This was such an inspiring audiobook to listen to! I didn’t know this book existed until a few days ago, thanks to my friend Autumn for letting me knoThis was such an inspiring audiobook to listen to! I didn’t know this book existed until a few days ago, thanks to my friend Autumn for letting me know about it haha. I wanted to read this because I consider Josh Malerman to be one of my top favorite horror authors, and I love nonfiction books that talk about the love of writing.
I read this even though I’ve never seen Evil Dead, *gasp* I know, how ridiculous ...more
I don't always love Christmas themed romance books, but I do love Rosie Danan, so I decided to give this one a chance. I enjoyed it for the most part,I don't always love Christmas themed romance books, but I do love Rosie Danan, so I decided to give this one a chance. I enjoyed it for the most part, I liked the Chicago setting and the way they are neighbors without being aware of it. She is a standup comedian, and he is an ER doctor, their jobs were interesting in this.
This had some cute moments, but because it's only 55 pages long it didn't have too much depth and will probably be pretty forgettable. ...more
I loved this author’s fiction book, Welcome to the Hyunam Dong Bookshop, so I was really looking forward to reading this nonfiction book about books. I loved this author’s fiction book, Welcome to the Hyunam Dong Bookshop, so I was really looking forward to reading this nonfiction book about books. There were a lot of things I loved about this, I love how cozy and comforting this book felt to read, like someone who truly gets how special books are and the way they can change us and transport us. It was a gentle reminder about why I love reading in the first place, and it was very comforting to listen to this one on audio.
But I also couldn’t help but feeling some of it felt a little surface level or even pretentious? In the second half it was starting to feel like this author had an agenda with wanting people to read more classics or “difficult” books, and that’s fine, but I feel like she also could’ve touched on how it’s also okay to read silly light hearted books for escapism too. The message just got a little muddled for me toward the end and I wasn’t connecting with it as much as I did with the beginning....more
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC copy, this book publishes next month in January!
I always love picking up the new thrillers from RacheThank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC copy, this book publishes next month in January!
I always love picking up the new thrillers from Rachel Hawkins, her thrillers are sooooo readable and easy to binge, and this one was no different. I loved the atmosphere in this book, the stormy beach vibes were great, and I loved the way that hurricanes tied into the mystery, that was very unique. However, I wasn't that invested in the mystery, and this ended up feeling like a middle of the road book for me.
I really liked this one for the most part, I was going to give this book 4 stars until the last few chapters just got a little too cheesy and cringe fI really liked this one for the most part, I was going to give this book 4 stars until the last few chapters just got a little too cheesy and cringe for me. But overall, this was such a fun and entertaining read. I definitely see the comparison to Lights Out, it is very similar in a lot of ways, although I don't think I enjoyed this book as much as that one. But it had similar vibes with the dark stalker romance that still manages to feel very consensual? and fun?
I really liked both Cal and Izzy as characters, and in this book, Izzy is dating this guy who is an absolute d-bag, he's the actual worst. So, I loved any scenes where Cal spent time trying to make Izzy feel better about herself when all this loser boyfriend guy would do is make her feel like shit. The scene where he picked her up like it was nothing will live in my head rent free forever lol....more
This book was so fun and ridiculous and everything I've been missing from thrillers lately! I love books like this with a protagonist who is slightly This book was so fun and ridiculous and everything I've been missing from thrillers lately! I love books like this with a protagonist who is slightly unhinged, and someone who becomes a bit of a stalker to get what they want, and in this case it's a house she wants. I feel like this story had such great commentary about the current housing crisis in America and how impossible it is to buy a home.
This could've been an easy five stars for me, but I just wanted a little more from the ending.
Unpopular opinion alert: I'm so sorry, I really didn't like this. I never felt connected to the characters at all and it felt like this book was tryinUnpopular opinion alert: I'm so sorry, I really didn't like this. I never felt connected to the characters at all and it felt like this book was trying to beat you over the head with its message. But also, this didn't even really feel like it was about books? For the book literally having the title: How to Read a Book, it wasn't really much about books at all? It was more about this random parrot lol. This was not my kind of book.
