These books are so, so good…

But I‘m starting to wonder if I‘m supposed to hate Lila with the heat of a thousand suns or if I‘m just doing this wrong?

Because I didn‘t really like child Lila, and I really, really don‘t like her ‘grown up‘ married teenager Lila. Ugh.

😬

This was a super fun audiobook, and I have no regrets about squeezing it in between my planned books this month.

Why I loved it:

-That cover!

-MC Lore is a badass and not annoying about it.

-Greek mythology successfully made modern urban fantasy.

-Action-packed, violent, twisty, and sexy.

-YA that didn‘t make my eyes roll.

-A great, diverse cast of characters.

-Excellent narration.

-Again, that cover!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I‘m kind of surprised by the very mixed reviews I‘ve been seeing for this book… but I‘m also surprised by how much I loved it, when I only really expected to like it. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Full review on my blog: https://sprainedbrain.blog/2021/11/25/review-harlem-shuffle-by-colson-whitehead/

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I‘ve been a fan of all things Arthurian legend since I was small, and I loved this twist on the Camelot story. Told from the perspective of Elaine, the Lady of Shalott, the story jumps around from the youth of our heroes to Arthur‘s quests, and on to the tragic later events, presenting an original view on these legendary characters and stories. Beautifully written, and omg did it complicate the Lancelot feelings for my Team Arthur heart.

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#PemberLittens!

Thank you so much to the 62 of you who filled out the form and gave me your thoughts on how to continue the group! I‘ve compiled all of that great info and have a proposal, but since I‘m excited and far too wordy for Litsy, if you‘re tagged, I‘ve sent you an email. 😉

Can you please take a look and let me know what you think? I‘d love to get something going for us for December or January.

Thank you!

❤️

My most recent postal book club read. Perhaps a bit outdated (this book was published in 2001), but bell hooks‘ poetic writing and searing observations are quite timeless.

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I (finally) read Practical Magic this fall and was inspired by @mklong to read the series in chronological order.

Magic Lessons starts with the first Owens woman, following Maria from 17th century rural England to Curaçao to Salem. It‘s about women, family, the rules of magic, finding strength, celebrating love, and of course, a family curse, all with Hoffman‘s glorious storytelling and endearing characters. Of course I loved it.

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Oh, this one is good. The incredibly rich characters, the increasing complexity of the story, and the gifted storytelling make this Reconstruction-era tale super engaging. I wasn‘t expecting the white characters to be so central, and while I‘m sure the redemption story wasn‘t so true-to-history, it‘s pleasant to think there may have been good souls like the Walkers.

Great audio narration took this strong debut up a notch for me, too.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Did I listen to this book in anticipation of the end of Draughtlander and because I needed some Scottish 🔥 in my life? Yes.

Does this book make up for its cheesy dumb cover with a solid histfic storyline, perfectly tolerably characters, and very sexy sexy-times? Again, yes.

Romance itch successfully scratched, though Tor MacLeod is (of course) no Jamie Fraser. 😉

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Finally posted my review for this book, which I finished early this month and instantly put on my best-of list for 2021.

Believe the hype on this one.

http://sprainedbrain.blog/2021/11/23/review-cloud-cuckoo-land-by-anthony-doerr/

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@Amandajoy I love your list!

Five I‘ve read and loved: One to Watch, Library at Mount Char, A Promised Land, Mexican Gothic. Funny, when I was narrowing down my list I took Obama‘s book off because I technically read it December 2020. 😉

The three at the top left were already on my TBR, so definitely reading those, and I hope to get to at least the ones on the right side.

So excited! ❤️

#NewYearWhoDis

There‘s a brand new Litsy town hall-ish account, managed by a group of thoughtful Littens who want to be sure no one misses any of the awesome community activities available.

Follow @LitsyEvents and be sure to tag the account in any Litsy goings-on that need to be amplified. The account will signal boost challenges, buddyreads, readathons, swaps, and any other inclusive, Litsy community-building events.

