I love McCarthy‘s prose and I wanted to love this book, but it‘s nearly impossible to follow the dialogue. Switching to audio helped that, but then it was harder to follow the plot. As expected, it is bleak and heavy, but I‘m hard-pressed to give a summary let alone a review. I‘ll adjust my expectations for Stella Maris. Also, there‘s a secret hinted at which I hope is not explored further. I‘m uncomfortable with the implication.

I may set Hagitude aside for a bit, but I will finish Perseus and The Passenger this week. I expect to get through Murder Book and at least start Daisy Darker. I‘m just really not sure about my next audiobook. I‘ve given up hope of finishing either #readingafrica2022 or #booked2022, but Nomad counts for Africa and Moon for Booked, so I may try to cross off at least one more prompt via audiobook. #weeklyforecast

I may a lot of progress in Perseus and Passenger. I hope to finish at least one of them tomorrow. I‘d have finished one today, but I discovered Wednesday on Netflix and binged the entire series today. Oops. I did, however, finish 4 other books this week and like 3 out of the 4, so I‘ll take this week as a win. #bookreport

This is a retelling of a 15th century ghost story. Dan Jones provides background on the discovery of the original manuscript, his version of the tale, and then history of the monastery where the ghost stories originated. A very short, quick read, this is fun find and I may even consider making it an annual spooky season read.

I don‘t do Black Friday anymore, but Small Business Saturday is one of my favorite days of the year.
Bookseller: Do you have books on hold?
Me: I should have a box!
Bookseller: Yes, you do. 😂😂
#bookhaul

This was a sweet enemies(ish) to lovers holiday romance, set in an independent bookstore. Gabby is autistic and demisexual, as is the author, so I assume the rep is accurate. Jonathan is the wonderfully grumpy co-manager. I prefer historicals to contemporary, but this was the perfect blend of my favorite tropes with enough steam to keep it interesting. 😉 I didn‘t want to put it down & read it in one sitting.

Another collection of Gods Behaving Badly. I enjoyed these Norse tales and Gaiman brilliantly narrates his own book. It ties in neatly with The Witch‘s Heart, too. The myths are brutal and violent. Thor‘s an idiot. Loki is…Loki - a sneaky, narcissistic, trickster. I do rather love Freya and Hel, though. A little slow in spots, but overall a fun listen.

I think I might have read this on Kindle about 9 years ago, but that was before I used Goodreads to track my reading. I don‘t think I loved it, but I don‘t think I hated it. This time, on audio, I just can‘t keep going. I‘m bored and annoyed. The constant reference to Sookie‘s ability to hear other people‘s thoughts as a disability sets my teeth on edge. I made it 1/3 of the way through, but I‘m done.

This is an unpopular opinion, but I feel a so-so is more than generous and it only gets that much for the little tidbits of insight into other actors and because I‘d feel like a monster panning Felton‘s struggled and vulnerability. It feels like he goes out of his way early on to make you think he‘s some rotten troublemaker, when instead he was just a kid with maybe more money/freedom than sense. The whole thing felt forced and awkward.

My library just answered my “what audiobook will I listen to next” question. 🪄

I‘m not even going to pretend that I‘ll get extra reading done over the four day weekend. I‘ll be thrilled just to finish the books I currently have in progress. The next audiobook is up for debate since it‘s month end close at work due to the holidays, so I‘ll be slammed and may just end up listening to music or internally screaming. 😂 #weeklyforecast

“You don‘t mess with a witch, and women today are bone-tired of being messed with.”

💯 Bone. Tired.

This is a beautiful, bittersweet tale of Angrboda, Mother Witch, wife to Loki, mother of Hel, Fenrir, and Jormungandr. The writing is lovely, even if the pacing is painfully slow in parts. It‘s a story that made me cry and rage, and also makes me want to dive deeper into Norse mythology. The audiobook narration is excellent, too.

I‘ll finish Witch‘s Heart today, so at least I got 1/4 of the books from the weekly forecast completed. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I did make progress in the others, I just couldn‘t deal with the sadness, anger, and/or lack of punctuation in the others, so I read something else. Some weeks are just like that. #bookreport

This is a fun marriage of convenience HR with plenty of shenanigans, banter, a bit of heat, and a villainous cousin. I do love a smarmy romance villain, even if MOC is not my favorite trope. This isn‘t my favorite of Bateman‘s novels, but still a good brain break from reality and heavier (sad) books.

To buy or not to buy. Curse you, Folio Society. I already have 3 editions of this book, but I am oh so tempted. 🥹

GERT 👏🏻 IS 👏🏻 BACK! 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

My first and favorite comic series is back with an all new storyline and it‘s going to be epic. Bright, colorful, and oh so wrong. This is not for the faint of heart. It is delightfully gruesome. Enter at your own risk. Be prepared to replace swear words with Gert-isms in your everyday life.

