Next week is Halloween so I thought I would find a fun and spooky tag for this week’s tag Tuesday. The Monster Mash is such a fun song so I thought that breaking it down for a book tag is such a great idea. I found this via The Book Dutchesses and it was created by The Restricted Section.
Questions
“I was working in the lab late one night” – What’s a book that kept you up at night?
I can only think of books I devoured in one sitting and not books that scared me. All of Karen M. McManus’ books I just devour. They are so fast paced and interesting I just cant put them down. The same goes for the work of Janice Hallett. Also Seanan McGuires Wayward children series and Jodi Taylors Chronicles of St Mary’s. All of them are pause life for an evening and read till the book is finished style books for me.
“My eyes beheld an eerie sight.” – What’s the weirdest or creepiest shit you’ve ever read in a book?
I can’t really think of one off the top of my head. There are a few books that are sheer madness but they are more fun escapades than creepy. For example Battle of the Linguist Mages is intensely insane in its concept and in its execution but it is such a fun read.
“Get a jolt from my electrodes.” – Name a book that completely shocked or surprised you.
The Twyford Code
Janice Hallett
About the book:
It’s time to solve the murder of the century…
Forty years ago, Steven Smith found a copy of a famous children’s book, its margins full of strange markings and annotations. He took it to his remedial English teacher, Miss Isles, who became convinced it was the key to solving a puzzle. That a message in secret code ran through all Edith Twyford’s novels. Then Miss Isles disappeared on a class field trip, and Steven’s memory won’t allow him to remember what happened. Now, out of prison after a long stretch, Steven decides to investigate the mystery that has haunted him for decades. Was Miss Isles murdered? Was she deluded? Or was she right about the code? And is it still in use today? Desperate to recover his memories and find out what really happened to Miss Isles, Steven revisits the people and places of his childhood. But it soon becomes clear that Edith Twyford wasn’t just a writer of forgotten children’s stories. The Twyford Code has great power, and he isn’t the only one trying to solve it…
My Thoughts:
This book has a twist at the end that I don’t think a single person could see coming. It is so well constructed and so well written that it just blew my mind.
“The guests included Wolfman, Dracula, and his son.” – Name your favourite monster or villain from a book.
I am not a huge fan of the classic villains. I don’t find myself drawn to werewolves or vampires. I instead like a villain that is more morally grey, that hides in plain sight in the novel. I like the two masters in the night circus as they are subtle villains . I think the Darkling has to be a favourite too. I also love the ones that surprise you like a certain character in the Rivers of London series.
“Whatever happened to my Transylvania Twist?” – Name a book that was super hyped when it came out, but no one talks about anymore.
Strange the Dreamer
Laini Taylor
Strange the Dreamer
About the book:
The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around – and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance to lose his dream forever.
What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?
The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries – including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?
My Thoughts:
i remember just how hyped this was when it come out and for me it really lived up to that hype but since the duo logo concluded I don’t see it as much. It doesn’t seem to appear on the various listicals and blog posts as it once did and I think it needs its moment again.
“They did the mash.” – Name your favourite book that is a mash up of two or more genres.
the Last Smile in Sunder City
Luke Arnold
The Fetch Phillips Files
About the book:
A former soldier turned PI tries to help the fantasy creatures whose lives he ruined in a world that’s lost its magic in a compelling debut fantasy by Black Sails actor Luke Arnold.
Welcome to Sunder City. The magic is gone but the monsters remain.
I’m Fetch Phillips, just like it says on the window. There are a few things you should know before you hire me:
1. Sobriety costs extra.
2. My services are confidential.
3. I don’t work for humans.
It’s nothing personal—I’m human myself. But after what happened, to the magic, it’s not the humans who need my help.
My Thoughts:
It is a mix of high Fantasy and a noir detective novel. I really like how these to combine to make a fantastic 1940’s feeling fantasy world. Arnold perfectly captures the gritty detective angle while also placing us in a detailed high fantasy setting with trolls, magicians and angels.
“It was a graveyard smash.” – What is your favourite horror novel?
Alice
Christina Henry
About the book:
In a warren of crumbling buildings and desperate people called the Old City, there stands a hospital with cinderblock walls which echo the screams of the poor souls inside.
In the hospital, there is a woman. Her hair, once blond, hangs in tangles down her back. She doesn’t remember why she’s in such a terrible place. Just a tea party long ago, and long ears, and blood…
Then, one night, a fire at the hospital gives the woman a chance to escape, tumbling out of the hole that imprisoned her, leaving her free to uncover the truth about what happened to her all those years ago.
Only something else has escaped with her. Something dark. Something powerful.
And to find the truth, she will have to track this beast to the very heart of the Old City, where the rabbit waits for his Alice.
My Thoughts:
I am not a huge Horror reader but I always make exception for Christina Henry. I love her horror retelling, she has a way of twisting stories to make them grotesque in a beautiful way.
“The scene was rockin’, all were digging the sounds.” – What’s your favourite song based on a book?
I can’t really think of many songs based on books so the one that first comes to mind is White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane which has undertones of Alice in Wonderland. I loved Alice in Wonderland and Through the looking glass when I was young so this is a natural choice for this prompt.
“Tell them Boris sent you.” – What’s your go-to book recommendation?
Rivers of London
Ben Aaronovitch
Rivers of London
About the book:
Probationary Constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London’s Metropolitan Police. Too bad his superior plans to assign him to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he’ll face is a paper cut. But Peter’s prospects change in the aftermath of a puzzling murder, when he gains exclusive information from an eyewitness who happens to be a ghost. Peter’s ability to speak with the lingering dead brings him to the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, who investigates crimes involving magic and other manifestations of the uncanny. Now, as a wave of brutal and bizarre murders engulfs the city, Peter is plunged into a world where gods and goddesses mingle with mortals and a long-dead evil is making a comeback on a rising tide of magic.
My Thoughts:
I will always recommend the Rivers of London series. It is one of my favourite. I love the story, the characters and the humour. The audiobooks are also amazing. I think its one of those series that has something for everyone.
“For you, the living, this mash was meant too.” – Who do you tag?
Anyone that would like to do this tag. I hope you all have a fun Halloween wither its spent at a party, reading spooky books or in reflection of the year for those that celebrate Samhain.
Fi's Bibliofiles 