Hi all!
Today I am sharing my wrap-up for the IT themed readathon – created by me. You can read more about it here and here. It went for the entire month of July and I ended up reading six books. I also watched Funny Games & Hostel to satisfy the horror movie prompt to defeat Pennywise. I selected Richie Tozier as my member of the Loser’s Club and completed all of his challenges. I also had enough time to finish Eddie Kaspbrak’s path. Without further ado, let’s get into it!
MY WRAP-UP!
1.) Read a horror comedy novel
I loved this funny, yet spooky story. It was set in an IKEA type store, which was surprisingly unsettling. There was plenty of witty dialogue, suspense and action to keep me interested the entire way through. I believe Grady Hendrix can be a bit hit and miss but this one was a home-run!
I gave it 4.5/5 stars.
2-3.) Read a horror novella and an LGBTQ+ horror
I read The Worm and His Kings for both this readathon and the Breath of the Wild Readathon. You can get more info about that here. I will start off with what I enjoyed. It had excellent trans and sapphic representation. It was also beautifully written. Unfortunately, I don’t think cosmic horror is for me. For a short story, it was extremely confusing and bizarre. I had no idea what was going on for most of it and if you ask me how it ended, I couldn’t really tell you. I don’t like to think too hard when I’m reading.
I gave it 2/5 stars.
4.) Read a Stephen King novel
I absolutely loved the 2017 film adaptation, so I was certain I would enjoy the original story. I was right! It was told to perfection. I truly believe Gerald’s Game is one of Kings best works. Check it out if you haven’t already.
I gave it 5/5 stars.
5.) Watch a movie you swore you wouldn’t…
I finally sat down to watch the 2007 remake of Funny Games, starring Naomi Watts and Tim Roth. It was definitely more of a thriller with horror elements. Like Hostel (as you’ll see down below) the film was tamer than I expected it to be. Having said that, the sadistic games the family were forced to play made me uncomfortable. Especially because their young child was involved. It moved at a very slow pace, only ramping up toward the end. I thought the rewind was a nice touch but I guess home invasion movies just aren’t for me because I wasn’t excited by this movie. Is the original better?
I gave it 2.5/5 stars.
1-2.) Read a horror novel with a deadly virus and a horror novel you’re scared to pick up
This was July’s You’ll Read Too Bookclub pick of the month! You can read my entire review – along with discussion topics and trivia questions – here.
I gave it 3.5/5 stars.
3.) Read a horror novel with an underdog as the main character
After seeing The Black Phone in cinemas last month (full review here), I wanted to read the short story by Joe Hill. It was very similar to the film but still didn’t provide any additional context to The Grabber. I was left with so many questions. The lead, Finney, is 100% an underdog.
I gave it 3/5 stars.
4.) Read a psychological horror novel
The talented Mark Towse sent me a copy of his novella: Gone to the Dogs and I really enjoyed it. It definitely messed with my mind, which is to be expected with a psychological horror. I loved the parallels to The Mist and the way the author was able to conjure a tale full of dread and comedy at the same time.
I gave it 4/5 stars.
5.) Watch a movie you swore you wouldn’t…
I decided to give Hostel a go and here is what I thought. It’s going to sound twisted but I am so desensitised to horror at this point that the torture was a bit vanilla for me. Saw and The Human Centipede are much more intense in my opinion. The beginning of the film was reminiscent of EuroTrip. It was a lot of sex, drugs and drinking. The second half was where the movie ramped up but still, I was slightly underwhelmed. The disjointed plot lacked substance and I didn’t feel any sort of sympathy for the ‘frat-boy’ type characters.
I gave it 2/5 stars.
Thank you so much for reading! Did you partake in the readathon? Let me know how you went!
Peace & Love xoxo