😱Short and Shivery Sunday😱

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Animated Short, ”Patchwork”, Horror, IsArt Digital, Macabre Humor, Serial Killers

 

That’s Entertainment!

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”His Dark Materials”, ”The Crown”, Cinder Cat, That’s Entertainment!

In terms of tv, this time of year is pretty busy between the Fall season kicking into high gear, and holiday programming. There are two series coming in November that I’m especially looking forward to. The first is the much anticipated adaptation of Philip Pullman’s epic His Dark Materials. It debuts on BBC1 on Sunday, November 3 in the UK, and on HBO the following night. The first season will have eight episodes in it and follow the first book in the trilogy, Northern Lights, or if you live in the US like me you’ll know it as The Golden Compass. Which, can I just take a moment to ask why the heck do publishers here in the US feel the need to change a book’s name from the original? The same thing happened when Scholastic changed JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Is it me, or is this annoying and just plain insulting? Ahem. Sorry for that brief rant. Anyway, after being bitterly disappointed by the 2007 movie, I have high hopes for this. If you haven’t seen the trailer yet check it out below.

The second series (which I’ve already made plans to shut myself in and indulge for some binging on), is Season 3 of The Crown, which drops on Netflix Friday, November 17th. It’s been more 20 months since the second season, and while I’ll miss Claire Foy’s brilliant award-winning portrayal of Elizabeth, I can’t wait to see Olivia Colman’s take. Here’s the final trailer.

So, there are two of my excuses for embracing my inner couch potato in the coming weeks. Oh! And then there’s Disney Plus on November 12th, which I may have conveyed my excitement about in an earlier post. Thankfully my loving husband kindly indulged me and has preordered it already. I knew I married him for a reason! I’m so going to have to hit the gym after the holidays. Hopefully I’ll do a little better than this poor kitty!

 

 

 

 

Words to Remember

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Elijah Cummings, Words To Remember

Every time something bad happens to me, I don’t ask the question, ‘Why did it happen to me?’ The question I ask is, ‘Why did it happen for me?’

 

DHANTERAS || INDIAN CULTURE.

This is a lovely post from Suzan about Dhanteras and Diwali. And to all my followers who celebrate: Have a wonderful and joyous Festival of Lights!

Magical BookLush

A few days before Diwali the festival of lighting. Dhanteras is celebrated. I love Indian festivals and the reason why I couldn’t blog my book review today is down below so check it out.

Happy Dhanteras.

Hello and welcome to my blog: Magical BookLush.

This is the craziest day of the year in India. The whole family goes out and buys new things especially silver and gold items. It may actually be anything, it can be jewellery or utensils or anything. I am not much into gold but I am happy that this dhanteras my family is uniting again. Yes, we have been having some major issues going but I have a feeling it might end soon. I really hope it does. Diwali is the most beautiful time of the year. Lights everywhere. India is decorated like an Indian bride.

I love Diwali but I don’t know much about it…

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Political Posts

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Political Posts

As most of you know I’m quite vocal regarding my dislike of the current administration running the country. While By Hook Or By Book continues to be primarily a book and entertainment blog, I wanted to put out a warning that over the next year you will probably see more political posts as well. For anyone who disagrees with my views (How dare you! Just kidding!), I welcome all opinions, and relish robust debate. I just ask for respect and civility, whether you’re replying to me or another commenter. There’s too much bitterness and hatred in this country, and I don’t want to see it spilling over here.

It’s okay to disagree with each other, what’s not okay is to hate each other because we disagree.

~ Abhijit Naskar, All For Acceptance ~

Literary Lines

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Edgar Allan Poe, Literary Lines, The Premature Burial

The boundaries which divide life from death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins.

~ Edgar Allan Poe, The Premature Burial ~

Halloween Harmonies, Pt. 3

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”Welcome to the Black Parade”, Halloween Harmonies, My Chemical Romance

 

The Dead Girls Club, by Damien Angelica Walters ~ 3.0 Stars

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Adult Fiction, Child Abuse, Mystery, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: December 10th, 2019

288 Pages

Synopsis: A supernatural thriller in the vein of  “A Head Full of Ghosts” about two young girls, a scary story that becomes all too real, and the tragic—and terrifying—consequences that follow one of them into adulthood.

