Blogtober Day 8: The Scariest Book I've Ever Read

Halloween is the time of year when everyone thinks the most about fear and horror. It's when most horror movies are released in theaters. We watch scary movies, we read scary stories and inevitably, Halloween season is when we start comparing horror stories. I've never had a conversation about the scariest book I've ever read, or the scariest movie I've ever seen that hasn't taken place in the fall. Halloween is on everyone's mind, and with it comes thoughts about fear and horror.

In keeping with the season, today I'm going to discuss the scariest book I've ever read. That honor goes to a not-so-little book by Stephen King called IT. Some of you might've heard of it, there's this murderous clown named Pennywise and there were two movies made about the book in the last few years. I know IT being the scariest book I've ever read probably isn't surprising. Many people rate it pretty high on the scare-scale. However, unlike most horror novels, IT stuck with me for a while. 

Since the novel is 1,000 pages long, it wasn't something I could read in a single sitting. This meant that it took me several days to read it in its entirety. As a result, there were some nights, while reading it, where I had difficulty sleeping. Even after I finished the book, it still took me a few days to return to my normal sleep schedule. Some of this is probably because I read IT a little younger than I should have, being around 14 when I picked it up. King doesn't hold back on the gore and the violence, and given his literary skills, the picture he paints is vivid. The rest of why the book effected me so much has to do with the premise itself. IT can take any form in order to become what you fear the most. For obvious reasons, thinking about a monster that could appear looking like the thing I'm most afraid of, is troubling and makes it difficult to sleep.

IT is an excellent book. I'd recommend it to any horror fan that hasn't read it, if any exist. However, it's also the scariest story I've ever read.

What is the scariest book you've ever read?

Blogtober Day 7: Anomaly

(Disclaimer: I did receive the novel for free in exchange for an honest review. )

Anomaly is a 2019 self-published novel by Jessica Gilliland. It is a paranormal thriller. I decided to give the novel a chance since the description reminded me of X-Men, more particularly the second X-men movie that was released in the early 2000s. The synopsis of the book is as follows:

“Liv is a powerful telekinetic, but she keeps her head down, and her powers in check. If she doesn’t, the government is going to execute her. Deemed a threat to society by the governments Anomaly Control Team, Live was kidnapped from a facility for supernaturally gifted children and has been under surveillance for five years. When a group of renegades led by her first love, Jason, break Liv free from government control, she gets a taste of freedom. Jason takes Live to Hawthorn House, a secret facility that vows to educate and protect those with supernatural abilities. Liv and Jason fall back into their interrupted romance, but life at Hawthorn isn’t as perfect as she’d hoped. While at Hawthorn, Liv’s powers and loyalties are tested. Her struggle to find herself and build a new life is only made harder by her insecurities and her suspicions that Hawthorn isn’t what it seems.”

I found this book to be enjoyable. The pacing is excellent, there’s an appropriate building of tension as the plot moves along and the reader nears the climax of the story. There’s a good mix of showing and telling of information about different characters, what’s going on and what the motivations of the different characters are. There’s an underlying sense of dread, vital for thrillers, as Liv becomes more at home at Hawthorn and starts to become the powerful young woman she used to be before she was taken.

Let’s discuss the characters for a moment. There are a handful of characters that need to be mentioned. Liv, our main character, Jason, her first love, Lexa, her friend from before she was taken by the ACT, and Dr. Stone, the woman who runs Hawthorn House. Liv was, unsurprisingly, my favorite character, not just because she was the protagonist. For most of the story, she was the one that was easiest to relate to, as she seemed to be the only character reacting in an understandable way to what was happening. The reason none of the others react in a way that makes sense is revealed during the climax, but let’s just say its because some big things are being hidden from Liv. Not only is Liv smart, and resourceful, she’s also strong-willed, something I appreciate in my protagonists. Being strong-willed matters as the story progresses and no one else seems bothered by things that are out of place at Hawthorn. Jason and Lexa are both well-written and the fact that they are both clearly conflicted is something that’s telegraphed early on but done in a way that doesn’t reveal anything too important to the plot until the right time.

