Gosh, I read SO much during October. Not so much towards the end of the month as I had a really bad headache.
I read a fair few short stories again this month and I had a Spooky, Erie, Creepy theme going on. Horror isn't a genre I read much of... Usually! I've really enjoyed reading these books and I can now safely say, I enjoy a good horror or creepy story!


I started with Penpal by Dathan AuerBach. One of the best books I have read this year! Creepy, eerie and so unique. I found it very hard to put down, It took me no time at all to read! Very good book, 250 off pages, I highly recommend this book. 'Penpal' started off on Reddit and then published as a book! Amazing. You can read my review here.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman. This is actually a children's/young adult book but gosh it's spooky! It's a quick read with only 208 pages. Coraline explores her new house, only to find her "other" parents. They have buttons for eyes. I wrote a full review on this book.

A photo posted by ★ sara ★ (@the.bookhub) on Oct 3, 2016 at 1:04am PDT

 
Ocean at the end of the lane by Neil Gaiman. Another really creepy, different, unique style. Perfect read for October! It's a chilling story, kept me intrigued all the way through. I felt really connected to the characters, too! It's a fairly easy read. Anything by Neil Gaiman is perfect for October. I can't wait to read more of Neil Gaimans books!

We have always live in a castle by Shirley Jackson.
Neil Gaiman was actually inspired my Shirley Jackson apparently and I can see why! We have always lived in a castle is kind of creepy and left me a bit like "Wow, what did I just read?" It's another perfect read for October. Book review coming soon!  This book is only 160 pages, if you'#re looking for something quite chilling and quick to read, this book is for you :)


A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. 
This book was recommended to me by my friend Laura (Checkout her book blog - Laura In Bookish Land..It's an awesome blog!) It's also on Zoella's new reading list. It's kind of weird to start off with but it's written so well! Here's the blurb: "The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.
But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming…
This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.
It wants the truth." 
Honestly, I truly couldn't put this book down. It's really creepy and it left me wanting more and more. I was finding myself reading this book quickly. Perfect read for October, I can not wait to see the movie.




The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R Carey. 
What can I even say about this book? I was blown away. Fast paced Zombies, a cross between 'The Walking Dead' and 'World War Z'.. the chapters are short but the book is long, I however, read this book really fast, it's SO good, the writing style is amazing and I just. WOW. You need to read it! If you read one book this year, let it be this one! I can not wait to see the movie, honestly.. It's top of my list! You can read my full book review of 'The Girl With All The gifts' here.


Scary Stories To Tell In the Dark
Honestly? I was not that spooked out by this book but then it aimed at children/young adults. A couple of the stories left me feeling a little "WHOA!" that was creepy. The stories are very short though, only a page or two long, this book honestly doesn't take long to read and would be perfect for reading aloud on Halloween! This book also includes spooky illustrations and poems. Beware though, back in the 90's this book was banned from schools in America! I'd recommend children over the age 12, depending on the child. Perhaps parents should read it first! I did write a more in depth review 'Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark'


Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin 
This is a classic and it's an old story. There's also a movie and apparently a remake of the original movie. I really didn't know much about this book and I honestly think that was a good thing! It took me a little while to get into but once I'd got into it I found it quite fast paced and easy to read. Rosemary and her husband settle into a New York apartment that has a sinister past... Surrounding deaths and witch craft, people eating babies! It's crazy. Rosemary and her husband befriend an elderly couple that live in the same building... All is not what it seems though. Another perfect read for Halloween and only 256 pages! (Full review of Rosemary's baby here). Also I'd like to add, the movie is pretty true to the book.


