Monthly Wrap-Up: August 2022

August was a really busy month for me. Started off the month being in Omaha for my cousins wedding, followed by a road trip back home. I had the next two weeks off of work and I spent them trying to catch up on reviews and I got a good chunk done! Very proud of myself. Lol. After that I started up back at work. And then every weekend this month has been filled with one party or another... birthdays, wedding anniversaries... and we still got another one THIS weekend 💀 My introverted self needs at least 3 months to recharge from all that 😆

As for reading, I read 6 books this month, 3 were re-reads, and a total of 1894 pages, which is about 100 pages more than last month. All were adult books... wait, this is the first month this year I haven't read a YA book?! Who am I?? 😆 Anyway, 5 books were fiction and 1 nonfiction. 1 was sci-fi, 1 horror, and 4 urban fantasy.

Review- Nightmare Fuel: The Science of Horror Films by Nina Nesseth

Title: Nightmare Fuel: The Science of Horror Films

Author: Nina Nesseth

Genre: Adult, nonfiction, horror, science

Publication date: July 26th 2022

Published by: Tor Nightfire

Source: eARC from publisher via Netgalley

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis: Do you like scary movies?
Have you ever wondered why?

Nina Nesseth knows what scares you. She also knows why.

In Nightmare Fuel, Nesseth explores the strange and often unexpected science of fear through the lenses of psychology and physiology. How do horror films get under our skin? What about them keeps us up at night, even days later? And why do we keep coming back for more?

Horror films promise an experience: fear. From monsters that hide in plain sight to tension-building scores, every aspect of a horror film is crafted to make your skin crawl. But how exactly do filmmakers pull this off? The truth is, there’s more to it than just loud noises and creepy images.

With the affection of a true horror fan and the critical analysis of a scientist, Nesseth explains how audiences engage horror with both their brains and bodies, and teases apart the elements that make horror films tick. Nightmare Fuel covers everything from jump scares to creature features, serial killers to the undead, and the fears that stick around to those that fade over time.

With in-depth discussions and spotlight features of some of horror’s most popular films—from classics like The Exorcist to modern hits like Hereditary—and interviews with directors, film editors, composers, and horror academics, Nightmare Fuel is a deep dive into the science of fear, a celebration of the genre, and a survival guide for going to bed after the credits roll.

My rating: ★★★★☆

I was SO excited when I came across this book because it combines two of my favorite things: horror movies and science!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #279: I've Missed This Assassin

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

Sunday Post #313: Hair Prep and Reading at Weddings

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!

My Life in Books: 2011

This tag was created by Annabookbel! And I know I'm more than a couple years late, but it's fine 😅

Using only books you have read this year (2011), answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title. (Links in the titles will take you to my reviews)

• One time on holiday: Kisses From Hell (anthology)
• Weekends at my house are: Devoured (by Amanda Marrone)
• My neighbour is: Unraveled (by Gena Showalter)
• My boss is: Spellbound (by Cara Lynn Shultz)
• My superhero secret identity is: Ultraviolet (by R.J. Anderson)
• You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry because (of): Angelfire (by Courtney Allison Moulton)
• I’d win a gold medal in: The Goddess Test (by Aimee Carter)
• I’d pay good money for: Clarity (by Kim Harrington)
• If I were Prime Minister I would (be): Sleepless (by Cyn Balog)
• When I don’t have good books, I (read): The Circle of Blood (by Alane Ferguson)
• Loud talkers at the cinema should be: Bumped (by Megan McCafferty)
  

I am not tagging anyone in particular, but feel free to do it yourself if you'd like! I'd love to see your answers! 😁

Review: The Whitechapel Fiend (Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #3) by Cassandra Clare & Maureen Johnson

Title: The Whitechapel Fiend

Series: Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #3

Previous novellas in this series: Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy (#1) | The Lost Herondale (#2)

Previous series: The Mortal Instruments

Author: Cassandra Clare & Maureen Johnson

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: April 2015

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Own hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Audible (novella only) | Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Simon learns the truth behind the Jack the Ripper murders—“Jack” was stopped by Will Herondale and his institute of Victorian Shadowhunters.

My rating: ★★★★☆

I was VERY excited about this short story—A Jack the Ripper-inspired Shadowhunter story? Ummm, YES PLEASE! I love this serial killer stuff! Oh boy, that sounded morbid 😅 Anyway, I had recently read Stalking Jack the Ripper before this, and that book was super disappointing. I was SURE this short story was gonna be better than that, but I don’t know...

Review: Wretched Waterpark (Sinister Summer #1) by Kiersten White

Title: Wretched Waterpark

Series: Sinister Summer Series #1

Author: Kiersten White

Genre: Middle Grade, mystery

Publication date: June 7th 2022

Published by: Delacorte Press

Source: eARC from publishers via Netgalley

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis: Twelve-year-old twins Theodora and Alexander and their older sister Wilhelmina Sinister-Winterbottom don’t know how they ended up with their Aunt Saffronia for an entire summer. She’s not exactly well equipped to handle children. The twins are determined to make it a good vacation, though, so when Aunt Saffronia suggests a waterpark, they hastily agree.

