BOO!

 

TITLE: Sheets (Sheets #1)

AUTHOR: Brenna Thummler

PUBLISHER: Oni Press

PUBLISHING DATE: August 28, 2018

PAGES: 242   

SOURCE: Hoopla

FROM GOODREADS: Marjorie Glatt feels like a ghost. A practical thirteen-year-old in charge of the family laundry business, her daily routine features unforgiving customers, unbearable P.E. classes, and the fastidious Mr. Saubertuck who is committed to destroying everything she’s worked for.

Wendell is a ghost. A boy who lost his life much too young, his daily routine features ineffective death therapy, a sheet-dependent identity, and a dangerous need to seek purpose in the forbidden human world. 

When their worlds collide, Marjorie is confronted by unexplainable disasters as Wendell transforms Glatt’s Laundry into his midnight playground, appearing as a mere sheet during the day. While Wendell attempts to create a new afterlife for himself, he unknowingly sabotages the life that Marjorie is struggling to maintain.

MY THOUGHTS: I've always seen everyone rave about this graphic novel so when I needed something extra for one of my October challenges, and saw this on Hoopla, I felt the timing was right to pick it up.  I'm glad I finally read it but also feel like it missed its mark with me.

Marjorie basically runs her family's laundromat following her mother's death and her father's subsequent depression. She struggles to get through the day which isn't helped by the fact there is a creepy businessman trying to scam her out of the property so he can open a spa.  Wendell is a ghost trying to navigate the afterlife.  His path crossed with Marjorie's briefly before his sudden death and now, it looks like they are about to meet up again.  But will Marjorie believe in ghosts before she loses everything she hold dear?

There was something about the artwork that didn't click for me.  I loved Wendell's parts, and the ghosts are super cute, but Marjorie's parts were a bit of a slug to get through. The last third of the book did pull things out for me but in the end, I still found the whole thing kind of meh.  I may someday venture into the second installment, which I think releases sometime within the past year, but I'm definitely not in a hurry.

MY RATING: 3 PAWS

Feed Your TBR - First Light (Night's Edge #2)

 Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. 

April 23, 2024

FROM GOODREADS: It's been nine months since the catastrophe in Tucson sent Mia fleeing from her home. But she’s not running away from the darkness―she’s running toward it, obsessively pursuing the man who gave her mother a thirst for blood and destroyed their lives.

But when Mia finds the monsters she’s been hunting and infiltrates a secret network of fugitives, she discovers she might have been their prey all along. To escape their clutches, she’ll have to reckon with her mother’s harrowing past and confront a painful truth: that they might be more alike than she ever imagined.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  I read Night's Edge earlier this year and really enjoyed it.  In fact, truth be told, I enjoyed it more than I thought I might.  So needless to say, I'm excited to see where Mia heads after the things that happened at the end of the first book.

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK???

It's Movie Time - Part 2

 

So, I wanted to do a second installment featuring some of my spooky watch.  So many great things seemed to come out this month and the good news is I still have things I want to watch to carry me over through some of November.  

Goosebumps - Hulu and Disney +

We've only watched the first episode so far and to be honest, I probably need to rewatch it because it was Zeke's second night here and I was a bit preoccupied with his transition.  It was very promising though and I love Justin Long so I'm excited to see where this one heads.  It does seem a bit darker than the other TV series.

 

 Pet Sematary: Bloodlines (Parmount +)

This was a great sequel to a movie I didn't know needed one.  However, I guess technically it's a prequel.  David Duchovny was a treat in this one and I did find it rather scary in places.  Mr. Barb really liked it as well and he sometimes finds King movies hit or miss.  Then again, I'm pretty sure King didn't have much to do with this one.  Maybe that's why the ending worked - if you know, you know.

 

The Exorcist: Believer

We watched this outside Friday night.  It was fairly warm and we had a bonfire going and I have to say, it was the perfect atmosphere.  This one held up to my expectations and the ending added a nice ode to the original which was definitely needed and well deserved.  I recommend this to any horror fan and am amazed at how much one of the young ladied, when possessed, actually looked a bit like Linda Blair (aka Reagan).

