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Showing posts from August, 2024

Let's Talk Bookish; Rainy Day Reading

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It's Friday, which means it's probably time for a new Let's Talk Bookish post courtesy of  Book Nook Bits and as it was a freebie week of topics of sorts, I decided I wanted to do the topic of rainy day reading from back in  October 2023 . Here's the prompts for that discussion. Are there certain kinds of books that you love to read when it’s raining? What about when it’s sunny? How does the weather correspond to the books you read? While I can't deny I read spooky books regardless of the weather, but I do really love reading a spooky tale on a rainy day, especially during the autumn. That said, I can occasionally pick up a crime, mystery, or thriller novel during a day with crappy weather too. I can't say I have any preference on what do read during sunny days though. \ Overall, I'm a bit of a mood reader, so for me it's more about the mood rather than the weather. Sometimes I pick up a lighter read, sometimes it's spooky, sometimes it's somet

Top Ten Tuesday; Posts I’ve Written That Give You the Best Glimpse of Me

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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 posts I've written that give you the best glimpse of me. I had to make use of some posts I wrote before I switched focus to primarily horror and paranormal on this book blog, but they still show my personality. I'm after all not ALL doom and gloom, even though I've got a weak spot for all things dark and spooky, and autumn is my favourite season. Anyway, here's the ten posts I had in mind. Review; She's Magic & Midnight Lace: Poems and Poetic Spells by Ann Marie Eleazer Review; The Girl With Salem In Her Eyes: a collection of poetry and prose by Ann Marie Eleazer Book Tag; Build Your Own Dream Reading Corner Tag Book Tag; Autumn Activities Book Tag Book Recommentations; Ten Dark LGBT Reads Book Recommendations; 10 Dark Academia Books To Pick Up Five Underrated Rainy Day Reads To Pick Up This Autumn 100+ Ideas For Your Ul

Book Blogger Hop; A Book Everyone Should Read At Least Once

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It's time for a new Book Blogger Hop post, courtesy of Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer and the topic of the week was " Can you suggest a book that you believe everyone should read at least once in their lifetime? ". Book Blogger Hop I'm sure I could have mentioned lots and lots of books for this, but as it's limited to just one, I'll suggest the horror novel The Exorcist's House by Nick Roberts. It's one of those horror novels that has a lot to it, such as a lot of creepiness, as well as an homage of sorts to The Exorcist (yeah THAT one with Reagan). At the very least, The Exorcist's House is a book for the horror fans out there.

Let's Talk Bookish; Do You Consider Yourself A Mood Reader?

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It's Friday, which means it's perhaps time for a new Let's Talk Bookish post courtesy of  Book Nook Bits and the topic of the week was " do you consider yourself a mood reader? ". Here's the further prompts for this week. Do you consider yourself a mood reader ? Are you constantly switching books and genres depending on your mood? Or do you always stick to a very specific TBR? If you’re a mood reader, do you ever wish you could better stick to TBRs? I can't deny that even as I'm mainly blogging about horror and paranormal on this book blog, I am indeed a mood reader and there's plenty of books that I read that don't fit into those genres. There has been times when I've given up on a book after a chapter or two as it didn't fit my mod at the time and put it back in my TBR so I can read it when I'm in the right mood for it. Although I love all things spooky and macabre, I do need to switch things around sometimes, so I don't get

Top Five Wednesday; Books Set in Small Towns (or Villages)

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It's Wednesday and it's time for a new Top Five Wednesday post courtesy of the  Top Five Wednesday Goodreads group  and today's topic is books set in small town or villages. As I'm mainly focusing on horror and paranormal books, my list will obviously be a bit spooky. Here's my five somewhat spine-chilling picks. Misfits by Hunter Shea Description from Goodreads During the height of the 90s grunge era, five high school friends living on the fringe are driven to the breaking point. When one of their friends is brutally raped by a drunk townie, they decide to take matters into their own hands. Deep in the woods of Milbury, Connecticut, there lives the legend of the Melon Heads, a race of creatures that shun human interaction and prey on those who dare to wander down Dracula Drive. Maybe this night, one band of misfits can help the other. Or maybe some legends are meant to be feared for a reason. The Midwives by Duncan Ralston Description from Goodreads A killer on th

Top Ten Tuesday; Characters I'd Love To Be Friends With

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It's Tuesday and perhaps it's time for another Top Ten Tuesday post courtesy of  That Artsy Reader Girl . This week's theme was relationship freebie, so I decided writing a list of ten characters I'd love to be friends with. Here's my ten picks, and in some cases, there's several characters from one book. Keira, Zoey, and Mason from The Whispering Dead by Darcy Coates Jake from The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass Jane McKeene from Dread Nation by Justina Ireland Noemí from Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Cassidy Blake from City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab Sam Quinn from The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore & Bar by Seana Kelly Caleb from Sallow Bend by Alan Baxter Selene Hightower from Scarlet Assassin by Jett Abbott/Isabella

Book Blogger Hop; My Thoughts On Book-To-Book Comparisons

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It's perhaps time for another Book Blogger Hop post courtesy of  Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer  and the question of the week was " What are your thoughts on book-to-book comparisons? ". Book Blogger Hop While I can see that it can be useful in marketing so the publishers can sell more books, but it still makes me a little bit wary somehow. Just why can't the marketing be more original? I also think it's good for books to "stand on their own two feet", so to speak and not be compared to other books too much.

