The Smell of Ink/Lukten av Trykksverte

I came across the Easter Book Tag over at  Rosie The Reader and as it's Easter, I figured out it was the perfect timing to do it. Rabbits – A book that you wish would multiply – So a book you want a sequel to (that doesn’t have one) The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon   Egg – A book that surprised you The Prettiest Girl in the Grave by Kristopher Triana Hunt – A book that was hard for you to get your hands on Some of Matt Shaw's books, such as Loch Ness, was a bit hard getting my hands on, as I had to order from the author's website and get them imported to Norway. Lambs – A children’s book that you still enjoy It's probably a bit more middle grade than strictly children's book, but I do enjoy The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Spring – A book with a cover that makes you think of spring Fair Isle and Fortunes by Nancy Warren Jesus – A religious or spiritual book that you love The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty somehow fits the bill, right? Rising from t...

It's Friday yet again and perhaps it's time for a new Let's Talk Bookish post courtesy of Book Nook Bits . As it was a bit of a "free for all" in terms of themes this week, I wanted to write about the (infamous) hype-train. I can't deny that I'm a little bit wary of the hype-train for several reasons, as it's a bit of are the books hyped because they're GOOD or are they hyped because "everyone else" is talking about them? Don't get me wrong, there's a bunch of books that deserve the hype they get, others - perhaps not that much (giving a stink-eye to a certain problematic erotic trilogy). Don't get me wrong, I occasionally read a hyped book if it sounds interesting enough and to see if it's actually worth the hype and there's even a couple of Stephen King books I've enjoyed even if he's the master of dragging things out a bit at times. What bugs me with the hype-train though is that it sometimes takes away the...

A little while ago I read the cryptid horror novella Below by Laurel Hightower and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO TO HELP A STRANGER? While driving through the mountains of West Virginia during a late-night snowstorm, a recently divorced woman experiences bizarre electrical problems, leaving her with little choice but to place her trust with a charismatic truck driver. But when an unexplainable creature with haunting red eyes gets between them, she is forced to make one of the toughest decisions of her life. Will she abandon the stranger who kept her safe-or will she climb down below, where reality has shapeshifted into a living nightmare? My Thoughts on the Book Below was certainly a fun and engaging read. It's a a short read with a fast pace where shit hits the fan quickly and a few added bonuses such as cryptids, in this case the mothman, and feminist themes (dealing with mysogyny, among other things). Below is certain...

It's perhaps time for a new Book Blogger Hop post courtesy of  Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer and the question of the week was "Do you remember your first library visit?". Book Blogger Hop I honestly can't say I remember it, as I was fortunate enough having a library literally down my street when I was a kid and my parents often took me there to borrow books. I was probably a few months old the first time I was at a library. Perhaps needless to say, I was turned into a book lover from a young age, which is a good thing.

It's Friday again and perhaps it's time for a new Let's Talk Bookish post courtesy of the book blog named Book Nook Bits and the topic of the week was "Do tropes count as spoilers?". Here's the further prompts for this week. A lot of the time, books will be promoted on social media books with their tropes. For example, a book might be advertised as being enemies to lovers, having found family, or starring a ‘chosen one’. Can those tropes be spoilers, giving away parts of the plot? What do you think about marketing books based on tropes? While I do get why some might think that using tropes in marketing can be viewed as spoilers, there's also the fact that somewhere on the cover, there's a blurb anyway and isn't the blurb also a spoiler in that sense? It's not like the average trope gives away too much of the details of the plot and when it comes to for instance romance novels, there's for the most part a happy ending anyway. There's a...

It's Wednesday and perhaps it's time for another Top Five Wednesday post courtesy of the  Top Five Wednesday Goodreads group and the theme of the week was green covers. Here's my five spooky picks. Inside The Devil's Nest by John Durgin Description from Goodreads Real estate agent Anthony Graham has his family on the run after witnessing a murder at the hands of the powerful Costello crime family. They’re forced to hide at one of Anthony’s properties: a deserted campground with a sinister past. No one is safe from the men that hunt them or the terrors that await them inside The Devil’s Nest. The Haunting of Rookward House by Darcy Coates Description from Goodreads She's always watching... When Guy finds the deeds to a house in his mother’s attic, it seems like an incredible stroke of luck. Sure, the building hasn’t been inhabited in forty years and vines strangle the age-stained walls, but Guy is convinced he can clean it up and sell it. He’d be crazy to turn down...

