Spooktober Recommends: Classics to YA

Here it is guys...the final recommends post for Spooktober! 

This was actually supposed to go up on Halloween but I've had a jam packed week and haven't had time to finish my last review book for the month so I'm switching blog posts around! 

So, I came across a couple of books when I was doing my recommends posts that I thought sounded like a YA version of certain classics, or that went with some of the classics or was similar in some way and I thought I'd do a blog post about them! I could only find four, I'm sure there are more although for the life of me I can't find a YA Dracula! 

SO. Here we go! 

1. Phantom of the Opera

In this modern day spin on Leroux’s gothic tale of unrequited love turned to madness, seventeen-year-old Rune Germain has a mysterious affliction linked to her operatic talent, and a horrifying mistake she’s trying to hide. Hoping creative direction will help her, Rune’s mother sends her to a French arts conservatory for her senior year, located in an opera house rumored to have ties to The Phantom of the Opera.

At RoseBlood, Rune secretly befriends the masked Thorn—an elusive violinist who not only guides her musical transformation through dreams that seem more real than reality itself, but somehow knows who she is behind her own masks. As the two discover an otherworldly connection and a soul-deep romance blossoms, Thorn’s dark agenda comes to light and he’s forced to make a deadly choice: lead Rune to her destruction, or face the wrath of the phantom who has haunted the opera house for a century, and is the only father he’s ever known. 

Roseblood is, as the synopsis says, a modern day spin on Phantom of the Opera! Whether you've read the classic itself or seen the movie or the stage show...then this is for you! I feel like I need to read Phantom of the Opera before I read this, it's on my shelf, but I've not had the guts to dive in yet! 

2. Jekyll and Hyde

In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one... except the "thing" inside her.

When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch...

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.

Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.

But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on even if it seems no one believes her.

The Girl in the Steel Corset is one of my favourite books, I'm not going to lie to you guys! I've included it because Finley reminds me a lot of Jekyll and Hyde, or rather a version of them, soooooo YA Jekyll and Hyde right there but with lots more going on! 

3. Frankenstein

Victor and Konrad are the twin brothers Frankenstein and inseparable until Konrad falls gravely ill. In the forbidden Dark Library, Victor finds an ancient formula, and seeks an alchemist to recreate the Elixir of Life. With friends Elizabeth and Henry, he scales highest trees in the Strumwald, dives deepest lake caves, and each sacrifices a body part.

This Dark Endeavour isn't so much a YA version of Frankenstein but it is a YA prequel to Frankenstein and I actually thought it was pretty damn good! If you're kind of intimidated about starting Frankenstein, then this prequel might be a good way to get yourself psyched up for it! 

4. The Fall of the House of Usher

Madeline Usher is doomed.

She has spent her life fighting fate, and she thought she was succeeding. Until she woke up in a coffin.

Ushers die young. Ushers are cursed. Ushers can never leave their house, a house that haunts and is haunted, a house that almost seems to have a mind of its own. Madeline’s life—revealed through short bursts of memory—has hinged around her desperate plan to escape, to save herself and her brother. Her only chance lies in destroying the house.

In the end, can Madeline keep her own sanity and bring the house down? The Fall is a literary psychological thriller, reimagining Edgar Allan Poe’s classic The Fall of the House of Usher. 

The Fall is a YA version of The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe and it was SO good when I read it you guys! Perfectly creepy and Halloween-y! I haven't read much Poe to be honest, I was slowly working my way through one of those collected works books but this is one of the few I had read, and I loved this reimagining! 

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Spooktober Discussion: Frankenstein

Hey guys! Time for a Spooktober Discussion! 

This is actually my first time doing a book discussion, I mean...last time I tried to do it, it was more like a reaction! I thought that it would be fun to discuss the classics I'm reading for Spooktober, because I'm hoping some of you guys might be reading them too and have some thoughts to share!

 My first classic for Spooktober, was Frankenstein! I've been meaning to get to Frankenstein for ages, but just never gotten around to it! I've always wanted to read it because Frankenstein is kind of everywhere, movies, tv shows, books, and various other adaptions, not to mention the creature is a fixture of Halloween and well known! 

