October Reads

 

Reviews Week 43

  Reviews Week 43

October 24th-30th

Book 146: The Castle of Tangled Magic

by Sophie Anderson

Read on October 25th-26th

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This book was a lot of fun to read. I enjoyed the world and the fantastical aspects throughout the entire thing. My favorite parts of the book were the bits of Russian culture, and the spirits Olia finds in the castle and The Land of Forbidden Magic. It makes me want to read the other Slavic tales that Sophie took inspiration from.

I also loved the familial elements and how connected Olia was to her family. It's great when a fantasy novel has such a big focus on family. They each played an essential role in the story and Olia's life.

I loved the fantasy land created in this book and the illustrations were wonderful. I will definitely be picking up the rest of Sophie's books soon. Especially The House with Chicken Legs because I have a feeling, I know who that one is about after the ending of this one.

Book 147: The Library of the Unwritten

by A. J. Hackwith

Read on October 27th-30th

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The concept of this book is so intriguing. I love the idea of a library filled with unwritten books by people and how those characters can escape from their books. The concept of an author being able to meet their characters will always excite me. I enjoyed this book's storyline a lot and the characters we follow throughout.

Claire, the librarian for this library in Hell, was a character I loved from the beginning of this book. It was great that we learned about some other librarians from the past, especially Bjorn. I loved reading about Claire's battle with Bjorn was such a fantastic idea.

Also, the found family elements were outstanding. That will always be my favorite trope in books. I will definitely pick up the second book in this series.

All About Halloween Book Tag

I found this tag on Zezee with Books Blog. The tag's creator is CatFairy Books, but their blog isn't active anymore. 

1.) What are your favorite Halloween movies?

    🎃 Tower of Terror, Halloweentown, Halloweentown 2, Hocus Pocus, Beetlejuice, Casper, Under Wraps, Scream, and Interview with a Vampire

2.) What is your favorite Halloween book?

    👻 It's not a book, but my favorite Halloween story is the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. That will always be my absolute favorite. 

3.) What other Halloween books would you recommend?

    🦇 Some of my other Halloween books are The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell, Coraline by Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett, Hocus Pocus: Illustrated Edition, The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner, The Midnight Club by Christopher Pike, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, and ''The Tell-Tale Heart'' by Edgar Allen Poe.

4.) Do you own any ugly Halloween sweaters?

    🎃 No, I do have plenty of Halloween shirts, though. 

5. What are some of your favorite Halloween costumes?

    👻 When I was a preschool teacher, I used to love dressing up as different characters for Halloween and for other dress-up days. Here are some of the outfits that I have done. Hermione Granger, Captain Hook/a pirate- for Talk like a Pirate Day, The Cat in the Hat- for Dr. Seuss week, and Alice

6. What are you doing for Halloween this year?

    🦇 I'll be helping out at a Halloween party with my mom, my best friend, and her mom. Can't wait!

7. What is your favorite childhood memory?

    🎃I always loved the Halloween parades we used to do in Elementary school. They were always so much fun. 

Halloween Freebee

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

🎃 Halloween Freebee 👻

For the Halloween Freebee, I decided to do my favorite Halloween Books and Movies. 

 My Top 10 Favorite Halloween Books/Movies 

Halloween Books/ Short Stories

1. Coraline by Neil Gaiman- This book is the perfect mix of creepy, whimsical, with a dash of fantastical elements. Neil is one of my favorite fantasy writers along with Terry Pratchett, who also makes it on this list. I still vividly remember when I read this book years ago. 

2. Hocus Pocus: Illustrated Edition- A new book that I just read this year that I absolutely loved. Hocus Pocus has been one of my favorite Halloween movies since I was a kid, and I was really looking forward to this book. Great book with wonderful illustrations. Gris Grimly will always be my favorite illustrator for these types of stories. 

3. The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner- The Okay Witch series is a great little graphic novel series that I am enjoying. I hope that there will be more in the series soon. 

4. Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett- The Witch subseries is my favorite from the Discworld series, besides the Death books. I love Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat’s little coven, which we are introduced to in this novel. Wyrd Sisters is Terry Pratchett’s take on Macbeth and is such a great novel. I will always love Terry’s humor. 

