Stefanie's Thoughts: Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon

When Molly shows up on Castle Hangnail's doorstep to fill the vacancy for a wicked witch, the castle's minions are understandably dubious. After all, she is twelve years old, barely five feet tall, and quite polite. (The minions are used to tall, demanding evil sorceresses with razor-sharp cheekbones.) But the castle desperately needs a master or else the Board of Magic will decommission it, leaving all the minions without the home they love. So when Molly assures them she is quite wicked indeed (So wicked! REALLY wicked!) and begins completing the tasks required by the Board of Magic for approval, everyone feels hopeful. Unfortunately, it turns out that Molly has quite a few secrets, including the biggest one of all: that she isn't who she says she is.

Happy November! I've had Castle Hangnail on my shelf since last year when I discovered it through Chapters, but never got around to reading it in 2015, so I figured October would be the perfect month to read this. Then I discovered Disney is making it into a movie, so naturally I knew I had to read it immediately.

I found this book to be adorable. Even though it's targeted to more of a middle grade audience, I feel anyone could read it. The length might be a problem for a younger audience as it's 384 pages, but throughout, the story is illustrated with the occasional full page illustration, which I guess cuts down on the text.

The story is about Molly a witch who has come to fill the vacancy of Castle Hangnail's wicked witch. At first the castle's minions: Cook the cook and her son Angus, Pins a pincushion and resident tailor, Pin's talking goldfish, Minotaurs, Edward the suit of armor, and Serenissima, a part genie type creature. I had the best time trying to pronounce her name. Of the minions Pins was my favorite because who wouldn't love a talking pin cushion with a love for fashion equipped with a talking goldfish. I mean Pins makes outfits for the fish! Followed closely for favorite character is Cook because you don't cross Cook (at one point scones are baked out of vengeance) and when a character asks for a sandwich Cook quickly cuts them off saying there's cheese and crackers on the table.

Together the minions and Molly come together to save the failing castle and try to raise enough money so the castle isn't sold. They go through some rather funny tasks to raise money, some involving moles, a spell changing an animal into another animal and digging up a garden hoping to find something worthwhile to sell. Also you won't find the letter Q anywhere in the castle (read it to find out why) and the castle also comes equipped with a fabulous library filled with spell books galore.

The ending was fantastic and I can easily picture this being made into a movie. I hope Disney does a good job at keeping the charm Ursula Vernon has created and the fun atmosphere where magic flies freely and anything is possible. This was a great way to end October and I can only hope I read another great book like this one in November.

This was a five star read for me.

~Stefanie 

From Book to Movie: Dracula

‘Alone with the dead! I dare not go out, for I can hear the low howl of the wolf through the broken window’

When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula with the purchase of a London house, he makes horrifying discoveries about his client and his castle. Soon afterwards, a number of disturbing incidents unfold in England: an unmanned ship is wrecked at Whitby; strange puncture marks appear on a young woman’s neck; and the inmate of a lunatic asylum raves about the imminent arrival of his ‘Master’. In the ensuing battle of wits between the sinister Count Dracula and a determined group of adversaries, Bram Stoker created a masterpiece of the horror genre, probing deeply into questions of human identity and sanity, and illuminating dark corners of Victorian sexuality and desire.

Yesssss, this is the year of classics for me!! Well, this is only the second one I have read, but that's still two more then I ever thought I'd read.

I have been talking about reading Bram Stoker's Gothic horror for years, honestly years. The 1992 movie adaptation of this book (which we will be discussing later) is one of my top three favourite films ever. Therefore, I knew I needed to read this book. Well friends, it's happened, I have finally read it and I have a few thoughts.

The Book 

     

So, I am now realizing that reviewing a classic is impossible, I can’t do it. What I can talk about is my reading experience, while reading this book. I was pretty excited about finally reading Dracula, because in case you hadn’t noticed yet I am obsessed with the movie. So, I was excited to experience the awesomeness that brought my most favourite film. Dracula, written in 1897 and told through diary entries, telegrams, letters, ship's logs, and newspaper clippings. While this is featured in the film, it’s wasn’t a key factor and I wasn’t expected the entirety of the novel to be written this way. In fact, for the fist chunk I was waiting for the standard prose to begin. I think this waiting is what kept me from really digging into the book. 

