Okay, who bought books on #IndependentBookstoreDay?
My plan had been to stay home that day but this was me getting coffee ‘LOOKING‘ at books. I did pretty well.

I‘m so behind on reviews, behind on lists, decision-making, everything. I‘ve been reading quite a bit, considering an online course if I can get financial aid (my brain is turning to mush).

Oh and I have to decide on meniscus repair surgery for my left knee🤦🏻‍♀️
#indiebookstoreday

My #JoyousJanuary #Readathon starts with some simple goals: get stuff read that I PLANNED on and not get diverted just yet 😹
A Flicker in The Dark is taking a while because I keep getting distracted by life but a BOTM FB is doing a discussion. I received 10 copies of Her Honor for my local book club from #LittleFreeLibrary so will read that too. And I want to finish Maid before I finish the show!
I also want to set my TBRs and yearly goals 😉

THANK YOU to my #CreepyChristmasSwap match @StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego 🖤
My package made its second trip out of Canada and got to me in #Seattle today (by way of San Francisco for some strange reason..who comes up with these mail routes?).
It was sad to tear through the cute wrapping paper, but the goodies are fabulous; I‘m especially excited for the tagged book and smelly bath bomb.
Happy New Year to you and thank you Danielle 😘

#weekendreads
We got snow LAST NIGHT so this is VERY apropos! Woke up to several inches of snow here in #Seattle; looks pretty right now but this city can‘t handle it AT ALL, and my dog isn‘t at all sure ❄️

1 Please Scream Inside Your Heart - Dave Pell
2 I was in the mood for all the dark holiday movies this year…is that bad? But I‘ve always enjoyed Gremlins, I just saw Krampus, and always had a soft spot for National Lampoon 🤭

It might not be the cheeriest of books (documents all the news stories and craziness of the year that was 2020) but it recently caught my eye and I‘m really glad you got this one for me @TiminCalifornia 🙌🏼
It might be the only book I get to open this holiday season (my #creepychristmasswap gift is delayed) so it‘s all the more special 😉📚🎄
Hope you have a fabulous holiday on your end!
#jolabokaflod #creepychristmas

Some kind person put this in the #LittleFreeLibrary right in front of my building.
I especially consider it a score because most of the books put in there are for kids (there‘s a childcare next door, and it‘s a children‘s reading org that sponsors it).
And finally the door on the LFL got fixed; it recently blew off when we had particularly bad weather…

All weekend I helped with the search effort to get this tiny foster pup back (#Seattle); she managed to back out of her collar. It was lucky she had a slip lead on because it got caught on a branch.
For 2 days of a search crew posting hundreds of posters and canvassing a several mile area, we finally had a sighting on a Ring video camera posted on social media. It was nearly 66.5 hrs that she was gone!
Such relief we found her! #pets

You‘re welcome, horror movie fans.
I put together a list of #CreepyChristmas movies (they do range in their Rotten Tomato squelchiness) for your holiday-horror-movie-watching pleasure.
Which can you recommend? 🔪🎄🪓

It‘s here @TiminCalifornia 👏🏼👏🏼Thank you!
My #Jolabokaflod package took 2 days from CA and I‘ll attempt to not open it before I‘m supposed to😌

Maybe I‘ll put up the tree this week?! I‘ve been feeling crummy and then received horrible news yesterday that my auntie in England passed away suddenly. I‘m overwhelmed at the news and don‘t know how I can get back over (passport + green card expired, no money for tickets, Covid restrictions)😩

OH YEAH. It feels good to send off pretty red packages in the mail!!!
I sent off my #Jolabokaflod package yesterday, and my match is VERY lucky I did not eat the chocolate.

