Author: Kelley

October To-Do’s

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I love October, but not because of pumpkin spice everything or the changing weather or the dozens of tiny pumpkins I bring home to decorate and bewilder my husband with (win-win!) I love October because I LOVE Halloween. As a life-long devotee of horror movies, creepy books, and the macabre in general, I try to dedicate my free time in October to scaring the crap out of myself. (Admittedly, not hard to do.) I’ve been planning for a while and am happy to finally bask in my to-do for October 2014:
To Read:
  •  Doctor Sleep by Stephen King. It’s the sequel to The Shining, which I read more than a decade ago and remains the scariest book I have ever read.
  • But I have heard that House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski might be the one to knock The Shining down a peg. My sister cannot talk about this book without noticeably shivering. I’m excited and terrified to read it.
  • We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. I heard of this book years ago, but didn’t realize it was by the same author of The Haunting of Hill House, which left a serious mark on my psyche and ability to sleep at night if I’m dumb enough to think of it before going to bed.
  • The internet provides so many scary stories for free, and it can be so easy to fall down the rabbit hole of scaring the bajesus out of yourself. My favorite sources are the subreddit, Let’s Not Meet, this fabulously creepy tumblr blog, and of course, Creepypasta.

To watch:

  • Every year I love to re-watch Bravo’s 100 Scariest Movie Moments and 13 Scarier Movie Moments. It’s a seriously great, definitive list with interesting discussion from writers, directors and actors who have passionately contributed to the genre, and is just wonderful to experience all over again each year. Unfortunately Bravo has stopped showing it, but fortunately both series are available in their entirety on YouTube.
  • I was disappointed by the last season of American Horror Story, but have high hopes for AHS: Freak Show, which premiers October 8.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIhmgzmLEtY
  • Netflix is a veritable host of terrible horror movies, which can be so fun to watch. I’m hoping to get my Awesomely Bad Movie Club together for a viewing (and wish, not for the first time, that they would bring Basket Case back to the instant watch list.)
  • Every year I like to watch an old favorite, especially if it’s one my husband hasn’t seen. He recently revealed that he’s never watched Rosemary’s Baby, so introducing him to that mindfuck of a film has become a top priority.
  • And finally, I like to check out at least one or two new (to me) movies that horror fans rave about. This year my picks are The Changeling and Lake Mungo.

To listen to:

To visit:

  • I love to visit haunted places and go on haunted hayrides and take haunted house tours. This year I’m planning a day-trip to King’s Dominion for their Halloween Haunt with some friends. I went a few years ago and this doll factory scared the crap out of me:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39zpAyN1zJc

And with that, I should be sufficiently scared silly by Halloween.

Link Love

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Here are my favorite things I found around the internet this week:

  • You may have heard the WONDERFUL news that Gilmore Girls has FINALLY been added to Netflix Instant! Huzzah! My sister and I watched the series the first time around and decided to watch it all over again during Friday night dinners. And while the entire series is worth watching at least once, Gawker (along with several other websites) has created a guide to make the seven season viewing experience seem a little less daunting for the unsullied.
  • Gone Girl is opening this weekend and I’m pretty excited to see it. If you’ve read the book, this SPOILER FILLED review from NPR’s Linda Holmes may be worth checking out if you’re debating whether to dole out to see the movie.
  • This NYT article about the fear of happiness is really interesting and something I routinely contend with.
  • I’ve only read two books by Italo Calvino, but found both to be captivating. I’m excited to check out his posthumous collection.
  • If you’re a fan of Outlander (particularly, the wedding episode of Outlander), odds are that you’ve seen this article floating around the interwebs over the past week. But if not, it’s definitely worth a read.

Happy perusing and happy weekend!

Book Review: The Last Summer (of You and Me) by Ann Brashares

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Description from the publisher: Riley and Alice, two sisters now in their twenties, and as fiercely different as they are loyal, have spent every summer at their parents’ modest beach house on New York’s Fire Island. Each year, they return to the house and community they have known since they were children—and to Paul, the boy next door. But this summer marks a season of change: budding love and sexual interest, an illness, and a deep secret force all three to confront the increasing complexities of their lives and friendships.

I’ve been hesitant to read each of the three books I’ve picked up by Ann Brashares because of the mixed reviews. But by the time I’ve finished each one, I can’t imagine not having read it. I think this book moved her onto my short list of Authors Whose Books I Will Read. I really, really enjoyed The Last Summer (of You and Me).  

