"We Have Always Lived in the Castle" is the best Shirley Jackson book, if you ever read her again. Definitely a better read than "The Haunting of Hill House" in my opinion. One of my favorite books of all time! Better character development, spookier/creepier than anything else she's written, and just generally a better developed story. On the other hand, DO NOT read "The Road Through The Wall." It was her first book, and it really felt that way. It dragged on without a point, it was so mundane, and I did not care about any of the characters at all, and there were too many of them. Shirley Jackson was a great writer, but I know I'm not the only one who agrees that this was definitely a miss.
"The Yellow Wallpaper" is an absolutely fantastic classic book. I read it in middle school and recently re-read, and I can only say that it was a riveting and thought-provoking read that I recommend whenever I can!
Every time you post one of these videos, I grab my bujo and open up to my TBR spread with a ready pencil. You haven’t let me down yet! (And you probably never will 😂, it takes a lot to disappoint me) I’m so excited about these recommendations thank you so much! 🍂🍁🌙
I read "Dorian Grey" a few years ago and liked it very much. My September books were not so spooky. Howl's Moving Castle and The Miracles of the Namiya General Store were my favourites this month. 🥰📚
Wuthering Heights is one of my absolute favorite novels of all time! Frankenstein is up there too. So excited for you to read them!! I’ve been reading “His Hideous Heart” which is an anthology of Edgar Allan Poe retellings and includes the original stories and poems as well. Such a fun spooky season read to dip into!! 📚
The Lottery is such an interesting short story. I wrote an essay about it in college and it will forever be engraved in my brain! I'll definitely add The Blue Castle to my TBR as well and Anne of Green Gables.
One of my favorite things about your book videos is how many TBRs I add to my collection. On a dark academia binge so I'll definitely pick up "A Lesson in Vengeance" 📚
It's really interesting that you reviewed "Tender is the Flesh" and "Klara and the Sun" back-to-back because I see some common themes in both of them around what constitutes humanity. Having read both, they're INCREDIBLY different but I like looking at the same issue from extremely different angles. I think you'll also see that when you dig into "Frankenstein"! (Also, "Dorian Gray" is a classic for a reason...definitely recommend it!) I'd also recommend checking out "Dracula," though it's VERY different than what you might expect. And lastly, a creepy haunted house book that I recently read that had some really creepy vibes was "Twelve Nights at Rotter House"--that one stayed with me for a while! Happy reading! 📚
That’s a great point! They do have some parallels despite being starkly different in tone 😅 oh yes, Dracula is on my list, too! I haven’t heard of the last book you mentioned so I’ll have to look it up. Thank you for the recommendation!
Hi Elizabeth, I read the complete Sherlock Holmes this spring. It took me about 2 months to finish all 1000 pages, but I loved it 😍 Wuthering Heights was a little too dark and depressing for me, but I managed to finish it. I’m currently reading Stephen King’s Insomnia, which I think you would enjoy reading. At least I am…❤️
@@PlantBasedBride From the description on the back cover, I thought it would be scary, but I have read about half of it so far and I wouldn’t say it’s scary, maybe a little spooky and atmospheric. It creates a feeling of suspense and anticipation to see what happens next. I’m a fan of King’s books and most of what I‘ve read were more suspenseful than scary. My favorite ones are the Dark Tower series and Misery. The Outsider was also great, which was made a TV series as well.
Marjorie Liu is one of my fave comic writers! She created one of my favorite canon Marvel bisexual characters: Daken, Wolverine's son! So excited that she branched out and wrote more stuff, can't wait to explore her other work 🤩
📚👻 The thing I love about Shirley Jackson is how - yes, her work is spooky and unexplainable, but it captures everything that’s spooky and unexplainable about *humans,* rather than supernatural. And while the Netflix series of Hill House was nothing really like the book, I thought the creators beautifully captured that rich, emotional internal horror that probably everyone deals with, but no-one else ever sees.
Oh, I'm so jealous that you get to read Rebecca for the first time! It's so gorgeous and strange, and the nature descriptions are so loving and lush--you can tell that Daphne du Maurier loves Cornwall with her whole heart. I also saw that someone else recommended We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and it's such a perfect book for spooky season! It's a fantastic example of an unreliable narrator and is filled with such creeping dread. I hope you enjoy it! (And I love, love, love The Blue Castle!)
I just reread the blue castle in September, but hearing you talk about it makes me want to pic it up for the fourth time right away. I love Montgomerys novels and grew up with them. Actually the blue castle might be my favourite? It definitly is on of my favourite books of all time. Maybe I should also try reading the originial, as I read the german translation :)
📚So sad, but I really have never been a reader other than for Harry Potter and Robert Langdon(as in The Da Vinci Code) series in my 30+ years of life because I just fall asleep instantly😭, but I’ve tried and have been trying to read… I watched your video till the end and you gave me an inspiration to continue reading even at a slow pace. Thank you so much, Elizabeth!❤️ Have a great read this month 😆
📖 I just started We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and I was hooked almost immediately! Also so excited for the Frankenstein book club read/discussion 😊
*book emoji* .... also I loved hearing you talk about vegannism, I personnally have tried 3 times now to transition from meat eater to vegetarian to hopefully vegan one day but I always fail, I struggle really hard to find good cheap easy alternatives that I actually want to eat and also as someone who grew up being served a piece of meat with every single meal I can only go so long before I start craving meat again. congratulations on being vegan for 10 years thats really admirable. I would love to hear you talk about your journey, what was difficult for you (and/or still is) how you were able to push through and build the habits required to stay fully vegan and maybe a couple good meal/food ideas that you think could be enjoyed by a beginner vegan/vegetarian. :)
I read the complete works of Sherlock Holmes long ago. Loved them. I saw that Kayla loved In My Dreams I Hold A Knife and that’s definitely on my TBR. I’m not part of your book club, but I do own a copy of Frankenstein. I just may have to read it this fall season. 📚
Yas! Frankenstein! Honestly don't go into Frankenstein expecting something gruesome or with a very heavy horror atmosphere, it's much more of a contemplation of creator vs creation, what makes us human and ultimately it's a story of love (not the romantic kind, just love in general). I think its a fascinating book with a lot of good questions and moments and a really hope you love it because its one of my faves (ill be very sad if you dont so no pressure ;) ahah jk)
From Sherlock´s novels, I recommend "The valley of fear" (amazing). From the short stories "The dancing men" and "The speckled band". Good reading!!! 📚
The Blue Castle is one of my favourite novels ever, I read it for the first time when I was 17 and now I'm in my 30's and I still read it almost every year, it never fails to be a delight! The Tangled Web, Montgomery's other adult novel is superb as well (although not as good). Very excited for you to read more Shirley Jackson, her We Have Always Lived in the Castle is another of my all time favourites. Thank you for these videos, I always look forward to them, and I have taken a bunch of your recommendations and I usually end up absolutely loving them (I recently read Bunny and PET because of you and those are new favourites for sure!)📑
It’s just so lovely 🥰 oh, I’ll have to read that one as well! I’m so glad you enjoy these videos and find some new books to read ❤️ If you can think of any other books that make you feel like The Blue Castle please let me know!!