Hoping this gets to its destination safely (did anyone see that news story about the FedEx guy who dumped ~400 packages into a ravine instead of delivering them??)!😳
🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🎄
@MaleficentBookDragon

My KILLER #CreepyChristmas swap box is on its way to the East Coast. Weeks of prep and I‘ve finally said goodbye; hope it gets there in one piece 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
No peeking until Christmas Eve or Krampus will be paying someone a visit 👹

This stunner was at the bookstore today - an edition I had yet to see of one of my most favorite books EVER.
It has a velvety cover, and bats along the sides, and of course Edward Gorey illustrations. It‘s so gorgeous!!! 🖤❤️

I‘ve not posted for a bit altho I‘ve been on here commenting/browsing; I‘ve been struggling lately with SAD and MS symptoms. Fatigue and pain are even harder for me when it gets cold, and the doldrums hit HARD. I actually do know all the things I need to do: get outside and get active (thank goodness I got a dog again), connecting, etc.
Tell me what makes you happy when it‘s grey and cold outside! #creepychristmas #JolabokaflodSwap #winter

@kimmypete1 A HUGE MONSTER THANK YOU for the #HHS swap package, especially for THREE included books on my wishlist, that‘s a real treat. I can‘t wait to read them!
And receiving candles (without me having to smell every single one in the store before buying one) makes me super happy. My SON will be very happy I ‘have‘ to share the Haribo. Seriously tho, the books especially made my day.

AND the sun came out in Seattle today 🎃
#hauntedhallowswap

Signed, sealed…sent!
My #HauntedHallowSwap box is on its way to one super lucky person who also loves books and candy (yeah, that doesn‘t tell you much, does it?).
Try not to peek! 😸🎃
#HHS #Halloween #bookswap @wanderinglynn

The cat and I have discovered the best way to watch horror movies this Halloween; with the little projector I just got.

It makes me not regret putting shelves up yet because I still have a blank wall. I just need a shelf for it (it‘s sitting on a pile of books on my book cart). AND a sound bar.

I just need to add up the points for the movies I‘ve been watching! And I‘m well into our buddy read for #TeamSlaughter #scarathlon2021
+6 points

#Scarathlon2021 #TeamSlaughter @Clwojick

I thought I‘d play a game of #NameThatMovie because there are some horror movies that I end up watching EVERY October WITHOUT FAIL. SURELY other people do too!!

Anyone recognize this screen shot? Lots of blood. An absolute classic.

+6 points

I want to send out an invite to all you fellow Littens here who enjoy mysteries and thrillers and also have a #BOTM subscription. I‘ve been a BOTM member for years now but I help moderate BOTM: Mystery/Thriller Discussion Group over on Facebook. It‘s my month to host the discussion so I just posted a poll to help pick the book; there‘s never enough spooky stuff in October! These are just 2 in the poll.
Come look up the group and I can let you in!

#HHS #HauntedHallowSwap #ThisOrThat

I‘m late to the party with this one and I‘m really not sure how useful it is but what I‘ve done is cross out what I DO NOT LIKE. Way more informative, right?!
I really am not a fan of pumpkin OR pumpkin spice (actually any hot drinks, so hot chocolate also had to go).
But I really can‘t choose between so many of these: books and movies, cats and bats, Frankie and Dracula? Yep, like it all.

Has anyone else watched the #FearStreet trilogy on Netflix? What did you think?
I‘ll preface this by saying I‘ve not read R.L.Stine‘s Fear Street books that the trilogy (set in 1994, 1978, and 1666) is based on.
Regardless of its source material, it‘s exactly what you‘d expect from a Netflix event like this and despite reviews that make comparisons to the books (pointless to do) it‘s fun if you just roll with it. Beware terrible Irish accents 😉

For the longest time I wondered what would be the first book I‘d read set against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, and THIS was it.
#56Days (Catherine Ryan Howard) is set in Dublin, Ireland, and while the pandemic isn‘t the FOCUS of the book, the situation where everyone is shut behind closed doors lends itself PERFECTLY to a thriller plot. A+ to Howard for recognizing that the lockdown would make great reading material. I read this FAST! 😷

sonder
n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness

~ John Koenig, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

#newdog #dogsoflitsy

Well, it was my #birthday so I thought I‘d treat myself to a heavy book full of Jim Morrison‘s journals, lyrics and poetic ramblings. Jim was a bit of an obsession of mine when I was a teenager, my mum surprised me with an 18th bday cake with a similar pic to this one on it! I often made the trip to Paris to Père Lachaise Cemetery to go ‘hang out‘ esp around my birthday as it‘s the same week as Morrison‘s death; many make the ‘pilgrimage‘ there ?

