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Anila H.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs Review

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*This book was purchased by me.

Title: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Author:  Ransom Riggs

Description: A mysterious island.



An abandoned orphanage.


A strange collection of very curious photographs.



 It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive. 

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

Review:

While reading the book: When you read the story, you feel like you are Jacob Portman. The book doesn’t give you the extra information, which Jacob doesn’t know. And it’s strange the way the writer tell us the story. It’s like Jacob’s way of thinking is similar to yours. Let me explain this. When I read a mystery book, I start thinking, you know, resolving the mystery. Sometimes I resolve this mystery before the main character, and this is so frustrating. Sometimes I resolve the mystery after the main character, and that is equally frustrating. It’s not my fault; it’s the author’s fault. Maybe there was too much information in the book, or maybe there wasn’t enough information. But if you have the same problem like me, then you are in deep trouble. The author gives you enough information for solving the mystery at the same time with Jacob. That’s why I liked the book. The author doesn’t let you solve the mystery until the end, and you just can’t put it down.

The extra element:  

What made me immediately like this book were the vintage photos. Other readers have described them as somehow creepy, but I didn’t find them that much. Some of them were quite odd, for example the little girl with the fire, but everything fitted the story perfectly. Every detail is weir, and odd. This book was made for me.

What I didn’t like: 

Overall I enjoyed the book, but it wasn’t what I expected. I expected it to be horror, but all I got was a tingling sense of creepiness washing over me in some scenarios. It was scary in a safe measure. If I would have read this book years ago, I would have loved it for its creepiness. Now, I am used to horror, nothing fazes me, haha!

Recommended To:  

People who want to read something creepy, but not be scared for one whole month.

Rating:

Similar Books:

Have a great day!

Happy Scary Reading!

Books & Rome

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Hello bookworms

I hope you are doing well on this fine Wednesday. I had this idea long time ago about 

incorporating my travels and books in one post. I love travelling. It is a recent passion of mine. I didn't know I had it, until I realized that I truly do love travelling. I love different cultures, and since I spend most of my free times learning about them, travelling is like a haven to me.

Therefore I decided to start this new series called "Anila's Travels", where I will be talking about book culture in these cities, or countries.

For this episode we have Rome. I have lived in Rome for two years and a half, and now I go every three months there for my medical check-ups.

I've noticed that in Rome, there are a lot of libraries and bookstores. When I say a lot, I mean too much! Wherever you go, you will find a bookstore near. I have a library in the hospital I go, and there is a shelf full of books in my hospital room.

When I take the subway, I love to look at people, and make up stories about them. Most of the people in the subway are reading, no matter if they are reading hardcovers, or ebooks. Don't get me started on those newspapers.

There are a lot of talented Italian writers, and I have noticed that people tend to read their writers, rather than translated books. Though that is just my observation! There are a lot of religious bookstores in Rome, and you find them everywhere. You can even buy nonfiction there.

Unfortunately, I have noticed that young people don't read much, not as much as the others.

But God, having a conversation with a middle aged Roman woman is like heaven. You discuss about a lot of things, jumping from one conversation to the other quite naturally, and most of their speeches start with "I've read a book...”

Of course, I am not implying that only Italians read books, or that all Italians are book lovers, but this is an occurrence you find in Rome.

My favorite bookstores have to be the modern ones. In particular I love the bookstore in Euroma 2

,and "Borri Books" in Roma Termini Railway Station.

I hope you liked this post. Until next time my dear bookworms.

Have a great day!

Happy Scary Reading!

Guestpost ~Eric Turowski for "Inhuman Interest"

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Hello Bookworms

Today’s post is a bit special. Please welcome our talented writer Eric Turowski.

Title: Inhuman Interest (Story by Tess Cooper #1)

Author: Eric Turowski

Description: Thirteen words in a want-ad turn Tess Cooper’s world upside down after she signs on as a paranormal research assistant to the mysterious Davin Egypt. He reveals a world of grave robbing, clockworks artifacts in blue amber, antique revolvers that fire strange ammo, and powerful forces beyond human comprehension.

