Weekly Reading Roundup: November 5th to November 11th, 2023

Here are all the books I read this past week, and my thoughts on each!

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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

Genre(s): Classics, Horror

My rating: 2.5 stars

Description via The Storygraph: “Headless horsemen were staples of Northern European storytelling, featuring in German, Irish (e.g. Dullahan), Scandinavian (e.g. the Wild Hunt) and English legends and were included in Robert Burns's "Tam o' Shanter" (1790), and B rger's Der wilde J ger, translated as The Wild Huntsman (1796). Usually viewed as omens of ill-fortune for those who chose to disregard their apparitions, these specters found their victims in proud, scheming persons and characters with hubris and arrogance. The chief part of the stories, however, turned upon the favorite specter of Sleepy Hollow, the Headless Horseman, who had been heard several times of late, patrolling the country; and, it was said, tethered his horse nightly among the graves in the churchyard. The story was immediately matched by a thrice marvelous adventure of Brom Bones, who made light of the Galloping Hessian as an arrant jockey. He affirmed that on returning one night from the neighboring village of Sing Sing, he had been overtaken by this midnight trooper; that he had offered to race with him for a bowl of punch and should have won it too, for Daredevil beat the goblin horse all hollow, but just as they came to the church bridge, the Hessian bolted, and vanished in a flash of fire. All these tales, told in that drowsy undertone with which men talk in the dark, the countenances of the listeners only now and then receiving a casual gleam from the glare of a pipe, sank deep in the mind of Ichabod.”

My thoughts: Listen to the audiobook for free on YouTube

Incredibly disappointing and does not hold up in any way. I have been maneuvering through classics via audiobook while I work on things, and this was the worst of them so far.

I still want to pick up some retellings because there are some cool concepts presented and originated here, but this was just painful to get through.

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson

Genre(s): Horror, Thriller, Young Adult

My rating: 5 stars

Description via The Storygraph: “New York Times bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson ramps up the horror and tackles America’s history and legacy of racism in this suspenseful YA novel following a biracial teenager as her Georgia high school hosts its first integrated prom.

When Springville residents—at least the ones still alive—are questioned about what happened on prom night, they all have the same explanation . . . Maddy did it.

An outcast at her small-town Georgia high school, Madison Washington has always been a teasing target for bullies. And she's dealt with it because she has more pressing problems to manage. Until the morning a surprise rainstorm reveals her most closely kept secret: Maddy is biracial. She has been passing for white her entire life at the behest of her fanatical white father, Thomas Washington.

After a viral bullying video pulls back the curtain on Springville High's racist roots, student leaders come up with a plan to change their image: host the school's first integrated prom as a show of unity. The popular white class president convinces her Black superstar quarterback boyfriend to ask Maddy to be his date, leaving Maddy wondering if it's possible to have a normal life.

But some of her classmates aren't done with her just yet. And what they don't know is that Maddy still has another secret . . . one that will cost them all their lives.”

My thoughts: After being very disappointed in the original Carrie, of which this book is a retelling of, my expectations were not through the roof, but I was so wrong.

This book was FANTASTIC and did everything I wanted from the King version. Much bloodier and with a much better story, Jackson hit it out of the park! I will be thinking about this for a long time to come, and look forward to reading all of her other books!

A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins

Genre(s): Mystery, Thriller

My rating: 3 stars

Description via The Storygraph: “With the same propulsion that captivated millions of readers worldwide in The Girl on the Train and Into the Water, Paula Hawkins unfurls a gripping, twisting story of deceit, murder, and revenge.

When a young man is found gruesomely murdered in a London houseboat, it triggers questions about three women who knew him. Laura is the troubled one-night-stand last seen in the victim’s home. Carla is his grief-stricken aunt, already mourning the recent death of yet another family member. And Miriam is the nosy neighbor clearly keeping secrets from the police. Three women with separate connections to the victim. Three women who are – for different reasons – simmering with resentment. Who are, whether they know it or not, burning to right the wrongs done to them. When it comes to revenge, even good people might be capable of terrible deeds. How far might any one of them go to find peace? How long can secrets smolder before they explode into flame?

Look what you started.”

My thoughts: This was just painfully okay. Not particularly interesting or captivating, but not awfully boring either.

After having enjoyed The Girl on the Train and Into the Water by Hawkins, this was definitely a disappointing read.

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

Genre(s): Horror, Mystery, Thriller

My rating: 4 stars

Description via The Storygraph: “Every house has a story to tell and a secret to share.

Twenty-five years ago, Maggie Holt and her parents moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. Three weeks later they fled in the dead of night, an ordeal her father recounted in a memoir called House of Horrors. His story of supernatural happenings and malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity—and skepticism.

Maggie was too young to remember any of the horrific events that supposedly took place, and as an adult she doesn’t believe a word of her father’s claims. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When she inherits Baneberry Hall after his death and returns to renovate the place and sell it, her homecoming is anything but warm. The locals aren’t thrilled that their small town has been made infamous, and human characters with starring roles in House of Horrors are waiting in the shadows.

Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself—a place where unsettling whispers of the past lurk around every corner. And as Maggie starts to experience strange occurrences ripped from the pages of her father’s book, the truth she uncovers about the house’s dark history will challenge everything she believes.”

My thoughts: So far my least favorite of Sager’s books, but in no way bad!

I enjoyed the atmosphere and I love a good haunted house story, so this was still a super fun read, just didn’t frighten me in the ways I was hoping to be frightened.

I know a lot of people who say this is their favorite of his, and I can totally see the appeal!

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What book(s) did you read this week? Let me know in the comments!