Welcome to Litsy!

Prompt 6 for the #hauntedshelf photo challenge is cold so here is my absolute favourite cold weather horror book ever! I‘ll never see mountains the same way again 😬

#skeletoncrew

When you open your book to start reading and see the date staring back at you 🙄

I absolutely loved Olde Heuvelt's Hex so thought I'd try reading Echo. It had a strong, very promising star, but I'm now plodding along (about a third through). I'm trying to give it a chance but it's been a struggle.

“Inside a car, you brought your own universe, but outside everything always changed.”

Book 41🎧 2.9⭐️

I felt it was a little long and it took a while to get to the interesting parts.

I did find the O R scene pretty wild but there just wasn‘t enough to keep my attention for long periods.

A man is haunted/possessed by an ancient mountain 🏔️

“You only knew what you thought you saw.”

He smiles. “Did you know mountain rescuers often find fallen climbers without their eyes? By the time they find the bodies, the birds have already gotten to them. Ravens, jackdaws, crows; they pick out the eyes and swallow them up.”

“I admire your determination and your patience, seeing as, to you, this habitat is so hostile. Your ability to take the sting out of difficult situations with edgy humor. I don‘t know how I could have survived the last two weeks without you. You not only watched over my mental health but you also gave me the strength to fight back. And after all I made you suffer through!”

“At some point, you even laughed. And what else could you do but laugh? If you can‘t laugh, you either cry or go stark raving mad.”

“By the time anyone might discover the ice mummy, it wouldn‘t be forensic investigation, just an archeological curiosity.”

“Don‘t ask me why I was candid with someone who‘d been in my life less time than it takes to chug a tequila, but Cécile made some neurons in my brain dance and I liked her right off the bat. Sometimes you just feel it. Other place, other time, maybe we woulda been friends.”

One of the scariest and creepiest opening scenes in a book that I can ever recall reading.

Nick Grevers is an accomplished travel journalist & mountain climber. He & his climbing buddy Augustin decide to take on the Maudit. But it‘s the Maudit that takes on them.

Blending elements of the supernatural & harrowing survivalism, at its heart, this is a love story.

At 400 pages, it took awhile to finish because they used the “Medicine Bottle Font”.

I wanted to love this, especially after LOVING “Hex,” but it was just so…..boring. The opening chapter was super scary and held promise, but then I spent a majority of the book confused (and not in a good way). I think the premise was a good one and had a lot of potential. It just wasn‘t executed very well. This, and the constant usage of “cuz” and “dunno” made it difficult to connect with the protagonist and about sent me over the edge. 😂 2⭐️

My guy asked me to renew our wedding vows…he proposed (again) & I got to say yes (again) ❤️

What luck that two of my favorite new authors (new to me at least!) were doing a joint book signing today!

Echo doesn‘t have a great Litsy rating but I loved it! I think it was a rare horror book that had a rewarding pay off as well as an intriguing set up. I also felt like it had a complex and interesting plot that hung together as more than a series of scary scenes - I‘d have cared about these people and what happened to them if it weren‘t horror too. If you‘re looking for supernatural horror for #scarathlon2022 you could do a lot worse!

Coach ride from Riga to Tallinn today. Very jealous of my bf being one of the lucky few who can read in cars. I‘m listening to the tagged book and doing a bit of light #scarathlon2022 admin on my phone while listening to the tagged book which I HEARTILY recommend for Scarathlon. It‘s supernatural horror but chilling rather than gory so far. So atmospheric and wintry, with possession and creepy birds and a demonic mountain.

The book had potential and the translator did a good job with the writing style, but the story didn't always hold my attention and I felt that the book was too long.

#20in4 3rd book read @Andrew65

I spotted this book in Malaprop's in Asheville, but since I already had two hardcovers in my luggage, I checked out the eBook instead of buying it. Right move. This novel is a hodgepodge of images held loosely together by a tenuous thread. The narrative rules shift, which doesn't work for me, nor does the number of times a character says, "Now it was clear what had to be done," when it isn't remotely clear and isn't followed up with action.

My June #BookSpin #Doublespin #BookSpinBingo
@TheAromaofBooks

reading one of my favorite genres, ancient/landscape horror.