I just realized I have read 3 books in a row with beautifully colored covers and they couldn‘t have been more different.
One is a thriller with ‘Get Out‘ vibes set in the publishing industry, the next is a funny, smart how-to (and not-to) guide to marriage and running a tech startup by a Bangladeshi Brit. And the 3rd is an exciting MG fantasy about bird clans by a well-known author starting something new. Recommend ALL 👍🏼

So I have not posted in a LONG time.
The pandemic, stress, depression, dealing with remote-learning, you name it, I‘ve been unhealthily not doing all kinds of STUFF I usually do, although I HAVE been reading.
But I haven‘t been posting on Litsy, just logging books.
ANYWAY, this book was a LOT of sun-and-booze-soaked fun so I highly recommend it for a start of summer read.
A great escapist read. LOVED it 💗🍸🏄🏼‍♀️🌴#summer #MalibuRising

Thank you so so much @Meaw_catlady 🥰
I opened up my box and I loved the wrapping but I was THRILLED that inside I found some of my most anticipated books. I REALLY can‘t wait to read the tagged book most of all. I love the book sleeve (what a surprise!), the retro bookmarks, the chocolate...oh, and my son is trying to claim the candy and the bath bomb. I may have to hide that. Thanks for putting so much thought into my box. I want to hug you! 🖤

I‘m a big fan of both ‘Repulsion‘ (1965) and definitely ‘Rosemary‘s Baby‘ (1968), but I had still not seen Roman Polanski‘s ‘The Tenant‘. This film is part of a loose trilogy he made about the ‘horrors‘ faced by apartment and city dwellers. This one has Polanski in the lead role, stars Isabelle Adjani, and has a feeling of paranoia that is stifling.
It‘s been hard to shake this one since seeing it.
+6 points #TeamSlaughter #Scarathlon

I thought I‘d put up a whole bunch of what I‘d watched mostly over the weekend, especially since none of this particular stuff was earth-shattering even though it was entertaining. So much stuff to watch, I can‘t help myself.
Pilgrim (2019)
The Lodge (2019)
Play Misty for Me (1971)
I, Frankenstein (2014)
Eli Roth‘s History of Horror
Pure (2019)
My Bloody Valentine (1981)
The Uninvited (2009)
Devil (2010)
+ 46 points 💀
#TeamSlaughter #Scarathlon

It‘s HEERE!!
It arrived safe and sound @Meaw_catlady even though the side has a split, the box actually looks like it hasn‘t lost anything).
I actually usually want my swap boxes to come later so I‘m not so tempted to open them 😬
I also have to make sure my cat Jeffers doesn‘t destroy the box...
#HauntedHallowSwap #HHS @wanderinglynn

Finally let my 12-year old watch this with me, and I‘d forgotten just how good it is. One of most amazing things about this movie is how the story is told with the action and these actors WITHOUT the need for dialogue. When you think about what is needed to move a story along and you‘re able to pay attention to every little thing in this film, it‘s even better the 2nd time (even when you know what‘s coming).
+ 6 points
#TeamSlaughter #Scarathlon

I‘m SO excited!! I just mailed out THE BEST BLOODY #HauntedHallowSwap box today!!
It‘s on its way from here in Seattle to someone lucky somewhere far from me on the East Coast, and apparently it should get there Tuesday. I sent a mountain of books (maybe!) and so many goodies (or did I?!)...or was is it all a trick? 😏
I hope it will make someone very happy because I nearly kept it all myself (my son fought me for some of it).
#HHS #Halloween

I‘m not the only one who‘s seen this recently but I HAVE to post about The Invisible Man starring the amazing Elisabeth Moss.
It doesn‘t resemble the book by H.G.Wells or the original film but it‘s intense, frightening, and it kept me gripped all the way through. It‘s beautiful filmmaking with an ugly storyline of abuse at the center; my heart ached for CeCe. I loved the horror and I loved the ending.
+ 6 points / 4 💀
#TeamSlaughter #Scarathlon

