Welcome to Litsy!

Here is my (overly ambitious) TBR for this month.
There are too many books I want to read for spooky season and just not enough time. I had a hard time narrowing the list down to these as it is. I will probably get to about 5 of them. The rest will roll over into next month.

Spooky season 👻 🐺 🧛🏻‍♂️ 🧙🏻‍♀️ 👿 has officially begun now that Slasher Summer 🔪 is over. (I guess that means for me it‘s always sort of spooky season).
Up next is Such Sharp Teeth. I can‘t believe I haven‘t read this one yet. I love werewolves 🐺 and I love Rachel Harrison; so exactly what have I been waiting for?!?!

This was a soft pick. I enjoyed the overall premise, but it definitely felt a bit too YA at times. I wanted it to be darker.
Picture with my youngest son while camping. Love spring camping! No bugs yet.

Up next.

Sunday mornings are for books, blankets, biscuits and Bruce Wayne (aka Sir Chonkasaurus). I‘m fairly picky about werewolf novels, but so far this one is pretty good.

*Edit: Gonna call this one Werewolf Lite. More like a romance with a touch of werewolf thrown in. And even though I don‘t care for romance, this was still a good story.

Loved this! It wasn‘t as fluffy as I expected, there are some heavier moments.
Rory goes to stay with her single, very pregnant sister when she‘s attacked by an animal
The horror of Rory‘s transformation vs the general body horror of being a woman, brings up feelings of the past when her body didn‘t feel like it belonged to her
The trope of women having to become monsters to take back their power makes an appearance but it doesn‘t stop there

This was a not too scary horror read, that tried to touch on some deeper subjects but never quite stuck to all the plot points. Overall a fun quick read though. This author is a good one if you want to dip your toe into horror without too much graphic violence or scares. 3.5⭐️

Getting a little reading in while waiting for my son and his friends who are playing a VR game.

I was always so disappointed in how male dominated the werewolf sub-genre of Horror was. Women just make so much sense as werewolves! Rachel Harrison delivered everything I was hoping for with this book - body horror, social commentary, metaphors for the female experience, and tied it all up in a rom-com bow. I absolutely loved it!

#8inmytop10!

Thank you @KateReadsYA for everything!!! I love all of it! And I can't wait to read the books, eat the candy and light the candle! And I love stickers! #AllHallowsReadSwap2023 @MaleficentBookDragon

Quirky just like I like it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a quirky, snarky Halloween read with a fierce fairytale feel. Some parts were a little graphic, and while the supernatural element is fantastical, it was grounded with interesting character relationships and a touch of dark humor. I liked the romance, the sister dynamics, and the exploration of female rage and transformation. Great narration, too! 🐺 🎧

This isn't a phenomenal novel. It's not remotely subtle, and the characters act inconsistently, but I had fun listening to it. And it's my October #bookspin, so yay!

After having read Cackle last October and Such Sharp Teeth this one, I think Rachel Harrison is my new Halloween tradition—if I can wait a whole year to read her newest one! I really dig her unique, grisly, quirky, emotionally real, razor sharp yet heartwarming stories. Her spin on werewolves has so much to say about the physical transformations women experience, trauma and revenge and recovery, being disbelieved, mothers and sisters, and more.

I bought this completely on a whim…. It‘s been a long time since I‘ve read a werewolf story, and this looked fun. And it was fun! Easy entertainment. #scarathlon #spookyghostclub

I didn‘t like this as much as Cackle. It felt a little less “fun.” But I did still enjoy it. It was an interesting way to think about women‘s bodies and our control or lack of with them, through the MC turning I to a werewolf and her pregnant twin sister. We also watch the MC work through trauma as she figures out her transformation. Some parts do require a strong stomach.

“I‘m starting to suspect that werewolves can‘t get drunk, which just might be the most unfortunate part about all of this.”

The humor/banter in this was actually pretty great. I just didn‘t care for the MC. It‘s like the author *needed* us to know this was a ✨cool girl✨ and her idea of what that is was constantly being thrown at us. Also the romance was completely unnecessary to the plot imo. Also, just because someone is your family doesn‘t mean they are owed your forgiveness, parent or not. 3 stars was generous.

Tonight‘s Silent Book Club reading, paired with spiked chai tea. I love this time of uninterrupted reading with others each month and am glad that this chapter of the SBC has found its stride and is going so well!

