Rating: 4 stars
Publisher's Summary:
Followers of the popular vampire literary and film interpretations of recent years might be blasé about another performance of the exquisitely written novel that started it all. But listening to this full-cast performance turns out to be remarkably suspenseful and chilling. The superlative cast lends this powerful production the diversity that is required by the structure of the novel, which includes journal entries and letters. Each actor employs various accents, infusing into the characters vibrant emphasis, urgency, and dread. The famed vampire Count Dracula leaves a swath of exsanguinated bodies in his wake as he attempts to relocate from Transylvania to England in 1897, stalked by the brave Van Helsing.
My Thoughts:
This is a re-read for me. And I listened to it for the first time from Audible. It was fun to experience it that way. Everyone did a fantastic job in their roles. But hearing it out loud made me a bit squeamish. The views the women and the men take on gender roles, and what's proper for females, and who makes a great woman were eye-rolling. But I take it in stride with when it was written. It's still a creepy tale and good conquers all in the end! Fantastic read for the Halloween season.
Published: August 27th, 2019 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Genre: Horror, Juvenile fiction
Format: Hardcover, 256 pages, Library
Rating: 4 stars
Publisher's Summary:
Having survived sinister scarecrows and the malevolent smiling man in Small Spaces, newly minted best friends Ollie, Coco, and Brian are ready to spend a relaxing winter break skiing together with their parents at Mount Hemlock Resort. But when a snowstorm sets in, causing the power to flicker out and the cold to creep closer and closer, the three are forced to settle for hot chocolate and board games by the fire.
Ollie, Coco, and Brian are determined to make the best of being snowed in, but odd things keep happening. Coco is convinced she has seen a ghost, and Ollie is having nightmares about frostbitten girls pleading for help. Then Mr. Voland, a mysterious ghost hunter, arrives in the midst of the storm to investigate the hauntings at Hemlock Lodge. Ollie, Coco, and Brian want to trust him, but Ollie's watch, which once saved them from the smiling man, has a new cautionary message: BEWARE.
My Thoughts:
This is the second book in the series. G and I both loved the first book and this was a great followup. The characters stick it out at a snowed-in ski lodge in the mountains. There were vibes of "The Shining" here too. Great atmosphere and a fun ending made it a great Halloween read with my G.
Published: June 2nd, 2015 by William Morrow
Genre: Horror
Format: Hardcover, 286 pages, Library
Rating: 4 stars
Publisher's Summary:
The lives of the Barretts, a normal suburban New England family, are torn apart when fourteen-year-old Marjorie begins to display signs of acute schizophrenia.
To her parents' despair, the doctors are unable to stop Marjorie's descent into madness. As their stable home devolves into a house of horrors, they reluctantly turn to a local Catholic priest for help. Father Wanderly suggests an exorcism; he believes the vulnerable teenager is the victim of demonic possession. He also contacts a production company that is eager to document the Barretts' plight. With John, Marjorie's father, out of work for more than a year and the medical bills looming, the family agrees to be filmed, and soon find themselves the unwitting stars of The Possession, a hit reality television show. When events in the Barrett household explode in tragedy, the show and the shocking incidents it captures become the stuff of urban legend.
Fifteen years later, a bestselling writer interviews Marjorie's younger sister, Merry. As she recalls those long-ago events that took place when she was just eight years old, long-buried secrets and painful memories that clash with what was broadcast on television begin to surface--and a mind-bending tale of psychological horror is unleashed, raising vexing questions about memory and reality, science and religion, and the very nature of evil.
My Thoughts:
This was a lot better than I was expecting. The meta-horror was a nice surprise and I enjoyed the possession stereotype critique. Having read Shirley Jackson's "We Have Always Lived in the Castle," I was able to figure out the main plot by the middle of the story. But I didn't quite know where he was going to take the mental illness angle and his take on reality TV and its cultural impact was also an interesting point. Spooky with something to say. I really enjoyed it!
Published: 1984 by Scholastic, Inc.
