Top Ten Tuesday #16



 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

 

Top Ten Books I Read In 2013

 

1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
2. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
3. Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
4. The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
5. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
6. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
7. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
8. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marcheta
9. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
10. Fated by Benedict Jacka

 

Feel free to list or link to your Top Ten Books of 2013!

What I read in 2013

2013

 

A Somewhat Complete List of the Books I Read

 

 

1. The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford
2. Burnout by Adrienne Maria Vrettos
3. Fated by Benedict Jacka
4. London Under: The Secret History Beneath the Streets by Peter Ackroyd
5. Slow Boat To Purgatory by Vernon Baker
6. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
7. Song Of The Mountain by Michelle Isenhoff
8. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
9. Invisible Monsters Remix by Chuck Palahniuk
10. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
11. Divergent by Veronica Roth
12. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
13. At the Mercy of the Queen by Anne Clinard Barnhill
14. Lark's Quest: The Search by Barbara Cool Lee
15. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
16. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
17. The Host by Stephanie Meyer
18. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
19. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
20. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
21. Requiem by Lauren Oliver
22. The Arrival by Shaun Tan
23. Maus Vol 1 My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman
24. Maus Vol 2 And Here My Troubles Began by Art Spiegelman
25. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
26. The Prince Of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
27. Free Four: Tobias Tells the Divergent Story by Veronica Rother (short story ebook)
28. Annabel (Divergent #.5)
29. Hana (Divergent #1.5)
Raven (Divergent #2.5) by Lauren Oliver
30. Harry Potter: The Prequel by J.K. Rowling (extremely short story ebook)
31. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
32. Miss Pergrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
33. The New Hunger (Warm Bodies 0.5) by Isaac Marion

34. Monster by Walter Dean Myers
35. Sisters Red by Jackson Pierce
36. Changeling by Delia Sherman
37. Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Petersen
38. Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 by David Petersen
39. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
40. Wither by Lauren DeStefano
41. World War Z by Max Brooks
42. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
43. The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
44. The People Of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau
45. The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne DuPrau
46. The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau
47. The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
48 Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
49. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
50. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
51. Spellcaster by Cladia Gray
52. The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
53. Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
54. I Am Mordred by Nancy Springer
55. The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp by Rick Yancey
56. The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
57. The Curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey
58. The Warlock (book 5) by Michael Scott
59. The Bridge of Dead Things by Michael Gallagher
60. Thief's Covenant by Ari Marmell
61. Dragon's Bait by Vivian Vande Velde
62. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
63. The Enchantress (Book 6) by Michael Scott
64. A Room With A View by E.M. Forster
65. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (re-read)
66. The Archived by Victoria Schwab
67. A Game of Thrones (graphic novel vol 1) by George R.R. Martin
68. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
69. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
70. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
71. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
72. Once Upon A More Enlightened Time by James Finn Gardner
73. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
74. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
75. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
76. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling
77. Quidditch Through the Ages by J.K. Rowling
78. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke
79. Anya's Ghost (graphic novel) by Vera Brosgol
80. Thoreau at Walden by John Porcellino
81. Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
82. Who Could That Be At This Hour? by Lemony Snicket
83. The Fire Chronicle by John Stephens
84. Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth
85. Rebel Spring (Falling Kingdoms #2) by Morgan Rhodes

Started but didn't finish:

 The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Companions by R.A. Salvatore
 Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2) by Robin LaFevers
A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater


The ABC Book Challenge: End of the Year

THE ABC BOOK CHALLENGE 2013
 

This was my first year participating in any book challenge besides a number goal. I also joined a lot of read-a-thons and even the booktube-a-thon. I kind of failed this challenge for not fitting in a K book as well as the hard to find XYZ's.

Here are the books I read for this challenge:

 

A
A Room With A View by E.M. Forster

The Archived by Victoria Schwab

A Game of Thrones(graphic novel) by George R.R. Martin

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

B
Burnout by Adrienne Maria Vrettos

The Bridge of Dead Things by Michael Gallagher

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Tucholke

C

Changling by Delia Sherman

City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

The Curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey

 

D
Divergent by Veronica Roth

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau

Dragon's Bait by Vivian Vande Velde

E
The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens

The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp by Rick Yancey

The Enchantress by Michael Scott

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

F
Fated by Benedict Jacka

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman

The Fire Chronicle by John Stephens

G
Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

H
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

The Host by Stephanie Meyers

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

I
Invisible Monsters Remix by Chuck Palahniuk

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

J
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

K

L
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Lark's Quest: The Search by Barbara Cool Lee

