It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #288: Happy Halloween!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.
Happy Halloween!! It is the best day of the year! 😆 Although I don't actually do anything to celebrate, really. Lol. I have to work today, which is super lame. And after work I'm probably just gonna come home and watch some spooky movies. Let me know if you guys are doing anything fun today!

Sunday Post #322: Horror Movies to Soothe the Pain

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Looking Back At Books That Were On My Spooky TBR 4 Years Ago

In 2018 I put together a list of spooky books I wanted to read, and since I am a notorious mood reader, I thought it would fun to look back at that list and see if I have actually read any of those books since then. Lol.

Zombie Apocalypse Book Tag

I saw this tag over at Feed Your Fiction Addiction a while back, and I decided to save it for this spooky season! It looked like so much fun! Like Nicole, I actually haven't read her post at the time of writing this, but I will go back as soon as I'm done!

Mechanics for this tag:

1. Pick 5 books (I suggest you don’t read the situations first before doing this tag)
2. Turn to a random page in each book; the first name you see gets to be on your Zombie Survival Team.
3. Repeat.
• You should now have ten names.
• Keep in mind the order in which you’ve chosen the books and names.

Review: Lessons in Terror (Fear Street Collector's Editions #8) by R.L. Stine

Title: Lessons in Terror

Series: Fear Street | Fear Street Collector's Editions


Books in this omnibus: The Cheater | College Weekend | Final Grade

Author: R.L. Stine

Publication date: September 1998

Published by: Archway Paperback

Source: Own paperback

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Are you afraid to walk down Fear Street? Maybe you should be.

They say that weird things always happen on that dark and twisting road. They say it's a place to be frightened of - that those who go there never return the same. And some never return at all...

The say the evil of Fear Street infects the entire town, even the high school... Dare to read about three high school students who each learn a deadly lesson, in the FEAR STREET books of this special Collector's Edition.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

School's in session... which is unfortunate because these kids are definitely gonna die 😆

The Spooky Would You Rather Book Tag

I saw this fun tag over at a GREAT read and it was originally created by The Book Pusher!

Review: College Weekend (Fear Street #32) by R.L. Stine

Title: College Weekend

Series: Fear Street #32 (Can be read as a standalone)

Author: R.L. Stine

Genre: YA, horror, mystery thriller

Publication date: July 1995

Published by: Archway Paperback

Source: Own paperback

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Nightmare weekend.

Nothing can ruin Tina River’s big weekend at Patterson College with her boyfriend, Josh Martin. She’s so excited, she doesn’t even mind that her cousin, Holly, will be tagging along.

But when Tina and Holly arrive, Josh is gone. His roommate, Christopher Roberts, says Josh is stuck in the mountains, delayed by car trouble. That’s weird—Josh never mentioned he was going away.

It gets even weirder when Holly suddenly disappears. But Christopher isn’t worried—about Holly or Josh. Christopher seems to have the answer to everything. Tina is confused. But one thing is clear—she’s about to learn more about love and murder than she ever wanted to know.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

Given her boyfriend Josh is missing, supposedly delayed by “car troubles,” you’d think Tina would be worried. But nooo, instead she’s snuggling up to Josh’s roommate Chris! Dude, seriously? Chris was seriously creepy. He knew so much about Tina that it was uncomfortable. But Tina was not the smartest girl in the beginning. A lot of Fear Street characters aren’t smart, to be fair 😆

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #287: Mostly Spooky, But A Little Cute

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #321: Readathon Weekend

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon: October 2022

I love a good readathon, but I always forget/miss when they happen. BUT I was aware of this one for a while now and I've been preparing! Lol. However, I just found out that there's a party today that I will probably be going to... sigh. I mean, could NOT go, but honestly, this wouldn't be the first time I read at a party 😂 And it wont be the last 🤣 And honestly, I don't plan on reading for all 24 hours... I love sleep too much 😆 But I am going to read as much as I possibly can in those 24 hours. I don't really have a goal in hours, but I do have a sort-of goal in what books I want to read/finish reading for the readathon.

