Guess Who’s Back?

I’ve been inactive on this account quite a while now, you know, since like November of last year but I’m back.

I’m still going to be doing some list posts like previously and hopefully some unboxings and reading updates but the main I want to try and do is start to write reviews again. I already write reviews on my Bookstagram account but I want to write some more in depth and longer reviews given you can only write so much in an Instagram caption. I’m not sure how often I’ll post yet but I hope to post at least once a week so for now I’m going to try and post every Saturday for the time being as I get back into posting.

I hope you enjoy my posts and reviews!

Thanks, Rachel x

My Favourite Book Genres

I read a lot more genres of book than I used when I started to read when I was in secondary school so I thought I would share with you guys my favourite genres to read. I’m also going to include a couple of book recommendations from each genre for people who may want to get into one of the genres or just for people who like to find new books to read.

My Favourite Book Genres:

• Horror

Horror has always been one of my favourite genres of film thanks to watching Pet Sematary when I was younger but given I didn’t start reading as a passion until I was 15 then I didn’t find the wonderfully terrifying world of horror literature until about a decade after finding my love of horror films. Now I read horror quite regularly and my obsession with macabre fiction is only intensified by Bookstagram.

Horror recommendations:

The Rats by James Herbert

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

NOS 4R2 by Joe Hill

Kin by Kealan Patrick Burke

A Head Full Of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

• Thriller

Thrillers are the kinds of books I can’t read at night. If the story is good then it will likely made me paranoid of the noises my very old house naturally makes and make me think that a murder is hiding in the bathroom waiting for me to go to sleep. But that’s what makes them good, it takes a hell of a good book and convincing writing to make me worry about who’s in my house.

Thriller recommendations:

Eeny Meeny by M J Arlidge

The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda

Hangman by Daniel Cole

The Fourth Monkey by J D Barker

One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M McManus

• Fantasy

Fantasy is the ultimate escape fiction to me because it’s nearly always set a completely different world were magic thrives and creatures of our mythology and lore are real and exist alongside people. I absolutely love fantasy when I’m in the mood for it and when it’s written well you can really imagine yourself in the middle of the story.

Fantasy recommendations:

Throne Of Glass by Sarah J Maas

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

A Darker Shade Of Magic by V E Schwab

• Contemporary YA

Contemporary YA is like my guilty pleasure fiction. I don’t know why, I don’t actually feel guilty about reading it but I guess it’s the fiction that most contrasts my personality and surprises people if they find out that I read because they don’t think someone who reads about serial killers would also read cute romance stories based around teenagers but I love these books and they’re always such easy and quick reads.

Contemporary YA recommendations:

Queens Of Geek by Jen Wilde

Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven

Love Letters To The Dead by Ava Dellaira

• Science Fiction

I rarely read SciFi but I do love it when I do. I just like to wonder what our futures could hold even if it is some post-apocalyptic dystopia. But as well SciFi set in the future it’s one of the few genres I’ll actually read classic books from as well because it’s just wonderful to see what 19th century authors thought now would be like too.

Science Fiction recommendations:

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Journey To The Centre Of The Earth by Jules Verne

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Candor by Pam Bachorz

Slated by Teri Terry

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I love how much the variety of my reading has expanded over the last few years and I hope I’ll find other genres to read as I grow but I’m sure these genres will always be my favourites.

Don’t forget to check out the recommendations if you want some new books to check out!

Happy Reading!

Goodreads Challenge Complete

After a ridiculously long reading slump that lasted about 3 months this summer I decided to change my Goodreads reading challenge from 45 books to 25 because of how little I was reading at the time. I’ve now read 25 books and completed my 2018 reading challenge. Yes it’s not the 40 books I read last year but I’m still proud of my self because I managed to complete my challenge even after major set backs and all readers know the horror of a particularly sticky reading slump.

I won’t be changing my goal again, I’ll be leaving it at 25 but I do hope I’ll be able to get in a few more books before the end of year which is still a fair few weeks away. I hope by the end of 2018 I’ll have at least 30 books under my belt, especially given the last couple of months have been great for my reading and have really helped me catch up after the summer of binge watching TV shows and neglecting the unread masses.