I also read 'Of Mice & Men' Another book that was recommended to me. I was not sure about this book to begin with as it's an old book and the language and the way it;s written is something a little different but after a few pages I soon got use to it. It's a classic book, it does contain some swearing (so be warned). It's quite a fast paced book. Hard to review without giving away spoilers but I will say the ending is not what I was expecting. Maybe I should have expected it? I'm yet to watch the movie. (Pages: 121.. I actually read most of this book on the bust and in total it probably took me less than two hours to read)

What have you read in October? Do you have any spooky book recommendations? Let me know in the comments :)

Sarah xXx

P.S If you feature books often on your blog or social media etc, or enjoy bookish discussions, my friend Laura and I made a Facebook group: Bookish Worms please feel free to join :)

Gosh, half way through half term already! Where does the time go? The days seem long and yet when I look back, time has flown by. I know that makes no sense but it's true.
Anyway, here are this weeks best and worst moments & things to look forward to.


Negatives: 

• It totally sucks that Halloween falls on a school day this year. We'll have to have a build up to it over the weekend. We usually spend the day doing Halloween arts & crafts and watching family Halloween movies. I shared a few of our favourite Halloween movies here: 
• The dentist has cancelled Ellie's appointment AGAIN! We've two appointments out of the four, the other two have also been cancelled. This appointment was a rescheduled one and it's been cancelled again. I understand these things happen but I prepare Ellie for it (because she's been referred to a special dentist as she has a phobia and we have to go at an Ellie speed pace) and then have to prepare her all over again when it's rescheduled. *sigh* It's just one of those things and I know I shouldn't complain about it but eh. At least she's had an X-Ray and we have established that she is going to need a brace and probably quite soon.
• My headaches have still been quite bad but not as bad as it's been in the past. I'm going to the doctors Friday. I know he won't be able to do much because it's a rare brain disease (although I prefer the word condition over disease!) but I do need for it to be logged just in case I end up needing to see the neurologist. 
• Because of the above reason, I have failed blogtober. Boo! I did well at the start of the month though. My health has to come first! 

Positives: 

• We have had a fairly chilled half term so far. We went to town yesterday so the kids could spend there Birthday money! Harry decided on some points for the XBOX, Charlie picked an XBOX game and Ellie picked a little doll set. We enjoyed a lovely lunch - hot sausage roll and I treated the kids to a cake. They've been really well behaved this half term. (Touch wood, haha). I'm actually not looking forward to them going back to school, I will miss them.
• Ellie got all her answers right for her telling the time test! I am SO proud of her, she worked so hard on learning to tell the time. She can actually tell the time but gets a couple mixed up. 
• I found some bargain books for 20p each again. Including Fangirl, I can't believe it was only 20 pence! Bargain. I'm having a little break from reading now though because of my headaches.
• We have my niece around to to play, it's nice for Ellie to have someone to play with. We have spent the morning colouring in Halloween pictures that I printed out. 

• Harrys 13th Birthday last week - I still can not believe he is THIRTEEN! He had a lovely Birthday though and got some really awesome gifts.
• We also decorated this epic skull mini gift bags for Halloween!! Aren't they fab? 

Things to look forward to:

• Halloween!! And everything that comes with it. Halloween baking, the movies... Trick or Treating and so on! The kids are super excited too. Must pick up a pumpkin or two at some point. 
• Having Ellie's dentist treatment over and done with. I feel for her. 
• Parents evening is next week, I am looking forward to that, too. I think the boys parents evening is probably coming up to :) 
• Starting Christmas shopping. I haven't bought a thing yet. Eek. 

So those are our best and worst moments and bullet point update on life! How has your week been? I hope you've all had a wonderful week with more positives than negatives.

Sarah xXx

Halloween is one of the kids favourite times of year. They are so excited for Halloween this year and to get them in the mood, Baker Ross sent us some of this spooky 'Day of the Dead Colour-in Mini Gift Bags' to review.


Each kit contains 6 mini paper bags, in 3 assorted designs with 3 assorted handle colours - Green, Pink & Orange. Each bag size is 12cm x 8.5cm.


We used the Fibre tip pens that Baker Ross also sent us to colour the bags in.


"These are going to look amazing" Ellie told me. She was all "I'm going to give my friend some sweets in these for Halloween" Bless her.



Harry and Charlie even joined in with colouring the bags in. Charlie was like "Now these are EPIC!" Charlie being eleven years old and Harry being thirteen, it was lovely to have them join in on being creative! They're SO excited for Halloween.
The bags themselves are made of thick paper and have a ribbon string handle which is stronge and perfect for little hands to hold. 

