The Smell of Ink/Lukten av Trykksverte

Tidligere i år leste jeg boka Post Mortem: med begravelsesagenten på åstedet av Tor-Håkon Gabriel Håvardsen og i dag kommer omtalen av boka. Beskrivelse fra forlaget Alt du (ikke) vil vite om døden - rått, ærlig og undersøkende fra landets mest profilerte begravelsesagent. Tor-Håkon Gabriel Håvardsen har hentet tusenvis av døde mennesker og fulgt dem trygt til sitt siste hvilested. Som begravelsesagent har han sett det meste, også mistenkelige dødsfall som av mangel på kunnskap og ressurser er blitt kategorisert som naturlige. Kanskje går det mang en drapsmann løs der ute? I denne boken gir Håvardsen svar på alt vi lurer på etter å ha sett eller lest en true crime. Det spares ikke på makabre detaljer når han tar oss med ut til blodige åsteder, til rettsmedisinerens bord, inn i krematorieovnen og ned i den mystiske graven. Underveis går han bak kulissene i jobben med døden som arbeidsgiver, følger en kropp fra rigor mortis til forråtnelsen har gjort sitt, og deler betraktninger om døds...

It's Tueday, which means it's time for another Top Ten Tuesday post courtesy of  That Artsy Reader Girl , and as today's topic was books set in/takes place during X, I decided writing a list of horror books set in Europe. Here's my ten spine chilling picks. The Bloody Ruin Asylum & Taproom by Seana Kelly Description from Goodreads I’m Sam, the werewolf book nerd owner of The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore & Bar. My husband, Master vampire Clive, has been asked to go to Budapest to interview for a position in the Guild, a council of thirteen vampires who advise the world’s Masters. The competition for the recently vacated spot is fierce. I worry about Clive, as it quickly becomes apparent that the last person to hold the position didn’t leave voluntarily. Ever the supportive wife, I’m tagging along. I researched Budapest and had a long itinerary of things to do. That is, I did. When we arrive, we find out that the Guild headquarters is in the ruins of an abandoned i...

Recently, I read the non-fiction book Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, the Original "Psycho" by Harold Schecter, and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads Murder Was the Least of His Crimes… The truth behind the twisted crimes that inspired the films Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs… From Harold Schechter, “America's principle chronicler of its greatest psychopathic killers” (The Boston Book Review), comes the definitive account of Ed Gein, whose ghoulish crimes stunned an unsuspecting nation. The year is 1957. Photographs would show him across the country: a slight, Midwestern man with a twisted little smile, a man who had lived for ten years in his own world of murder and depravity. Here is the grisly true story of Ed Gein, the killer whose fiendish fantasies inspired Alfred Hitchcock's “Psycho”—the mild-mannered farmhand bound to his domineering mother, driven into a series of gruesome a...

I came across the Summer Reading Tag over at  Angel Reads  and I decided to play along as it looked like a fun tag to do. That said, I do have a love/hate relationship with summer, because even though it's nice with warm weathr and beautiful flowers, I struggle with light sensitive migraines, so I almost turn into a vampire in the summer months. WHICH CHARACTER MOST EMBODIES THE TRAITS OF SUMMER? Oddly enough, I would say Alice Boston from The Whitby Witches by Robin Jarvis as she's a lively grandmother-type woman. WHAT BOOK/S DO YOU MOST ASSOCIATE WITH THE PHYSICALITY OF SUMMER? There's two book series that comes to my mind for this one - The Vampire Knitting Club by Nancy Warren and the Sam Quinn series by Seana Kelly. The former more than the latter, but oddly enough, they both remind me of summer somehow. WHAT KIND OF BOOKS DO YOU LIKE TO READ ON HOLIDAY? ANY BOOKS THAT HOLD MEMORIES TO CERTAIN PLACES? Even though I'm a huge mood reader, and have a weak spot for hor...

Earlier this year, I read The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe, a short story collection which also contained some of his other stories, and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Introducing Little Clothbound irresistible, mini editions of short stories, novellas and essays from the world's greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith. A Penguin Classic Hardcover Arguably America's most influential short story writer, Edgar Allan Poe's tales of suspense never fail to spook and amaze. Gathered in this selection are his very best horror stories, including the gothic tour de force "The Fall of the House of Usher," the other-worldly "The Masque of the Red Death," and the murderous "The Tell-Tale Heart." My Thoughts on the Book As I mentioned, this is a collection of several short stories, which I'll list. -The Masque of the Red Death -The Fall of the House of Usher -The Black Cat -Ligeia ...