Actually, I've gotta hit you guys with my first question to discuss....the creature...do we call it the creature, or the monster? 

I don't know about you but I feel kind of bad calling it a monster, but creature seems a bit mean too! I keep finding myself referring to it as, well...it. Which isn't great either! Much like Frankenstein, his creation is morally ambiguous too, so I found myself in turns feeling bad for him and then kinda disliking him a bit too! Either way I feel bad for calling him a monster! 

ANYWAY. I picked up Frankenstein and I was fully prepared to have all my pre-concieved notions about the book completely obliterated. About all I knew for sure was that Frankenstein was the doctor, not the creature and that was it! Everything else was most likely not true, like I had an image of a green guy with neck bolts floating in my mind until the description! I watch Once Upon a Time and the Dr. Frankenstein in that is very different, as is his story, to what happens in the book. I was kind of intrigued to see various portrayals had changed the story, and what had been added. Like there was no "It's aliiiiiiiveeee!" which I was waiting for, but not really expecting to be there, and there was no Igor either! I'm curious as to how Igor got added, anyone know where he sprang from? 

I actually remember when I was younger, watching some black and white version of Frankenstein that was on TV, probably for Halloween, and there was lightening and a castle and the monster running through a crowd with pitchforks and I kinda assumed that was the correct adaption, not to mention I pretty much associated lightening and castles with Frankenstein, but it was more snowy mountains and college! There was still lightening though, which was great for me because I hate lightening so it made the atmosphere creepy for me! What did you guys know of/associate with Frankenstein before you read it? What was your mental image? 

As I was reading the book, I actually enjoyed having all these little mental images that I had destroyed! And thanks to the book I won't be looking out windows at night now! As I started to read, I was curious because I wanted to see how it was originally told, and while it took me a couple of pages to get my brain to engage with the language, I got more hooked in to the story. You have Frankenstein's side, then the monster's and then the endless pursuit with some murdering and creepiness thrown in! I will freely admit that most of the science stuff went straight over my head! Reading Frankenstein was kind of a strange experience for me because each time I saw the word/name Frankenstein, I got a little jolt because it's a name that has such huge connotations to it. It's well known for said previously mentioned green dude with neck bolts! It was an odd sensation and I can't describe it accurately but yeah...it was a strange experience! I couldn't help but wonder what people thought of it when it was first published and the name Frankenstein hadn't been built up! 

There's a particular passage in the book that I enjoyed, where the creature is lurking about watching a family, and it was an interesting look at daily human lives and interactions from the creatures point of view, who basically has no knowledge of anything because good ol' Dr. Franky couldn't be bothered to teach his creation. He learns from the family. I knew something bad was going to happen though, especially when the poor guy wanted to reveal himself to them, I was like...this is so not going to end well dude! 

I actually felt really sorry for the creature for the majority of the book, he didn't ask to be made, and then he was abandoned by his creator who was essentially his father. He's feared and reviled by every human he meets and he's completely miserable. But at the same time, he probably shouldn't have killed Frankenstein's brother before asking him for a favour. He let anger get the best of him but then he didn't really know any better did he? No-one taught him about controlling his anger, or trying to understand the humans point of view that he comes across. And then to be fair...no-one gave the creature a chance did they? He feels like it's the only way he has to act. I felt so much compassion for the creature, although it was tested a time or two by his behaviour but at the same time...I kinda understood him. 

Frankenstein, I'm still not too sure about him. In the beginning I was intrigued by him, then he went all mad scientist and then towards the end I felt for him a little but at the same time..he kind of brought it on himself by being a crappy person. Although my edition had an interesting essay in the back about how Frankenstein and his creation are intertwined that changed the perception I had of him while reading when I thought back. My problem with Frankenstein is that he insisted on making his creature while on some sort of sick power trip, he was trying to play God or whatever, and then he totally freaks out and runs away like a coward when his creation doesn't turn out how he wanted. Like a child who gets given a toy they didn't want, rather than the one they did, he just tossed it away. He didn't help his creation at all, didn't teach him anything, he kind of even forgot about him and left him to fend for himself.  