We carried on colouring in each bag, which is double sided. The fibre tip pens are perfect for this activity! 


The kids could not wait to fill there bags with sweets and goodies. "I'm saving them all for Halloween" they ALL told me. (We'll see, haha). Charlie also noted that they're perfect for 'Trick Or Treating' to gift sweets in. He's right, the year perfect for Halloween!



They're all proud of there "Skull Clown" bags (as Ellie has decided t o call them, haha)
Priced at just £1.49 for a pack of six, they are well worth the money! The Fibre tip pens can be brought separately (£1.98 for a pack of three, each pack contains 10 colours). These little gift bags are perfect for this time of year, any child who loves being creative would enjoy colouring these in.


Baker Ross sell a really wide range of kids arts and craft activities and kits. They have whole selection of Autumnal and Halloween arts and craft kits.They're all very reasonably priced, too :)

What's your child's favourite creative activity?

Sarah xXx


We were gifted this product for purpose of this review. All opinions are my own, honest, personal opinion. I was not paid for this post.

"A masterpiece of spellbinding suspense, where evil wears the most innocent face of all…

Rosemary Woodhouse and her struggling actor husband Guy move into the Bramford, an old New York City apartment building with an ominous reputation and mostly elderly residents. Neighbors Roman and Minnie Castavet soon come nosing around to welcome the Woodhouses to the building, and despite Rosemary's reservations about their eccentricity and the weird noises that she keeps hearing, her husband takes a special shine to them. Shortly after Guy lands a plum Broadway role, Rosemary becomes pregnant, and the Castavets start taking a special interest in her welfare. As the sickened Rosemary becomes increasingly isolated, she begins to suspect that the Castavets' circle is not what it seems…" 

Genre: Fiction/Classics/Horror
Pages: 246 

A young couple 'Rosemary & Guy' move into a well known, popular apartment in New York City. The old tenant who lives there before them passed away in a coma but for some reason she blocked off a storage closet.. And what is with all the herbs she was growing? Rosemary spends a lot of time decorating and arranging the apartment to her liking. They quickly become friends with an elderly couple who also live in the same apartment block - The Castavets. When 'Hutch' Rosemary's friend finds out where she and her husband is living, he explains the sinister, creepy background that comes with the building. Like, the sisters who use to eat children and the witch craft that surrounds the building. It doesn't put Rosemary and Guy off though. Guy ends up being offered a really good role ion Broadway. Rosemary starts feeling very isolated and she starts hearing weird, strange noises.... She suspects there is more to the Castavets than they're letting on! And then Rosemary falls pregnant....

This book! Where do I start? I read this book fairly quickly because I really wanted to watch the movie. It's easy to read and is written really well. Right from the start though, it seemed a bit strange. A young girl commits suicide not long after Rosemary has befriended her... And the Castavet's seem really... Different and strange. Mrs Castavet is nosy and just plain strange in my opinion. When Rosemary falls pregnant, the Castavets help Rosemary all they can, they even recommend a top doctor and insist that Rosemary sees him. Mrs Castavet makes Rosemary a special drink every day, full of vitamins and goodness for the baby. Hutch, Rosemary's friend tragically goes into a coma..  A lot happens in this book, it's fast paced and hard to put down. I already knew the ending and I'm not sure why? (I think someone had perhaps told me about the movie or book a long time ago) I realised this half way through the book but even so it was still good. 
I rated this book 4 stars.

The movie is also fairly true to the book. I liked the movie, it was equally as creepy as the book! The acting was amazing in my opinion. 

Have you read or seen the movie? What have you been reading lately? :) 

Sarah xXx 

P.S My friend Laura and I have created a Bookish group over on Facebook, if you're a book blogger or post about books on Instagram/social media or maybe just would like to join in book discussions, feel free to come over and join:  Bookish Worms Facebook Group
 

The weeks are really flying by now! I can't believe we are over half way through October already. Craziness. Anyway, here's this weeks best and worst moments and as always, things to look forward to.


