Denise's Reading Blog: August 2024

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Review: The Ghostly Grounds: Murder and Breakfast

The Ghostly Grounds: Murder and Breakfast by Sophie Love
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I finished listening to this Eaudiobook on Tuesday, August 27, 2024 at 10:29 a.m. I got this Eaudiobook for free on the Google Play Books app. I listened to it while I was working. I enjoyed it very much. It was indeed cozy.

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The Ghostly Grounds: Murder and Breakfast (Canine Casper Cozy Mystery #1) by Sophie Love (Goodreads Author)-Notes & Highlights

“‘Before we get into my own private slice of hell, how was your day?’” (Chapter 2).

I thought this line was funny lolz

“When she stepped inside, she did not get the little nostalgia pop she’d been hoping for. Still, the place was quaint and smelled amazing—frying bacon, something vaguely sweet, and the aroma of strong coffee” (Chapter 11).

I would love this smell too! Mmmm! :P

“‘If you have something available on floor level, that would be great. I’ve got all this gear and—’

He stopped here, as if distracted by something. She grinned when he saw that he had simply been distracted by his surroundings. A little smile flicked the corner of his mouth.

‘Questions?’ Marie asked.

‘No,’ he said. ‘I just now really bothered to even look at the place. It’s gorgeous. Sort of reminds me of the house in the original The Haunting of Hill House.’

‘Oh, um, I…’

‘It’s a compliment, trust me. You mind if I take a look around after all the check-in formalities?’” (Chapter 14).

I love that one of the characters mentioned The Haunting of Hill House because Ale and I just finished reading that book!

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

Review: Tales from the Umbrella Academy: Hazel and Cha Cha Save Christmas

Tales from the Umbrella Academy: Hazel and Cha Cha Save Christmas by Gerard Way
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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Tales from the Umbrella Academy: Hazel and Cha Cha Save Christmas by Gerard Way, Scott Allie, Tommy Lee Edwards (Cover Art)

I liked this coffee panel with Hazel and Cha Cha.

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Review: The Haunting of Hill House

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I finished reading this book on Saturday, August 10, 2024 at 11:22 p.m.

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The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson-Notes & Highlights

We had a small amount of time to fill until the end of our Summer reading sessions, so we decided to read a short story within the horror genre. We both searched for horror books that were under the 200 page count. Then we stuck with this one. There were like a few scary moments, but it was an enjoyable read none the less.

The Haunting (1963) Film.

Shirley Jackson died in 1965, so I hope she got to see her work adapted to the silver screen.

The Haunting (1999) Film.

The Haunting of Hill House (2018) Netflix television series.

In 2018, the story was reimagined in a Netflix television series under its original title.

One of my favorite quotes was:

“It's a shame, I think, the way children grow up these days knowing everything. There should be more mysteries for them, more things that belong rightly to grownups, that they have to wait to find out.’

‘Then they find them out the hard way.' Mrs. Dudley's voice was comfortable and easy’” (164).

I thought that this video was an interesting backstory into Jackson's inspiration for this book.

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Review: It Ends with Us

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I finished reading this book on Saturday, August 10, 2024 at 5:03 p.m. I said that I gave it five out of five stars because this book made me cry and it had a very important message. The "Note from the Author" section was quite a powerful story.

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It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover-Notes & Highlights

I had an Ebook on my phone.

Maribel proposed a Cousin Book Club and I was beyond excited about it! Ale and I agreed and are catching up so we can read all together this Saturday, June 22, 2024. Maribel said that she bought this book from Walmart. I saw it a lot in Walmart too, but never thought about reading it. But now I am glad that I am reading it! <3 Ale and I put this book on hold at the Main Library because there were two on the shelf there. Now that we all have a copy we are supposed to catch up on chapter one through four before our first reading session. I think that we should finish the book before the movie comes out.

I am not sure if I should type out my thoughts per chapter because I will say them aloud at the next Cousin Book Club meeting.

We were meant to read together every week, but that didn't happen. We did listen to the audiobook together on the drive to watch the movie on Saturday, August 10, the day after it came out in theaters. It was a tear jerker. Then we watched the movie and drove to drop off Maribel. We talked about it afterwards, but there needs to be a deeper discussion at a later date. That was our book club meeting and I was not prepared with discussion questions.

“‘Plants reward you based on the amount of love you show them. If you’re cruel to them or neglect them, they give you nothing. But if you care for them and love them the right way, they reward you with gifts in the form of vegetables or fruits or flowers’” (105).

* I was trying to catch up on my reading during my lunch break and I felt weird eating and reading about cunnilingus at the same time. XD 🫢

* I think that the whole “naked truth” thing is a bit too cringey.

“And as humans, we can’t expect to shoulder all of our pain. Sometimes we have to share it with the people who love us so we don’t come crashing down from the weight of it all” (Chapter 20).

“...but sometimes the things that matter to you most are also the things that hurt you the most. And in order to get over that hurt, you have to sever all the extensions that keep you tethered to that pain. You were an extension of my pain, so I guess that’s what I was doing. I was just trying to save myself a little bit of agony’” (Chapter 25).

“What kind of average person knows how to shuffle cards like that?’” (Chapter 28).

When Atlas’ friend called Lily an average person I kind of got mad lolz

“‘You’re still my favorite person, Lily. Always will be’” (Chapter 28).

This quote made me want to cry. Atlas is very kind to Lily.

“‘I’ve made her like fifty bottles since she’s been alive’” (Chapter 31).

I just thought that the wording of this quote was funny.

“‘I would tell her that she is worth so much more. And I would beg her not to go back, no matter how much he loves her. She’s worth so much more’” (Chapter 35).

“Cycles exist because they are excruciating to break. It takes an astronomical amount of pain and courage to disrupt a familiar pattern. Sometimes it seems easier to just keep running in the same familiar circles, rather than facing the fear of jumping and possibly not landing on your feet” (Chapter 35).

I really like this interview. I think it's so cool that she was in the movie!

I love when Christine reviews books I've read!

Thursday, August 1, 2024

Last Minutes of Summer 2024

Review: Back to the Future, Volume 1: Untold Tales and Alternate Timelines

Back to the Future, Volume 1: Untold Tales and Alternate Timelines by Bob Gale
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I finished reading this comic book on Thursday, August 1, 2024 a little before 11:11 a.m.

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Back to the Future, Volume 1: Untold Tales and Alternate Timelines by Bob Gale (Writer), John Barber (Writer), Erik Burnham (Goodreads Author) (Writer), Marcelo Ferreira (Illustrator), Brent Schoonover (Illustrator), Corin Howell (Illustrator), Ryan Browne (Illustrator), Dan Schoening (Illustrator), Chris Madden (Illustrator), Alan Robinson R. (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator), Erik Evensen (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator)

Issue 1