Top Ten #161: Horror books on my TBR

Today's Topic: 

Top Ten Horror Books On My TBR

Happy Halloween, everyone! Since this week was a Halloween freebie, I decided to share the top ten horror books I really want to read. I love horror, but I don't read nearly enough of it. You'll notice that, while I read mostly YA, I love adult horror maybe even more than young adult! Let me know if you've read any of these!  

Alone by Cyn Balog

The Creeper Man by Dawn Durtagich

Devour by Kurt Anderson

The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike

The Merciless III by Danielle Vega

No One Gets Out Alive by Adam Nevill

Nyctophobia by Christopher Fowler

Swerve by Vicki Pettersson

They Mostly Come Out At Night by Benedict Patrick

Wax by Gina Damico

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

Weekly Recap: 10/22 - 10/28

TRACY'S HAPPENINGS OFF THE BLOG

Hi, everyone! This week has been (again) fairly uneventful. I mentioned a week or two ago that I was going to do a complete MCU rewatch but, as usually happens, I got a few movies in and got bored. Now I have a stack of movies that I wanted to watch before Thor on Thursday and I highly doubt it's going to happen. Instead, I've been watching TV shows. I spent a few days rewatching the first season and a half of Buffy and then watched the first episode of Stranger Things season 2 last night. I can't wait to watch the rest! But, um, this is a book blog? I've been slowly, slowly making my way through Renegades. I'm enjoying it so far, but it's definitely slow! In puppy news, my littlest one may just have an allergy to something and not an incurable disease! My oldest's allergies seem to be under control with a natural supplement and Zyrtec combination, so yay!

NEW BOOKS THIS WEEK

THIS WEEK I READ

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MC'S HAPPENINGS OFF THE BLOG
Hi, everyone. I'm so glad it's finally the weekend. I had a bunch of fun in New York last weekend. It was absolutely beautiful weather and I got to go to a couple awesome bookstores. But.....then I got sick. Of course. It has been raining all week here and I've felt awful, so it has been a pretty blah week. I'm off to Providence this weekend and crossing my fingers that I miraculously feel better. Providence is one of my favorite cities so I'm really excited to visit. In other news, I picked up a book for fun this week and actually read! I haven't read a physical book in SO LONG. And I'm almost done, too! I might actually finish this book in just one week! It feels so good to relax and read again. Have a great weekend!

NEW BOOKS THIS WEEK

   

THIS WEEK I READ

Nothing read this week!

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

The topic was weird book titles for Top Ten Tuesday
I featured The City of Brass for Can't-Wait Wednesday
Thursday audiobook review of Truthwitch
On Friday I did the Finally Fall book tag

UPCOMING REVIEWS

 

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We're linking up to Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post!

Finally Fall Book Tag

IN FALL, THE AIR IS CRISP AND CLEAR:

NAME A BOOK WITH A VIVID SETTING.

This book blew me away with its vivid world! I often have trouble recalling details about books I've read (even ones I've loved) but I can still remember the world of Caraval.

NATURE IS BEAUTIFUL… BUT ALSO DYING: 

NAME A BOOK THAT IS BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN, BUT

ALSO DEALS WITH A HEAVY TOPIC LIKE LOSS OR GRIEF.

Need I say more?

FALL IS BACK TO SCHOOL SEASON: 

SHARE A NON-FICTION BOOK THAT TAUGHT YOU SOMETHING NEW.

I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but this is one I was forced to read in college. I hated every page, but I definitely learned a lot!

IN ORDER TO KEEP WARM, IT’S GOOD TO SPEND 

SOMETIME WITH THE PEOPLE WE LOVE: NAME A FICTIONAL

FAMILY/HOUSEHOLD/FRIEND-GROUP THAT YOU’D LIKE TO BE A PART OF.

Rhysand and Feyre and the entire Night Court - can I PLEASE go live there??

THE COLORFUL LEAVES ARE PILING UP ON THE GROUND:

SHOW US A PILE OF FALL-COLORED SPINES!

  

Look at all the pretties!!

FALL IS THE PERFECT TIME FOR SOME STORYTELLING BY THE FIRESIDE:

SHARE A BOOK WHEREIN SOMEBODY IS TELLING A STORY.

This book has SO many layers! It's a book of stories and in several of them the characters tell their own stories. Defintiely recommended if you love mythology!

THE NIGHTS ARE GETTING DARKER:

SHARE A DARK, CREEPY READ.