Because the story was so familiar to me I kept waiting for certain things to happen, and they never did. I am going get spoiler-y here now- But there is absolutely NO love story between Dracula and Mina in the book. None. This is very different from what we see in the movie, the romance is a big deal. So I was little surprised not to see this in the book. The book focuses mostly on Lucy- Mina’s BFF- who gets bitten by Dracula and is in the process of transitioning. Much to the confusion and concern of her fiancé and his pals. Figuring out what’s happening to Lucy and how to fix is the key plot of this novel. Dracula himself is seldom in the novel, he’s alluded to more than anything.  

In the end, I really enjoyed Dracula- the novel. Once I got used to the way the story was being told, and the fact that the story was slightly difference than the one I knew, I able to experience this classic for what is was. Dracula was beautifully written- even this horror novel had some of the most amazingly beautifully written descriptions. While I was never scared when reading this novel, I could certainly appreciate why some people would be. This novel really would have pushed boundaries back in the nineteenth century.  Now that I am on a roll I feel like I have so much to talk about, however, I think this will suffice.    

 



The Movie

  

The Movie, oh the movie...I actually don't remember the first time I saw this movie, but I feel like I've loved it for a long time. 

You know what makes this movie for me- Gary Oldman as Dracula. Oh man, he was brilliant. I feel like I could spend so many words just gushing over how incredible Gary Oldman was. He brought so much to the character. I found I really hated Dracula, he did some really awful things. But, him and Mina, you just could not help but root for them. He didn't want to be bad right? The voice acting, also was crazily impressive.


Another key player in this movie for me was Sadie Frost as Lucy, she was obnoxious in a good way. Entitled and spoiled, slightly annoying. However, she was completely loyal to Mina and loved everyone. I found that Sadie Frost really brought Lucy to life in an amazingly authentic way.

I just love the whole concept  of the movie, I love the way it's filmed, all shadow-y and mysterious. A little campy, and I love the Victorian feel. I loved Anthony Hopkins at Van Helsing. His Van Helsing was different from book Van Helsing, more eccentric and erratic, but great all the same. I wasn't super thrilled with Winona Ryder as Mina- she was bit meh to me. I didn't like book Mina either, though. I also was a little meh about Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker. But having read the book, I understand Jonathan Harker a lot more, and I appreciate his character in a new way.

I could go on and on, about this movie. But I need to stop. Watch this movie, it's great, and read the book, it's also great. There you have it, my very discombobulated thoughts on Dracula. If you're still with me, I am impressed.

~Happy Reading Everyone! 

Stefanie's Thoughts: The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall

In this asylum, your mind plays tricks on you all the time…

Delia’s new house isn’t just a house. Long ago, it was the Piven Institute for the Care and Correction of Troubled Females—an insane asylum nicknamed “Hysteria Hall.” However, many of the inmates were not insane, just defiant and strong willed. Kind of like Delia herself.

But the house still wants to keep “troubled” girls locked away. So, in the most horrifying way, Delia gets trapped.

And that’s when she learns that the house is also haunted.

Ghost girls wander the halls in their old-fashioned nightgowns. A handsome ghost boy named Theo roams the grounds. Delia finds that all the spirits are unsettled and full of dark secrets. The house, as well, harbors shocking truths within its walls—truths that only Delia can uncover, and that may set her free.

But she’ll need to act quickly, before the house’s power overtakes everything she loves.

Hi everyone! Apologies for my absence last week. It was my birthday over the weekend and I usually write my posts on the Sunday, which is why I didn't have anything up for you. Now that we're just that much closer to Halloween I'm full force reading everything spooky I can find. I'm currently reading Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon and just found out that it's currently in development for a Disney movie (Halloween + Disney = absolute perfection)!

Katie Alender is an auto-buy author for me and I saved Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall for this Halloween, knowing it would fit the mood.

I was really into the story when I first started it. I liked Delia as the main character and was instantly drawn into her narrative. The mystery behind the house kept me intrigued and I was on the edge of my seat trying to see if I could figure out all the mystery behind the house before it was revealed.

