2022 Fraterfest Participation Post

Hello, fellow Spooky Season Lovers, I just wanted to let you know that I will be joining the 2022 Fraterfest Read-a-thon, which starts at midnight tonight. I’m so excited; I just love a good Spooky Season read.

 

Quick side note, tomorrow I will also be hosting Fraterfest Bingo, so stop by and participate in all the Spooky goodness!

 

My goals….do I have goals? I don’t know, I’d like to finish at least 10 books by the end of RAT. Will that happen? I have no idea. You know what they say about mice, men, and best laid plans…

 

My TBR…do readers really plan these out and stick with them or are they just a lovely little dream of what might happen? I’ve been horrible at sticking to a set TBR because I’m a big mood reader. There are weeks where I’ll read nothing but thrillers and mysteries then for months I’ll read nothing but historical romances. It’s generally wherever my reading fancy takes me, so I’m not going to list a set TBR. My TBR for this RAT is going to be a floating TBR. I know some books/series I want to read but the others will be random based on my mood.

 

 

My plans…so Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I want to finish the books that I’ve started. That way I’ll have a clean slate going forward.

I need to finish:

-A Dark and Stormy Tea by Laura Childs (115 pages left)

-Home Before Dark by Riley Sager (284 pages left)

-The Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix (214 pages left)

 

Yes, I’ve been reading The Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires for over a year now. Okay, I started it over a year ago during the last Fraterfest and completely forgot that I started it, so I’m going to force myself to finish it this year.

 

As for the rest of the RAT, I’m not really sure what books in particular I’ll be reading. I do know that I want to read a few books from the Krewe of Hunters Series by Heather Graham. There’s a few paranormal romances that have caught my eye and I have a few audiobooks that could make the cut. Other than that, I’m just going to wing it.

 

Updates…I will update the 17^th, 19^th, 21^st, and 24^th. I will also be posting on Instagram. 

The Cozy Autumn Book Tag

I am such an Autumn soul so when I found this Cozy Fall Book Tag, which was originally created by The Book Belle on YouTube, I knew it was the perfect book tag. So, I’m not going tag anyone in particular but, if you want to play along, feel free to leave your answers.

 

Here we go…

1. What book always reminds you of fall/autumn?

 

If I had to pick one book in particular, I would have to say Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Every major event in Jane and Rochester’s lives happen during the autumn season.

 

If I had to pick a genre, it would have to be classic gothic literature. They offer the perfect Spooky Season vibes.

 

2. What is your favorite autumnal book cover?

 

There’s so many beautiful autumnal covers; this post would be a mile long if I listed them all. I’m going to pick from recent releases. My favorites have to be

 

Small Town Big Magic by Hazel Beck—it has a lovely cozy, witchy spooky season vibe.

 

At Home on Marigold Lane by Debbie Mason—this is the coziest autumnal cover that I’ve seen released this season.

 

3. What is your favorite autumnal drink to read with?

 

I’m more of a hot tea drinker but it really depends on my mood. Lately I’ve been leaning more towards a London Fog with a shot of lavender or a pumpkin spice chai. If I’m in a coffee mood, it’s a PSL or caramel pumpkin oat milk macchiato.

 

 

4. Do you prefer to read late at night or early in the morning?

 

It really depends; I will read in the morning but I tend to read more at night, which often results in a book hangover.

 

5. Halloween is coming! What is your favorite spooky read?

 

Again, this depends on my mood. I love classic gothics, paranormal romances, modern day thrillers or mysteries.

 

 

6. What is the ultimate comfort read for you?

 

I love small town romances that have a strong sense of family and community. The Swift River Valley series by Carla Neggers and the Highland Falls series by Debbie Mason are two of my favorites.

 

 

7. What is your favorite autumnal reading snack?

 

I love a good homemade pumpkin scone or a pumpkin spice teacake.

 

8. What is your favorite autumnal candle to burn whilst reading?

 

At the moment, I’ve been loving Pumpkin Pecan Waffles from Bath and Body Works although I tend to change my candle based on the book that I’m reading.