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

M
Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Monster by Walter Dean Meyers

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

 

N 

 The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
  The New Hunger (Warm Bodies 0.5) by Isaac Marion

O

 The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
  Once Upon A More Enlightened Time by James Finn Gardner

P

 Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
  The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
  The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau
  The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne DuPrau

Q

 Quidditch Through the Ages by J.K. Rowling

R

 Requiem by Lauren Oliver
Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes

S

 Slow Boat To Purgatory by Vernon Baker
   Song Of The Mountain by Michelle Isenhoff
   Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
   Spellcaster by Claudia Gray
  Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

T

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
  Thief's Covenant by Ari Marmell
  The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

 

U

V

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

W

 Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
  Wither by Lauren DeStefano
   World War Z by Max Brooks
  The Warlock by Michael Scott

X
Y
 Z  

I plan on doing this challenge again in 2014. I'm looking forward to actually trying to find some U,X,Y,Z's next year. :)



Top Ten Tuesday #15

 

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

 

 

Top Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing Me

1. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

2. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

3. Dracula by Bram Stoker

4. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
(I can't find this book anywhere)

5. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

6. The Cuckoo's Calling by J.K. Rowling

7. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

8. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

9. Emily Dickenson's Complete Works

10. Hemlock Grove by Brian McGreevy

 

 

What books are you really hoping to get as a gift tomorrow?

Stacking the Shelves #17

 

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews that features the books we bought, borrowed, were gifted, and were given for review. 

 

Thrift Store Finds

This haul cost me a little more than usual but I got two gifts in the process so I'm not as bothered by it. That's what I get for bothering to look for books during the holidays. At least I came away with a nice stack. :)

 

From top to bottom:

Child of God by Cormac McCarthy
(I've only read 'The Road' but the blurb on the back of this book was pretty interesting)

 

The Reckoning by Sharon Kay Penman
(A historical novel about medieval England and Wales. I have the 1st book)

 



This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

(I've yet to read her books but I now own 3-4 of them)

 

What I Was by Meg Rosoff
(Author of 'How I Live Now')

(I actually have this same book checked out from the library right now)

 

Sammy Keyes and the Cold Hard Cash by Wendelin Van Draanen

(I wish I had known how long this series was. I only recognized the author)

 

The Sherlockian by Graham Moore

(I got this for my younger sister whom LOVES Sherlock)

 

Killers: The Most Barbaric Murders of Our Time
(I used to have a thing for serial killer books but I don't own any so this is a nice addition to my non-fiction collection.)

 

The Age of Stonehenge by
(This is also a nice addition to my non-fiction shelves. I love British history.)

 

Horns by Joe Hill
(I've read this and own it in paperback but I can't pass up hardcover copies of good books.)

 

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
(One of my fave authors and I couldn't pass up this book even though I already own it. It will make a great holiday gift for my older sister who also loves Gaiman.)

 

------------

 

Have you read any of these? What did you add to your shelves this week?



Books I'd like to Re-Read soon

I'm in one of those moods where I want to read an old familiar favorite but I have a huge stack of library books to get through! I'm currently working on a to-read list for 2014 so I thought I'd make a list of books that I really want to re-read soon. I just re-read The Hobbit earlier this year and it was just as wonderful as I remembered and better because I could see it with new eyes. (We went and saw part 2 to The Hobbit  in theaters and it was awesome. That was our Christmas present to ourselves.)

To tell you the truth, I'd re-read The Hobbit again this year if I didn't have such a huge to-read list. Anyway, I think I will try to fit in at least two re-reads this year.

 

Books to Re-Read

 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

 

It's been years since I read The Gentlemen Bastards books so I really want to read them before I read The Republic of Thieves.

 

 

 

Do you plan on re-reading anything soon? Are you the type of person who re-reads all the time or almost never at all? What books have you re-read more than once? I always find that the best books are re-read and I always love new recommendations!

Top Ten Tuesday #14



Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

 

Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2013

1. Benedict Jacka
I read his urban fantasy novel, 'Fated', at the beginning of the year and really enjoyed it. While I haven't had a chance to get my hands on any of the other books in the series, I am really looking forward to reading more by him.

2. Erin Morgenstern
I read 'The Night Circus' this year and LOVED it to death. It's still the best book I've read so far in 2013. I hope to see more by this author soon. I have a feeling that I will consume anything she publishes in the future.