2.5 stars Ughhhhh this one had so much potential. I love that it takes place in Seattle and that it's inspired by the real bookstore in Seattle. But wh2.5 stars Ughhhhh this one had so much potential. I love that it takes place in Seattle and that it's inspired by the real bookstore in Seattle. But why was this book so boring. I only really enjoyed one of the three perspectives in this story, and for a book about a weird love triangle situation in a bookstore this was soooo boring and didn't go anywhere. I wanted way more mess.
2.5 stars The premise for this was sooooo fascinating and really unique, but I didn't love this as much as I hoped to. I love stories like this where t2.5 stars The premise for this was sooooo fascinating and really unique, but I didn't love this as much as I hoped to. I love stories like this where the character gets a chance to interact with their younger self, it reminds me of one of my favorite movies My Old Ass. This book had so much potential, but it ended up feeling very repetitive and frustrating to read. The ending mostly left me confused with how I was supposed to feel.
I am a fairly new fan of the Scream franchise. I watched the movie for the first time in 2020, and then I immediately watched all the movies and have I am a fairly new fan of the Scream franchise. I watched the movie for the first time in 2020, and then I immediately watched all the movies and have since rewatched Scream a few times, and I really enjoyed this book. I've been loving reading nonfiction books about franchises I've become a huge fan of and getting to hear what was going on behind the scenes and in the writer's room and hearing from the creators themselves and the crew.
There was so much I loved about this. I loved the tribute to Wes Craven and how everyone loved working with him so much. I loved learning about Drew Barrymore's role in the first movie and how she had so many brilliant ideas that they ended up going with. I also just loved the commentary about how Scream was so different compared to the other horror slashers coming out in the 90's.
“What makes Scream so relatable is that the killer, though initially masked and anonymous, is not some monster. It is someone you know who is deeply betraying you in a very traumatic and violent way.”
I feel like that quote is so accurate and that is really what set Scream apart from the rest. I love the Scream movies because they are so smart and clever and self-aware and well written. It was fascinating to learn so many things that were happening behind the scenes, and all the decisions that went into making these films. I also think the timing of releasing this book before Scream 7 comes out is also an interesting choice.
Side note: I'm also such a big fan of The Vampire Diaries and it was crazy to hear how much Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson contributed to TVD and the Scream franchise! They are behind so many amazing things. ...more
This was soooo good. I just finished watching Gilmore Girls for the first time ever last month, so I've been catching up on all the things. I adored KThis was soooo good. I just finished watching Gilmore Girls for the first time ever last month, so I've been catching up on all the things. I adored Kelly Bishop's portrayal of Emily on the show, she's such a complex, misunderstood interesting character. I loved how vulnerable and real and honest Kelly is in this book, I feel like so often people write memoirs only to talk about things they're proud of, and things that paint themselves in a positive light, but I love that she really lets us into her personal life, and talks about some of her mistakes and regrets too. I also loved some of her stories about how she got her start as a dancer on Broadway, I had no idea about her career outside of Gilmore Girls so that was really cool to hear about.
And of course, I loved hearing all about her time on Gilmore Girls and getting to hear more insight and behind the scenes moments. I loved hearing about Kelly's relationship with her own mom and how she connected to the characters on the show because of it. This was such a well written and insightful memoir....more
Ahhhh, this was everything! This is a nonfiction book full of essays from so many iconic horror authors explaining why they love horror and how they gAhhhh, this was everything! This is a nonfiction book full of essays from so many iconic horror authors explaining why they love horror and how they got into it. I think it's so interesting that horror is one of the only genres you might have to explain why you enjoy it.
