Book Reviews, Historical Fiction2 Comments

Mary B

The Perspicacious Bookworm

Though a child, I already saw, unfolding before me, a life lived ingratiatingly in the shadows, of sitting like an old gargoyle at dinner tables while, some few feet away, the living laughed and exchanged stories. I would have no stories to tell. No estates to run. No children to speak of. I would not be blessed with the holy rites of matrimony and would this be compelled to live my years beholden to the loveliness of one of two older sisters, who would, by their charity, ensure that I always had food to eat and a roof over my … Continue reading Mary B

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Top 10 Books on my Winter TBR

The Perspicacious Bookworm

My favorite thing about winter is all the opportunities to read – I love sitting in my reading chair under a blanket, knowing that it’s cold outside but I’m still cozy. Thanks to That Artsy Reader Girl’s Top 10 Tuesday prompt, here is a list of ten books I’m hoping to read this season. 1.Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones This book comes highly recommended by my sister The Effervescent Bookworm, and it’s about time that I read it! In this one, a young woman travels to the Goblin King to rescue her sister. It seems like a quick read that’ll fill … Continue reading Top 10 Books on my Winter TBR

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Top 10 Wintry Reads

The Perspicacious Bookworm

I am not a fan of the cold, but I love winter – there is nothing better than sitting under a warm blanket and reading a book, knowing that it’s cold and miserable outside and I don’t have to be out there in the middle of it. Over the years I have collected a long list of winter reads, but here are some of my favorites! Thanks to That Artsy Reader Girl‘s Top 10 Tuesdays for the prompt. 1. Bone White by Ronald Malfi This is one of the best horror novels I’ve read in a long time – it … Continue reading Top 10 Wintry Reads

Book Reviews, Mystery, Young Adult Fiction1 Comment

Broken Things

The Perspicacious Bookworm

The woods were deep and quiet with snow. Our footsteps plunging through the film of surface ice disturbed crows from their perches, sending them screaming toward the sky. Summer was in a good mood. She hardly seemed to notice the cold and kept urging us to hurry up, go on, just a little farther – past the shed, past another creek, down into a kind of gully where birch trees stood like ghostly signposts, frightened by some past horror into the same stripped whiteness. This was the prima ballerina Summer, the dazzlingly beautiful one, the one we could never refuse. … Continue reading Broken Things

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Top 10 Bookish Items I’d Like to Own

The Perspicacious Bookworm

The holiday season is coming, people! And luckily, there are so many incredible gifts online for readers. So thanks to That Artsy Reader Girl’s Top Tuesday prompt for this week, I have pulled together a little list of my favorite bookish items for all budgets, including those millionaire friends I know I have out there somewhere. 1. Clear book weight $19.99 This one happens to be one of my top favorite gift ideas. I’m sure most of you have struggled with reading over lunch – it’s hard to hold a book with one hand and eat with the other (not … Continue reading Top 10 Bookish Items I’d Like to Own

Book Reviews, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, MysteryLeave a comment

Daughters of the Lake

The Perspicacious Bookworm

His wife’s cries awoke the new father who, rushed, horrified, to the side of his first daughter’s crib in the nursery, an alcove just off what was now the master bedroom that Simon and Jonathan had renovated into a spectacular master bath, complete with a steam shower and Jacuzzi tub. It was Simon’s favorite thing, lazing in the scented water, enjoying a glass of wine and a good book. He had no idea that his great-grandmother had begun to lose her sanity in the exact spot where numerous water jets now massaged the kinks in his back. Although he had … Continue reading Daughters of the Lake

Book Reviews, Historical Fiction, Horror2 Comments

Classic Monsters: Vampires in Kostova’s The Historian

The Perspicacious Bookworm

On the side of it, in the deepest flesh on the muscular throat, were two brown scabbed puncture marks. Not fresh, but not fully healed, as if he had been stabbed by twin thorns, or mutilated at knife points. I stepped back from the table, thinking I had lost my mind with all my morbid readings, that I’d actually come unhinged, but the daylight was quite ordinary. The man in his dark wool suit perfectly real, down to the smell of unwash and perspiration and… something else, under his cologne. Nothing disappeared or hanged. I couldn’t drag my eyes from … Continue reading Classic Monsters: Vampires in Kostova’s The Historian

Book Reviews, Horror2 Comments

Classic Monsters: The God of Death in Dubeau’s A God in the Shed

The Perspicacious Bookworm

“I see it,” Jonathan confirmed in a whisper. “What is it?” “Not a bear. The eyes are too close together,” Eenis said. “They look almost… human.” Nathan dropped his arms but forced himself not to run away. “We should go,” Jonathan said, voicing what the others were ashamed to admit. “Pleeeease… stay.” The words had been issued from the cavern, piercing the air with a sound that soothed the soul and eased the mind. As the voice dissipated, a body crawled from the shadows of the cave. At first, it walked on all fours, awkwardly scuttling on the ground like … Continue reading Classic Monsters: The God of Death in Dubeau’s A God in the Shed

Articles, Top 10 Lists2 Comments

Top 10 Creepiest Villains

The Perspicacious Bookworm

Villains can really make or break a novel – a believable villain builds upon the plot and the atmosphere, but an unbelievable or powerless villain makes the whole thing seem artificial or irrelevant or both. Based on That Artsy Reader Girl‘s Top 10 Tuesday prompt, here are 10 of the creepiest villains from some of my favorite books. Spoiler Alert: I tried and really couldn’t write this article without a few spoilers. The things that are in here are vague and there isn’t anything from the very ending, but feel free to skip this one if you’d like. 1. The … Continue reading Top 10 Creepiest Villains

Book Reviews2 Comments

Classic Monsters: Sapkowski’s The Last Wish – It has a little bit of everything!

The Perspicacious Bookworm

“Well, then Adda gave birth. And now listen, because this is where it all starts. Only a few saw what she bore, but one midwife jumped from the tower window to her death and the other lost her senses and remains dazed to this day. So I gather that the royal bastard – a girl – was not comely, and she died immediately. No one was in a hurry to tie the umbilical cord. Nor did Adda, to her good fortune, survive the birth. “But then Foltest stepped in again. Wisdom dictated that the royal bastard should have been burned … Continue reading Classic Monsters: Sapkowski’s The Last Wish – It has a little bit of everything!