As ancient occult energies threaten to destroy her city, Tess must use her journalistic instincts to stay one step ahead of the public works director, Drew Dawson, whose agenda seems bent on destruction rather than maintenance. And possibly murder, but will anyone believe her?

Yeah, right. When garbage trucks fly.

If Tess teams up with the hunky police lieutenant, Kirk Gunther, and the pale, oddball Mr. Egypt, they might be able to save the city in time. That is, if Egypt even wants to. And if Tess overcomes her phobias long enough to do battle in Granddad’s 1983 Subaru Brat.

Things are about to get icky."

The Guestpost:

Why did you write that?

How does a book about the inability of the Western mind to successfully cope with paranormal phenomena due to the cultural blinkers of Science and Christianity sound? Really, really boring, right? Well, you’re in luck. I didn’t write that book.

While I like the idea that the unknown remains so due to the culture we live in, some dry, vaguely philosophical oeuvre didn’t seem like a book that would attract many readers. Probably rightly so. I could’ve gone on and on about how our belief in the strange hinges on what we can measure, collect and quantify; or what we can (or cannot) shoehorn into a belief system.

Instead, I wrote Inhuman Interest: Story by Tess Cooper. Tess is a reporter, a skeptic, and frequently clumsy. Her new boss, Davin Egypt, is an occult researcher, didactic, and consistently spooky. Together, they investigate bizarre events that threaten to destroy their city. Tess wants to stop it. Egypt just wants to observe it.

I chose a zany, scary, fun quick-read thriller for a bunch of reasons. The first reason is kinda dumb. My friend Julia Park Tracey sent me an e-mail: “Write a short, snappy novel in February and we’ll promote it in May. It’s a thing,” she said. Prior to this, Julia had offered other insane-o ideas. “Write an entire novel in November. It’s a thing.”That thing turned out to be NaNoWriMo, and I wrote Willing Servants, my first novel, which got snapped up by a publisher. So despite my usual misgivings, I went ahead and did it. Dumb? Yeah, dumb like a fox!

The second reason is that my first professional sale was “Thingies in the Hills,” a short science fiction horror story told from the point of view of a teenage girl. It was easy to write, it was fun to write, it got sold for pro rates, it only took a couple days. It was funny, and scary, and snappy. I wanted to try it again, in a longer work.

The most important reason was that I wanted to write something accessible to a broad spectrum of readers. I learned the hard way that straight horror is not for everyone. As I proudly hawked my first novel, a young guitar student of mine wanted to read it. She was thirteen at the time, and while I thought she could handle it just fine, I didn’t want an angry call from her parents. I told her to read it when she turned eighteen. I didn’t want to write books I couldn’t recommend to everyone. So I picked two of the most popular writers, and mashed their stuff together.

In this case, I chose the unlikely pairing of Janet Evanovich and Stephen King. They’re not as different as would appear from the high concept. One writes about crime in a Trenton, NJ suburb, the other about horror in small town Maine, both write character-driven novels, both are hugely successful, and, c’mon, is it really that hard to imaging Stephanie Plum picking up a skip in ’Salem’s Lot?

Hopefully, the big takeaway, other than plain old fun, is that readers consider the occult in a new way, argue with my undefined version of the paranormal, and consider their own stand on things beyond comprehension. That, and that you’re dying to read the next one.

Book Links:

 Goodreads

Contact the author:

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Have a great day!

Happy Scary Reading!

If Dracula was my BFF Part 3

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Hello bookworms

What are you up to? Happy Monday! *evil laugh* Ok, ok, let's continue with our post.

Monday morning, 5:00 AM

Anila is reading, while happily drinking her cappuccino. Her best friend Dracula decided to pay her a visit, before going to his coffin.

Dracula: What do you think you are doing? You better have an explanation for this!

Anila: Good morning to you too!

Dracula: Do not tell me good morning! I have to go to sleep, but before I do, I want you to explain me this.

*shows Anila her review of “’Salem’s Lot”*

Anila: Explain you what? That is my review.

