraham is a drunk bastard and the living embodiment of the long neglected farmhouse. He claims the place is haunted. Ghosts roam the hall at night and their muffled cries fill the silence of warm, summer nights. On the ceiling above West’s bed are the words WE SEE YOU....

Let's Talk Bookish; The Impact of Social Media Platforms and Trope-Based Marketing

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 It's Friday and I thought it would be rather fitting with a Let's Talk Bookish post courtesy of  Book Nook Bits  and  Dinipanda Reads , and today's topic is " are published books losing quality? The impact of social media platforms and trope-based marketing ". Here's the further prompts for today's discussion. Reading has become increasingly more “popular” due to platforms like booktok and bookstagram, which tend to promote certain types of books. It has also given rise to the “trope only” marketing trend. Do you think the hype that’s been created on these platforms has impacted the quality of books that are published these days? Do you think it’s impacting only certain genres or do you notice it across all genres? How do you think this will impact book quality and publishing in the years to come (i.e. is it just a phase or will it continue)? While it's great that more people discover books and reading, it's not necessarily that ALL books publishe...

Top Ten Tuesday; Books On My Autumn 2025 To-Read List

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It's Tuesday again, which means it's time for a new Top Ten Tuesday post courtesy of  That Artsy Reader Girl  and today's topic is books on my autumn 2025 to-read list. As it's more or less spooky season, of course I'll enjoy my creepy books even more than usual and add some Halloween and/or autumn-themed books into the mix. Here's my ten picks. The Daughter of Doctor Moroeau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Description from Goodreads A lavish historical drama reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century Mexico. Carlota Moreau: a young woman, growing up in a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula. The only daughter of either a genius, or a madman. Montgomery Laughton: a melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol. An outcast who assists Dr. Moreau with his scientific experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas and p...

Let's Talk Bookish; Favourite Genre Recommendations

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It's Friday, which means it's perhaps time for another Let's Talk Bookish post courtesy of  Book Nook Bits  and  Dinipanda Reads , and today's topic is favourite genre recommendations. Here's the further prompts for today's discussion. What is your favourite genre(s) and what makes it your favourite? If someone wanted to try your favourite genre(s), what are five books that you would recommend to them and why those books specifically? Has your favorite genre changed over time? I can't deny I've had a weak spot for horror and paranormal fiction for many years. It's part due to the thrill, it's sometimes a bit fast-paced, and they can play around with tough subjects in a safe manner. There's something about diving head first into the grime, as well as the dark and disturbing underbelly of the mind and human nature. Some books from these genres I'd recommend, are Dracula by Bram Stoker - I'm a huge Dracula geek and even wrote my BA thes...

Why I Now Prefer Book Blogging Over Social Media

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This may seem like an odd post at first considering this is a book blog, but so be it. Over the last couple of years or so, I've struggled more and more with social media, which came to a halt of sorts in early September 2025, where I deleted all social media apps on my phone, which meant I could only access them on my laptop if I wanted to do so. There's multiple reasons for that and one of them being that I felt that it was honestly not that social anymore and lacking both authenticity and real connection, for intance between my so-called friends on Facebook. Not that I DON'T have real connections with some of my friends on Facebook, but with a few, that connection existed before we were even "friends" on that platform. For how often do people rely on social media for updating themself on what friends and/or family are up do and how they're doing, rather than actually calling, texting, or for that matter, meeting up with them in real life? Yes, I know a lot ...

Book Tag; Autumn Reading Tag

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I came across the Autumn Reading Tag over at  Alli the Book Giraffe  and I decided to do it, as I love autumn and it's been a while since the last time I've done a tag. If anyone else wants to do this tag, consider yourself tagged. Are there any books you plan on reading over the autumn season? If everything goes according to plan, a couple of books I'm planning to read are The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas. September brings back to school memories: What book did you most enjoy studying? And, what were your favorite and least favorite subjects in school? One of the books I enjoyed studying the most, was probably The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien back in high school. I couldn't complain about that reading assignment, that's for sure. I can't deny my favourite subjects were probably Norwegian, English, and history, and perhaps no surprise I hated math. I'm fine with basic and useful everyday math, but ...

Let's Talk Bookish; Following the Reader

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It's Friday again, which means it's perhaps time for another Let's Talk Bookish post courtesy of  Book Nook Bits  and  Dinipanda Reads , and today's topic is following the reader. Here's the further prompts for today's discussion. What makes you want to follow a bookish account on social media? What makes you want to follow a book blog? Are you very discerning or do you follow back whoever follows you? Do you prefer or find it easier to engage with other readers on one platform over the other (i.e. blogs vs. bookstagram or booktok)? Whether it's a blog or social media, I prefer following someone with a similar taste in books as me, and especially if they focus on horror, such as  The Horror Librarian  (a Norwegian bloke). I can't say I follow back everyone who follows me, especially as of from this month on, as I've deleted all my social media apps on my phone and can only access Facebook, Instagram, and such on my laptop. I hardly used booktok, eve...

Review; Ghost Camera by Darcy Coates

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Recently I read the short story collection Ghost Camera by Darcy Coates and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads When Jenine finds an abandoned polaroid camera, she playfully snaps a photo without a second thought. But there's something wrong with the image: a ghostly figure stands in the background, watching her. Fixated on her. Moving one step closer with every picture she takes. Desperate, Jenine shares her secret with her best friend, Bree. Together they realize the camera captures unsettling impressions of the dead. But now the ghosts seem to be following the two friends. And with each new photo taken, a terrible danger grows ever clearer… INCLUDES CHILLING NEW BONUS STORIES: *A woman survives a plane crash in a remote arctic tundra, accompanied only by a stranger who seems fixated on something moving through the blinding snow. * A house stands empty. Hungry. Waiting for the children drawn to it like moths to a flame. *A woman finds a shoebox filled with ...

Let's Talk Bookish; In Which Season Do You Do Your Best Reading?

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It's Friday again, which means it's perhaps time for another Let's Talk Bookish post courtesy of  Book Nook Bits  and  Dinipanda Reads , and today's topic is "in which season do you do your best reading?". Here's the further prompts for today's discussion. Is there a month, quarter or other specific time of year when you do your most reading and why do you think that is? Does this tend to fluctuate every year or is your reading pretty ‘steady’? Aside from when I'm having a reading slump, which can strike anytime, I tend to read more during the autumn and winter. At least now, as I own my very own house, and enjoy doing gardening in the spring and summer when the weather permits it and all the pretty flowers are blooming. Funnily enough, my garden has a cottage garden-vibe to it partially inspired by Beatrix Potter and my love for the UK and I even have a few roses with literature-inspired names (Astrid Lindgren, Roald Dahl, and The Poet's Wife...

10 Warm Knitting Patterns for the Spooky Autumn Soul

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Although I'm into all things morbid, mysterious, and macabre, I can admit I have some so-called "granny hobbies" too, which includes gardening and knitting. Shocking, I know, but they both help me relax a bit and as I have ADHD, knitting has almost turned into my "fidget toy" of sorts. An added bonus is that it comes something useful out of it. Don't get me wrong, this is still very much a book blog, but as it's September and thus autumn in my head, I just wanted to write a quick post that talked about knitting (a couple of the knitting patterns are literature-inspired though). Combine knitting with my spooky side, I wanted to give you a list of some spooky and autumn-inspired knitting patterns you might want to try, in case you too are a knitter with a weak spot for autumn and/or spooky stuff. After all, I can't be the only one. So here's a few fun patterns. Mittens Dracula's Lair The Whitby Mitby Batsy Mittens   Scarves, cowls, and similar...