Back in 2018, Jeff VanderMeer’s sci-fi horror novel, Annihilation, got the Hollywood treatment and was adapted into a pretty well-received feature film. It also starred the likes of Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. It looked rather intriguing, but also like it might scare the poo out of me. So I skipped it. Recently, I’ve been seeing the title pop up on Hulu and I’ve been tempted to play it some nights, but I decided to give it The Haunting at Hill House treatment and read the novel first.
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Book Review: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
What can I say? I’ve been somewhat enthralled with Shirley Jackson this year and I have no reasons why! Perhaps I’ve just really been in the mood for some spooky stuff. It’s been a while, but I did watch the film adaptation of We Have Always Lived in the Castle that starred Taissa Farmiga, Alexandra Daddario, Sebastian Stan, and Crispin Glover last year. It was a really interesting film, so I’ve been eager to compare how it stacked up against its source material.
Read moreDouble Book Review!
That’s right, two times the book reviews! Mainly because I read and finished two books simultaneously this week. That usually doesn’t happen, so for this rare occasion I will give my thoughts at the same time! They were two fairly different stories. One was a romantic drama, where two very different people work though in their own way why their relationship isn’t working. The other was a thriller about a woman feeling like her life is getting turned upside down when she learns secrets about her late husband and her current husband!
Read moreBook Review: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Now that Halloween has been over for several weeks, it’s been easier for me to get my hands on some spooky novels! Also, ever since reading and watching the biographical but largely fictional, Shirley, I’ve found myself more interested in reading her works. I figured what better way to start than with her very popular, The Haunting of Hill House. Selfishly, I also chose to read this because I want to watch the series, but I have been too afraid to do so. I figure if I give it a read first it might calm my nerves about eventually watching it.
Read moreBook Review: Defending Jacob by William Landay
It’s been a short while since I watched Apple +’s adaptation of Defending Jacob, a novel written by William Landay. Since I’ve been burned this year by reading before watching, I decided to finally follow my old advice and read the book after I’ve watched the show. This is crucial! Personally, I am never disappointed by a book whenever I read it, but I am always disappointed by a show or film if I’ve watched it after reading. There is just no way for them to capture all the details that make a novel special.
Read moreBook Review: Sweet by Emmy Laybourne
In keeping with the books geared towards the scary for October, I made in odd choice in this young adult romance slash horror novel, Sweet, written by Emmy Laybourne. I also learned that Laybourne was in Superstar! What a small world. Anyways, this book got more enjoyable the further I got into it, and there were also some pretty strong messages layered into this young adult entry. I think teens and adults alike can learn something from this while also being entertained.
Read moreBook Review: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
My friend has a super sweet book subscription and she is nice enough to share with me, so that means I got to read a sci-fi thriller that I’d never heard of written by someone I’d also never heard of! But this is a good thing. It’s expanded my horizons and if I really didn’t want to read it I would have told her so, but I trust her book judgement. And I was right to! Dark Matter by Blake Crouch was pretty awesome.
Read moreAll the Books!
I’m slacking on reporting in the book department, so you get three in one review this time! I’ll keep it brief, lest there be spoilers (but there still might be). While one full-length novel made the cut, I also had to include some festive horror short-stories, but those are the best kind! Keep reading if you want to know what I’m reading!
Read moreRuth Ware – One by One Book Review
I’m obviously a big fan of Ruth Ware, but let me lead with saying that One by One might be my favorite of her novels! And that’s including her debut, In a Dark, Dark Wood! That’s high praise people. This is a murder mystery at its finest, a la Murder on the Orient Express, only it’s at a lush ski resort.
Read moreBook Review – Killing Eve: Endgame by Luke Jennings
I have finally reached the end of the Killing Eve saga (in the written word at least) and it was quite a satisfying adventure. All-encompassing, I got to experience action, love, and all the dirty and grimy bits in between. Again, seeing as I haven’t watched the show, I do wonder how this novel stacks up to the adaptation. I would like to hope that they looked to Jennings’ original text for at least most of what happened, or at the very least, took each novel’s premise as a base for each season.
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