I'd also like to point out the interesting contrast in the way Justine is treated and the way Frankenstein is treated when they're both on trial for murder. There was little proof that Justine actually committed the murder, and we all know she didn't do it anyway. Yet no-one would stand up for her, because she was a servant or because she was a woman or both. Whereas Frankenstein is well cared for and his father is sent for before his trial. They made an effort to mount a defence for him. The justice system isn't shown to be the best really. Neither is ambition or the need to mess with things that shouldn't be messed with, the book provides quite the warning. 

When I started to read the book, it opens with letters and I kind of assumed that they where from Frankenstein and he changed his name when he made his creation or something, and I saw the words "I long for a friend" or whatever it was, and I was like "oh here we go!" but as I read the book I couldn't help but think that would have at least made me feel for Frankenstein more, you could relate to that need for a friend, for human contact, which is something his creation feels deeply. Whereas Frankenstein just creates him because of his ambitions and said previously mentioned power trip! I felt like he kind of wanted someone to just worship him, but because it didn't turn out how he wanted, he blamed the creature as if it was his fault! 

Either way, Frankenstein was a great Halloween read due to it's dark atmosphere, and it makes you think about many different subjects as you read, there are many lessons to be learned. Frankenstein curses himself because of his ambitions and he curses his creation to what is quite frankly, a really crappy life, as he tries to find a purpose in a world that won't accept him. I can't say the book terrified me as much as it would have people of the time, but I did find the book to have an air of creepiness to it (hello window scene!) and I also find the idea of someone taking it upon themselves to play God in such a way mildly scary, but the book mostly made me feel sad. Sad for the creature most of all and at times sad for Frankenstein himself. Frankenstein resonated with me, and it's a book I'll end up re-reading thanks to Shelley's writing and story-telling, imagery and the emotion she evokes when you read! 

What did you guys think of the book?

How did the creature make you feel? 

Favourite Quotes: 

"But now misery has come home, and men appear to me as monsters thirsting for each other's blood." 

"I shall commit my thoughts to paper, it is true; but that is a poor medium for the communication of feeling." 

"We rest; a dream has power to poison sleep.

We rise; one wand'ring thought pollutes the day."

"Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change."

"Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful"  

"If I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear!" 

Spooktober TBR

Hey guys! 

Happy October! And ya know...Halloween because for me at least it's like a month long event because why not!

 This October, for the entire month myself and Becca (The Brunettes Bookshelf) will be bringing you guys Spooktober! We're going to spend the entire month reading all Halloween reads all the time, and we'll be bringing you guys discussions, rec posts, reviews, giveaways and more for the entire month! You can check out our TBR's and read along with us if you like! On the discussion front, we'll be talking about the classics we're reading, so feel free to join in with us! I'll probably do a discussion for most if not all of them, because why not! 

So today, I'm bringing you my Spooktober TBR! I got a little bit carried away and chances are I won't get everything read, but I'm gonna try my best! Stalking Jack the Ripper is missing because it hadn't arrived when I made this post, but it's on there too! Becca's going to be doing classics and a mix of other reads, YA and adult, but she's totally doing the more murdery, scary books because I'm a total pansy! I'll be doing mostly YA with the odd other book. So first up is what I'm going to be reading and what I'll be watching is after that ;) 

The Classics

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Obviously Dracula had to make the list, it's not only a classic but it's also kind of a Halloween specific classic. Like you can't have Halloween without Dracula! This'll be a re-read for me!

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

I still haven't read this, and after watching the movie a couple of years ago, I'm curious to read the book it was based on! Plus everyone raves about this book, and I feel kinda left out! 

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Even I'm ashamed of myself that I haven't read this yet. I can't even. Frankenstein is such a huge Halloween monster, there's been multiple movies and it's finally time for me to read the book! 

Daisy Miller and the Turn of the Screw by Henry James

Daisy Miller isn't such a Halloween read, but it's the other story in this volume that screams Halloween. A governess goes to take care of two orphans...and gets a sense of intense evil within the house. Then she's all like "aaahh the malevolent forces are stalking the children"...but are they!? 