Some of my favorite horror authors have essays in this collection like Josh Malerman, Jennifer McMahon, Tananareve Due, Paul Tremblay, Rachel Harrison, and Grady Hendrix just to name a few. I love that it starts with an intro to the author, what book to start with and an author who is similar to them, there were a few authors I've never heard of before, and some of them had great essays. Cynthia Paleyos is an author I've never read from before, but her essay made me cry ...more
3.5 stars I didn't love this one as much as I thought I would. I just felt a bit disconnected from the characters, and I didn't love the writing in thi3.5 stars I didn't love this one as much as I thought I would. I just felt a bit disconnected from the characters, and I didn't love the writing in this very much. I feel like this author does a lot of telling instead of showing? This is my second book from this author, and I just don't know if she's for me.
I know a lot of people are saying this is an emotional read, and I can definitely understand why, but it never really hit for me in that way. There were a few very memorable quotes and moments and for the most part I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook. Rebecca Lowman is the narrator, one of my favorite narrators and it was a quick read, the audio is less than 6 hours long. But this sadly is not a new favorite the way I thought it might be.
Here's one of the quotes I really loved: “Eternalism is the belief that everything that is, has been, and will be exists right now and forever, all at once. Presentism is the belief that only what exists in the present exists at all.”...more
This feels like one of those books that was written just for me. I loved everything about this! In a lot of ways, it reminded me of the nonfiction booThis feels like one of those books that was written just for me. I loved everything about this! In a lot of ways, it reminded me of the nonfiction book, Wild, one of my all-time favorites, with the talk about a woman hiking to try and heal herself, and the gorgeous descriptions of nature and trees. I loved reading Valerie's letters to her mother, just from the opening chapter I knew this was going to be 5 stars for me.
“No woman is a star. No woman is a god or a tree or a magician. But for a while, in your arms, the universe was the right size, and I knew where I was.”
I love that this book follows a few different POV's, and I love that this book had so much great atmosphere of the Appalachian trails in Maine. But I also love that it had so many great quotes about motherhood and the sacrifice of being a woman, and also the hardships of being a nurse during the covid pandemic. I also love that we get the perspective from this elderly woman Lana, I just really appreciated her chapters. There was so much to love about this one.
4.5 stars Wow, this was so good!! This book is so gorgeously written and moving and has such great characters. Not only was the plot so compelling and 4.5 stars Wow, this was so good!! This book is so gorgeously written and moving and has such great characters. Not only was the plot so compelling and got so intense and twisty at times, but it also had so many great quotes and moments I wanted to annotate. I love the discussion about childhood innocence in this book and the way we really idolize our parents growing up, and how heartbreaking that can be to realize your parents might not be who you think they are. It was so thought provoking and well done.
This was so entertaining! I haven't had the best luck with Darcy Coates, but this was a good one, might be my new favorite from her. I loved the creepThis was so entertaining! I haven't had the best luck with Darcy Coates, but this was a good one, might be my new favorite from her. I loved the creepy atmosphere in the woods with this book and that feeling like someone is watching you, it had great vibes. I also loved switching between several POV's, one of the POV's we get is from this guy who is kind of a creepy stalker-type and I thought his perspective was especially entertaining. I wasn't the biggest fan of the ending, which is why I didn't give it 5 stars.
3.5 stars This was really good! Goodreads declared this as one of the best horror books of the decade, so I read it for a reading vlog, and I really en3.5 stars This was really good! Goodreads declared this as one of the best horror books of the decade, so I read it for a reading vlog, and I really enjoyed it. It's a post-apocalyptic fairy-tale retelling, following a character named Red. I really enjoyed Red's character, and I like the dual timelines in this book so we can see how her life was before the apocalypse happened. I also thought this had some really good creepy moments with this apocalypse and what happened. I wanted so much more form that ending though.
This one has a really unique concept, and I love when Stephen King writes more sci-fi leaning books like this. But I also think this book just felt toThis one has a really unique concept, and I love when Stephen King writes more sci-fi leaning books like this. But I also think this book just felt too long while I was reading it, there's no reason for it to be over 500 pages, and I was bored throughout so much of the middle of this. It also was a little *too much* about politics for my taste and that also bored me. Don't get me wrong, I love books that include political themes and discussions, but this was too much about the actual politicians themselves and their campaigns and the logistics of things like that that really didn't interest me at all.