Nevermore is such a criminally under-appreciated series! It's dark and super creepy without being an actual horror series. I'm feeling a reread coming on!

THE DAYS ARE GETTING COLDER: NAME A SHORT, HEARTWARMING READ

THAT COULD WARM UP SOMEBODY’S COLD AND RAINY DAY.

Withering Hope is just about the best book I could find for this category. As it turns out, I don't read particularly short or heartwarming books, but this one did give me the warm fuzzies!

FALL RETURNS EVERY YEAR: NAME AN OLD FAVORITE

THAT YOU’D LIKE TO RETURN TO SOON.

Every year I mean to reread this series and every year I don't. Maybe this year I'll get around to it!

FALL IS THE PERFECT TIME FOR COZY READING NIGHTS: 

SHARE YOUR FAVORITE COZY READING ACCESSORIES!

What more could you need?

SPREAD THE AUTUMN APPRECIATION AND TAG SOME PEOPLE!

As always, I tag anyone who wants to participate! :D

Audiobook Review: Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

Title: Truthwitch (Witchlands #1)
Author: Susan Dennard
Publication Date: January 5, 2016
Publisher: Tor Teen
Pages: 415
Add to Goodreads
Tracy's Review

On a continent ruled by three empires, some are born with a “witchery,” a magical skill that sets them apart from others.

In the Witchlands, there are almost as many types of magic as there are ways to get in trouble—as two desperate young women know all too well.

Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lie. It’s a powerful magic that many would kill to have on their side, especially amongst the nobility to which Safi was born. So Safi must keep her gift hidden, lest she be used as a pawn in the struggle between empires.

Iseult, a Threadwitch, can see the invisible ties that bind and entangle the lives around her—but she cannot see the bonds that touch her own heart. Her unlikely friendship with Safi has taken her from life as an outcast into one of reckless adventure, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safi’s hotheaded impulsiveness.

Safi and Iseult just want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and ship’s captain) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must fight emperors, princes, and mercenaries alike, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

Safi is a Truthwitch, a trait so rare and valuable that she must keep it secret, for fear of being captured and used by those in power. Iseult is a Treadwitch. She can see the threads that bind people together. The two are Threadsisters, sharing a special bond that connects them like no others. When they find themselves in some trouble and a Bloodwitch catches Safi's scent, the girls are split up and must run for their lives. They are finally reunited and find themselves being protected by Prince Merik, a Windwitch, who may have ulterior plans of his own.

It took a long time for me to be able to pick up this book. Honestly, after the extreme hype leading up to its release, I wanted nothing to do with it. I had to wait almost two years for the bad taste in my mouth to go away. I am glad I finally decided to pick it up, though.

In general, there were a lot of things that I enjoyed about this book and some things that I wished were handled differently. I found myself easily getting lost in the story, but when I think back on it, I don't actually know much about the world of Safi and Iseult. The book basically drops you right into the action from the beginning. I didn't have a problem with that, but I found that there was a bit too much focus on the action and not enough on the world building.

I normally find that most female characters annoy me, but I actually really liked both Safi and Iseult. I did find myself sympathizing and connecting with Iseult more, however. I found that Iseult's magic was more interesting to me than Safi's. While Safi's magic is pretty clear cut (she can tell when someone is lying), Iseult's had so many more intricacies and was developed much more. I found her magic fascinating and can't wait to learn more about it.

I also really liked the character of Merik, but I wasn't a fan of the budding romance between him and Safi. The focus of this book was more on the bond between friends instead of romance, which I really appreciated. But, because the focus was not supposed to be on the love story, it made the romance feel jarring and undeveloped. Safi and Merik had no real connections that should make them have feelings for each other, yet they were suddenly madly in love. It didn't make sense at all. It felt like it was shoved in there to please readers who would not have been happy with a book with no romance. It would have been better to have it develop more throughout the series and make readers wait until it felt right.

A note on the audiobook version of Truthwitch: I really do not recommend it. The narrator was pretty awful and the voices were so weird. Safi and Iseult sounded so whiny and the accents sometimes sounded German and sometimes Jamaican. Seriously, invest the time in reading this book in print form because it will be a much better use of your time.

Ultimately, I am glad that I finally picked up Truthwitch because I enjoyed it much more than I expected. Is it on my list of favorite books of all time? No. But I did enjoy getting lost in the story and I will be continuing with the series. I am looking forward to seeing how the series progresses and if any of the points I found disappointing will be developed further in other books.