This was ok. For what it is, it‘s ok. Successful, big city, Rory comes back to her small hometown for a couple of months at the behest of her pregnant, twin sister Scarlett. She gets bitten by a creature and becomes a werewolf. Combine her new werewolf life with her unresolved family issues, this book started to really cook, and it‘s really funny in places. But then it lands in a really soft place. And I don‘t want my werewolves soft. It was ok.

I‘m halfway through, and I just want to say, I want this poor, poor, woman to transform into a werewolf and eat her sister‘s baby out of her womb so that someone can believe her about something, anything. It‘s driving me crazy. Holy crap.

I really wasn‘t prepared for how much I would like this. It made becoming a werewolf feel relatable. I loved all the snark…and the heart; so much love in these pages, especially between the twin sisters. I don‘t usually like stories about shifters but this one took me by surprise. I‘ll have to pick up her other books in short order.

- Kristen Sieh was amazing and really made these characters come to life.

Ready for fall! 🧡🧸☕️🍂🍁 #cat #fall #cozy #books #newreads #tbr

Worked my second job and decided to walk around B&N after! I was pleasantly surprised to see two of the books I wanted were buy one get one half off, and one of them was only $10! Win!!

I probably should have bailed when the rat crawled back up her throat. 🫣🤢

But this book is just way too gruesome. And has too much body horror for me.

Today's book haul!!!

🎧 Rory‘s twin is pregnant & calls her for help.

Shortly after Rory gets to town she comes across an old classmate that has serious sexy time thoughts about but she‘s turned before she can act on them.

Twins each with a secret, a mom who can‘t admit fault & 2 innocent guys just trying to make things work. Now there‘s a werewolf or 2 on the loose.

Predictable & funny. Definitely worth a listen! Another great slump buster.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

A horror book about Rory, who moves back to her hometown temporarily to take care of her pregnant twin sister. The book follows Rory coming to terms with being bitten by a werewolf, and then learning what to do to keep everyone safe during her monthly transformation. An interesting read that proceeds at a medium pace. The characters are mostly likable people who sometimes do unlikable things. There is some gore and body horror in the book.

Book 5📚 4.4⭐️

This book was a lot of fun!
There were a few 3 little pigs references that were super cute😜
I got some Nightbitch vibes but less metaphorical, more silver & full moons🐺

I‘ve been a fan of Harrison since The Return and look forward to more of her work!

Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison is an unflinching tale of body horror, both natural and supernatural. Centered around the strength it requires to endure, this story is also filled with a lot of love and second chances.

This is definitely a book that will sink its teeth into you, nagging until you‘ve finished the very last page.

https://www.ericarobynreads.com/book-review-such-sharp-teeth-by-rachel-harrison/

Is excessive snark and cigarette smoke an adequate placeholder for character development? Asking for a friend….

Nightbitch for childless twins. I enjoyed it a lot. The writing style is very easy to read and the characters were well drawn.

I know it‘s Halloween but it‘s also the end of the month so it‘s time for a wrap up. I have to admit my reading month was a little lackluster. I think I read spookier books in September. So I‘m still craving something spooky. If you have any spine chilling recommendations drop them in the comments.

Full wrap up: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/10/31/october-2022-wrap-up/

I‘m not really sure what to think of this one. It isn‘t anything like I thought it would be. There is a fun werewolf plot, but it competes with complicated family issues, strained relationships, and a miserable pregnancy for the top storyline. I mean, it was okay. This was my second attempt at reading it, it just didn‘t hold my attention enough the first time and I made myself finish it this time. The author‘s blunt writing style didn‘t help.

If you go into Such Sharp Teeth thinking that it‘s a horror book centered around werewolves you‘ll be disappointed.Instead it centers around family drama and romance with just a touch of inconvenience due to the fact that the main character is a werewolf. Was it spooky? No. Was it a fun read? Yeah. It was. It wasn‘t what I expected but I still enjoyed my time reading it.

Full review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2022/10/26/such-sharp-teeth-review/

Really enjoyed this werewolf plot! Only a few days left in October I‘ve got to get my spooky reads in. What are you reading for October?

I absolutely LOVED this book! 💕📚

I started it right after finishing Cackle, another of this author's books, and I just could not stop reading it! I think I only finished it in two sittings! It was that good! Definitely darker and more visceral than Cackle, but with a ton more humor as well! This needs to be your next werewolf read! 🎃🎃🎃

Here we go! So excited. Starting now.

I have a lot to catalog today! This is just the fiction side. #saturdaylibrarian