Books I’ve Read This Year So Far:

• Love Letters To The Dead by Ava Dellaira – 4 Stars
• One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M McManus – 4.5 Stars
• Kin by Kealan Patrick Burke – 4 Stars
• Red Rising by Pierce Brown – 4.75 Stars
• Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli – 5 Stars
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline – 3 Stars
• S.T.A.G.S by M A Bennett – 3 Stars
• Geekerella by Ashley Poston – 4.5 Stars
• Queens Of Geek by Jen Wilde – 4.5 Stars
• The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky – 3.5 Stars
• The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda – 4 Stars
• 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill – 3.5 Stars
• Night Of The Living Dummy by R L Stine – 4.5 Stars
• The Ghost Next Door by R L Stine – 4 Stars
• Sour Candy by Kealan Patrick Burke – 4 Stars
• The Island by M A Bennett – 2.5 Stars
• The Chalk Man by C J Tudor – 4.5 Stars
• The Haunted Mask by R L Stine – 4 Stars
• Cycle Of The Werewolf by Stephen King – 3.5 Stars
• Ghost Road Blues by Jonathan Maberry – 5 Stars
• The Werewolf Of Fever Swamp by R L Stine – 4 Stars
• Dead Leaves by Kealan Patrick Burke – 4.5 Stars
• Pet Sematary by Stephen King – 4 Stars
• Heir Of Fire by Sarah J Maas – 5 Stars
• Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater – 3.5 Stars

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After such a long reading slump this summer I really am surprised I managed to complete my reading challenge with time to spare in the year. I do hope I’ll get a few more books in before 2019 but for now I’m just happy that I got this many read when about 3 months ago I’d only read about 7 books.

Good luck with your Goodreads challenges!

Happy reading!

5 Star Book Predictions

I have a lot of books on my TBR, probably around 200 books at this point, maybe I should go on a Book Buying Ban for a while?

The idea behind this post is to pick some books from your TBR that you believe will be 5 stars reads. Once I’ve read them all I’ll probably do an update post to reveal whether my predictions were right so I will be putting all books on this list as high priority reads and I’ll be aiming to be able to update by the start of 2019 if not sooner.

My 5 Star Book Predictions:

• Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

I’ve had this book on my tbr for a while now and I’m excited to read it but I just haven’t got to it yet. It seems like it will be an uplifting story about the strength of young women faced with the double standards of high school.

• Carrie by Stephen King

I’ll admit that the main reason I believe this will be a 5 star read is because I was told that when I’ve read it I will “understand everything” so if it turns out this is not a 5 star I will be very disappointed. But really I’m just excited to read this, especially given Carrie’s mum is apparently even worse in the book and she is my favourite part of the films.

• Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

It’s rare that I don’t like a Contemporary YA book so they usually end up with fairly high ratings. Even though I still haven’t read Fangirl I have seen nothing but good things about it and I have been recommended it so many times that I’m expecting it to become one of my favourite books when I do read it.

• 1984 by George Orwell

When I read Animal Farm I was amazed by the brilliant story and social commentary and even though I rarely read Science Fiction books I am expecting nothing but good things from this book and I’m sure the social commentary of the story will be as relevant today as it was when it was written.

• Hangman by Daniel Cole

I’ve been looking forward to this book since I finished Ragdoll last year. It’s probably my most anticipated book of the entire year since it was released in February and sadly I still haven’t read but I attribute that to my lack of interest in reading thrillers for the most part of the year but I hope to get to it very soon because I am down right positive that I will love as much as the first book.

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I hope I’ll be able to read all these books fairly soon, I may even make these my December TBR so I can make a post in January to update on what I thought about the books and what I ended up rating them.

I hope you all find some 5 star books within your tbr piles!

Happy reading!

Top 5 Authors I Didn’t Think I’d Like

I’ve been skeptical in the past about authors I’ve never read any work of before, being part of Bookstagram does that to a person because you see the hype for these author’s books on the daily and then you start to question if the book is worth the hype or not and sometimes it isn’t of course because everyone has their own taste with books but in some cases the books are worth hype so here are some authors I didn’t consider reading until lately and ended up liking what I read.

5 Authors I Never Thought I’d Like:

• Stephen King

I’ve tried to read King books multiple times over the few years and never really been able to get into his books no matter how hard I tried, I’m not entirely sure why but that has changed now anyway. In October as part of my Halloween TBR I added a few King books and actually managed to read everything by him that I’d added. I was honestly surprised to find that I did enjoy his writing a lot, yes it has issues but his writing did hold my attention and the books/stories I’ve read so far have been pretty impressive.

