Raven's Late Attempt at 75 Books In a Year!

Hello everyone,
I am extremely new to both the website and this group so I apologize if I'm doing anything wrong ^^;
This challenge is perfect since I was such a veracious reader from about third grade to high school and fell out of practice in college (what with them making me read somewhere around 10 textbooks daily, ouch _@). I want to use this to hold me accountable and pick up some new reads so everyone wish me luck!
I'll make a couple posts about what I've already read. Do audiobooks count? I usually have three going now since my job has me reading from my phone (e-reader), I like to craft (audiobooks) and I just love a physical book when I'm going to bed. I have no qualms about corrections and I can't wait to share about my new literature journey :)

First Book of the Year: Murder On The Orient Express - Audio Book

I have to be honest: I used to have no love for cozy mysteries. As a kiddo I thought they were boring; as an adult they seemed like the stuff of old ladies. But Gilderoy Lockhart ((aka Kenneth Branagh)) playing Poirot in a film just had me too intrigued. So I picked up the audio book while working on my big ole' crochet project for my mom. My mind was F--ing blown by this not-so-cozy cozy, lemme tell you.

Won't spoil it; I wouldn't dare. I will only say that I understand now exactly why Agatha Christie gets so much praise from mystery lovers. Beyond each character being memorable (and suspicious, *wink-wink*) the fact that our victim is someone who everyone agrees is "better off dead" is a head-trip. The ending blew my expectations out of the water. I feel like Christie wound me up for one scenario then yanked the rug right out from under me. I adore the atmosphere from the dinning cars, the small digs at each character archetype, and each big twist. This has become a new favorite for me; will check it out multiple times.

If anyone is interested I'm curious; did anyone else have the same "Oh. My. GOD!" reaction to the ending that I did?

2nd Book of the Year: The Hellbound Heart - Physical Book

So, here's a twist: I'm actually a really big fan of horror novels (Carrie is one of my favorite books to date) But I also could never seem to get very far from Stephen King. So, instead, we tried Clive Barker. Anyone who saw the movie Hellraiser, this is the book written by the director, where Barker made his directorial debut. And, to be quite honest, what you get from the movie is what you get in print.

If you aren't familiar, summery:

Uncle or Brother-Of-My-Friend Frank Cotton (movie, book respectively) is a hedonistic homewrecker who's bored with traditional debauchery and has gone out of his way to find this weird puzzle-box. The box, when solved, puts him in the clutches of these "Hellpriests" that Barker calls the Cenobites, who think pain and pleasure are interchangeable in the worst way. They debauch him down to something un-human until, one day, the house he was squatting in gets taken over by his brother, Rory, and new wife Julia. Julia was assaulted by Frank the night before their wedding (or it was a dubious consent situation; I can't quite recall) and ever since she's been physically unhappy. Then, Rory hurts his hand in a room that's been uncomfortably damp since they came. That blood allows Frank to return to our world, though only as a halfway formed monster. He makes a deal with Julia (who's decided she still lusts after Frank for reasons I can't fathom) to bring back men, and kill them in that room. The more blood spilt, the more he can reform and become a Real Boy(tm) again. Problem? Kirsty - Rory's friend (daughter in the movie) - sees Julia bringing home the men. And Frank worries the Cenobites may EVENTUALLY notice he's gone and come to drag him back.

My thoughts are pretty simple; if you've seen the movie you've ingested this story. Frank being Kirsty's Uncle makes what he tries to do worse, but not much else. The movie is far more grizzly in visions (gotta love those practical effects) but the book, I contend, is more gruesome. Barker is very light on his physical descriptions of characters, or even the scenery, but his ability to paint a bloody picture is sharp. I have never seen so many artistic expressions for how a person could be un-alived, or at least put in the worst pain ever. Picture Macbeth's "unseamed from nave to chaps" but in more visceral details. The story itself, however, is well done and well paced.

In finish, if you don't like blood, guts, or overbearing moral degradation; put this sucker down and never look back. But if you wanna know why King was a big fan of Barker, this is the starting line. Not for my self.

Welcome to the group!

Welcome! Audiobooks definitely count :)

((Thanks so much guys! I'm excited, can anyone tell? :D))

3rd Book of the Year: Night Train to Rigel - Physical Book

Next twist: I don't always like sci-fi. I get rather bored with authors who I feel are more fascinated with their world - the alien tech, the space fights etc. - than with the actual story. But Timothy Zahn was not that, and I was given, by recommendation of my roommate, a fantastic, noir-inspired sci-fi mystery.

Picture: Space, no longer the final frontier thanks to s space choo-choo train called The Quadrail System, ran by these robotic, telekinetic creatures called The Spiders (the one on the cover only has seven legs; I counted). Our hero Frank (uh-oh) Compton (phew :D) was heading there anyway, when a messenger intercepts him, and drops dead at his feet. Someone literally risked their life to get him a 3rd class seat on the space train, so he decides to use that ticket brought to him in a manila envelope, curtsey of a corpse-currier. From there, he's swept into employment by the spiders to stop a future, inter-galactic war. Or, at least, so they claim. The truth is far, far more complicated, and twice as frightening.

You have my word this is a story-focused sci-fi that won't read like a tech-manual, which has always been a risk with me and space books. Zahn does a first-person style narrative that fits with the "detective story" angle, and Compton is an interesting head to hang around in. He's suspicious of everyone - good instincts - and clever as sin. The Quadrail train itself is some fascinating world-building, and I found some comedic moments that broke the tension well: a Spider attempting to be inconspicuous by pretending to be a planter, for example, or the realization that a race of chipmunk aliens called "belidos" use toy guns on the train to keep up status-symbol appearances (also, just chipmunks with guns; let that sink in). The only real fault I had is that so much of how the train itself worked went soaring over my head. I had to just push through it.

So, did Night Train to Rigel break the cycle? Absolutely! And I have learned it is book one in a series. I’ll cycle around back to it but, after this one, I had been craving something different.

Edit: And I got it, in the worst way. I remember there was one more before the most recent book I finished. And spoiler: it had some issues. Sit tight.

Welcome! You’re definitely doing it right. And all three of your books are good ones. Feel free to jump into our threads - we’re a pretty friendly bunch.

>7 drneutron: I will, thank you! So far I feel very welcome.

Last updates before the most current book I finished; because I keep forgetting the library books no longer in front of me. It's time for... THE RAPID-FIRE ROUND!

Book #4 of the Year: Slender Man - Physical
Oh Lord, help me; my days of the Creepypasta should have been over. I knew the glowing recommendations were going to end sometime. The book is about a strange kidnapping, mainly a girl who's also into the creepypasta stuff, and our protagonist keeps having strange dreams and sensations that he's being watched. It's told through text messages, journal experts, and newspapers. It was Cringe.

Book #5 of the Year: The Haunting of Hill House
Much better if you want yourself a ghost story. The original ghost story if I recall right.
I missed that our narrator is unreliable, I admit it, but the uneasy feeling of the house itself, mixed with the jabs at the more 'fad-tastic' supernatural/occult activities of the rich and famous were great. A good read if you want a psychological thriller ghost story.

And now, finally, the last book I read before my current reads. We're all caught up; Applause.

Book #6 of the Year: Tamsin

I. Freaking. Love. The Last Unicorn. When I saw Peter S. Beagle in my library's horror section, I got so excited. But I went into this with the wrong mindset. And it almost ruined it for me. I won't allow that to happen to others.

Tamsin is an old-fashioned fairytale, set in the modern world. And when I say old-fashioned I mean the Kidnap Your Kids kind of old-fashioned "fairy" tale. In it, protag Jenny is uprooted from her New York apartment by (gasp) a new stepfather and the whole, blended family gets its behind to Dorset, England. They set up what is supposed to be their new life at Stourhead Farm, where stepdad Evan has been hired to try and bring it back from the dead. While there, Jenny learns of a ghost named Tamsin, the young girl daughter of the farm's first owner, who's been stuck here for reasons she cannot (and will not) remember. Jenny navigates a world in the dark far older than her, evils with far more power than she anticipated, and uncovers one wild love story.

This book threw me off. Beagle wrote it from Jenny's perspective, and it certainly reads as a thirteen-year-old wrote it. Not my favorite part to be honest, as what I loved about the Last Unicorn was the language. It's this great mix of lyrical and straightforward that flowed like silk and worked on common sense. This has tangents, weird thoughts, and colloquialisms that are sometimes hard for me to digest.

But digest I did, and I highly recommend others do as well. The attention to detail on the fair folk is as scary as they are whimsical; and I can say with absolute certainty that Beagle has owned a cat, as Mr.Cat behaved exactly as my black cat does. A surprisingly good read that is as slow as building dominos, but just as fun to watch when it gets going.

Current Reads:

- Audiobook: Rosemary's Baby

- Phone/Libby : The King in Yellow

- Physical: The Lost

Glad you liked Tamsin! That's one of my old favorites :)

>9 Ravenwoodwitch: Just a quick tip on the touchstones - if you're already aware, feel free to ignore.

I noticed that the touchstone for Slender Man points to the 2018 movie, not a book. It happens on a regular basis with touchstones. If you want to point to something other than what pops up when editing your message, over on the right will be the search result found after you type it in, and a link for "others". Click that and a list of options matching the touchstone search will pop up. You can then select the one you actually want.

Though, sometimes the site still doesn't find the one you want. Touchstones are apparently somewhat touchy. 😀

>12 drneutron: Oh geeze I hadn't even noticed that :o
Thank you again.

>11 curioussquared: I'm so glad I didn't give up on it. I love the more traditional tales of the fair folk and wouldn't have been so antsy in the beginning if I'd known that was coming. And "Jenny"'s writing style did grow on me eventually.

I only noticed because you got me with that one and I really want to know which of the three or four books by that name you mean. 😀

>10 Ravenwoodwitch: Happy new thread and welcome!
Curious as to what you think of The King in Yellow? As I have read it twice and....
It you like psy thrillers you might enjoy The Yellow Wallpaper and We Have Always Lived in the Castle

>15 kaida46: Hey! I haven't gotten too far yet but, as of now, I think it's quite dense O_O. But the starting concepts have my full attention.
And I'm adding those to my To-Reads, thankies.

>14 drneutron: That would be the one by an "Anonymous" author. I used to read creepypastas all the time and I just found it too funny to pass up that there was a physical book about Slenderman in my B&N - with no author no less.

Great to see you setting up and getting comfortable, Angela.

The more you get noticed around the threads the more people will stop by and take an interest in what you are reading. I think you'll find that we are, on the whole a friendly and welcoming bunch!

Welcome to the group! You've got a great start with your reads so far.

Welcome, Angela!

I adore how friendly everyone has been here. Thank you all so much :)

Book #7 of the Year: Rosemary's Baby - Audiobook

Good morning, lovelies (for me anyway, as I work evenings). Let's talk about an entry on the Disturbing Books list, and one that may or may not be a problematic classic depending on a couple of things. Also, just a warning, I don't think I'm spoiling anything by talking about the ending with this one. Via the movie, or general cultural osmosis, I think everyone already knows.

FIRSTLY, I have to add a content warning for this one. If you are not in a place to deal with sexual violence, domestic abuse, or talk of losing a child, this one is not for you right now. The short review is that it's a classic for a reason; suspenseful and shocking, even if you already know the twist.

