BW39: October Spooktacular

 

Happy Sunday! It's that time of year to put together your spooky reading list for our October spooktacular.  The first books that always come to mind are Frankenstein or Dracula which surprisingly defy all expectations from their movie counterparts, so if you've never read them, now would be a good time to do so.  And then there are the reimagined takes on the stories which are just as good.  

 Frankenstein Reimagined   -  Dean Koontz Prodigal son was excellent which lead me to read the whole series. 

 Dracula Reimagined - Dacre Stoker as well as Kim Newman are great go to authors.

Spooky doesn't equal horror.  I have a really hard time with blood and guts horror books or movies. I had to hide my eyes several times during the viewing of the latest series of Alien Earth. LOL! It was scary good, but oh my goodness.  

Stories with emotional, pee in your pants scary, moments filled with tension that make you laugh or cry.  Mind bending stories with devious and conniving characters and lots of twists and turns. Stories that make you think and go whoa, I didn't see that coming. From psychological thrillers that entertain, thrill, or shock to cozy mysteries for the faint of heart, there is a little bit of something for every one. 

Seven Fairytale Retellings Transformed into Horror -  The Book Eaters is currently on my list to read.

Build Your Spooky Season TBR With These New October Releases!

Ghost Themed Cozy Mystery Series

Happy Reading! 

BW38: Autumn is upon us

 

Happy Sunday! Autumn is upon us as nature paints the landscape with yellow, red, orange, purple, and more while we walk through crackling leaves, crisp air and the fragrant smells of pumpkin and cinnamon and woodsmoke. Fall is also a great time to curl up, nice and cozy, with a good book or two or three with Fall vibes, that reminds you of fall, set in the fall, has fall in the title, is all about pumpkin baking or a pumpkin criminal.  So many ways to go with our Autumn reads.   

Autumn Fires

by 

Robert Louis Stevenson

In the other gardens

   And all up in the vale,

From the autumn bonfires

   See the smoke trail!

Pleasant summer over, 

   And all the summer flowers,

The red fire blazes,

   The grey smoke towers.

Sing a song of seasons!

   Something bright in all!

Flowers in the summer,

   Fires in the fall! 

Happy reading! 

BW37: 52 Books Bingo: Picaresque Literature

 

Happy Sunday.  Our next 52 Books Bingo category is Picaresque literature which according to litreactor:  "typically describes a low-born hero or rogue who uses his wits to wander through various branches of society without truly belonging to any of them, moving from adventure to adventure."  The  picaresque genre was established with the anonymously published Lazarillo De Tormes in the 1500's  during the Spanish inquisition. 

The Picaresque Novel: What It is and Why You Should Try Reading One

The Greatest Picaresque Books of All Time - a huge interesting and eclectic list in which I've read very few such as Don Quixote, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Gulliver's Travels, Hopscotch, White Noise, Glory Road, and the Undertaking of Hart and Mercy.

Beyond Dickens: 8 Picaresque Novels For The Modern Reader

Happy reading! 

BW36: Quintessential literature

 

Happy Sunday! What is Quintessential literature?  Well, that depends on your point of view.  What do you consider significant, or which book do you think has literary merit, has historical significance?  What does the world at large think? Whose definition do you go by?   

Mental Floss 13 Quintessential Gen X Books

Book Bub's 76 Books and Novels That Everyone Should Read in Their Lifetime.  I've read 23 and several on the shelves waiting to be read. 

Penguin Random House The Must-Read Books of 2025 (So Far)  An eclectic list of which I've read other books by most of the authors but not these books. 

I'm still working my way through Peter Boxall's 1001 Books to Read before you Die. Periodically I'll thumb through the pages, check off the books I've read, notate which ones I have on my shelves, and mark the ones I know I'll never read. But then again, my interests might change in 10 years, so they'll get a second or third chance. 

Have you discovered that there are books you wouldn't have read ten, twenty, thirty years ago, that now they spark your interest? Yes, me too. 

 Happy reading!