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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well today. As it is getting so close to Halloween and October/Autumn is when we all start reading the spooky/atmospheric books I thought I would share some of my favourites with you all.

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Mansicalco

This novel follows Audrey Rose Wadsworth, an upper-class woman in Victorian London and her desire to train as a surgeon in a time when women were not allowed to, alongside this it features the murders of Stalking Jack the Ripper and Audrey Rose teams up with Thomas Cresswell to solve the mystery. This is one of my favourite books of all time, I love the mystery and I love the romance. The time period provides a spooky, dangerous atmosphere that keeps you reading.

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

This novel follows Emilia, a witch and when her Twin Sister Vittoria is murdered she summons a prince of sin to find out what happened. It is dark, brooding, enchanting, just overall incredible.

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

I have seen that a lot of people are divided on this book, some like it and some don’t. For me personally I loved the isolating feeling of the location and the mental confusion of whether there was something fantastical and at the same time sinister going on or whether Effie is imagining it. I devoured this book in one day.

Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore

I believe this book is listed as a YA read but it is still sufficiently spooky. It follows a girl who enrolls in a prestigious school to find out more about her father and she gets dragged into a mystery concerning the school library, a curse, and an annoyingly handsome ghost.

Murder by Candlelight by Faith Martin

This novel is somewhere between cosy crime and historical crime. It follows Arbie and Val as they team up to solve mysteries. I absolutely loved this series. Arbie is a writer whose books send him to locations to explore ghost hunting, even though he doesn’t believe in ghosts, and due to this keeps accidentally running into val and running into crime scenes. These two characters are the epitome of chalk and cheese and yet they work together so well. I can’t wait for the next book coming in 2026.

Murder at Highgate Cemetery by Irina Shapiro

This novel opens with the body of a young girl who has been murdered, suspended from an angel grave in the cemetery. It goes from there to be told from two perspectives, Gemma Tate a crimean war nurse who has returned to London and found herself in trouble when her brother dies, and Sebastien Bell a Police Detective who is strugglign in his own personal life. They keep running into each other and although Sebastien keeps telling Gemma to stay away from the crime for her own safety, they end up working together anyway.

The Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis

This series follows the Bronte sisters as they solve various mysteries. For me this is the spookiest in the series. The sisters end up investigating a woman who it seems has vanished into thin air and there are constant references to dark, gothic manors and ghostly occurrences. Very creepy but very good. I have just read the last in this series and I loved them all.

The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner

Graveyard Shift by M L Rio

This is only a short novel but I loved how it all came together, how slowly we learnt things about the group of people who accidentally ended up together in the wrong place at the wrong time and witness something they shouldn’t have.

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith

City of Ghosts by V E Schwab

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?

What are some of your favourite spooky books?

Uncategorized

Top Five Favourite Books of 2024!

December 27, 2024November 25, 2024 theblindscribe

Happy Friday bookish people! How are you all today? I hope you are all good. This is the big one everyone. Today I will be sharing my favourite books that I have read this year.

Share with down in the comments what some of your favourite books have been this year, I could easily have done a top ten with almost all five star books that I have read this year but I decided to stick only with a top five, the best books I have read this year.

In at number five is…

Powerless by Lauren Roberts

I was torn on this decision, actually until I was writing this list down to make this post I had a different book in this spot but I have just read Powerless and I gave it a 4.5 stars to begin with and then I just could not stop thinking about it. I had to change it to a five star and put it in spot number five.

In number four is…

Murder At The Dolphin Hotel by Helena Dixon

This is a series I have discovered this year, this book is the first in the series, and I absolutely adore it. If you love cosy mysteries set in the 1930s then I am sure you would love these as much as I do.

In number three is…

Throne of the Fallen by Kerri Maniscalco

Kerri Maniscalco is now definitely one of my favourite authors, I loved her Stalking Jack the Ripper series and then her Kingdom of the Wicked series and now this is the first in the spin off series and this one follows Prince Envy. It is a brilliant book, I loved it.

In number two is…

The King’s Mother by Annie Garthwaite

This novel is a follow up to her first novel, Cecily, it follows Cecily Neville – the mother of King Edward IV, his wife Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret Beaufort – the mother of Henry VII as they navigate the royal court as women. It is powerful and beautiful and emotional and it will always be one of my favourite books I have ever read. Especially as I got to visit the Neville’s family Castle the day after I read this book.

And finally, in my number one spot is…..