The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens

This is Dickens last novel and it's actually incomplete which is probably going to drive me up the wall because I NEED TO KNOW. This is going to contribute to the murdery type books in my Halloween TBR!

Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Okay so, I still haven't read this either, because I suck. But I vaguely remember going to see the musical version of it when it was on in London, I think I actually have the soundtrack somewhere? Anyway, I need to finally read this, and it's not like it's a huge book! 

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

I've read a couple of the shorter Holmes stories, I'm not a really huge fan but I do watch the odd episode of Sherlock! I picked Baskervilles because it sounded the most creepy of the ones that I have AND when I was a kid I watched the film version of this with Peter Cushing because it used to be on TV a lot and my dad would watch it and for some reason I really loved it :') 

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Yes....I haven't read Coraline. Shocking I know. I'm a terrible bookworm! I feel like Coraline is a modern Halloween classic, not going to lie! 

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Again...I really should have read this by now, and it's another Halloween type classic! I also got to review the graphic novel for this, or at least the first half, and I need to know what happens next! 

Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson

I'm going to be reviewing this for Penguin! It's a collection of creepy and gothic stories, that are perfect for Halloween! I've not read any of Jackson's stories before, I've been eyeing up "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" for a while, but never gotten around to it, so I'm excited to finally read her work! 

The Trilogy

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

A Darkness Strange and Lovely

Strange and Ever After

I've been itching to get to the Something Strange and Deadly trilogy for ages, I managed to grab the hardcovers before they started to be really hard to get hold of! There's brand new covers for these, and I'm fairly certain you can still get the ebooks if you want to join in reading this! I loved Truthwitch so I'm excited to read Dennard's earlier works and these sound like the perfect Halloween read! 

The Series

Jackaby by William Ritter

Beastly Bones

Ghostly Echoes

Yes. Having Jackaby as a paperback does bother me. Book Depository sent me a paperback instead of the hardback that I ordered and I'm in the process of getting the hardback to match the others, never fear! I love the sound of this series, and I figure seeing as there's the whole murder aspect going on, I can get away with putting this down for Halloween! 

The Hardcovers

The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

I picked this book up ages ago because it sounded fun and I liked the cover, I need to actually buy the other two in the series but for now the first book is all good for my Spooktober TBR! There's murder and a girl who feeds on your nightmares. 

Shutter by Courtney Alameda

This has been on my TBR for ages so it's about time I got round to it! Our main character is from the Van Helsing line and she can see the aura's of the undead! It sounds awesome, there's some ghost exorcising going on, and a fun group of kids doing the whole..well....exorcising! 

Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs

HELL YES MORE PECULIARITY! I got so excited when I heard this was being released and I'm so excited to get to review it for the publisher! I loved the Miss Peregrine's trilogy, even the pictures that totally creeped me out and this book is completely gorgeous! 

These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

Again, this has been sitting on my TBR for what feels like forever, and the whole murder aspect made me add it. Sure it's not like OMG SO CREEPY TOTALLY HALLOWEEN but murder mystery is enough for it to make my list! I'm actually really excited to get to this one finally because it sounds totally awesome! 

The YA

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

Another "has been on my TBR forever" book. I'm a huge fan of Kelley Armstrong so I'm excited to read this trilogy opener! There's gonna be a tonne of ghosts, and ghosts freak me out so this'll be good! 

Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata

I started to collect Death Note not too long ago, I've got the really cool black editions with the sprayed edges, and then I've got these regular editions! Now, I don't have ALL of the volumes, I've got the first four and then I'm missing a couple in the middle, but for Halloween I'm definitely going to read at least the first four volumes, if not all of it if I get hold of the other volumes! I know everyone loves this manga so I'm excited to finally jump on the band wagon. 

Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

I love Alyxandra's books and have for a few years now, and Haunting Violet is the only one I haven't read yet! It's been sitting on my TBR because I've been busy with review books and haven't had the chance to read much from my regular TBR, and when I have I've always shied away from this one and decided to leave it for Halloween...and now it's Halloween! I'm expecting this to be a really good read! 