Not including Liv, the most important character, I feel, is Dr. Stone. Stone is a figure who, from her first mention, the reader know to be wary of. None of what she does seems genuine, and given Liv’s history with her before the government found her, I doubt any reader would assume she was anything other than an antagonist. It’s Liv’s distrust of Stone, given their history, which drives the plot forward. Liv’s not willing to relax, not willing to trust any of the staff at Hawthorn, simply because of Stone’s past experiments on her.

Something I enjoyed most about this story is the climax itself. After pages of building tension, foreshadowing and introducing details that may or may not be red herrings, Liv finally sees the truth of what Hawthorn House is. I think what I enjoyed most about it was that I was close when I tried to guess what the “big reveal” was, but I wasn’t completely right. The real secret of Hawthorn, and Dr. Stone, was in the same vein of what I thought, but it wasn’t completely correct. The revelation is related to my assumption, which meant the story was somewhat predictable, but there was enough room for me to be pleasantly surprised by the outcome. Since this is the first book in a series, the ending is ambiguous which I enjoyed in this case.

While for the most part, I enjoyed the book, I do have a few negatives I should mention. One is the length. The book is about 150 pages, which is not very long for a novel. Gilliand’s writing somewhat makes the book feel longer, with more plot packed in, but I feel like it needed to be a little bit longer for the climax and ending to feel completely satisfying. My other complaint would be regarding Liv’s reaction when she finally learns what’s going on. Up until that point, I related to her, I thought she was making good decisions and reacting to things in a normal way. Following the big reveal, however, I can’t say I like her characterization. Rather than stay, and fight, or make what’s happening stop, she leaves. She yells at a few people, asking them what’s wrong with them, roughs a few people up, but doesn’t really do much to stop Stone. I wish she’d done more than just storm off.

Anomaly is a good book. I found it entertaining, I was intrigued by it. I’ll most likely pick up the next book in the series to see where the story goes. A few things of note: the author has another published book, this one from 2012, also called Anomaly and part of a series called The New Haven Project. While the novels are similar, based on the synopses of both, the main characters are different and I haven’t read the 2012 version.

Rating: 3.7 stars

Blogtober Day 6: Favorite Reading Snacks

I love food. Almost as much as I love books, although I do need food slightly more than books. I could live without books, but would I want to? Absolutely not. It makes sense then, that I've given a lot of though to reading snacks. After all, I'm great at multitasking. Not every food is fit to be a reading snack, though. As much as I love spaghetti, eating it while reading wouldn't end well (and I'd never forgive myself if I got tomato sauce on my precious books).

So, without further ado, here are some of my favorite reading snacks.



1)Popcorn

Sometimes when you're reading, you need something salty. Popcorn naturally comes bite-sized, which is good, even though I tend to eat way more than I meant to. At least popcorn's slightly more healthy that the next thing on this list.



2)Chips (preferably sour cream and onion)

Potato chips, like popcorn, are great for when you want something salty while reading. Unless you eat Doritos, or particularly greasy brand of chips, there's no risk of damaging the pages with your finger prints.



3)Grapes

Grapes, blueberries, raspberries, pretty much any fruit that doesn't need to be cut up or picked apart is great for reading in my opinion.



4) Coffee/tea/hot chocolate

I'm putting all of these in the same category, because which drink I choose depends on my mood. Nothing sounds better to me than curling up with a nice book and a hot beverage.



5) Chocolate

Is there any time that chocolate wouldn't be a good snack? I rest my case. For reading, it's nice to indulge in something sweet while also getting lost in a good story.

6) Fruit Snacks

This is more of a convenience thing than anything else, but I'm including it. Fruit snacks are great because you can just grab a package (or two) and go somewhere to read. There's no prep work involved, and depending on the brand, you have a variety of flavors.