Red Lady, Red Lady, show us your face…

In 1991, Heather Cole and her friends were members of the Dead Girls Club. Obsessed with the macabre, the girls exchanged stories about serial killers and monsters, like the Red Lady, the spirit of a vengeful witch killed centuries before. Heather knew the stories were just that, until her best friend Becca began insisting the Red Lady was real—and she could prove it.

That belief got Becca killed.

It’s been nearly thirty years, but Heather has never told anyone what really happened that night—that Becca was right and the Red Lady was real. She’s done her best to put that fateful summer, Becca and the Red Lady behind her. Until a familiar necklace arrives in the mail, a necklace Heather hasn’t seen since the night Becca died.

The night Heather killed her.

Now, someone else knows what she did…and they’re determined to make a Heather pay.

There were two things about The Dead Girls Club that initially caught my attention. First, there’s that gorgeous cover. Second, there’s the comparison to Paul Tremblay’s mind-bending A Head Full of Ghosts. Now that I’ve finished I can say I still love the cover, and I think the story is decent, however it has me wishing yet again that publishers would stop comparing upcoming books to previous bestsellers, and simply let them stand on their own merits.

This is a story told in two different time periods: the present, and the early 1990s. I found myself liking the tween Heather much more than the adult one. I’m all for unreliable characters who keep you guessing, but Heather’s actions, both professionally and in her personal life, did nothing to make me feel sympathetic to her plight. The two characters I felt for the most were her husband and best friend who were very supportive, and gave her increasingly unhinged behavior wide latitude. 

What saved this story for me were the chapters set in the past, and which detailed the close friendship between Heather and Becca, as well as its slow fragmentation. When it’s finally revealed what happened the night of Becca’s death, I was empathetic toward both girls, although I don’t think their actions were entirely believable.

The final few chapters contain a few surprises, and there’s an awesome fight scene between Heather and her tormentor. The ending has left me a little conflicted, and two days after I finished, I’m still not sure whether I liked it or not. But on the other hand, the fact that I’m still thinking about it is a plus.

For me, The Dead Girls Club wasn’t perfect, but it was a quick read that I easily finished in two sittings. The actual mystery behind Becca’s death kept me guessing, and even when the adult Heather was annoying the heck out of me, there was no way I was not finishing the book until I knew what happened. I’d recommend this to readers who enjoy twisty mysteries with unreliable main characters. In particular, I think fans of authors like Gillian French, Paula Hawkins and Ruth Ware will enjoy this.

 

🎃Whimsical Wednesday ~ Halloween Edition🎃

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“Graveyard Shift”, Ringling College of Art + Design, Whimsical Wednesday

 

Not an Anti-Trump Rant…Much

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The Kurds

I believe I’ve discussed, probably ad nauseam, my feelings toward Mr. Trump since he first announced his intention to run for president. In the 3+ years he’s been in office, nothing he’s said or done has given me any cause to change my mind. There are so many things I despise about his administration such as: the blatantly rampant corruption, the attempted trampling of the Constitution (“phony” emoluments clause anyone?), the stance on immigration, the persistent racism and bigotry, the steady erosion of equal rights and protections for the LGBTQ community, the consistent attacks on a woman’s right to choose, the daily attacks against the press and the First Amendment, the constant lying day after day after day after day… I’m so much angrier than I used to be, and honestly, I’m getting worn down. Most days I obsessively worry over why he still has so much support, what this says about us as a country and what will happen if he’s re-elected. As evidenced by us pulling our support for the Kurds, what happens here in the United States has far-reaching repercussions. No we don’t want our soldiers to be entangled in endless wars, but should we so blithely abandon our allies as soon as our personal goals have been achieved? Late last week, a US military wife wrote an open letter to the Kurdish people. As she says, these are not “nameless, faceless people across the world.” Please, if you haven’t already, take a minute or two and read her words.