5. Macbeth by William Shakespeare- Macbeth is my favorite of Shakespeare’s plays. I love the overall story, the characters, but most importantly: the witches. My first experience with Macbeth in school was in eighth grade, when we had to memorize the “Double, Double” scene with the witches. Bonus points if we dressed up like a witch. I still have the lines that we had to do from the play memorized to this day. It was so enjoyable and an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. Later on in eleventh grade, we read the play again and I fell in love with it even more. I have now read the play four times (one time for my Shakespeare class in college and another in my free time years later). It’s the play that I think of most when I think of my love for William Shakespeare and his writing. 

6. The Midnight Club by Christopher Pike- I was recommended this book by a friend in college. Christopher Pike books were a favorite of mine when I was a teenager. I didn't read this one until much later, but man was it a gem. It's probably my favorite of Christopher Pike's books that I have read. 

7. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman- Another Neil Gaiman on the list because I really love his spooky Halloween books. This one was a lot of fun. 

8. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde- The Picture of Dorian Gray has all the Halloween vibes, and it is absolutely wonderful! Also, look at the cover of the Litjoy edition of it. Stunning!!

9. "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe- My favorite of Edgar Allen Poe’s stories is definitely “The Tell-Tale Heart.” I can still remember reading this story back in eighth grade and being so creeped out by it. Edgar Allen Poe is greatly known for his horror, and this was what got me into his work all those years ago. 

10. The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw- I love witchy books so much, and this book had just the right elements for me. Also, the ending was absolute perfection. 

Halloween Movies

1. Tower of Terror- My favorite Halloween movie of all time is Tower of Terror with Kirsten Dunst and Steve Guttenberg. I love this movie with all my heart. It is one of the movies that I have to watch every single year, along with the next three movies. Love the ghost story in this.     
                                      

2. Halloweentown- Debbie Reynolds will always be one of my favorite actresses because of this movie. I grew up watching this movie at least once every single Halloween. There were definitely years that I have watched this movie even more than that. "Being normal is vastly overrated."                                         

3. Hocus Pocus- Another childhood favorite that I enjoy watching every year. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy are great as the witches. This movie is just so much fun and the jokes never stop making me laugh, even after all these years. 

4. Halloweentown 2: Kalabar's Revenge- This list would not be complete without the second Halloweentown, which I think might be my favorite. I love the time travel aspects and what they did with Marnie's story in this one. 

5. Under Wraps- I have not got to see this movie in years because it is never played on tv anymore, I can't get a DVD, and it's not on Disney+. The story in this one is fun with the mummy that the kids find. It was always one that I watched every year on Disney Channel when I was a kid. Hope to see it again soon. 

6. Casper- My other favorite ghost movie will always be Casper. I have always loved the idea of Casper being a friendly ghost and the nephew of such obnoxious other ghosts. Christina Ricci is very good in the movie, along with Bill Pullman as her dad. I just love a movie that you can have a lot of fun with, and this one is definitely one of those. 

7. Scream- I watched this movie in college for the first time and fell in love with it. Surprisingly, I went into the movie not knowing who Ghostface really was. Great movie. 

8. Beetlejuice- Michael Keaton is so darn good in this movie, along with Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara. I love the music and the effects. It's just a lot of fun to watch and enjoy. "Jump in the line..."  

9. Hocus Pocus 2- I have been waiting for this movie for years ever since it was first announced that they were going to make a sequel to Hocus Pocus. The first movie is one of my favorite Halloween movies ever. This movie was so much fun! I loved the references to the original movie and the way that they took the story this time around. The beginning of the movie with the young versions of the witches was wonderful. Those girls did such an incredible job playing the characters, and they really felt authentic. I’d love to see a movie or show based off of them as young Winifred, Mary, and Sarah. Also, the new girls that they had playing the present-day teenagers were great. Here’s hoping they do something with them in the future. This movie had me laughing so hard in parts and tearing up by the end. It was everything I wanted in a sequel to the original movie and just made me so incredibly happy. I will definitely be playing it on repeat along with the first for years to come. 

