Lore by Alexandra Bracken My rating: 4 of 5 stars Thank you NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing me with an excerpt from the ARC of Lore in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I have been meaning to read one of Alexandra Bracken’s books ever since I found out how creepy The Darkest Minds is supposed to be. My little Wednesday Addams-like heart calms at any creepy, mysterious and/or murderous story. It relaxes me. I know, I’m weird. I even bought the hardcover edition of Passenger, fully intending on reading that asap. But alas, it’s been on my bookshelf since 2016, looking very pretty…
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Scorpionfish
Scorpionfish by Natalie Bakopoulos My rating: 4 of 5 stars Thank you NetGalley and Tin House Books for providing me with an ARC of Scorpionfish in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I read this book a couple of months ago when the restlessness and reality of the lockdown really kicked in. I live very close to the Greek neighbourhood in my hometown and with everything having been shut down the prospect of not being able to travel or even take a stroll down my beloved neighbourhood made me sad. When I was scrolling through NetGalley I was hoping to find something that slightly…
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Schweigeminute
Schweigeminute by Siegfried Lenz My rating: 4 of 5 stars About a week ago my computer crashed; blue screen, sad-face emoji and everything (apparently Microsoft added a sad-face emoji to soften the blow or whatever). Once my little laptop regained consciousness, I had the great idea to start a new bookmark folder containing links to German TV channels. Recently I have been on a German TV and book trip again, after I realized that I have neglected those language skills long enough and a friend asked me to practice her German with me. It would only be fair to brush up to make sure that what I told her was…
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The Gentleman’s Daughter: Womens Lives in Georgian England
The Gentleman’s Daughter: Womens Lives in Georgian England by Amanda Vickery My rating: 4 of 5 stars Part of my ongoing research in preparation for my graduate thesis. This is the second book by Vickery I have read during my research. Sadly, both books did not contain anything that could help me with my research, but that does not mean the books were not good. Just like the last one, this one contained a wealth of information that was presented in a very interesting and personal way. I was invested in what the author had to share, and it was engaging. Regardless of the fact that I can’t use specific…
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You Can’t Make This Stuff Up
You Can’t Make This Stuff Up: The Complete Guide to Writing Creative Nonfiction–from Memoir to Literary Journalism and Everything in Between by Lee Gutkind My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was the only book I kept from my creative nonfiction course and it is the only book I read during the entire course. I kept it for reference purposes and in case I experience another writer’s block. The examples, instructions and exercises are very beneficial and are well enough designed to return to again and again. I appreciated the author’s use of extensive excerpts to truly showcase the point he was making instead of vaguely outlining his point and…
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Doppelganger
Doppelganger by Danielle Bannister My rating: 4 of 5 stars I received this ARC from Red Coat Publishing and the authors in exchange for an honest review. A story about a woman in her early forties, trying to find herself; this was really cute and refreshing. I am not quite in my forties yet, but I appreciated and welcomed a story that centred around a character that wasn’t fresh out of high school or college and wasn’t some super special snowflake that figures out her true path after three chapters. If I had had the time, I would have read the entire book in one sitting. The main character was…
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Ultimate Phantomias 08
Lustiges Taschenbuch Ultimate Phantomias 08: Die Chronik eines Superhelden by Walt Disney Company My rating: 4 of 5 stars Better than Ultimate Phantomias #7, but I’m still waiting for those adventurous and daring stories that I have read before in the later collections of this series.
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Christabel
Christabel by Samuel Taylor Coleridge My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was good. I mean this was really good. It was a great blend of horror, medieval, Gothic and the classic.Part of my required reading list for my zombie/vampire course, Christabel was an intriguing story to read. Written in verse, it took a few stanzas to get used to the style, but it was worth it in the end.A story filled with eerie descriptions, a spooky atmosphere, a seductress and an outcome I would not have suspected. In my accompanying course notes and commentaries, I read that the version we have now wasn’t even the complete narration and Coleridge…
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Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge My rating: 4 of 5 stars A required reading for my zombie/vampire seminar, this was my second time reading this poem; however, I can’t remember when or where I had first come across it. I can vaguely remember someone in a class-setting talking about the mariner and facilitating some sort of discussion, but the details elude me, which really bothers me.Anyway, I think I have always preferred Coleridge to Shelley or Byron. I appreciate his skill for creating an eerie mood in his poems that is just perfect for what he is trying to accomplish.The poem itself isn’t my favourite, but…
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The Death of Halpin Frayser
The Death of Halpin Frayser by Ambrose Bierce My rating: 4 of 5 stars Another required reading for my zombie/vampire seminar.For some reason this story reminded me of the movie “The Labyrinth” with David Bowie. It could be because I had recently watched it and it was still fresh in my memory, but I assume it had something to do with the dream like sequence in the story. It’s that almost fantastic and otherworldly always reminds me a bit of classic 80’s fantasy movies. Although, this story had quite a bit of blood in it, so I would suggest not reading it whilst eating.The writing was quite nonchalant with a…
