Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz | Book Review #156

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz

Are there spoilers?

Nope.

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Title: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Author: Alvin Schwartz

Illustrated by: Brett Helquist

Series: Scary Stories #1

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Pages: 128

Published: 1981

Publisher:  HarperCollins 

Genre: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Children's, Young Adult

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Date Read: March 1, 2019

Rating: ★★★★☆

This spooky addition to Alvin Schwartz's popular books on American folklore is filled with tales of eerie horror and dark revenge that will make you jump with fright. There is a story here for everyone -- skeletons with torn and tangled flesh who roam the earth; a ghost who takes revenge on her murderer; and a haunted house where every night a bloody head falls down the chimney. Stephen Gammell's splendidly creepy drawings perfectly capture the mood of more than two dozen scary stories -- and even scary songs -- all just right for reading alone or for telling aloud in the dark.

If You Dare! 

The Rating:

My Review:

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark was awesome!

But I don't really have much to say. I don't carry any nostalgia with these books because I didn't read them when I was younger. Or felt any fear because I had heard some of these stories in other places before I knew they were from this.

Still, the stories were great and the illustrations were fantastic.
Although the illustrations in the edition that I have aren't as scary as the original illustrations. Those were nightmare inducing. And also fantastic.
💀👻💀

Goodreads

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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving | Book Review #130

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

Are there spoilers?

This is a classic so I don't believe that a spoiler warning matters here.
But no, there aren't any spoilers.

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Title: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Author: Washington Irving

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Genre: Classics, Horror, Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Mystery, Gothic, Historical Fiction

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Date Read: October 28, 2018

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Sleepy Hollow is a strange little place...some say bewitched. Some talk of its haunted valleys and streams, the ghostly woman in white, eerie midnight shrieks and howls, but most of all they talk of the Headless Horseman. A huge, shadowy soldier who rides headless through the night, terrifying unlucky travellers.

Schoolteacher Ichabod Crane is fascinated by these stories....Until late one night, walking home through Wiley's swamp, he finds that maybe they're not just stories.

What is that dark, menacing figure riding behind him on a horse? And what does it have in its hands?

And why wasn't schoolteacher Crane ever seen in Sleepy Hollow again? 

The Rating:

My Review:

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was a book I had been wanting to read since forever ago. Probably because of the movie that I saw when I was a kid and barely remember. And then the tv show, Sleepy Hollow came out and I remember that used to want to read the original story. But it was when I got the opportunity to be able to read The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel by Alyssa Palombo that I knew I had to finally sit myself down and finally read this story of a headless horseman and Ichabod Crane.

But I was truly disappointed to find out that although the story was short (which I like) it was also not that spooky. It didn't deliver on the spooks for me so I was sad when I finished reading it and nothing thrilling happened. 

In my Goodreads review I said:

I don't even know what I was expecting from the source of everything Sleepy Hollow. Maybe I expected a dark and exciting read but instead got -not that. 
But I'm still glad I read this because now I can, not only, say I read it but I can now read any adaptation.

And I still feel that way after months of having read it. I am glad. Glad that I read another classic. Because to me reading a well know/beloved classic means I've not only accomplished something that no one in my family has done (that I know of) but that I read a book I wouldn't have been able to read 5 years ago before I started this blog and reading journey. I used to get so mad because I wouldn't understand anything, the language or what was going on, and would just give up. Now I know for certain that me from 5 years ago would be so proud that I read this classic Along with so many others.

But I should mention that in regards to The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel I did write a review down for that book. So please make sure to check that out. It was such a good book to read during October.

The Spell Book of Katrina Van Tassell Review

Goodreads    

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The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe | Book Review #128

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe 

Are there spoilers?

Its a classic so I don't think this warning matters here.
But yeah there's a little one.

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Title: The Tell-Tale Heart

Author: Edgar Allen Poe

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Genre: Classics, Horror, Fiction, Short Stories, Gothic

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Date Read: September 28, 2018

Rating: ★★★☆☆

'Presently I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was a groan of mortal terror ... the low stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul.' 

Stories about murder, mystery and madness, portraying the author's feverish imagination at its creative height.

The Rating:

My Review:

I had never really known what The Tell-Tale Heart was about until I watched the Thug Notes for this story.

Thug Notes: The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe

So I didn't know what it was about until then and after I really wanted to read it for myself. And I did.

Not only was it a little creepy but it was a sweet short story that I read in a day. Which is always great in my book.

The whole aspect of the guy murdering someone and hearing his heart so loud that he thought he would be found out. That the police would find his remain under the floorboards. So good!

Goodreads 

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The Bookish Island
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Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell | Book Review

Book Review:
Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell

Spoilers?

Yes, Kinda.

Title - Kindred Spirits By - Rainbow Rowell
Publication - February 25th 2016 by Macmillans Kids UK
Format - Mass Market Paperback, 96 pages
Genre - Young Adult, Contemporary, Short Story

'Everybody likes everything these days. The whole world is a nerd.'
'Are you mad because other people like Star Wars? Are you mad because people like me like Star Wars?' 
'Maybe.' 

If you broke Elena's heart, Star Wars would spill out. So when she decides to queue outside her local cinema to see the new movie, she's expecting a celebration with crowds of people who love Han, Luke and Leia just as much as she does. What she's not expecting is to be last in a line of only three people; to have to pee into a collectible Star Wars soda cup behind a dumpster or to meet that unlikely someone who just might truly understand the way she feels. Kindred Spirits is an engaging short story by Rainbow Rowell, author of the bestselling Eleanor & Park, Fangirl and Carry On, and is part of a handful of selected short reads specially produced for World Book Day.