It's Tuesday and perhaps time for yet another Top Ten Tuesday post courtesy of That Artsy Reader Girl . The theme of the week was books on my spring 2024 TBR. Here's my top ten list, which per usual is of the more creepy kind as I'm focusing on horror and paranormal. Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z. Brite Description from Goodreads To serial slayer Andrew Compton, murder is an art, the most intimate art. After feigning his own death to escape from prison, Compton makes his way to the United States with the sole ambition of bringing his "art" to new heights. Tortured by his own perverse desires, and drawn to possess and destroy young boys, Compton inadvertently joins forces with Jay Byrne, a dissolute playboy who has pushed his "art" to limits even Compton hadn't previously imagined. Together, Compton and Byrne set their sights on an exquisite young Vietnamese-American runaway, Tran, whom they deem to be the perfect victim. Swiftly moving from the grimy ...

A while ago, I read the horror novel The Folcroft Ghosts by Darcy Coates and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads When their mother is hospitalized, Tara and Kyle are sent to stay with their only remaining relatives, their grandparents. It's their first time meeting May and Peter Folcroft. The elderly couple seem friendly at first, and the house, hidden in the base of the mountains, is full of nooks to explore. But strange things keep happening. The swing moves on its own. Peter paces around the house late at night and seems obsessed with the lake where his sister drowned. Doors slam and curtains shift when no one is inside. And one room is kept permanently locked. When a storm cuts the phone line-their only contact with the outside world-Tara and Kyle must find a way to protect themselves from their increasingly erratic grandparents... and from the ghosts that inhabit the Folcrofts' house. My Thoughts on the Book The plot was nicely paced with...

It's Wednesday and perhaps time for a new Top Five Wednesday post courtesy of the  Top Five Wednesday Goodreads group. The theme of the week was books everyone should read once and I decided narrowing it down to spooky reads. Here's my five spine-chilling picks. Sallow Bend by Alan Baxter Description from Goodreads Something old and deadly has awoken. When two teenagers go missing from the small, rural town of Sallow Bend, the residents come together to search for them. Little do they suspect that finding the wayward girls will be the start of their problems. An ancient evil is rising, and only one man seems to realize that everyone is in danger and this is not the first time it’s happened. With the carnival in town, people want to have a good time, but for many, this will be the worst time of their lives. SALLOW BEND – a tense and frightening folk horror novel from Alan Baxter and Cemetery Dance Publications. Dracula by Bram Stoker Description from Goodreads When Jonathan Ha...

Considering it's Women's History Month and I'm a female book blogger, I figured out it would only be fair if I wrote a list of book recommendations on horror books by female authors. Horror isn't a genre that's too popular in the first place and as a few female horror authors occasionally do get a bit of crap just for existing, support them is a good thing. Anyway, here's some horror books I would recommend. The Night Silver River Run Red by Christine Morgan Description from Goodreads Some things, according to Cody McCall, are worth risking a whipping. Such as, sneaking out with your friends after dark for a peek at the traveling show setting up just outside of town. Oddities, the signs promise. Marvels. Grotesqueries. Exotic attractions and mysterious magics. Not as if they'd be allowed to attend otherwise, not with parents and preacher and schoolmarm all disapproving. But how often does a chance like this come along? There isn't much else by way of ex...

It's Friday and perhaps it's time for new Let's Talk Bookish post courtesy of the book blog Book Nook Bits  and the theme of the week was favourite female protagonists as it's International Women's Day today. Here's the further prompts of this week's discussion. It’s International Women’s Day! Who are some of your favorite female protagonists? What makes a female protagonist feel genuine to you? Share some recommendations! Regardless of gender or whether it's the protagonist or a side character, I prefer complex and well fleshed out characters, especially if they're not the standard "cookie cutter characters". Darcy Coates has a way of writing genuine and complex characters that's relatable and I especially liked Keira from the Gravekeeper series (a series worth checking out if you're into cosy horror).  If you're into Swedish thrillers/horror, The Lost Village by Camilla Sten is also worth checking out, due to the protagonist ...

It's Wednesday and time for a new Top Five Wednesday courtesy of the  Top Five Wednesday on Goodreads and the theme of the week was covers with dresses. Here's my five picks for the occasion. Maplecroft by Cherie Priest Description from Goodreads Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks; and when she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one.... The people of Fall River, Massachusetts, fear me. Perhaps rightfully so. I remain a suspect in the brutal deaths of my father and his second wife despite the verdict of innocence at my trial. With our inheritance, my sister, Emma, and I have taken up residence in Maplecroft, a mansion near the sea and far from gossip and scrutiny. But it is not far enough from the affliction that possessed my parents. Their characters, their very souls, were consumed from within by something that left malevolent entities in their place. It originates from the ocean’s depths, plaguing the populace with tides of nightmares...