Blogtober Day 5: Top 5 Disney Villains

I feel like Disney villains kind of run the gamut. They stretch all the way from villains that are pure evil, just for the sake of being evil and they love it, to misunderstood figures who aren't necessary good, but when looked at through a certain lens, viewers might not call them evil.
I love Disney villains. So many different types of villains, so many stories to be told. Here are my top five Disney villains and why I enjoy their villainy so much. I decided this list based on how much I enjoy the villain, not necessarily how evil they are.



5) Yzma

I won't lie, a large part of the reason why I like Yzma, and The Emperor's New Groove in general so much, is because of Kronk. His dynamic with Yzma elevates the story and makes it much more enjoyable. On her own though, I do love Yzma. She's one of the few memorable female Disney villains who's motive isn't about finding/keeping the handsome prince to herself. She's got personality and knows exactly what she wants. Also, the whole "I'll turn Kuzco into a flea" scene cracks me up every time.


4) Scar

If I had to guess what movie I've seen the most times, it would probably be The Lion King. My sister used to make us watch it all of the time when we were kids, not that I complained. I love Scar for his theatricality. The Shakespearean-ness (I don't know if that's a word, but I'm going to pretend it is) of his actions and his plans made me love this film as a child and I love it even more as an adult (except for the scene where Mufasa dies, which is much more traumatic than I remember)


3) Maleficent

Yes, Sleeping Beauty is a very old Disney movie. It also has one of the best, pure evil characters ever (before Disney decided to give Maleficent her own movie and turned her into a misunderstood figure). While the film Maleficent has its own merits, I prefer the cartoon version. Why does she curse Aurora? Because she wasn't invited to a party. It was a petty reason, and sometimes, you need that in a villain.


2) Jafar

Jafar is a great villain because he's pretty much unshakeable. He knows what his goal is, he knows what he wants and at no point in Aladdin does he consider changing his mind. Not only that, but the lengths he's willing to go to in order to get what he wants, the throne of Agrabah, take him pretty far. Not many villains are willing to take risks like that to achieve their endgame.


1) Hades

Even though Hercules isn't my favorite Disney film, it has my favorite villain. Why is Hades my favorite? One word: sass. I like villains with sass and attitude. Hades is clearly a villain, but he's also a genuinely funny character. I enjoy that, even if the rest of the film doesn't live up to the same standard.

Those are my top 5 Disney villains, which Disney villain is your favorite?

Blogtober Day 4: Cosy Places to Read

I think a lot about good places to read. While it's possible to read almost anywhere, there's a definite distinction that makes somewhere a good place to read and what doesn't. I've decided there are a few characteristics that makes somewhere a good places to read.

First of all, ambiance. I don't know about you, but I prefer reading in places where there's a good atmosphere. I can read on the Metro, but I prefer not to because of how loud and distracting it can be. I like quiet places that are out of the way. There aren't a ton of people, but I'm also not the only person there. This is why, when I was in college, one of my favorite places to go to read was the library, cliche I know. The library was quiet, they had some comfy chairs and for the most part, people left you alone.

Second, comfort. Where would you rather sit when you read? In a big comfy chair, possibly with a blanket thrown over you for good measure, or in a hard plastic chair where you can't lean back on relax? I'd take the first option, any day. Since I love curling up with a good book, I prefer big, overstuffed chairs that practically beg to be sat in. This is definitely why lying in bed is one of my favorite places to read. Nothing says comfort like lying in bed and getting lost in a book.

Third, lighting. This one might be part of ambiance, but I've decided to make it its own category. Obviously, reading in the dark is very difficult, but what makes somewhere a good place to read depends a lot on the lighting situation. I prefer natural lighting to artificial lights. I'd rather sit by the window, where I can get plenty of natural light to read by, than deal with too many overhead fluorescent lights. I'm prone to headaches pretty easily, so the more natural light, the better. Plus, natural light just feels cozier.

For all of the reasons I've described above, I've decided my favorite place to read, by far, and the coziest, is in a big overstuffed chair, in front of a fireplace. I curl up there with my latest read and a glass of something warm, maybe coffee, maybe hot chocolate, and get lost in the tale the author has to offer.

That's my ideal place to read. What's yours?