All Hallows Eve, Wish List and Recommendations:

So I wanted to make a list of books perfect for Halloween, fall and these darker nights and chills. <3

Nightfall by Jake Haller & Peter Kunjawinski 

'On Marins Island, sunrise doesn't come every twenty-four hours it comes every twenty-eight years. The rituals are puzzling bizarre. Just as the ships are about to set sail, a teenage boy goes missing. But night is falling. Their island is changing. And it may already be too late.'

Slasher Girls and Monster Boys stories selected by April Genevieve Tucholke

'A host of the sharpest young adult authors come together in this collection of terrifying tales and psychological thrillers. From bloody horror, to the supernatural, to unsettling, all too possible realism, this collection has something for everyone looking for an absolute thrill.'

Thirteen Days of Midnight by Leo Hunt

'Luke has been left in charge of his father's ghost collection. They want revenge, and in the absence of the father, they're more than happy to take the son. Luke has just thirteen days to uncover the closely guarded secrets of black magic, and send the unquiet spirits to their eternal rest.' 

Conversion by Katherine Howe

'The first victim is gorgeous, popular Clara. More students follow suit with new symptoms. Experts scramble to find something, or someone, to blame. But there is one thing no one has factored in: the school's town was once Salem Village - and it seems history is about to repeat itself.'

The Merciless by Danielle Vega

'Sofia's expectations are shattered when her new friends kidnap Brooklyn, a troubled classmate, and attempt to save her. The girls stage an exorcism, but their efforts spiral wildly out of control. Sofia will learn who is good and who is evil. What she discovers is the biggest surprise of all...'

Survive the Night also by Danielle Vega

'Casey doesn't think Survive the Night could get any worse...until she comes across Julie's mutilated body. And by the time they get back to the party, everyone is gone. But every manhole is sealed shut, and every noise echoes eerily in the dark, reminding them they're not alone. They're being hunted.'

Alice by Christina Hendry

'Alice has been in the mental hospital for years. All she can remember is a tea party long ago. Long ears and blood. When Alice escapes, something escapes with her. And the truth she so desperately seeks is so much stranger than any madman's ranting.'

And pretty much anything by Stephen King - no more needs to be said there!

I've personally read and would highly recommend:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

'One of the masterpieces of nineteenth-century Gothicism. A subversive and morbid story warning against the dehumanisation of art and the corrupting influence of science. The prototype of the science fiction novel, it has spawned countless adaptations but retains it's original power.'

Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

'Oskar and Eli. Both victims. Against the odds, they became friends. Oskar dreams about his absentee father, gets bullied at school, and wets himself when he's frightened. Eli is the young girl who moves in next door. She is a 200-year-old vampire, forever frozen in childhood, and condemned to live on a diet of fresh blood.'

The Shining by Stephen King

'When his father becomes caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, Danny's visions grow out of control. The hotel seems to develop a life of its own. It is meant to be empty. So who is the lady in Room 217? And why do the hedges shaped like animals seem so alive? Somewhere, somehow, there is an evil force in the hotel - and that, too, is beginning to shine...'

(The above 3 being some of my favourite books ever!)

And Dracula by Bram Stoker

'When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Dracula purchase a London house, he makes horrifying discoveries. Soon afterwards, disturbing incidents unfold in England. In the ensuing battle of wills between Dracula and a determined group of adversaries - led by van Helsing - Stoker created a masterpiece of the horror genre, probing into questions of identity, sanity and the dark corners of Victorian sexuality and desire.'

* Read any of these? Any other suggestions? Has this list given you ideas? Please comment below & thumbs up this post! x

The Danish Girl 3 Stars
by David Ebershoff

A truth based tale of a transgender person, that needed to be told, and that needs to be read.

This book was picked for a ladies book group that I try to attend, because it is being made into an upcoming movie starrring Eddie Redmayne. Although I was suprised that it's currently out of print, (there's a possible reprint in December) but if you can get your hands on a copy, I'd say it's well worth it.