It‘s only Tuesday, but it has already been A WEEK. My current reads are all emotionally heavy or just slow (seriously, why does Cormac McCarthy hate quotation marks for dialogue? 😭). After crying listening to The Witch‘s Heart, I picked up the 1st book in the Bow Street Bachelors series. I have #3 in my NetGalley queue. I love Bateman‘s Ruthless Rivals series, so I want to read this one in order. So far, it‘s a much needed brain break.

Lots of books in progress. Hopefully, I‘ll be able to get through at least half.

#weeklyforecast

It‘s a good day for reading on the deck. 😎

#NetGalleyNovember is off to a good start. Bateman is a winner, Hotel of Secrets not so much. I‘m still heartbroken about Dark Horse, but too annoyed with it to push through. It‘s been a long week, and I didn‘t crack an audiobook, so no progress in Hagitude. I did start a 3rd ARC (Perseus) and decided I had enough brainpower for McCarthy. 17 pages in and I may have overestimated my brain. 😅 #bookreport

Something is wrong with me. I must be broken. Where are my Orphan X fans at? I need someone to talk me into finishing this. I‘ve hit page 66 and I‘m…bored? Maybe it‘s the cartel plot that makes me want to hurl the book against a wall. I don‘t know. I‘m devastated. (and maybe a little overdramatic. 😂)

My preorder of the trade volume arrived today! I love Twig and Splat. Their adventures are delightful and I want more! 😍

The NetGalley blurb promised banter and shenanigans and Biller delivered. There were many laugh-out-loud moments in this historical romance set in 1870s Vienna. I enjoyed the setting and the quirky cast of characters, but there are enough unpleasantly odd notes that keep this from being a real winner. I can‘t place my finger on what didn‘t work, but while I laughed a lot, I‘m kind of glad it‘s over. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 3.5 ⭐️ for the banter and shenanigans

I voted last Tuesday and have been so anxious about the results that I‘ve been trying to avoid all social media and news today. I‘ll either celebrate or cry tomorrow when more of the results are final. #auldlangspine

Kate Bateman is one of my favorite historical romance authors. The whole Ruthless Rivals series is absolutely delightful. Harriet and Morgan delight in tormenting each other, in this not quite enemies to lovers tale. There is plenty of sharp, witty banter (my favorite), no weird euphemisms, a little life-threatening adventure, and a baby-free epilogue. Practically perfect. 💖 Publishes 12/27/2022 Thx to NetGalley & St Martin‘s for the ARC.

Remind me next week when I say “I really thought I read more” that I did, in fact, finish two books on Saturday after I‘d posted my book report, so they aren‘t on this #weeklyforecast. For this week, I have a book club book to continue and then way too many choices. I have a spinning wheel set up for audiobooks, NetGalley digital ARCs, and print for bedtime. I‘m hoping to finish at least one of each this week. 🤞🏻

I wasn‘t sure how comics would translate into the audiobook formats, but apparently one should never doubt the brilliance of Neil Gaiman. This production is amazing. The cast is incredible (hello - James McAvoy as Morpheus? 😍). The storylines are complex, and I‘ll be honest, I probably only followed them as well as I did because of the Netflix series, but I‘m still looking forward to listening to Act II. So good.

Margot inherits the family winery after her parents die of apparent heart attacks on the same night. She has no memory of the place, having been sent away to live with her grandmother when she was a child. She learns the house is haunted and the curse wants to destroy her. This is terrifying and compelling. It also is not graphic and has the best ending. I absolutely loved it even though I only dared read it in daylight. 👻👻👻👻👻

I made progress in all of my current reads and finished People of the Book. While I would like to have finished more this week and have no idea where the time went, at least I am enjoying what I am reading. I have a terrible headache today, so the odds of finishing anything today are slim, but we‘ll see. 🤷🏻‍♀️ #bookreport

I thought this day would never come and yet, I am not ready. 🫣🫣

This is an #unpopularopinion, I know, and it is a reflection of my preferences, not the quality of the book itself. The concept is fascinating-the history of an ancient religious text seen through the eyes of the people, predominantly women, who handled it through the centuries. It‘s well written, but the audiobook narration is jaw-clenchingly awful and I HATED Hanna, the manuscript conservator (⬇️)

One of the dangers of preordering books when they are announced is that you forget about them. The Perfect Crime anthology was supposed to publish in September, I ordered it in January, and my local indie just got it in. The other danger is that when you walk into the store to pick up said “surprise” preorder, you walk out with more books. Hello, Mr. McCarthy. I‘ve been waiting for you. 💖

November‘s proposed TBR is a combination of books carrying over from October, NetGalley books that haven‘t been published, yet (i.e. I‘m not late reviewing them), a couple of library books, and a handful of just because on the event that I have time and/or can‘t decide what I want to read. #NovemberTBR #NetgalleyNovember I may pick up a nonfiction audiobook or two, but I don‘t want to feel locked into any of them.

