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Showing posts from June, 2024

Let's Talk Bookish; Mid Year Reading Check-In

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It's Friday, which means it's probably time for another Let's Talk Bookish post courtesy of the blog named  Book Nook Bits and today's topic is mid year reading check-in. Here's the further prompts for today. We’re just about halfway through 2024! Did you set reading goals at the beginning of the year? If so, how are you doing with them? What are the best books you’ve read so far this year? What are the worst ones? What reading goals do you have for the rest of the year? I set my Goodreads reading goal on 100 books and so far, I've read a little over 50 books, so I'm on target in that sense (or technically a bit ahead). I can't say I've read any really bad ones so far this year, but a couple of my favourites on the other hand, has been The Hollow Dead by Darcy Coates and The Cabin by Matt Shaw. Aside from having fun and hopefully accomplish reading at least 100 books, I don't have any other reading goals this year.

Top Five Wednesday; Fantasy Books

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It's Wednesday and perhaps it's time for another Top Five Wednesday post courtesy of the  Top Five Wednesday Goodreads group. As the theme of the week was fantasy, I decided narrowing it down to fantasy with either dark and/or paranormal elements, as my main focus on this blog are for the most part horror and paranormal. Here's my five picks. The Dark Realm (Feyland #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 his secrets, insisting he’s the only one who can help he

Top Ten Tuesday; Most Anticipated Books Releasing During the Second Half of 2024

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It's Tuesday and perhaps it's time for another Top Ten Tuesday post courtesy of  That Artsy Reader Girl and the theme of the week was most anticipated books releasing during the second half of 2024. As this book blog focuses on horror and paranormal books, my list will contain plenty of spooky reads. Here's my ten spine-chilling picks. I Was A Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones Description from Goodreads From New York Times bestselling horror writer Stephen Graham Jones comes a classic slasher story with a twist—perfect for fans of Riley Sager and Grady Hendrix. 1989, Lamesa, Texas. A small west Texas town driven by oil and cotton—and a place where everyone knows everyone else’s business. So it goes for Tolly Driver, a good kid with more potential than application, seventeen, and about to be cursed to kill for revenge. Here Stephen Graham Jones explores the Texas he grew up in, the unfairness of being on the outside, through the slasher horror he lives but from the p

Review; The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

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Earlier this month I read the YA horror novel The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads Get Out meets Holly Jackson in this YA social thriller where survival is not guaranteed. Sixteen-year-old Jake Livingston sees dead people everywhere. But he can’t decide what’s worse: being a medium forced to watch the dead play out their last moments on a loop or being at the mercy of racist teachers as one of the few Black students at St Clair Prep. Both are a living nightmare he wishes he could wake up from. But things at St Clair start looking up with the arrival of another Black student – the handsome Allister – and for the first time, romance is on the horizon for Jake. Unfortunately, life as a medium is getting worse. Though most ghosts are harmless, Sawyer Doon wants much more from Jake. In life, Sawyer was a troubled teen who shot and killed six kids at a local high school before taking his own life. Now he’s a

Let's Talk Bookish; Do I Prioritise Diversity In My Reading?

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It's Friday, so it's perhaps time for another Let's Talk Bookish post courtesy of the book blog  Book Nook Bits and the topic for today is "do I prioritise diversity in my reading?". Here's the further prompts for today. Diversity and diversity in reading are often huge topics of conversation. Do you actively seek out diverse books? What kind of representation do you look for? Do you feel that diverse books are often spotlighted, or that it takes more of an effort to find diverse books? What recommendations do you have? Considering I'm bi and have ADHD, there's perhaps no surprise I seek out diverse books, especially if there's LGBT+ representation, but I actively search for diverse books in general, so my diverse reads actually are diverse. Some bookish websites, book influensers and what-not are good at spotlighting diverse books, while others could perhaps do it a bit more. There's also the aspect that some diverse topics so to speak are m

Top Ten Tuesday; Books on My Summer 2024 To-Read List

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It's Tuesday and time for a new Top Ten Tuesday post courtesy of  That Artsy Reader Girl and the theme of the week was books on my summer 2024 to-read list. Here's my ten picks. Creature by Hunter Shea Description from Goodreads The monsters live inside of Kate Woodson. Chronic pain and a host of autoimmune diseases have robbed her of a normal, happy life. Her husband Andrew’s surprise of their dream Maine lake cottage for the summer is the gift of a lifetime. It’s beautiful, remote, idyllic, a place to heal. But they are not alone. Something is in the woods, screeching in the darkness, banging on the house, leaving animals for dead. Just like her body, Kate’s cottage becomes her prison. She and Andrew must fight to survive the creature that lurks in the dead of night. The Loch by Steve Alten Description from Goodreads Loch Ness holds secrets, ancient and deadly. Does a monster inhabit its depths, or is it just myth? Why, after thousands of reported sightings and dozens of ex

Book Tag; Summer Vibes Book Tag

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I came across the Summer Vibes Book Tag over at  Confessions of a Serial Reader and I decided to play along as it looked like a fun tag and it's summer after all. Rules: Mention the creator and link back to the original post! ( Deanna @ The Comfy Reader ) Thank the blogger who tagged you Answer all the prompts below however you see fit Tag some friends! Feel free to use the graphics Considering it's set in Indonesia, Savage Jungle: Lair of the Orang Pendek by Hunter Shea certainly fits the bill. RoseBlood by A. G. Howard is a re-telling of The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, so there's a focus on music in this one. There's some secrets lurking in The Exorcist's House by Nick Roberts Loch Ness by Matt Shaw Come, My Pet by Keira Michelle Telford is certainly a guilty pleasure The Whispering Dead by Darcy Coates The Lost Village by Camilla Sten is most certainly taking readers on an adventure I regret reading The Funhouse by Matt Shaw because of the homopobia

Review; Romancing the Inventor by Gail Carriger

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Recently, I read the novella Romancing the Inventor by Gail Carriger and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads Imogene Hale is a lowly parlourmaid with a soul-crushing secret. Seeking solace, she takes work at a local hive, only to fall desperately in love with the amazing lady inventor the vampires are keeping in the potting shed. Genevieve Lefoux is heartsick, lonely, and French. With culture, class, and the lady herself set against the match, can Imogene and her duster overcome all odds and win Genevieve's heart, or will the vampires suck both of them dry? This is a stand-alone LBGTQ sweet romance set in Gail Carriger's Parasolverse, full of class prejudice, elusive equations, and paranormal creatures taking tea. Delicate Sensibilities? This story contains women pleasing women and ladies who know what they want and pursue it, sometimes in exquisite detail. My Thoughts on the Book Personally I found this an okay read, but nothing more than tha