Spooky Readlist Wrap Up!
Well, y'all I had quite the time going through my spooky readlist this year! I went from murders in the Byou, to snowed-in cabin murders, to men whispering into children's windows. It was a trip! Unfortunately, not all books were winners - so here is my official ranking of the 4 books I got to. Yes, only 4 - the 5th I did not get to was Simone St. James's The Book of Cold Cases. I was at the mercy of the public library and the timing to check out that book just did not work out. That and I read them out of turn on accident - oops! But more on that later, let's get to the ranking!
We're going from worst to best people - stick with me!
#4 - Notes on An Execution, Danya Kukafka ⭐⭐
One word - d.i.s.a.p.p.o.i.n.t.m.e.n.t... I was so excited to read this book that I actually read it second, instead of last. Mistake! This book took me so long to read that I'm pretty sure the only reason I didn't hit a mega-reading slump is that I knew I had other books to read after this. If I would have just read the books in order I probably would have read all 5! Or at least just DNF'ed this one at the end.
Words I would use to describe this book: disappointing, regretful, and boring.
#3 - Dead of Winter, Darcy Coates ⭐⭐⭐.5
This book was fairly middle of the road. The #2 and #1 spots really blew this baby out of the water though. A thriller where I don't feel like I've been punched in the face after really is just a miss in my book. There were some good moments- don't get me wrong. The beginning and the end were lacking though and I'm not a girl who lives for the middle of a book.
Words I would use to describe this book: putdownable, whodunit, and graphic.
#2 - The Whisper Man, Alex North ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was the last stop of my spooky readlist, but it was far from the worst. Honestly, the #1 and #2 spots on this list are GREAT options! I'd recommend them to anyone. The Whisper Man is a webby murderous novel that really sucks you in! The twists in the second half of the book are top-tier and really made this book a winner for me.
Words I would use to describe this book: twisty, believable, and fast-paced.
#1 - The Butcher and the Wren, Alaina Urquhart ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Drumroll please... the #1 book on the spooky readlist is THE BUTCHER AND THE WREN by Alaina Urquhart!!! This was my first read on the readlist, and sometimes the first really is the best. Was this book a work of literary genius? No. Did it have some evident plot holes and some things that could be improved on? Yes. Regardless of it not being absolute perfection, I can't deny the fact that I read this in less than 48 hours! It just picks you up and takes you for a ride. The constant development of the story never left me bored. To say I am excited for the second book is an understatement!
Words I would use to describe this book: graphic, fast-paced, and unputdownable.
It has officially been one year since I started my reading journey as an adult, and one year since I lost my grandma. Reading has really saved me this past year and helped me tremendously through the grieving process. Reading was one of my grandma's favorite pastimes and I'm happy I get to share my thoughts on books with you all like she used to with me! Halloween was also her favorite holiday so I can't imagine a better way to honor the one-year anniversary than with some spooky books.
We all grieve in different ways and for different amounts of time. I don't think I am near the end of my own grief journey yet and plan to take it day by day. It has gotten easier over this past year, and I am determined to not let the grief keep me down! If you are grieving and think reading may be a good way to work through that (or just want to start a reading journey as an adult) and don't know how to get started don't hesitate to reach out! I will link a couple of my socials below. I read a fairly large array of genres and should have a few suggestions for anyone! All of the books I read for this post are linked below and any of my actual reviews for said books are located in other posts on this blog. To keep up with what I'm reading now and some things I want to read in the future, head over to my Goodreads!
❤ Les
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