I've been looking forward to the #20in4 #readathon this weekend. I will take advantage of the 5 days! Here is my potential stack.

@Andrew65

This book was an Amazon First Reads and it was quite good. It was a fast-paced British mystery that kept me engrossed in the plot and there were some really interesting red herrings. I really liked the character of the private investigator and his family dynamic.

My #NovelNovember #readathon wrap-up:

I read 4 books and made progress in Our Violent Ends and In an Absent Dream.

I had a great time! Thank you for hosting @Andrew65

4th book read for#NovelNovember #readathon @Andrew65

I liked this second book in the series even better than the first because I was even more invested in the characters' outcomes. I loved all the twists and turns and I really admire Avery's resiliency and level head.

Finished this horror gem for the second time for book club. I will be forever haunted by Elkhead Woman. If you like horror and you can handle animal death, you will like this one. Be prepared to be forever frightened of elk after you read it.

3rd book finished for #NovelNovember #readathon @Andrew65

This book borrowed shamelessly from "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" and was written a little "young" for me. It had some humorous parts, but overall, it struck me as unoriginal. I liked the dog.

2nd book read for #NovelNovember #readathon @Andrew65

My goal for the #AnyWayYouReadathon was to read two books and get started on a third and I accomplished that. I should be finished with The Babysitters Coven today. Thank you to all who participated! I had a great time!

@kimmypete1 @MidnightBookGirl

I didn't fall in love with this 3rd book in the Wayward Children series quite as much as I did the first two, maybe because it was too sugary and not violent enough. 😂 I did like the new characters, revisitation of the old ones, and exploring other worlds. I look forward to the rest of the series.

2nd book read for #AnyWayYouReadathon @kimmypete1 @MidnightBookGirl

1st book read for #NovelNovember #readathon @Andrew65

I can't get any reading done today because I have 60 pounds of lapbull sitting on my lap. 🤣

#dogsofLitsy #pitbullsofLitsy

I'll be participating in the #NovelNovemver #readathon with @Andrew65 as well. Here is my tentative stack. Aside from the Stephen Graham Jones reread, I've kinda got a YA theme going for this month.

This was really a feel-good novella about depression. It uses some of the most insightful language to describe MDD that I've ever read in a work of fiction while maintaining great humor. It stars a therapist protagonist with severe depression and her quirky, lovable clients.
#LGBT

1st book read for #AnyWayYouReadathon

@kimmypete1 @MidnightBookGirl

It's time for the #AnyWayYouReadathon weekend readathon where you pick your own goals. Tag us and let us know you'll be participating so we can cheer you on!

My goal is to finish at least 2 books this weekend.

@kimmypete1 @MidnightBookGirl

This book about relationships focuses more on character development than on plot. It is a study of imperfect people trying to navigate through life. I had strong feelings for the characters and was interested throughout.

This legal thriller hit heavy on many interesting and serious topics: ableism, parenting, child abuse, immigration cultural adaptation, even the use of hyperbaric chambers for alternative therapies. I believed equally that every character and none them could have done it; they were all so incredibly flawed and sympathetic at the same time. The ending was shocking and the process that led to discovery was well formulated.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book felt like it was written just for me. It was more about a woman on a journey of self-discovery than anything. But it had pet spiders, and I love spiders. And there was magic and curses and the perfect ending. ♥️

A beautiful, bloody, vengeful ghost and the teenage ghost hunter who is supposed to kill her... This one is perfect for Halloween. The descriptions of Anna were vivid and fascinating. The book was both gory and sweet at the same time

October wrap-up:

I had a great reading month. All of the books I read were four and five stars ⭐. My favorites have the little heart ❤️. Total books; 13 Perfect for Halloween 🎃.

#Halloween #20in4 #readathon

3 books read
3 books started
Total time 15 hrs 36 min

I met all of my goals!

I picked great choices for Halloween and I had a blast thank you @Andrew65 for hosting!