 

 Totally Killer (Amazon Prime)

This is pretty much a horror comedy with lots of nods to the 80s and I found it really enjoyable. Mr. Barb skipped it because he doesn't like comedy mixed with horror but because of the 80s nostalgia and Kiernan Shipka, which I think thrives with these types of scripts, I knew I had to work it in.  I highly recommend this one. 

So, if you are looking for more spooky things to watch, I would recommend all of these. Let me know if there's anything else you think I should check out!

Farm News - October 29 , 2023

 

I can't believe that October is almost over.  Seems like it just started yesterday.  It's been a wonderful and eventful month, but I don't quite know that I am ready for Christmas yet.  Although I have already been doing some shopping.  One of my coworkers, who has quickly become a good friend, came into town over the weekend.  We had a movie night out back Friday evening and then when she stopped by Saturday, we did a bit of shopping and then watched the American Horror Stories which just dropped on Hulu this week.  

So, the big news is we added to our family.  It was a rather quick decision, but I do feel it was the right one.  Apollo has been happier the past week than he has in a long time and even though we knew he was lonely and missing Cassius; we had no idea how much.  Having a 10-week-old pup is a lot of extra work and while working at home is great for his adjustment, it does wear me out because I'm constantly "on" and have little to no down-time.  He full name is Ezekiel Kwon but we've been calling him Zeke and Zekey.

I've been doing some reading but will be honest, this week has been kind of a slow down with everything going on.  I need to focus on It today through Tuesday and hope I can get it finished.  If not, it might roll over to the beginning of November.  I am also trying to cram in "Sheets," a graphic novel, to check off another prompt from my October challenges.

I have received a few digital ARCs the past few weeks which I am really stoked for.  I featured "Indian Burial Ground" just this week and if you remember, I just featured it on a Feed Your TBR post this past week so that was exciting.  I also couldn't believe I was actually approved for "The Invocations" since I'm sure it will be quite popular and I don't always have the best luck with the publisher, Penguin.  Angry Robot's "Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock" is also one I've been seeing around, and I can't wait to get to it.

Also, Kindle has been having some "Stuff Your Kindle" days lately.  On the 25th it was cozy mysteries, on the 28th it was witchy books and thrillers and coming up on the 31st is horror.  I've managed to grab quite a few freebies.  

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.  Look for another review or two this week, and another movie/TV show feature since Spooky month is ending and we are still watching quite a bit of content.  Until then, thanks for stopping by Booker T's Farm!

This Was a Painful

 

TITLE: There's No Way I'd Die First

AUTHOR: Lisa Springer

PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press

PUBLISHING DATE: September 5, 2023

PAGES: 304   

SOURCE: Own Library

FROM GOODREADS: Debut author Lisa Springer delivers a spine-tingling contemporary horror that follows a scary-movie buff as she hosts an elaborate Halloween bash on her family's estate but soon finds the festivities upended when she and her guests are forced to test their survival skills in a deadly party game. 

Noelle Layne knows horror. Every trope, every warning sign, every survival tactic. She even leads a successful movie club dedicated to the genre. Thus, who better to throw the ultimate, most exclusive Halloween party on all of Long Island? And with the guest list including the coolest kids in her senior class, her popularity is bound to spike. Hopefully, enough to warrant an expansion into podcasting. Plus, the fact that attractive, singer-songwriter Archer Mitchell is coming is honestly the candy corn on top. Nothing is going to kill her party vibes. 

Except...maybe the low-budget It clown she hires to lead a classic round of tag. He's supposed to be terrifying, though in a comforting, nostalgic way. Instead, the guy is giving major creeps. But maybe Noelle's just that good at hosting? Her confidence is immediately rocked when the night's entertainment axes one of her guests. And he's not done yet. If an evil, murderous clown thinks life is a game, then Noelle is ready to play. She's been waiting a long time to prove that she's a Final Girl.

MY THOUGHTS: I read this as part of a Facebook Book Club, and it also fulfilled one of my challenge prompts for my readathons.  It sounded so good, and I was so excited, so it was a big disappointment that I didn't enjoy it more.

Noelle wants to throw an unforgettable Halloween bash for two reasons: she wants to capitalize on her "friends" social media contacts, and she wants to parlay her horror movie club into a podcast. She has hired a clown to play a game, but the stakes are much higher and one-by-one, the kids are picked off.

