The Book of the Most Precious Substance by Sara Gran My rating: 5 of 5 stars I've had my eye on this book for a while and couldn't wait to check it out. Once upon a time, Lily published a successful and well received book. But after her husband got sick, she lost the spark. T…

Since I've already signed up, it's time to write my annual National Novel Writing Month blog post. 😅  The first time I took part in  NaNoWriMo  was all the way back in 2006. 😯 Since then, it's become a tradition for me. I only skipped it once (because of editing).  And now t…

Carlota Moreau: A young woman, growing up in a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatan peninsula, the only daughter of a genius - or a madman. Montgomery Laughton: A melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol, an outcast w…

A Nightmare on Clown Street by R.L. Stine My rating: 4 of 5 stars I'm pretty sure this is the first Goosebumps Most Wanted I've read. With a cover like that, of course I had to check it out. Ray's uncle, Theo, is a clown in Koko's Klown Academy, so Ray Gun loves th…

The Wizard Of Ooze by R.L. Stine My rating: 1 of 5 stars I actually enjoyed a bunch of the earlier HorrorLand Goosebumps series, but these later ones are really NOT grabbing me. Marco gets his hands on a rare edition of his favourite comic book, The Ooze, at the Chiller House gift s…

It was supposed to be a relaxing vacation in sweet, sunny Cape Cod - just me and my beloved brother - but discovering a corpse in our rental house really throws a wrench into our tanning schedule. Now a rude, crude bounty hunter has arrived on the back of his motorcycle to catch the kil…

Hey! How are ya? 😃 Well, it's that time of the year again... So you know what that means.  I signed up for NaNoWriMo 2022 . Yay!! I've been taking part for years, and this time I picked my project earlier than usual. So early that the 2022 badges aren't even online yet. 😬 He…

AFTER: The Graphic Novel by Anna Todd My rating: 1 of 5 stars I'm not interested in reading the series this graphic novel is based on, but thought this version might be fun to check out. Well, I was wrong. It's not fun. It's barely tolerable. Worst of all, it's not …

Long Live the Pumpkin Queen: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas by Shea Ernshaw My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my favourite movies, and I read the Disney novelisation last week, so I wanted to check this one out as well. Sally and Jack are…

... was released one year ago . Can you believe it? Yikes. Yep. My story, set during Halloween, about a small town that loves the season and is hiding a secret family legacy, has been out in the wild for a year. So, Happy Anniversary to my first published YA horror novel! Yay. 🎃🎉 Altho…

The Night Cyclist by Stephen Graham Jones My rating: 4 of 5 stars Here's another Tor.com novelette I decided to read today. A middle-aged chef, who recently broke up with his longterm girlfriend, goes on a nightly bicycle ride home from work. But one night, he encounters a strang…

Rocket's Red by Mary Robinette Kowal My rating: 4 of 5 stars I found another story set in the Lady Astronaut Universe! Aaron and his mother are about to put together a fireworks display to celebrate the anniversary of Arrival Day on Mars, but when something goes wrong, he fears …

For Want of a Nail by Mary Robinette Kowal My rating: 4 of 5 stars I managed to squeeze this short story into my morning routine, and I'm glad I did. Rava is a wrangler for the AI on her family's generational ship. Cordelia stores all memories and records, but dropping her ca…

The Lady Astronaut of Mars by Mary Robinette Kowal My rating: 5 of 5 stars I can't remember how I stumbled on this novelette, but I was very excited when I did because it sounded intringuing. Elma York is an aging astronaut who actually led the expedition that made life on Mars…

The Lost Boys (2016-2017) Vol. 1 by Tim Seeley My rating: 1 of 5 stars I'm going to start by saying that The Lost Boys is one of my most favourite movies ever, which might explain my reaction to this comic book. Where do I start? Well, I'll begin with what caught my eye. T…

The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker My rating: 5 of 5 stars I first read this novella when I was a teenager, but with the new movie coming out in a few days, I wanted to revisit this tale of greed and gore. Julia is married to Rory, but is still hung up on the one encounter she had w…

The Darkling's origin story comes alive in this exquisitely illustrated prequel to Shadow and Bone. Before he led Ravka's Second Army, before he created the Fold, and long before he became the Darkling, he was just a lonely boy burdened by an extraordinary power. Eryk and his mo…

Disney Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas by Sally Morgan My rating: 5 of 5 stars I LOVE The Nightmare Before Christmas . It's a movie we watch annually. Sometimes during Halloween, sometimes during Christmas, and other times, during both seasons. 🎃🎄 I adore everything a…

Mallory is delighted to have a new job looking after gorgeous four-year-old, Teddy. She's been sober for a year and a half and she's sure her new nannying role in the affluent suburbs will help keep her on the straight and narrow. That is until Teddy starts to draw disturbing pi…

This is my last love letter to you, though some would call it a confession. . . A deliciously dark retelling of Dracula, A Dowry of Blood is a sensual story of obsession, desire and the lengths we will go to protect the ones we love.  Saved from the brink of death by a mysterious strang…