• Sarah J Maas

If you’ve ever wandered through the world of Bookstagram then you have probably witnessed the adoration for the Throne Of Glass series and A Court Of Thorns And Roses series. They are very much loved and when I joined Bookstagram nearly 2 years ago I was incredibly skeptical of the love for these books but I will admit that I was wrong. I absolutely loved ACOTAR, so much so I read the first 3 books back to back with no breaks and Throne Of Glass was even better. They are brilliant fantasy novels.

• Pierce Brown

I thought Red Rising was just another teen SciFi fantasy novel that’ll have a little action and lots of teen romance. Boy was I wrong. This is an adult novel and it is a great story with lots of elements to it, yes there is romance in it but that takes up very little of the story. This book mostly focuses of someone from the lowest class of humanity infiltrating the highest class of humanity, sound familiar? This is one of the best books I’ve read that used this trope and I loved it so much.

• George Orwell

I’ve never been to keen on books that some would say are classics and this has always been sold to me as a classic novel so I was worried that I wouldn’t like this book at all. In reality this a brilliant book about classes and the corruption of power. It’s a brilliant and bizarre book with talking animals but it also gives commentary on issues that a problem at the time of being written but are also still an issue to this day in some places.

• Becky Albertalli

Love, Simon was a massively anticipated film around the time I started reading Albertalli’s book, it was going to be a much needed coming out film about a teenage boy called Simon struggling with his sexuality which most people within the LGBTQ+ community would be able empathise with. Of course I was curious about Simon Vs but I was also skeptical because this book was carrying a lot on it’s shoulders because of love for it and expectations for it’s adaptation but I ended up loving the book and it quickly became one of my favourites, plus the film pretty amazing too so I am very glad I did read Simon Vs, especially given I’m part of the LGBTQ+ community myself.

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Despite Bookstagram making me someone skeptical of reading works by authors I haven’t read from before it’s also introduced me to a lot of new authors so I’m thankful for that because it’s also made the variety of books I read a lot bigger. I hope I continue to read works by authors I didn’t consider checking out before because it’s always a fun adventure when you find a new author you like.

Good luck finding your own new authors!

Happy reading!

Fiction Wicks Rep Package #1

Last month I was chosen as a Rep for the small UK based bookish shop Fiction Wicks who make lovely fiction inspired candles for bookworms all over the world. I’m so excited to be repping for them, not only because this is my first time as a rep for any company but also because I’ve loved this shop since I first bought some of their candles, one of my favourites being Fiction, a beautiful coffee scented candle which if you know me, you know it’s my favourite scent for candles.

My first rep package has now arrived (sadly a little late given it was meant to be my October rep package), I had no idea which candles were going to be in this pack, I was invited to choose a few candles from the shop I may like and then Sophie would be pick some and send them to me, so it was a fun little guessing game and a lovely surprise when I opened my package!

The candles I received are:

 

• Yellow Raincoat – Inspired by Coraline

Scent = Mango Milkshake. It’s a beautiful creamy, fruity scent.

• Black Flame Candle – Inspired by Hocus Pocus

Scent = Jasmine, Vanilla and Lemon. This smells delightful with a nice floral scent and a little hint of vanilla.

• Midnight Margaritas – Inspired by Practical Magic

Scent= Lime, Orange and Tequila. This has such a beautiful citrus scent.

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The candles I received (2oz jar candles) are part of the Halloween Set which is still available in the shop in 2oz, 4oz or 6oz candles. There’s also plenty of other amazing candles in the shop including candle sets and goodie bags that include a book, candle and other goodies. I do recommend that you check out the shop if you have a love of books and candles!

If you do decide to check out Fiction Wicks then you can use the code BOOKWORM10 to save 10% on your order and all orders you may place while I’m a rep for Sophie.

Happy reading!

October Reading Wrap Up

This month I decided to create a TBR purely because it’s Halloween month and I wanted to get through a few of my horror books for the month. I ended up with a TBR stack of 8 books. I usually read about 5 books at the most in a month so I wasn’t really expecting to read all the books on my stack.