But Fathoms of Fun is not your typical waterpark. Instead of cabanas, guests rent mausoleums. The waterslides are gray tongues extending from horrible gargoyle faces. The few people they encounter are very, very odd. And the owner disappeared under bizarre circumstances, lost to the Cold, Unknowable Sea—the wave pool.

When Wil goes missing, rule following, cautious Alexander and competitive, brave Theo will have to work together to solve the mystery of Fathoms of Fun. But are they out of their depth?

My rating: ★★★★★

One of my favorite books by Kiersten White is Beanstalker and Other Hilarious Scarytales, a spooky MG book that intertwines nursery rhymes and fairy tales in a really fun way. When I found out Kiersten White was writing another MG book, I was very excited! And I am happy to say that I loved Wretched Waterpark! It’s such a great, summer-y read!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #278: Nonfiction Horror is Apparently My Thing

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

Sunday Post #312: Superheroes and Birthday Parties

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!

My Life in Books: 2016

This tag was created by Annabookbel! And I know I'm, like, years late, but it's fine 😅

Using only books you have read this year (2016), answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title. (Links in the titles will take you to my reviews)

• Describe Yourself: Spookygirl: Paranormal Investigator (by Jill Baguchinsky)
  
• How do you feel: Seriously Wicked (by Tina Connolly)
• Describe where you currently live: Maze of Souls (by J.L. Bryan)
• If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Blackheath (by Gabriella Lepore)
• Your favorite form of transportation: Bright Blaze of Magic (by Jennifer Estep)
• Your best friend is: Zombie Queen of Newbury High (by Amanda Ashby)
• You and your friends are: Sisters of Blood and Spirit (by Kady Cross)
• What’s the weather like: Sunburn (by R.L. Stine)
• Favorite time of day: Silent Night (by R.L. Stine)
• If your life was a: Fairy Bad Day (by Amanda Ashby)
• What is life to you: Practical Applications for Multiverse Theory (by Noa Gavin & Nick Scott )
• Your fear: The Dead Boyfriend (by R.L. Stine)
• What is the best advice you have to give: Whisper (by Phoebe Kitanidis)
• Thought for the Day: Who Killed the Homecoming Queen? (by R.L. Stine)
• How I would like to die: Opening the Veil (by C.L. Clark)
• My soul’s present condition: Relentless (by Tera Lynn Childs & Tracy Deebs)

I am not tagging anyone in particular, but feel free to do it yourself if you'd like! I'd love to see your answers! 😁

Review: The Lost Herondale (Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #2) by Cassandra Clare & Robin Wasserman

Title: The Lost Herondale

Series: Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #2

Previous novella in this series: Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy (#1)

Previous series: The Mortal Instruments

Authors: Cassandra Clare & Robin Wasserman

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: March 2015

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Own hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Audible (novella only) | Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Simon learns the worst crime a Shadowhunter can commit: desertion of their comrades. In the early nineteenth century, Tobias Herondale abandoned his fellow Shadowhunters in the heat of battle and left them to die. His life was forfeit, but Tobias never returned, and the Clave claimed his wife’s life in exchange for Tobias’s. Simon and his fellow students are shocked to learn of this brutality, especially when it is revealed the woman was pregnant. But what if the child survived... could there be a lost Herondale line out in the world today?

My rating: ★★★★★

With the title of this story, I thought FOR SURE this was gonna be about Jace. I mean, he WAS a lost Herondale after all, having thought he was a Wayland for most of his life. BUT NO! It’s actually about someone else...

Review: Hide by Kiersten White

Title: Hide

Author: Kiersten White

Genre: Adult, horror

Publication date: May 24th 2022

Published by: Del Rey

Source: eARC from publishers via Netgalley

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis: The challenge: spend a week hiding in an abandoned amusement park and don’t get caught.

The prize: enough money to change everything.

Even though everyone is desperate to win—to seize their dream futures or escape their haunting pasts—Mack feels sure that she can beat her competitors. All she has to do is hide, and she’s an expert at that.

It’s the reason she’s alive, and her family isn’t.

But as the people around her begin disappearing one by one, Mack realizes this competition is more sinister than even she imagined, and that together might be the only way to survive.

Fourteen competitors. Seven days. Everywhere to hide, but nowhere to run.

Come out, come out, wherever you are.

My rating: ★★★★☆

When I first heard that Kiersten White was not only writing a horror novel but an ADULT horror novel, I was like, “YES! I’m all in!”

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #277: Let's Finish A Series, Maybe?

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

Sunday Post #311: Gotta Go Back To Work At Some Point...

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!