Brief Summery:
It's the 60's, New York. Magazines declare God is Dead as other religions begin to step into the light; the pope is touring the U.S. And Guy and Rosemary Woodhouse have managed to fib their way into an apartment at The Bramford, a place apparently popular enough to have a waiting list along with a reputation for being cursed. But our young couple ignores the warnings of Rosemary's eccentric writer friend/pseudo-guardian and, at least, appears to move into new-home bliss. Rosemary even meets a new young friend, enough to make her ignore the strange noises of their neighbors. But it all breaks when tragedy strikes, Guy finally changes his mind about whether they should have a baby, and when their elder neighbors begin to take an obscene new interest in that unborn "little darling."

Thoughts
This book is a clear classic but also a product of its time. Rosemary is deeply dependent on her husband - making what happens latter all the harder to sit through - and a "shock" ending involving the big man downstairs with the horns won't exactly hold up to someone like me that's ingested a lot of short horror stories. But, what did hold up was the sense of something being very wrong under my nose: I described it as a drive through a pretty park where things look normal at first glance, not so much at second glance, and where red flags rise up so fast it puts you off-guard. I felt more tense and vulnerable reading this book than in any other book I've had; It was painful to listen to this woman get lied to, gaslit, and just utterly abused from start to finish. And the suspense itself, palatable.

The short of the matter is I blame no one for skipping this one. It's emotionally draining and full of very difficult-to-digest things. But, as a horror fan, I adored it - warts and all - and very much want it on my shelf. But, maybe next time, not the audio book. Only because Mia Farrow takes some getting used to.

Next
Because the library cannot seem to tear either the Exorcist of the Affair at Styles away from whoever has checked them out (harrumph) We're going with a recommendation...
We Have Always Lived In The Castle - Audiobook

>20 Ravenwoodwitch: I'm not really a horror person, so I don't think I'll pick this up, but I'm glad you liked it! The exceptions to my "not a horror person" rule are:
1. I LOVE The Shining movie. Just so good.
2. Every October I become addicted to the Jezebel scary story contest. If you haven't heard of it, you should check it out! Your mention of creepypastas made me think of it. Each year they solicit scary stories and collect the best 10 or so in a post from all the entries. I usually scare myself witless for a few nights by reading as many of the comment section entries as I possibly can, lol.

>21 curioussquared: I do like my short scary stories (I'm attempting to put together a book of them) so I may look into that. And no worries, horror isn't everyone's cup of tea. My mistake was just finishing this one too close to bed. Had the weirdest nightmare afterwards.
But I saw your recommendations on your thread and added a couple :) I like to take a break from horror every couple of books.

>20 Ravenwoodwitch: I really liked both the book and the movie - the movie I watched years ago but I only listened to the audiobook last year for the first time (and I agree that Mia was...interesting as the reader).

I *adore* We Have Always Lived in the Castle and I hope you do, too!

Long, *long* day at the news station I work for. Stress hit peak. Back home with my favorite mint tea and an adorable black cat, who I swear has the superpower of knowing when I need to slow down. Jonathan Aycliffe, give me something to think about other than the B.S that was on my computer today.

New morning, new day, occasionally new problems. But, as I had my morning coffee, I realized that I kinda slap-shot introduced myself in my first post and didn't offer too much on my usual reading tastes. Since I'm still working on all three of my reads, I thought I could share a bit about what crosses my bookshelf, a then vs now situation.

To be honest, literature and I had a very bumpy start. I used to hate it as a kid; It was too hard, I couldn't figure it out and I hated sitting still for too long (a concept that carries over to me as an upper-twenties adult). As best as I can recall, what changed that was my third-grade teacher. I always enjoyed having someone read to me, but this time she decided to read Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone to us. I got spellbound (sorry) and had my mom read me the book at home too. Eventually, I picked it up myself, read cover to cover, and never looked back.

Like I said in the first section, I was a voracious reader in my middle to high-school period, tapered off in college, and have picked it back up. I used to love paranormal romance (yes, like Twilight; I'm sad for me too) and Y.A (Meg Cabot was a favorite. Anyone else read The Princess Diaries and thought it was more entertaining than the movie?) but not so much now. These days I have a strange habit to seek out the books for any new show, or movie that crops up in popularity (I read the first book of the Witcher series before seeing the show for example, and I read Psycho last year.) I'm on the hunt for horror classics, fantasy classics, and really anything to make people go "wait, that was a book?" I remain attached to my manga as well, my favorite artist being Junji Ito, and have recently begun to re-tread back into fantasy. I follow Gaiman's advice of reading anything and everything so, please, feel free to make suggestions!

Your current book interests lines up pretty well with mine. As to suggestions, have you read Frankenstein? Very different from any of the movies and it's fun to describe to folks who haven't read it what it's really about. 😀 Dracula too, though to a lesser degree.

Not a classic, but I came across Nothing But Blackened Teeth a couple of weeks ago - really good spin on Japanese ghost story. And I'll read anything by Grady Hendrix - just finished The Final Girl Support Group that's got plenty of 80s-style teen slasher references.

And I'e got Rosemary's Baby on my list for my annual October Horror Read - I've never read it.

>26 drneutron: Surprise hit for me, that one. I knew the basics of what I was getting into but not the full extent; great read.
I tried Blackened Teeth and couldn't get myself into it. And I read Frankenstein actually in the Penny Dreadfuls collection. That one actually had a short story Bram Stoker wrote called "The Dualists, or the Death Doom of the Double Born" which I found to be quite unsettling.
Still, what kind of Vampire fan am I if I don't get the original Dracula proper under my belt? Going on the list, along with Final Girl.

>26 drneutron: I second the recommendation for Frankenstein, there's so much more to it in book form!
Another good one is The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Willows, it's one of the best of its kind.

Thanks guys :)
I apologize if someone makes a recommendation and I go "Oh, yeah. I've read that." I'm still adding things to my list since I got here ^^; and my memory is already not fantastic. There are things I've read for school that I don't always remember right off the bat. I only today just went through my bookshelf and comic collection to catalog.

Almost done with one of my reads; expect a review soon.

>25 Ravenwoodwitch: I'm new to the group this year as well, though you are doing better than I in reading for the year so far. We definitely have some overlap in interest. As the others' mentioned those are good reads, I read Dracula myself back in the vampire/supernatural phase of high school.

I too like finding reads that are movies or shows. I've started reading the Witcher series after playing the video game and currently on Blood of Elves. Read the first two Dexter books by Jeff Lindsay and just recently found out that Fight Club was originally a book and put it on my TBR. Not really a horror book, but a classic with a murder plot I just finished reading The Postman Always Rings Twice and am planning to watch the original 1946 film this weekend.

I'm new to the manga scene, having only read Paru Itagaki. I think I'll be keeping an eye on your posts.

>30 WhiteRaven.17: Thanks, and thanks for the recommendations :)
If you wanna try horror manga, you can't miss Junji Ito. He's widely considered the best as far as art. People usually think Uzumaki is his best work (and it's my favorite too) but Gyo is good if you have a strong stomach.
If you want fantasy and don't mind romance, Ancient magus bride is my current favorite.

Boom review next post.

Book #8 of the Year: The Lost - a Novel of Dark Discoveries - Physical Book.

I like to do a "shorty" book every so often to keep my mojo going. This one was less than 200 pages. Is that a novelette? I never understood the terminology.
Anyway. It was also a random pick-up from my local library's horror section.

Short Summery
Micheal Feraru was a teacher at a prep school before getting a case of the Ancestral Homesickness. He hopes to find his family's castle in Romania and find some sort of new purpose in what I have to assume is a late-young-adulthood crisis. But neither he nor his new companion are prepared for the real evil waiting for them at Casa Feraru, and Castle Vhaluta. To quote the book's outer jacket, "He was to learn the secret of the strigoi. The undead. Not vampires. Something far, far worse. And far more seductive..."

My Thoughts
Summary's promised me Jonathan Aycliffe is a modern master. I kinda wanna know what master spoils his own story. The story itself doesn't mention Strigoi until much, much later, and so it feels like the twist was given to me before I read the first page. As someone trying to write horror myself, I feel like the person writing the blurb on the back did him dirty.

That aside, the story itself is charming. It's told, like Dracula with letters, journal entries, and various other paper-media things. But what starts as Micheal waxing poetic to his girlfriend (quickly quashed by some patterned snark) turns into a slow spiral into monstrosity for Micheal. My biggest drawback, however, is that this spiral happens too fast, and too late later on. There's a good story here; I just wish more time had been dedicated to it.

Next Physical Book; Time for a break from scary, at least once the Shirley Jackson book is done.
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

>31 Ravenwoodwitch: I will add those to my list to look into - I'm definitely not opposed to horror or gore.
Additionally, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is one of my top reads and I hope you are reading all the parts as a collection as that serves the story best. It's a fun read.

>33 WhiteRaven.17: I was just gonna read the first book and see where things go. It's not uncommon for me to sample a series to see if I wanna dedicate the time to it or cross it off.

Ooooh Douglas Adams is so good! I hope you love that one!

I wish I could find a book cover with "DON'T PANIC" on it. Would be a lovely addition to my desk at the station.

- About 1/4th of the way in to HHGTTG and I love it when a book gets me to laugh out loud when I'm reading it, occasionally causing people to look at me funny if they hear it. So far we are on very good track.

- Almost halfway through WHALITC I think? I know Cousin Charles just got here and Merricat is having a minor (probably soon to be major) meltdown. I so far really like it too.
Edit: I called the cat the cousin. I am clearly tired.

- STILL not very far in The King In Yellow but only because work has had very few low points and thus I haven't had my ereader open as much. I may switch this one to physical book in the future.
BUT I can say I am enjoying the Imitation Lovecraft a lot.

>36 Ravenwoodwitch: HHGTTG is definitely good. His Dirk Gently books are fun too!

>37 drneutron: Thanks! I'll keep them on my radar :)

My Saturday has been eventful; time spent with the other half of my family for easter and relaxing as best as I can back home. I also play video games and have been spending time on a game called Inscryption. which is one of those "something weird is going on besides the game" type of games. It's also a card game - which I suck at - but I'm fighting my way through!
And when not that one, its Katamari Damacy: Reroll. Just... Katamaris all the way down (with manic glee, tee-hee.)

- Almost done with Shirley Jackson; holy huppla this has been a wild ride. Review soon and I am excited.

- Almost halfway through Hitchhiker; I love how smoothly this story goes down. This world is rich (and silly) and I'm having a blast.

Book #9 of The Year: We Have Always Lived In The Castle - Audio Book

Off the bat, let me say, I love this cover. Second, if you need a recommendation for audiobook narrators, Bernadette Dunne was so good here!

Brief Summary
The village has wanted the Blackwoods gone, ever since a major tragedy struck them. They are afraid of them, especially of the two women still living there - Mary Katherine and Constance - with their eccentric relative, Uncle Julian. Our narrator, often called Merricat by her dotting sister, tells us she goes to the village alone because Constance is too scared to go beyond their garden, not after "that day." They are happy there, and this is the way it has always been. But, this changes when one of Merrikat's many strange safeguards fails and their cousin, Charles, pays them a visit. Merricat says he is a demon and a ghost, one only she can see and that she must use all her magic to make him leave before her whole world is pulled apart.

But, all that is her view on the matter. She may not be the most trustworthy, despite being the only one telling the truth.