Graveminder by Melissa Marr

Super Halloween-y title am I right?! I though this sounded like a good Halloween read, creepy, but should make for a nice break in between classics! Wicked Lovely is still on my TBR, but I did get to read Made For You the other year and it was SO GOOD, so I'm expecting good things from this! 

Team Human by Sarah Rees Brennan & Justine Larbalestier

Pretty much the only SRB book I haven't read yet, and this has seriously been on my TBR for ages, I've just never gotten round to it! Vampires are totally perfect for Halloween and this sounds like it's going to be a nice fun read, as well as being great for Halloween! 

House of Ivy and Sorrow by Natalie Whipple

I can't remember when I picked this up, I think it was not too long after it was published? The synopsis intrigued me, and Witch's are another classic Halloween staple! 

The Adult Fiction

The Sight by Chloe Neill

The first book in this series was awesome, it was original and fun and a great read, so I'm excited to get to review this for the publisher and just in time for Halloween! Nothing like a good paranormal/supernatural read for Halloween!

Anno Dracula by Kim Newman

I picked this up at a used book store, as I'm sure you can tell! I loved the sound of the back of the book, I thought it sounded original and fun and so it's been sitting on my TBR waiting for the perfect opportunity for me to read it! I got to review Drearcliff and it's made me really excited for this! I've got the sequel sitting on my TBR and I may or may not get to it this month too!

The Accidental Alchemist by Gigi Pandian

Okay so I only looked at this because I loved the cover and then I read the synopsis and I was like, okay I need this book. Gargoyles and alchemy and a tonne of originality...perfect read for me! And perfect for Halloween! I really need to pick up the sequel though! 

The Hidden People by Alison Littlewood

I was sent this for review, and it sounds like it's going to be a good read, and possibly the creepiest of them! 

What I'm Watching...

Like I said, Halloween is a month long thing for me and I usually watch Halloween kinda films all along, before having a huge marathon on Halloween itself! This year, I've gotten really in to anime, like I'm fully obsessed! I've just finished watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and honestly? I think it might be my favourite anime and I'm kinda having withdrawals from it, all I really want to do is rewatch it like straight away, but I've told myself I'm not allowed to until after Halloween at least! SO for Halloween I'll be getting over my FMAB withdrawals by watching Death Note, Tokyo Ghoul and possibly Soul Eater! 

Yep. I'm well aware by watching Death Note I'm going to spoil the rest of the manga for myself, but I did the same thing with Fairy Tail and it doesn't really bother me! Plus if I don't manage to get the other volumes to read this Halloween, it'll bug me not knowing what happens next because I'm super impatient! 

Tokyo Ghoul is a manga that I've been eyeing up for ages and uhm-ing and ah-ing over, I usually prefer the more fantasy type manga's, like SDS and Fairy Tail and Arslan etc, but seeing as it's Halloween, I figured I'd finally watch the anime adaption! And I know what's going to happen...I'm going to end up loving it and then buying the manga as well! 

Soul Eater I debated but wasn't too sure on, when I first started to look for manga to read. I know a lot of people rave about it and while I can't buy Soul Eater to read for Halloween, I thought I might take the plunge and watch it and see what everyone's on about! I say might, because I might not have time after watching both Death Note and Tokyo Ghoul, but I'm hoping I'll be able to get to it!

On the film front, I'll be watching such classics as Hocus Pocus, Nosferatu, The Addams Family, Van Helsing, Casper, Ghostbusters, Black Cauldron, Sweeney Todd, Burke and Hare, Nightmare Before Christmas, Gremlins, Teen Wolf, Sleepy Hollow, The Universal Monster movies, and whatever else I've forgotten to write down in this little mini list thing! Let me know if you're going to be watching any of these, especially the anime because then we can buddy watch! 

What I'm Listening To....

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This is a quick little playlist that I made up the other day, it's not even complete yet and there's a couple different versions of some songs on there, because why not? I'll probably add to it over the month, but this is what I'm starting with! And yes...two of those songs are from a Scooby Doo film because I loved that movie as a kid okay! 

Let me know what you're going to be reading, watching and listening to this October! To see what Becca and I are up to follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and follow the hashtag Spooktober! Feel free to join in with us as we read and discuss throughout the month!