Negatives: 

• The brain disease I suffer with has flared up again. (It causes headaches, numbness, neck pain and just feeling generally not very well) Although, it's not that bad and it's certainly been a lot worse, it's still a pain to have to deal with.. It isn't easy. 
• I failed 'blogtober' because of the above reason. I hadn't scheduled blog posts and was finding it difficult to sit on the computer and focus on anything. I only missed one post so I shouldn't beat myself up too much! 
• The dentist cancelled Ellie's appointment again last week. She needs quite a bit of treatment, I do wish they'd stop cancelling the appointments and just get it over with. I guess these things can't be helped though. (Ellie has dentist this week instead!)

Positives:

• I am feeling much better than I was. Hopefully the headache stays away! 
• Ellie had her harvest 'assembly' in the church the other day. So sweet hearing all the kids sing. She had worked hard both at home and at school on memorizing all the lyrics to each song, bless her! My favourite one was "No I mustn't forget to say a great big thank you..." I'm sure you all know... 
• Charlie has got into the swing of high school properly now. I am trying to help him become more organised. There's been a couple of times were he's left his pencil case/books in his locker. I think he's got the hang of it now though. 
• I've almost bought all of Harry's Birthday presents! Just as well because his Birthday is this week... I left everything until last minute but I'm finally ready. I think. 
• We also enjoyed a lovely Autumn walk the other day! I can't say this enough but I adore this time of year! 

Things to look forward to: 

• Harry's 13th Birthday - Yes, you read that right THIRTEENTH! I can't believe he's going to be a teenager. It's madness. 
• Half term! It can not come soon enough. A break from school routine is well needed. 
• Hopefully we'll have some nice weather during half term as we have plans to find a huge leaf pile and jump in it, haha. 

Those are our best and worst moments this week! What are your highlights from the past week? Let me know in the comments :)

Sarah xXx

We were sent some Spooky Haunted House Photo Frame Magnets to review from Baker Ross. We absolutely love Baker Ross 'Craft It' kits. My daughter is nine years old, she enjoys being creative! She was super excited to make these Haunted House Magnet Picture Frames.



Each kit contains:

• Foam photo frame templates in assorted colours 
• Self-adhesive foam stickers
• Self-adhesive magnets.

The designs feature 5 designs - Vampire, Ghost, Skeleton, Mummy, Witch and Frankenstein. The foam templates and stickers are self adhesive which means no glue is required and minimal mess is made! The frames measure 12cm wide. (A pack of five is priced at just £1.99)


Ellie choose her template and the stickers she wanted to use in the appropriate colours that suited her (The good thing about these is you can mix and match, which Ellie thought was "Spooktacular"). She soon started sticking the pieces in place with no trouble at all. "This is so cool" Ellie told me.

"I might need some help placing my photo in place though..." She told me. Once she knew how to do it she was well away! We cut her photo to the right side and then put the back onto the frame, which is also self adhesive and holds the photograph perfectly in place. We then stuck the magnet onto the back of the frame and we were finished!




Ellie went on to make more frames and she decided she was going to cut out a cat from one of her favourite post cards because "I REALLLLLYYY adore cats and I'd quite like one in a frame" Ellie said. I offered to find a photograph of our cats but she really wanted to display one of her postcards! Bless her.


They look really spooky on our fridge! "They're epic" Ellie said proudly. And they truly are. They make lovely Halloween decorations and can be stuck to any metal surface. I am honestly going to keep these and put them on my fridge every October!


Baker Ross never fail to disappoint and I can not recommend these 'haunted house photo frame magnets' enough. They are such good value for the price. Ellie thoroughly enjoyed making them and I really enjoyed helping her. It's a really fun activity for children (and adults!).

Also, Baker Ross sell a wide range of Halloween arts and craft kits for children. Do head over and take a look. If you're anything like me, you'll have a hard job choosing as they sell a really good variety of products which are very reasonably priced. Baker Ross also sell a selection of Halloween 'Pocket Money Toys' which would make great Halloween party bag fillers.

