New purchases for September;
* The Never List by Koethi Zan
* Horns by Joe Hill
* Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
* Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories
* Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman is one of my favourite authors. His stories are cleverly woven with intricate details and disturbing thoughts. I loved Coraline and The Graveyard Book. The Ocean at the End of the Lane was in the same league.
I know this phrase is overused in the reading world but this book was difficult to put down. It was quite a simple story yet its impact was immense. A child’s worst nightmare is to be taken by unknown creatures in the night. For the boy in this book nightmares become reality.
QUOTES
* ‘Why didn’t adults want to read about Narnia, about secret islands and smugglers and dangerous fairies?’
* ‘But they have promised you to me, so I will have something to play with; something to keep me company in the dark.’
* ‘Huge, they were, and sleek, and ancient, and it hurt my eyes to look at them.’
* ‘And people change as much as oceans.’
* ‘I was wearing the right clothes for a hard day.’
Jurassic Park Terrarium!
What a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon!
Inspiration – Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Materials!
Lots of soil
- Mini plants
Add moss, rocks and dinosaurs!
Jurassic Park!
Book Stuff!
New mug!
Random Alice in Wonderland Mural!
Book Photo Frames!
I thought this was a nifty idea courtesy of Paper & Stich.
It only took me about 2 minutes to make as I didn’t actually cut into the book, I just stuck the photo on the surface. All you need is a vintage book, some blu tack and some room on your shelf!
Lois Duncan – Teen Horror Queen
Cover of Down a Dark Hall
I decided to revisit one of my favourite teen horror authors. Lois Duncan is the author of classics such as I know what you did last summer and Killing Mr. Griffin. I remember sitting in my school library during silent reading time in year 7 reading her terrifying tales whilst my peers were doing anything but reading around me.
I recently read Down a Dark Hall, which to my surprise was first published in 1974 and could easily be relevant to modern day teens. It is quite an interesting story with a few creepy scenes that are well written. 4 girls are selected to attend a boarding school where spirits are able to channel talents (e.g. composing music, writing poetry, painting) through their bodies. Emily Bronte & Schubert are amongst the spirits who use the girls to complete unfinished work. It would be amazing if that could actually happen. Imagine what other stories and music would have been created if people lived longer back in those days.
I also read Summer of Fear which was a more typical teen horror story. A strange cousin (Julia) whose parents died in a car crash comes to live with Rachel and her family. Julia begins to take over Rachel’s life (stealing her friends, boyfriend, clothes) until Rachel suspects that Julia is actually a witch up to no good. Although I probably would have appreciated this story a lot more as a teenager it was still engaging and show cased Duncan’s ability to make even the ridiculous of situations seem plausible.
I will be on the look out for more of Lois Duncan books in second hand book stores as I believe that she can teach me a lot about suspense writing. She sold her first story at the age of 13!
Cover of Summer of Fear
Favourite Covers!
If I am browsing at a bookstore the first thing I reach for is an interesting looking cover.
Here are some of my favourites;
Lego Librarian!
My Lego mini collection
I Love lego and books so what better way to merge the two!
In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters
This book is now one of my all time favourites and I will enjoy reading it over and over again for years to come. It had everything a great story should have; young love, spiritualism, creepy photographs and fascinating characters.
It also taught me a lot about the Spanish flu influenza pandemic of 1918 that possibly killed 100 million people worldwide. I didn’t know much about it as I presume it is largely overshadowed by World War 1 in history lessons but it was a fascinating insight as to what it must have been like living with such a deadly virus spreading amongst your family and neighbourhood. The flu came as quickly as it went and there are so many theories as to what caused it. Scary!
Favourite Quotes from In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters;
* ‘Footsteps woke me at sunrise.’
* ‘My aunt couldn’t afford electricity, so her face and flu mask glowed in the flickering light of a candle next to my bed.’
* ‘Lightening ignited the air, and I wanted its bolts to shock me out of my nightmare world and send me back into my old reality.’
* ‘That old bully Death breathed down my neck and nipped at my skin, warning, Don’t waste a spare second of time.‘
* ‘Don’t ever worry what the boys who don’t appreciate originality think of you. They’re fools.’
Alice Stickers!
My Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland decals arrived in the post today courtesy of Esty. Now to decide what to do with them. I am thinking of using them to decorate some bookends.
The pictures by Sir John Tenniel are classic and depict Lewis Carroll’s tale perfectly. He drew over 90 illustrations for the Alice books!
Meet me at the Book Parade 