Candlelight reading

books and movies reviews

[pizzazium-infinionite]

I feel like Jane Austen's novels are often minimized as "cozy" and "cutesy" when actually they are defining works of English language novels and insightful, often biting social commentary. and Im tired of people reducing her to like a "cozy author" or boiling her books down to a few bland romance tropes. she refined the novel form to an art. she defined genres of literature. she continues to influence creative works all over the world now. and idk im tired it is late and I dont have all the right words for this but it is just so frustrating

[dreamsofisis]

A Final Girl's Guide To The Horrors Of Dating

by Rory Uphold

Description

These days, dating feels less like a rom-com and more like a horror show. So it’s time to become the Final Girl (aka the one who makes it out alive).

A Final Girl’s Guide to the Horrors of Dating is what happens when a hopeful romantic survives modern love’s monsters: ghosts, narcissists, demonic clowns, and zombie exes who refuse to stay in the past—and lives to tell the tale. Part memoir, part survival manual, this brutally honest and wickedly funny dating book is for anyone who’s been burned but still dares to believe in love.

With the sharp wit of a comedian and the candor of your most unfiltered friend, Rory walks you through the many horrors afflicting modern love. From serial cheaters to the ways we cheat ourselves, this book doesn’t just commiserate with your romantic nightmares; it arms you with the tools to rise above them. Inside these pages, you’ll learn how to:

* Spot red flags before they become full-blown horror scenes

* Break toxic dating patterns

* Stop wasting time in dead-end relationships

* Survive bed death

* Glow up after heartbreak

* Exorcize the inner demons telling you you’re too much or not enough

* Shake off shame and societal pressure around being single

* Romanticize whatever phase of life you’re in

* Become the Final Girl of your own movie

You’ll laugh, cringe, maybe even scream—but by the end, you’ll remember that the Final Girl not only makes it out alive, she thrives. And so will you.

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Review

When I read the description, I was captivated by the initial idea : transforming awful dates' anecdotes and dating trauma into spooky stories. I really loved the use of mythical and horror creatures to illustrate her dating life.

Rory Uphold has a flair for writing. She has a hilarious, and poignant written style.

Through her dating stories, the author also relates the traumas that can arise from bad dates, and the struggles to overcome these traumas. I could definitely categorise this novel as a self-improvement book for our romantic life.

The author is clearly not here to complain about her past relationships, but to share so that other women know that they are not alone in experiencing this or that situation. She invites us to look inward at our relationships (and to spot different red flags), and to do inner work. And to help us to do that, she gave amazing advice.

I recommend A Final Girl's Guide To The Horrors Of Dating to anyone going through a rough time in their dating life, to anyone who needs to learn their worth-self.

[pinkfarm]

[dreamsofisis]

The Midnight Muse by Jo Kaplan

Description

When a metal band’s lead singer vanishes in the woods, the mushrooms in the forest might know more than they’re letting on in this mycelium-metal horror novel from Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author Jo Kaplan.

The dead collect in low places. That’s what Brynn Werner, lead singer of metal band Queen Carrion, wrote in her notebook before she vanished while staying at a cabin in Oregon’s Umpqua National Forest.

A year later, on the anniversary of her disappearance, the rest of her bandmates visit the cabin to remember her and find a way to move on. But tensions arise over who should be their new singer and who is responsible for Brynn’s disappearance—tensions that boil over as they realize not all is as it seems at Trail Creek Cabin.

Strange entries in the guestbook write about visions of a pale form that moves through the trees, figures wearing gas masks lurk in the distance, and there’s a strange fungus growing from the wall of a tunnel in the cabin’s basement. Then they hear Brynn’s voice echo impossibly through the forest—and the pale form that emerges from the trees is her perfect likeness. Is it her ghost…or something else?

Brynn knew there was a secret in these woods. It’s why she chased her muse here to finish her masterpiece. The Midnight Muse is an alluring and grotesque dissection of self and fungus. Kaplan delivers an ominous spiral of psychological torment as the members of Queen Carrion slip into a more natural skin.

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Review

A Metal music group. The disappearance of the lead singer in the woods. A final escapade between the last members of the group in the middle of a forest. Enigmatic and spooky fungus. A feeling of being spied through the woods... What a wonderful setting for a great story.

The cover and title caught my eye. The description promised a good read. And the promise was kept.

I need to admit I was a little lost by the multi-pov and the multi-time line, but I quickly got used to it. Once you are hooked, you definitely can't drop your reading until the final page.

The author manages to immerse you in her world, notably thanks to the imagery that was so vivid and detailed. I felt like I was really seeing the scenes, living what the characters were living.

I really enjoyed the fact the author put a musical touch into her story, it added really something extra to the story. The mystery and horror parts are well driven and surprising in a way that I didn't even expect the plot twists.

Jo Kaplan has a true writing talent and here you have a great horror novel that blends horror, botanical/science, music and mystery.

I recommend this story for those who want a horror story that stands out.