Genre: Horror, Short stories, Juvenile fiction
Format: Paperback, 112 pages, Own
Rating: 4 stars
Publisher's Summary:
All those who enjoyed shuddering their way through Alvin Schwartz's first volume of Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark will find a satisfyingly spooky sequel in this new collection of the macabre, the funny, and the fantastic. Is it possible to die -- and not know it? What if a person is buried too soon? What happens to a thief foolish enough to rob a corpse, or to a murderer whose victim returns from the grave? Read about these terrifying predicaments as well as what happens when practical jokes produce gruesome consequences and initiations go awry. Stephen Gammell's splendidly creepy drawings perfectly capture the mood of more than two dozen scary stories -- and even a scary song -- all just right for reading alone or for telling aloud in the dark. If You Dare!
My Thoughts:
This is the second book in the series. G loved them! He wanted a few stories every night till we were done. And this version has the original illustrations by Stephen Gammell which are the scariest drawings ever. Creepy. The new Scholastic versions are silly. Like somehow kids can't take the creepy drawings anymore? What? So stick with the original!
Published: October 1st, 2019 by SourceBooks Explore
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, History, Juvenile, Graphic Novel
Format: Paperback, 96 pages, Own
Rating: 5 stars
Publisher's Summary:
Between 1933 and 1945, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party were responsible for the persecution of millions of Jews across Europe.
This extraordinary graphic novel tells the true stories of six Jewish children and young people who survived the Holocaust. From suffering the horrors of Auschwitz, to hiding from Nazi soldiers in war-torn Paris, to sheltering from the Blitz in England, each true story is a powerful testament to the survivors' courage. These remarkable testimonials serve as a reminder never to allow such a tragedy to happen again.
My Thoughts:
G had a sick day last week and I had bought this knowing we'd read it soon together but I decided this was as good a day as any to dive into these harrowing stories. I bawled through most of them and G and I had good discussions about the Holocaust and World War II and totalitarianism, etc. It's one of the reasons I will continue to read to G until he says stop or moves out of the house. They are great ways to begin discussions and ask questions.
Published: October 1st, 2008 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Genre: Children, Poetry, Philosophy
Format: Hardcover, 40 pages, Library
Rating: 5 stars
Publisher's Summary:
Wabi Sabi, a little cat in Kyoto, Japan, had never thought much about her name until friends visiting from another land asked her owner what it meant.
At last, the master
Says, "That's hard to explain." And
That is all she says.
This unsatisfying answer sets Wabi Sabi on a journey to uncover the meaning of her name, and on the way discovers what wabi sabi is: a Japanese philosophy of seeing beauty in simplicity, the ordinary, and the imperfect.
Using spare text and haiku, Mark Reibstein weaves an extraordinary story about finding real beauty in unexpected places. Caldecott Medal-winning artist Ed Young complements the lyrical text with breathtaking collages. Together, they illustrate the unique world view that is wabi sabi.
A New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book for 2008!
My Thoughts:
I also read this one to G while he was sick. The illustrations were fantastic and it was a great intro into the philosophy of wabi sabi. Taking the broken things and mending them into something fantastic and beautiful.
Published: January 1st, 1999 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Genre: Historical Fiction, Juvenile
Format: Paperback, 243 pages, Own
Rating: 4 stars
Publisher's Summary:
It's 1936, in Flint, Michigan. Times may be hard, and ten-year-old Bud may be a motherless boy on the run, but Bud's got a few things going for him:
He has his own suitcase full of special things.
He's the author of Bud Caldwell's Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself.
His momma never told him who his father was, but she left a clue: flyers advertising Herman E. Calloway and his famous band, the Dusky Devastators of the Depression!!!!!!
Bud's got an idea that those flyers will lead him to his father. Once he decides to hit the road and find this mystery man, nothing can stop him--not hunger, not fear, not vampires, not even Herman E. Calloway himself.
My Thoughts:
I read this one for G's school. I volunteered to read some of the Battle of the Books books and write up questions for each one I read. This is the first I have finished. It's a really lovely story. Curtis takes some tough topics like class, racism, and the Depression and puts it all into an endearing story about a boy who wants to find a family to love. I enjoyed his spunky journey.