For me, where I live, this will be starting at 5am PST. It's Friday evening as I write this, and I still haven't decided whether I want to wake up at 5am or not... Like I said, I love sleep 🤣 But I've become an early bird in the last couple of years, so I'm usually up by 7 or 8am anyway. I'll be doing updates on both Twitter and my IG stories, for anyone who cares. Lol. And I'll also update this post tomorrow or maybe I'll do a little update in tomorrow's Sunday Post. (And you can go HERE for more info on this readathon).

Below are some books that are on my TBR for the readathon. I'm obviously not gonna read all of these books, especially not in 24 hours. Lol. But I like to have a plan when going into a readathon, and my mood reader self likes to have options. Lol.

Movie Review: There's Someone Inside Your House

Title: There’s Someone Inside Your House

Based on There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

Rating: TV-MA

Release date: October 6, 2021

Run time: 1h 36m

Genre: Suspense, horror, mystery, thriller

Production companies: Atomic Monster Productions, 21 Laps Entertainment

Director: Patrick Brice

Stars: Sydney Park, Théodore Pellerin, Asjha Cooper

Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis: The graduating class at Osborne High is being targeted by a masked assailant, intent on exposing the darkest secret of each victim, and only a group of misfit outsiders can stop the killings.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

Starting this movies I was like, "Okay, here go.” Why? Because I wasn't a fan of the book it was based on 😅 However, I do love horror movies in general, so I thought I’d give this movie a chance anyway. Maybe this would be a rare occurrence where the movie is better than the book. Plus, James Wan does good horror—I generally like his movies! And you know what, this wasn't bad!

Review: The Perfect Date (Fear Street #37) by R.L. Stine

Title: The Perfect Date

Series: Fear Street #37 (Can be read as a standalone)

Author: R.L. Stine

Genre: YA, horror, mystery thriller

Publication date: April 1996

Published by: Archway Paperback

Source: Own paperback

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Perfect... perfectly evil.

Brady Karlin is getting on with his life. The memory of his girlfriend—killed in a gruesome sledding accident last year—is beginning to fade. Now he's met Rosha Nelson, the girl of his dreams. And he's never been happier.

Until Brady starts to see a strange figure -- with a terribly scarred face—following him everywhere. Until the horrible accidents start happening—every time Rosha's around.

Has dating Rosha made Brady's dreams come true? Or brought his worst nightmares back to life?

My rating: ★★☆☆☆

This book was... interesting. And kind of insane. Lol. So Brady starts dating this girl, Rosha, and soon after “accidents” start happening. Is she incredibly clumsy or is she trying to kill Brady? 👀

The Horror Movie Book Tag

I saw this tag over at Monstrumology and was created by Royal Reader. I thought this tag would be fun to do, especially because I LOVE horror movies!

Review: The Awakening Evil (Fear Street Sagas #10) by R.L. Stine

Title: The Awakening Evil

Series: Fear Street Sagas #10 | Fear Street Cheerleaders (Can be read as a standalone)

Author: R.L. Stine

Genre: YA, horror, mystery thriller, historical

Publication date: December 1997

Published by: Archway Paperback

Source: Own paperback

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Now the terror begins...

Everyone knows the story of the Evil. The Evil that terrorized Corky Corcoran and the cheerleaders of Shadyside High. The evil that destroyed Sarah Fear one hundred years ago.

Everyone thinks they know the story.

But the true story has remained hidden. Only Sarah Fear knows where the Evil began. What it wants. And why it kills.

Read Sarah’s story... and discover the truth at last.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

Having read The Evil Lives!, I sort of already knew where this story was headed. This was a little more in depth retelling of the story we got from the last Cheerleaders book. And just like that book, this one was fine.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #286: Just Killers

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #320: The Chaos Continues...

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Fall/Spooky Book Recommendations

Today I've compiled a list of some of my favorite spooky books I have read over the last couple of years. I've got some mysteries, thrillers, slashers (can a book be a slasher? Lol), horror comedies, and even some nonfiction recommendations!

Creatures of the Night Tag

I saw this fun tag over at a GREAT read! Jessica wasn't able to find the exact rules for the tag, so what she ended up doing was pick her favorite book that featured each creature, so that's what I'm gonna do too!

Review: The Evil Lives! (Fear Street Cheerleaders #5, Fear Street Super Chiller #13) by R.L. Stine

Title: The Evil Lives!