@@PlantBasedBride Have you ever read, Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M Delafield? It's not like The Blue Castle (haven't found anything quite like it!), but it's one of those reads that are just so hilarious and charming and cosy and it always puts me in a chirpier mood. For me it's a very autumn-winter read :)
I'm so glad you have this opinion about animals. I'm vegetarian my whole life and I'm trying to eat vegan more often. It's so disgusting to me how other people talk about animals as if they wouldn't have any worth (I know a girl who loves pigs as animals but she eats meat ... I mean, doesn't she think?!). For me every living being is equal and I don't want animals to be killed for my luxury
The cognitive dissonance is strong in most people, sadly. I hope there will be a cultural shift soon as the majority realizes they no longer want to contribute to suffering and death!
I was writing my September reflection in my reading bujo when your video popped up. I'm planning on spooky reads for October as well so I appreciate the recs! 📚📖
Your description of the kind of horror/thriller books that you like sounds exactly like Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam. It's a very short creepy and eery read with lots of underlying messages and themes and I'd definitely recommend it to you based on what you have said in this video!
I loved Rebecca. I can see how it’s inspired by Victorian and gothic (horror) novels and the nature descriptions are ‘chef’s kiss’. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed The Lottery, I’ll be reading it with my book club and it’ll be my first Shirley Jackson read. And I had the same experience with ‘Drive your plow etc’. The description made me think it would be a modern miss Marple, a mystery and an ecological thriller. But the mystery seems to be more like a vehicle to explore deeper things. It surprised me as well.
📚 for spooky season reading, I’ve been rereading The Passage and The Twelve by Justin Cronin so I can finish the series, but I’ve added a few books to my TBR after watching this video - The Dead and the Dark, The Blue Castle, Drive Your Plow…, Tanglefoot, In My Dreams…, and White Smoke. Now if I only had enough time to read all these books.
Frankenstein is fantastic! A bit heartbreaking, but beautifully done. Also, for Wuthering Heights, it is a wonderfully eerie piece and emotionally disturbing; however, I do not understand WHY people call it a love story. The level of unhealthy behaviors and abuse in the various relationships is mind-boggling!
The blue castle got added to my TBR, Frankenstein has been on my TBR for some years now (perhaps this is the sign to read it), I have read both Dorian Gray and wuthering heights and enjoyed them. Currently I am reading Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak - definitely recommend! (He has also written the Book Thief and I'm the messenger, two superb books) 📚📚
I’m an ex-vegan and I read Tender is the Flesh and I came at it from a human rights standpoint. Like how easy it is for people/governments etc to decide that someone has no value as a person. Made me think of sex trafficking/slavery and of course animal rights as well. The dehumanising aspect really hit me. How easy it was for people to stop seeing their worth and made me think how easy it is in our society to avoid seeing the worth of queer people, disabled people, Black people, etc. It unfortunately didn’t make me change my lifestyle because I didn’t really stop being vegan by choice, I had to. But it wouldn’t surprise me if it doesn’t help people become vegan. 📚
So many amazing books I now have to check out. I'm really intrigued about "Tender Is The Flesh" for sure. I suggest the book "The Hour of the Witch" by Chris Bohjalian. Also I LOVE seeing your stats on what you read!
I love everything you said about veganism and animal rights in this video. ♡ I challenged myself to find a book with a vegan/veggie protagonist this year. The only one I have found so far was "The Wallflower Wager" by Tessa Dare. I'll definitely add the Polish book to my tbr! My favorite read in September was "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue". I know a lot of people didn't like it and found it boring, but it was the first book in years I just couldn't put down and stayed up all night to finish.
Hello, I really like your books review. I am french and one of my favorite book is la disparition of george Perec. Since it is a book with a lot of mysteries I thought you could really like it. Plus , the writing is very interesting because he didn't use any single 'e' in the whole book!
Klara and the Sun was sad for me. If you appreciated that, I suggest you look into "This Is How You Lose The Time War" by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone - I just finished it last night and was really moved by the story, loved the prosaic writing. Another good Autumn-type supernatural read is Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion - This one is a YA/NA book but you won't feel like you are reading something not meant for your age bracket. It's a very interesting story studying what makes humans humane, what is humanity, all from a non-gore motivated zombie story (A retelling, so to speak, of Romeo and Juliet). I adore this book!!! And another one which might not even be on your radar is... The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle - Most of it is set in an autumn-like season bleeding into winter as it plays out. A definite must-read for all ages. ♥
I would really appreciate if you could add the number of pages to your wrap up frames for the books. I find it more and more appaling to read long books
Based on your review, I'll move the Vo books I have to the top of my TBR. I picked up Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead and Tender Is the Flesh. I am not a vegan, but I do try to avoid farm factory products. I prefer fish to flesh, but in any case I am one of those weird cooks who can only cook boneless meat. I could never slaughter an animal. I rarely cook meat in any case. Stirfries are my specialty. I'm probably a good candidate to be vegan, if only I didn't crave (sustainable) sushi. Not that I get to Seattle too often.
