Vampathon Draws to a Close, & My October Wrap Up!

Vampathon draws to a close…and my October wrap up!

October has been such a fun month! What with the lead up to Halloween, and lots of spooky reading, and then adding to the fun I joined in with Vampathon-my only regret being I didn’t catch any of the reading sprints.  But no matter, I’ve enjoyed all the YouTube content put out for the event, and seeing what everybody has been reading via Instagram.

In the month of October I read ten books!

3 Fiction, 1 YA book, 1 Manga and 5 Middle Grade.

My Best Friends Exorcism By Grady Hendrix

The Book Eaters By Sunyi Dean

Not Good For Maidens By Tori Bovalino

13 Tales of Horror (Various)

Fragments of Horror by Junji Ito

The Spiderwick Chronicles books 4 and 5 by Toni DiTerlizzi & Holly Black 

Amelia Fang books 1 and 2 by Laura Ellan Anderson

Greta and the Ghost Hunters by Sam Copeland

I loved all the books I read this month, I kept the books for Vampathon short, as I became very overwhelmed last year, I found reading shorter books much better, and had a lot of fun with what I read. 

There really are too many to go into too much detail, but here is a brief summary.

There is a book review on my blog, if you wish to read more about The Book Eaters, it is a little eerie, but I think it could have been a lot more spooky!  Not Good for Maidens, was absolutely incredible, I gave this book five stars, and seeing the cover puts a real smile on my face, as I had such a good time with this book, it’s full of witchy vibes, and the goblins really are scary!  I love how this wraps in well with The Goblin Market poem by Christina Rossetti.  I gave this a very well deserved 5 stars.  Greta and the Ghost Hunters was also a fun read, but I don’t think this would be a book I would pick up again, but it has a wonderful message connected to it, important for adults and children alike, I gave this book 3.75 stars!  The Amelia Fang books were great!  I adored the art style, and the stories were super cute, I really didn’t know what to expect, but the world of Amelia, and all her wonderful friends, is such a brilliant one, full of spooks, unicorns, vampire’s and loads more, I fell in love!  I would recommend these books for any age, and I will definitely be picking up more from this series to enjoy next year (if I can wait that long!) definitely 5 stars again!  

I also decided to continue with the Spiderwick Chronicle books, for my Vampathon/October spooky reading, as they are very eerie!!  Those magical creatures really are frightening at times!! As with the first three books, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading these mini books, and again I didn’t expect to fall in love with this series as much as I have, I have given each of these books 5 stars as well!!  

I read one manga this month. How can you do spooky reading for Halloween and not read some Junji Ito!? This was my second Junji Ito manga, and I enjoyed this more than my first experience.  The stories really are hair raising, and the illustrations as well!!  If you are a horror fan I would definitely check out his manga, if you haven’t already!

And lastly our Point Horror read this month was Thirteen Tales of Horror.  I was dreading reading this, I picked this up as a teenager, and only read a couple of stories, and didn’t enjoy it at all!  BUT this time I absolutely loved it!!!   It is one of my favourite books this month, and I gave this 5 stars as well!!!! It has become my favourite point horror to date.  I loved the short stories, they were very creepy, and very super natural!  Wax works that could change people into wax works, slime that was murdering people, and dead bodies inside plant pots were just a few of the things going on in the book.  It was the perfect spooky read! I am so going to read these short stories again!!!

I hope you have all had a fun Halloween. We are going to walk around our village later, and admire any decorations that people have put up, and eat some spooky tacos and cupcakes!!! 

Thanks for reading, do let me know what your favourite reads were this month!

Until I blog again…keep reading! 

Halloween Special: Point Horror!

Halloween Special:

The Point Horror Collection

How could we enjoy Halloween week without mentioning Point Horror!  As a child I grew up reading, and I loved anything spooky, I adored my Alfred Hitchcock audiobooks, and any hippo haunting books-which I believe are quite difficult to get hold of now-a-days?  I enjoyed watching the old Hammer Horror films with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushings.  

I won’t forget the first day my Mum stumbled upon Point Horror books, in the children’s section of WHSmiths-it would have been 1991 and I was twelve.  My Mum and I used to love looking at the books together, and we came away with The Babysitter by R.L.Stine.  That book was devoured in two days, and it wasn’t long until we were back choosing me another one! 