Dracula: Your review? What are these words about Kurt? He is so frightening? Who is you best friend then? Kurt Barlow? I hate him. He wants to be like me. What a cheap imitation of a great vampire lord.

Anila: Stop acting like a child, ok? He is quite frightening.

Dracula: I don’t know you anymore.

Anila: Come on! Look at him. He is bone chilling.

Dracula: I am seriously reconsidering our friendship.

Anila: When will you get over the fact that Vampira chose him instead of you?

Dracula: Why are we friends anyways?

Anila: Because we hate everyone.

Dracula: You're right.

Creatures mentioned here:

The vampire lord Kurt Barlow from Stephen King’s “’Salem’s Lot”

Vampira – character created by Maila Nurmi

By the way, here’s my review of “’Salem’s Lot” ;)

Have a great day!

Happy Scary Reading!

First Chapter First Paragraph ~ Tuesday Intros -

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Hello Bookworms

This is a feature hosted by Bibliophile By the Sea.  We have to share the first paragraph or (a few) of a book we are reading, or thinking about reading soon.

I am currently reading "Haunted" by Heather Beck (Goodreads)

"Fifteen-year-old Chase Macmillan looked expectantly at her father from across the dining-room

table. She’d been doing so since his arrival and subsequent

announcement that he’d just received some

good news. Chase’s dinner, which consisted of meatloaf

and broccoli, was getting cold as she watched

Mr. Macmillan eat his own meal in a hurry."

Have a great day!

Happy Scary Reading!

Dead Radiance by T.G. Ayer Review

Title: Dead Radiance  

Author: T.G. Ayer

Description: Bryn Halbrook had always seen the glow. But it is only when her best friend dies that she discovers the meaning of those beautiful golden auras — Death. Alone, lost in the foster system, she struggles to understand who she is and why she was cursed with the ability to see the soon-to-be-dead. 

The new foster kid, Aidan, isn’t helping any. Mr. Perfect seems to fit in no matter what, making her feel even more pathetic. But when his affections turn to her, Bryn finds him hard to resist. Impossible actually. A mystery himself, Aidan disappears, leaving behind a broken heart and a mysterious book that suggests Bryn might not be entirely human.

Bryn stands at the threshold of a journey of discovery. Will destiny help her find herself, find her purpose and her place in a world in which she’d never belonged?

 Review:

While reading the book: 

This was a fast read. Nothing too scary, but not monotonous either. The mystery was evident in every chapter.  Bryn, a girl who sees people glow before they die, finds out that she is a Valkyrie, a reincarnation of the Warrior Brunhilde to be more exact. 

Main Character:  Bryn was someone you could easily follow her point of view. She didn’t have any friends, and people called her a “freak”. They mostly judged her for being an orphan, and that made me extremely mad.

The extra element:  

The YA genre has had its fair share of vampires, werewolves, ghosts, demons, etc. It's difficult to find something new. Norse mythology! I love books with strange, unique mythology. Even though the Norse mythology has been known for quite a while on TV, I still enjoyed the book. Just for your information Valkyres, put simply, are females with wings, who choose those who may die in battles, and those who may live.

What I didn’t like: 

Personally, I think that Bryn’s relationship with Aidan escalated quickly. They just met, and the next day they were making out, then he tried to save her life. Calm down, people! I wish their relationship would have developed in a slower pace. Their lives drastically changed, and their romance was kind of unnecessary. They were faced with mythological creatures, for God’s sake. They didn’t have time for romance. If there would have been just a tiny bit of chemistry hinting the romance for the next book, I would’ve enjoyed the reading much more.

Recommended To:  

YA lovers, who are getting sick of the usual creatures, and legends.

Rating:

Three cats and a kitten

Links:

 Goodreads / Amazon

Have a great day!

Happy Scary Reading!

Best Vampire Books

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Hello bookworms

Happy Monday! Haha! I am so evil!

If you don’t know about my obsession with vampires, then I guess you are new here.

My greatest achievement is being Dracula’s #1 fan.

Anyways, here is my take on “ Best Vampire Books”. Please note that this is my opinion.