Let's Talk Bookish; All About Bookmarks!

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It's Friday, which means it's probably time for another Let's Talk Bookish post courtesy of  Book Nook Bits and today's theme is all about bookmarks. Here's the further prompts for today. Do you use bookmarks? Do you have any favorite ones? Or do you just grab whatever object is close by? Do you miss having bookmarks when reading ebooks or audiobooks? What’s the most outrageous thing you’ve used as a bookmark? As I don't want to dog-ear my books, I do use bookmarks and I do have a few favourite ones, as well as some seasonal that I switch between, just for the sake of not wearing them out too fast. As I don't read e-books or audiobooks, the lack of bookmarks isn't an issue fortunately. I can't say I've used anything too crazy as a bookmark and I think the "weirdest" thing must have been a reciept or a napkin if I've read while at a coffee shop, but that's it.

Top Ten Tuesday; Books Featuring Travel

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It's Tuesday and perhaps it's time for another Top Ten Tuesday post courtesy of  That Artsy Reader Girl . The theme of the week was books featuring travel, and as I mainly focus on horror/paranormal, some of the books may be a bit more loosely based on the prompt, even though they all involve some kind of travelling. Anyway, here's my ten picks. Below by Laurel Hightower 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? The Skintaker by Frazer Lee Des

Review; SCRAVIR - While Whitby Sleeps by C. M. Vassie

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Earlier this year, I read the novel SCRAVIR - While Whitby Sleeps by C. M. Vassie and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads The explosive reimagining of Whitby's darkest hour. The famous Goth Weekend is in full swing. but while a mysterious guest star's music rocks the Pavilion, emaciated corpses are appearing in the streets. Dark forces are mingling with the thrill seekers. Outsider Daniel Murray has never believed in the supernatural. Local girl Tiffany Harek is not so sure. If they are to survive the next 48 hours they must wise up. Fast. My Thoughts on the Book SCRAVIR was a fun and entertaining read, with some subtle hints to Dracula, if you know what to look for. Although it was a bit of a slow-burn at the beginning, it picked up a bit in the later half. Overall it was an enjoyable read for those who's into spooky stuff and Whitby.

Announcing the Autumn Reading Challenge 2024

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As it's soon autumn again, I wanted to revive the autumn reading challenge I've hosted a few times previous years. The rules are fairly simple and straight forward. Complete as many prompts as you want/can, and feel free to read more than one book for each prompt. It's not like I'm a teacher and will check if you've done your homework - it's supposed to be fun. If you want to, you're totally allowed to share your reads on Instagram with the hashtag #TrykksverteAutumnReading2024 , but no pressure, although it would be fun to see what everyone else is reading. Also, the challenge runs from September 1st 2024 to November 30th 2024. Now, over to the prompts. Even though I'm focusing on blogging and reviewing horror and paranormal books on this blog, I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, so I've got a nice mix of prompts that could suit a lot of peole. Reading Prompts Read a book that has autumn, Mabon, Halloween/Samhain or an autumn month in the

Top Five Wednesday; Book Audit

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It's Wednesday again and time for a new Top Five Wednesday post courtesy of the  Top Five Wednesday  Goodreads group and today's topic is five books I want to read by the end of the year. As I'm focusing on horror and paranormal books, my list will obviously be a bit spooky. Here's my five somewhat spine-chilling picks. Bluebeard's Castle by Anna Biller 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 frig

Book Blogger Hop; National Romance Awareness Month

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Perhaps it's time for another Book Blogger Hop post courtesy of  Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer . The theme of the week was " August is National Romance Awareness Month. Do you have a favorite romantic book to suggest to other readers eager to celebrate love through literature? ". Book Blogger Hop While I'm sure there's some who would call me crazy for saying Dracula by Bram Stoker has a few romance elements to it, and so does Carmilla and Laura by S. D. Simper, but of the more "normal" romance novels, I'd recommend The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan and The Little Bookshop of Love Stories by Jaimie Admans. I must confess I'm not a huge romance reader, but I've read a few of them over the years when I needed a break from horror and paranormal.

Let's Talk Bookish; Blogging Essentials

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It's Friday, which means it's probably time for another Let's Talk Bookish post courtesy of  Book Nook Bits and the theme of the week was blogging essentials. Here's the further prompts for today. What could you not blog without? Do you have to have a posting schedule? Do you rely on a set TBR to make sure you get to all the books on your list? What have you discovered helps your blogging most? While I don't have a "proper" schedule in that sense, I do try putting out between two and four blog posts a week, just to have some consistency going. Fair enough, this is after I took a long break from book blogging and switched things around a bit on my blog blog, from blogging about all books, to focusing on paranormal and horror. What I do have, when a bit stumped for ideas on what to blog about, is a list of blog post ideas on my laptop, so I can make use of those. At the very least it helps reduce the stress a bit. As I blog mainly about horror and paranorm