However, even though I loved the setting of a creepy old mansion that housed "hysterical girls", I felt the plot itself was a little slow and dry. I was bored throughout because nothing really happened. There were complete chapters where not a single thing happened; then we'd get the next chapter and I'd be back on the edge of my seat. This made the book feel almost too dramatic because it was like I'm going to throw in this twist but not follow it up until fifteen pages later.

The love interest Theo even let me down, because to me it wasn't a true relationship; I felt he was written for the convenience of having a relationship because that's what readers almost expect. Don't get me wrong, I love having a romantic interest but in my mind this would have worked perfectly well without it and just having Theo be one of the regular ghosts. I liked Theo by himself and hearing about his past was actually one of the highlights of the book.

Overall I felt letdown. I was expecting some horrortastic creepy book you normally find from Alender. If she hadn't been the author I think it would have been rated 2.5-3 stars but because Alender wrote it I'm giving it a 3.5 stars, because the ending really did wrap things (mostly) up nicely. I did find some endings were abrupt but we as readers aren't left with some major cliffhanger like The Walking Dead (sorry I don't watch that show but it was everywhere on social media as I was writing this).

Other #Spookathon Reads - Quick Thoughts

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova 

I wasn't feeling it and I'm skeptical if I'll read the next book in the series. I had a hard time getting into the story. It was perfect for the Spookathon though. I'm giving this one 2 stars.

And The Trees Crept in by Dawn Kurtagich

I had super high expectations for this one because her debut The Dead House was amazing. I highly recommend it if you haven't read it. This one had all the creepy aspects I wanted (including snakes in a toilet to a creeptastic manor) but the overall execution if it confused me. A lot of it felt it was randomly written and didn't all come together. The ending was great though giving this one 3 stars.  

I'm saving Fantastic Foursome for closer to Halloween. That's all form me this week. Talk to you guys next week! 

~Stefanie

My Thoughts: This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives

If you have read my September wrap up I mentioned that a few local bloggers and myself started a book club of sorts. Well our first book for said club was This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab. While only two of us actually read the book, props to Ola who is one third of The Autumn Bookshelf for being with me and finishing this book. I actually completed this one fairly quickly and I have a few thoughts about it.

This Savage Song is told from the perspective of our two main characters, Kate Harker the human girl determined to take over her father's empire, and August Flynn one of three rare breeds of monster, with the ability to steal one's soul with the sound of music. Both Kate and August are from opposing teams (for lack of a better word), one is monster, one is human. One is determined to be a hardened criminal, and the other wants nothing more than to be good and protect the community. Somehow, the two end up together in an attempt to figure what's going wrong with their beloved city.

What do I think? What do I think? Well, the first half was SLOOOOOW! Slow enough that if I wasn't so curious about August, I probably would still be reading it. Don't get me wrong, Victoria Schwab is a brilliant story teller, but she spends a lot of time setting the stage. Way to much time. I spent the first half of the book waiting for something to happen.  The second half of the book picks up a bit, but not in a big way. Really, the story was really kind of meh for me. I absolutely hate saying this, but it felt a bit generic. Not the most original plot I have ever read- aside from the city being overrun by monsters. That was pretty interesting, and the process in which the monsters were created (from intense acts of violence) was neat, this is probably why I gave this book a higher rating.

I had some trouble connecting to Kate. I didn't particularly like her- I didn't understand her motif for why she was the way she was. She was angry and rebellious and stand offish in a way and for reasons I just did not get. I found August and his situation way more interesting. August, our tortured monster, who lives his life day by day trying not to lose control and succumbing to the his volatile monster self, his instinct is to feed and he resists this urge like an alcoholic resists their vice. I really loved this part of the story. I also must admit I enjoyed the parts where Kate and August got to know one another and developed a better understanding of each other. I enjoyed seeing their semi-friendship grow. I am curious to see where that will go in the next book- Schwab has insisted that there is ZERO romance in this novel, so these two will simply remain friends, which I think is pretty cool.

Overall, I gave this book a 3.5 stars. The beginning was slow, I didn't like the female protagonist, and I wasn't super convinced with the story. However, Schwab's writing was lovely, I really liked August, and I thought the concept of the monsters was unique. Even with my sharing about all that I didn't like with this book, I am standing my my 3.5 star rating. I enjoyed the novel enough to stick behind that rating. And I am pretty sure I will read the conclusion to this duology once it's out next year.