Look at those fab covers!

I can’t remember all the Point Horror’s we purchased whilst I was a young teenager, but I know I stayed a big fan of R.L.Stine, I loved The Snowman, and read some other of the Babysitter books.  

Roll on to 2021 after starting my Instagram account to be a part of Bookstagram, and I came to discover that someone was running a ‘Point Horror Book Club’, immediately I was intrigued,and in enters the wonderful Chelley!  Chelley took over the running of the club in 2015. We vote for a different Point Horror each month.  Members read the chosen book, and at the end of the month we have a group chat.  Chelley finds some wonderful spooky authors to read along with us, and we have a great laugh having a chat.  It’s been a real eye opener, I never really gave some of our topics any thought, like the fact that parents always seem to be out of town when trouble hits!

I’ve been part of the club now for a year in December, and I have enjoyed every moment of it, I’ve discovered point horror books that I never knew existed, made some new friends along the way, and come upon some new authors as well.

A fantastic selection of stories!

For the month of Halloween we have been reading The 13 Tales of Horror. I didn’t think I was going to enjoy this one, as I remember purchasing this as a teen, and only reading a couple of the stories, but this time round, I have thoroughly enjoyed it!  It’s a five star read, and it’s  my favourite point horror to date!  How things change!

If you would like to find out more about Chelley, or join the Point Horror book club, do click on the link below to find out more 

http://www.talesofyesterday.co.uk/tales-point-horror-book-club/

Hope to see you there!

Until I blog again….keep reading!

Vampathon Begins!

Vampathon Begins!

Well, it’s the first Monday of half term, and only a week until Halloween, which must only mean one thing Vampathon begins!  

If you don’t know what Vampathon is, it’s a week-long readathon, hosted by Jodie (Vanillamoon), and several other YouTubers.  The aim of the game is to read spooky books all week long.  There are bookish prompts, and photo challenges, but you don’t have to follow them, it’s just about reading and having fun.  I took part last year, though I chose too many large books to read, and put myself into a massive reading slump, and felt very overwhelmed!  This year I’ve taken a new approach and picked much smaller books, most of which are middle grade, though I didn’t do this on purpose.  I have been reading spooky books now for two months, and I felt it was time for a bit of light hearted fun.  Below is my TBR for the week, though of course this may always change!

My Vampathon TBR

Not only that I’ve decided to spend the week doing spooky based things, which includes spooky blog posts, Halloween decorating, watching spooky films, and my yearly walk around the village admiring all the displays on actual Halloween Eve, which is great fun!  

My spooky week!

So far today I have read some short stories from my point horror book- Thirteen Tales of Horror, and I’ve started the third book in the Spiderwick Chronicles-both I am really enjoying!!! I’ve also decorated my bookcase!

Do let me know if you are taking part in Vampathon, or if you are doing some spooky activities this week!  

Until I blog again….keep reading! 

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

The Book Eaters 

By Sunyi Dean

Pages:304

Published: 18/08/22

Publisher: Harper Collins

Genre: Fantasy/Horror

Gorgeous Cover!

Hidden across England and Scotland live six old Book Eater families.

The last of their lines, they exist on the fringes of society and subsist on a diet of stories and legends.

Children are rare and their numbers have dwindled, so when Devon Fairweather’s second child is born a dreaded Mind Eater – a perversion of her own kind, who consumes not stories but the minds and souls of humans – she flees before he can be turned into a weapon for the family… or worse.

Living among humans and finding prey for her son, Devon seeks a cure for his hunger. But time is running out – for her family want her back, and with every soul her son consumes he loses a little more of himself…

This is a story of escape, a mother’s savage devotion and a queer love that will electrify readers looking for something beguiling, thrilling, strange and new.

I loved the sound of this book, of individuals eating books, and then also throwing mind eaters into the works. It came across as a new and fresh idea for a book!  

