It is the month of October. 

I guess it’s scary, spooky session now. 

Now, honestly, I’m not massively like the hundreds of holidays there are in the year, but there’s something about Halloween that gets me a little excited. 

I don’t know why I can’t explain it, but I often watch scary movies/TV shows, and now I got into reading….. scary books. 

I had just finished ‘IT by Stephen King’ and wanted to continue the King books.  So I find ‘The Shining’ on Audible.

I wasn’t sure about reading/listening to the book version because one of my favourite scary movie is ‘Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.’ I love the movie!!

I heard that the book was totally different, and as I listened to it, I could tell quickly that it was nothing like the movie.  From the start of the book, Jack is not a good person at all. He is ‘listening’ to how to look after the hotel, and his mind drifts away. 

The book dives into more details on Wendy.  Wendy is on the verge of divorce from Jack, and she just needs one more reason, and she’s gone! Especially after Jack broke Danny’s arm.   However, Jack convinces her that this job will be a ‘good thing’ for both of them.  Personally, I don’t understand it.  But I love how Stephen King writes his characters, and maybe it is a driving force that drives the story forward.

Before talking about Danny….. 

The more books I read, the more quickly I learn that the younger the characters are, the less interesting they are for me.  I don’t know why but the way that most writers write younger characters I find REALLY annoying! 

Even though Danny’s 8 or 9, I didn’t find him annoying.  Is it because he doesn’t act like a child?  The book makes a point about that.

Also, Danny’s imaginary friend does appear in a ‘physical’ form, which is odd.

I guess the stand-out thing about the book is that you hear Jack slowly going crazy and start seeing and hearing the hotel’s ghost.  HOWEVER, in my reading experience, when Jack finally snaps, the book doesn’t necessarily tell me it was Jack.  It refers to ‘the monster’ or a thing is chasing ….’.  Only at the very end of the book, it was clear to me, when the text says, ‘Danny’s running…. Turns around……. And he sees his dad holding a bloody mallet.”

After finishing ‘The Shining’, I wanted to stay in the realm of ghost story horror. 

And I recently just bought this amazing edition of the book:

I wanted to read a more classic (old school) scary book, and then I realised I might find myself in the same boat.  I watched the Netflix TV show with the same name and was slightly concerned that I would feel the same way.  

I do recognise that sometimes, with classics, the writing style is drastically different, and sometimes, the pacing of the writing can be slow.

I pushed aside my concerns and started listening.

Immediately when I started the book. I could tell that it was NOTHING like the show, the first three or four chapters, you staying with Eleanor driving across the country following directions from the doctor.  Visit a small town before reaching the house where EVERYONE doesn’t want to talk about the house.

When Elenor reached the house, it was already a spooky house, which I liked!  No build-up at all!

Then you get introduced to Theodora, Luke, Dr John Markway and the caretakers.  That’s ALL the characters (I think), and there are not siblings. 

Reading some reviews online, I read that one criticism of the book is that most of the ‘hauntings’ are the opening and closing of doors. I would agree, but listening to the audiobook, I didn’t mind. And it has a plot point later in the book.  When the ghost starts interfering with people.  The ‘annoying’ doors were used to separate the group so the house could ‘attack’ certain group members.

It reminds me of ‘IT’, where the book’s slow pace makes you have an attachment to the characters.  These moments become super scary. 

Despite being a little slow-paced and most of the time is ‘scary’ doors, when I was about to finish the book, I was a little surprised because I wanted to continue reading about these characters, and the book just ended.  That can only be a good thing in the book. 

(I’m fully aware that it could be the Netflix show because the show continues past the ‘climax’ of the story.

Or

It is the ‘driving force’  for the show and the characters to sort out.) 

Books Three and Four

After finishing the show’s first season, I re-read ‘Killing Floor’. They are pretty much the same, which made it a SUPER easy read for me! 

and

Die Trying. I was over 60 % through reading them, and I just thought I had finished them.  I might have to re-read that book because I only read half of the story.

Book FIVE

 The Exorcist 

Ok after. After reading some thrillers, I want to return to reading some horror stories.

I can’t tell you why but for some reason I wanted to read ‘The Exorcist’, even tho I know very little about the story, I don’t think I have even seen the movie before! Of course, I knew the most famous parts of the movie of the little girl being creepy with outdated effects.  There are everywhere on the internet. I guess I was interested in how those moments come together in the story.

So I started reading it, and about halfway through the story…..

I was struggling!

The confusion was so bad that, at one point, I even rented out the movie to see if I could follow the story visually.  NOPE, I’m still having a difficult time! 

I quickly realised that those clips you’ve probably seen online are the ONLY scary, creepy, disturbing moments.  The rest of the story is about the mother going to the doctor, hoping for an understanding of what’s going on.  The doctors are trying to explain the situation with science.  Which, at the beginning, I was ok with.  HOWEVER, this would happen throughout the WHOLE book.  

I give you an example.  Ok, there’s a part of the story where Reagan is sleeping peacefully, and suddenly, she starts screaming, and the mother goes up to see.  She sees that the bed is shaking.  She jumps on the bed to comfort her daughter, and the whole bed shakes uncontrollably.  The next day they both went to the doctors and the doctors explained some science to them!  

