Welcome to Litsy!

Finally reviewing my spooky season reads and I'm sorry to say Henry James is not for me. I had a fantasy in my head that this would feel like that Nicole Kidman movie, The Others, in which the mystery of children is profoundly frightening but no, it just felt like a very blustery letdown.

Currently buddy reading this with a friend, but I‘m honestly not a big fan so far- it‘s a bit long-winded and uneventful 🤔

The Turn of the Screw
What the heck did I just read?
Not sure what to think...

#haikuaday #haikuhive #haikureview #haikubookreview

I've decided to try to listen to more classics. This one was crazy.

@dabbe @CBee @lil1inblue @Reggie @vivastory @bellabella @julieclair @BooksandCoffee4Me @AnnCrystal @ImperfectCJ @Itchyfeetreader @TheBookHippie @JenlovesJT47 @Jari-chan @Susanita @kelli7990 @The_Book_Ninja @Mimi28 @DebinHawaii @Kristy_K

Bail at 42%. This is my first DNF in a while, but I just couldn't with the writing. So many commas! I remember watching The Innocents, which is an adaptation of the book staring Deborah Kerr, and we weren't overly thrilled with the movie either. I guess this isn't an interesting story to me.

#TLT #ThreeListThursday
An embarrassing low score. I‘m not a fan of classics. I guess one day I should give them a chance.

Thanks for the link @dabbe 🥹🙏❤️ and the tag @BookwormAHN I think I have a Jo Nesbo book in my library. 😃🙌 I‘ll keep you posted when I get to it.

The Shining
The turn of the screw
We have always lived in the castle

Play?!
@jeannasser @Gissy @monkeygirlsmama @AnnCrystal

#bookspin #bookspinbingo #doublebookspin @thearomaofbooks

My bookspin selections for this month include a leftover from last year's October reads and a book that's been on my TBR shelf since February. Whittling down the list!

#Bookreport

📚Currently reading:

🎧The Terror
📕Akechi Kogoro
📙The Witness for the Dead

Progress:
I finished two novels last week (plus a short story) and I'm pretty happy with that. I plan to do reading sprints with one of the detective books (I have just been too preoccupied with other things to really make time for physical books) I will try to get some reading done either way.

Might be in the minority here but I really loved this!

This was a very interesting read. It is one of the few pieces of literature in which the ambiguity adds to the experience and atmosphere rather than hinders the narrative. The prose was very beautiful, although I think a lot of people might find it too “wordy“ Overall it was a solid ghost story with hints of feminism. Definitely a classic for a reason.

What the hell did I just read? 😂
I think I would need to read this book again more carefully to form an opinion on it. It's an interesting story which leaves the reader with more questions than answers. Its vagueness adds to the creepiness of this unusual ghost story, but I'm not sure how I feel about it...

For a book that is horror, I thought this was really dry. I struggled to pay attention with this one, but I know so many great stories have come from this. I like the concept and the overall story, but it was slow for me and a bit boring.

“She saw him only twice.”
“Yes, but that‘s just the beauty of her passion.”

#scarathlon #buddyread
This was fine. I found the characters annoying. But it might be that I don't enjoy most children so if these children were under my care I would have skipped out. Little monsters 😂.

@Yuki_Onna my turn of the screw. I like the picture, I find it super creepy
#creepy #spooky

#AutumnPlease #photochallenge #eyesoncover & #delusion
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Taken while bookshopping in Berlin #classics #eerie

Managed to finish the tagged book during the #scarathlonsprint. Glad I finally read this classic.
#Scarathlon #SpookyGhostClub #rushathon #31by31 #falling4books #spookoween #fangtasticreadathon #scarathlonatoz @Clwojick @Andrew65 @catsandbooks @Read4life @TheSpineView @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES @Texreader

Well, I finished it. I‘m certain I read this for a class in college and remembered the basics but this read thru left me scratching my head. It felt like a lot of set up with little follow thru in terms of intrigue.

Regardless, one buddy read complete and starting the other today as well. #Scarathlon #TeamWhoYaGonnaCall

My all time favourite haunted mansion for #autumnplease and #scarathlonphotochallenge day 17 👻

#scarathlon #skeletoncrew

Great audio version of my Scarathlon team buddy read. Have read the book twice, and Thompson‘s acting brought it to life! #spooky #Scarathlon #buddyread #TeamWhoYaGonnaCall #50points

On this reread, I was struck 1st by the challenge of the writing. Reading aloud, we stumbled and would try multiple times to understand what was being said but sometimes had to move on, content with our confusion. The second impression I have is how unnerving the story remains. The governess‘s anxiety, suspicions, and retelling of events sufficiently unsettles.

One of the great tragedies of my life is that while I love the pumpkin spice lifestyle, I actually can‘t stand drinking milky coffees so the lattes will never happen for me 😬 I do have marks and Spencer Halloween snacks on my #scarathlon bucket list tho and I‘m delighted to tick that off while watching haunting of Bly manor tonight for the #pumpkinspicereadathon 🥰

#skeletoncrew

Just an update on my “innocent little precious” Twinkle Toes (to quote the breathless governess in TOTS): Thank you for the well-wishes. He was hospitalized for two nights and is back home, voracious, spirited, and back to dragging his blankie around the house.