#LitsyEvents

It‘s been a couple of days since I finished this fantastic book, and I know that Alice Hoffman writes (really good) fiction and all, but damn if all of that isn‘t as true as can be. ❤️

So I‘ve been thinking about getting the band back together… I miss #PemberLittens!

We finished the 6 novels (and it was a fantastic 18 months for me), but I know some have said they would like to continue in some way, so I‘ve created yet another form for those interested to share their thoughts.

https://forms.gle/TTrcBmKdpvrPHV9S8

Open to anyone, former participant in the group or not. There‘s even a question about (gasp!) other authors!

I‘m not missing out of this one again! All signed up for the #BestOf2021Swap hosted by @candority and I‘m so excited!

One of my favorite swaps of the year!

See Chelle‘s post for more info and to sign up. ❤️

#JolabokaflodSwap

All matches have been sent for #WinterSolsticeSwap! Swappers, please respond to your email (if you haven‘t already) and let me or @Chrissyreadit know if there are any issues.

Let the stalking and shopping commence! 💙

My last audiobook finished in October had been in my audible library for a ridiculously long time, so yay for knocking another one off of #MtTBR.

I somehow managed to stumble in to several Lovecraftian books last month, including this one. Fascinating concept: a too-good-to-be-true LA apartment building with weirdness and House of Leaves vibes. Nate and his neighbors start investigating, and it only gets weirder.

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Finishing up my October reviews, fashionably late.

I read this for my #50States50Scares challenge because I needed a South Carolina book and had already read the one on the NYT list.

Friends, I should have reread the Grady Hendrix.

This book needs editing, unless it truly was written by an overzealous middle schooler at a young writers conference, in which case I apologize.

Is it horror? Cop drama? Monster movie?

Idk, but it‘s a mess.

⭐️

This book checked a lot of boxes for me, and ended up being one of my most surprising picks of the year so far.

My review of this NetGalley gem and perfect fall read is on my blog: http://sprainedbrain.blog/2021/11/07/review-the-lighthouse-witches-by-c-j-cooke/

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Ohhhemmmmgeee I did my first #BookSpinBingo card since August and I‘m feeling pretty proud of myself, since I‘ve already finished two books and they are even in the same line! 😂

My #BookSpin this month is Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds.

My #DoubleSpin is Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy.

Last chance to sign up for #WinterSolsticeSwap!

The form will close tonight so that we can start matching… so far, about 40 people have joined us!

More info or sign up here:

https://forms.gle/iTAwLzfqpSxYapUV8

Signups are open now through November 6 for the first ever #WinterSolsticeSwap, hosted by my friend @Chrissyreadit and me. 💙

Questions? Just ask!

Please see the signup sheet for more information and/or to join us!

https://forms.gle/iTAwLzfqpSxYapUV8

Tagging some people who have expressed interest before, but open to all who celebrate. Feel free to share!

Thank you to all of the participants in this year‘s #BasicWitchSwap 🖤

I‘ve loved all of your opening days posts (and I‘m looking forward to a few more 😉) and I‘m so appreciative of the thoughtful shopping and enthusiasm you all bring to the swap!

Huge thanks to @mklong for being an incredible cohost, and once again to @monalyisha for starting it all 4 years ago!

Blessed Samhain, my friends!

I don‘t think I‘ve ever been so excited about spoons, but LOOK AT THESE. 😍

Going to make a big old pot of soup tomorrow, for sure. 😉

Thanks again, Alisia!

#BasicWitchSwap

@4thhouseontheleft Thank you so much for this incredible #BasicWitchSwap package! I love it all… the gemstones, incense, tea, trail mix, candy, all the AWESOME books, and omg these wooden spoons! Be still my kitchen-witch heart!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, and blessed Samhain to you! 🖤

We are home from trick-or-treating and it‘s time to open my #BasicWitchSwap package!