I was getting more and more frustrated! Haha 

OH…

Another thing is that after a bad night where her daughter is going crazy, evil, horrible things and even slaps her mother.  The next chapter is when the mother is talking to the priest about the possibility of an Exorcist!! 

WHAT?

    Ummm, excuse me! *rising my hand* excuse me!   

HOW DOES SHE KNOW ABOUT EXORCISM?

I think the mother is an actor. I got the impression that she doesn’t know anything about the church’s history or about people being ‘controlled’ by some unknown ‘thing’, let alone the devil!  The priest even said that there were no known cases of exorcisms in 600? Years! 

AND YET.  The mother randomly meets up with the priest in the street or the park and asks him about the practice!

My experience of reading the book was that it just came out of nowhere. It took it out of the story for the day.  That’s when I took a break to watch the movie, hoping maybe I’d missed something. 

NOPE, the same thing happens in the movie!   ‘Creepy girl—— the next day, she is talking to the priest about the exorcism.’

I do not know why this bothered me so much!  

I guess I have a scene or two of the mother going to the library looking for ‘church history’ or ‘demon’ before she talks to the priest.

When I finished the book, I was …… I don’t know…. Confused….. I couldn’t enjoy the book because I kept on having more questions than answers. 

(I promise only one more example! Then I must move on!)

WHY DID THE DEMON CHOOSE THIS GIRL TO ‘CONTROL’?

The statue was dug up in Baghdad? Iraq? And it travelled all the way to, Im assuming, somewhere in the USA!? 

WHY?

Again, is a while since I read the book, but to my knowledge, there is no particular reason in the book or movie! 

Last thoughts, 

It was the first book this year that I was let down by.  Again, I was really confused in the end. 

 Im not sure if it’s because I read so many horror books in a short space of time. Perhaps I’m getting tired of the genre already? Or maybe it’s just the type of story that wasn’t meant for me?  There are SO MANY books out there and so many writing styles, so maybe this one didn’t click with me! 

Ok, let’s move on……………..

Book Six 

Hidden Pictures

After the puzzling experience with the last book I read, I wanted something lighter.  Something in the 200-250 pages. 

Then I came across the book ‘HIDDEN PICTURES by JASON REKULAK’ (I hope I spelt his name correctly.)

WOOH!! 

Now, before I started reading it, I did some research, as I normally do, and what people say is that there’s content in here that MIGHT be too much for certain people.   I’m generally ok with that and happy to start reading the book.

Also, during this stage, I learned that in this book, there are some pictures/drawings that were key parts of the story.  For now, I am reading from the Kindle, and I was unaware of how clear the images will be on the 6” screen.  I decided to carry on, and if I’m having trouble, I just order a physical copy of the book. 

I guess I should find the text of the blurb?… hold on…..

‘’

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 pictures of his imaginary friend, Anya. It is quite clear to Mallory and to Teddy’s parents, even in his crude childlike style, that the woman Teddy is drawing in his pictures is dead…….

”

(There’s more, but I think it’s a spoiler!) 

I started Friday afternoon. The book started a little strangely, but I read it till she got to the house and during the interview for her babysitter job.  Mallory noticed some drawings; that was the first time I’d seen the drawing on the Kindle. The pictures were nice and clear, maybe a tad small, but I quickly realised I could double-tap to make the pictures bigger.  

This was ok with me, so I was happy to continue using the Kindle, and I read over half of the book in one sitting!  

I had a busy Saturday, so I started reading in the evening… 

This was a totally different experience I had with the previous book!  I can’t figure out why, but I will tell you something about this story once I started. I HAD to keep on reading!

Maybe it is the mystery of the drawings or pictures?  They started like normal kid’s drawings but very quickly turned ‘darker’ the more I read more of the story.  Sometimes, I had to zoom in to have a closer look at these pictures just to make sure I understood every detail!

When I stopped reading, I left on a cliffhanger. I put the book down and tried to sleep. I couldn’t sleep and started reading again late at night until I collapsed into a deep sleep, still holding my Kindle and wearing my glasses. 

The next day, so Sunday,  I had to start reading again until I finished the story.  The story is so gripping!  I had to continue reading and find out what happens next!

Sunday lunchtime, I had finished the book!! That was a super fun and quick read!  

I can’t think of anything ‘bad’ to say about the book either! I guess if I had to be critical (dw no spoilers), there’s something happening at the climax which was a little silly or ‘cheesy’. 

That’s it! One scene of silliness. Haha.  I love the rest of the book!  

Might it be my number-one book this year?  

Ummm, I can’t decide. 

Maybe it’s my second favourite book?  

It is a close call between this book and ‘Dark Matter by Blake Crouch’.

Ok, that’s all the books I read from September to October!  Today is only the 17th. If I read something else, I write about it after this.

But I’m having a bit of a rough patch at the moment. I have a feeling I won’t finish any books this month!  

I hope I have done ok for those reading this blog. This is the first multiple-book review!  Who knows, I might do more! It depends on how many books I read, but life is going a bit crazy right now.

There are so many ups and downs right now! 

My mind is focusing on other priorities right now.  

It’s exciting, but it’s also SO STRESSFUL!  

Thanks for reading.