bibliophile life

Update: Goodreads Reading Challenge 2023 (2/13/23)

February 13, 2023 — Leave a comment

I didn’t intend to do this exactly one month from the last update, but maybe I should actually start scheduling them this way. Haha. Once a month is enough, right? 🙂

I finished A.M. Shine’s The Creeper, and while it was an eerie tale (reminiscent of The Bye Bye Man, in my opinion), I didn’t love it overall. The twist at the end wasn’t terrible, but…the story lost something with the revelation. I enjoyed Shine’s writing style, though, and I still intend to read The Watchers.

Rating: 3.5/5

I also read Poltergeist by Kat Richardson. It has been sitting on my bookshelves since I found it in an apartment my friends and I cleaned out. I’m not sure if I’d have gotten more out of it if I’d read the first book in the series, well, first. However, I didn’t love this book. I think there is potential for Richardson to build an interesting fantasy/supernatural world, so I will certainly try at least one more from the Greywalker series.

Rating: 3/5

The third book I completed since my last post is the final in Katherine Arden’s Small Spaces series, Empty Smiles. This was my least favorite of the four. The build-up was so promising, but the ending was rushed and fell flat. I still say these books are worth the read; I just wish the conclusion had been…more.

Rating: 4/5

I am currently reading two books. (I’m the world’s worst to start a second book before finishing the one I initially started.) I finally decided to check out Emilie Autumn’s The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls, and I also dove into my second Riley Sager novel, The Last Time I Lied. I’ll let y’all know my thoughts in about a month!

Any recommendations for me? Please leave them in the comments!

A Whole Lotta Good, But Also Some Bad

January 31, 2023 — Leave a comment

Hello, all! I hope this post finds you well. I just wanted to jump on here and give y’all an update on things.

I have four interviews in progress, though one seems to have stalled out because of circumstances beyond his control. I’m really looking forward to sharing them, Carbonstone’s in particular. I have also been receiving emails from various promoters requesting that I share singles and tour dates for bands they represent. I was followed on Facebook by Paul Crosby Management, which is cool (and if you’d like to follow too, here’s the link 😉).

I have almost finished yet another book for my Goodreads reading challenge, so keep an eye out for my next update post about that.

As for the bad news, I had to miss the Alter Bridge show in Nashville because I was too sick to go. I went to my doctor yesterday and he put me on an antibiotic and a medicine meant to break up congestion and help keep my lungs clear. I was gutted to skip the concert, but there is a bright side. I should be well in time to enjoy my brother’s visit this weekend! And we may have missed Alter Bridge, but I’m taking Mom to her first Shinedown show in April so… I guess we’ll recover. Haha.

Thank you to everyone who even acknowledges this blog. Drop a comment if you’d like, telling me something good – or bad – that has happened lately, or just how you’re doing today!

Cheers!

Update: Goodreads Reading Challenge 2023 (1/13/23)

January 13, 2023 — Leave a comment

I finished Stacia Kane’s Unholy Ghosts, and I was right – I am definitely reading the whole series. I loved the story, the characters, her writing style… Overall, I’d rate the book 4.5 out of 5.

I also ran through the third book in Katherine Arden’s Small Spaces series, Dark Waters.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: this is the kind of kids’ book I wish had existed when I was a kid. So many of the “scary” books I read back then fell short. They weren’t even creepy (to me). But Arden’s tales of The Smiling Man are eerie, and the entity is not easily beaten or discovered to be anything less than frightening.

Rating: 4/5

And last but not least, I have started my fourth book of the year, The Creeper by A.M. Shine. I read a recommendation of this book on Jenny In Neverland’s blog [check out the post here]. So today, I plan to drop my car off at my mechanic’s then curl up with a blanket, a cup of coffee, and this suspenseful chiller from Shine.