It's Friday, which means it's probably time for new Let's Talk Bookish post courtesy of  Book Nook Bits  and  Dinipanda Reads , and today's topic is book hype. Here's the further prompts for today's discussion. Has the hype ever ruined a book for you? Has the hype ever made a book better for you? Do you like lesser-known reads, and finding a gem of a book that no one’s heard of? Or do you prefer to read the more popular, mainstream books? Where are the majority of the books you read, in terms of popularity? For me, the hype has ruined quite a few books for me, or rather, I've read them and didn't "get" what the hype was about for that specific title and/or author. While I do pick up hyped books from time to time, I prefer reading lesser-known books and enjoy those hidden gems "nobody" has heard of. While horror may not be the most popular genre at the moment, I've still read quite a few popular books in that genre, such as a few ...

It's Tuesday yet again, which means it's probably time for another Top Ten Tuesday post courtesy of  That Artsy Reader Girl  and today's topic is books I'd like to re-read. Here's my ten picks. City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab Description from Goodreads From number-one New York Times bestselling author Victoria Schwab comes a sweeping, spooky, evocative adventure, perfect for fans of Stranger Things and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Ever since Cass almost drowned (okay, she did drown, but she doesn't like to think about it), she can pull back the Veil that separates the living from the dead...and enter the world of spirits. Her best friend is even a ghost. So things are already pretty strange. But they're about to get much stranger... The Long Shadows of October by Kristopher Triana Description from Goodreads When Joe and Danny take on the job of housesitting Snowden Manor, they fail to realize they won’t be in the house alone. Inside th...

I obviously have a weak spot for all things spooky as I'm writing a book blog mainly focusing on paranormal and horror books. Over the years, I've also read a few books about ghosts, paranormal encounters, and similar, so today I wanted to write a list of five books I'd recommend that's about ghosts and/or paranormal encounters. Some of them are more tied to a place, while others have a theme to them so to speak. Anyway, here's my five book recommendations. Haunted Healthcare: Medical Professionals and Patients Share their Encounters with the Paranormal by Richard Estep Description from Goodreads Many of those who have chosen the medical profession are no stranger to the paranormal. Ghosts walk the hallways of hospitals both old and new, haunting the wards and operating rooms. Join Richard Estep, paramedic, paranormal investigator, and cast members of TV's "Haunted Case Files" and "Haunted Hospitals," as he talks to EMTs, nurses, medical pro...

As I've done The Mid-Year Freak Out Tag earlier years, I wanted to do it this year too. That said, I have been slacking off a bit this year in terms of reading horror and paranormal books, but hopefully I can pull this blog post off somewhat. Best Book You’ve Read So Far in 2025? The Vengeful Dead by Darcy Coates Best Sequel of 2025 so far? Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab was pretty good in my opinion. New Release You Haven’t Read Yet, But Want to? Slasher by Andrew Alman is a new release I'd love to read. Most Anticipated Release of the Second Half of 2025? It's hard to choose just one book, but A Harvest of Furies by Hayden Casey looks really interesting to me. Biggest Disappointment? For me, it was this collection of comics. I'm not sure what it's called in English, but hopefully someone will know based on the characters and the illustrations. Biggest Surprise? Starblood: The Graphic Novel by Carmilla Voiez Favourite New Author? No new author favourites yet, ...

It's Tuesday, which means it's probably time for yet another Top Ten Tuesday post courtesy of  That Artsy Reader Girl  and it was freebie week in terms of themes, I decided writing a list of diverse horror and paranormal fiction. Here's my spooky picks. Goth by Otsuichi Description from Goodreads Morino is the strangest girl in school - how could she not be, given her obsession with brutal murders? And there are plenty of murders to grow obsessed with, as the town in which she lives is a magnet for serial killers. She and her schoolmate will go to any length to investigate the murders, even putting their own bodies on the line. And they don’t want to stop the killers - Morino and her friend simply want to understand them. This new Haikasoru edition features the author's afterwords to the two-volume editions and the previously unpublished bonus novelette, Morino's Souvenir Photo. Ring by Kōji Suzuki Description from Goodreads A mysterious videotape warns that the vi...