The Rating :

My Review:

My review in a gif. Which equals 5 stars.

via GIPHY

The Cover:
Although they say never judge a book by it's cover I believe the cover should represent what the book is going to be like or at least some aspect of it.
The cover is simple, lovely, and bright. I love the font and I love the colors.


The Story:
This is a 96 page book with just a handful of characters and only two settings. But even with those conditions it ended up being a great story. Perfect for Star Wars fans, or even fangirls in general.


Relationships:
This book didn't have that many characters so it didn't have that many relationships. But out of the ones it did have I did like Elena and Gabe's relationship.


Elena x Gabe
Even if at first Elena couldn't feel comfortable around Gabe she grew to like him. And although the story doesn't allude to there being an official romance between them, even at the end, I quite like them as a couple. And I hope we could see them again, even if it's a small part, in the future.


Family Dynamics:
As for Elena's family.
I think that it's sad that she shared something so beautiful with her father only for him to walkout on her and her mother. I feel that with that bit I sort of related wit her. Like my dad was only in my life when I was little and for short bits but I do remember the first movie I can remember seeing was with him in the town's theater and it was A Bugs Life. So many years have past since I last saw my dad but I still like that memory. 
Her mother was cool too. She worried about her daughter and she watched over her while at the same time giving her some space. Which is admirable. Not that many parents care where their kids are most of the time.



Overall:
I enjoyed every page of this book. I'm not lying. 
I don't know if it's the fact that I had just finished Santorini Sunset and it's so much different than this book. Or the fact that it was late at night and I had just finished two books, not having finished one in months but I was way happy and way proud of myself for finishing this right after I had read Santorini Sunset. 


PS: I did a review for Santorini Sunset by Anita Hughes in the past.

Get a copy at:
 Amazon US  | Barnes & Noble

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My True Love Gave To Me by Stephanie Perkins | Book Review

Book Review:
My True Love Gave To Me by Stephanie Perkins

Spoilers?

No.

Title - My True Love Gave To Me  
Edited by - Stephanie Perkins
Authors - Holly Black, Ally Carter, Matt de la Pena, Gayle Forman, Jenny Han, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Myra McEntire, Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor, Kiersten White

Publication - October 14th 2014 by St. Martin’s Press
Format - Hardcover, 321 pages
Genre - Young Adult, Short Stories, Contemporary, Romance

If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins. Whether you enjoy celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or New Year's there's something here for everyone. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reasons this season to stay indoors and fall in love. 

The Rating :

My Review:

My review in a gif. Which equals 4 stars.

via GIPHY

The Cover:

Although they say never judge a book by it's cover I believe the cover should represent what the book is going to be like or at least some aspect of it.

With this cover it’s easy to love it and just buy it because it's beautiful. Well, that and the fact that's it's by a group of very talented writers. You could also see the couples of each short story skating in the frozen lake.

The Short Stories:

I prefer to do separate reviews of each short story then an overall review.

"Midnights" by Rainbow Rowell > 5 stars.

I was so in love with Midnights that I legit cried more than once. I identified so much with the main character without knowing it. It was so fluffy and adorable.

"The Lady and the Fox" by Kelly Link > 2 stars.

Although I did like this story I found it hard to finish and it was confusing  in some parts. And after reading Midnights which was really good it just didn't fit.

"Angels in the Snow" by Matt de la Peña > 4 stars.

I really liked it! it was so adorable and there were kitties and the guys name was Shy. I enjoyed this story.

"It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown" by Stephanie Perkins > 5 stars

One of my favorites from this book. I adored the connection the characters had. Loved their names, Marigold and North. Beautiful!

"Polaris is where you'll find me" by Jenny Han > 5 stars

I really, really loved this one. I kinda want this to be a book on its own with more to it.

"Your Temporary Santa" by David Levithan > 3 stars

It was cute and I could tell they really liked each other but for some reason I didn't quite like it. There were parts that just didn't get to me like they should have, I don't know.

"Krampuslauf" by Holly Black > 3.5 stars

Very interesting but I got lost a few times and the ending confused me. Still it was fun to read.

"What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth?" by Gayle Forman >  2 stars

 I couldn't connect with the characters. The writing was beautiful, but I just didn't like Sophie.

"Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus" by Myra Mcentire > 4.5 stars

I love this story! It was so cute and funny. The characters were adorable. It felt like something that I would gladly watch on tv or something similar.

"Welcome to Christmas, CA" by Kiersten White > 4 stars

Just like Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus this one felt like it could be a movie, but this one gave me a Hallmark movie type of feel. The guy was perfect partly because he could make good food. 

"Star of Bethlehem" by Ally Carter > 4 stars

I wish this story was longer because I actually liked it. It was heart warming and the family in this was loving. I liked this one too.

"The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor > 3 stars.

This one kinda didn't fit in with the others but I liked it. It was a bit weird in someparts but yeah. It was magical and the ending was something different. Okay, so I'm still confused about the whole thing.

Overall Review:

It was a fun book to read. I took my time reading each story. Like some took me longer than others but with homework and stuff it made sense. The cover was adorable depicting all the couples skating.I loved it.

I would like to say that my favorite stories were:

"Midnights" by Rainbow Rowell

"It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown" by Stephanie Perkins

"Polaris is where you'll find me" by Jenny Han

"Star of Bethlehem" by Ally Carter

"Welcome to Christmas, CA" by Kiersten White

Get a copy at:
Barnes&Noble  |  Amazon US  |  Amazon UK  |  Book Depository Affiliate Link

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