Welcome to Litsy!

May‘s book club book was a page turner! I don‘t read a ton of mystery and I loved how this story unfolds between Lizzy and Violet in different time periods. Also, the twist at the end was pretty awesome! And monsters! I read a physical copy but forgot to snap a pic 🙄

I read this last year and it is an awesome book to read around Halloween. Plus, it has one hell of a twist at the end!

This book has been on my shelf for a while, and the blurb seemed so interesting I finally had to put it on my monthly list. I'm about halfway through and so far it's okay, but not as good as I was expecting, though that may be because I feel pretty confident I've figured out what I expect is supposed to be some big twist. Hopefully i'm wrong and get pleasantly surprised by being cleverly misled

“The first thing you need to know is that monsters are real. They're all around us, whether we can see them or not.”
Inspired by Mary Shelly‘s Frankenstein. It‘s a great spin, with some good twisty bits.
“What's eugenics?" Iris asked.
"It's the scientific study of heredity and breeding and how to improve the human race by making everyone white and smart," Vi explained.
Julia laughed. "Couldn't have put it better myself."

im not on spring break but im down for a readathon #readinggoal #readinglife #audiophile @ShananigansReads UPDATE: DNF…found myself zoning out and i have it multiple attempts

This was a pretty good unique story. Did it have an earth shattering ending..no but I still liked it. It had an ending I wasn‘t expecting but still made sense and left me satisfied. Told from different time lines, I really enjoyed the monster hunting aspect of the story line. I loved the movie Monster Squad as a kid. What kid didn‘t want their own monster club?!?

#20in4
#skeletoncrew @Emilymdxn #rushathon #falling4books #spookoween

Not only did I reach my goal of reading 20 chapters, but I also finished a book! It feels so good to be out of my slump 😁

@Andrew65

#Scarathlon
#20in4

This is the first book I've picked up since July 😬 With the new school year and activities between my kiddos, I was exhausted for the past two months. I knew the Scarathlon was gonna help me get out of my slump! 😁

I'm aiming for 20 chapters for #20in4. Just started this book this evening and already am on chapter 14! 🥳

Thank you, @quietjenn, for this book. It's so good!
#skeletoncrew
@Emilymdxn @Andrew65

Happy October! Opened my #FFFS package. Thank you @quietjenn 😊 the blanket is super cozy and the chocolate is delicious! I'm totally gonna read The Children on the Hill this month. And Icebreakers will be for when I get scared during this month 😅
@Chrissyreadit @Avanders

A low key banger. I‘m officially ready for Spooky Season.

Another great book from a master of psychological and gothic horror. Loved the characters and the tension. Her past/present formula really works well in this one.

I'm visiting my parents (who snowbird in Florida) for the week. This is certainly not a bad place to read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Really enjoyed this creepy, intense read..and the twist was great even though I kinda saw it coming, I still loved it!

Flipping through the months at random I absolutely loved this book! I think this take on Frankenstein was unique and a lot of fun. Plus I absolutely love the author and will pretty much read anything she puts out at this point.

#AdventRecommends #Day2
@emilyrose_x

Mat leave Day 1 Reading Goals:

1. Finish The Carrow Haunt
2. Get in 1.5 hours of Party Games
3. Start The Children on the Hill

📚☕️🎉

This was a good reread for #Scarsthlon2022. I think it might be my favorite by McMahon. It's also good for word search points!
#OutsatndingOctober @Andrew65
#Spookoween @TheSpineView
#31in31 @Catsandbooks
#Pointsathon @GHABI4ROSES @DieAReader
#AutumnAtoZ (C) @Texreader
@StatCurious #TeamMonsterMash

This one didn't really hit me. The reveal isn't bad, but the bouncing between time periods hurts the flow of the story rather than building tension as this technique does at its most effective. Reading this novel feels to me kind of like watching a firework streak up into the sky only to make a pretty but very modest fountain of sparks.

7 readathon hours, theme read, 86 points for #TeamSlaughter #scarathlon

I liked this one with its lean to Frankenstein & what creates monsters. The dual timeline of the 70s & present day worked well. There‘s a big twist that I had figured out but some smaller ones I didn‘t see coming. Had to finish it up to return the library e-book & to see what happened.

Good pick for Scarathlon2022 as it had 586 words for the ScarathlonWordSearch plus it fits the #TeamMonsterMash genres plus an extra 15 points for matching ⬇️

#OminousOctober

I saw this sentence as I was reading one of my October reads for #Scarathlon2022 #TeamMonsterMash & since I wasn‘t sure what else I was going to do for today‘s #scarf prompt, I went with it! I‘m about 20% into it & liking the creepy vibe so far. 👻

“She had a green scarf tied jauntily around her neck; Gran loved her scarves.”

Great for those like me who love Frankenstein, true crime and everything creepy! I got tired of the timeline switching by the end though; I just wanted to know what happened!

#creature #scarathlondailyprompts #teamslaughter

Meh. Not really my genre. But not as bad as I was afraid it was going to be when I worried that trauma was going to turn girls into monsters.