~Happy Reading Everyone! 

My Thoughts: It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up—she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan—her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

So-  Colleen Hoover- who hasn't read anything by Colleen Hoover? She's all over. I myself have read three novels by Colleen Hoover, one was so unmemorable to me I totally forgot I read, never mind what it's about. The other was good, really good- if not a bit dramatic. And than there is It Ends With Us.  This book was much anticipated and there was major buzz surrounding it. Even I was eager to get my hands on it. There were whispers that It Ends With Us was unlike anything Hoover had ever produced.

Even though every one and their cousin has read this book... In short (and without spoilers), It Ends With Us revolves around Lily and her relationship with Ryle. And what a complicated relationship that is. I am hesitant to say much more than that. What really allows this book to pack such a punch is going into it blind. So there's that.

So, what are my thoughts? It's going to be hard for me to express my thoughts while keeping things secret. So I shall split them into what I liked and what I didn't really like.

What I Liked:

There were elements in this book that I found incredibly insightful and I thought Hoover did a great job and exploring the complications of Lily and Ryle's relationship- nothing is ever black and white. I appreciated that. Throughout the book Lily writes diary entries which she addresses to Ellen Degeneres- this was a nice touch. It was through these journals that we got snapshots into Lily's past and the events that formed her. Both Lily and Ryle have some amazing people in their corner and some amazing supports. This was a major plus for the novel.

What I wasn't sure about:

The pace of the book felt a little funny to me. It's not a short book, coming in at 384 pages. But I felt like there was so much going on that it could probably have been longer. To me, there were some things that were well developed and well rounded out, and others that felt rushed. I felt this way particularly with the beginning of Lily and Ryle's relationship. I found it a bit insta-lovey, regardless of how things played out. Ryle also makes some shifts regarding his views on relationships that were a little eye-rolling and unbelievable I felt the same when Atlas returned- I wasn't fully convinced by his connection with Lily.

I am going to say this outright- the issues (if you could call them that)- should not make you not read this book. I just thought I would mention them.  I think you should read this book- it broaches some pretty intense topics and addresses them in some pretty interesting ways. I am not sure this was an amazing book (as everyone else seems to think), but I am glad I read it.

Overall, I enjoyed It Ends With Us, and I think it's important book to read. I gave it a solid 3 stars- maybe a 3.5 stars.

~Happy Reading Everyone! 

Stefanie's #Spookathon TBR and Currently Reading

Hooray, Stefanie has decided to jump onto the #Spookathon band wagon. I (Sara) posted my TBR earlier this week, and today Stefanie is sharing hers. I hope you enjoy.

#Spookathon is a week long read-a-thon hosted by Booktubers Books and Lala, Paige's Pages and Bookerly, and runs from Oct 17-23/16. Check out the initial announcement video here.

***

Stefanie here for my first post. It's kind of daunting to be honest to be writing this so I thought I'd join in with the #Spookathon, because as I've mentioned I'm just (slightly) obsessed with Halloween. I'm doing a 31 days of Halloween movies too, so between those movies, these creepy books I'm full on Halloween happy.

Here's what I've planned to read:

1) The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall by Katie Alender
This covers a book with red on the cover.
I actually bought this book last year but saved it until this October because there's just something perfect about reading a Katie Alender book in October. I loved her Bad Girls Don't Die series so I know I have to start off the challenge with this one.

2) And the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich
This covers a thriller (maybe, it's tagged as one on Goodreads and I don't read a lot of thrillers so hopefully this will work) and a 2016 release.
I loved Kurtagich's first book The Dead House (if you haven't read it and want on really creepy spooky book, pick that one up) so naturally I knew I needed to read this one. Sounds just as creepy as her first one too.

3) Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova
This covers 2016 release and a book with a paranormal/ supernatural character.
The cover to this one is what drew me in. I love the idea of the main character being a bruja, the most powerful witch in a generation. The twist? Alex, our main character, doesn't want her powers, and tries to get rid of her magic but instead gets rid of her family. It's book one of a series so I can't wait to get in and see what trouble Alex finds herself in

4) Tales from the Haunted Mansion, The Fearsome Foursome from Disney
This covers 2016 release, spooky word in the title and a supernatural creature
Being the grown up Disney lover I am I knew I had to include this one. I love the Disney movie Haunted Mansion and the ride is one of my favourites at Disneyland. This is a bonus one because I'm not sure if I'll be able to get through all the other books in this challenge. If not it'll get read right after the challenge ends. 