Series: Fear Street Cheerleaders #5 | Fear Street Super Chiller #13

Previous books in the Cheerleaders series: The First Evil (#1) | The Second Evil (#2) | The Third Evil (#3) | The New Evil (#4)

Author: R.L. Stine

Genre: YA, horror, mystery thriller

Publication date: January 1998

Published by: Archway Paperback

Source: Own paperback

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Now the terror continues...

Everyone at Shadyside High remembers when Corky Corcoran destroyed the evil spirit. The evil that attacked the cheerleaders. The evil that killed Sarah Fear one hundred years ago.

No one expected the evil to come back. No one knew that there was only one way to defeat it forever. No one knew that the answer lay hidden in Sarah Fear’s grave.

Now the cheerleaders must discover the secret…before it’s too late.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

I was so excited to read this because in this book we finally find out the origin of the Ancient Evil. But idk, it was a little disappointing. And not only because Corky and the rest of her squad weren't in this book.

Review: Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

Title: Home Before Dark

Author: Riley Sager

Genre: Adult, horror

Publication date: June 2020

Published by: Dutton Books

Source: Library book

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis: What was it like? Living in that house.

Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called House of Horrors. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity—and skepticism.

Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father’s book. But she also doesn’t believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father’s death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the past, chronicled in House of Horrors, lurk in the shadows. And locals aren’t thrilled that their small town has been made infamous thanks to Maggie’s father. Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself—a place filled with relics from another era that hint at a history of dark deeds. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences straight out of her father’s book, she starts to believe that what he wrote was more fact than fiction.

My rating: ★★★★★

I really enjoyed this book and the mystery in it. And it’s almost like there was a mystery within a mystery. The book is told in this sort of dual POV, where we got Maggie in the present day returning to the house, but also the POV of the book her father wrote about the house and the terrible tragedy that happened there all those years ago. I really liked the parallels between the two stories and the possibility that history could be repeating itself.

Review: The Dare (Fear Street #21) by R.L. Stine

Title: The Dare

Series: Fear Street #21 (Can be read as a standalone)

Author: R.L. Stine

Genre: YA, horror, mystery thriller

Publication date: February 1994

Published by: Archway Paperback

Source: Own paperback

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Nice girls don’t kill...

Johanna Wise has always longed to be part of Dennis Arthur’s rich, popular crowd, and she can’t believe it when he finally asks her out. Now she’ll do anything to continue to hang out with his cool friends and keep Dennis as her boyfriend.

So when Dennis dares her to kill their teacher, Mr. Northwood, she doesn’t say no. She can’t. Besides, it was only a joke, right? But now the joke has gone too far, and the whole school is taking bets on Johanna. The dare is serious…dead serious. Will she do it? Will she really kill for love?

My rating: ★★☆☆☆

If I had to use one word to describe this book it would be this: dumb. The premise was dumb, the characters were dumb, it was just... dumb. These pranks and dares the cool kids pulled are not funny at all. I really did not understand why Johanna was so adamant about hanging out with them. And then Dennis, one of the cool kids Johanna has a crush on, he was an entitled prick and I did not like him! She doesn’t tell her close friend Margaret about any of this because she isn’t part of the group and wouldn't understand about the dares and whatever 🙄 Well, I guess that's why I don't understand either 😆 And the lengths Johanna would go through to accomplish these dares to get in with these idiots, it was unbelievable. She was awful! The fact that she actually considers killing the teacher is insane! I’m sorry, but she was just not a sympathetic character AT ALL.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #285: ALL the Spooky Books for Spooky Season!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #319: The Chaos...

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Supernatural Book Tag

It's finally Spooky Season, and you know what? I miss the boys 😭 So let's do a Supernatural book tag, which I didn't even know was a thing until now! Lol. I found this fun tag over at Books and Chill.

Movie Review: Fear Street 1666

Title: Fear Street Part 3: 1666

Series: Fear Street #3

Previous movies in the series: Fear Street Part 1: 1994 | Fear Street Part 2: 1978

Based on Fear Street by R.L. Stine

Rating: R (strong violence and gore, language, some sexuality and brief drug use)

Release date: July 16th 2021

Run time: 1 hr 54 min

Genre: Horror, suspense, mystery

Production company: Chernin Entertainment

Director: Leigh Janiak

Stars: Kiana Madeira, Ashley Zukerman, Gillian Jacobs

Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis: Thrust back to 1666, Deena learns the truth about Sarah Fier. Back in 1994, the friends fight for their lives — and Shadyside's future.