My Thoughts
I remember, as a kid, I used to think I could control the moon if I stared at it. I also used to think Pennywise was on my bedroom wall, but couldn't get me if I didn't look at him. These, and several other silly, stupid things I did as a kid came back to my memory as I read about Merricat's strange, explosive behavior in this book. There's a big problem, though: I was seven. She's an adult. And it's terrifying to watch.

And, yet, as a bullied kid, I cannot let the village off the hook either. The village's treatment of the Blackwood women made my skin crawl, and Cousin Charles made it itch the worst of all. It's a book where our unreliable narrator while frightening, is also the only one being as honest as her disconnected mind will let her be.

When it comes to suspense, this one isn't as exhausting as my last read but hits harder. It was a twisted, very well-done psychological ride that I will happily recommend to other people. I'm gonna buy it for my shelf; once I get that second one (the struggle for space is real.)

Next Audiobook - I'm Thinking of Ending Things

P.S: This is a book that got a "Book of The Year" award. But, given that 50 Shades of Grey got the NYT Best Seller label, I never put much stock in these kinds of things. Does anyone else really feel like that's a quality marker anymore?

>39 Ravenwoodwitch: I remember seeing a trailer for the Netflix movie that came out in 2020 for that book - I'm Thinking of Ending Things and being intrigued by it. I never got around to watching it and if the book is good, perhaps I'll pick that up instead, so I'll be keeping an eye out for what you think.
Also, >36 Ravenwoodwitch: I'm glad you're enjoying Hitchhiker's - it's one of my favorites. It has great humor.

I own We Have Always Lived in the Castle on kindle and need to get to it at some point! I loved all the HHGTTG books when I discovered them as a preteen; it's been ages since I've reread them but they still have a special place in my heart :)

>39 Ravenwoodwitch: I loved the audiobook of this so much! The narrator is great and it's the perfect length. After I finished I started it right over and listened to it again.

>40 WhiteRaven.17: So far, it's not bad. The writer has good flow and the characters make me curious. I'm just waiting for things to "pick up" since, right now, it reads like an opening to some kind of lifetime movie.

And yeah, Hitchhiker is really funny so far; but also kind of scary. Like, finding worms in your mud-pie brownie dessert.

>41 curioussquared: I was so intrigued on the first chapter for both. Hitchhiker is funny, while also kinda horrifying at the same time. Meanwhile, the Shirley Jackson story was equal parts bizzare and terrifying.

>42 norabelle414: Dunne was so good O_O. Her voice has the perfect edge for the more unsettling moments.

I forgot I meant to weigh in on your "Book of the Year" award question. I definitely treat awards differently than bestseller distinctions. There are things that sell really well that I know are just not my cup of tea, like your example of 50 Shades of Gray. So I don't really care if something is a bestseller or not unless it's a genre or kind of book that appeals to me. But I do pay attention to various awards, especially the more specific genre ones like Hugos or Nebulas or World Fantasy Award kind of things. I try to look at awards as an opportunity to hear about new books, but I always view them through the lens of my personal taste because just because something won some kind of award doesn't mean I'll like it.

>43 Ravenwoodwitch: I could see that based on what I've seen about it. And lol, yeah, Hitchhiker I feel is the right mix of humor and contemplative thought.

Also, seconding >46 curioussquared: thoughts on this. I've always viewed bestsellers separately from awarded books. A book can make the bestseller list if the author themselves have a large enough following and sells well, not necessarily based on the quality of the book. Whereas I also find some new reads through awards, but I'll admit I'm not the best at looking or following these.

I think you guys have a point. It's less about sales and more about the actual writing in awards it sounds like. I'll try to keep an open mind :)
Especially since one of my favorite games got a Hugo Award. Anyone who likes colorful roguelite games, go play Hades. These indie-boys went toe-to-toe with the big boys in gaming and walked away winners.

I have an idea. I've finished the first story in The King In Yellow and want to kind of go over each one as I do. Won't qualify as a "book read" until I'm finished with them all but I think it's worth mentioning them individually so we don't have a massive post later on. And this story, honestly, had me reeling and I wanna share ^^ . I'll post it later.

Later is now, and home is my homemade hot cocoa mix. Yum.
And while I wait on my crochet kit for a cool poncho to show up, let us discuss Immitation Lovecraft.

Beware, there is a cat. No, it isn't treated very well.

"The Repairer Of Reputations" - from The King In Yellow
Imagine a very prosperous but bleak United States. How bleak? Bleak enough to repeal suicide laws and to open the country's first "lethal chamber" to be used for painless deaths by those who wish it, but wealthy enough to be more influenced by the elite. Our narrator, Hildred, was a part of that relief and well-liked up until he fell off his horse. While recovering in the asylum, he read a censored play called The King In Yellow. Now, an eccentric reclose, he hopes to use the blackmail network of another eccentric to make himself the next King. With the help of Mr. Wilde, the deformed old man who calls himself the "Repairer of Reputations," our narrator believes the world will soon see a new dawn, heralded by the yellow sign and the crowning of the heir to The Last King.

To say our protagonist is an unreliable narrator, I think, is obvious: he hit his head and read the Crazy Play while recovering. But I am genuinely surprised at how well the story manages to build up, to drop a big reveal on just how insane he really is. I was dumbfounded at the fast-paced ending of it all and found myself very curious to see what comes next.

LIBRARY HAUL.

I hadn't finished what I already had but couldn't resist taking a walk and picking up some new reads. I knew I needed to grab the next read in the douglas adams series at least, so we do have The Restaurant at the End of The Universe
And...

- The Mysterious Affair At Styles (because I couldn't cope with the narrator in its audiobook)
Suspense and Sensibility and Jane and the Ghosts of Netley (because I am sucker for regency anything and Mr. Darcy remains my primary fictional-guy crush.)
And last, Darkly Dreaming Dexter - a pickup as recommended to me.

That said, review to come soon for Hitchhiker. We're almost done :)

Milestone : 10 Books Read

Book #10 of the Year - The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy - Physical Book.


So I'm gonna be honest; I've seen the film of this one first and wasn't very impressed. Also, as soon as the phrase "manically depressed robot" happened, Alan Rickman's voice bulldozed into my brain and refused to leave. I don't think that's a problem, though.
"Seen it. Wretched, isn't it?"

A Not-So-Efficient but Highly Likeable Summery
Things, in life, are not always what they seem to be (except in the rare cases where they are frustratingly exactly as they are). For example, it seemed like Arthur Dent was going to have another monotonous day, only punctuated by the sudden, and unpleasant, destruction of his house for a bypass. But, in fact, his entire planet was due for demolition to make way for an intersteller bypass, carried out a race of bureaucratic aliens, capable of some of the most excrutiating poetry one can imagine. As the planet is blown to bits, Arthur finds himself on a rather improbable adventure with his close friend, Ford Prefect (who he always thought was from Guildford, but was in fact from a planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse), Trillian (a girl he totally blew it with at a fancy dress party), the President of the Galaxy, Zaphod Beeblebrox (the guy who caused him to blow it) and the Paranoid (and depressed) Android, Marvin. Their antics are, in two words, highly improbable.

My Even-Less-Effiicent Thoughts
My abysmal attempts at mimicking Douglas Adams aside, I had an absolute blast with this book. It's the kind of funny that has me laughing out loud out of nowhere, with writing that's as smooth as it is silly. There are several things about it that became highly prophetic; the concept of robots with people-personalities made me think of Siri, for example, and the idea now of an electronic book with thousands of pages on it is so commonplace. It's got this hidden horror about everything, buried under a layer of absurdist humor, and I think it's a great read for anyone at any stage.

As for me, I have the sequel - which I wanna read - but I also have some extra library books that have been in my home a very long time that I should probably deal with first. Besides, I'm itching to read some more horror. With that in mind:

Next Physical Book - Mister B. Gone

I'm proud of myself; checked out the used book store in our campus town for the first time and only walked out with one book. It was The Witch of Prague, and I noticed inside that someone wrote a message to whomever this was gifted to, signed 1978. It made me sad to think of this - previously gifted out of love - now sitting on a shelf, unloved. So, it just had to go home with me. Not my fault.

Updates:

- 1/3rd of the way through Ending Things, and still not digging the interpersonal drama. But HIGHLY curious about this "big bad thing" the book is building up to.
- Made a good start on the Clive Barker novel and I'm already caught. I remember when I used to read Lemony Snicket, telling me not to read such "dreadful" stories about the poor Baudelaire trio. Consider Mister B.Gone the adult equivalent, and damn funny for it.
- Almost done with the second short story for The King in Yellow, and this time I trust our narrator. That's a switch.

Congrats on 10 books for the year and a good one to boot! I might need to revisit Hitchhiker's sometime soon.

>53 curioussquared: Was quite the surprise for me ^^; The movie was kinda chaotic and convoluted but this was far more fun and straightforward.

"The Mask" from The King In Yellow
The story is about a sculptor, the same one responsible for The Fates statue outside the U.S's first Lethal Chamber. He's discovered a chemical concoction that turns everything it touches to marble, complete with azure veins and this faint, rosy glow emitting from the center. That sculptor, Boris, is hosting his artist friend, Alec, to paint the boudoir of his fiancee, Genevieve. All three are quite close, but both boys sought Gen's affection. She chooses Boris, but the girl, prone to mood swings already, is acting even stranger than normal. And, because Boris has The Evil Play in his study (which our protagonist accidentally reads a couple lines from), one can assume that tragedy for all of them is on the horizon.

This story to me felt odd. I had to look up online if the Evil Play really had a connection here at all, and I'm not really convinced it did much beyond make the protagonist go into delirium for a while. The ending to me also felt sudden, and I almost wish it lasted a couple more pages. Love the concept, but my least favorite of the two so far.

Guys...*sigh*
We got a temporary DNR on I'm Thinking Of Ending Things.
I am currently annoyed at the book; I find it rambly and slow. And while everyone swears the ending will knock my brain out, I feel I am not in a place where I can appreciate it. I am open to coming back later, but, for now, I will not force myself to ingest a novel I have dread over touching.
Moving on to: The Exorcist -Audiobook

>56 Ravenwoodwitch: That's how I felt about the movie I'm Thinking of Ending Things, too

Oooo, The Exorcist! I re-read it a few years ago and it held up very well.

>58 drneutron: I'm lucky; My audiobook has the author himself doing the narration. I'm quite excited to read the book that inspired the former scariest movie ever.

>57 norabelle414: I'm glad it's not just me. The protagonist seemed kinda judgy too, I'm not gonna lie.

Happy Mother's Day to all mamas today! I just a spent a very lovely time with my own mama (the lady who, along with my pops, made me the bookworm I am today).

On the reading front:
- I feel like knowing the horror of The Exorcist is going to take some of the shocks away, as currently Regan is just 'behaving strangely' according to her mom. But Father Karras has my full attention in terms of character potential. I love it, I love Chris (the mom) and I'm deeply curious to see where this goes. Even if the narrator's voice keeps breaking. O_o

- Just started the next story in The King in Yellow but I may restart it; I kinda rushed reading the first few lines and I couldn't tell you off the top of my head what they were about.

- I swear, Mr. Baker's book. Mister B. Gone is staring at me. It's supposed to look like an old, leatherbound book and I thought the front was just like a fleur-de-lis with leaves. But ever since the main character described himself, I can't stop seeing that shape on the cover as his face. Probably on purpose given the framing device here but it's some unnerving pareidolia.