There was so much about this that didn't work for me, but I want to say that I had no issues with the writing and will definitely read future endeavors.  The book contained a great slasher premise, but I believe this book tried to be too many things at once. All the kids were so privileged and spoiled that I felt nothing when they died.  Then you have Noelle who is having philosophical conversations WITH the killer during all the escapades and then who uses trying to save her life to forge a relationship with a boy she's liked for years. I enjoy pop culture references in books, especially when it comes to the horror community, but this book was packed with them and toward the end, even that became too much.

If you like slasher books, I feel there are others you might want to check out first.  This book's cover does tend to draw people in, but don't let it fool you, the contents might be "scary" for all the wrong reasons.  

MY RATING: 2 PAWS

Feed Your TBR - Malica

 

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. 

May 7, 2024

FROM GOODREADS: Four friends, three days, two lovers, and one very haunted theme park.

On a stormy Halloween weekend, Ray enlists his best friends Joaquin, Sofia, and Isabella to help him make a documentary of Malicia, the abandoned theme park off the coast of the Dominican Republic where his mother and brother died in a mass killing thirteen years ago.

But what should be an easy weekend trip quickly turns into something darker because all four friends have come to Malicia for their own

Ray has come to Malicia to find out the truth of the massacre that destroyed his family. Isabella has come to make art out of Ray’s tragedy for her own personal gain. Sofia has come to support her friends in one last adventure before she goes to med school. Joaquin already knows the truth of the Malicia Massacre and he has come to betray his crush Ray to the evil that made the park possible.

With an impending hurricane and horrors around every corner, they all struggle to face the deadly storm and their own inner demons. But the deadliest evil of all is the ancient malignant presence on the island.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT: You know I love my spooky book so when I stumbled across it earlier this week, I couldn't wait to feature this one.  Given that the book takes place around Halloween, it's too bad we have to wait until 2024.

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK????

2 Bloggers 1 Series - Beastly Bones (Jackaby #2)

 

Stormi and I enjoyed the first Jackaby book last month that we decided to jump right in and read the second in the series.  So, read on for my thoughts and then hop over to Stormi's at Storm Reads to see hers! 

TITLE: Beastly Bones (Jackaby #2)

AUTHOR: William Ritter

PUBLISHER: Algonquin Young Readers

PUBLISHING DATE: September 22, 2015

PAGES: 296   

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: In 1892, New Fiddleham, New England, things are never quite what they seem, especially when Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer, R. F. Jackaby, are called upon to investigate the supernatural. First, members of a particularly vicious species of shape-shifters disguise themselves as a litter of kittens. A day later, their owner is found murdered, with a single mysterious puncture wound to her neck. Then, in nearby Gad's Valley, dinosaur bones from a recent dig go missing, and an unidentifiable beast attacks animals and people, leaving their mangled bodies behind. Policeman Charlie Cane, exiled from New Fiddleham to the valley, calls on Abigail for help, and soon Abigail and Jackaby are on the hunt for a thief, a monster, and a murderer.

MY THOUGHTS: I will admit I think this might be a hard review to write because so much of it might contain spoilers, but I'll do the best I can.  In book two, Jackaby and Rook travel to Gad's Valley because there has been a peculiar death, and everyone suspects something supernatural might be at play. In the same location, there has also been a recent discovery of what is believed to be dinosaur bones and given Rook's family history, she is anxious to put her paleontology knowledge to some good use. 

Once again, the interaction between Jackaby and Rook, as well as the supernatural elements the author weaves into his tales, stand out in this installment of the series. The mystery is as compelling as always and the book starts out with a bang when it introduces a cat that has turned into a fish which has given birth to a litter of kittens with gills and fins. If that doesn't catch your attention, I don't know what will.  

This book also has some seriously slow-burn romance, and I don't want to give anything away, but let me just say, I'm there for it.  If you like historical mysteries with some supernatural elements and a bit if sarcasm and snark, this series might be one for you.  In addition, I find it somewhat similar in vibes to the Veronica Speedwell books and I know what a big hit those are.

MY RATING: 5 PAWS