Just about every frame of this iconic film is a visual masterpiece and this is one of Stanley Kubrick‘s most well-known movies. Stephen King was apparently disappointed with the finished product, said it lacked substance, and didn‘t like Nicholson‘s performance. Kubrick was a demanding director - he got into the Guinness Book of Records making Wendy do the baseball bat swinging shot a whopping 127 times!
+6 points / 5 💀
#TeamSlaughter #Scarathlon

Please don‘t argue with me on this: Psycho is one of the best movies ever made. Not just one of the best horror movies, unless you want to argue it‘s a psychological thriller or a mystery.
This scene alone changed the course of movie-making, and Hitchcock took a big gamble with technique, a new genre, and he shocked movie-goers the world over.
I can‘t help but watch it every October (sometimes twice).
+6 points / 5 💀
#TeamSlaughter #Scarathlon

This kept me glued to the page all the way through. What makes it a riveting novel is having such an unreliable narrator; Sean, previously institutionalized and diagnosed with schizophrenia, is ravaged with violent thoughts, but he‘s constantly wrestling with his desire to get better. Things become very complicated when he meets Annabelle. This will take you on a wild ride.
+ 16 points
Rating 💀💀💀💀
#Scarathlon #TeamSlaughter @Clwojick

Alright here it is @Clwojick #TeamSlaughter!

My #Scarathlon (and #Screamathon) TBR 🔪
It includes our #Buddyread The Good Daughter, which I‘m waiting for a copy of.
I have included 3 backup reads that I‘m not sure I‘ll get to and I haven‘t put in my online/shorter reads.
Thank you to @BookishTrish for Wonderland which got here yesterday! Also need to read White Trash Zombie...
A lot of backlist books I hope to read 👍🏼
+26

I‘m doing that ‘horror aesthetic‘ thing but only really have a few books and movies on it; if I‘d gone crazy with all the Halloween and horror stuff I love and didn‘t limit myself, this would be crammed. Can I do one on just candles?!
I LOVE Grady Hendrix‘s books, and Dracula and Carrie are 2 other faves. I love SO many horror movies, esp the classics and 80‘s horror! I used to work on horror movies so I know all the tricks 😉 #hauntedhollowswap

“My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed."
Let's make Ruth's dying wish come true. We owe her so much. #Vote ✊?

What an immeasurable loss. She certainly went down fighting.

#RIPRBG Rest in Power, Ruth

More #HauntedHollowSwap #HHS fun!

1 Carve a Jack-o-lantern
2 Halloween socks, women‘s 7 (I tend to be a ‘sock-shunner‘ as it‘s hard for me to go back to socks after summer) but I love ‘reading‘ socks and cool designs
3 Depends on the day
4 I enjoy bath bombs but I go through tons of candles ie bookish scents, fig, tuberose, lavender, rose, bergamot, basil, dragon‘s blood, patchouli, sandalwood
5 Coffin
6 Fab costume
7 Thriller (I love the 80‘s!)

#HauntedHollowSwap questionnaire! Yay!
1 I love Dracula, Frankie, Freddie, Jason
2 Pumpkin spice - NO
3 I always end up as a witch but my fave costume was bloody zombie cheerleader
4 I can‘t say no to treats/candy (but I like ‘tricks‘ in movies)
5 Only a little bit superstitious
6 I always have a cat by my own side so cats are a given (but I love all the bats, rats, etc)
7 Headless Horseman
8 Haunted House
9 Apple Pie
10 I‘m game for either 😱

I won a giveaway for the last signed arc of this from author Kat Ellis and it arrived here during US publication week. It had been on my TBR for months and months!!!
I have to admit I drooled over the UK arc, designed to look like a VHS tape (I‘ll still be looking for one, believe me).
Also, the British version that‘s in the stores is a bright yellow and has sprayed pages. Such a different look.
I‘m so excited to read this one! #HarrowLake #horror