"The Court Of The Dragon" from The King In Yellow

Another entry down, and since this one is so short we'll skip the formatting and be a bit informal. In short, our narrator is in St. Barnabe's Church, hoping for some relief after reading The King in Yellow. He notices the organ music has gone sinister, and so begins this chase between him, and a bone-pale figure in dark robes.

This one was a bit more direct in its shinanigans and actually gave us a small description of our titular character and his terrible kingdom. As mentioned, it's half the length of the other stories and doesn't hit as well as the others IMO.

Wanted to also do an update since its beeen awhile...

- Part 1, Chapter 3 of The Exorcist. Listening while I finish a single-skien scarf that was supposed to be a mother's day gift (whoops.)

- Midway through Mister B. Gone. I can't turn back, and I can't wait to talk about this one.

Hello all, again :)

Been a bit; life got busy. COVID scare happened (we're all fine, false alarm) and some prep-work happened for a big medical event down the road for someone in the family. But, I had some time today and wanted to do two things. First: I wanted to know what the general rule of thumb was for length before a new thread would be created?

Second: Owlcation has these fun book questions you can ask that I thought would be fun. Everyone/anyone can answer. I'll start.

1. What's the first book you ever remember reading?
- This one's tricky. Before Harry Potter, I was really bad at reading (more specifically I found it too hard and refused to actually try). But I'm pretty sure the book I was willing to practice and, eventually, had memorized was "The Monster At The End of The Book". Either that or "Marvin K. Moony, Will You Please Go Now?"
If we're talking chapter books then, post Harry Potter, it was "Aliens Don't Wear Braces" from the Bailey School Kids line-up.

On the reading front:

1. Almost done with Mister B. Gone.
2. Had to return The Exorcist to the library, but I'm on the waitlist again. It shall return.
3. Started the next short story for The King In Yellow.

>63 Ravenwoodwitch: I think LibraryThing gives you the option to "continue this topic in a new thread" once you hit 150 posts -- it'll be a link at the bottom of the thread. That way your threads will be linked with links at the top allowing people to easily click between them.

I would say most people start new threads between posts 250-300. 250+ is about when it starts taking the page a little longer to load, especially if you have any photos in there.

Some people like to do a new thread each month or quarter, too.

First book I remember reading (that I had memorized 😊) was The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear. Chapter book-wise... I remember reading a lot of Dick King-Smith. Three Terrible Trins and Martin's Mice stand out in particular. I really liked mice as a child, apparently 😂

>63 Ravenwoodwitch:, >64 curioussquared: Yep, the button appears after 150 posts. I usually push the button to make a follow-on thread after 200, as much as 250.

My first book was Stop That Ball when in kindergarten. It was my son’s too.

>65 drneutron: That's really sweet. My mom says the sesame street book I mentioned was my brother's favorite too.

>64 curioussquared: You know, that's funny. One of my first "big reads" was Poppy. Amusing, considering how much I like owls these days.

2. Did someone read to you when you were a child?
Oh gosh, who didn't? But, really, I came from a family that not only all loved books but ran the spectrum of what it meant to read/be a book nerd. I have very fond memories of my teachers reading to us in school up through sixth grade. It was my favorite part of the day.

Fun Fact: My sixth-grade teacher is also where I got my first brush with bAnNeD bOoKs because she got in trouble for reading Flowers for Algernon to us.

>63 Ravenwoodwitch: I am almost sure that the first book I read on my own was De twee dasjes when I was four.

>66 Ravenwoodwitch: Yes, my mother did read to me, and my brothers and sisters (all older than me), if they wanted me to be quiet.
My mother even read literature to me when I was four or five, a Dutch classic Droomkoninkje.

>66 Ravenwoodwitch: My parents both read to me, too; mostly my dad when I got a little older and my brother was born. I was about 7 when I got frustrated with how slow they went and took matters into my own hands 😂 Most of my school reading was reading books together in a group, taking turns aloud, rather than a teacher reading to us. This also drove me crazy because I had to read at the pace of the others in the class. I used to immediately read the whole two page spread to myself as soon as we were allowed to turn the page and then space out waiting for everyone else to catch up.

These days I've discovered audiobooks and rejoice at the fact that I can listen at 1.5 speed 😂

>68 curioussquared: that's funny because I had a similar issue with Harry Potter. In 3rd grade my mother read fhe first book to me, and we were also reading it in class. I almost spoiled the end (I'm ashamed of old me :p).

((reposting because the formatting got weird.))

Greetings all :)

Busy times at work; big charity event and the boss leaving for vacation (Dad's away, everybody relaxes.)

Almost done with Mister B, I do believe we are on the big climax, And finally, FINALLY, I stepped back into a hair salon. I kid not when I say I just shed half a ruler's worth of hair, uncut and left to grow wild from two years in this stupid Pandemic. I feel bouncy.

3. Who's your all-time favorite book character?

It's embarrassing to say - since I've seen her more in movies than the book itself - but it's Elizabeth Bennet, hands down.
Takes being belittled by the powerful people in her life (and her own family) in stride, always thinks of her sisters when things get difficult, powerfully clever, and you gotta love those sassy zingers.

Alice, from wonderland, comes in second.

Book #11 of the Year - Mister B. Gone - Physical Copy



This is a meta-fiction book, so, allow me to play a little game. All that's below is in jest.
Small warning on this one, though, it contains very graphic descriptions of violence and very heretical ideas about demons, angels, God, etc. If any of that sounds offensive then give Jakabok Botch (and Clive Barker in general) a pass.

Brief Summer
This book is telling me to burn it. It has begged me, threatened me, entreated me to destroy it. But, I could never abide book-gore, so I read it instead. I ingested the tale of Jakabok Botch, a demon from the ninth circle. I read his misery in an abusive home, the horrors of early mankind, and how he found himself possessing this very old manuscript. And I can't help but wonder how much good or bad I am doing by returning it to my library instead of leaving it somewhere to rot.

My thoughts
I used to think The Nothing from Neverending Story was the most disturbing thing a story could come up with as an antagonist (the destruction of creativity, of thought, etc). That was before I read this book, and got the sensation through Barker's stellar writing that I was not only being talked to by my book, but by something far more sinister and insidious. Barker, as always, has a gift for writing absolutely horrific ways to die in an oddly poetic fashion, and the voice of our narrator is equal parts intriguing as it is off-putting. This one won't be for everybody, but for anyone that likes horror - and wants something new - go find this one.

Alright, I've had my spice. Back to the sugar.

Next Book: The Restaurant at The End of the Universe.

>72 Ravenwoodwitch: Ooof, that's a tough question to answer with just one. I'll cheat and give you my top three:
1. Edmund Dantes from The Count of Monte Cristo (clever, rich, and with a well-honed sense of vengeance? YES PLEASE.)
2. Eugenides from Megan Whalen Turner's The Queen's Thief series. (Again with the cleverness, plus just the right amount of snark)
3. Ronan Lynch from Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Boys series (Bad boy through and through)

>74 scaifea: I know the top one at least. Haven't read that one yet, but I do love me some justice-fueled schadenfreude so I'm sure I love a man consumed by VENGENCE.

Good morning Amber, and the rest of y'all :)

It's a good day; I can walk properly again. For my weekend, I had pulled a hip flexor in my leg somehow and couldn't walk without pain for all f Saturday and Sunday. I managed to hobble out for my haircut and grocery shopping but spent a good deal of the day chilling. No such luck today, back to work for Raven *le sigh.*

Listening to - Oingo Boingo, "Dead Man's Party".
I have a taste for vintage music, circa the 70s to 90s. And if you wanna hear Danny Elfman's style without Tim Burton's influence, go here.

Reading
- Physical: The Restaurant at The End of Universe (1/5th of the way in. Let us return to the Heart of Gold, even if it is a silly place.)
- Audiobook: The Final Girl Support Group (as I wait for The Exorcist to come back, my other hold finally bore fruit. About 1/4th of the way through.)
- Digital: The King In Yellow (still working on the next story. Slow goings.)

4. Who's your favorite author of all time? Your favorite book by them?
Oh no O_o

Whelp. If we go by numbers then it's horror mangaka, Junji Ito. Widely considered one of Japan's masters of horror, I adore his take on Lovecraftian ideas of cosmic horror, and, as an artist myself, I'm blown away by the intricate details of his art. You will have to look it up if you want to see it but, I did warn you: It's hard to look at.

My favorite book by him is Uzumaki. It's about a prefecture that falls under the curse of spirals.

BUT if we go by emotions, I have mentioned before my favorite book is Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. I very much like surrealism, be it surrealist comedy or horror and find Wonderland to be a perfect fit. Loved it when I was much younger, still occasionally read it now when I need an easy break.

>76 Ravenwoodwitch: Oh, wow, Uzumaki is a blast from the past! I read that years ago and LOVED it, but had forgotten all about it since. Thanks for the reminder!

Ooof, I can't answer your question without cheating, again. First I have to break it into two categories: ancient and modern. And even then I can't pick just one from each. Cicero and Vergil are wonderful - Cicero's Catilinarian speeches are impressive beyond belief, and The Aeneid is beyond compare. For modern authors, Stiefvater from my above post, or Gaiman, I think. But also Stephen Fry. Gah. Nope, can't choose.

I don't think I can choose a favorite character or author 😬 I love too many! If I was very very pressed, I might choose Tamora Pierce and one of her heroines -- I've been reading and rereading her books since I was 8 or 9 and still enjoy them just as much over 20 years later.

>78 curioussquared: >77 scaifea: I know it's so hard :(
Cause oh gosh, Gaiman. The Ocean at the end of the Lane and Stardust are two of the most beautiful stories I've ever read. Every time I pick one I'm reminded of someone else.
Speaking of Uzumaki do you have a favorite/most disturbing part? I'm torn between the ending vortex of doom and the woman who gave herself the spins because of her ears.

On the reading front...
- From Restaurant: You know, it's one thing for a character to have an ego the size of the universe. It's another thing entirely for the universe to tell him how important he is. Holy egomania, Batman!
- From Final Girl Support Group: A lot has happened. I'm unsure if it resonates much with me, though. Like the writing style at least.
- From The King: We have a moody artist and an attempt to write a cockney accent. Fun times.

Today's question:

"5. Has a book ever changed your life?"
I think I mentioned Harry Potter welcomed me into more than the wizarding world. And Carrie is the book that welcomed me into horror novels, and to see how wonderful they could be.

Hello all! Quickfire today since I've answered a couple of these before:

Listening to: "Feed My Frankenstein" by Alice Cooper.

"6. What genres do you love?"
Horror. And Fantasy. Especially old school fairy stories.

"7. Are there any genres you dislike?"
Old-fashioned romance novels. Tropey, predictable, and I find most characters in it dull. Exception being The Dark Queen series I've read, because practical magic style witchcraft and a fun reimagining of the De Medici situation in France.

"8. What author (who is still living) would you dearly love to meet?"
Honestly? No one stands out. Not because I don't love their work or that I'm antisocial; but I get the worst cotton-mouth when I meet someone who I deem famous and/or whom I admire. I'd make a fool of myself if I ever met Gaiman, Ito, King, etc...

>79 Ravenwoodwitch: I don't remember the details well enough to point out a particular episode in the work, I'm afraid. I just remember being blown away by it as a whole. I should revisit it soon...

>81 Ravenwoodwitch: I *adore* Feed My Frankenstein!!