I also read Tender Is The Flesh I think about a year ago, and I must say I prefer the english title to the german one (I'm German). In German it's called 'Wie die Schweine' which means 'Like the Pigs'... it doesn't really sound like something anybody would want to pick up in comparison to the english title... I don't know, it sounds so... harsh and kind of like it's a comedy or something. Apart from that, I really much 'enjoyed' the book (if that it something you can say aboput this subject matter) and, beeing an ethical vegan of some years now myself, I felt exactly the same as you. The way the human Lifestock was treated wasn't anything I hadn't heard of before, so it was definitely not as gruesome to me as it might have been to people who never confronted themselves with the way we as humans treat some animals just for our own pleasure.
You have to read Monstress, a Margorie Liu and Sana Takeda steampunk-y comics. It's STUNNING not-quite manga, and it has matriarchy in the center of the worldbuilding, it's quite dark as well, and I believe it would be right up your alley I believe.
I just started Flights by Olga Tokarozuk. It’s a fragmentary novel and I’m so looking forward to the change in pace. Good to hear that another of her works is good, I’ll have to look for Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead if I like Flights. I wonder if it’s the same translator.
I'd recommend Every Heart a Doorway for spooky season. It's fairy tale, but dark and frank. It's just delightful. If also highly recommend The Elegance of the Hedgehog. It's perfect for holiday season, and is heartwarming and real and honestly it's one of the reasons I'm who I am today.
I absolutely adore The Blue Castle! It is on my top 5 favorite books list. Since you read The Haunting of Hill House, I would recommend watching the 1963 film The Haunting which is based on the book. It is directed by Robert Wise (known best for Sound of Music).
@@PlantBasedBride It definitely has its moments where it gets pretty scary. We usually watch it during the day. I'd suggest doing that if you haven't seen it.
I'm really looking forward to your review of Frankenstein, I love classic horror but hated Frankenstein. I can't wait to hear your take on who the real monster is in the novel. Also, I'm definitely rereading the Picture of Dorian Grey & Rebecca with you this month... These are two of my absolute favorites (Dracula is the best, though, so it's also on my list. So, so good!!). So many good titles coming up! I'm also jumping in on listening to Sherlock Holmes & Wuthering Heights with you.
I read "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" several years ago and I loved it. As creepy as it was, I was totally drawn to the main character and just really felt for her. I also read the Complete Sherlock Holmes a while back, although it took me several months, but enjoyed it tremendously. He is a better detective than I am! I had "Rebecca" on my tbr for the longest time and finally read it in August. It was definitely worth the wait. Very atmospheric. All highly recommended!📚👻💀
📚📚 I'm currently reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and I've also read a couple more of the stories in the Sherlock Holmes collection and I really like them!!
your bookshelf is stunning. would you ever consider doing a little shelf tour? i’m so curious about what you have displayed. i read hill house a few years ago for a popular lit class that was entirely focused on horror (that i signed up for without realizing it was horror that semester). i found it really unsettling more than scary. in typical college student fashion, i found myself reading it a lot late at night and not trusting the noises my house made while i was reading it. i think that added to my experience. i need to reread it though.
I definitely could at some point! I’d probably post that on TikTok/Instagram Reels ❤️ Haha yeah I bet! I suppose I didn’t really set the mood for it by reading during a bright sunny day 😂
I'm not sure how many graphic novels you read, but I feel like you'd enjoy Monstress, by Marjorie Liu. It has a lot of similarities with many of the books you mentioned, though it can be kind of gory...
It's not said outright in the novel, but there is definitely an LGBT+ character in The Haunting of Hill House. It is heavily implied that Theodora has a female lover back home and is sexually interested in Eleanor. There is a reason that Theodora is typically depicted in modern takes on this story as a lesbian or as bisexual! 😁
Marcella Grace by Rosa Mulholland is an amazing cozy fall read. I don’t know how easy it is to find a copy, because mine is a 19th century edition that I found at a used book sale, but if you can get your hands on it I would highly recommend! It has murder and romance and drama and mystery- it literally had me at the edge of my seat, because at no point did I feel confident about how things would work out. If you like old vintage books with pretty description please check it out!
Talking about reading Rebecca makes me think of Northanger Abbey. Might be my gothic (ok, gothic parody in this case) read for the month. ;) [book emoji]
@@PlantBasedBride Be prepared to want to read the Mysteries of Udolpho as well, since it's a book referenced in NA and I believe it's one of the gothics that Austen was playing with when she wrote NA. 😆
@@PlantBasedBride If you enjoy reportages/travel literature, I recommend Ryszard Kapuściński. One of his most famous books is "The Emperor". For some old school sci-fi I'd say Stanisław Lem, e.g. "Solaris". For poetry, anything by Wisława Szymborska and Zbigniew Herbert. Maybe you've already read it since you like fantasy but "The Witcher" series is awesome (much better than the Netflix show ;p) and the first two books consist of loose stories that aren't necessarily directly connected with the main plot of the whole series. And last but not least, for some modern novels I've heard great things about Jakub Małecki's work but have yet to read them myself. :)
📚Ordering The Blue Castle in 3…2…1…💸💸💸💸💸 I gave The hunting only 2 stars bc I was also expecting something more after the amazing reviews of the book and the fact that it is a classic of the genre…sadly I didn’t enjoy as much as I expected.😳📚
Hi Elizabeth! Your videos are always great. Try reading any of Sebastian Fitzek's novels if you haven't already. He has some great psychological thrillers.
Repping Detroit: become human! I love it. Would you be interested in doing a video review/list of games that you enjoyed? I’m sure that’s not something that’s easy enough to do monthly, but maybe yearly? Edit to add: 📚 ;P
Another good one is The Institute by Stephen King. I don't like all of his stuff, but this one was interesting, about kids with telekinetic and telepathic abilities.
@@PlantBasedBride I don't read much of it. But when he writes stuff like this, I'm more inclined to check it out. He is a good writer, even though some of his stuff is a little too dark or disturbing for me to enjoy. If you pick it up, I hope you enjoy it!