My rating: ★★★★☆

One of my favorite Fear Street series is the Fear Street Saga trilogy that talks about the origins of the Fears and their feud with the Goodes. That's why I was particularly excited to watch this movie! And I have to say, I really enjoyed it! Now, this movie doesn't follow that series exactly, but I do think it pulled at least a little inspiration from it.

Review: The Hitchhiker by R.L. Stine

Title: The Hitchhiker

Series: Point Horror

Author: R.L. Stine

Genre: YA, horror, mystery thriller

Publication date: January 1993

Published by: Scholastic

Source: Own paperback

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | Thrift Books

Synopsis: He wants a ride. She wants a thrill. So, in spite of her best friend's arguments, Christina stops to pick up the handsome hitchhiker. He's everything she thought he'd be. And more. Much, much, more. Enough to thrill Christina and Terri... to death.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

This book was a wild ride, let me tell you. So we’ve got these two girls who stop for a hitchhiker and I’m just like WHY? It’s a horrible idea! These girls are so dumb. Even after seeing his temper they still let him ride with them 🙄 The hitchhiker, James, totally sucks. He’s arrogant and super violent and somehow one of the girls is intrigued by him?! Ugh. At first, Terri is scared of James and doesn’t like him, which is the correct reaction. But then after a chase, she wants to get him alone and all to herself?? Wtf girl. No!

Review: Her Haunted Heart (B Mine #2) by Brooklyn Ann

Title: Her Haunted Heart

Series: B Mine #2

Previous book in this series: His Final Girl

Author: Brooklyn Ann

Genre: New Adult, horror, romance

Publication date: October 2019

Published by: Boroughs Publishing Group

Source: Own ebook

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis: WHEN THINGS GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT

When Zelda Shaye inherits the infamous Sazerac House, she immediately senses that something’s not right about the ancient mansion. Strange noises interrupt her sleep, the garbage disposal hates her father, and things move on their own. Her cute nerdy neighbor, Tobe Friedkin, confirms her suspicions when he tells her everyone knows the house is haunted and over the years members of the Sazerac family have suffered mysterious deaths until they were nearly wiped out.

Zelda is the last female descendant to inherit the legacy, and the family curse. Since her parents don't believe her, it’s up to her and Tobe, with the help of the crazy recluse down the street, and a cat named DeLorean, to lay the unquiet spirit to rest before it’s too late.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

Horror romance is a genre that sounds amazing to me. And while I enjoyed the first book in this series, I feel like I enjoyed this one less 😬 I felt like in His Final Girl, the romance and horror was better balanced, but the cheesy romance in this one sort of overtook things 😅 But that could just be a me issue though. Lol.

Review: Final Grade (Fear Street #30) by R.L. Stine

Title: Final Grade

Series: Fear Street #30 (Can be read as a standalone)

Author: R.L. Stine

Genre: YA, horror, mystery thriller

Publication date: April 1995

Published by: Archway Paperback

Source: Own paperback

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Everyone thinks she killed her teacher

Intense, competitive, Lily Bancroft had good reasons to hate him. She lives to win, and he was about to destroy her dreams. But murder? That was going too far, even for someone as driven as Lily.

She's innocent. But that hasn't stopped the whispers behind her back. Or the weird phone calls late at night. Then someone else is brutally murdered and suddenly Lily is drawn into a nightmare she can't begin to control. Will her final grade be her last?

My rating: ★★★☆☆

I’m number one. I’ll be valedictorian.
Once, this fact would have made her jump for joy. Now she felt only emptiness and a dull fear.

This book was something else. Lily absolutely loses it when a teacher gives her a bad grade, and when that same teacher is then found dead later, guess who’s the main suspect? Yup. Although, to be fair, the teacher was kind of a jerk. Did he deserve to be killed? Probably not. But still. Lol.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #284: Killer Mermaids, Killer Spider

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #318: Happy October!

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Spooky TBR

It's Spooky Season which means it is time for the spooky reads! Although to be fair, I read spooky books year round 😂 I'm obviously not gonna get through all of these books, especially not with my finicky mood that changes all the time, but these books are the ones that are currently on my radar! I've got a little bit of everything!