Also, I would love to meet Gaiman and talk mythology with him. I'm like you about meeting famous people for the most part, because I just wouldn't know what to say. The only thing I have in common with them is that I...like the characters they play? So it would just be awkward. But authors like Gaiman, who write things that I *know*, well, I think I could hold my own there.

>82 scaifea: Rock On *nods* Alice Cooper's a boss. My parents helped me fine-tune a love of 70s and 80s rock.

Today is a blargh day. On and off again rain. It's not my weekend yet. I'm struggling with work projects. Blargh. I come to you from an actual library today to get some peace, and a break from said work frustrations.

- Listening to: "Go Your Own Way" - Fleetwood Mac.
(All these bioflicks coming out, where's the movie on THESE guys? The drama from the rumors album alone, or even just between Stevie Nicks and Lindsy Buckingham would be primo material.)

Plan to make some more progress in my physical book today as I'm about halfway done,

"9. Have you ever met a (famous or semi-famous) author face to face? Where?"
I may have met A. Lee Martinez without realizing it.

I was at Armadillo Con in texas. Had just attended a couple panels on Vampire fiction, when the genre list gets too long, etc. Then we went to the vendors (book heaven for the soul.) I went to one man's booth, dark-haired guy I remember, and was looking over the books. I didn't talk to him (cause I didn't know who he was) and was looking for an interesting read. I bought A Nameless Witch, and, even though I clearly didn't know who he was, he signed it.

Don't know enough to know if that qualifies or not but it makes me chuckle now.

Not an author, but my biggest brush with fame was the flight from LA to Baltimore where I got upgraded to 1st class - and got to sit next to a very drunk Kristie Swanson, who played the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the movie. This was years after Swanson's career tanked, she was bitter about it, and wanted to tell me all about her best buddy Gary Sinise. And hang all over me. It was a rough flight, but wasn't the worst flight I've had, by a long shot. 😂

I don't think I've met an author outside of scheduled signing events :) I would probably also get tongue-tied!

"The Yellow Sign" From The King In Yellow

A very crabby artist, and his young model, find themselves not only creeped out by a sickly-looking doorman for the cemetery next door but also having the same dream about that man. But where the model sees there hearse driving by in that dream, driven by this man, our protagonist is usually inside it. Things take a bad turn when, after they decide to see each other, the model gives the artist a black pendant with a strange symbol. A copy of The Bad Book and a very bad visitor in the night follows...

To b fair to the other stories, this one was a small letdown. The main horrors didn't resolve themselves in a way I found exciting, nor did the characters do much to endear themselves to me. We picked up more information about The King's ability to possess the dead and some more hints about the titular yellow sign.

Hoping story #5 turns out better. And, cheers! We're almost halfway done!

Hello all! Here's your update from the Midwest. The sun is finally out (which could change tomorrow; Spring here is wild) and my mood has been great.
Alas, today we start with a sad update. But first -

Listening to - A band called Ghost. Don't recommend for everyone since they do this very tongue-in-cheek occult schtick. But I love his new album and the arena rock sound he went for.

Reading
- Over halfway done with The Restaurant at the End of The Universe and I can already tell we're aiming for a fun finish.
- Started the next story in The King in Yellow.
- Shelved Final Girl Support Group, at least for now. Will be starting Daisy Jones & The Six on Audiobook.

Hendrix's writing is sharp and fun, but this story was just not doing it for me. The titular final girls don't inspire much care in me, and the story hasn't made me all that curious. I acknowledge I may need to approach it at a later point in a different mindset but, for the sake of meeting my goal we're gonna move on. I am opening to coming back to it in the future.
I feel bad since this was recommended to me :/
Maybe his other works will strike a better chord.

*edited, changed book category.

G'morning (afternoon) all :)

Happy Friday to those whom it concerns, let's enjoy the weekend. I always try to look at as my two-day vacation. Makes it a bit more relaxing, despite my propensity to run all my errands in those two days.

Updates:
- Almost done with Douglas Adams novel #2, I'm pages away from seeing how on earth this could possibly wrap up.
- Started Daisy Jones & The Six. I am all on board with the set up; I watched a lot of VH1 as a teenager and really dug the biographies/exposes they did on artists. I'm not 100% sold on Daisy Jones herself, but my research says the author was inspired off Fleetwood Mac, whom I love to itty-bitty pieces. So I'm more than willing to push on; especially since I dig the stories about "The Six" themselves so far.

Good morning all!

Listening to - "Namehage" by Ningen Isu, a well-known Japanese metal band.
(Their name means "Human Chair," which they took from a famous short horror story from Japan by Edogawa Ranpo. They frequently write about classic Japanese literature, horror-related parts of their culture, and even famous horror literature from the west. This song, if you don't know, is based on the kabuki monster of the same name that eats lazy/disobedient kids. Fun/Frightening Fact: It is common practice for moms and dads to tell the actors playing the namahage specifics about their own kiddos, to spook them extra if they've been naughty.

So just picture this going around on stage going "Na magemono wa ine ga?" (Is there a loafer around here?) and then calling out a specific kids name. I'd have cried as a kid :'D )

Book #11 of the Year: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Physical Copy

Oh dear, a sequel. Will do my best not to spoil book one...

The Carefully Worded Brief Summary
One can't be a merry band of space travelers on empty stomach, or at least if one wants to be an effective, merry band of space travelers. And since the president of the whole galaxy has big plans, so mysterious he had to hide it from even himself, he tries to cart himself, his cousin Ford, and earthlings Arthur and Trillian, off the well-loved restaurant at the end of the universe. Well-written satire, near-death experiences, and uncomfortable revelations about earth's history ensue. Oh, and a very depressed android. Not that you cared about him, right? Of course not.
(I still love you, Marvin.)

My Thoughts
Douglas Adams continues to make me laugh, out loud, at almost random. Probably spooks my coworkers when I'm reading but, ah well. To be non-spoilery, these characters remain memorable, the settings get stranger and the story remains equal parts engrossing and enticing, and I could pick apart this story and its commentary for hours.
To spoil, I found myself occasionally put out (by a cow that encourages people to eat it), and then in equal measure enthralled (I love the idea that the ruler of the universe is the absolute of objectivism, but represented like Tom Hanks in Castaway.) Don't even get me started on the big reveal at the end, who the REAL ancestors of earth turned out to be. As useless as they are essential; Ai, y yi.
I will admit I liked the first one better. But this is still an excellent read and I have decided I, very much, want these books on my shelf.

Next - Apart In the Dark - Physical copy.
And I'm already halfway through it in the span of two days, so. That should make it very clear how well this one is doing.

((Edited for a misspelling and formatting I didn't like.))

Hello everyone, been awhile.
Life got complicated for a bit. One of my parents is in recovery from an early morning surgery; work dropped at least eight extra projects in my lap; and I only tonight managed to finish those two novellas I was all into from last week. Blergh.

But enough whining. I owe this a review. And a couple updates, so, let us go.

Book #12 of the Year - Apart In The Dark - Physical Copy


This book is two short novellas smashed into one. But I felt like seperating them is cheating so we'll treat it like one.

Summery #1: "The Pretty Ones"
Picture yourself in 70's New York, during the peek period of the serial killer known as the Son of Sam. Now, picture a firm full of bleached-dyed, perfectly mannicured, almost doll-like secretaris taking their tension and fear out on the resident outcast: Mousy, frumpy, worse than plain-jane Nell Sulliven. She's nothing special, by her own admission, and a constant source of ridicule by the hive's queen bee. But, when an attempt at kindness is misinterpreted, the unthinkable happens. Because, Nell 's suffering in her professional life doesn't compare to the twisted world her family crafted for her, and left for her and her baby brother.

Summery #2: "I Call Upon Thee"
After a massive fight between her and her mother, Maggie couldn't pack up and leave her nice, upper-crust Savannah home fast enough. She left and tried to build a life of her own, away from a home littered with two tragic deaths and enough neighborhood rumors to fill a book of Ridley's Believe it or Not. But one more fasmily tragedy pulls her back. The thing she brought into her home won't be ignored for any longer.

My thoughts
Long story short, this book pulled a Norman Bates on me and caught me completely by surprise. And, oh, The Board-Game-That-Isn't-A-Bored-Game makes another appearance.
My snark aside, I adored these stories. I tore through them once I finally had the time to do so. This author has a gift for writing some twisted, and highly dysfunctional people that she used to very disturbing success. It's one of the only books where I actually read the author's note (confession time I guess, heh) because I geuniely felt curious to what inspired them. I love this book, and I want to read more from this author for sure. I'll look for her next time I'm at my library.

Next: The Mysterious Affair at Styles -Physical Book

Greetings all,
Time to read has been scarce due to work obligations (and some family stuff, with one of them recovering from surgery) but I've made some progress. I've also walked away with a new crochet project and a new show to watch, so, life's been good.

Been Watching- Leah Remini: Scientology And the Aftermath.
- Old one, but free on Netflix right now. Hearing more and more about what goes on with this nut-butter brand of a church makes me all the more nervous about their reach, publicly. How do you tackle the cult with the best lawyers and PR money can buy?

Also Watching- Conversations With a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes
- I should mention that I love True Crime; listen to podcasts for it all the time when I don't listen to my audiobooks. Since The Ted Bundy Tapes were so good I jumped on this one fast. I am appalled all over again almost every new episode, both by this monsters heinous acts and outrageous narcissisms.

Still Reading:
- The Mysterious Affair at Styles, and having to look up a couple a things. Because I am neither British or smart enough to make context clue connections.
- Daisy Jones and The Six, and about halfway through I am having to push to listen. I refuse to drop any more books until I finish one. I feel bad but it's just genuinely messing with me.
- The King In Yellow, because work has only just now given me some quiet time. The grind hurts.

>91 Ravenwoodwitch: Nice to see you updating, Angela.

Organised religion does give me the creeps somewhat in truth when it starts to impinge upon the personal conscience of its adherents. To be fair Scientology is not alone in being open to criticism over such things with the lack of toleration in my own religion being a constant source of worry. Why don't we all spend more time trying to find the things that bring us together over the differences that separate us?

>92 PaulCranswick: I can whole heartedly agree with that statement, sir :). We're stronger together, afterall.

I think Scientology just gets more attention thanks to its famous faces coming in and out of it. It's kinda become the boogyman for "The Big Bad Cult", hasn't it?

Good Morning, All.

Woe is me, today, as the Library Book Fairy has caught up with me. A book I have out (and haven't started yet) ran out of renewals and is overdue. I always feel like I've dissapointed someone when this happens, anyone else?

At any rate, gonna return that one post-hate during work lunch break and get some more reading done. Also, going to look into getting some containers for an outdoor garden on my balcony. Plant-tending always calms my anxieties down and brings me this sense of calm.

Was curious: Does anyone here have experience growing ground cover roses? I was looking into getting some and would love some tips on what kind of containers to get, soil, etc...

>91 Ravenwoodwitch: I haven't watched the Scientology doc you mentioned, but did you ever watch Going Clear? I really can't tear my eyes away from this stuff sometimes. Tim and I started watching Keep Sweet, Pray, and Obey on Netflix recently -- I recommend that one too!

Thanks for reminding me I need to return an overdue book!! My library recently did away with late fines and I try not to abuse their return policy because of it, but it is nice to know I won't be penalized just because I've been busy.