What's your favourite thing about Halloween?

Sarah xXx



We were sent a sample of this product for the purpose of this review. All opinions are our own, honest, personal opinions. I was not paid for this post. 

"Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite, but they don't laugh.

Melanie loves school. She loves learning about spelling and sums and the world outside the classroom and the children's cells. She tells her favorite teacher all the things she'll do when she grows up. Melanie doesn't know why this makes Miss Justineau look sad.

The Girl with All the Gifts is a sensational thriller, perfect for fans of Stephen King, Justin Cronin, and Neil Gaiman."


I picked this book up in a charity shop for 90 pence! What an absolute bargain this book was! I have heard so much about this book, it's been all over Youtube and blogs. It comes recommended if you're a fan of Neil Gaiman, which I am. I loved 'Ocean at the end of the lane.'

Based in Britain after the outbreak of zombies. This story follows the story of a young girl 'Melanie' every day is the same. Go to class, go back to her cell. Except on Sunday's - That's shower day. Sergent Parks comes for Melanie one day and her whole world changes. As does Sergent parks and Miss Jusineau's. Along with the doctor! Melanie adores Miss Justineau and would do just about anything to save her and stop her being hurt... 

An absolute gripping story I did not want to put down. Beautifully written, too! This story is a cross between the walking dead and World War Z (although I'm yet to read World War Z). It is an amazing story with twists and turns and kept me on the edge of my seat. It's kind of disgustingly disturbing in places and brutal and all the things I usually don't like to read BUT I love zombies and apocalyptic programs/T.V shows. I am SO glad I read this book. Amazing! I connected well with the characters, especially Miss J. The chapters are mostly fairly short and it's very easy to read! This book is like something I have never read before, it's one of the best books I have read this year. I can not wait to see the movie!
On the back of the cover it's got snippets from various people with there opinion on the book. Martina Cole said "If you read one book this year, let it be this" YES! Just YES! As it also says on the back of the cover "Takes hold of you and doesn't let you go" Ab-so-freaking-lutely.
I rated this book five stars. I truly loved it and can't think of anything negative to say.

What have you read lately? :) 

Sarah xXx


 
P.S If you like all things books/book recommendations/book discussions or perhaps you're a book blogger/Youtuber/Instagrammer? Check out mine and my friends book group over on facebook: Bookish worms. We have support threads as well as discussion threads, too! 

"This spooky addition to Alvin Schwartz's popular books on American folklore is filled with tales of eerie horror and dark revenge that will make you jump with fright. There is a story here for everyone -- skeletons with torn and tangled flesh who roam the earth; a ghost who takes revenge on her murderer; and a haunted house where every night a bloody head falls down the chimney. Stephen Gammell's splendidly creepy drawings perfectly capture the mood of more than two dozen scary stories -- and even scary songs -- all just right for reading alone or for telling aloud in the dark.If You Dare"

Genre: Horror/Children's/Fiction
Pages:128 

This book has many short creepy, eerie, spooky stories in. All the stories are very short, some only being a couple of pages long. This book is perfect for young teenagers. I honestly didn't find these stories scary as such. There were a couple that were quite spooky and I was like "NO WAY". It's a very short book with only 128 pages and contains a lot of illustrations which are illustrated by Brett Helquist. One thing I really liked about this book is, it can be read aloud to an audience and it tell your how to tell the story. "NOW SCREAM" for instance as it makes the atmosphere more spooky. It also has some songs in the book, too! I think reading this book aloud, in the dark and sharing the stories with other people is a wonderful idea. Perfect for Halloween! My boys have asked to read this book, we're saving it for Halloween, hehe. I think these stories are perfect for children. If you're looking for a quick read or short stories, this is a good book to read! And like I said some of the stories are eerie and spooky. :)
I rated this book three stars. 

What's your favourite scary story? 

Sarah xXx

P.S My friend Laura from Laura in Bookish Land and myself have created a bookish group on Facebook for all things bookish. Book bloggers/Booktubers/Instagrammers etc are all welcome to join and anyone who fancies discussing books! You can join our group here