So far, I have some yummies and some new gemstones! 🖤

Alisia, I‘m laughing because we used the same wrapping paper. 😂

And @jacksonreads opened his #AlteredNightmareSwap as well! He‘s super excited about the books and the puzzle. Please tell Carson that Jack loves it and says THANK YOU! 🎃

Finally opened my #AlteredNightmareSwap from @MidnightBookGirl 💚

Thank you so much, Kate! I LOVE your art in the book, the book itself, and your card. Happy Halloween! 🎃

I listened to this one to preview it for the kiddo… it‘s a pretty scary middle grade first-in-series haunted house book, about 5 kids (ages 12-13, I think) who all get mysteriously drawn to an abandoned ‘shadow house,‘ and locked-in spookiness commences. A nice twist at the ending, and I think Jack will dig it.

Not really my kind of book, but it wasn‘t written for me, so a pick. 😃

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Only my second LaValle, but I‘m officially a fan.

On the surface, this is a really good urban fantasy/horror novel and a clever take on the changeling fairytale, but deeper down it‘s a lot more. Social criticism, race, family and parenthood mixed in with legends and myths, humor and terror, all with LaValle‘s brilliant writing. He can really make you feel so much for a character, and my heart just hurt for Apollo.

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This was my Arizona book for #50States50Scares, & it is a thing I read.

As the cover suggests, it‘s a biblical end times horror story, only it‘s super dated & reads like a low-budget 80s horror movie. Full of annoying tropes, rampant male chauvinism, & a whole lot of ridiculous. One would expect an 80 year old woman to have a demon baby, since she‘s old & therefore gross.🙄

I can only assume SK was high when he made the cover statement.

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This book probably never would have been on my radar if it weren‘t for my attempt at #50States50Scares. This was my Arkansas book and wow it‘s a heck of a debut novel. Somehow, it‘s a southern gothic/detective story/Cthulhu-ish/horror novel that just works. It‘s scary, smart, and engaging, but definitely not for everyone… very gory, really brutal, and bad stuff happens to animals, adults and kids. I really loved the main characters.

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This one has been on my list for years, thanks to reviews by @Reggie @vivastory and @Klou

OMG it‘s so good.

Absolutely brutal and gory and scary… I could only do audiowalks in broad daylight with this one. This is a monster story done right, and by right I mean I finished it 2 weeks ago and I‘m still thinking about two scenes in particular that made me 😲🤢😵.

This should be a movie, which I won‘t watch because it will be too scary.

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I‘ve owned this Audible book for an embarrassingly long time—but this was the year it made my spooky-reads October list!

Although it‘s not super plausible, and some of the writing/character choices were a bit too ‘a man totally wrote this‘ for my liking, I did enjoy the premise of famous authors at a haunted house event, the book was genuinely scary, and that ending was *chef‘s kiss* horror finery.

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I love Bradbury (Dandelion Wine is one of my favorite books EVAH), but had never read this one… I decided to listen because of how much another of my swap partners @PatriciaU loves it, and I‘m so glad I did!

A quick, spooky story starts with a haunted house, continues with a creepy character taking some trick-or-treaters through time to see the history & meaning of Halloween. All with Bradbury‘s amazing & touching storytelling.🖤

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

I‘m going to have to post a whole bunch today to catch up my October reviews…😜

I listened to this book after I saw it on a certain swap partner‘s wish list. Bram Stoker (brooding, somewhat creepy) and Oscar Wilde (hilarious and gloriously foppish) don‘t really like each other that much, but keep getting thrown together to fight monsters. Werewolves and vampires, oh my! Such a fun ride, with lots of references to the real guys‘ books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I opened my second awesome swap box of the day! This is my #AllHallowsReadSwap from the wonderful @MatchlessMarie and I absolutely love it all! The tagged book has been on my wishlist for a while, and I‘m going to start it tonight, while also raising my blood sugar considerably with some of these yum yums. 😜

Love the second book you chose, the bath bomb, and the candle, Amanda! Thank you so much! 🖤

And thank you, Chelle, for hosting! 🥰

I actually got my sh*t together and did a #BookSpin list this month!