>95 curioussquared: I get that, yeah. I legitimately just forgot I had this one and hadn't been checking my reminder emails. I do wish that our library would drop the late fees, too, but I also understand their reasons.
And I haven't seen those, no, but I'll look them up. There's actually a scientology branch in our neighborhood, and some Christian fundamentalist church (who's name I can't recall atm) so these things trigger my morbid curiosity.

Good morning, gentle readers.
Yesterday got quite hectic towards the end of the day for me. Couldn't leave work until later because of a coworker, made dinner late (first attempt at a stir-fry rice) and I just felt too tired to read in bed or watch anything. Bleck.

But I did finish a short, Clive Barker Novella on lunch break. Review to come.
It's the other book with only a handful of reviews left, so, figured I needed to get it finished. I have to, in fact, reevaluate which books are due when and change around what I'm reading.
We shall see.

Book #13 Of The Year - Tortured Souls: The Legend of Primordium


Buckle in, kiddos; This one gets weird, beyond it being Clive Barker again.
I really wouldn't know how to describe this one myself, so, here's the blurb from the publisher on our own website.

"At once violent and erotic, brutal and strangely beautiful, the novella takes us into the heart of the legendary "first city" known as Primordium, the site of political upheaval, passionate encounters, and astonishing acts of transformation. Lurking at the edges of this extravagant tale is the ancient entity known as "Agonistes," who accepts the pleas of selected "Supplicants," transforming them, through a combination of art, magic, and pain, into avatars of violence and revenge. The story begins when a freelance assassin named Zarles Krieger commits a routine murder-for-hire. This act will lead him to two life-altering encounters, one with the daughter of his victim, the other with Agonistes himself. This conjunction of the human and the inhuman stands at the center of this instantly absorbing creation. With great authority and equally great economy, the book expands to become a portrait of Primordium itself, with its hierarchies, its hidden mysteries, its shifting power structure, and--most significantly--its indelible cast of characters."

In short, another venture into "ancient evils" in which people are turned into monsters and lots of deaths happen.

My Quick Thoughts On The Book
I got what I expected out of it. Clive Barker's trademark gift in describing pain & suffering, ancient beings that screw with humanity, and bare-bones descriptions on everything else. The beginning is very "meh", the middle is so twisted it's absurd, and the ending feels rushed. I wouldn't look for it again, but it was an interesting experience all the same.

But Wait, There's More!
I did some research. The funny part (to me anyway) is that this novella is actually an action figure tie-in. Each character mentioned in all the short chapters within had their own figure, and an illustration provided by Barker. I won't force the figures on you because they are some grade-A body horror, but click here if you have a morbid curiosity. The more I look at them the more I expect to see Blade jump down from a rooftop to kill them, with Nine Inch Nails playing in the background.
But, knowing this, the slap-shot feel of the novella suddenly makes all the sense.

Next Books
- Still Good with the Agatha Christie Novel as it and a handful of others are due. But I will also add on...
- Darkly Dreaming Dexter - Physical Copy.

G'Morning, all :)

I'm sitting real pretty today in a housecoat, ordered from Etsy. This lovely, silk patchwork number (upcycled silk) is making my inner hippie clap with glee. If anyone haunts Etsy feel free to hit me up for the store. She's quite small and deserves more eyeballs for how well the experience was.

Now, onto business.

Reading...
- The Mysterious Affair at Styles may finally be picking up. We finally have a murder, meaning we have a murderer, and the short but awesome Poirot should be ready to hunt them down.
- Starting Darkly Dreaming Dexter Today on my lunch break.
- Finished another story from The King In Yellow and will be reviewing soon.
- No real updates from the audiobook.

"The Demoiselle d'Ys" - The King In Yellow

Stranger and American, Philip, gets lost on the moors while hunting in Brittany. He's rescued by a young woman, the Demoiselle D'Ys, and she takes him back to her castle. There he meets her nurse, and her fellow falconers, making it very clear that Phil is a long, LONG way from home. But, as a strange connection pulls him towards the Beautiful Demoiselle, something else is ready to yank him out.

My thoughts
This one feels like the odd one out to me, in the context of the others. I'm not sure what its connection is to the others, or the overall large horror the book has been painting from the first story. Maybe it will come to me in some capacity later on.

Evening folks.

As I work with my local news station, you can imagine that today has been busy and thus I had to wait until much later for an update. I'm amazed at how calm and professional everyone is taking things today and I hope I can at least mimic it somewhere in my rabbit-hearted chest. It always feels like it's the major bombshells that drop before the weekend, leaving you to chew it on what supposed to be your time off. But my coworkers are truely the best at what we do and I'm so happy to be surrounded by them.
And before you ask, no, I'm not a reporter. In fact, if you see me on TV then there's been a terrible mistake.

At any rate. Updates

(Listening to - "Griftwood" by Ghost.)

Reading
- Darkly Dreaming Dexter and hoo boy, chapter one wastes no time in showing you the horror you've signed up for. Wasn't expecting first person (I haven't seen the show) so I'm excited.
- Listened to a very decent chunk of Daisy Jones & The Six and we've reached the romance between Billy and Daisy I saw coming from twenty miles down, and listening to these two butt heads isn't very fun. I'm planning to finish it this weekend.
- No updates on the other one. Not yet.

Hello all,

It's been a day of reflection and nursing my mental health. After the groceries were bought I've just been spending time with my crochet projects, doing only small
chores. But I did decide to treat myself to a trip to the bookstore. Purchased Gideon the Ninth and Juniper& Thorn to eventually add into the rotation.

-Almost done with Daisy Jones, as it's due in a couple of days.

I can only imagine how busy yesterday was for you! Glad you were able to take some mental health time today. I loved Gideon and am planning to read the sequel this year.

>103 curioussquared: That's so sweet, thank you :) Big National News always makes things hectic at a local news station, especially one of this magnitude. Here's hoping the court doesn't give us another reason to run around like this, eh?

And I'm optimistic about the book; I like the idea of space-necromancers. Just got those library books to peel through first.

Ooof, I hadn't thought about how such a big news story would affect a local news station, but that definitely makes sense. Sorry you had to juggle that with the emotions the news caused. I've been trying hard not to curl up in a ball and weep. So far so good, but it's touch and go...

>105 scaifea: ): All my thoughts with you and others, Amber.

Book #14 of The Year - Daisy Jones & The Six - Audio Book


Brief Summery
This book is the tell all story of the rise, success, and fall of the hit band, Daisy Jones & The Six. Unabridged, with a full voice cast, the audiobook is framed like a VH1-style documentary, based on the affairs & successes of the real band, Fleetwood Mac, and even features a track for one of the band's songs ("Honeycomb").

My Thoughts
At times, this book made me angry. At other times, this book made me sad. Frequently I was angry at the characters in this book. Even more so, I felt sorry for them. Conflicts grated on me with the force of taking a cheese-slicer to the skin of a crocodile; and I was almost proud of the ending. But it feels like the author lost her nerve and, instead of the bittersweet ending where people have moved on to better things and better emotional places, we got a hint that our star-crossed couple will have another chance to get together. Sometimes I wonder if authors are scared to give their readers a sour or not-so-happy ending.

I don't know enough about Fleetwood Mac to know if this is accurate to them or not. I just know I didn't walk away with many positive feelings for the characters. Well written; Not my taste at all. I am reconsidering my desire to see the band get their own biopic.

P.S: Honeycomb suspiciously sounded like "Landslide" from Stevie Nicks. And like elevator music. But I am a raging metalhead and music snob, so take that one with a grain of salt ;)

Next Audiobook - Farenheit 451

Edit: Because sometimes I spell like a fifth-grader, lol.

Starting the day off on a real bad note. Woke up to a listliss cat (who's normally a bundle of energy in the morning) and had to shuffle him off to the larger clinic (since his normal vet is booked). Good news is nothing immediately serious is wrong. He's got a history of infections so we need to scratch that off the list. Frustrating part is that good vitals mean either he's fine, or he's got something subtle that may get worse. I always dearly wish he could speak English and tell me what the problem is.
Got some reading done in the waiting room but not much. Stress makes it hard for me to focus.

>107 Ravenwoodwitch: Sounds like this one was something of a miss! I'm still planning on getting to it this year so we'll see if I like it more!

>108 Ravenwoodwitch: Oh no! Sending good vibes for kitty ❤

>109 curioussquared: Thanks, I appreciate it. He's doing better last I saw; Got him home and curled up in bed. Poor guy's had a history of issues with his gut so we gotta jump on every issue like it could get serious. At least, this time, it isn't dire.
And TBF I think the book has an audience, just not one I'm in (heh.) It did a good job of eliciting emotions out of me, even if a chunk were negative, which I think is a success all on its own. I would rather read this than a book where I feel disconnected and apathetic to the story.

>110 Ravenwoodwitch: Glad to hear it doesn't seem dire. Small issues or signs with cats I feel can turn really bad really quick so I understand the extreme precaution, thankfully they are also quick to jump back. I hope he gets back to normal soon and is feeling better!

>101 Ravenwoodwitch: I read the first few books (I have never finished the series) after watching and loving the show, Dexter. That was one thing I liked about them was the contrast of jumping right into his world and seeing the story unravel from the killer's perspective. I don't remember the books being anything too impressive writing wise, but they were short, fun reads. So I hope you enjoy them and if I see you really liking them maybe I'll go back and finish the series myself, I think I only got up through book 3.

>111 WhiteRaven.17: Thanks:)
I'm actually finding the writing very engaging so far. I think Lindsey's writing goes down pretty smoothly, despite the awful subject matter.
I will admit that the writing itself isn't anything "top-tier" in terms of technique, though, so fair point.

Evening everyone,

The well-wishes are much appreciated by me and the kitty (he's a longhaired black cat if anyone's curious. the Sweetest thing.) Thank you all so much :)
And while his physical came back fine, we're still waiting on some lab results just to be sure.

In the meantime, this was a day I helped that same family member from before with their second surgery. They are also resting well and recovering, so, I'm grateful for the lack of bad news to report. And enjoying the day off from work during a primary election.

Updates:

-For TV I finished the John Wayne Gacy Tapes. I'll spoiler it so no one has to read it who doesn't want to.
33 bodies were found, with 29 alone in his basement crawl space. I think it's pretty easy to forget how heinous this whole matter was until you realize that people were standing, in a Chicago suburb, watching body after body being carted out of the house... likely just down the road from them. It's utterly horrifying.
It's good to see the DNA evidence, too, finally giving the families of the victims some closure.

- Like I told Kro, Darkly Dreaming Dexter Is proving a very entertaining read for me; something about it digests so easily, despite the awful content. Kinda like junk food.

>113 Ravenwoodwitch: Glad to hear things seem to be well right now.

I'll have to ear-mark the John Wayne Gacy Tapes to my watchlist, like you I am highly intrigued by true crime, I originally went to school for forensic/correctional psychology even and Gacy is one I've not specifically read or researched in detail oddly enough, given how infamous he is.

Yes, I definitely hold nothing against the writing, it works and the way you describe it is accurate. I remember them be quick, easy reads because the writing is easy to consume. Glad you're enjoying it. :)

'Ello again everyone!
Since times have been so taxing, lately I thought inserting a minor funny distraction would be helpful to people. Here's a brief moment to laugh and, remember, you have every right to be unproductive if that's what you need.
And here's a kid-safe D&D tiktok that made me crack up, to make your day mildly brighter.

