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12/23/2018

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

.........................................................

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.


Goodreads    


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The Bookish Island
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12/20/2018

Dracula by Bram Stoker | Book Review #129





The Bookish Island's Book Review:

Dracula by Bram Stoker 




Are there spoilers?
This is a classic so I don't think a spoiler warning applies here.
But maybe there are some spoilers in this review.

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Title: Dracula

Author: Bram Stoker

.........................................................

Pages: 448

Publisher: Back Bay Books

Published: 2005

Genre: Classics, Horror, Fiction, Fantasy, Vampires, Paranormal, Gothic

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Date Read: October 20 > October 2018

Rating: ★★★★☆


Bram Stoker's classic novel of suspense and horror was a bestseller in Britain when it was published in 1897. A late 20th-century biographer of Stoker has suggested that famed Victorian actor Henry Irving, for whom Stoker worked for many years, was an inspiration for some of Count Dracula's characteristics.



The Rating:





My Review:

I wanted to participate in the Spookathon and I choose to add this book to my tbr for that readathon. It fit perfectly in the challenge to read a book not set in our current time period.

I ended up truly enjoying myself when I was reading this book and when I finished I was so proud because I got to finish a huge book that was also in an older English language. Which has always been one of the most difficult for me to read. 

I ended up deciding that I would split the rating for  Dracula right in the midddle. 
FOr me the first half of this story, where the narator is Johnathan Harker. And how he is telling Mina (and us, the reader) what is going on on his tavels to COunt Draculas Manor (or was it a castle) .Those chapters wee really good and thrilling. But when it came to the other half I was so confuzed and mixed up. Not only where thee too many htigs going on at once but Van Helsing was talking too much instead of jst telling eveyone what was going on plain and simple. And I got Mina and Luccy mixed up at first only to later get that they were completly different. And then the fact that Lucy's mom was a total dummy (and that's me writing it down in a PG sense) 

The first half gets a 4 out of 5 stars. 
Last half gets a 3 out of 5 stars. 

Although in my Goodreads review I said the following:

I give this spooky classic a 3.5 out of 5 stars. 
I would have given it a solid four if it weren't for the last half of it is all over the place. At least for me, it was. The first half gets a good 4.5 though. The portrayal of vampires in this was amazing. But the portrayal of the female characters lacked so much. I even got Mina and Lucy mixed up more than once. 
Still this is another book that I'm glad I read.

In regards to that review I posted. I no longer have those thoughts. 
The female characters in Dracula were more than great. It was the men who overshadowed them and made them seem as lame as they were. Van Helsing alone ruined most of the book with his vague explanations of vampires and what was going on in the story. And Johnathan barely did anything constructive. It was Mina who was out there taking care of her best friend, Lucy and giving away her blood to save her. Knowing that it was probably too late and that she was already a goner. Even putting herself in harm's way to do so.

Although the whole blood transfusion thing was done so wrong. It terrified me more than the vampires. Think of the infections or diseases that were happening at the time the story is set in and then think of blood types and how if you get the wrong type of blood it can kill a person.
This made me queasy more than once as I was reading it.

So now that some months have passed since I've read it I think I'd prefer to give Dracula a 4 out of 5 stars. And would gladly read again in the future.


Goodreads  

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The Bookish Island
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12/18/2018

Top Ten Tuesday #14 | Winter 2018 TBR


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Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.



December 18: 
Winter 2018 TBR 

I live in Puerto Rico so Winter here means nothing. But I still like to read books with cold weather and snow and Christmas themes. They are just so cozy and fun to read. 

But for my Winter TBR (which I'm going to take it to mean December and January tbr) I am going to take some books I may or may not actually read. And most of them are thrillers, mysteries, or romances. Not all have a winter or Christmas theme though.

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The Shining by Stephen King




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The Spice Box Letters by Eve Makis




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The Lost Season of Love and Snow by Jennifer
Laam

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Mean Streak by Sandra Brown




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Lock &Mori by Heather W. Petty



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You Were Always Mine by  Nicole Baart



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Year of Mistaken Discoveries by Eileen Cook



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The Bookish Island
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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

.........................................................

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.


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!



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The Bookish Island
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12/16/2018

Tis the Season a Thon Wrap Up | Read-a-thon


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Tis the Season a Thon

I had so much doing this readathon and I got to read a bunch of 4-star books along the way. Here is my wrap-up.

I did film a tbr and a vlog for this readathon but I still haven't edited the footage or anything so whenever I do I'll add it.


⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄⛄


-My TBR-
I already did my tbr post a few weeks ago.


My Stats:
There were five challenges + a bonus buddy read, challenge. And out of those I did all of them except the bonus because I don't own that book.
I pointed them out by coloring them in green on the list below.


The Challenges:
Read a book with red or green on the cover.
Read a book while listening to holiday music.
Read a warm & fuzzy book.
Read a short book (under 250 pages).
Read a holiday-themed book.
Read the buddy read book,
Snow in Love by Melissa de la Cruz, Nic Stone, Aimee Friedman, and Kasie West.



The Books I Read:

At first, I picked out two books Oliver and Dashing Through the Snow but after I finished them I picked out three more books.

All of these books got 4 out of 5 stars.