I recently finished Tender is the Flesh and it covered so many topics that I think the reader just ends up finding the one that resonates with them most. I ended up seeing it more from the anti-capitalist anti-government perspective but I am curious what the authors intention was. Does she want readers to look at their plate with different eyes or does she want us to question the entire system and why its in place? Because I ended up doing both so if that was the intent then she succeeded. And those last pages! All of the main characters behaviors finally clicked.
Honestly, i am the hugest wimp out there! I never watch horror movies and even the trailers for horror movies used to stay with me and haunt me lmao! Tbh i think hill house is way scarier than bly manor (all in the same netflix anthology series), but there arent many jumpscares...theres actually only one that i can think of, and it is done in such a way that while it scares you a bit in the moment, its not completely gratituous and is actually - uncharacteristically - cutting through another kind of tension that is building up in the scene. There Are definitely a couple of moments that while not really jumpscares i would cathegorize as unexpected moments or sudden jumps into horror, a few spooky creatures lurking around the house too. Its definitely spooky in its own right so maybe smth i would watch during the day if youre scared easily! One thing it definitely does incredibly well is build tension. Most of the time youre not even scared of the thing youre watching, its just that the camerawork is so Exquisitly Spooky that you feel constantly on edge and expecting jumpscares. The story itself is also pretty sad, i think they transformed the characters of the book into a family - so you explore the different traumas this family went through and are still dragging around years later. I feel like its an exploration of grief and trauma and miscommunication in a family, plus ghosts!
I understand where you are coming from when it comes to not eating meat or animal products, and I have friends + collages who are vegan & vegetarian (some not by choice due to medical problems) so that's why I have to agree with you about animal cruelty. But I also have to say that humans do have to physically kill to allow meat to be on our palette and there is no way around that aspect. I have understood that and still eat meat, while others understand and no longer do. Of course, that is no excuse to treat the animal with such barbarousness, and i do think it should be talked about more
Oh! I looked up Victoria Lee’s author website and there was no mention of how Lee identifies and she/her pronouns were used so I made my best guess. I’ll have to keep that in mind in future!
@@PlantBasedBride No worries! Lee uses all pronouns, which they note on their Instagram. But yeah, it's not on their site. They do mention it in an interview and on their tumblr, though. (Also, fun fact, because I literally just stumbled on this: there were NO male characters in ALiV, nor even the use of he/him pronouns? I didn't notice that in my read, but it's on their FAQ on the website.)
"We Have Always Lived in the Castle" is the best Shirley Jackson book, if you ever read her again. Definitely a better read than "The Haunting of Hill House" in my opinion. One of my favorite books of all time! Better character development, spookier/creepier than anything else she's written, and just generally a better developed story.
On the other hand, DO NOT read "The Road Through The Wall." It was her first book, and it really felt that way. It dragged on without a point, it was so mundane, and I did not care about any of the characters at all, and there were too many of them. Shirley Jackson was a great writer, but I know I'm not the only one who agrees that this was definitely a miss.
Oh ok so good to know! I definitely want to read it this month ❤️ haha ok, I will avoid that one 😅
you look so stunning, Elizabeth! I’m the one who recommended Drive Your Plow, I’m SO glad you enjoyed it, it’s one of my absolute favourites 💛
Ah thank you so much! It was incredible 🙌❤️
"The Yellow Wallpaper" is an absolutely fantastic classic book. I read it in middle school and recently re-read, and I can only say that it was a riveting and thought-provoking read that I recommend whenever I can!
I’m so excited to read it!
Every time you post one of these videos, I grab my bujo and open up to my TBR spread with a ready pencil. You haven’t let me down yet! (And you probably never will 😂, it takes a lot to disappoint me) I’m so excited about these recommendations thank you so much! 🍂🍁🌙
Haha I love this! I’m glad I can give you some new recommendations each month ❤️
I read "Dorian Grey" a few years ago and liked it very much. My September books were not so spooky. Howl's Moving Castle and The Miracles of the Namiya General Store were my favourites this month. 🥰📚
Oh nice! I haven’t read either of those ❤️
Howl's Moving castle was fun!
Wuthering Heights is one of my absolute favorite novels of all time! Frankenstein is up there too. So excited for you to read them!! I’ve been reading “His Hideous Heart” which is an anthology of Edgar Allan Poe retellings and includes the original stories and poems as well. Such a fun spooky season read to dip into!! 📚
Ohh that anthology sounds amazing! I’ll have to check it out ❤️
Looking forward to reading the blue castle! 💙
I hope you love it as much as I did! So cozy and wholesome ❤️
The Lottery is such an interesting short story. I wrote an essay about it in college and it will forever be engraved in my brain! I'll definitely add The Blue Castle to my TBR as well and Anne of Green Gables.
It does so much in so few pages!
One of my favorite things about your book videos is how many TBRs I add to my collection. On a dark academia binge so I'll definitely pick up "A Lesson in Vengeance" 📚
I love that! So glad to be of service 🥰
It's really interesting that you reviewed "Tender is the Flesh" and "Klara and the Sun" back-to-back because I see some common themes in both of them around what constitutes humanity. Having read both, they're INCREDIBLY different but I like looking at the same issue from extremely different angles. I think you'll also see that when you dig into "Frankenstein"! (Also, "Dorian Gray" is a classic for a reason...definitely recommend it!) I'd also recommend checking out "Dracula," though it's VERY different than what you might expect. And lastly, a creepy haunted house book that I recently read that had some really creepy vibes was "Twelve Nights at Rotter House"--that one stayed with me for a while! Happy reading! 📚
That’s a great point! They do have some parallels despite being starkly different in tone 😅 oh yes, Dracula is on my list, too! I haven’t heard of the last book you mentioned so I’ll have to look it up. Thank you for the recommendation!