Updates
- I read more of Styles last night, and I forgot how expressive and eloquent Poirot is. I am glad to be reading his dialogue again.
- Started Fahrenheit 451 and, well... I'm sure you all know how it starts.
I hate book gore.

Greetings to my fellow readers! I had the day off for July 4th and got lost in my own "antiwork" haze and forgot to give any updates. Do forgive me.
And if you keep up with the news, yes, Illinois had a shooting at a fourth of July parade. Very far away where I live, thank God, but my heart hurts for the people it did impact (and if I think too hard about the deaths I may cry). I don't wanna talk too deeply about it (since I'm sure I'll be bombarded with talk of it at work) but know that I am just as agitated by this happening again as everyone else.

Now, hopefully not in poor taste, onto the less serious silly stuff. Now that I'm awake from a three-day vacation coma and back in the office. I'm gonna spend my lunchbreak knitting and listening since my hold on The Exorcist finally came back. We're about 30% of the way through it and... well, to be blunt I'm getting uncomfortable. To not spoil, there's things happening that are shocking, sure, but unnecessary in my opinion. I'm hoping it's just a one time thing.

Otherwise...

Updates
- There's some minor pop-psychology happening in Dexter that I'm not 100% thrilled with. Nor is it great that Dex. feels the need to constently remind me he's "empty. I don't need a reminder every other chapter that you're a sociopath, Dex, I get it.
- 1/3rd of the way through The Mysterious Affair At Styles and OMG I forgot how much I adore Poirot. He's expressive, smart, passionate, and a little neurotic. Makes him oddly charming.

Will be in and out all day. Everyone, stay safe and alert.

>116 Ravenwoodwitch: I have a lot of friends in IL since I went to college in Wisconsin and was worried sick; it also definitely confirmed my decidedly unpatriotic feelings yesterday. That's all I'll say about it and I hope you are feeling OK!

>117 curioussquared: Oh gosh, I can't even imagine how sick with anxiety I'd be in your position. Was anyone near there? I hope they're okay.
And thank you, I'm hanging in there. This job is nice in that I'm not directly in the news department but I still get daily doses of "What the World Did Wrong Today" and... that gets bad, real fast.

So. Guess who's officially Down With The Sickness?
(Oo wah ah ah ah. Cough- cough)

I only crack jokes because by the grace of having all my vaccinations (and being not-high risk and in reasonable health) my symptoms are mild. Just feels like a bad cold for me. But I am now sequestering myself away from work to keep everyone else safe. More reading time, I suppose, but I'm also working from home (which I hate, just fyi.)

Let me take the time to tell everyone to still watch themselves and mind their hands; the pandemic isn't over. I'm learning that one the hard way.

>119 Ravenwoodwitch: Yeah, I had it a couple weeks ago. Essentially cold symptoms too. I hope you get better soon!

Oh no! I hope your symptoms stay mild and you're better soon.

Day two of suffering under The Plague (technically day 5 of when my symptoms started)
My chest feels like there's a weight sitting directly on it - and my throat hurts - but my nostrils are reasonably clear again and I have some energy. I wanna actually get some reading done before work but we gotta take the morning nice and slow. At least Im stocked up on cough drops and medicines (because I originally thought this was allergies :p )

Fun fact; this is my second go-around with this disease. I actually caught (and survived) the delta variant back in 2021, and I remember it feeling way worse. However, both then and now, the worst part is the isolation away from things. I do miss being around people so much.

>122 Ravenwoodwitch: I managed to get Delta three weeks before my wedding and also survived but not without a lot of stress! My bachelorette party was a super-spreader event 🤦‍♀️ we were all vaccinated and it was right at that time where everyone thought you were almost 100% protected if you were vaccinated, so we were OK with one of my friends coming who had mild symptoms but had tested negative with a rapid test. If only we had known....

I hope you continue to feel OK! The chest symptoms can't be fun.

>123 curioussquared: Yoicks. Glad you call came out of that okay :)
And thanks. I can tell I'm in better spirits today since I'm dancing a little to my music.
Good luck with the book club :)

Listening To: Lots of Rammstein, a controversial band that tends to rub people the wrong way frequently. One of my favorites since they tend to frequently combine my three loves in media: Metal, Poetry, and Horror (and occasionally true crime.)

Playing: Stardew Valley, and a little Bioshock at night.

Hello all. Your girl is starting to feel a bit more like her old self again :)
I got one more day of working from home tomorrow before I can get back to the office and finish some of the projects I can't do from home. I honestly don't like working in my living space; it messes with me. This is my sacred space away from the world and, here it is, invading it because I'm stuck inside.
I spent my weekend lazing about just to get the vibe back where it needs to be.

Book Report
- Halfway through Poirot's first recorded case at Styles. We've got the poison, mysterious arguments, inheritances, and our detective defending the man everyone thinks killed the victim, oh my.

Glad you're starting to feel better! I also hate working in my living space, it makes me bad at working and bad at relaxing

>126 norabelle414: Yes, exactly. The two must not touch. *nods sagely*

Hello again, all.

Wanted to update that I am doing much better, and have been able to end my quarantine to head back to the office. I have to wear a mask for several days while around everyone but I'm glad to be back to SOME sense of normal (actually felt up to cooking for myself and the roommate the past two nights. Woot! ^^ )

Tunes today are more metal, from the band Lost Horizon - "Highlander (The One)." A prime example of why I love power metal specifically and how damn talented a metal vocalist can get. Give it a listen if you have 12 minutes to spare :)

Book Report
- Almost done with part three in The Exorcist and my discomfort continues. To not spoil much, there's some stuff happening to the small child thanks to the demon that I find gross and inappropriate, and each time they happen it's like a screeching break in my mind.

Hi everyone :)

I fell off Social Media for a bit - sometimes I loose momentum to keep up with social stuff online - but I'm back, at least for now. Still working on the same reads as I haven't had as much time to really sit down and dig in as I would like. Between recovering from COVID, and catching up on some heavy work projects, life has been very tiring.
And tomorrow, I gotta get to the office early for training (it's like they forget I'm a vampire that works the nightshift, the jerks.)

But progress has been made. I am halfway-done with Dexter (I want out of this man's head and away from his cringe jokes, now) and halfway done with the Agatha Christie novel ( we've eliminated the most obvious suspect, and we've teased one that would be 'unthinkable'. I have my guess; am I right? :0) and the audiobooks are slow going as I've been more listening to music lately.

BUT (again) two more stories are done from The King In Yellow; reviews to follow later.

Welcome back, it's easy to slip into needing a step-back from social media. It's tiring. Hope recovery is going well.

>128 Ravenwoodwitch: I can understand your opinions on Dexter - might be why I didn't read them back-to-back and stopped before finishing the 3rd book. Not awful, but I do think I preferred the show and my love of the show carried me through the books.

>125 Ravenwoodwitch: I feel we'd get along quite well as I always like the music references you make and usually play the same games. I bought my friend a copy of Stardew a little while ago and she's been going through her own addictive phase with that game. I've never really listened to Rammstein but I'll add it to my list of bands to check out. Also, the first band I thought of when you wrote metal, poetry, and horror was Otep, some of their songs are more like short horror stories than songs.

>128 Ravenwoodwitch: As someone who has worked overnight shifts for years now, I can sympathize with the early meetings or trainings - easy for the non-vamps to forget some of us function at very different hours. Lol.

>129 WhiteRaven.17: Hello Kro :)
Gave "Ghost Flowers" a listen. Video's trippy, and I'm hearing some sound technical skill; but that sound is not quite doing it for me. I'll give one more track a listen and see how it goes. My music taste tends to fly all over the place but rock and roll just speaks to me emotionally.
And ah, a fellow night-dweller. I'm glad someone gets that it isn't "just two hours earlier."
My friend who has seen Dexter has exposed some similar thoughts to yours, yeah. I think being out of Dexter's stream of consciousness will help immensely

and Good Morning Gentle (and not so Gentle) Readers :)
Listening To:Slipknot playlist (not a great sign this early in the morning ;) ) Definitely not for everyone, unless you like VERY angry, aggressive heavy metal. But, if you want a sample, my favorites are "The Devil In I" and "Unsainted" but newbies should avoid their music videos. They are Artistically Violent (which is to say meant to scare you but make a point.)

Training is done (what I needed to know was at the very end of an hour long session, because of course it was) and I am awake by the graces of caffeine, exercise, and sheer annoyance. I'm focusing on the overtime. Just looking forward to some reading time at my library (which went fine-free recently, holy-cow) and not having to cook dinner tonight (yay for leftovers)
Those reviews to be done later today, I promise.

Dropping in to say hi!

>130 Ravenwoodwitch: One of my libraries went fine-free recently, too. Very exciting!

"The Prophet's Paradise" and "The Street of the Four Winds" from The King In Yellow.

Quick Summaries
The first story is not a story but, in fact, a series of eerie poems meant to reflect the style of the fictional play within the book, and reference back to "The Mask" You 'member, the one about a chemical that turns things to stone? I 'member.
The second is about a very down-and-out Parisian artist, drawn to the room of his neighbor by a derelict cat (good news, no cat abuse here!). The story's end is not what I expected at all...

My Thoughts
I found the poems in the former confusing and conflicting; I suspect that is the point. The second is a slow one, with some honestly creepy build-up towards the end. I was genuinely surprised by the ending - even if it wasn't very original - and I think it flowed nicely.

I have a question to everyone that's separate from my reviews.

Does anyone have experience with the Thriftbooks website/App? I'm tempted by cheap prices but don't know what I'd be getting into. Appreciate any insight :)

>130 Ravenwoodwitch: They are not a go to band for me, but definitely have a certain mood - I'm most familiar with their Hydra album. And same, I've got most genres of music covered, particularly an electro-swing fan but metal and rock go to my core, probably out of nostalgia as it's what I grew up listening to - like your Slipknot listen, brings me right to childhood.
And yes, I do! Thankfully where I work now, they no longer ask me to come in for those 'convenient to everyone but me' meetings and just send me notes to review in my own time.
Stream-of-conscious indeed - if anything, and one of the rare instances where I'd recommend this, but watch the show instead?

>133 Ravenwoodwitch: Seconding this as I've recently been trying to get a hold of some more obscure titles that are no longer in publication that pop up on Thriftbooks but was unsure of their reliability.

>133 Ravenwoodwitch: I don't use ThriftBooks regularly, but I know for sure I used them to buy some of my more obscure readings for college classes (some of those 18th century books and French novels aren't too common elsewhere 😂) and I believe I've placed a few other orders over the years. Never had an issue! I use AbeBooks sometimes, too, but recently learned they're owned by Amazon, so doesn't help if you're trying to avoid shopping there.

How's everyone doing this afternoon? :)

I am having a fine day so far; Got the last of some yummy leftovers (French Onion Chicken Bake with Rice, I have the recipe pinned if anyone wants it) work is going by smoothly; so far the worst thing has been I forgot the dressing for my side-salad today. Saving that one for later >_>

Realized today that Junji Ito has a new book at my local B&N, so expect me to drop everything and read that one in the near future. Otherwise, we still chugging along.

Listening to: "Shot in the Dark" from the ultimate survivor, Ozzy Osbourne.

>136 Ravenwoodwitch: That chicken recipe sounds amazing! Sadly I can't make it at my house since onions aren't even allowed in the door.

