The Smell of Ink/Lukten av Trykksverte

Alright, as it is October, I thought it would only be fair I did a few book tags. I came across the Spooky Scary Book Tag over at Howling Libraries and decided I wanted to do that one. 1. What goes bump in the night? Name a book that has legitimately scared you while reading it. I can't say I've ever been scared while reading a book, but The Woman in Black by Susan Hill is a good book for those who's into atmospheric ghost stories. 2. Jack O’ Lanterns and Classic Costumes: A book you always reach for during Halloween time. I rarely re-read novels, but I'm tempted to do that with The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova 3. Black Cats and Magic Mirrors: A book you love that is laced with superstition and/or magic. The Whitby Witches by Robin Jarvis 4. Witch’s Brew: Favorite witch character in any book/series. I really liked Natalia Avramov in Payback's a Witch by Lana Harper 5. Ghouls and Ghosts: A book that still haunts you to this day (good or bad). Bluebeard's Cast...

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. ...

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,

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 ...

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.

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.

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...