3. Veronica RothI started the Divergent Trilogy this year and I am also about to finish it. (I'll be reading Allegiant before the month is over with!)

4. Melina MarchettaI read Jellicoe Road on a whim earlier this year and was just sort of blown away by it. I'm looking forward to reading her fantasy series soon.

5. Patrick Ness Everyone has been talking about his Chaos Walking trilogy but I only just discovered him through his book, 'A Monster Calls'.

6. Ransom Riggs
Also one of my new favorites, this authors book 'Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children', is one of my favorites of the year.

7. Rick Yancey
I mysteriously received an ARC of 'The 5th Wave' and loved it. Then I found out that I only live about an hour away from this author and never knew he existed. I ended up reading the first two books in his 'Monstrumologist' series and also the first book in his 'Alfred Kropp' series. I'm really hoping that one day I will be able to make it to one of his book signings since he lives so close. I'd love for him to be the first best-selling author I ever meet.

8. John Stephens
I started his trilogy, The Books of Beginning, this year and loved the first two. I really don't want to wait for the 3rd book! The Emerald Atlas and The Fire Chronicle were so good! They are middle-grade fantasy/adventure but I'd recommend them to anyone in need of a fun story.

9. Lemony Snicket
While I've known of this author for a long time, I've never read anything by him until a week or so ago. He has a very unique and fun to read writing style and I think I will add his other books to my to-read list soon. I'm waiting to read A Series of Unfortunate Events until I can get my hands on all 13 books.  10. Laurie Halse Anderson
Another author that I was aware of but hadn't read until this year.

Top Ten Tuesday #13

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

 

 

Top Ten Books On My Winter TBR

 

1. Matilda by Roald Dahl
2. Frost Bite by Michelle Read
3. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
4. The Stranger by Albert Camus
5. The Ghosts of Kerfol
6. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
7. Throne of Glass
8. Chocolat
9. Girl, Interrupted
10. The Key of Rondo

 

 



Stacking The Shelves #16

 

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews that features the books we bought, borrowed, were gifted, and were given for review. 

Last Week's 'Stacking the Shelves'

Thrift Store Finds

 

 

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk

Looking for Alaska by John Green

The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwall

Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Born Standing Up by Steve Martin

Posession by A.S. Byatt

The Naming by Alison Crogger

The Mirror Prince by Violette Milan

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

The Priestess' of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

The Belgariad by David Eddings

 

 

 



Friday Finds #16



Friday Finds is a blog meme hosted over at Should Be Reading that highlights the books you found and added to your To Be Read list, whether you found them online or in a bookstore and etc. They are not necessarily books that you purchased!

[My to-read list on Goodreads is over 1000 currently so I've probably already added everything and just might be able to keep these lists to a minimum.]
 

Here are the books I'm showcasing for this week!

 

 

The Horologicon by Mark Forsyth
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

 

 



Top Ten Tuesday #12

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

 

 

Top Ten 2014 Release I'm Dying To Read

I had to go do some Goodreads research to see what new books were coming out! I'm so behind on the news here in the book blogging part of the internet.

 

 

The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan(The Heroes of Olympus Book 5)

NO PHOTO

The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey 

(The 5th Wave Book 2)

 

 

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

(Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Book 2) 

 

The World of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin


There probably should be a lot more to this list but because I am so behind on my reading and haven't read a ton of new stuff to know that their sequels are coming out soon.

Leave links to your Top Ten Tuesday so I can catch up on all the new books coming out soon! Thank you!


 



Series I've Started but Need to Finish

I did a Top Ten Tuesday meme on this not too long ago but I need a place to list ALL of the series I've started but haven't finished.

 

[+ symbols mark that the series is not complete and may have more books than I know of]

 