Hi Elizabeth, I read the complete Sherlock Holmes this spring. It took me about 2 months to finish all 1000 pages, but I loved it 😍 Wuthering Heights was a little too dark and depressing for me, but I managed to finish it. I’m currently reading Stephen King’s Insomnia, which I think you would enjoy reading. At least I am…❤️
Oh, how scary is Insomnia? I’ve never read a King novel and I’m scared 😬😅
@@PlantBasedBride From the description on the back cover, I thought it would be scary, but I have read about half of it so far and I wouldn’t say it’s scary, maybe a little spooky and atmospheric. It creates a feeling of suspense and anticipation to see what happens next. I’m a fan of King’s books and most of what I‘ve read were more suspenseful than scary. My favorite ones are the Dark Tower series and Misery. The Outsider was also great, which was made a TV series as well.
Ah ok, that’s good to know! Maybe I’ll work up the courage to try it 🤗
Marjorie Liu is one of my fave comic writers! She created one of my favorite canon Marvel bisexual characters: Daken, Wolverine's son! So excited that she branched out and wrote more stuff, can't wait to explore her other work 🤩
Oh how cool, I didn’t know she wrote for marvel! Im really interested in reading her Monstress comics now ❤️
📚👻 The thing I love about Shirley Jackson is how - yes, her work is spooky and unexplainable, but it captures everything that’s spooky and unexplainable about *humans,* rather than supernatural. And while the Netflix series of Hill House was nothing really like the book, I thought the creators beautifully captured that rich, emotional internal horror that probably everyone deals with, but no-one else ever sees.
I love how eclectic your reading taste is 💕📖
Aw thanks! I do love a lot of different kinds of stories ❤️
Oh, I'm so jealous that you get to read Rebecca for the first time! It's so gorgeous and strange, and the nature descriptions are so loving and lush--you can tell that Daphne du Maurier loves Cornwall with her whole heart.
I also saw that someone else recommended We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and it's such a perfect book for spooky season! It's a fantastic example of an unreliable narrator and is filled with such creeping dread. I hope you enjoy it!
(And I love, love, love The Blue Castle!)
I absolutely loved The yellow wallpaper! Just don't listen to it on audio while you are hanging up wallpaper yourself. 📖
haha noted! 😅
"Rebecca" is my favorite book of all time, I'm really glad you're going to read it! Frankenstein and Dorian Gray are also *chef's kiss*
Oh that makes me so much more excited to start! 🙌
I just reread the blue castle in September, but hearing you talk about it makes me want to pic it up for the fourth time right away. I love Montgomerys novels and grew up with them. Actually the blue castle might be my favourite? It definitly is on of my favourite books of all time. Maybe I should also try reading the originial, as I read the german translation :)
Aw it truly is so special! ❤️
📚So sad, but I really have never been a reader other than for Harry Potter and Robert Langdon(as in The Da Vinci Code) series in my 30+ years of life because I just fall asleep instantly😭, but I’ve tried and have been trying to read… I watched your video till the end and you gave me an inspiration to continue reading even at a slow pace. Thank you so much, Elizabeth!❤️ Have a great read this month 😆
I just finished "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" and I loved it!
I just finished it as well! It blew me away, honestly.
📖 I just started We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and I was hooked almost immediately! Also so excited for the Frankenstein book club read/discussion 😊
*book emoji* .... also I loved hearing you talk about vegannism, I personnally have tried 3 times now to transition from meat eater to vegetarian to hopefully vegan one day but I always fail, I struggle really hard to find good cheap easy alternatives that I actually want to eat and also as someone who grew up being served a piece of meat with every single meal I can only go so long before I start craving meat again. congratulations on being vegan for 10 years thats really admirable. I would love to hear you talk about your journey, what was difficult for you (and/or still is) how you were able to push through and build the habits required to stay fully vegan and maybe a couple good meal/food ideas that you think could be enjoyed by a beginner vegan/vegetarian. :)
I read the complete works of Sherlock Holmes long ago. Loved them. I saw that Kayla loved In My Dreams I Hold A Knife and that’s definitely on my TBR. I’m not part of your book club, but I do own a copy of Frankenstein. I just may have to read it this fall season. 📚
Yas! Frankenstein! Honestly don't go into Frankenstein expecting something gruesome or with a very heavy horror atmosphere, it's much more of a contemplation of creator vs creation, what makes us human and ultimately it's a story of love (not the romantic kind, just love in general). I think its a fascinating book with a lot of good questions and moments and a really hope you love it because its one of my faves (ill be very sad if you dont so no pressure ;) ahah jk)
That sounds right up my alley! I’m even more excited now 🤗
From Sherlock´s novels, I recommend "The valley of fear" (amazing). From the short stories "The dancing men" and "The speckled band". Good reading!!! 📚
I’m so excited to start them!
The Blue Castle is one of my favourite novels ever, I read it for the first time when I was 17 and now I'm in my 30's and I still read it almost every year, it never fails to be a delight! The Tangled Web, Montgomery's other adult novel is superb as well (although not as good). Very excited for you to read more Shirley Jackson, her We Have Always Lived in the Castle is another of my all time favourites. Thank you for these videos, I always look forward to them, and I have taken a bunch of your recommendations and I usually end up absolutely loving them (I recently read Bunny and PET because of you and those are new favourites for sure!)📑
It’s just so lovely 🥰 oh, I’ll have to read that one as well! I’m so glad you enjoy these videos and find some new books to read ❤️ If you can think of any other books that make you feel like The Blue Castle please let me know!!
@@PlantBasedBride Have you ever read, Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M Delafield? It's not like The Blue Castle (haven't found anything quite like it!), but it's one of those reads that are just so hilarious and charming and cosy and it always puts me in a chirpier mood. For me it's a very autumn-winter read :)
I'm so glad you have this opinion about animals. I'm vegetarian my whole life and I'm trying to eat vegan more often. It's so disgusting to me how other people talk about animals as if they wouldn't have any worth (I know a girl who loves pigs as animals but she eats meat ... I mean, doesn't she think?!). For me every living being is equal and I don't want animals to be killed for my luxury
The cognitive dissonance is strong in most people, sadly. I hope there will be a cultural shift soon as the majority realizes they no longer want to contribute to suffering and death!