A man's (Einar Wegener) journey of self discovery is sparked by a seemingly innocent act, a favour for his wife when he poses in women's clothes when her model is missing for a portrait. The best way I can bolster this book is with a quote (p10-11): 'Yes, that was how it felt the first time: the silk was so fine and airy that it felt like a gauze - a balm-soaked gauze lying delicately on healing skin.' It is through wonderfully incitful and beautiful quotes like these, that Ebershoff manages to create a path to understanding.

I could not truly begin imagine what it feels like to be trapped in your own body - that was until I read this book. Hopefully that speaks volumes to you... 

Whilst this is a rather romanticised version of the truth, it doesn't stint on covering all the aspects. We see both positive and negative responses to Einar's want to change, getting inside both his head and that of his wife, Greta's, as well as details about the medical side too.

When you are made to feel someone elses excrutiating pain, humilation and fear, you cannot not see that they were born that way. (See, on a lighter note, Lady Gaga's right!)

There's much more to this book, but it's such a personnal in-the-moment experience that it's hard to surmise it afterwards. 

I think, ultimately, it's a book about acceptance and the goodness of human nature, about being at peace with yourself, whether transgender or not, and about true selflessness, and love.

* Want to read this now? Liked this review? Anticipating the film? 
    Please thumbs up and comment below! x

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms 4 STARS

by George R. R. Martin

Game of Thrones entwined with fairytale flare.

Well I finished this a week or so ago and even I'm still frustrated that I can't quite give it 5 stars! So lets get that one bad thing over with shall we. To be honest it's personal and probably won't bother some of you, so, huzzah, you'll have a 5 star book on your hands. 

It's the names. They're long, and when I'm reading a ream of them because there's quite a lot of fetching knights having a joust, well, I start to get that deadpanned look. So sorry George, but a book that annoyed me in any way couldn't get 5 stars.

HOWEVER, the rest of it I loved! If you've read Martin's The Ice Dragon then you'll see that the same style is repeated here. It has this fairytale tone to it that makes it feel so comfortable as you read, but it has an adult twist. For, you know, those fairytale loving kids like us, who grew up and like a good punch of blood, guts & glory in a story!

I honestly thought it was a newly written prequel when I bought it, little did I know that these stories were written years ago as part of collections. If the rest are as good as these three (I think) that made up this book, then the collections are going on my to be read list, because I was reading this book in every spare minute I could find.

The stories centre around Dunk, a hedge knight, and Egg, who later becomes his squire. Now in the world Game of Thrones this should not be a spoiler, so sorry if you are hugmongus-ly behind, but Egg is actually Aemon Targaryen, the maester from the Nights Watch and one of my favourite characters from the books. I really liked him for his wisdom and genuinely kind nature, so was rather excited to read about his childhood exploits. I was not disappointed. He's a bit of a brat at times so be warned, but a character that made me laugh and who had a touching relationship with Dunk. 

I think Dunk's a great character by the way. He's only young, but he's chivalrous, a gentleman, and did I mention a klutz! He's so relatable to so many of us. He's a dreamer and socially awkward, but he just carries on as we follow him through his adolescence and adventures. I was like, good for you, you lovable oaf! 

Not to mention there's a whole cast of great characters described in wonderful detail by Martin that really brings the story to life. These tales have everything from a beautiful female puppeteer (that reminded me of Shae), to a wizened old lord that gets the perky young widow who drowns her enemies in sacks! There's jousting, battles, secrets, deception, spies and tricksters, all told in a way that'll make you edge ever closer to the pages to soak it all in.

AND the pictures! All adult books should be illustrated! Flicking through, it seems every second page has an illustration upon it by the very talented Gary Gianni. They're so fine and have the smallest of details that make this a book to treasure. There isn't much better than having words conjure an image in your head, only to have it realised by another person on paper.

If you love Game of Thrones, whimsical fairytales and/or tales set in rich, medieval lands and a few bouts of good 'ol battering and bruising, then this is the knights tale for you.

And now I'm impatient for GOT The Winds of Winter again!

*Want to read this now? Liked it yourself? Fan of George R. R. Martin? Please let me know in the comments! :) 

(& thank you so much if you're here & please bear with me as I continue to set up my blog in my spare time x)