My October TBR:

• The Chalkman by C J Tudor – 4.5 Stars
• 1922 (in Full Dark, No Stars) by Stephen King – 3.5 Stars
• The Haunted Mask by R L Stine – 4 Stars
• Cycle Of The Werewolf by Stephen King – 3.5 Stars
• Ghost Road Blues by Jonathan Maberry – 5 Stars
• The Werewolf Of Fever Swamp by R L Stine – 4 Stars
• Dead Leaves by Kealan Patrick Burke – 4.5 Stars
• Pet Sematary by Stephen King – Currently Reading

I honestly didn’t expect to get as much read as I have. I know some of these books are fairly short but even then I wouldn’t have expected to be on my 8th read of the month. I would have been happy at reading only half of what I have done given last year I barely got one book read in October so I am over the moon with my reading this month. I hope I keep this motivation for reading for the rest of the year so I can get through some more of my unread books because believe me, I have a lot.

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I hope you’ve all had a good reading month too and managed to take a chunk out of your tbr pile. I’ll be trying to keep up this motivation for reading well into the New Year if I can, I’ve almost completed my Goodreads challenge too so I’d like to see how many books I can actually read by the end of 2018.

Have a great Halloween and don’t eat too many sweets!

Happy reading!

The Abominable Book Club: October

All the way from the Accursed Library of Brother Immanas we have a new horror/thriller based book sub box: The Abominable Book Club. Perfect for all you monsters and ghouls out there who love a little touch of the macabre in their books and a hot cup of tea or hot chocolate along with it. Every box has a different secondhand book chosen by the two people who make the Abominable Box and the featured book choice of the month along with a few extra treats.

Included in the October Box:

• Gallery Of The Dead – Chris Carter (Paperback)
• A secondhand book
• Lemon and Black Pepper White Chocolate – The Little Welsh Chocolate Co.
• Tea bags and Hot Chocolate sachets
• Bookmark

The secondhand book included in my box was Velocity by Dean Koontz.

Owen and Gav have said how nervous they were about their first box going out but they should be proud of there achievement. I’ve seen so many unboxings on Instagram by their reps and customers who absolutely love the box and I am of course amongst them. These guys have done a great job and I can’t wait to get stuck into the books, I’ve already got stuck into the chocolate and it is delicious. On top of these two making an amazing first book box they are also really nice people and obviously strive for customer satisfaction.

After I unboxed my own little box of goodies I posted a couple of time on Instagram in my stories about it and mentioned that I wasn’t a fan of tea. I swiftly got a direct message from them about it and they even said they would try and remember to add more hot chocolate to my next box in place of tea. Of course I don’t expect them to and they don’t have to but it is so nice to see that they think about their customers and want to make sure they get the best experience from the box.

I cannot wait for their November box and I would wholeheartedly recommend The Abominable Book Club box to you if you’re looking for a sub box that is not only well thought out and put together but is also reasonably priced and has books to please your macabre little hearts.

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If you want to know more about the Abominable box you can check out their website here. You can also find them on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for updates and information.

The November box is now on sale so go subscribe while you can. They even ship internationally.

Go get your hands on the November box before the monsters snatch them up!

Happy reading!

5 Films To Watch This Halloween

With only one week to Halloween I thought I’d share a few films I think are worthy of watching this Samhain.

If you didn’t know I love horror films and Halloween so of course I try to watch horror films around Halloween every year. Here are my recommendations of what horror films you should watch this Halloween. These films will be part of the horror genre and probably all have at least a 15 age rating (by the bbfc) so if you’re expecting The Nightmare Before Christmas or Hocus Pocus you’ll be sorely disappointed.

• Trick ‘r Treat

Age Rating 15

I watched Trick ‘r Treat for the first time not long ago. It’s set at Halloween and follows the stories of multiple people but everyone’s stories are intertwined in a very subtle, small way. The most common features with all their stories though is Sam, the strange little child wandering the streets with a mask he surely can’t see out of and his trusty pumpkin shaped lollipops. It’s a strange anthology film but it is really enjoyable, it’s more of a gory comedy horror so if you want something a little more lighthearted for your Halloween night then I would definitely recommend this.