>137 scaifea: Aw XD
If it helps, the onions more come from the French Onion sour cream dip.

Anyhow, good afternoon/evening all. Been a busy Saturday; Three birthdays and a family dinner. But a review is to come, soon, for a finished book.

Book #15 Of The Year - Darkly Dreaming Dexter - Physical Book


Hoo boy.

Quick Summery
Dexter Morgan is a blood splatter tech with Miami P.D. But that's not the important part. The important part is that he's also a monster.
Thanks to the guidance of his stepfather, Good Cop Harry, Dexter has become a somewhat avenging angel, killing society's serial killers in a grotesque (but clean), butcher fashion. But Dear Dexter's world is rattled when a new serial killer materializes, one whose kills intrigue him too much to ignore, and who's too far inside his head.

My Thoughts
Positives out of the way first. I genuinely didn't see the twist at the end coming. Congrats, Lindsay, it was a curveball.
I will also admit, that the event that supposedly turned Dexter into a killer is the stuff of nightmares, and a scenario I hadn't expected.

But that's where my praise stops. Lindsay's writing is like cotton candy: goes down fast but is, ultimately, unsubstantial. Dexter's inner monologues are cringy and narcissistic. And while I'm curious, I am not willing to sit any longer in this man's head. For once (and I am pained to say this), I advise people who are intrigued by the concept to just watch the show :/

Next Read - I just started I Am Legend but I suspect I will be temporarily dropping it soon since, tomorrow, I am picking up The Liminal Zone. I hear the call of my favorite horror mangaka and I must answer.

Book #16 of the Year - The Mysterious Affair At Styles - Physical Book


Quick Summery
It's the Hercule Poirot mystery that started them all. Hastings, a medically discharged British soldier, has taken the liberty of documenting the murder and investigation that occurred at the village of Styles. In short: Emily Inglethrop, a naive but philanthropic widow (recently remarried) is poisoned in her bed, and everyone is convinced her new husband is to blame. Luckily, Hastings just so happens to be close friends with a former Belgian soldier who was indebted to Emily for all her kindness to his kinsmen; and he just so happens to be a world-renowned detective (guess who.)

My Thoughts
Let's see, an Agatha Christie novel with a trusting, rich old lady, her newly (younger) husband, and a cast of colorful characters in her manor. What could possibly go wrong?
It's so classic I could die. Tee-hee.
Familiar pieces aside, I enjoyed the read and the introduction to the funny, mustached detective. Christie got me again on the ending and my book even featured a "deleted" scene (an unpublished ending, which didn't change the actual mystery, just where the big reveal was). I still prefer The Orient Express to re-read but it was charming to see where Poirot came from.

Next Read - Haven't quite been able to get to the bookstore today so we're adding another "due soon" book from my library pile.
Suspense and Sensibility

Bonus Read - I snuck in The Yellow Wallpaper while no one was looking, ha. Short story, so I'm not counting it to my total, but I wanted to mention that I LOVED it. Extremely creepy, and the person that was narrating it on my copy (Jo Myddleton) did such a good job.

The Yellow Wallpaper is a great one, I've read it more than once. A few Christie titles are on my TBR but I can't decide which one to start with since other titles have been pointed out to me by readers, but starting with the first one might be the way to go.
Happy reading!

>141 kaida46: Same to you, Deb! :)

I think it can't hurt. I also think the orient express story is a good place to start, too. I was completely new to Christie and didn't find myself lost at all.

Today's Listen - The Smashing Pumpkins, currently "Bullet With Butterfly Wings." Been a rough start and I'm in a mood.

Morning/Afternoon everyone :/

Rough start for me; Nothing serious, just a pattern of small things that annoy me to grumpiness: used too much milk in the mashed potatoes, strawberries I wanted to snack on had mold, stuff like that. Here's hoping that the rest of the day goes smoothly.

Book Report
- I Am Legend - Just starting it, got to chapter five. I'm just gonna say it; Richard Matheson has a strange obversion with his protagonist being without a sexual partner, what with him being the last man on earth. Like, to the point where it's debilitating. It's weird; does that sound weird to anyone else?
- Suspense and Sensibility - First couple of chapters here too and I'm already enjoying myself. The author has a great grasp on what made the characters so likeable in the original story. I'm so relieved to find someone who understands that Darcy isn't "just a jerk who's secretly nice," and doesn't just portray Elizabeth as the snark machine that got past the grumpy. It's a good sign when I'm smiling and laughing on each page.

Crafting Report (Hope Amber doesn't mind if I steal this one, heh)
- Finished two more rows on a crochet, color block shawl that's, like, THREE more from being done. That final stretch is real and I couldn't tell you why those final rounds of hundreds of stitches are so hard. But, they are.
- As if I needed another new project into my bag, I'm eyeballing a "crofter blanket." I really like making crochet granny squares so it's calling out to me.

>143 Ravenwoodwitch: I read a collection of Matheson stories and I really hated his writing. And yes, the main character in I Am Legend's obsession with having a sexual partner in the middle of an apocalypse was so weird. If I recall correctly he was constantly mad at the female vampires for making him horny?

>144 norabelle414: YES. That is exactly what is happening and it's happened five times now. This is such a non-problem in a sea of genuinely interesting/disturbing concepts that it takes me right out of the action.

Evening's Greetings Everyone :)

Listening To - "Dreams" from Fleetwood Mac.

Much better day today. The Roommate helped fix some of the mishaps from yesterday, and sneaked in a very tough arm workout. I'm a bit of a self-health junkie, always on the lookout for some quick and effective routines, and I think this one could work out.

Book Report
- I Am Legend finally got over the weird things and remembered it was a zombie-analogue apocalypse, thank God. Writing is still nothing to write home about but at least we're back to functional.
- Suspense and Sensibility reminds me what it was about Fanfiction I always loved. It has blended the timelines of Pride & Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility with reckless abandon (Bennetts and Dashwoods everywhere, mass hysteria!). This one may join The One With The Zombies as another favorite version of the story.
But no murder or mystery yet. Hope that changes soon or I may get bored.

Crafting Report
*sigh.*
Today, after work. Yes.

Good morning, everyone!

After two days of prep work for an event, today, at work, I finally have some time to update. I have some big news on a personal level: I'm taking the plunge to see a therepist about a couple of issues I've been dealing with since the start of this pandemic. I'm equal parts optemistic and nervous (I saw a therepist once when I was a teenager but that's all) but I know I'm the kind of person who will put off frightening things until the last minute, unless I close my eyes and just go for it.

Wish me luck :)

Listening To - "Moonflower Society" by Avantasia - a powermetal 'group' that's actually just one musician (Tobias Sammet) composing these awesome rock operas while recruiting other metal muscions, classic rock musicions, and such. This one features vocals from Bob Catley I'll link the song later, cause it is a 12/10 on the epic scale.

Highly recomend if metal is a bit too growly/angry for you.

Book Report
- Halfway through Suspense and Sensibility Elinor Dashwood and Elizabeth Bennett are now good buddies. And Kitty is being courted by Elinor's nephew, Harry. I can barely contain my manic glee at the thought It also appears the author is a member of the Jane Austin Society, which puts a lot of her skill here into much clearer perspective.

Craft Report
- I got a square done!.... and I'm not sure I like it :/
It's for a blanket and there's so many holes in it. I wanna try again with some tighter tension, maybe some thicker yarn.

>147 Ravenwoodwitch: Good luck! I've been trying to find a therapist for many years now and it seems impossible. I hope you've found a good one and that it helps!

>147 Ravenwoodwitch: Good luck with therapy! I'm like you -- I think it's something I could benefit from, especially since the pandemic, but it's such a big looming endeavor I haven't even tried to find one. I did do some text-based chatting with a therapist over the Talkspace app at one point, which I had access to through my old job, but I didn't find it helpful and then heard a lot of horror stories about how Talkspace forces their therapists to work so I stopped using it.

>149 curioussquared: Ow :o That's... yeah, no, forcing someone isn't good. That sounds VERY close to the "Happy Friend" from the Presentable Liberty game and I don't like that at all. I hope you find something too.

>148 norabelle414: Oh, I'm sorry :( I struggled until my general practitioner recommended someone, but I know the search is one of the hardest parts. I hope things change for you soon :)

Replies aside, hello everyone :)

The biggest let-down yesterday was work. We had a big event we were at, and a project got dropped in my lap without the equipment I'm comfortable with, and minimal explanation from the person who normally does it (why would he? It was his last day at the office. Jerk.)

On the bright side, new pick-ups from the book store :)

- The Liminal Zone By Junji Ito, which I can't start until tomorrow because I left the books in the car of my errand buddy today. It's been an interesting set of 48 hours, lol.
- Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. I know nothing about her, but the premise is interesting and the cover is gorgeous.
- For The Wolf by Hannah Whitten. I Love fantasy retellings, the little red ridding hood is rife, and it was half-off via a sale.
- Homeland - R.A Salvatore, the first in the Drizzt series. My dad read these, which makes it nostalgic. Funny story: while I was eyeballing it, attempting to make up my mind, I hear a voice: "Go on... you know you wanna..."
I turned and made eye contact with two, older, blue-collar-looking men who had the biggest grins on their faces.

Oooh, Naomi Novik is so good, I hope you like her! I'm a big fan of her Temeraire series too.

Book #17 Of The Year - The Liminal Zone - Physical Copy

Short Description
While stuck sheltering in-place during 2020, Junji Ito created four longer form stories to be serialized in a manga-reader app. I'll summarize each and do my best to keep things spoiler free.

- "Weeping Women Way" - A village where women cry uncontrolled tears for the dead, passing their condition onto a women visiting the countryside with her fiancée. Think of that moment when Alice cried a literal river, and her being unable to physical stop, and you get the idea.
- "Madonna" - Did you know that the characters to spell Madonna in Japanese hiragana can also spell out "witch-woman?" The students at a missionary academy certainly do, and do so often for the wife of their principle. The cold, bitter, angry woman is convinced she's the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary, but she's the only one convinced. Her creeper of a husband is no better, having cheated on his two wives twice and now eyeballing transfer student Maria Amano as "the true reincarnation of Mary." But the current wife has a special power that makes the students truly cower in fear.
- "The Spirit Flow of Aokigahara" - A couple planning a two-person suicide discover the dragon cave, and that a river-like rush of spirits come pouring out of it every night. This spirit flow has healing properties, as the spirits polish away imperfections and impurities. The young man in the couple, dying from an illness, finds himself no longer wanting death and keeps diving in.
- "Slumber" - There's a moment after you wake, briefly, where life is bliss. Then reality in all its unpleasantness comes at you. What would you do if what came rushing back to you were memories of a murder you committed, even though you can't recall when you ever did such a thing?

My Thoughts
I am much more impressed with this book than I was with Sensor. It's great to see what he can do when allowed to write however long he wants, even if most of these were old ideas in a notebook from a couple years ago (remember: always save your writing.)
At any rate, my favorite is the third story as it leans closer into the Lovecraft style of unknown horror (Ito's a big fan if you're curious. Even drew a portrait of him). It also introduces body horror that strays away from the usual mangley/twisty/bloody stuff you may picture. My least favorite was likely Madonna, but only because the ending was a little too close to a b-movie monster without the fun cheese. Still, I do recommend this to someone who wants to try Ito on for size.

Will continue in a new thread here soon. For now, still working on previously mentioned two books.