My god, this was a slog. After loving Hex so much I had very high hopes but this just wasn't creepy, it wasn't atmospheric, it was just *work.* The opening had me but by the halfway point I found myself hoping for a quick and painless ending. At 416 pages, it wasn't even quick. 😭 2/5 stars.

DNF @46%

It was recommended to me after I had complained that there are no creepy books out there. A friend said this was creepy as hell from the start.

Nope, wasn't creepy at all. It was all over the place and a slog.

I think I loved this more than Hex, despite it seeming VERY long*.

I absolutely loved the main characters, Sam and Nick. The book alternates narration by the two of them which I thought kept it moving nicely. A lot of folklore and legend, some humor, a lot of mountain climbing, some serious creepiness (that first chapter was terrifying!).

Really excellent writing, great translation (from Dutch), and the audio narration is fantastic.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#tarottakeover Day 2:

Two of cups reversed is usually all about disharmony and problems in relationships, specifically of the romantic variety.

I‘m listening to the tagged book, and Sam is having serious relationship issues with his beloved boyfriend Nick, mainly because Nick went mountain climbing and came back possessed by the freaking mountain. I love them so much but I‘m close to the end and it‘s not looking good for this relationship.😬

I love book mail!!! Makes the day so much better!!!

Sitting in my car on my lunch break. It is 80° in Kansas City. I had to get outside!

This unsettling #audiobook centers around Mont Maudit in the Swiss Alps. Lifelong climber, Nick goes with pal Augustin, but returns gravely injured and alone. What happened up there? And did Nick bring something back that causes the mysterious deaths that surround him. Boyfriend Sam struggles against his own past as he strives to solve the mysteries. If birds creep you out, give this one a pass! Well-performed & great for winter!
#AudioColoring

The book starts off great. A young woman is being attacked by spirits in an isolated house in the middle of a snow storm. We don't know anything about her, other than she is in peril. This is what I would call "slow burn" horror. I had a sense of dread that slowly built up. The last section is when things start happening more rapidly. I thought the last 15% of the book was pretty exciting. I enjoyed this book.

🎧 The beginning of this book creeped me out! I loved it!!

Sam & Nick are a couple. Nick writes for a travel magazine & loves to climb mountains. Sam is afraid of heights.

Nick climbs a little documented peak in the Swiss alps with Augustine.

Nick wakes up, face disfigured in a fall, claiming amnesia, unable to talk, Augustine is missing & presumed dead. Strange & creepy things begin happening.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 👇🏻👇🏻

Slow & creepy horror with a highly imaginative plot & some incredible atmospheric work. Those who have issues with body horror should steer clear. A dark, mysterious mountain, a tragic accident, & some paranormal vibes including some damn creepy birds. Some issues with verb tense agreement, but otherwise highly talented writing. Edgy & dark plot told in a dizzying multi-POV epistolary format. Cold, sinister, & disconcerting vibes on point.

Olde Heuvelt combines elements from ancient legends, village superstitions, weather phenomena, and mountain climbing techniques. Plus, he injects fear and dissonance at every level. Told in voices of two characters (one who has diarrhea of the mouth). It‘s hard to truly creep me out, but this did. OTOH, some parts were 💤. The translation is top-notch too.

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com #thebibliophage2022
#pantone2022 #snowwhite

Oh so disappointed. While the last chapter of Hex still haunts me, it‘s the first chapter of Echo that will stay with me. It‘s all downhill from there. I will grant you that I was scared through most of it, even the slog of the middle, but the ending was meh and tying in Sam‘s secondary storyline felt like an unnecessary stretch. The constant fear factor is the only reason I‘m not panning this, but I can‘t recommend it. 😕

Happy Release Day! 🥳🎉

Book Review- https://www.boleybooks.com/2021/09/06/echo/

#boleybooks #Echo #thomasoldeheuvelt #bookbeast #bookblast #netgalley #bookbuds #NowAvailable

Ho. Ly. Sh*t. If the rest of the book is as scary as the first chapter, it‘s going to give me nightmares. 🙀🙀

Book Mail!

I loved “Hex” so I was excited to get this ARC in the mail today!!!

Tackle the TBR 🤓📚 #boleybooks #Echo #thomasoldeheuvelt #bookbeast #bookjoy #NetGalley
What are you reading? 😊