#Halloween #20in4 #readathon

Yesterday I finished Down Among the Stick and Bones and continued with and Witch in Time and Anna Dressed in Blood.

Total time 12 hrs 15 min

@Andrew65

#Halloween #20in4 #readathon
3rd book read

This second book in the Wayward Children series went into depth about Jack and Jill's childhood and their time spent in their other world. I liked the way it emphasized not pigeon holing children into stereotypes. The book was enjoyably creepy and disturbing. A great way to end Halloween!

@Andrew65

#Halloween #20in4 #readathon
Day 2: 6 hrs 44 min
Read: A Slow Fire Burning
Made progress with other two books

@Andrew65

#Halloween #20in4 #readathon
2nd book read

In this book everyone is a suspect because everyone is unlikeable or disturbed enough to make for a viable killer. It worked for me. The only likeable character is a nosy, old Ms. Marple type, but I liked the fact that I didn't like the others and I felt sorry for every one of them. It made for an interesting dynamic.

@Andrew65

#Halloween #20in4 #readathon
Day 1 complete
3 hrs 54 min
1 book read
2 books started

Night of the Mannequins was excellent and I hold out a lot of hope for the other two.

@Andrew65

#Halloween #20in4 #readathon

1st book read

This is a perfect little Halloween slasher novella. I thought it was excellent. It was so messed up. The characters are so well drawn, it makes crazy events seem real. This is a fabulously funny, horrific time.

@Andrew65

#Halloween #20in4 #Readathon

All excited for this spooky weekend. I have two book clubs and I'll probably pass out candy.🎃👻 My goal is to read for 15 hours and finish at least 3 of these books. I love Halloween!

@Andrew65

A single mom becomes an accidental contact killer. This was a really funny and not too serious murder mystery with a very likable and relatable protagonist. I recommend it for when you need to alleviate stress.

I finished 4 books for the #OutstandingOctober #readathon and I'm in the middle of reading two more. Thank you for hosting @Andrew65 , you are the best!

I ended up liking this book okay. I had to refresh my memory of some of spooky literature in order to get some of the references. If you are not familiar with Lovecraft, some of it won't make sense. But it was humorous, narrated by a dog, and my money was always on the cat.

4th book read for #OutstandingOctober @Andrew65

#LonesomeOct

Also, the book was written in 1993 and refers to Romani people as Gipsies. No other apparent disparagements.

This was a gorier YA novella than I'd expected, which made me like it more. It was a perfect, quick Halloween read. I will happily continue with the series. This is the third book I've read by Seanan McGuire and all three were impressive--all smart and bloody and inclusive.

3rd book read for #OutstandingOctober @Andrew65

Disclaimer that this is really dark and twisted and animals die. This book was good, but it made me want to scrub my brain. I related to all the 80s pop culture references having grown up during the same time period as the main character, which made it all the more disturbing.

Second book read for the #OutstandingOctober #readathon @Andrew65

I read Romeo and Juliet so long ago in high school that I can't make accurate comparisons, so I just enjoyed the first half of this retelling duology on its own merit, and I thought it was great. It has more historical fiction/ gangster/ sci fi elements than romance. The book is definitely genre bending. I can't wait for the next one!

1st book read for the
#OutstandingOctober #readathon @Andrew65

My goal for the #OutstandingOctober #readathon is to finish These Violent Delights, Whisper Down the Lane, and The Near Witch and get started on Lovecraft Country and Every Heart a Doorway. I am behind in my reading for October. I am hoping this will help me catch up.
Thanks for hosting @Andrew65 !

The tone of this book was like reading a very suspenseful Turner Classic Movie, although some parts were fairly graphic. The plot centered around bootlegging in the 1920s and I enjoyed it immensely. The characters were well drawn and I could not stop reading.
This is the third book I've recently read set in the 1920s and the focus has has been very different from the ones based in Harlem and Shanghai than this one with white people in Texas.