★★☆





Oliver: The Cat Who Saved Christmas by Sheila Norton
Goodreads

Dashing Through the Snow by Debbie Macomber
Goodreads





A Week Without Tuesday by Angelica Banks
Goodreads

Strawberry Cream Murder by  Susan Gillard
Goodreads





And I had added Travels with Casey but didn't read it.



They qualified for the following challenges:

Read a book with red or green on the cover.
Oliver

Read a book while listening to holiday music.
All the books I read were enjoyed with holiday music

Read a warm & fuzzy book.
Oliver & Dashing Through the Snow

Read a short book (under 250 pages).
Dashing Through the Snow

Read a holiday-themed book.
Dashing Through the Snow

Read the buddy read book
I couldn't read it

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Added on: 1/10/2019





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The Bookish Island
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Not Her Daughter by Rea Frey | Book Review #127





The Bookish Island's Book Review:

Not Her Daughter by Rea Frey 




Are there spoilers?
No.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me from the publishing company through NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Not Her Daughter 

Author: Rea Frey

.........................................................

Pages: 352

Publisher: St. Martins Griffin

Published: 2018

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Contemporary, Suspense, Adult, Drama

.........................................................

Date Read: July 15 > July 17, 2018

Rating: ★★★★★


Emma Grace Townsend. Five years old. Gray eyes. Brown hair. Missing since June.
Emma Townsend is lonely. Living with her cruel mother and clueless father, Emma retreats into her own world of quiet and solitude.
Sarah Walker. Successful entrepreneur. Broken-hearted. Abandoned by her mother. Kidnapper.
Sarah has never seen a girl so precious as the gray-eyed child in a crowded airport terminal--and when a second-chance encounter with Emma presents itself, Sarah takes her, far away from home. But if it's to rescue a little girl from her damaging mother, is kidnapping wrong?
Amy Townsend. Unhappy wife. Unfit mother. Unsure she wants her daughter back.
Amy's life is a string of disappointments, but her biggest issue is her inability to connect with her daughter. And now she's gone without a trace.
As Sarah and Emma avoid the nationwide hunt, they form an unshakeable bond. But her real mother is at home, waiting for her to return--and the longer the search for Emma continues, Amy is forced to question if she really wants her back.
Emotionally powerful and wire-taut, Not Her Daughter raises the question of what it means to be a mother--and how far someone will go to keep a child safe.



The Rating:




My Review:

I only had to read the description of this novel to know that I was gonna like this read. and I was completely on point.

This story is told from different points f views. The kidnapper and the mother. 
At the same time, it alternates between before, during and after the kidnapping of five-year-old Emma.

I haven't read any books about missing or kidnapped children so for me this was a whole new theme to experience. It was well-written and easy to follow what was going on during the whole novel. It was such a good read. 

I was on the edge on every turn. I wanted to know what would happen to Emma and along the way I found myself rooting for the kidnapper, Sarrah, who was only looking out for what she thought was best for Emma. And in the end, was completely satisfied by it all.


I was totally satisfied by the end of the book. Totally recommend it.


Goodreads    |    Amazon

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The Bookish Island
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12/02/2018

Week 2 | Down the TBR Hole


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Down the TBR Hole was created by Lost in a Story. Its purpose is to help narrow down your TBR list on Goodreads by selecting 5 titles each week and deciding if you want to keep it on your TBR or get rid of it!

Anyway, it works like this:

  • Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
  • Order on ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go?


The fact that I (you?) will be repeating this process every week means that I have to keep track of where I ended and where I’m going to continue. E.g. in week one I do book 1 – 5, in week two book 6 – 10, and so on, until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR. If it isn’t clear, read on and I’ll show you!



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Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour 
Goodreads


Yeah. The only reason I added this book to my TBR was that the cover was cute. So bye!

Verdict:
TOSS


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The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
Goodreads

This is another one of those books that just because I heard it around so much I added it to my TBR.

Verdict:
TOSS


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My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick 
Goodreads

The cover was cute. I don't even like what it says it's about.

Verdict:
TOSS


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The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
Goodreads

This story sounds soooo gooood. And I already have the sequel so -keeping it!

Verdict:
KEEP

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Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

I saw the movie adaptation of this story a long time ago and thought it was pretty good. But I don't think I would want to read it now that I know wit's its about.

Verdict:
TOSS

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Emma by Jane Austen
Goodreads

My mom got me the B&N book that has seven of Jane Austen's novels so this is a TOSS.

Verdict:
TOSS

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The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Goodreads

I have always wanted to read Sylvia Plath's stories. So this is a definite keeper.

Verdict:
KEEP

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The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Goodreads

I have also wanted to Gaiman's books but after reading American Gods I don't completely know if I want to read this one or any of the others. I liked American Gods but that was too much. I may be traumatized. :P

Verdict:
TOSS

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Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins 
Goodreads

This is a combo of pretty cover and too much hype.

Verdict:
TOSS

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I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
Goodreads

I didn't recognize the cover. I had to look at the Goodreads page for this to see that this has another cover n it has the white background with rainbow lines. And even though I've seen it around a lot I don't think I'll like it.

Verdict:
TOSS

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Winger by Andrew Smith

I just saw it everywhere and added it to my TBR list. But I don't completely like it.

Verdict:
TOSS

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Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Toss it!

Verdict:
TOSS

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The Bookish Island
Blog  |  Instagram  |  Youtube  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads


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