It’s a fairly simple story with a slow-moving plot and focuses less on events and more on the thoughts, moments, and exchanges that impact relationships, sometimes forever. If you like a thought-provoking slow burn, you’ll like this one. It’s a love story centered on the love shared between three different people in three different ways; the love between sisters, the love between friends, and romantic love. And while I’m always a sucker for a romantic love story, by the end I honestly couldn’t tell you which of the three moved me the most. The writing is hypnotically beautiful. It’s just a really lovely read.

TBR Tag

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I wasn’t tagged for this, but liked the questions so decided to answer them. Feel free to tag yourself!

How do you keep track of your TBR pile?
I used to live in fear that I would stumble upon a book that could be THE BEST BOOK OF ALL TIME and forget that I wanted to read it, and therefore bought books every time I visited a book store. Which was often. And while owning tons of books isn’t a bad thing per se, it can be expensive. I still have to fight my hankering to spontaneously spend half my paycheck on books, but I’m much better about it now. I have a GoodReads account where I try to add books that appeal to me as soon as I find them. I also keep track of them via Amazon wishlists, library holds, and Evernote. I’ve spent the last couple of years trying very hard to resist buying books unless it’s an author I really love or a book I’ve borrowed that I want to read again.

Is your TBR mostly print or ebook?
It’s both. I own hundreds of printed books, and have probably read half of them so a chunk of what I like to think of as my life-long TBR list is sitting on my shelves. As for books I haven’t purchased yet, I would say mostly print because the ebooks I buy tend to be books that are self-published and aren’t available in print, or a lot more expensive in print. While I understand that authors need to make money and try to support any writer I can, I’m not made of money and sometimes a $4.99 kindle deal is too good to pass up.

How do you determine which book from your TBR to read next?
I find that my next book selections are often based on the last book I read and whether I feel a desire to immerse myself in a similar world (or the same world if it’s a series) or to distance myself from it. For example, I have a hard time picking up another mystery after reading Gillian Flynn or another thriller after reading Stephen King and typically crave something lighter. Or if I’ve just finished a fluffy romance novel, I may feel pulled toward something a bit more challenging and head for a classic novel I haven’t read before. But if I really loved a story and don’t want to leave it, I often find myself frustrated with any book I pick up and end up rereading the one I just finished. (This has happened with every single Rainbow Rowell book and every time I reread the Harry Potter series.)

A book that’s been on your TBR list the longest?
At least a couple dozen have been on my list for years and years. But I don’t mind. It gives me so much to look forward to!

A book you recently added to your TBR?
The last three books I added to my GoodReads were all recommended from a recent Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast — Lila by Marilynne Robinson, The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell and The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters.

A book on your TBR strictly because of its beautiful cover?
The last book I bought based almost entirely on its cover was The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton.

A book on your TBR that you never plan on reading?
Well, I plan on reading all of them. Or at least hope to. But there are a lot, so perhaps my ambition will exceed my time on this planet.

An unpublished book on your TBR that you’re excited for?
I’m really excited to hear that Rainbow Rowell is planning a sequel for Eleanor & Park. 

A book on your TBR that basically everyone has read but you?
Hmmm. I haven’t read all of Jane Austen’s novels?

A book on your TBR that everyone recommends to you?
I’ve been told by more than a few people that I should read House of Leaves and finally plan to this month in the spirit of Halloween.

A book on your TBR that you’re dying to read?
I’m really excited to read Just Kids by Patti Smith and finally bought it last month.

How many books are on your Goodreads TBR shelf?
As of today, 312.

Oh hai there

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So, based on where I left off, it may seem life I’ve been mourning the untimely passing of Robin Williams to the extent that I couldn’t bring myself to blog. But alas, no. Sometimes I find myself taking an unplanned break from blogging and social media in general in the interest of unplugging and regrouping and being lazy and all that jazz.

I’ve been practically inhaling books, TV shows, podcasts and movies in the past month. My near-decade long love of the Outlander series has blossomed into a full-fledged obsession thanks to the Starz adaptation. I’ve read so many good books and have so many more that I want to read and my library holds list is overflowing and everything is coming in at once and really, this is a good problem to have, but I’m actually somewhat stressed about just when I’m going to read it all. DAMN DUE DATES AND HAVING TO WORK FOR A LIVING.

And cheers to returning to blogging about all of the above.