My Life in Books: 2018

This tag was created by Annabookbel! And I know I'm, like, years late, but it's fine 😅

Using only books you have read this year (2018), answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title. (Links in the titles will take you to my reviews)

• Describe Yourself: The Best Friend (by R.L. Stine)
• How do you feel: Haunted (by R.L. Stine)
• Describe where you currently live: City of Bones (by Cassandra Clare)
• If you could go anywhere, where would you go: The Monster Museum (by J.L. Bryan)
• Your favorite form of transportation: By A Thread (by Jennifer Estep)
• Your best friend is: Jillian Cade: (Fake) Paranormal Investigator (by Jen Klein)
• You and your friends are: Final Girls (by Riley Sager)
• What’s the weather like: Jinxed (by Thommy Hutson)
• Favorite time of day: The Beginning (by R.L. Stine)
• If your life was a: Bad Dreams (by R.L. Stine)
• What is life to you: The New Evil (by R.L. Stine)
• Your fear: The Spider (by Jennifer Estep)
• What is the best advice you have to give: All's Fair in Love, War, and High School (by Janette Rallison)
• Thought for the Day: Wesley James Ruined My Life (by Jennifer Honeybourn)
• How I would like to die: Supernaturally (by Kiersten White)
• My soul’s present condition: Holding Court (by K.C. Held)

I am not tagging anyone in particular, but feel free to do it yourself if you'd like! I'd love to see your answers! 😁

Review: Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy (Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #1) by Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan

Title: Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy

Series: Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #1

Previous series: The Mortal Instruments

Authors: Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: February 2015

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Own hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Audible (novella only) | Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis: After living as a Mundane and a Vampire, Simon never thought he would become a Shadowhunter, but today he begins his training at Shadowhunter Academy.

My rating: ★★★★★

Simon is going to Shadowhunter Academy! We start the story off with Simon saying goodbye to the gang in New York, and omg did I love the banter! Jace being a jerk and messing with Simon, telling him about things that never actually happened... The Alec thing 🤣 I love him!

Review: See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Title: See You Yesterday

Author: Rachel Lynn Solomon

Genre: New Adult, contemporary romance

Publication date: May 17th 2022

Published by: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

Source: eARC from publisher via Netgalley

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis: Barrett Bloom is hoping college will be a fresh start after a messy high school experience. But when school begins on September 21st, everything goes wrong. She’s humiliated by the know-it-all in her physics class, she botches her interview for the college paper, and at a party that night, she accidentally sets a frat on fire. She panics and flees, and when she realizes her roommate locked her out of their dorm, she falls asleep in the common room.

The next morning, Barrett’s perplexed to find herself back in her dorm room bed, no longer smelling of ashes and crushed dreams. It’s September 21st. Again. And after a confrontation with Miles, the guy from Physics 101, she learns she’s not alone—he’s been trapped for months.

When her attempts to fix her timeline fail, she agrees to work with Miles to find a way out. Soon they’re exploring the mysterious underbelly of the university and going on wild, romantic adventures. As they start falling for each other, they face the universe’s biggest unanswered question yet: what happens to their relationship if they finally make it to tomorrow?

My rating: ★★★★☆

You guys know I’m not much of a contemporary romance reader, but every once in a while, I get in the mood for one. It’s rare—it happens like once or twice a year, but it DOES happen 😆 And this year I came across See You Yesterday and I knew I needed to read it! I love horror movies and slashers, and one of my favorite movies is Happy Death Day which, like this book, is very reminiscent of the movie Groundhog Day, and this book reminded me of those movies. And let me tell you, I really enjoyed this book! Look at me expanding my horizons 😆

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #276: Spies and Sci-Fi and a Little Horror

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

Sunday Post #310: Finally Back Home

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!

My Life in Books: 2019

This tag was created by Annabookbel! And I know I'm, like, years late, but it's fine 😅

Using only books you have read this year (2019), answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title. (Links in the titles will take you to my reviews)

• In high school I was Lady Midnight (by Cassandra Clare)
• People might be surprised by Tales from the Gas Station (by Jack Townsend)
• I will never be The Christopher Killer (by Alane Ferguson)
• My fantasy job is The Babysitter II (by R.L. Stine)
• At the end of a long day I need The Ordinary Peace (by Tite Kubo)
• I hate The Loudest Scream (by R.L. Stine)
• Wish I had The Secret Bedroom (by R.L. Stine)
• My family reunions are What Holly Heard (by R.L. Stine)
• At a party you’d find me with Cinder (by Marissa Meyer)
• I’ve never been to The House of Evil (by R.L. Stine)
• A happy day includes Rain (by Amanda Sun)
• Motto I live by: Nice Guys Bite (by Jennifer Estep)
• On my bucket list is Stalking Jack the Ripper (by Kerri Maniscalco)
• In my next life, I want to have Evil Powers (by R.L. Stine)

I am not tagging anyone in particular, but feel free to do it yourself if you'd like! I'd love to see your answers! 😁

Monthly Wrap-Up: July 2022

July was a pretty busy month for me. I had work where we did summer school... that was a whole thing. And then the last two weeks of the month I was on vacation. I actually just arrived back home yesterday after being in Omaha for my cousin's wedding. It was a lot of fun and we did a lot of sight seeing, but those last couple of days I was definitely ready to come home and just do nothing 😆 August should be a pretty chill month for me though. I'm planning on getting a lot of reading done, but we'll see how it goes. ANYWAY 😆 In July, I read 5 books and 1 novella, and a total of 1797 pages, which is about 200 pages more than last month.