#FrightFall, #SomethingWickedFall, and #RIPXIX Wrap-Up

Published on by Rachelle1 Comment

September and October are my favorite reading months of the year. The best reading challenges and readathons occur over these two months, and while some of them are only in October, others cover both. Instead of trying to do a wrap-up post for all of them, here’s one post for three of the challenges I participated in this spooky season.

Peril of the Fiction – 30 books

If it weren’t for the two 24-hour readathons in October (FrightFall and Dewey’s), I wouldn’t have finished nearly as many books as I did. I also got sick the last week of the month and finished nearly a book a day.

Peril of the Short Story – 6

I had these 6 short stories sitting on my TBR from last year so I decided to take a day early on and get them read. I enjoyed them, but none of them were the kind of Horror stories that would stick with me for years in the way that some of Stephen King’s stories have.

Peril of the Screen

Even though I was more focused on reading as many books as possible, I also watched quite a lot of TV and movies. Some of them are old favorites, a couple of them were new to me but great, and a lot of the TV shows fell short as I tried to find new stuff to watch on Netflix. I had a whole stack of DVDs that I wanted to watch as well but didn’t get around to, so I’ll probably watch those next year.

  • 4 episodes of “Ghost Hunter”
  • 2 episodes of “Creeped Out”
  • “Bird Box”
  • “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”
  • 4 episodes of “Cabinet of Curiosities”
  • “Nightmare Castle”
  • “Jamaica Inn”
  • “Hitchcock Presents The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”
  • All episodes of “October Faction”
  • 8 episodes of “Evil”
  • “Practical Magic”
  • 2 episodes of “Goosebumps”
  • “Beetlejuice”
  • “Halloweentown”
  • “The Addams Family”

Overall, I would say this was my best spooky season in a long time, and I bought a lot of books to read next year as well. Tomorrow I take down the Halloween decorations, put the remaining books of my TBR back on the shelf, and get ready for all things cozy.

Building the Book Fort

Published on by Rachelle

“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
  • David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
  • Strange Tricks by Syd Moore
  • The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

Finished:

  • How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
  • Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs
  • In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz
  • Haunted Cemeteries of Ohio by E.R. Cutright
  • From the Dust Returned by Ray Bradbury
  • The Elementals by Michael McDowell
  • In the Night Wood by Dale Bailey
  • Monsterland by Michael Okon

Total pages read this week: 1,292

Total books read: 102 of 105

TBR: -17 (Goal is -36)

I got sick last weekend and was stuck at home for most of this week, so I did A LOT of reading. While I’ve surpassed my original reading goal, I won’t even try to reach my TBR goal for the year. Trying to finish nearly 20 books without buying a single book in two months would cause a lot of unnecessary stress. Instead, I will read what I want to read and as much or as little as I want to read for the rest of the year and try again next year.

What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!

Down the TBR Hole #175

Published on by Rachelle
Image: hjl

How it works:

  • Go to your Goodreads want-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?
My shelf is up one book to 1132. Thanks to the #Readathon, I finished several books, but I had bought several books and added a couple to my wishlist.
This week’s books:

Days of Dreams and Laughter by Lucy Maud Montgomery – KEEP. This is one of the few books by Montgomery that I haven’t read. I happened upon it in a used bookstore and immediately bought it.

The Raven Spell by Luanne G. Smith – KEEP.  I’m a sucker for a paranormal mystery set in Victorian England.

Whisky Galore by Compton Mackenzie – KEEP. This book takes place in Scotland during WWII. It was published in 1947 and is supposed to be comedic. I doubt it will be anything like any of the other WWII novels I’ve read, and I’m looking forward to it.

For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten- KEEP. I bought this book because it’s a retelling of “Little Red Riding Hood,” but I’m hesitant because the second genre listed after Fantasy is Romance.

The Maid by Nita Prose – KEEP.  This was one of the picks for the Fantastic Strangelings book club. If I remember correctly, there’s also a movie on Netflix. I want to read the book first, of course.
My want-to-read shelf is steady at 1130 books. I wasn’t sure about a couple of these books, but I doubt I’ll let go of any of the books in the next post.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
  • This check-in is for October 20th – 26th.
  • I mostly read yesterday since it was Dewey’s 24-Hour #Readathon, but I also went with my boyfriend and a friend who is visiting on a night-time cemetery tour. I went on the same tour by myself last year and loved it, and it was just as good this year.
  • I got the results of my labs, and while some of the numbers weren’t great, they were better than last year, so I’m taking that as a win.
  • Active Days: 1/5
  • Steps: 37,969
  • Miles: 15.26/15.34
  • Total Miles: 676.31/850
  • Zone Minutes: 56/150

Building the Book Fort

Published on by Rachelle

“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
  • David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
  • How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

Finished:

  • The Fireman by Joe Hill
  • Carrie by Stephen King
  • Psycho by Robert Bloch
  • Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
  • It’s a Wonderful Midlife Crisis by Robyn Peterman
  • Night of the Living Deed by E.J. Copperman
  • Halloween Fiend by C.V. Hunt

Total pages read this week: 1,961

Total books read: 94 of 100

TBR: -11 (Goal is -36)

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril:

  • Peril of the Fiction – 22
  • Peril of the Listen – 0
  • Peril of the Short Story – 6
  • Peril of the Screen – 4 episodes of “Ghost Hunter,” 2 episodes of “Creeped Out,” “Bird Box,” “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” 4 episodes of “Cabinet of Curiosities,” “Nightmare Castle”, “Jamaica Inn”, “Hitchcock Presents: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” all episodes of “October Faction,” 5 episodes of “Evil”, “Practical Magic”, and 2 episodes of “Goosebumps.”