I was writing my September reflection in my reading bujo when your video popped up. I'm planning on spooky reads for October as well so I appreciate the recs! 📚📖
Oh perfect timing!
📚 that was pretty awesome thanks for doing a video on books!! I think I might have to read a suggested - we have always lived in the castle
I’m so glad you read Tokarczuk! Her writing is brilliant! Also it was fun to hear you say her name, you did pretty good! 😉😉😉😉
Haha thank you! I listened to how the narrator of the audiobook said it and practiced it quite a few times 😅
Your description of the kind of horror/thriller books that you like sounds exactly like Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam. It's a very short creepy and eery read with lots of underlying messages and themes and I'd definitely recommend it to you based on what you have said in this video!
Unrelated, but I love the way you speak. it's like L.M. Montgomery''s nature descriptions *chefs kiss*
Oh wow, what a compliment! 🥺🥰
Thanks for the recommendations, I've added a few to my TBR, including Tender is the Flesh and Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead!
I hope you find them as thought provoking as I did!
There's a song called Kokoro; I was instantly reminded of it when you talked about Klara and the Sun
I loved Rebecca. I can see how it’s inspired by Victorian and gothic (horror) novels and the nature descriptions are ‘chef’s kiss’. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed The Lottery, I’ll be reading it with my book club and it’ll be my first Shirley Jackson read. And I had the same experience with ‘Drive your plow etc’. The description made me think it would be a modern miss Marple, a mystery and an ecological thriller. But the mystery seems to be more like a vehicle to explore deeper things. It surprised me as well.
📚 for spooky season reading, I’ve been rereading The Passage and The Twelve by Justin Cronin so I can finish the series, but I’ve added a few books to my TBR after watching this video - The Dead and the Dark, The Blue Castle, Drive Your Plow…, Tanglefoot, In My Dreams…, and White Smoke.
Now if I only had enough time to read all these books.
Your stats breakdown is incredible... don't usually see that from booktubers so maybe i'll need to start adding it to my videos.
I love tracking all of those little details! It really helps me stay on track with my reading goals 😊
Frankenstein is fantastic! A bit heartbreaking, but beautifully done. Also, for Wuthering Heights, it is a wonderfully eerie piece and emotionally disturbing; however, I do not understand WHY people call it a love story. The level of unhealthy behaviors and abuse in the various relationships is mind-boggling!
The blue castle got added to my TBR, Frankenstein has been on my TBR for some years now (perhaps this is the sign to read it), I have read both Dorian Gray and wuthering heights and enjoyed them.
Currently I am reading Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak - definitely recommend! (He has also written the Book Thief and I'm the messenger, two superb books) 📚📚
Oh nice! I haven’t read any Mark Zusak so I’ll have to add their work to my TBR 🤗
I’m an ex-vegan and I read Tender is the Flesh and I came at it from a human rights standpoint. Like how easy it is for people/governments etc to decide that someone has no value as a person. Made me think of sex trafficking/slavery and of course animal rights as well. The dehumanising aspect really hit me. How easy it was for people to stop seeing their worth and made me think how easy it is in our society to avoid seeing the worth of queer people, disabled people, Black people, etc.
It unfortunately didn’t make me change my lifestyle because I didn’t really stop being vegan by choice, I had to. But it wouldn’t surprise me if it doesn’t help people become vegan. 📚
So many amazing books I now have to check out. I'm really intrigued about "Tender Is The Flesh" for sure. I suggest the book "The Hour of the Witch" by Chris Bohjalian. Also I LOVE seeing your stats on what you read!
I love everything you said about veganism and animal rights in this video. ♡ I challenged myself to find a book with a vegan/veggie protagonist this year. The only one I have found so far was "The Wallflower Wager" by Tessa Dare. I'll definitely add the Polish book to my tbr!
My favorite read in September was "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue". I know a lot of people didn't like it and found it boring, but it was the first book in years I just couldn't put down and stayed up all night to finish.
I loved Addie LaRue! I’ll have to look up The Wallflower Wager. I’ve never heard of it! ❤️
@@PlantBasedBride I'm happy you also liked it! Tessa Dare writes historical romance, I don't know if that's something you'd like.
Hello, I really like your books review. I am french and one of my favorite book is la disparition of george Perec. Since it is a book with a lot of mysteries I thought you could really like it. Plus , the writing is very interesting because he didn't use any single 'e' in the whole book!
Picture of Dorian Grey is one of my favourite classics
I’m so excited to read it!
‘I aimed for the public’s heart and by accident hit it in the stomach- Upton Sinclair author of The Jungle.📚
Klara and the Sun was sad for me. If you appreciated that, I suggest you look into "This Is How You Lose The Time War" by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone - I just finished it last night and was really moved by the story, loved the prosaic writing.
Another good Autumn-type supernatural read is Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion - This one is a YA/NA book but you won't feel like you are reading something not meant for your age bracket. It's a very interesting story studying what makes humans humane, what is humanity, all from a non-gore motivated zombie story (A retelling, so to speak, of Romeo and Juliet). I adore this book!!!
And another one which might not even be on your radar is... The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle - Most of it is set in an autumn-like season bleeding into winter as it plays out. A definite must-read for all ages. ♥
I loved This Is How You Lose The Time War! I’ll have to look up the other two. Thank you for the recommendations!
I’m so excited I found your channel. I love everything about it.
I would really appreciate if you could add the number of pages to your wrap up frames for the books. I find it more and more appaling to read long books
Based on your review, I'll move the Vo books I have to the top of my TBR.
I picked up Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead and Tender Is the Flesh.
I am not a vegan, but I do try to avoid farm factory products. I prefer fish to flesh, but in any case I am one of those weird cooks who can only cook boneless meat. I could never slaughter an animal. I rarely cook meat in any case. Stirfries are my specialty. I'm probably a good candidate to be vegan, if only I didn't crave (sustainable) sushi. Not that I get to Seattle too often.
📚 So many great recommendations! I'm definitely adding Tender Is The Flesh to my list!