#Scarathlon2022 #ScarathlonDailyPrompts

This book is supposed to be a Frankenstein retelling of sorts so I am thinking there must be a #creature of some sort involved.

It‘s fairly high up on my October TBR & my e-book hold came in last week.

#TeamMonsterMash 🧟‍♂️🎃🧟‍♀️😱

OH MY GOD! The twist at the end! I thought I had it figured out and BAM! Awesome!!!!

Jennifer MacMahon's most recent book is now my favorite of their work. Set in 2 timelines you follow Vi as a child in 1978 Vermont and Shelly as an adult in 2019 returning to Vermont, and learn how the two connect. I had predicted the plot twist pretty early on but that in no way took away from my enjoyment of the story. The story was creepy and when you find out the twist a bit sad tbh.

Wow, this was good! Sort of a Frankenstein reimagining, I loved going back and forth between the late 1970s and the current time and slowly unraveling both what happened at the psychiatric treatment center Vi grew up in and what monsters Lizzy is really hunting in the present. This would have easily been a 5* read if it wasn‘t so easy to figure out the big secret. Still overall an excellent and entertaining mystery! 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

What I love about Jennifer McMahon's books is the past and present storylines. I think this book was great, the beginning did drag a bit, but the second half made up for it. I enjoyed the current storyline more that the past, but that could be because I listened to this and the kids voices did get on my nerves a little.😄 The ending was pretty dark, I enjoyed that, but it was surprising since the beginning seemed pretty light.

Listed to this thriller on audio. A great book and a great twist at the end. Loved the story and this concept of Monsters.

This one got off to a slow start. I struggled the first couple of chapters but when it switched over to the present day timeline I got into it. Holy twist! I totally didn't see it coming! I kind of predicted the first twist but the second one 🤯. I definitely recommend this one. ⭐⭐⭐💫 because the beginning was slow.

This will be my second Riley Sager and Jennifer McMahon, hope I enjoy these as much as the first ones. Really enjoying the cozy vibes with Enola Holmes.

Dr Helen Hildreth also known as Gran, is a renowned Psychiatrist who owns and runs a treatment center for the mentally ill. One day she brings home a young girl named Iris to live with her and her two grandchildren Eric and Vi. The children soon become friends and also have a monster club where they hunt for monsters not knowing one of them is a true monster. The ending will surprise you.

Okay, so here's the thing lol. It's the last day of our vacation before we start heading home and my daughters wanted more books because they finished theirs, plus we wanted to get something to bring home to our son (what better gift than books, right?!), but I also just had to get these too because .... well just because

#2022Book68
I liked most of this book, and was glad that part of it turned out the way I predicted. But one of the big twists just didn‘t feel like it fit the tone of the rest of the story.

I started and finished this one in a day. I couldn't stop reading it and I loved every second!

Monster books are hard to do and make the reader feel like the monsters are real, but McMahon's story did an excellent job. She delivers the twists right when they are needed and the past and present timelines supported by "documents" made me even more engaged.

Great spooky read with an ending I wasn't expecting.

If you are a “Monster Kid” like me or a child of the 70‘s (um…also me) then look no further for your next read! Taking place over two parallel time lines, this is a gripping tale of a child abducting monster, a creepy old institution, and a monster hunter trying to piece it all together…and nothing is as it seems!
And as an added bonus, I have a favorite new author in Jennifer McMahon!

Thank you @BarkingMadRun for my #spookysummerswap box. I have wanted this book for a long time and am excited to start it. I hope you like your box as well.

This book was captivating- the storyline was interesting and pulled me in. Twists and turns/ one of those...what??? And yep it was not what I thought. Kept me reading!

I really liked this one! It kept me intrigued the whole time and I loved the story. The only nit pick I have is I wanted more info! You get left with a lot of unanswered questions and I just do t like that. 4/5

Entertaining, twisty page-turner. Just what I was in the mood for this weekend. I love Shelley‘s Frankenstein and the 1930s films it inspired (Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein) so that element really added to my enjoyment.

THE CHILDREN ON THE HILL by Jennifer McMahon

1978: Vi and Eric live with their grandmother and love monster stories. One day Gran brings home Iris, a girl about Vi‘s age, who Gran says is their new sister. Iris joins their monster club.

2019: Lizzy, a paranormal investigator, discovers a pattern of disappearances where teen girls go missing in towns that have a local monster legend.

A twisty tale with cool characters and a satisfying ending👍

1. 1978 & 2019 Vermont 2. Survive the Night by Riley Sager 3. Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert

#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

Newest by one of my favorite authors. Can‘t wait for bedtime tonight 🔥

I was...underwhelmed here. It's okay. Just not particularly shocking or frightening in any way.

My May #bookspin was kind of a mess. @TheAromaofBooks

May reads … reading slump continues. Read anything good in May?

That ending was perfection that I never saw coming. Jennifer McMahon wins again.
5⭐️

🖤

I have met my 750 page goal, with 761 page at 8:04pm. I will probably get a bit more reading in, but wanted to post before I forgot. #MarvelousMay @Andrew65

...and a promising beginning!! 👍