Dewey’s 24-Hour #Readathon started at 8 a.m. EST this morning. I hope to finish at least 4 books and finally get ahead of the books I bought recently.

What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!

Down the TBR Hole #174

Published on by Rachelle
Image: hjl

How it works:

  • Go to your Goodreads want-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?
My shelf is up two books to 1131. I finished a couple of books, bought a couple, and added a couple more to my wishlist.
This week’s books:

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel – KEEP. I got this book and the next one during a BOGO 50% off sale because they both looked like perfect books for #SciFiSummer.

The Constant Rabbit by Jasper Fforde – KEEP.  So far, I’ve enjoyed or loved everything I’ve read by Fforde.

Rule of Cool by Matthew Siege – KEEP. I’ve been getting more and more into LitRPG, and this one sounds fun.

How to Sew a Button by Erin Bried- KEEP. I already know how to sew a button, but there are lots of other tasks in this book that I either don’t know how to do or haven’t done in so long, I need a refresher. I’m a little skeptical because the synopsis sort of sounds like this is how to be the “perfect” woman, but I’ll take what I need from it and discard the nonsense.

Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery – KEEP.  I loved the “Emily” books nearly as much as Anne of Green Gables, and I want to reread them at some point.
My want-to-read shelf is steady at 1131 books. Despite most of these books being physical books I already own, I’m not getting rid of any of them. I’m not so sure about the books in the next post, though. The number of books I want to read will decrease though, since I’ve got another 24-hour readathon this weekend.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
  • This check-in is for October 13th – 19th.
  • I did nothing but read yesterday since the #FrightFall readathon started at 10 a.m. and ended at 10 a.m. this morning. I made it until a little after midnight and then finished the readathon by reading for a couple of hours after I woke up.
  • I made apple butter during the readathon. It made the whole house smell amazing while it simmered in the crockpot. It tastes as amazing as it smells. I’m going to make it again next year if we go apple-picking.
  • I had my annual checkup this week. I’m still waiting on the results of my labs, but I hope the numbers look considerably better than last year.
  • Active Days: 0/5
  • Steps: 34,975
  • Miles: 14.09/15.34
  • Total Miles: 661.05/850
  • Zone Minutes: 26/150

Building the Book Fort

Published on by Rachelle

“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.

Currently Reading:

  • A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
  • David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
  • The Fireman by Joe Hill
  • Carrie by Stephen King
  • Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison

Finished:

  • Fairy Tale by Stephen King
  • Penny Dreadful Vol. 7 by various authors

Total pages read this week: 937

Total books read: 87 of 90

TBR: -10 (Goal is -36)

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril:

  • Peril of the Fiction – 15
  • Peril of the Listen – 0
  • Peril of the Short Story – 6
  • Peril of the Screen – 4 episodes of “Ghost Hunter,” 2 episodes of “Creeped Out,” “Bird Box,” “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” 4 episodes of “Cabinet of Curiosities,” “Nightmare Castle”, “Jamaica Inn”, “Hitchcock Presents: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” all episodes of “October Faction,” 2 episodes of “Evil”, “Practical Magic”, and 2 episodes of “Goosebumps.”

The #FrightFall Readathon is today, starting at 10 a.m. EST. I’ve been awake since a little after 6 a.m., so I highly doubt I will make it until 10 a.m. tomorrow, but I have lots of reading options!

What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!

Down the TBR Hole #173

Published on by Rachelle
Image: hjl

How it works:

  • Go to your Goodreads want-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?
My shelf is up one book to 1129. I finished a book but added a couple to my wishlist.
This week’s books:

Bacchanal by Veronica G. Henry – KEEP. I’m a little skeptical about this one, but I’ll give it a try.

Alice in Deadland by Mainak Dhar – KEEP.  This was a recommendation by a coworker when I was living in California.

Mayhem by Sarah Pinborough – KEEP. I think this book might have been a recommendation from a bookish podcast I used to listen to, but I don’t remember which podcast. It’s Historical Fiction with a supernatural horror twist, so I’m hoping it will have “Penny Dreadful” vibes.

Star Mother by Charlie N. Holmberg- KEEP. I’m a little hesitant about this one, but so far I haven’t read a book by Holmberg that I didn’t at least like.

A Texas Hill Country Christmas by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone – KEEP.  I DNF’d the only other book by William W. Johnstone that I tried to read, so I’m fully prepared that this one might go that way as well, but I’m hoping it will be better.
My want-to-read shelf is staying at 1129 books. Maybe I’m being too soft about the books this week, but that might be because they’re all ebooks I already own. The next post will have mostly physical books I own, so we’ll see if that affects my desire to hold on to books I’m not sure about.

#FitReaders Check-In

Published on by Rachelle
  • This check-in is for October 6th – 12th.
  • My boyfriend and I went to a Halloween market and then to lunch yesterday. Everything was close to a parking garage near where I work, so we parked there and walked everywhere instead of trying to find street parking closer to the market and then the restaurant. We did a lot of walking, but not too much, and the weather was perfect.
  • I also got the rest of the Halloween decorations up yesterday while we waited for it to get dark so we could watch a couple of Horror movies. We watched two of my favorites, “The Lost Boys” and “Jeepers Creepers” while eating popcorn and a couple of the apples we picked at the orchard. Though I had wanted to go to an all-night Horror movie marathon, I’m glad I didn’t. There’s no way I would have had the energy to be in a movie theater all night.
  • Active Days: 2/5
  • Steps: 49,602
  • Miles: 19.93/15.34
  • Total Miles: 646.96/850
  • Zone Minutes: 73/150