Everyone please look at the adorable pins I got from @Annie1215 as part of my #HHS package. 🖤🖤🖤

Thanks again, Annie!

@Annie1215 I LOVE my #HauntedHollowSwap! 🖤

Thank you so much for these books I‘ve been itching to buy for myself (haha!) Love the socks, the mug, of course the chocolate, and the pins are so awesome I‘m going to do another post to show them up close.

Again, thank you so much for the thoughtful gifts! And thank you, @wanderinglynn for running such a great swap. 🎃🖤👻

All systems appear to be go for #BasicWitchSwap opening day on Sunday! Thank you so much to everyone for making this such a fun swap. 🖤

Tomorrow, @mklong and I are going to celebrate with an impromptu witchy watch party of Practical Magic. I‘ve never seen it, and want to avoid having my witch card revoked.

Anyone care to join us? October 30 at 4 pm Eastern/3 pm Central… open to everyone, swappers or no—let me know if you want the Zoom link!

So glad that you picked this one for #LMPBC Charlene!

An extremely character-driven vampire story like no vampire story I‘ve experienced before. Smart, engaging, mysterious, and filled with Butler‘s social criticism, with a fairly intense vampire-courtroom drama finishing the story. There are some unusual choices early on, but I stuck with it and ultimately loved the book. Sad that this was her last book—I would have loved more Shori.

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I was fortunate to snag the audio of this new book really early from library. It‘s a lot of fun! Sort of a cozy version of a witch story… not super scary, loaded with sarcasm and girl power, cursing (the hexing kind, not potty mouth) and cute… spiders? but with a heroine that I really wanted to shake the shit out of from time to time. 😂 Still, an enjoyable read!

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My #AAM choice this month did not disappoint. I really love Schwab‘s Shades of Magic and Villains series, so was excited to read her debut, a witchy fantasy. It‘s fairly YA and has a bit of annoying insta-love in it, but the spooky vibe, the village witches, and the mysterious goings-on kept me listening attentively. Very good audiobook choice for the season!

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Reviews of Larson‘s new (fiction!) audio-only release are… not good. I really enjoyed it anyway. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Part gothic ghost story, part Lovecraftian horror, part closed-room/deserted island mystery, all with a serious historical fiction undercurrent and Larson‘s signature excellent narrative writing style. Very well-done audio that creeped me out thoroughly on my evening audiowalks and gave me goosebumps. Love the author‘s note, too.

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I‘m determined to get my October reviews posted before the end of October.😝

I did the audio/kindle combo for this book earlier this month. Easily my most anticipated book of the fall, and it didn‘t disappoint.

Full review on my blog: https://sprainedbrain.blog/2021/10/27/review-my-heart-is-a-chainsaw-by-stephen-g...

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We aren‘t even to Samhain, and @mklong and I are still knee-deep in #BasicWitchSwap, but my good friend @Chrissyreadit is hard at work on more witchy fun!

The magic doesn‘t end in October! Anyone interested in a swap themed around Yule and Winter Solstice? We are preparing a Midwinters Yule Swap.

Any thoughts or questions? Would you like to be tagged to sign up? We are looking at signups starting 11/1, so there will be short turnaround. 🖤

@4thhouseontheleft my #BasicWitchSwap package arrived today! Thank you🖤

October 24 and I‘m finally in to my October reviews.

This was my first audiobook of the month, and it was awesome. Definitely leans more fantasy (EPIC fantasy) than horror, but obviously, with vampires, and they are the scary/murdery variety, so there is gore. It‘s very dark, but also smart and witty—really put me in mind of Witcher at times. I was completely obsessed and devoured it quickly, and I cannot wait for the next one.

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