1. The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott (read 4 out of 6) Finished 2013
2. The Heroes of Olympus Series by Rick Riordan (1/3+)
3. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin (3/5+)
4. The Books of Beginning by John Stephens (1/3)
5. Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (1/2+?)
6. Spellcaster by Claudia Gray (1/3.5)
7. Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes (1/4)
8. The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey 2/4)
9. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (1/+)
10. Alfred Kropp by Rick Yancey (1/3)
11. Divergent by Veronica Roth (2.5/3.5)
12. The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare (4/6)
13. The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare (1/3)
14. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (1/6)
15. The Archived by Victoria Schwab )1/2+)
16. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (1/?)
17. Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen (2/3)
18. The Caster Chronicles by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (2/4)
19. Graceling Realm by Kristin Cashore (1/3)
20. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher (1/2)
21. The Chemical Garden by Lauren DeStefano (1/3.5)
22. Mouse Guard by David Petersen (2/3+)
23. Fairytale Retellings by Jackson Pearce (1/4)
24. Changeling by Delia Sherman (1/2)
25. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion (1.5/2.6)
26. Niebla by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (1/3)
27. Slow Boat to Purgatory by Vernon Baker (1/2)
28. The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse (1/3)
29. Order of Darkness by Philippa Gregory (1/3)
30. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman (1.5/2.5)
31. Lost Continent by Catherine Asaro (2/5.5)
32. The Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore (2/4)
33. The Wolves of Mercy Falls by Maggie Stiefvater (2/3)
34. The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice (5/10)
35. Gentleman Bastard by Scott Lynch (2/3)
36. The Magicians by Lev Grossman (1/3)
37. The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry (2/4)
38. The Magician Trilogy by Jenny Nimmo (1/3)
39. The Books of Faerie by Maggie Stiefvater (1/3)
40. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (2/4)  WILL NOT FINISH
41. Dream House Kings by Robert Liparulo (4/6)
42. Soul Screamers by Rachel Vincent (2/way too may) WILL NOT FINISH
43. Bloodline by Kate Cary (1/2)
44. Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton (4-5/way too many)
45. Merry Gentry Series by Laurell K. Hamilton (1/9)
46. The Immortals by Alyson Noel (4/6.5) WILL NOT FINISH
47. October Daye Series by Seanan McGuire (1/way too many)
48. NEW: All the Wrong Questions Quartet by Lemony Snicket (1/4)
49.  

 

There are actually more but I either didn't think they were important enough to write down or I just got tired of continuing the list. The 'way too many's will probably never get read.

 

I've also been trying to avoid starting new series but in most cases with newer fiction, you just can't help it. I really wanted to read Falling Kingdoms but now I have to wait til the end of the year to read the second book. I think I'm going to start waiting until the series is finished before reading it.

Stacking The Shelves #15

 

 

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews that features the books we bought, borrowed, were gifted, and were given for review. 

I haven't done one of these in a while so here are some of the books that I have accumulated in the past month or so, mostly from thrift stores and yard sales. This is only one stack though. I'll have to post the second stack next week since I don't have the photos on this computer.

Thrift Store Finds

 

 

The Titans Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) by Rick Riordan

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Jack Templar, Monster Hunter by Jeff Gunhus
Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy by Jeff Gunhus

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin

Night World 1-3 by L.J. Smith

The Onyx Bridge by Sofia Malamas

 

 

 

 

What have you added to your shelves recently? 

Friday Finds #15

 

 

Friday Finds is a blog meme hosted over at Should Be Reading that highlights the books you found and added to your To Be Read list, whether you found them online or in a bookstore and etc. They are not necessarily books that you purchased!

[My to-read list on Goodreads is over 1000 currently so I've probably already added everything and just might be able to keep these lists to a minimum.]
 

Here are the books I'm showcasing for this week!

 

 

The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman

The Vanishing Game by Kate Kae Meyers

 

 

The Carpet People by Terry Pratchett

 

 

Journey by Aaron Becker
 

 

Sketchboy by Randy Briley

 

 What have you added to your to-read list lately?

Friday Finds #14

Friday Finds is a blog meme hosted over at Should Be Reading that highlights the books you found and added to your To Be Read list, whether you found them online or in a bookstore and etc. They are not necessarily books that you purchased!

[My to-read list on Goodreads is over 1000 currently so I've probably already added everything and just might be able to keep these lists to a minimum.]
 

Here are the books I'm showcasing for this week!

 

Hollow City (Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children #2) by Ransom Riggs
Sarah Faire and the House at the End of the World by Alex Giannini (Illustrated by Abigail Larson)
Rotters by Daniel Krause

I like that these are kind of spooky. I will have to add these to my October/Halloween reads list for 2014. :)

 What have you added to your to-read list lately?



Currently Reading

So I'm still not in the swing of blogging everyday and have been sidetracked with other goals.

I am trying to spend more time reading to catch up to my goal of reading 100 books for the year. I'm currently at 78.

I am reading

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

I've also been reading the Harry Potter Companion books today (because they are so small and will help with my reading goal)

J.K. Rowling

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

 

 

I'm not sure what's next though.