A very inspiring story of a life dedicated to activism from a woman who made herself vulnerable in order to help other girls of color who were sexually abused. This book is powerful and hopeful. I didn't understand the religious aspect of Tarana Burke's journey, but she was stating her truth and telling her her personal story. I am in awe of her.

My goals For the #AnyWayYouReadathon were to read Dead Dead Girls and to make progress on the other four books, and I happily met them this weekend.

Thanks everyone who participated, I had a great time!

@MidnightBookGirl @kimmypete1

The atmosphere created for the setting of this book was done perfectly. I also liked that it wasn't a traditional "girl aids police detective" trope. The characters were complex and interesting and I imagine the history was portrayed accurately. I do wish parts of the plot hadn't been given away. It wasn't a perfect book, but it was a good debut novel and I look forward to more.

#AnyWayYouReadathon book 1
@MidnightBookGirl @kimmypete1

This weekend's #AnyWayYouReadathon goals:

Finish reading Dead Dead Girls

Continue Reading Empire if the Vampire and A Night in the Lonesome October

Start reading Unbound and These Violent Delights

Join us for a laid back readathon where you pick your own goals. Tag us so we can cheer on your progress.

@MidnightBookGirl @kimmypete1

I like the portrayal of a Black woman with an invisible disability who was such a dynamic heroine. As a person with an invisible disability, I appreciated this. I liked the unique character of her daughter, the 12-year-old therapist. I didn't hold out much hope for the romance. In real life, that was too dysfunctional to end well, but I really enjoyed the story.

Listening to Louis Armstrong for atmosphere while I read this 1920s Harlem Renaissance mystery. Kicking back and really enjoying it. Big band jazz music always makes me think of my grandmother, who loved to dance when she was young.

I found it easy to guess the ending and it was a little too life lessony for me, but I still enjoyed most of it anyway. I liked the characters and the overall vibe. 3.5 ⭐s

A little late posting, but these were my books for September. I got in a good horror/ mystery crop in for Halloween in advance. Saving Ruby King was my favorite, although that was much more than a thriller. I am looking forward to more spooky October books. 🎃

Looking forward to starting this fun chapter-a-day Halloween readalong tomorrow hosted by @MidnightBookGirl which has exactly 31 chapters. If you want to join in, use #LonesomeOct

I love a good book about books. This book had a librarian dueling with a minotaur, so it did not disappoint. And if course if there existed a library of unwritten books that could come to life, they would be in hell. I appreciated the creativity, humorous existential angst, and the tenacity of the characters. This was well done.

Spooky book haul from my favorite indie bookstore @FountainBookstore . All ready for Halloween! 🎃💀🧙🧹

The ending of this book made me exclaim out loud "Really! OMG! Just, really?" You have to read it because the ending is just dumpster fire ridiculous. The first half of the book is like ho-hum and the last half is like YA meets Deliverance written by a middle school boy drinking too much Red Bull. I loved to hate it.

I liked this book because it was interesting, seemed well researched, and provoked thought. I was not convinced of all the conclusions, like that we don't need traffic signs, but I was intrigued. Apparently people are apt to drive worse when they feel safe and confident. As I am a nervous driver and never feel safe and confident, I must be good. Sometimes just reading about traffic 🚦 gave me a small anxiety attack.

My feelings on this book are complicated. It is an intense and disturbing story and it deserves recognition. It wasn't always easy to follow, but it was worth the effort. I would recommend it to people interested in anti-racism and empathy who like sci fi. Everyone else would probably benefit from reading it, too. It was a good book. To say I liked it would be using the wrong language.

This was an entertaining, twisty novel with characters you love to hate!

The writing style was beautiful and I really appreciated the feminist message. This book was just a little too long and moved at too slow a pace for my taste.

This was a re-read for my pick for this month's book club. I loved it just as much the second time around. It is super action-packed and the main character was written expertly. My heart bled for him as he made the worst choices. This is a fast paced book full of car chases that never lets up.