We LOVE challenging each other during #WyrdAndWonder and #SpooktasticReads with prompts which inspire responses which can be taken literally by the words of the prompt itself or become explored more creatively by what sparks a response from the reader, blogger or social Fantasy lover to share with us during the months of May and October. This year, I’ve decided to post complimentary discussions featuring the prompts I am responding to via Instagram on our @WyrdAndWonder feeds. As it was a goal of mine last year but not one that I could fulfil properly.
Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
I am a HUGE appreciator of #WitchyFiction – as I am quite sure many of followers and bookish friends online can attest as I regularly feature them during both #WyrdAndWonder and #SpooktasticReads annually! This year, I decided to seek out new voices in this niche of Fantasy I adore to discover – one was a recommended read by a fellow book blogger and reviewer I’ve known for quite a long time now, Maelia. She also used to be a regular chatter when I hosted @SatBookChat (on Twitter) every week and then, bimonthly, until I had to take a sabbatical from hosting the chats due to my work schedule the last few years. We’ve both crossed paths with the author Emma Jackson – as I previously read her novel The Devil’s Bride (which was a featured review during #SpooktasticReads 2021).
This time round, I am soaking into the audiobook version of her novel “Witch You Weren’t” which sounds like a delightfully lighter read than the previous one! And, a bit of a cheeky plot, too, which is right up my street this year! As I try to find a balance between the more dramatic stories and the lighter ones which give me more laughter than tears. Spooky reads to me are the kind of stories which are more Cosy than Horrific and give a cheeky glimpse into the paranormal realms moreso than they scare me out of my mind. Laughs. We all approach this readathon and concentration of stories differently but for me, I love seeking out the magic and delights moreso than the chilling stories which chill your bones!
A second audiobook which I read about by a fellow book blogger and bookstagrammer (of whom I’ve forgotten offhand!) leant me the impression that I might enjoy “The Crescent Moon Tearoom”. Whereas there was something enchanting about “Cinders and Sparrows” and I purchased the audiobook during one of Audible’s sales this end of Summer.
I am appreciating having a subscription to Everand again, as it helps me re-align back into audiobook stories and seeking out different genres of interest which they have in their catalogue of audioreads available to listeners. Whilst with my membership with Audible, I can purchase audiobooks as well as listen to others in their Plus catalogue which also consume a lot of the bookish interests I have in respect to genre and niches of literature I routinely seek out to read.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- #SpooktasticReads 2024