10. Interview with a Vampire- I am not a fan of Vampires too much at all, so I was never interested in this movie. In one of my classes, we watched and read a lot of horror stories. This was one of the many movies that we watched for the class and I feel in love with the story quickly. It was one of the best movies that I have ever seen. Also, the way the vampire story is taken was so intriguing. I love that Kirsten Dunst made it on this list twice. She was incredible in this movie alongside Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. Someday, I’m going to read the novel by Anne Rice. 

Reviews Week 42

 Reviews Week 42

October 17th-23rd

Book 140: The Journey: Big Panda 

and Tiny Dragon

By James Norbury 

Read on October 17th

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This book was wonderful! I loved the journey that Big Panda and Tiny Dragon went on this time. These books always make me think of Winnie the Pooh with the messages. Also, the artwork is absolutely stunning.

Book 141: The Dreaming Vol 1: 

Pathways and Emanations

By Simon Spurrier

Read on October 16th-17th

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The reason I’m giving this book two stars is because the artwork was beautiful, and I did enjoy the beginning of this. If not for the beautiful artwork, I would have given it a one-star. After a certain point though, I did not like the story at all. It’s sad because I was excited to read more stories in The Sandman Universe, but this just wasn’t what I wanted at all. Very disappointing.

Book 142: Delirium's Party: 

A Little Endless Storybook

By Jill Thompson

Read on October 18th

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This book was very cute and I’m glad that they decided to do more of A Little Endless stories. I really enjoyed the ones from The Sandman comics. Delirium is a good choice to be the main character of these, especially with the style. It really fits her.

Book 143: A Little Endless Storybook

By Jill Thompson

Read on October 18th

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Another really cute book. Just like the other one, I like the style. Delirium is perfect for these books, and I will read more of these if they come out.

Book 144: Unseen Academicals

By Terry Pratchett

Read on October 

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I didn't enjoy this book as much as I wanted to, which is true for most of the wizard books. When I first heard the synopsis of this book, I thought that it sounded like it was going to be absolutely hilarious. Sadly, it just wasn't what I thought it would be. 

I'm sad that I only have four more books left to read in the series. 

Book 145: A Very Secret Society of 

Irregular Witches

By Sangu Mandanna 

Read on October 22nd-23rd

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This wonderful book had everything I love in a story, witchy vibes, found family, quirkiness, a cute romance, and a warm cozy feeling. I went into this book knowing that I would love it. 

It was just an enjoyable experience reading every single page of Mika's story. I adored her as a character and the family that she grew to love. Ian, Ken, Lucie, Jamie, Rosette, Terracotta, and Altamira were such great characters, and I loved how close Mika grew to all of them.  Their little family was perfection. Truthfully, I did not want this book to end, though I will say that the ending fit so well with the story. It was absolutely hilarious and beautiful.

“The thing is, being a witch is extraordinary,” she said. “It might seem sometimes that all we are is odd and different, but the truth is, we’re amazing.”

 It was the perfect book for this time of the year, and I know that I will be rereading it again and again. I hope that Sangu will return to this world again someday. This world was just so wonderful. Absolutely perfect in every way!

Favorite One Word Titles

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Favorite One Word Titles (instead of Favorite Words) 

This week I decided to pick my favorite titles that are only one word. 

1. Hogfather by Terry Pratchett- Link to my review

2. Insanity by Cameron Jace- I adore the Insanity series by Cameron Jace, especially the way Cameron took the Wonderland characters. It is an absolutely wonderful Alice's Adventures in Wonderland retelling, that is so twisted, creepy, and an absolute joy of a read.  

3. Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi- One of my favorite middle-grade books ever. This has such a wonderful world. Tahereh has such an amazing writing style that I could not get enough of. I hope she revisits this world eventually. 

4. Stardust by Neil Gaiman- Link to my review

5. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick- I absolutely adore Brian Selznick's books. This is one of my favorites of his books. I love how he uses such beautiful illustrations along with his words to tell a story. He is one of a kind. 

6. Mythos by Stephen Fry- Link to my review

7. Kingsbane by Claire Legrand- This is the only book on this list that I have yet to read. I love this title so much and this cover. I plan on reading it sometime soon. 

8. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke- Link to my review

9. Malice by Heather Walter- Link to my review

10. Circe by Madeline Miller- Link to my review

Reviews Week 41

Reviews Week 41

October 10th- 16th

Book 136: Sparrows in the Wind

By Gail Carson Levine

Read on October 8th-11th

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Greek Mythology is one of my favorite things to read about, especially stuff about the Trojan War. What drew me into this book, to begin with, was that it told Cassandra's perspective on the events leading up to the Trojan War. I have always enjoyed tales of the Trojan princess, who foretells her and her family's eventual demise and is not believed in her predictions. Cassandra's plot in this book is quite intriguing. Her main goal is to try and prevent the events of the Trojan War. I wish that the story was written differently. 

I was not too fond of the book being divided into two parts, the first being Cassandra's and the second an Amazon princess named Rin. Going into the book, I assumed it would be from Cassandra's perspective. It is fine that it wasn't, but if we were going to get another perspective, I think it should have been formatted differently. The book should have switched back and forth between the girls' perspectives. I believe that this would have helped the plot feel not so disjointed. 

I enjoyed the friendship between the girls, but I can't say that I enjoyed Rin's perspective much. Cassandra's was much more interesting to me. In most books about the Trojan War, we get very little of Cassandra; what we get is usually from other people's perspectives of her. I liked how we got to see her in a different light at the beginning of this book. That is what I went into this book wanting, and I’m sad to say it was lost in the middle of the book. 

*Thank you, NetGalley for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.* 

Book 137: Hocus Pocus: Illustrated Edition

By A. W. Jantha 

Read on October 11th-13th

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I adored this edition of Hocus Pocus. Hocus Pocus has always been one of my favorite Halloween movies, and I was looking forward to picking this version of it up. It is basically the movie word for word in written form, with some additions. The illustrations were beautiful! I recommend this to any fan of the movie.

Book 138: Terry Pratchett: A Life in Footnotes

By Rob Wilkins

Read on October 14th-16th

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It was very bittersweet reading this book. My first Terry Pratchett read was Good Omens in 2013, which he wrote with Neil Gaiman. I remember how much I absolutely loved that book. Right before reading it, I had heard about the Discworld series. It was recommended to me because of my love of the humor in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. From the minute I read information about the Discworld series, I knew that I had to read it someday. But with its size, I wasn't sure when that would be. Flash-forward to 2015, when Terry passed away, I made a vow that I would read his series. I had my parents get me the books that were out in the Discworld Collector's Library for my college graduation, Birthday, and Christmas present in 2016. 

I started reading the series in 2017 and have been reading the books ever since. Now in October 2022, I only have five more books left in the series. I am so glad to almost be done with it, but I'm also sad to leave the characters I have come to love so much. It's going to be hard not to have any more adventures with Granny Weatherwax, Death, Sam Vimes, Susan, Nanny Ogg, The Librarian, Tiffany Aching, and many others from the series. 

It was a joy to learn about Terry's life from Rob and his own words. This was such an excellent book that touched my heart from the beginning until the very end. I obviously knew how it was going to end, but that did not make it any less harder to read. This is the perfect book for any fan of Terry's. If you haven't had the joy of picking up one of Terry's books ever, I thoroughly recommend doing so. They are some of the best books that I have ever read, and I know that I will be rereading them every year from now on. Especially Hogfather, my favorite of his books. 

This biography is one of my favorite books of the year. It had me bawling by the end and touched my heart in so many ways. A beautifully heartbreaking book that I'm so glad Rob wrote for Terry. Sadly, Terry never got the chance to write his autobiography for himself, but Rob's book was such an act of love. Beautiful in every single way. 

Book 139: Magic Kingdom

By Extended Play

Read on October 16th

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This book was just as delightful as the first. I love the charm of these books so much and how they make you think of your childhood. They feel so much like Calvin and Hobbes, which I love. The humor in these books is just so much fun, especially with the little girl's stuffed animals. I love how they each have distinct personalities. It was absolutely fantastic. I hope that we will get a third book eventually.