I pre-ordered this book, and decided to read this as a spooky season read.  I’m finding writing the review for this book a little difficult, I don’t really know how I feel about it!  The story was great, and the ideas the author came up with were different and fresh, but it didn’t hold me as much as I thought it would.  Although the characters were interesting, the author didn’t make me emotional for them, or invested.  There is very little romance in this book, which is fine, but it just seems to appear from nowhere-our lead lady has feelings for this other character in the story, but where have they come from? There was no flirting that I could see, and no direct interest.  At one point I was also baffled as to what had happened, and how that person didn’t get noticed, surely you would notice a child when escaping a house? I never notice inconsistencies in stories, but unfortunately even I picked up a few.

Despite these thoughts, I would still give this book four bats out of five, just for the unique story line, and the seamless progress throughout the story. It was easy to follow, and I always knew what was going on.  I wouldn’t really say it was a horror book, not like a Stephen King read, but at times it was a little eerie.  Perhaps this was more fantasy, with a slight sprinkling of sci-fi!  As I say this really is not the easiest title to review.   

Thanks for stopping by…and until I blog again keep reading!

Halloween Recommendations!

Halloween Recommended Reading

Well, where has that year gone, I can remember in October last year thinking about the books I wanted to read for spooky season.  Last year I attempted to join in with Vampathon, a week long reading challenge hosted by Jodie, and a few other youtubers…(find the details of this year’s event in the link below)…only to find I just became very overwhelmed and barely read a thing!  I had plans of Instagram posts, you tube videos, and reading millions of books because I was off for the half term week, instead I just felt very down about it all!!  This year however, I have been planning everything with a lot more care!  I started reading spooky books in September, and I have decided to keep reading until the end of October!  For vampathon I have (so far) picked shorter books, and manga, which I think will suit the week, and my holiday very nicely, and this year no trying to make youtube videos lol!

So what with the spooky season upon us, here are some of my fantastic spooky recommendations to give you some little scares in the dark, whatever your age!

All of the books below are five out of five bat reads in my opinion!

Mina and the Undead & Mina and the Slayers 

By Amy Mccaw

I recently read Mina and the Slayers, and the review for this can be found here on my blog.  Both books are great fun, and if you’re into all things vampire, this is definitely the read for you.  There are mentions of many great vampire movies within its covers, and although this is essentially a YA book, it’s a fab book for adults alike. 

Salem’s Lot

By Stephen King

This was my first experience of a King novel, I was not disappointed.  It started off very slow, but the author spends a lot of time introducing his characters, which you will thank him for later, you become very attached, and it’s hard not to flinch when your favourite character turns into the undead, and can be found in the next chapter peering into the window of another victim, who is happily opening the latch and letting them in for a feast! 

The Monsters of Rookhaven

By Pedric Kenny

I loved this book so much!  This is a middle grade book, which just spoke to me every day last year when I walked into Waterstones, it was their children’s book of the month, and after I read it I could see why.  I fell in love with all the characters, and the illustrations throughout have a real eerie feel!  I loved it so much, it got a spot on my ten best books of 2021, and I have the sequel to read this year, which I have high hopes for.  Children and adults alike should not pass on this book.

The Girl, the Ghost and the Lost Name

By Reece Carter

You can also find a review of this beautiful book on my blog, as I was sent an early edition.  It’s really magical, with great characters, story and bucket loads of magic and witches!  Another great middle grade read.

Empire of the Vampire

By Jay Kristoff

How could I make a recommendations list for halloween and not include this book!  This is a large book, probably the largest I have read to date, but it is worth every page and hour put in!  Jay Kristoff is one of my favourite authors, and his writing style in this book is incredible.  I love the way he writes.  The book jumps from current to past, but so seamlessly.  His take on vampires is traditional, and then not so traditional. I love the new ideas in this book, and our main character is superb.  Definitely one to stick your teeth into over the spooky season.

Dracula 

By Bram Stoker

A wonderful classic that needs no introduction.  Had to be on the list along with…

Carmilla 

By Sheridan Le Fanu

This book actually came out 26 years before Dracula, and was our first encounter with vampires.  The book is very short, but the story is very interesting and well written, and it’s great to read where it all really started.

And finally..

Paper Girls 

By Brian K Vaughan

I recently read this wonderful graphic novel, although I haven’t yet finished it- it’s a great story, and has a very eerie premise to it.  A lot of people describe this story as having Stranger Things vibes, and they are definitely not wrong.  There’s weird aliens, people from the future, time traveling, space crafts and people going missing, what’s not to love!