This is a classic #scarathlon reread for me which I always love. I just discovered the Emma Thompson audiobook which is fantastic and had me feeling like I was reading for the first time. I have such strong memories of watching a tv movie of this with my mum at Christmas when I was about 13 and it being my first really delicious chilling horror experience- good times!

#skeletoncrew

1. The set of miniseries produced by Mike Flanagan based on classic horror novels, ie. The Haunting of Hill House. And the Scream movies.
2. Pumpkin cheesecake, candy corn
3. Anytime
4. The hygge of it
5. I currently have no pets. But
one of our last cats was an all-black cat.

#BatBrigade #Scarathlon
@NataliePatalie

#Movie2BookRecs @Klou
Prompt: Sleepy Hollow

I really struggled with the language style, I could just about follow the story of a governess who believes that she is seeing spirits that are somehow tied to the children she is caring for. However the language was so dense that it was a trial to read.

Next up on my attempt to go through my bookshelf are the ghost stories of Henry James.

My mind immediately went to James novella when I saw today's prompt. It opens as a group of acquaintances are gathered at the #fireside of a study, telling spooky stories. The narrator then promises to tell them over the following few days the most frightening tale that they have heard, which was related to him by his governess. When I finished the novella I had to sit with it for a couple of days. The ambiguity of not only the ending (cont.)

I wanted to love The Turn of the Screw but it just didn‘t work out for me. I know that it‘s vague and open ended on purpose, but I just couldn‘t get a good grasp of the story. And almost all of the characters fell flat. Miles was the only one with a semi-distinct personality. And even his development wasn‘t great.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/11/09/the-turn-of-the-screw-review/

In all honesty, I really didn‘t enjoy this one. It was creepy, but also too wordy and I kept falling asleep. It did, however, score me a #bingo line in #bookspinbingo…. So all told, this is +26pts for #teamslaughter #scarathlon

Lush, lush, lush, and soooo spooky!!! #Scarathlon #TeamMonsterMash

I love these things! Thanks for the tag @Emilymdxn

#ThoughtfulThursday (or I guess Saturday) / @MoonWitch94

🔎 A mystery I think!
👻 Definitely a haunted house! Which answers the next one too - I am LOVING The Turn Of The Screw!!

Hello #TeamMonsterMash !!

I have finally finished on a work account that's had me working 8am-9pm shifts (booooo!) so I can start pulling my weight again for the rest of October!😂🎃😁

Today I plan to finish The Turn Of The Screw, start (and maybe even finish) Irregular Witches, and do a spooky craft while watching a spooky film🙌 I'm also going to go on an autumnal walk to tick that off my bucket list. Will report back later RE how I got on😍

Thank you for the tag @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm 👻 #thoughtfulthursday @MoonWitch94

1. I like both but mystery wins
2. SO hard to choose because I genuinely love both as some of my favourite genres. Can I say book about haunted house and movie about serial killer??
3. Tagged! Just reread this and the scene at the window will always give me chills

Join for #scarathlon2022 @moll?

3650 points for week 1 of Scarathlon for me! There's more I need to add up but I'm so tired I'm going to bed and I'll add the rest onto next week's total😂

#Scarathlon #TeamMonsterMash

@StayCurious I'm going to post my week 1 points tomorrow! Sorry!!❤️

I love @Emilymdxn & our little book-centred traditions so much - this episode: a #Scarathlon chat fuelled lunch & a trip to Foyles! Here's Moon & Magic for #ominousoctober & #scarathlondailyprompts too - I adore kids' picture books with my entire heart and soul❤️ #TeamMonsterMash

And now I'm on the bus home reading The Turn Of The Screw - spooky!👻

In an absolutely disastrous turn of events, I accidentally coloured the witch's hair the same colour as her head😂 But that's another spooky craft for #Scarathlon and #TeamMonsterMash!

Technically the theme from Day 6 of Ominous October but I'm on mission catch up! Spicy blueberry tea! #Scarathlon #TeamMonsterMash

While I liked the story as a whole, all of the characters felt one dimensional, and unbearable!

The governess spends the book alternately crying/sobbing at her new friend (the only other member of the staff we have named for the majority of the book) and massively obsessing over “perfect” children she has just met. While I understand it is a classic, it didn‘t really do as much as I hoped. I much prefer the Haunting of Bly Manor tv adaptation!

I started this for #20in4 along with my buddy read Go Hunt Me

I was aiming for 20 chapters, but alas with forgetting a day and then working today, I achieved 7 chapters of this and 4 chapters (sections) of the buddy read. So 11 total. I was over half way there 😉

For me this wasn‘t a horror story so much as a psychological character study of the protagonist. However, it is told in such a way that where I see a disturbed mind, someone else might see a ghost. I admire the ability of James to keep the suspense up but it was awfully verbose for a novella.

#hauntedhouse #Savvysettings
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

This was also a really good miniseries by BBC on Amazon Prime.

A good creepy haunted-house story. However, I was a little disappointed given that this is such a well-known classic and a #1001 book.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Just released our episode on The Turn of the Screw. I enjoyed it. Peter thought the writing was a little antiquated and got bored. What do you all think? Oh, and to those who've read it, do you think the ghosts are real or just in the governesses' mind?
https://anchor.fm/peter-murphy8

So many things left for the reader to decide on one‘s own. Not sure if I‘m a fan of that or not. Probably better if read with a friend or two. I listened to the audiobook and Emma Thompson did a marvelous job of it.