Can't-Wait Wednesday #15: The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

Happy Wednesday, fellow book lovers! This week's "can't wait to read" is:

The City of Brass

by S.A. Chakraborty

Publication Date: November 14, 2017

Step into The City of Brass, the spellbinding debut from S. A. Chakraborty—an imaginative alchemy of The Golem and the Jinni, The Grace of Kings, and One Thousand and One Nights, in which the future of a magical Middle Eastern kingdom rests in the hands of a clever and defiant young con artist with miraculous healing gifts

Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles.

But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass--a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.

In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.

After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for... 

I just heard about this book this week and I'm definitely intrigued! I love mythology books and The Golem and the Jinni was fantastic! I'll definitely be picking this up as soon as I can!

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Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Wishful Endings.
This meme is based on Waiting-on Wednesday, which went inactive last year.

Top Ten Tuesday #160: Weird book titles

Today's Topic: 

Top Ten Unique Weird Book Titles

Happy Tuesday, everyone! This week's topic is super open ended. I wasn't sure where to go with "unique" but I ended up going with weird. Titles that made me stop and think, "what?" I'll admit these kinds of titles always catch my attention and get me to read, so I guess they do their jobs!  

A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess

Bright Smoke, Cold Fire by Rosamund Hodge

Doll Bones by Holly Black

No Parking at the End Times by Bryan Bliss

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes

The Sandcastle Empire by Kayla Olson

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Stygian by Santino Hassell

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

Weekly Recap: 10/15 - 10/21

TRACY'S HAPPENINGS OFF THE BLOG

Happy Sunday!! This week has been pretty boring and I'm not necessarily complaining. My oldest puppy is back to normal after her allergic reaction scare! The youngest still has a cough after 20 days on antibiotics so it's back to the vet next week to see if all is well (apparently he may have a residual cough from the bronchitis forever?). I met up with Amber from Du Livre on Friday at Epcot and spent some time in the World Showcase! ALA was discussed and I found out June is in New Orleans! I may be going to that one! I also finished watching Breaking Bad, finally. Now I'm in search of something new to watch. Any suggestions?

NEW BOOKS THIS WEEK

Nothing new this week!

THIS WEEK I READ

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MC'S HAPPENINGS OFF THE BLOG
Happy weekend, everyone. Thank you all so much for your kind words and condolences last week. This week has been really long. I visited the house I grew up in one last time because it has been sold. Then I had a wake and funeral to go to as well. It was a very long and sad week. I also found out I need to get some snazzy new reading glasses...and I might need different glasses for distance, too. Hooray! (Haha not really.) This weekend I am off to a big party in New York City. I don't know if I have it in me to party right now, but I'm going to try. It is an absolutely GORGEOUS weekend up here, so I'm looking forward to doing some exploring and maybe stopping in some bookshops!

NEW BOOKS THIS WEEK

Nothing new this week!

THIS WEEK I READ

 

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Monday DNF audiobook review of Jane, Unlimited
I featured The Becoming of Noah Shaw for Can't-Wait Wednesday
Thursday graphic novel review of ApocalyptiGirl
On Friday I shared my Fall 2017 anti-haul

UPCOMING REVIEWS

 

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We're linking up to Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post!

Anti-haul #1: Fall 2017

A few times a year I share the releases I'm most excited about in a Top Ten Tuesday post, but I feel like I never get to share the books I DON'T want to buy. When I saw this concept on Novel Ink a couple weeks ago I knew I had to get in on the fun that originally started on Booktube. The idea of an anti-haul is to share the books you absolutely will not be adding to your shelves and it sounds like the best idea ever! Without further ado, here is my very first anti-haul featuring Fall 2017 books I will not be purchasing.

BEASTS MADE OF NIGHT

This one is surprising even to me because it was featured on a most-anticipated top ten list earlier this year. The cover is gorgeous and the synopsis sounds right up my alley! However, the reviews are in and I don't think I've heard a single good thing from anyone I trust. From what I've gathered the characters aren't very easy to connect and the pace is extremely slow. Better luck next time, I guess.

GODSGRAVE

While every other human on the planet is dying to get their hands on Godsgrave, I couldn't care less. I loved Illuminae so I was quick to grab a copy of Nevernight, but quickly found myself having to put it down. The format absolutely did not work for me. Although I've heard great things about this series, I don't think I'll be reading it any time soon. 