#Horror fans! #BelleVue by British author C.S. Alleyne is being released by Crystal Lake Publishing TOMORROW 8.25.20! The setting is a Victorian-era insane asylum, and there‘s an evil within its walls. Fancy living there? Belle Vue will stick with you long after you‘ve read it...😱

This one I HAD to come on here and post about, after months of not really posting. Check out my review 👉🏼

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3351645643

#quarantinereadschallenge TY for the tag @ephemeralwaltz I‘m still here; the last few months have been very hard
1 The tagged book
2 My Best Friend‘s Exorcism, Final Girls
3 Third Place Books Seattle
4 Dracula
5 The Princess Bride, Carrie
6 Too many to count
7 One where I can fly and talk to animals
8 My Sister, The Serial Killer
9 More books from my shelves at home
10 Bed, blanket, cat, iced tea, silence
11 Charlotte‘s Web, ‘Malory Towers‘ series

Right now my heart is breaking.
It‘s been just 6 weeks since my kitty passed away but now my dog Apollo, who‘s been with me his whole life, is ready to pass on and join her. He has a mass on his chest, he keeps having accidents, he is weak and confused.
I just can‘t afford to help him die with dignity because I‘m in such a hard spot. Vet fees are exorbitant and there‘s no such thing as a sliding scale with them.
I hate this.
#dogsoflitsy #pets

@MoonWitch94 #ThoughtfulThursday 🐺🌕
*The moon already looked magnificent last night!

- I‘m going into 2020 believing that it will be even more transformative than the last; 2019 was hard but it moved me forward, and away from a place of pain and fear
- I didn‘t set a lot of resolutions but my goal again is to have courage, be mindful and present, and be proactive
- Reading tagged book: Marsha Linehan‘s DBT teachings saved my life

This just arrived, and I want to tell everyone out there who has struggled or IS suffering from BPD, suicidal thinking, emotional trauma, or self-harming behaviors, #DBT works.
I took part in one of the studies/DBT trials here at the BRTC in #Seattle, where #MarshaLinehan developed her Dialectical Behavioral Therapy programs, and thanks to the skills I learned, and therapy I received, it SAVED MY LIFE and changed my world.
Thank you, Marsha ❤️

‪RELEASED TODAY! 🔥‬
‪Read my #bookreview for #OasisBook by Katya de Becerra by @bookbrag Imprint Macmillan ‬
‪It‘s also a #YA #BOTM pick this month 😱‬

‪👉🏼Supernatural thriller set in Dubai; #Oasis is spec-fiction guaranteed to get you thinking‬
‪http://kamoorephoto.booklikes.com/post/2028100/supernatural-thriller-set-in-the-dubai-desert-oasis-is-speculative-fiction-guaranteed-to-get-you-thinking-and-a-bit-hot‬

It was a fun reading month (can it always be October?)!
The #scarathlon gave me lots of excuses to indulge in lots of horror, including lots of graphic novels.
I meant to get to more of my TBR but considering my world is still in flux (and had to watch horror movies), I did ok.
13 books
2 book signings
1 lease signing
1 vet visit
1 cat calendar photo session
2 blog tour posts
Countless arguments with my middle schooler
75 pieces Halloween candy

Doing my #scarathlon wrap-up although I fully intend to keep watching scary movies all day (I‘m watching Bird Box right now) and night and to keep reading too...
1 Lucky 13
2 Bird Box, Ninth House
3 Rosemary‘s Baby (always), Us, Halloween
4 Jar Of Fears, and the A-Z game
5 My son wants both me and his dad to take him trick-or-treating as usual but we are split up now sooo I still don‘t know what‘s happening 🤔

#TeamSlaughter +50

These two lovelies, Pete The Cat, Five Little Pumpkins , and Bone Parish, round out my #ScaryScavengerHunt reads!! 🖤🖤🖤

#TeamSlaughter +14
*Sorry I didn‘t carve a pumpkin 🎃 @Clwojick