What are you reading?

 

Book Review: The Haunting of Hill House

The Haunting of Hill House

by

Shirley Jackson

Genre:

Horror

Ghost story

My Rating:

☆☆☆

Synopsis:

Four seekers have come to Hill House, a scary old abandoned mansion: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar who had been looking for an honestly haunted house all his life; Theodora, a lovely and lighthearted girl there mostly on a lark; Luke, the adventurous future heir of Hill House; and Eleanor, a strange and lonely woman well acquainted with poltergeists and other psychic phenomena. At first their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable noises and slamming doors. But Hill House is gathering up powers and will soon choose one of them to make its own.

The Haunting Of Hill House is full of horror and mystification and a wit that mixes laughter with chills. Its publication in 1959 confirmed Shirley Jackson as a master at portraying the secret vagaries of the mind, and as a brilliant stylist capable of interjecting the conventions of horror with a psychological complexity not encountered since Henry James. "It is the character of Eleanor and Shirley Jackson's depiction of it that elevates The Haunting Of Hill House into the ranks of the great supernatural novels," Stephen King writes in the introduction to this exclusive Stephen King Horror Library edition. "Indeed, it seems to me that it and James's The Turn Of The Screw are the only two great novels of the supernatural in the last hundred years."

MY THOUGHTS:

I first read this book in 6th grade but I can't remember much about it or if I even finished it. I loved ghost stories even then and perhaps it bored me then since I could get more thrill from an R.L. Stein or Christopher Pike book at that time.

I watched The Haunting when it came out (back when VHS was still a big thing) and I remembered the characters names at least and knew that it was based off of this book. I can say that the movie was one of my favorites for years since I've always had a thing for big, creepy old houses and ghost stories.

Now, re-reading the book seems a little... odd. I have the movie version stuck in my head so much that the book seems wrong. The characters (the main ones) are the same, as is the house (for the most part), and one or two scenes but otherwise, the movie didn't really follow the book at all. Instead, it drifted off into it's own little whirlwind of horror, which is admirable since if it had followed the book closely, no one would have wanted to see it. I hate to compare books to movies but with this one, I can't really help it. I was very disappointed in the ending because it didn't have any depth and turned out entirely unlike the movie and didn't even seem to have a bleak moment or climax.

As for the book on it's own: I wasn't particularly fond of the dialogue. The characters seemed to go on about the oddest things; as if they were old friends having a picnic in the park. Perhaps it was their way of making light of the situation but I couldn't help but think of them all as children. They could be talking about one thing and out of the blue, one of them would say something along the lines of, "I have red shoes." even though it didn't connect to anything they were saying.
I like cake. I changed a light bulb today. I want to go swimming. Giraffe tongues are a foot long.
Similarly, the 'arguments' were hard to discern because they came out of nowhere and were nothing I would really consider an argument at all. It was as if a 'negative force' was pitting them against each other, but the book never went into any dark strain of thought like that and never hinted at such.

So I can honestly say that if I hadn't previously had an inkling of the book and a predetermined opinion thanks to the film, I would have found this book to be quite lacking and boring. There were only two excerpts that I enjoyed and I guess those could be seen as the most climatic and 'paranormal'.

This was my 'Halloween' read for the year.

I'm back! (Sort of)

I've been missing in action for over a month so here are a few excuses!

I took a 'reading break' which sounds horrible considering that I have always been a constant reader and that I have a reading blog here and on Tumblr, but I had a lot of other stuff to deal with and I was also in a reading slump that I couldn't get out of.

 

I did a LOT of crafting and started art journaling again.

 

I started taking Tai-Chi classes which are really fun and relaxing.

I've been doing some 'work' online that pays just enough for me to save up to buy an e-reader soon. 

 

And the big news: My fiancé and I are closing on our first house this week! (If you know anything about buying houses, it is very stressful and time consuming.)

 

All of my books are currently packed away. There are more boxes of books than boxes of almost anything else in the house and they all weigh at least 100 pounds or more. Some I can't even lift. I feel bad for my fiancé. His back is going to shot after moving them all. Good thing we own a dolly.

I just recently went to my local library's bi-annual book sale and accumulated another hundred books (literally). I went twice but the last day is always $3 bag day where you can fill a grocery bag as full as you can and I filled 6 bags with 91 books and 5 DVDs. That cost me a whopping $18 (and sore arms) which is basically about 5 cents per book. I found some great stuff, too, including Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk (a fave), American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (read), some Melissa De La Cruz, some Maria Snyder, Juliet Marillier, a bunch of awesome classics, and so much more. But now those are packed away as well.