I'm so excited to be part of this reading challenge and it'll be nice to read some of the books on my TBR. It was actually kind of difficult to chose which books I wanted to read for this. 


I've been debating to challenge myself to try and read some of the older books on my TBR shelf that have been on their for longer than three years. I just finished one called Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors, which was the second book I ever added to my TBR shelf when I first joined Goodreads in 2013. I felt pretty accomplished when I finished it, knowing that it had been waiting for so long to get read.

Am I the only one that feels like that when they've read a book they've had waiting forever on their TBR? I hope not...

I'm currently reading Lucky T by Kate Brian, and I think I'll follow that up with Sea Change by Aimee Friedman.

 Both books have been on the TBR shelf just as long as Coffeehouse Angel had been. Sea Change seems like a good book to transition into the #Spookathon and I've heard really good things about it.

Thanks everyone for welcoming me here, I can't wait to share more about my reading adventures with you guys soon!

~Stefanie

#Spookathon 2016 TBR

Hello Everybody!

Well, believe it or not it's OCTOBER! And with it comes Halloween and all things scary. Now, I don't particularly like anything spooky, I don't do horror, ghosts or anything supernatural. It freaks me out to much. But recently I have discovered  a new fondness for thrillers and books that keep you at the edge of your seat. Which to me totally fits in with the October Halloween theme.

So, I have decided to participate in the #Spookathon hosted by Booktubers Books and Lala, Paige's Pages and Bookerly. The Read-A-Thon is taking place the week of Oct 17-23. You can check out Lala's intro to the Spookathon here.

I am actually pretty excited about participating in this read-a-thon. I really like the idea of a read-a-thon, but I find them a little daunting. Working full time doesn't really allow for a lot of focused reading. However, the #Spookathon doesn't really have many rules- there are no set number of books to read, no "you have to read this" lists, it's an all inclusive read-a-thon. So, if you think something is spooky, or thrilling, it's a go.

There are a few "challenges" if you will, but they are simple and you can probably complete all the challenges with one book if you'd like:

1. Read a thriller
2. Read a book with red on the cover
3. Read a book with a spooky word in the title
4. Read a 2016 release
5. Read a book with a paranormal character/creature

SO, for the #Spookathon I am aiming to read 3 books. The plan is to listen to one and read the physical books of two.

1- Dracula by Bram Stoker- I have been wanting to read this book for years. The movie is one of my all time favourites (Gary Oldman as Dracula is pure genius). The #Spookathon is finally giving me a chance to read it (although this is my audio read for the week). This book would complete the -Read a book with a paranormal character/creature- challenge.

2- Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris- I actually saw this one at the bookstore a couple weeks ago, and have been dying to read it since. I have requested it from the library and I think it should be available for me to read just in time for the week of the #Spookathon. This would complete a number of challenges - Read a thriller, Read a book with red on the cover and Read a 2016 release.

3- Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire- This is may be the lightest of the reads. I am super curious about the premise, a school for kids who have returned from adventures in other worlds. I believe there is a a murder mystery within the plot of this one, but I am not 100% on that. It's a short book, and I am convinced I will get it read quickly.  This would complete the challenge of -Read a 2016 release and read a thriller (I think).

The only challenge I don't have figured out is, Read a book with a spooky word in the title, I could try and argue that 'closed' is a spooky word, but that would be a stretch.

If I finish both my physical books, I think I may also pick up The Telling by Alexandra Sirowy- It's the feature read of the week, and all three hosts will be reading it. I have heard pretty good things about it. So, we shall see.

I will be tracking my progress during the #Spookathon on my Facebook page, so if you haven't already, head over and click 'like' if you're wanting to see how I am doing.

As I said, I am excited about this read-a-thon and I am exciting to dive into all the books. I am particularly stoked for Dracula. If you are also interested in participating in the #Spookathon, but sure to check out the videos for more details- I believe there are a few giveaways taking place as well.

~Happy Reading Everyone.