 

 

9. When you’re not reading, what is your favorite autumnal activity?

 

I love baking, taking walks, and leaf pepping.

 

10. What is on your autumn/fall reading list?

Oh my goodness, there’s so many that I’d like to get through this season but I’ll narrow it down to ten.

 

1-Spells For Forgetting by Adrienne Young

2-Small Town Big Magic by Hazel Beck

3-The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

4-House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

5-The Hacienda by Isabel Canas

6-Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

7-Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

8-Cackle by Rachel Harrison

9-The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke

10-In the Night Wood by Dale Bailey 

Blogtober Day 3

Hey, Lovelies, welcome to Day 3 of Blogtober! This one’s a little late-—and a little short— but I’m sticking to my goal of posting every day this October.

 

It’s been a very Monday Monday. I’ve been having some pain in my right wrist on and off for the last few weeks. I didn’t think anything of it, honestly, I thought that I just irritated it when I was lifting some heavy boxes. Well, I woke up this morning barely able to bend my wrist. Turns out, I’ve damaged a tendon and will need to wear a brace for two or more weeks. Bad news, the pharmacy is currently out of braces; hopefully they’ll have one in a few days. Good news, my wrist won’t require surgery and I’ve been told to take it easy so I’ll have a little more time to read this week than I expected.

 

Another bit of good news mixed with bad is that the contractor actually showed up yesterday and we were able to pick out the railings and columns for the porch. The bad news is he doesn’t know when he’ll be able to finish the porch.

 

I did manage a bit of reading today. Home Before Dark still isn’t thrilling me; I don’t want to DNF it but I’m not sure if it’s going to be my priority. I think I want something a little spookier.

 

I picked up Haunted House by Heather Graham and I’ve really been enjoying this novella. I also decided to give Evolve’s new bath bomb (Haunted) a go and it made for a lovely bath. Be aware; if you give one of their new bath bombs a try (Haunted or Black Pearl) be prepared to scrub your bath out afterwards as they do leave a dark stain.

 

That is all for day, my lovelies, I’ll see you tomorrow with a fun Fall-themed book tag.

The Sunday Post, October 2, 2022

 Hello, Lovelies, I hope you’re all doing fantastic!

I’ve been a bit absent on the blog. To make a long story short, the contractor that was hired at the end of May to remodel my front porch scampered off with my money, the new contractor hasn’t shown up when he said he would, and the numerous lawyer appointments were a waste of time and even more money. At this point, I have no idea when the front porch will be finished and the building code inspector is getting a bit cranky. To say I’ve been stressed is an understatement. It’s been a bit hard to carve out time for blogging but, hopefully, Blogtober will get me back into the blogging grove.

 

Yesterday my town had a fun little Hocus Pocus Shop Hop and Adult trick or treating. I went with a dear friend of mine and her sweet little girl and we had a good time. I had intended to take pics for Instagram but most of them had my friend’s daughter in them and I’m not comfortable sharing photos of someone’s child. Here’s a few random ones I snapped.

 

setup inside local pizza place

I loved getting out and supporting the small businesses that’s popped up in town. I picked up a fun little Fall hat, a Hocus Pocus shirt, some fun bath bombs, and had a lovely white pumpkin latte from one of the local cafes. While I enjoyed the Shop Hop, I wish it hadn’t been so alcohol based, as a non-drinker it’s a bit of a turn off.

 

Today, if all goes well, I should be picking out the railings for my front porch—if the contractor shows up. He was a no-show last weekend. I also have a few errands that I need to run before the week starts; I’ve been rearranging things and decluttering so I need to pick up some storage totes and such and do a bit of grocery shopping.