THAT INEVITABLE VICTORIAN THING

Here is another one that has quickly fallen on my priority scale as another that went from most anticipated to anti-haul. Although the cover and concept (again) are both amazing, the reviews from my trusted friends are just not good. I love alternate history but it's hard for me to get excited about a book that everyone dislikes for seemingly great reasons. Again, this book seems to be extremely slow paced with iffy characters, something I'm just not interested in getting into.

WHICHWOOD

I have never met a Tahereh Mafi book I like, which is so disappointing because every single one of her books is gorgeous! Even though it seems like everyone else loves her, I find myself completely unable to enjoy her unique style. I did give Furthermore a chance, but quickly gave up, although MC loved it (and you can find her review on her blog). I definitely won't be reading it, but you can probably expect a review since I can't imagine MC not reading this one!

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Which books are you not excited for?

Let me know in the comments!

Graphic Novel Mini Review: ApocalyptiGirl by Andrew MacLean

Title: ApocalyptiGirl
Author: Andrew MacLean
Publication Date: June 16, 2015
Publisher: Dark Horse Originals
Pages: 96
Add to Goodreads

The premiere graphic novel from underground sensation Andrew MacLean (Head Lopper), ApocalyptiGirl is an action-packed sci-fi epic!

Alone at the end of the world, Aria is woman with a mission! Traipsing through an overgrown city with her only companion, a cat named Jelly Beans, Aria's search for an ancient relic with immeasurable power has been fruitless so far. But when a run in with a creepy savage sets her on a path to complete her quest, she'll face death head on in the hopes of claiming her prize and, if all goes according to plan, finally returning home.

I typically start my reviews with a synopsis of the book, but, to be honest, I am not entirely sure what the plot of ApocalyptiGirl actually was. The main character of Aria is on a mission to find a lost relic that will give her and her people immeasurable power. Her only companion is a cat named Jelly Beans. Aria has been navigating the desolate earth for years, avoiding various groups of people in order to keep herself alive.

When I quickly flipped through ApocalyptiGirl, I wasn't immediately drawn in by the artwork. It isn't bad by any means, but it's not a style that is very appealing to me. Ultimately, however, the art ended up being the best part of the book for me. There is so little plot in this book that it is really difficult to review.

As I said, I was very confused about the story that ApocalyptiGirl was trying to tell. There were giant holes in the plot that left me confused and wondering if I had missed something. For about the first half of the book, I was enjoying diving into the post-apocalyptic world and learning how everything worked. But when Aria's mission was introduced, I felt like a lot of information was missing. There were supposedly two main groups living in the wilderness, but we barely got to see them or learn anything about them. And then when Aria's backstory was finally revealed in the twist at the end, I was so completely confused. I still can't figure out exactly how everything tied together.

Ultimately, ApocalyptiGirl tried to accomplish too much of a story with too few pages. The plot could have been interesting and made for a fun adventure, but there were giant plot holes that were too large for the reader to fill in with their imagination. It takes a lot for me to really dislike a graphic novel, but I was very disappointed in ApocalyptiGirl.

Can't-Wait Wednesday #14: The Becoming of Noah Shaw by Michelle Hodkin

Happy Wednesday, fellow book lovers! This week's "can't wait to read" is:

The Becoming of Noah Shaw

by Michelle Hodkin 

Publication Date: November 7, 2017

In the first book of the Shaw Confessions, the companion series to the New York Times bestselling Mara Dyer novels, old skeletons are laid bare and new promises prove deadly. This is what happens after happily ever after.

Everyone thinks seventeen-year-old Noah Shaw has the world on a string.

They’re wrong.

Mara Dyer is the only one he trusts with his secrets and his future.

He shouldn’t.

And both are scared that uncovering the truth about themselves will force them apart.

They’re right.

I know everyone alive has already posted this book, but I can't wait! I loved the Mara Dyer series so much and, while I never expected another book in the series, I am SO excited to read this one! Noah Shaw was such an incredible character that I can't imagine a book all about him being anything but amazing!

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Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Wishful Endings.
This meme is based on Waiting-on Wednesday, which went inactive last year.

DNF Audiobook Review: Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore

Title: Jane, Unlimited
Author: Kristin Cashore
Publication Date: September 19. 2017
Publisher: Kathy Dawson Books
Pages: 464
Add to Goodreads

If you could change your story, would you?