So, for now, I'm in transition. We will be moving next week and hopefully I'll have my books unpacked before the month is over with. October is the one month that I plan to read specific types of literature (horror and ghost stories, obviously) and I hope to get to my favorite book sale find, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, which I read for the first time back in 6th grade and can't quite remember. I also really want to read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving this year since I didn't get around to it last year. I have a ton of other obscure ghost stories and a lot of H.P. Lovecraft I'd love to get around to reading soon, too.

I'm probably not going to make my goal of 100 books for the year. I'll probably be busy for a few months getting the house in order. I'll also be spending a lot of time in the yard building a raised container garden for the organic, non-GMO vegetable garden I hope to get started soon. After renting for so many years, having a little bit of land for myself is the most exciting part of buying a house. I really can't wait to get started. I've been spending a lot of time planning it all out and I think I am even going to start a blog to document my progress (and probably my downfalls as well).

As for now, I'm going to go finish up Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead which is my first book in over a month and I'm not even remotely enjoying it. I thought it would help me out of my 'slump' but I was wrong. It might be a while before I get back into the swing of things around here but I'll be back eventually. :)

Friday Finds/Freebie Friday #13

 

 

Friday Finds is a blog meme hosted over at Should Be Reading that highlights the books you found and added to your To Be Read list, whether you found them online or in a bookstore and etc. They are not necessarily books that you purchased!

[My to-read list on Goodreads is over 900 currently so I've probably already added everything and just might be able to keep these lists to a minimum.]
 

Here are the books I'm showcasing for this week!
 

 

The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater

The Shadow Throne (The Ascendance Trilogy #3) by Jennifer A. Neilsen

Prophet (Books of the Infinite #1) by R.J. Larsen

 

FREEBIE FRIDAY

 

 

The Holly Nather Trilogy by Sara Daniell {AMAZON} fantasy

The Casters of Giza by Chris Hambleton {AMAZON} fantasy

Four Corners Dark by William McNally {AMAZON} horror

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Last Week's Freebies

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What did you add to your TBR list this week?

 

Apologies

Many apologies to my followers for being MIA a lot for the past few weeks. I'm stuck in the busiest parts of buying a house, moving, and the plethora of responsibilities that those major life-changers entail. I just have not had the time to update the blog or write up my reviews. When life moves along at a breakneck pace like this, the little things have to take the backburner. I've only finished TWO books this month and one of those was started in July! That's how busy I've been! That's the least amount of books I've read half-way through the month so far this year! Hopefully I'll be able to catch up on everything, including my TBR pile, which keeps steadily growing.

I promise to have a Freebie Friday & Stacking the Shelves post up in the next couple of days!
Don't give up on me! I'll be back soon!

(The worst part of this all is slowly packing up my 1000+ books! I don't like having half-empty shelves! But sacrafices have to be made for the betterment of life and living space!)

Friday Finds/Freebie Friday #12

Friday Finds is a blog meme hosted over at Should Be Reading that highlights the books you found and added to your To Be Read list, whether you found them online or in a bookstore and etc. They are not necessarily books that you purchased!

[My to-read list on Goodreads is over 900 currently so I've probably already added everything and just might be able to keep these lists to a minimum.]
 

Here are the books I'm showcasing for this week!
 

 

 The Unbound (The Archived #2) by Victoria Schwab
Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King
Unbreakable (Legion #1) by Kami Garcia

 

KINDLE FREEBIES

 

 

Veneer by Daniel Verastiqui {AMAZON} sci-fi

A Cast Of Stones (The Staff and the Sword #1) by Patrick W. Carr {AMAZON} fantasy

The Book of Sight by Deborah Dunlevy {AMAZON} fantasy

 

 

Cornerstone (Souls of the Stones #1) by Kelly Walker {AMAZON} fantasy

Heir to the Underworld by E.D. Walker {AMAZON}

Brightest Kind of Darkness (#1) by P.T. Mitchelle {AMAZON} Teen/YA

 

 

Forbidden (Arotas Trilogy #1) by Amy Miles {AMAZON}

The Rise of King Arthur by M. A. Luty {AMAZON} (not on Goodreads yet)

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Last Week's Freebies

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What did you add to your TBR list this week?