 

On the reading front, I finally got my reading groove back. I wasn’t in a slump, I just wasn’t able to concentrate with everything going on. There’s a few books I need to finish, Chase Wilde Comes Home by Jennifer Ryan (I have a little over 3 hours left on the audiobook) and A Dark and Stormy Tea by Laura Childs (I’m about half way through). I’ll finish one of these today, probably Chase Wilde Comes Home as I’ll listen to it in the car. I’m just not feeling A Dark and Stormy Tea, I’m a bit bored with it to be honest. While I love the Tea Shop Mysteries, I’m feeling they’re a bit hit or miss with me lately. I also need to try to focus a bit more on Home Before Dark by Riley Sager to see if I can get into it. If you’ve read it, does it get any better or is it slow and choppy?

 

Work has been a bit crazy lately; I’m hoping that things slow down this week as I have some house things I need to get done at the start of the week. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday my on-line book group is hosting a read-a-thon, sadly, I think it’s going to be our last one as things start getting back to normal and our work schedules have changed. I’m hoping I’ll be able to participate for two days. I’d like to do all three, I just don’t see that happening.

 

What are reading? What are you watching? Are you ready to get your Spooky Season on? I want to know what you’ve been up to!

 

I hope you all have a fantastic week!

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly or for a monthly wrap up.

 

Welcome to Blogtober

 Hello, My Fellow Spooky Lovers, and Happy Saturday! Today is the first day of Blogtober as well as the official start of Spooky Season. If all goes well, fingers crossed, I will be posting on the blog everyday as well as fun daily updates on Instagram (@simplyangelarenee).

 

My official ‘Spooky Season’ started last night. I made a charcuterie board and settled in to watch Hocus Pocus 2—not sure what I thought about it yet, my review post will be up one day this week. I also read a bit of Home Before Dark by Riley Sager and I’m struggling to get into this book. I’m only on Chapter 3 and I’m hoping it picks up the pace because, to be honest, I’m a bit bored with it. I don’t know if I’m just not into the book or if I’m just not vibing with Riley Sager’s writing style.

 

If Home Before Dark fails to impress me, I do have a few spooky reads that I’ve recently added to my October TBR.

 

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney—this is one of my most anticipated reads of 2022. I did receive a finished copy from the publisher but I really wanted to pick this one up on audio until I realized that Richard Armitage did not narrate it so hard copy it will be. While I do like Alice Feeney’s writing style, what intrigued me with this one was the And Then There Were None comparison this one received. I’ve read a lot of reviews saying that this was a brand new spin on the original, so I’m curious to see how it plays out.

 

Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match by Sally Thorne—I love Frankenstein (I’m considering giving it a re-read before starting this one) so this one has me curious as it delves into Victor’s sister creating her perfect man.

 

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward—I picked this up on audio on a whim. It released last year and, at the time, I heard so many mixed reviews I wasn’t sure if I wanted to try it but a friend recommended it to me so I’m going to give it a go.

 

While I have a ton of Spooky Reads I need to get through, I’m not sure what my October TBR is going to look like as of yet. I’m going to attempt to have a tentative TBR list for this month up by Friday but I’ve been such a mood reader lately I’m not sure how that’s going to work out.

 

I hope you all have a lovely and safe Saturday. I’m going to a town event today with a dear friend and her sweet daughter so keep an eye out on Instagram for all the spooky fun! 

Speed Reviews: Comfort Me with Apples by Catherynne M. Valente & Sleeping Dogs Lie by Samantha Downing

I have another round of speed reviews. In this one, we have a Comfort Me with Apples, which wasn’t for me, and Sleeping Dogs Lie, which I highly recommend.

Sophia was made for him. Her perfect husband. She can feel it in her bones. He is perfect. Their home together in Arcadia Gardens is perfect. Everything is perfect.

It's just that he's away so much. So often. He works so hard. She misses him. And he misses her. He says he does, so it must be true. He is the perfect husband and everything is perfect.

But sometimes Sophia wonders about things. Strange things. Dark things. The look on her husband's face when he comes back from a long business trip. The questions he will not answer. The locked basement she is never allowed to enter. And whenever she asks the neighbors, they can't quite meet her gaze...