Jane has lived a mostly ordinary life, raised by her recently deceased aunt Magnolia, whom she counted on to turn life into an adventure. Without Aunt Magnolia, Jane is directionless. Then an old acquaintance, the glamorous and capricious Kiran Thrash, blows back into Jane’s life and invites her to a gala at the Thrashes’ extravagant island mansion called Tu Reviens. Jane remembers her aunt telling her: “If anyone ever invites you to Tu Reviens, promise me that you’ll go.”

What Jane doesn’t know is that at Tu Reviens her story will change; the house will offer her five choices that could ultimately determine the course of her untethered life. But every choice comes with a price. She might fall in love, she might lose her life, she might come face-to-face with herself. At Tu Reviens, anything is possible. 

Oh, Jane. I wanted to love you, I really did. I actually started reading this book twice before I got the audiobook. Each time there was just something that stopped me from getting into it. Still, I knew I would LOVE a story about a weird house and the multiverse. Imagine my surprise when I suddenly realized I had absolutely no idea what was going on and finally just gave up.

Obviously, this is Jane's story. Jane has lived with her aunt since her parents died, but now her aunt is gone too. Upon the invitation of her friend Kiran (and remembering a promise she made to her aunt), Jane heads to Tu Reviens, a mansion on an island where a gala is being held. Once there, Jane... makes umbrellas.

Jane is a super weird character and I can't quite decide how I feel about her. I didn't hate her, but I was also mildly annoyed for reasons I can't quite put my finger on. She was almost too quirky to enjoy. She made a LOT of umbrellas and she talked about them non-stop. I DNFd this at 55% and I'm not quite sure where the romance was, but it seems like it could've gone one of two ways. Unfortunately I reached the end (yes, at 55%) and I really wish it had been delved into at least a little.

Something I did enjoy was the atmosphere Kristin Cashore created in Jane, Unlimited. From the first page things felt just a little bit off. There was never any one thing specifically that made me feel a little uneasy, but I definitely felt an overall sense of something being not quite right. Although, maybe that was unintentional?

So what did I hate about Jane, Unlimited? Remember two paragraphs ago when I said I reached the end at 55%? I reached the first of several endings. See, this book was first conceived of as a Choose Your Own Adventure story. For whatever reason, Cashore chose not to do that and instead this is a book with five endings. To read this book, you have to read five endings. I can only speak for the first one, but it did not feel complete at all. In fact, I didn't even realize it was the ending until I realized I was reading the same thing that had already happened earlier in the book. From what I've read in other reviews, the endings get weirder as they go, including aliens and talking dinosaurs? Maybe that last one was an exaggeration.

This really felt like half a book. The complete story was only about 200 pages long and absolutely nothing in this book was fully fleshed out. The characters never had a chance to develop, the story never had a chance to reach a satisfactory conclusion. I cannot imagine that with five more endings crammed in the last 200 pages, anything would have changed. I know that some people have really enjoyed Jane, Unlimited, but I honestly wouldn't recommend it. It definitely would have been better as a Choose Your Own Adventure, and who doesn't want to read one of those as an adult?

Weekly Recap: 10/8 - 10/14

TRACY'S HAPPENINGS OFF THE BLOG

Hello everyone! Once again I have had a difficult dog week. My oldest puppy started a new (expensive) allergy medication and... she's allergic to it! We ended up at the vet after she ended up with a puffy face and hives all over. She's now back to normal and we're back to square one with the allergies. Other than that, I've spent the week rewatching Marvel movies. I have my ticket purchased for Thor and I'm planning to watch all of the Marvel movies in chronological order before November 2nd!

NEW BOOKS THIS WEEK

THIS WEEK I READ

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MC'S HAPPENINGS OFF THE BLOG
Hi, everyone. It's been another whirlwind of a week. I have had a lot going on and I have a lot left to do, but I am mostly just going through the motions. I unexpectedly lost someone very important to me the other day, and that has been all I can think about. Apologies for the short recap, but I don't have much else to say this week. I hope you all have a great week. Give your loved ones a hug for me.

NEW BOOKS THIS WEEK

THIS WEEK I READ

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

On Monday I shared the update & link-up for the Dystopia challenge
The topic was fall book covers for Top Ten Tuesday
Thursday audiobook review of Vengeance Road
Friday audiobook review of Flame in the Mist
I shared this week in movies in Saturday Screen Time

UPCOMING REVIEWS

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We're linking up to Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post!