I hope you find it interesting!
I read yellow wallpaper in English and I also had preformed it for a Academic event
Omg, The Blue Castle is probably my favorite book ever. No one talks about it really.
It’s so good! A new favourite ❤️
I also read Tender Is The Flesh I think about a year ago, and I must say I prefer the english title to the german one (I'm German). In German it's called 'Wie die Schweine' which means 'Like the Pigs'... it doesn't really sound like something anybody would want to pick up in comparison to the english title... I don't know, it sounds so... harsh and kind of like it's a comedy or something. Apart from that, I really much 'enjoyed' the book (if that it something you can say aboput this subject matter) and, beeing an ethical vegan of some years now myself, I felt exactly the same as you. The way the human Lifestock was treated wasn't anything I hadn't heard of before, so it was definitely not as gruesome to me as it might have been to people who never confronted themselves with the way we as humans treat some animals just for our own pleasure.
You have to read Monstress, a Margorie Liu and Sana Takeda steampunk-y comics. It's STUNNING not-quite manga, and it has matriarchy in the center of the worldbuilding, it's quite dark as well, and I believe it would be right up your alley I believe.
I’ve asked for the first book for Christmas so I’m crossing my fingers! 🤞
I just started Flights by Olga Tokarozuk. It’s a fragmentary novel and I’m so looking forward to the change in pace. Good to hear that another of her works is good, I’ll have to look for Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead if I like Flights. I wonder if it’s the same translator.
I'd recommend Every Heart a Doorway for spooky season. It's fairy tale, but dark and frank. It's just delightful.
If also highly recommend The Elegance of the Hedgehog. It's perfect for holiday season, and is heartwarming and real and honestly it's one of the reasons I'm who I am today.
Oh yes, how could I forget! I’ve read the whole series ❤️ I haven’t heard of that one! I’ll have to look into it 🤗
I absolutely adore The Blue Castle! It is on my top 5 favorite books list. Since you read The Haunting of Hill House, I would recommend watching the 1963 film The Haunting which is based on the book. It is directed by Robert Wise (known best for Sound of Music).
Ok ok, thank you for the suggestion! How scary is it? Will a wimp like me be ok? 😅
@@PlantBasedBride It definitely has its moments where it gets pretty scary. We usually watch it during the day. I'd suggest doing that if you haven't seen it.
I'm really looking forward to your review of Frankenstein, I love classic horror but hated Frankenstein. I can't wait to hear your take on who the real monster is in the novel. Also, I'm definitely rereading the Picture of Dorian Grey & Rebecca with you this month... These are two of my absolute favorites (Dracula is the best, though, so it's also on my list. So, so good!!). So many good titles coming up! I'm also jumping in on listening to Sherlock Holmes & Wuthering Heights with you.
Oh no! I hope I don't hate it haha Oh yes, I need to read Dracula as well! So glad I could give you some inspo for your October reading ❤
I read "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" several years ago and I loved it. As creepy as it was, I was totally drawn to the main character and just really felt for her. I also read the Complete Sherlock Holmes a while back, although it took me several months, but enjoyed it tremendously. He is a better detective than I am! I had "Rebecca" on my tbr for the longest time and finally read it in August. It was definitely worth the wait. Very atmospheric. All highly recommended!📚👻💀
Ahh yay this makes me so excited! I feel like I’m struggling to start because I want to read everything at once 😂
I just finished We have Always Lived in the Castle! I think you’ll find it’s pretty similar to the other writings of hers that you have read
📚📚 I'm currently reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and I've also read a couple more of the stories in the Sherlock Holmes collection and I really like them!!
Thanks for the recs! Did you red Mexican Gothic? I loved it! It's by the same author of Certain Dark Things
I did! I found it interesting though it wasn’t my favourite ❤️
your bookshelf is stunning. would you ever consider doing a little shelf tour? i’m so curious about what you have displayed.
i read hill house a few years ago for a popular lit class that was entirely focused on horror (that i signed up for without realizing it was horror that semester). i found it really unsettling more than scary. in typical college student fashion, i found myself reading it a lot late at night and not trusting the noises my house made while i was reading it. i think that added to my experience. i need to reread it though.
I definitely could at some point! I’d probably post that on TikTok/Instagram Reels ❤️ Haha yeah I bet! I suppose I didn’t really set the mood for it by reading during a bright sunny day 😂
Wow... these videos are my fav... This month I will only read my school books because of my Exams 🤣... BTW Nice video
Good luck on your exams!
@@PlantBasedBride thankyou so much 💖
I was totally not expecting a book from Poland, this does not happen on book tube often 😅
I’ve been excited for Darling. 📚I didn’t know it was a horror/scary book though. Your Withering Heights is gorgeous. I’d be sharing it as well.
Yeah it gets VERY dark 😅
I'm not sure how many graphic novels you read, but I feel like you'd enjoy Monstress, by Marjorie Liu. It has a lot of similarities with many of the books you mentioned, though it can be kind of gory...
I’m hoping to read it soon! I’ve asked for book one for Christmas ❤️
I’m looking forward to reading My best friends exorcism. 📚
Ahhhh so many good book recommendations! 🍂🎃
It's not said outright in the novel, but there is definitely an LGBT+ character in The Haunting of Hill House. It is heavily implied that Theodora has a female lover back home and is sexually interested in Eleanor. There is a reason that Theodora is typically depicted in modern takes on this story as a lesbian or as bisexual! 😁
I thought I was picking up on those vibes but since it wasn’t clearly stated I didn’t track it!
Marcella Grace by Rosa Mulholland is an amazing cozy fall read. I don’t know how easy it is to find a copy, because mine is a 19th century edition that I found at a used book sale, but if you can get your hands on it I would highly recommend! It has murder and romance and drama and mystery- it literally had me at the edge of my seat, because at no point did I feel confident about how things would work out. If you like old vintage books with pretty description please check it out!