Publisher: Tordotcom| Genre: Horror/Thriller | Source: Publisher  | Rating:0

 This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021; it’s been labeled as a ‘tantalizingly crooked domestic mystery’, ‘a darkly elegant fairy tale-horror story’, and ‘a delectable, nefarious thriller’ just to quote a few. Sadly, this turned out to be one of the worst books I’ve read.

Here’s a quick rundown of what’s going on.

The book starts with the HOA rules for Arcadia Gardens then introduces Sophia, who seems to be the perfect woman, with the perfect husband living in a perfect house in a perfect community. Although things are not as they seem and soon

Sophia starts finding macabre items that has her questioning both her husband and her own happiness.

I thought this was going to be one of my top ten books of 2021 and it was utter nonsense. I did like that the start of the book, it read like a dark fairytale with a domestic thriller thrown in. Then things started going downhill and this ended up being a Biblical re-telling, which I did not appreciate. I don’t like it when an author rewrites events from the Bible.

Had I known what this book was about, especially the way it was handled, I never would have read it.

Shelby works as a dog walker in Northern California, and she’s just finished up her biweekly trip to the park with a husky named Pluto. When she brings him back to his house, she finds his owner—Todd Burke, a well-known local businessman and founder of an organic supplements company—dead on the bathroom floor. As a detective interviews Shelby, a medical examiner inspects the body, and more cops search Todd’s home, it becomes clear that the victim’s life was less picture-perfect than his clean-cut persona might lead you to believe.

 

Publisher: Audible | Narrators: Melanie Nicholls-King, Lindsey Dorcus | Length: 2 hrs 8 min | Genre: Contemporary Mystery/Thriller | Source: Publisher | Rating: 4 Cups

I wasn’t sure about this one. I’m never fully into Samantha Downing’s full-length novels; they just never thrill me, but I’ve been working my way through the short stories in the audible plus catalogue and this one popped up so I thought I would give it a listen.

I’m not going to talk too much about this one because I don’t want to spoil it but Here’s a quick rundown, Shelby’s a dog walker, when she goes to return Pluto to his owner she discovers him dead on his bathroom floor. As the police and detectives process the scene and speak to Shelby, it soon becomes apparent that nothing is as it seems.

This was super quick but the pacing was spot on, nothing felt rushed or left out. So, the plot of this one was something I’ve not read before and it was interesting seeing how everything played out. The ending was fantastic.

Overall, this made for a great listen while doing yardwork. 

Have you read any good short stories or novellas lately?

 

The Night Thief by Joy Ellis

When a creepy burglar strikes the Fens stealing pictures of little boy Jackman and Evans are more the a little concerned although things take a sinister turn when an elderly lady ends up dead. Keep reading to hear my thought on the latest book in the Jackman and Evans Series.

When everyone is sleeping, he comes into their houses.

He takes one thing. A photo of their child.

A sinister thief on a power trip or something even darker and more sinister?

Detectives Jackman and Evans find themselves on the hunt for a highly unusual burglar who seemingly only steals photographs. But then, late one night, an elderly woman falls to her death after seeing someone in her home.

Did she really fall, or was she murdered?

And just how many mysterious intruders are there on the Fens?

With the body count rising, Jackman and Evans have their work cut out for them to track down the night thief - before it’s too late.

Series: Jackman & Evans #8 | Publisher: Audible  | Narrator: Richard Armitage  | Length: 11 hrs 10 min | Genre: Mystery/Thriller  | Source: Publisher  | Rating: 3 Cups

Someone’s been breaking into people’s houses, stealing pictures of young boys. Is a thief trying to spook people or something more dangerous? Jackman and Evans have been searching down every avenue looking for answers but coming up empty then an elderly woman falls to her death during a break-in leaving the detectives to wonder if it’s the same person and if they have now added murder to their list of crimes. Is there a connection between the missing pictures and the woman? Jackman and Evans must race to find a connection before the night thief strikes again.

I’m a bit on the fence about this one. It was good yet it was rather boring in some spots, I’m sorry to say. When this one was good, it was really good and had me eager to find out more but the boring bits nearly had me asleep.