Thank you so much for stopping by and checking out my recommended reads!  I would love to hear what you recommend, if you have read any of these, and what you will be reading for spooky season….if you would like to find out what I am reading,check out my current reads page…

But until I blog again…keep reading!

My September Wrap Up

My September Wrap Up

September was a fantastic reading month, I read eight books, most of which were absolutely fantastic!  I experienced my first Stephen King, and made a great start to some scary reading, ready for the spooky season! 

In the month of September I read 8 books:-

1 YA book, 2 middle grades, 2 adult books, 1 graphic novel, 1 manga and 1 poetry book.  

Nightmare Hall: The Roommate by Diane Hoh

Spiderwick Chronicles book 1 and 2 by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi 

Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn

Paper Girls by Brian K Vaughan

Tokyo Ghoul by Sui Ishida

Artemis Made Me Do It by Trista Mateer

I decided to start reading spooky books earlier this year, last year I started a little too late, and didn’t feel like the spooky season was long enough, so this year I’ve embraced it with two hands! I’ve had Salem’s Lot for nearly a year now, and I really wanted to read this for Halloween last year!  It’s quite a chunky book, so I decided rather than miss out again this year, why not read it a touch earlier!  I was not disappointed.  I’ve watched the film, many, many years ago, but I couldn’t remember anything about it. It was also my first Stephen King, and it wasn’t really as I suspected it would be!  I was surprised by the amount of depth he went into with his characters, I loved this, as it made you connect with them more deeply, and when something bad happened, you felt more in the moment!  I really enjoyed this book, and it was one of my favourite reads for the month, and I have already purchased another King book.. his new book Fairytale is now on my shelf.

I continued my spooky reading with Tokyo Ghoul, I was lucky enough to pick up volume one in a charity shop, and I’ve heard ALOT about this manga.  It was really eerie, with a great story so far, and the art style is superb!  I definitely want to pick up more of this in the future, hopefully for Christmas, or just after.

   Tokyo Ghoul wasn’t the only book I read with wonderful artwork, Paper Girls was also great!  I picked up the first volume of the special edition, with my work bonus in July.  The book has left so many unanswered questions that book 2 is needed very soon.  This book has Stranger Things vibes, and looks at time travel, monsters, aliens and weird goings on!  I gave this five stars, and at times it gave me goosebumps!

Two books that really surprised me this month, were my two middle grade reads.  I have never read The Spiderwick Chronicles before, but when I found out about this series, and the gorgeous artwork, I had to give it a go!  These books really are spooky so far, what with goblins catching children, and other fantasy creatures living in the walls of their new home.  I fell in love with the two books I read in the series, and I know why, child Tammy would have adored these, and read and reread them till the pages fell out!! Why has it taken me so long to discover The Spiderwick Chronicles!!!

Anyone that has been following my blog for a while now will know that I am a member of the Point Horror Bookclub on Instagram, every month we vote for and read a book from the Point Horror series, which was very popular when I was a teenager.  This month we read a Nightmare Hall book called The Roommate, by Diane Hoh.  I have to say this wasn’t one of the best Point Horror books I’ve read, it really was half way through the book until something happened, although I was never bored, but I was always waiting for the fun to begin.  It had a great twist at the end though!  

The last two books I picked up for the month of September, were at two ends of the spetrum.  I was kindly sent a digital copy of a poetry book called Artemis Made Me Do It, which unfortunately I didn’t enjoy.  I gave it three stars in the end, as some of the poetry was good, and the artwork was cool, but it is full of trigger warnings, and some of it is quite disturbing I feel.  The Salt Path however, was absolutely amazing, I loved every moment I spent with this book!  I learnt so much, and felt like I was out on the coastal path, with the couple who were trying to walk the 630 miles.  I also got to meet Raynor Winn this month, whilst launching her new book Landlines.  I can highly recommend this to everyone.  This book will undoubtedly be in my top ten books of 2022. Yes, I loved it that much, and I hope to read the next book in November.

Thank you so much for reading about the books I was so lucky to read in the month of September! It was definitely a five bats out of five bats read month lol!

To keep updated with my goings on, do keep an eye on my Instagram, where I try to upload each day.

Until I blog again…keep reading!