Mini Reviews: Canterville Ghost, Lullaby, and Everything Alice

Title: The Canterville Ghost

Author: Oscar Wilde

Publisher: Unknown

Publishing Date: February 23rd, 1887

Pages: 126

Audio Length: 1 Hour and 12 Minutes

Genre: Classic Short Stories

TW: N/A

Series: Standalone

Source: Audio

 

This is Oscar Wilde's tale of the American family moved into a British mansion, Canterville Chase, much to the annoyance of its tired ghost. The family -- which refuses to believe in him -- is in Wilde's way a commentary on the British nobility of the day -- and on the Americans, too. The tale, like many of Wilde's, is rich with allusion, but ends as sentimental romance...

Mini Review:

I in general do not like Classics. There's very few I enjoy. I saw that this was a short book and decided that I wouldn't be wasting a ton of time if I didn't like it.
But I really liked it! The ghost was sassy and funny. The family was like "whatever we have a ghost" and it was all just like "Yepp this is my life now." And I really enjoyed it. It made me laugh and I for some reason really related to this ghost. I kept saying "Same!" whenever he got frustrated or what not. 

Title: Lullaby
Author: Jonathan Maberry

Publishing Date: October 4th, 2018

Pages: 14

Audio Length: 37 Minutes

Genre: Horror

TW: Death of an infant

Series: Standalone

Source: Audio

 

The fears and horrors of being a new parent take on a shocking dimension in in this heart-stopping original story, only from Audible. A young married couple, Matt and Gillian have just bought a gorgeous house located next to a lake in the Catskills. They want to escape the hustle and bustle of the city to raise their baby girl, Hope, in relative peace and quiet. When night falls, however, their dream home becomes a house of nightmares. Matt and Gillian soon learn that darkness takes many forms. And sometimes, darkness is hungry.

New York Times best-selling author and Bram Stoker Award winner Jonathan Maberry delivers a haunting Audible Original that will give listeners the Halloween creeps all year round. Scott Brick, the man with the golden voice, perfectly captures the experience of hearing a classic ghost story told around the campfire.

Mini Review:

I was super excited when I heard about this book. I wasn't expecting it to be so short so that was a shock. 

I had a hard time listening to this, because of losing my boys. I felt like it was a good short story though. There wasn't any reason to be any longer. It was kind of creepy still.

Title: Everything Alice: The Wonderland Book of Makes and Bakes
Author: Hannah Read-Baldrey, Christine Leeach

Publishing Date: January 1st, 2011

Pages: 143

Audio Length: N/A

Genre: Arts and Crafts/ Recipe book

TW: N/A

Series: Standalone

Source: Book

 

Welcome to Wonderland
Enter the magical world of "Everything Alice," where nothing is quite as it seems! The tales of Alice in Wonderland provide the inspiration for a charming and original collection of 50 makes, ranging from a hand-sewn rabbit toy and pompom-decorated slippers to a papercraft party invitation tea set and cut-out-and-keep dress-up dolls. Who wouldn't be seduced by a red polka dot frilly apron to wear while baking cupcakes fit for a king or a heart-shaped pinboard to house precious keepsakes, all designed and made by Christine Leech and Hannah Read-Baldrey. This book is the creative must-have for any Alice lover, whatever their age.

Mini Review:

Oh my goodness I freaked out when I got this for Christmas. Forget everything else I got that day, this was the best. I thought it was going to be just recipes. NO! It has crafts and recipes and everything and I love it. It's easy to follow, has patterns you can follow. And pictures! I love pictures. 

I Read That Movie: Pet Sematary by Stephen King

I  read that movie is a feature where we compare movies or TV series, and the books they're based on.

Title: Pet Sematary

Publisher: Gallery Books

Publishing Date: November 14th, 1983

Pages: 395

Length of Audio: 15 Hours and 41 Minutes

Genre: Horror

Series: Standalone

Source: Audio

  

Stephen King’s #1 New York Times bestseller Pet Sematary, a classic about evil that exists far beyond the grave—among King’s most iconic and beloved novels.

When Dr. Louis Creed takes a new job and moves his family to the idyllic rural town of Ludlow, Maine, this new beginning seems too good to be true. Despite Ludlow’s tranquility, an undercurrent of danger exists here. Those trucks on the road outside the Creed’s beautiful old home travel by just a little too quickly, for one thing…as is evidenced by the makeshift graveyard in the nearby woods where generations of children have buried their beloved pets. Then there are the warnings to Louis both real and from the depths of his nightmares that he should not venture beyond the borders of this little graveyard where another burial ground lures with seductive promises and ungodly temptations. A blood-chilling truth is hidden there—one more terrifying than death itself, and hideously more powerful. As Louis is about to discover for himself sometimes, dead is better…

Mini review:

What made me read this book: 

I saw the movie and I wanted to read it.

What did I like the most: 
I of course love the story of it. I love the idea of a pet cemetery, especially if it's one where the animals come back alive (Though it's an indian burial ground past the pet sematary in this book.) The idea of it is super creepy and terrifying.

I love the writing as well. I have read three King books now and the other two are newer ones and I really disliked them. But this one is written well. 

What didn't I like: 

It was still kind of slow. The movie is too, it takes forever to get to the BAM of it. But this one is really slow. And I really don't like the characters. Not any of them. Well I do like Jud.

Release Date: April 21st, 1989

Cast: Dale Midkiff, Fred Gwynne, Denise Crosby
Length: 1 Hour and 43 Minutes

Series: Standalone

After tragedy strikes, a grieving father discovers an ancient burial ground behind his home with the power to raise the dead.

Mini Review:

Obviously this is comparing the original movie with the book, I need to go see the new movie. I can't wait to see it though.

I had seen this movie years ago and didn't think much of it. I didn't NOT like it, but it was just meh.

I watched it again recently when I won a copy of the book from bookstagram and I knew the new movie was coming out. 

And I of course loved it. It is super creepy and leaves you with a dark empty feeling with everything that happens in it.

It's from the 80's so of course it's a bit cheesy at times. But it was still really well done and really freaky.

Let's compare:

Did I see the movie or read the book first?
I saw the movie first.

Like the movie or the book better?
I like the movie better. It's definitely more scary than the book is. The book was good, but I didn't feel scared, jumpy, or anything at all. Maybe it's because I watched the movie first?

How does it compare?
Very very similar! Honestly the movie didn't really change much from the book at all.

Do the actors match the characters in the book?
Yeah I think so, but again I saw the movie first. So when I listened to the book I saw the characters from the movie in my head.

Major differences?
The biggest difference is in the book Jud has a wife. And in the movie they have a lady who helps them with house stuff. And she was a big part of the movie. 

Fun Facts?
In Stephen King's novel, Judd mentions that a dog went wild in a nearby town and killed several people. This is a reference to the events of Cujo (1983), another novel by King. It is common for characters in King's novels to mention the events of his other novels.