Character-wise, I liked seeing more into the personal lives of Rowan Jackman and Ruth Evans—this one dealt with a lot of relationship type things—and we do get to see a decent amount of actual detective work. The villain in this one wasn’t as strong or as creepy as the previous ones, they just came off more unhinged than anything. So I was never really pulled into any twists or turns trying to figure out their thought process.

In this one, we have a thief breaking into people’s houses and stealing pictures of young boys. It seems like it’s random bits of weirdness then an elderly lady catches someone in her house and dies after falling down the steps. We also have Laura (she’s Jackman’s psychologist girlfriend) who is a little creeped out by her sleepwalking, sometimes blood covered patient. There’s a lot of are they are they not connected going on. A lot of time spent running around with the sleepwalker, some creepy bits with the thief but there’s not a lot actually happening. We’re going through the motions yet going back to the beginning.

This one is a little over 11 hours and, honestly, I think it was just a little too long. I really wish she would have stuck with the main aspect of the story—it would have held my attention better—rather than throwing in the red herrings that really didn’t make a lot of sense or go with the story. It seemed like it was just a hastily thrown together distraction rather than something that was plausible. The mystery itself was decent but it was too drawn out.

Overall, it was just okay. I do wish that this had been condensed; the mystery was intriguing and had me eager to see how it unfolded but I don’t think it had enough legs to stand on as a full-length novel—and the second longest in the series. This would have been so much more enjoyable as a novella.

Jackman & Evans Series (recommended listening order)

 

Their Lost Daughters

The Murderer's Son

The Fourth Friend

The Guilty Ones

The Stolen Boys

The Patient Man

They Disappeared

The Night Thief

 

Shady Hollow by Juneau Black

I’ve been in a reading slump and I needed something different so I made it my mission to go to Barnes and Noble and pick up something based solely on the cover—it’s something I rarely do—so when I spotted this charming cover, I knew it had to come home with me. Keep reading to see why.

The first book in the Shady Hollow series, in which we are introduced to the village of Shady Hollow, a place where woodland creatures live together in harmony--until a curmudgeonly toad turns up dead and the local reporter has to solve the case.

Reporter Vera Vixen is a relative newcomer to Shady Hollow. The fox has a nose for news, so when she catches wind that the death might be a murder, she resolves to get to the bottom of the case, no matter where it leads. As she stirs up still waters, the fox exposes more than one mystery, and discovers that additional lives are in jeopardy.

Vera finds more to this town than she ever suspected. It seems someone in the Hollow will do anything to keep her from solving the murder, and soon it will take all of Vera's cunning and quickness to crack the case.

Series: Shady Hollow #1 | Publisher: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard | Genre: Cozy Mystery/Animal Fiction | Source: Purchased  | Rating:

This is definitely a different book and has to be the coziest of cozy mysteries. The characters are animals and they live in the most charming place. I could not put this book down.

Here’s what’s going on. When reporter Vera Vixen learns that the grouchy toad, Otto has died and a killer is among them, she decides to crack the case on her own. Not only will this make for an incredible story, it will help the town out seeing as the local police chief tends to prefer fishing to solving crimes. As her investigation kicks off, Vera is shocked when she discovers a creature with a potential tip has been murdered. Will she be able to crack the case or will the murderer target her next.

Oh my goodness, I had so much fun with this one. Everything about this book is magical and charming. The characters are so vivid and realistic that I forgot they were creatures until they made mention of a particular trait.

The mystery in this one is solid and there’s a lot of avenues they go down while investigating. It was fun to see how it played out even if it was slightly obvious.

This book made me fall in love with reading all over again. It was exactly what I needed when I needed it. I loved this one so much that I ordered the rest of the series while I was in the middle of this one.

Overall, this was the perfect cozy creature mystery. I highly recommend this series and hope there’s more to come from the writing team of Juneau Black.

Shady Hollow Mysteries

Shady Hollow

Cold Clay

Mirror Lake

Evergreen Chase (novella)