Talking about reading Rebecca makes me think of Northanger Abbey. Might be my gothic (ok, gothic parody in this case) read for the month. ;) [book emoji]
Oh, I’ve never read that one, either! So many classics to cram in this spooky season 😂
@@PlantBasedBride Be prepared to want to read the Mysteries of Udolpho as well, since it's a book referenced in NA and I believe it's one of the gothics that Austen was playing with when she wrote NA. 😆
Love your TBR 📚
Yay, an author from my country (Poland here ;) !
If you have any more suggestions of books by Polish authors I’d love to read them!
@@PlantBasedBride If you enjoy reportages/travel literature, I recommend Ryszard Kapuściński. One of his most famous books is "The Emperor". For some old school sci-fi I'd say Stanisław Lem, e.g. "Solaris". For poetry, anything by Wisława Szymborska and Zbigniew Herbert. Maybe you've already read it since you like fantasy but "The Witcher" series is awesome (much better than the Netflix show ;p) and the first two books consist of loose stories that aren't necessarily directly connected with the main plot of the whole series. And last but not least, for some modern novels I've heard great things about Jakub Małecki's work but have yet to read them myself. :)
My favourite spooky read is Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. Sooooo good
The Haunting of Hill House was also made into a few movies. I read this book years ago, I enjoyed it.
I might have to try watching one!
It is also a somewhat convoluted board game. Mostly cooperative, so it's fun with the right group.
💕📖 always great recommendations as always!
📚Ordering The Blue Castle in 3…2…1…💸💸💸💸💸
I gave The hunting only 2 stars bc I was also expecting something more after the amazing reviews of the book and the fact that it is a classic of the genre…sadly I didn’t enjoy as much as I expected.😳📚
Book 📕 - thanks for the great recommendations!
I wanna read Hill House mostly because I love the show so much
definently going to look up some of these books
Hi Elizabeth! Your videos are always great. Try reading any of Sebastian Fitzek's novels if you haven't already. He has some great psychological thrillers.
Thank you! Oh, no I haven’t. I’ll have to look him up!
Is it too late for me to join the book club for this month? I've been wanting to join for a while now lol ❤💛📚📚
Nope! You can join any time ❤️
TVR stands for? I always love your videos, and this one is so dark academia.
TBR is to be read 🤗
📚I am so ready to read these books📚
Repping Detroit: become human! I love it.
Would you be interested in doing a video review/list of games that you enjoyed? I’m sure that’s not something that’s easy enough to do monthly, but maybe yearly?
Edit to add: 📚 ;P
I’ve played so few that the list would be DBH and The Sims 😂 If you have any recommendations please share them!
Another good one is The Institute by Stephen King. I don't like all of his stuff, but this one was interesting, about kids with telekinetic and telepathic abilities.
Oh, sounds interesting! I’ve never read any Stephen King.
@@PlantBasedBride I don't read much of it. But when he writes stuff like this, I'm more inclined to check it out. He is a good writer, even though some of his stuff is a little too dark or disturbing for me to enjoy. If you pick it up, I hope you enjoy it!
I just finished Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao and would love to know what you think of it!
I recently finished Tender is the Flesh and it covered so many topics that I think the reader just ends up finding the one that resonates with them most. I ended up seeing it more from the anti-capitalist anti-government perspective but I am curious what the authors intention was. Does she want readers to look at their plate with different eyes or does she want us to question the entire system and why its in place? Because I ended up doing both so if that was the intent then she succeeded.
And those last pages! All of the main characters behaviors finally clicked.
That's a great point! There really were so many different frameworks to interpret the book's message through. So very thought provoking!
Haunting of hill house tv show on netflix is 😚👌
Ok but how scary is it? I’m such a wimp and I will cry if there are jump scares😅
Honestly, i am the hugest wimp out there! I never watch horror movies and even the trailers for horror movies used to stay with me and haunt me lmao!
Tbh i think hill house is way scarier than bly manor (all in the same netflix anthology series), but there arent many jumpscares...theres actually only one that i can think of, and it is done in such a way that while it scares you a bit in the moment, its not completely gratituous and is actually - uncharacteristically - cutting through another kind of tension that is building up in the scene.
There Are definitely a couple of moments that while not really jumpscares i would cathegorize as unexpected moments or sudden jumps into horror, a few spooky creatures lurking around the house too. Its definitely spooky in its own right so maybe smth i would watch during the day if youre scared easily!
One thing it definitely does incredibly well is build tension. Most of the time youre not even scared of the thing youre watching, its just that the camerawork is so Exquisitly Spooky that you feel constantly on edge and expecting jumpscares.
The story itself is also pretty sad, i think they transformed the characters of the book into a family - so you explore the different traumas this family went through and are still dragging around years later.
I feel like its an exploration of grief and trauma and miscommunication in a family, plus ghosts!
I understand where you are coming from when it comes to not eating meat or animal products, and I have friends + collages who are vegan & vegetarian (some not by choice due to medical problems) so that's why I have to agree with you about animal cruelty. But I also have to say that humans do have to physically kill to allow meat to be on our palette and there is no way around that aspect. I have understood that and still eat meat, while others understand and no longer do. Of course, that is no excuse to treat the animal with such barbarousness, and i do think it should be talked about more
Please read The Surface Breaks by Louise O'Neill. It's so great, I can recommend it to everyone who likes to read about feminism
I’ll look into it!
@@PlantBasedBride Cool! I hope you like it as much as I do :)
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Quick note! Victoria Lee, author of A Lesson in Vengeance, is nonbinary, so your stats on author identity are a bit off.
Oh! I looked up Victoria Lee’s author website and there was no mention of how Lee identifies and she/her pronouns were used so I made my best guess. I’ll have to keep that in mind in future!
@@PlantBasedBride No worries! Lee uses all pronouns, which they note on their Instagram. But yeah, it's not on their site. They do mention it in an interview and on their tumblr, though.
(Also, fun fact, because I literally just stumbled on this: there were NO male characters in ALiV, nor even the use of he/him pronouns? I didn't notice that in my read, but it's on their FAQ on the website.)
@@dodgeremerson ah makes sense! Thank you for letting me know. And now that you mention it, no there weren’t any male characters!
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