I won‘t finish anything else today, so I finish October with 16 completed books. I had hoped to finish a couple more, but I‘m not unhappy with the total. I finished a lot of great books, both new-to-me and fun rereads. The top two rows were my favorites, but the only one I rated less than 3.5 stars was Coraline. Sorry, Mr. Gaiman. It just wasn‘t for me. #octoberwrapup #octoberstats

It‘s not been a great week/weekend, and since I‘m still awake at 4 am, I figured it was ok to open my #basicwitchswap package. I‘m overwhelmed @Insightsintobooks It‘s all so eclectic and fun and I love everything. I almost bought the Samhain Oracle cards for myself and I will be drinking coffee out of that mug when I start work in 3 hours. I feel spoiled. Thank you so much. And thank you for hosting @sprainedbrain 🖤

I have so many books on the go right now that I‘m keeping my goals for the week simple - finish what I‘ve started. I also have a library book due next Saturday and there‘s a wait list so I can‘t extend the check out. I‘m hoping to squeeze it in this week, but it may just have to go back and I‘ll have to go to the back of the queue. 🤷🏻‍♀️

#weeklyforecast

It felt like I read a lot this week, but apparently I did not. Finished a super creepy mushroom book and what may be my favorite poetry collection ever, or at least for this stage of my life. I gave up on the poorly executed Nutcracker collection, made a little progress in People of the Book, listened to more of The Sandman (everyone was right - it‘s amazing) and started two books with great promise. #bookreport

“I have no intention of being invisible. But I‘m quite prepared to be inconvenient.”

I think I‘m going to love this book.

The Me from 2 nights ago: Nope. That‘s it. I‘m not reading another spooky season book at bedtime, especially one that my indie booksellers suggested for a book that would scare the 💩 out of me.

Tonight‘s Me: opens Gallows Hill, recommended by my indie booksellers when I asked for terrifying books. 🤷🏻‍♀️

(Also, why did I ask for super scary books???? Why???)

OMG. That‘s it. No more books that feature fungi. This was gross and terrifying and why, oh why, did I keep reading it at night? I can‘t say much more without risking spoilers. I will not be sleeping for days and I may never allow another mushrooms, even a portobello, into my house ever again.

I loved this. Absolutely loved it and I am not typically a fan of poetry. It‘s a collection of poems that give a feminist cast to traditional fairytales. They are rhythmic and empowering, beautiful and emotional. The audiobook is perfectly narrated by the author. One of the poems is titled “Question the Fairytale” and that‘s one of the things this collection does very well - powerful new perspectives and POVs.

I‘d like to finish everything I have in progress this week. I‘m hoping to finish Ghost Eaters today, as it is only 300 pages and I‘m almost 1/2 through. I‘ve heard good things about the Sandman audio, so I‘m looking forward to that. #weeklyforecast

I have an online Halloween class-a-thin all weekend, so I probably won‘t get much reading done, but I‘m pretty happy with what I accomplished this week. #bookreport

I don‘t really have a spooky season list, but I channeled my teen goth self for most of this #fearfulfall playlist. 🖤🤣🖤

https://tidal.com/playlist/b604dd8c-d2ad-42f1-b3af-eaf23be96bba

I love the way Bradbury tells a story. His work is deceptively complex and I enjoyed this Spooky Season exploration of friendship, adventure, imagination, grief and death. I might not make it an annual tradition, but I would consider reading it again.

Did I read this in January? Yes. Did I just reread it because @Aimeesue posted about it? Also, yes. Am I sorry? Absolutely not! Cooper‘s Edward Gorey-esque illustrations are perfect for Maureen Johnson‘s quick guide to the dangers of the typical English Murder Village. Fans of mysteries set in the UK will be delighted with this charming book. Or else. 🤣

#happyhorror #fearfulfall I don‘t have any Halloween photos saved digitally and God only knows where my printed photos live, so this is the many sides of NC Autumn. First column is October at the Coast (last week), then the Blue Ridge Parkway near Blowing Rock from 2010, and the last column is from Cary in 2007. I love when the leaves change color. It‘s one of my favorite things and beach days are good year-round. 😉

This is my catnip - a remote setting, people trapped because of weather, and a killer on the loose. I loved the setting and Sten's writing. I found it creepy and the final solution was a surprise. That being said, the details behind the big twists and the whodunnit were my least favorite type of resolution. It left me feeling ill and dirty and was just sad. 3 1/2 stars purely for personal preference - 4 1/2 for the fear factor.

I am a sucker for isolated settings with a body count. This novel has alternating POV chapters and the way they tie together relies heavily on coincidence, but it‘s still believable. The whole thing is creepy, atmospheric, and ultimately so, so sad. I just wish it had ended about three pages sooner. I HATED the very end.