When I Arrived at the Castle by E. M. Carroll

 

I read the ebook edition of When I Arrived at the Castle by E. M. Carroll. It's a 72 page comic book that falls into the horror genre and involves a vampire.

When I Arrived at the Castle by E. M. Carroll is a super quick read.
I didn't enjoy this book. The artwork was so-so and the storyline was boring. This is the 1st book I've read by E. M. Carroll and it may just be my last read.

Below is the publisher's summary for When I Arrived at the Castle by E. M. Carroll:

"A castle, a killer, and prey all bound and blurred by lust and blood."

Like many before her that have never come back, she's made it to the Countess' castle determined to snuff out the horror, but she could never be prepared for what hides within its turrets; what unfurls under its fluttering flags. Emily Carroll has fashioned a rich gothic horror charged with eroticism that doesn't just make your skin crawl, it crawls into it.

I am giving When I Arrived at the Castle by E. M. Carroll a rating of 2 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Checkout Which USA Airports Contain a Little Free Library!

Last week, I made a post about discovering a 'sharing library' at the Oakland Airport. I found it very cool to see a reading library within a coffeehouse near a Southwest Airlines gate. 

Since making this post, it got me thinking about whether other airports across the nation have Little Free Libraries within them. Sure enough, there are other airports that have Little Free Libraries!

Check out the following article titled, Books Fly Off Airport Little Free Library Shelves by Sarah Nelson to discover which airports contain Little Free Libraries.

Soccer Themed Reads - Celebrate 2026 FIFA World Cup!!

I'm not a soccer enthusiast. Nor have I been watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, I thought it would be fitting to make a post pertaining to books which feature soccer in some fashion. 

Checkout my list below of books featuring soccer.

1. For Whom The Ball Rolls by Ian Plenderleith

2. Over the Line by Tom Palmer

3. Papers in the Wind by Eduardo Sacheri

4. Paris 75 by Billy Morris

5. The Hope That Kills Us by Adrian Searle

6. The Blinder by Barry Hines

7. Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby

8. The Striker and the Clock by Georgia Cloepfil

9. Golazo by Andreas Campomar

10. How to Watch Soccer by Ruud Gullit

Are you watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

UPDATE: I decide to listen to unabridged audio version of Over the Line by Tom Palmer. I finished it in one sitting. Excellent read! Full review to come.

The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff

 

I listened to the unabridged audio version of The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff, which is nicely narrated by January LaVoy. The Vaster Wilds is the second novel I've read by Lauren Groff. I read Lauren Groff's novel, Matrix, back in 2021 and thoroughly enjoyed it. I've been meaning to read more of Lauren Groff's novels since then. This month I made it happen by finishing The Vaster Wilds.

I enjoyed aspects of The Vaster Wilds, like the fact that it is a very descriptive novel in almost every way as only Lauren Groff can do. This novel touches upon religion, the circle of life, nature itself, and more. I found the section on naming of things to be an interesting discussion. Also, the brutality and beauty of nature is described in much detail in this novel as well. But, overall, I wasn't in love with this novel as I'd hoped I'd be.

The Vaster Wilds is a work of historical fiction set in America during the time of early colonialism. The protagonist is a young servant girl, whom flees a colonial settlement suffering from the plague. It's the dead of winter and the climate is cold and harsh. She must go it alone and try to survive the vast wilderness on her own. As she journeys on her own, we learn more about her life and how she came to the American Colonies. Essentially, we learn of the world solely through the servant girl's eyes and it's the only perspective we have. I would have liked to see her interacting with others throughout this novel to give it more depth.

Below is the publisher's summary for The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff:

A servant girl escapes from a colonial settlement in the wilderness. She carries nothing with her but her wits, a few possessions, and the spark of god that burns hot within her. What she finds in this terra incognita is beyond the limits of her imagination and will bend her belief in everything that her own civilization has taught her.

Lauren Groff’s new novel is at once a thrilling adventure story and a penetrating fable about trying to find a new way of living in a world succumbing to the churn of colonialism. The Vaster Wilds is a work of raw and prophetic power that tells the story of America in miniature, through one girl at a hinge point in history, to ask how—and if—we can adapt quickly enough to save ourselves.

I am giving The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!!

Ten Books Pertaining to American History

Below is a list of books I've read and reviewed dealing with American history over different periods of time. 

In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the USA as a country, I thought I'd share some of the book titles with links to my reviews for those interested in reading the same books.

1. Mayflower Lives by Martyn Whittock

2. Common Sense by Thomas Paine

3. Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard

4. Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm

5. They Called Us Enemy by George Takei

6. March by John Lewis

7. Why We Can't Wait by Martin Luther King, Jr.

8. Changing Laws: Politics of the Civil Rights Era by Judy Dodge Cummings

9. Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio by Derf Backderf

10. Sisters in Law: How Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World by Linda R. Hirshman

Top Ten Tuesday - Book Titles That Include the Word "Water"

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Below are ten books with the word, "water", in the title. I would like to read the following  books some day!

1. Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
2. The Color of Water by James McBride
3. Be Water, My Friend by Shannon Lee
4. The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch
5.Water: A Natural History by Alice Outwater
6. Wade in the Water by Nyani Nkrumah
7. The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi
8. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
9. The Bookshop at Water's End by Patti Callahan Henry
10. Deep Water by Patricia Highsmith

Have you read any of these books? Which one would you recommend?

Underrated American Authors - These Writers Are Gems!

With it being the 250th anniversary of the United States of America this month on July 4th, it occurred to me to promote a few American authors that need more love! 

I came across this idea from a YouTuber. I decided to make my own list of underrated American authors that perhaps need more attention. Sure it's easy to list Octavia Butler, Joyce Carol Oates, Toni Morrison, Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott, Pearl S. Buck, Kate Chopin, and so on. But who are some other, not so well known American writers who are gems?

I had a difficult time making this list because it's difficult to come up with American authors that I have read and consider underrated gems! It's a tall order for sure. I've added links to most of my reviews for each novel below. Check out the list below.

1. The Seas by Samantha Hunt

2. Jubilee by Margaret Walker

3. The True Story of Hansel & Gretel by Louise Murphy

4. These Women by Ivy Pochoda

5. The Familiar Dark & The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

6. Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West

7. The Second Mrs. Hockaday by Susan Rivers

8. Woodworking by Emily St. James

9. His Fair Assassin Trilogy by Robin LaFevers

10.  All Is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker

Have you read any of the above authors? Which American authors would make your list of underrated ones?

Bookish Quote of the Day!!