Everyone has those things that they are afraid of. Some of those fears may be surprising or irrational to others, but they are very real for those who experience them.

I am very claustrophobic. While I’m not afraid of the dark, if you mix darkness and confined spaces I am not okay in any way. This made parts of Tunnel of Bones very interesting for me, which tells you that Victoria Schwab’s writing was amazing since it evoked those feelings.

I’m also not the biggest fan of heights, but it’s weird. I can be perfectly fine standing on a roof, but standing on a step ladder? Oh boy, the fear is real. I don’t understand it, it just comes as it wants to. I do have a lot of fear and anxiety over being on planes, but that is more because I have a loss of control over the situation and apparently my anxiety is not okay with that.

In most instance my fears do not really affect my reading, though there are cases such as with Tunnel of Bones where they may make me a little uncomfortable while reading, but it’s not going to stop my reading progress or make me stop reading a book.

Do your fears affect your reading? What are you afraid of?

Happy reading!

Whenever you read books that include magic or spells, you find yourself wishing that such things could really be used, it could definitely make some aspects of life easier. We find ourselves fantasizing what we would do if we could use such talents.

Though it’s not a spell, the one thing I wish existed would be a time turner. There are never enough hours in the day to get everything done that I want to get done. A time turner would make things so much easier, and allow me to accomplish so much more.

I also would love the powers of being able to tell the future, it would allow me to know if I’m going to enjoy something I read before I read it, but then again I suppose that would take the fun out of reading. So maybe not now that I think about it.

What about you? What spells or magical items would you want to be real?

Happy reading!

There are tons of books out there with witches as a central theme, or at least a major part. If you’re looking for classics, The Crucible not only concerns witches but also the human condition and mob mentality. There are also some anthologies featuring witches as well, such as Toil and Trouble. Some of my favorites may be a little lesser known, but they’re enjoyable to me.

Three Sisters Island Trilogy – Nora Roberts has a number of books that deal with witches, but this is my favorite of the ones that she has written. It’s set on an island off the Eastern coast of the United States (think New England) and follows three different women who must work together to undo a curse that was created by their ancestors. Each book follows a different woman in the trio as they deal with their own personal demons as well as form romantic relationships. Each of them deals with different issues and have very distinct personalities.

The Hollows Series – I’ve only read the first book in this series so far but they are a fun ride. The main character is a witch, but there are all manner of supernatural beings in the series. The main character’s sense of humor is amazing and the writing is easy to read, which makes it a fast book experience. This urban fantasy series has a great starter and I’m excited to continue on in the series.

Mercy Thompson Series – Ok, the main character in this series is not a witch; however, there are witches in the series. This is another urban fantasy series that includes a main character who can shape shift into a coyote. She’s a mechanic and is surrounded daily by other supernatural beings. The relationship that Patricia Briggs create, even the friendships, are deep and full fledged. Serious events that happen in earlier books continue to have repercussions in future books instead of being ignored.

These are all series that I’ve enjoyed and are comforting rather than creepy to me. All of them are worth diving into and in the last two cases there are a number of books to keep you busy.

Happy reading!

If you are a lover of thriller or horror books, or even just slightly creepy books, then you’ve probably seen some darker book covers. There are some styles that I think are the best design wise, as they really step up the creepy factor.

Pictures within pictures: You don’t see this one as much as I would like to see it, but they can really be amazing. The ones that are done really well won’t be immediately noticeable and be a total surprise when they are seen. This is not necessarily exclusive to creepy books, but I’ve seen it the most in that genre.

Not your standard girl on the cover: Everyone has seen the usual girl on the cover that is very popular in young adult and romance so I love seeing when it is altered for the purpose having a creep factor or just being different. This can still be done in an elegant way without being disturbing, but that in and of itself can be disturbing when you look at the descriptions of these books along with the cover. Some of these are masterfully done and I really hope this becomes a more popular trend.

Normal scene, or not: Again, these are similar to pictures within pictures where you may not notice anything out of sorts with the cover. It may look completely normal until you look closer. These may not be creepy in theme, but you do sometimes see them used in the thriller/horror genre. These are the kind of covers that are fun to look at for a while until you find all the details.

There are tons of other styles of cover which may be more creepy but I love the covers that have deeper details and make you want to spend a lot of time just looking at them.

Happy reading!

I’ve mentioned multiple times in this series that these last two seasons of the year lend to hunkering down and staying cozy, so it’s the perfect time for those books that give you a cozy or warm feeling.

Now, October does tend to be the exception since myself and a lot of people reach for spooky reads, but beyond that I also reach for books that give me a warm and cozy feeling.

The first things I turn to are cozy mysteries. What better way to curl up and enjoy an adventure than with these books. These mysteries are usually light and fun, full of humor and also a murder mystery.

I also reach for graphic novels, even darker ones, because they are quick and fun. Even though some of the genres can be heavy they go by quickly because of what they are.

Finally, this is the time of year that I will start reaching for seasonally themed books. Some of the most heart warming and cozy books can be those centered around Christmas or other holidays. Yes, they can sometimes be overly sweet or even a little corny, but there’s just something about them that suits this time of year.

Happy reading!