Manitou Blood by Graham Masterton

I love this book, because it features ancient Romanian legends about strigoi (vampires). I just love legends. We have an apocalyptic theme, vampire apocalypse to be more exact, unique vampires traveling through mirrors (as if mirrors alone weren’t enough creepy), a group of different people fighting the vampires (it gives me a Draculesk vibe… Yes, I invented that word right now), and BAM! Such an awesome book! Some scenes are incredibly scary, and bone chilling.

(Goodreads)

The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith

I know what you are thinking.  This is like Twilight! But, it is not! I have read both “Twilight”, and “The Vampire Diaries”. Guess what? They are not the same. Do not be fooled by the TV show. (A lot of people love the TV show, but I haven’t watched it.)

In this book we have vampires surviving the daylight thanks to  a special stone, we have some really scary scenes, and the mystery basically eats you alive.

(Goodreads)

Blood Games by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

This novel was set in Nero’s Rome. It is a historical horror novel. What else do you want? You have “The Gladiator” and “Dracula” mashed together. Super scary, and super dramatic! This book was a present from my sister. She saw it in a book market, and the moment she read the words “horror”, “vampire”, “Rome”, she bought that book for me.

(Goodreads)

The Thirst Series by Christopher Pike

Where was I before these series? In what world was I living before discovering Pike? I always blame Roberta (from Offbeat YA) for presenting me to his books. Real talk though, I want to thank her now. Pike’s books are like the world’s wonders carved in words. Sita is not just a badass vampire girl. She is the badass vampire girl. She is the real deal!

(Goodreads)

'Salem’s  Lot  by Stephen King

It is Stephen King we are talking about! While reading this book, I swear, there were moments, where I closed it, and I looked around to make sure I was in my room, not in the creepy cellar. I recommend this to Dracula’s fans.

(Goodreads)

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Duh! My love for this book has gone so far, that before going to bed, I open “Dracula” in a random page, and I read it. This was what I used to do with the “Harry Potter” series. That’s how much I love these books.

(Goodreads)

Have a great day!

Happy Scary Reading!

I'm a Different Type of Apple by Kevin D. Elliott Sr. Review

*Say hi to my new reviewer Arisa! Click here to learn more about her. *

Title: I'm a Different Type of Apple

Author: Kevin D. Elliott Sr.

Description: “I’m a Different Type of Apple” is a biography written by Kevin D Elliott, who is the main character of this book. This is a true story about a boy who stops following his father’s tragic footprints and starts walking in his own direction. He faces with everybody’s judgments about his father’s bad menace. They would see him and call him “Little Ted”. Despite all the maltreatment from the others, he found the strength to move forward. Furthermore, with his “Superheroes’ help”, he turned himself into a better person, into a worthy citizen, completely different from the education his father gave to him.

Review: 

While reading the book: This is a one of these books that you find easy to understand and really quick to read. I personally finished this book for exactly one hour and a half. This book will give you the opportunity to face with the main characters problem in a unique and original way. 

Main Character: In one hand Kevin Elliott has that kind of personality that you find easy to understand, but in the other hand you find it difficult to accept such major thoughts from a ten year old kid. I personally don’t like the way how the author describes the ability of a little boy , to make the comparison between GOOD and BAD. 

The extra element: I really like the way how the author describes the scenes of the book. It makes the reader be familiar with his story and his problems. By studying the way of his writing we can get close enough to his point of view about pretty much every situation. 

What I didn’t like: I think that the repetition of the same story over and over again, is kind of boring for the reader. Maybe the author wants to put a high note to that story, by rewriting it again and again, but I still would prefer it to be showed in a special and unforgettable way, so that the reader would be impressed by it. 

Recommended To: 

Readers who obviously love biography books and to the one who don’t like adventures, mysteries or exciting books.

3 Cats!

Links:

Goodreads / Amazon

Have a great day!

March’s Guide To Reading : Library Organizing

Hello bookworms,

Spring is here! And you all know what time it is:

Spring Cleaning Time! I know, I know, it is tiresome, but essential. For this month’s guide to reading, I will be helpful, and give advices on how to re-organize your home library.