A Study In Drowning by Ava Reid

This novel is gothic and enchanting and just everything I hoped it would be. I know some people don’t love this book but I honestly can’t think of one thing that I did not like about it.

Monthly Wrap Ups

August Wrap Up!

September 2, 2024August 21, 2024 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. It is the end of August already and time to talk about what I read this month.

I will tell you that I shocked myself with how well my reading went this month, what with a trip to London and back I got a lot of reading in.

Helle and Death by Oskar Jenson – I did read this book, a review is coming on the 20th September

Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha – I did read this. It wasn’t how I thought it would be and I will say that it wasn’t an enjoyable read for me, not like I had expected it to be at least.

The Troublemakers by Tamzin Merchant – I did read this

The Dogsitter Detective by Anthony Johnston – I did read this

Seven Lively Suspects by Katy Watson – I did read this

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid – As of the 21st August when I am writing this post I am currently reading this book and I should get it finished by the end of the month

Lightlark by Alex Aster – I started this book but I have DNF’d it for now because the part I read, the writing wasn’t working for me at the time and I am hoping to try and read it again at a later date.

So, for the first time since I started this blog I have completed a TBR and I’m quite proud of that. Not all of the books I read this month were ones I enjoyed but some of them I did which made it a successful month in my opinion.

How was your reading this month? Let me know in the comments!

Monthly TBRs

August TBR!

August 5, 2024July 29, 2024 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. It is August already, finally some of the summer weather is peeking out from behind the rain clouds. My Guide Dog is very happy about that, she loves sunbathing in the garden. What goes best with the summer? Reading, obviously. So it was time to decide on my August TBR and it was difficult because I have so many books that I want to read, but I did decide eventually on these books:

The Dog Sitter Detective by Anthony Johnston

The odd thing about this one is that I have already read the second book in this series (oops!) I didn’t realise when I got the second book that it was part of a series, read it, loved it and then realised it was a series so I want to read this one quite quickly.

Love Letters To A Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell

I have recently bought this and the premise sounds really interesting so it is high on my list to read.

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

This is another book I recently got after wanting it for a really long time and I haven’t been reading much fantasy at the moment so I am hoping to get back into it with this book.

Helle and Death by Oskar Jenson

This book is one I need to read so that I can mention it in my PhD theory work, I don’t think it would be a book I would pick up otherwise but hopefully it will be a good book.

The Troublemakers by Tamsin Merchant

I LOVE this series, it is a middle grade but the series is very sweet and magical and I am excited to read this next book.

Lightlark by Alex Aster

This one I happened to pick up because I saw it on social media a lot and thought it looked interesting, I like books that include games and trials so hopefully this book will be great.

Seven Lively Suspects by Katy watson

I have actually already started this book, I read 50 pages on the way home from a family trip and I already love this series so I am looking forward to keep reading this book.

Have you read any of these books?

What books are on your August TBR?

I hope everyone has a good reading month in August!

Monthly Wrap Ups

October Wrap Up!

November 3, 2023October 19, 2023 theblindscribe

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a wonderful day today.

October was quite the month for me, I had a stall at Cardiff Comic Con and I got some really good progress done on my PhD, I am exhausted but it is going to be worth it – I think!

Anyway, so my reading went down this month because all my free time is taken up with work but I still enjoyed a couple of books this month.

Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber – starting off good, I managed to read this one and I enjoyed it, if there isn’t a book review up by now there will be one soon.
Kingdom of the Feared by Kerri Maniscalco – I did not manage to read this one.
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L Armentrout – I didn’t manage to read this one either.
Assistant to the Villain – I am currently reading this one so I have started it in October and I should, should, be able to finish it before the end of the month.
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid – I didn’t own this one at the time and so I couldn’t read it because I didn’t get it and I can’t get it on my library app at the moment.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo – I did not read
Mrs Death Misses Death – I did read this one!
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi – I did not read
Devil Makes Three by Tori Bovilano – I did not read this
Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller – I did not read this

So, off my TBR I managed to read three books: Once Upon A Broken Heart, Mrs Death Misses Death and Assistant to the Villain. Outside of my TBR I have also read an ARC this month – Last Girl Breathing by Court Stevens which I will be posting a review for on the 6th November.

What did you guys read in October? And what did you think of them?

Monthly TBRs

October TBR

October 6, 2023September 29, 2023 theblindscribe

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well. Today I am bringing you my TBR for October, I am hoping that this month I will be able to find time to read and enjoy them as much as I did in September.