• The ABCs Of Death

Age Rating 18

I watched The ABCs Of Death on Halloween about 2 years ago and I had no idea what to expect. The “film” is made up of 26 short stories all my different directors, some well known and some not so well known but all as bizarre as the last. The idea is every story has a link to the letter of the alphabet the director and the title usually reflects that even if the stories don’t. It really is a very strange film so this film is not for the faint of heart. Some stories are scary, some are funny, some are just plain disgusting but they are all unique and this is a great film for around this time of year although you will need the stomach for it so maybe don’t eat too many sweets while watching.

• Halloween

Age Rating 18

Of Course I’m going to add Halloween to the list, the name is literally in the title and with the new film being out why not go back and revisit the original 1978 film? I was considering adding Season Of The Witch, the 3rd Halloween film to the list even though it has nothing to do with Micheal Myers but is still a weird film set on Halloween and and full of scary strangeness. But no, I stuck with the original because it’s a classic horror has great tension in it, definitely the right film for a fright filled night on Halloween.

• Ginger Snaps

Age Rating 18

Werewolves and Vampires are not quite as loved as they used to but there is always room for them at Halloween. This film is about two sisters, one of which is influenced by the full moon. While the werewolf goes off the rails her sister tries to save and get her back on the right track before anyone gets hurt. This is a gory film, the very start is gory and I did not expect it at all. It’s a dark film about werewolves yes, but it’s also a story about the strength of sisterhood. It’s a great film and definitely worth a watch.

• Fright Night

Age Rating 18

Another classic film for you in the shape of Fright Night. I was considering the remake because it is fun but honestly I just think David Tennant acing like a weird mix Russel Brand and Noel Feilding is just too scary even for Halloween. Fright Night is a great film for anyone who likes films about classic vampires, that’s right, no sparkles. It’s a great film with a brilliant antagonist who you’ll probably like more than the protagonists because he’s just that charming. This just a great, creepy vampire film with all the legends you remember about vampires from growing up. It’s definitely worth a watch this Halloween.

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I included age ratings purely for those who are conscious of them but they are British ratings so I have no idea what other countries will have rated these films in term of age. I myself have been watching horror films since I was 6 so if you’re like me you can completely ignore them, besides, they’re guidelines not rules. I hope you all find something good to watch this Halloween whether it’s horror or something completely different. Have fun, eat sweets and try not to get too scared when the dead start to walk on October 31st.

Trick or treat? Remember to give them something good to eat!

Happy reading!

The Month of King

I’ve never really been a fan of Stephen King even though I love horror fiction although not all of his books are horror anyway but I had also never read any King either. I’d tried to read some of his books and quit after a page or so because I couldn’t really get into his writing but that was at a time when I was an impatient reader but now my reading has expanded and I’m more open minded about the things I read. Recently I decided it was finally time to try and properly read some King books so I decided to add some of his books to my October tbr. When I made my tbr I had 8 books on it, three of which were King books and I’m now down to the last book of the 8, Pet Sematary.

• Full Dark, No Stars

For Full Dark, No Stars my main aim was to read 1922 at the least which I managed and it was a great story, I admit I was slightly bored to start with because it had a slow start but once it started to pick up I really started to enjoy it. I haven’t read any further than 1922 but I intend to read at least one story from it over the next few months until I finish it.

• Cycle Of The Werewolf

This was a book I just picked up at the library mainly because it was about werewolves and because it was a short book that looked like it wouldn’t take too long to read which it didn’t. The main thing I liked about the book were the illustrations which I found beautiful in their own strange way but the story was decent too. It was only short so not much room for development or a lot of detail but still a nice little story for late at night.

• Pet Sematary

Pet Sematary was always intended to be one of my first King books and I’m so excited to read it because I have history with Pet Sematary. It is the first horror film I remember watching when I was much younger than I am now and I still love the film so reading the book is a must, especially given the film remake will be coming soon. Hopefully my attention will stay on the book and not wander because I have wanted to read this book for so long now. I’m sure this book will be a great end to my October tbr.

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I’ve had a really good month of reading this October (usually I average about 4 books) and I hope that I may even fit in another book too depending how long it takes me to read Pet Sematary. I’m so glad I got some King read and hopefully this will lead onto a long adventure of reading more King books because there are plenty to read and I have a fair amount at home to pick from.

Remember to be careful around the local vicar, he may start howling at the full moon.

Happy reading!