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With Halloween quickly approaching I am in the mood to be spooked. I’ve never been a fan of gore but thrillers and good old fashioned ghost stories are fun for me! (It’s why I enjoy The X-Files so much).
So today we thought we should share some classics written by the Master of Macabre: Edgar Allan Poe. The Tell Tale Heart
A widely known story, and often parodied, The Tell Tale Heart is a story that of murder and guilt. It’s considered a classic Gothic story.
I love this story because it has you wondering what is real and what isn’t. The narrator (also the murderer) isn’t the most reliable and can’t give us a good reason for the crime he’s committed. The tension built through the story makes it a fun read for a fall night. The Pit and the Pendulum
In high school we had a competition in our English class to write a new ending for this Poe story, and I won. I don’t remember what I wrote at all but I do remember this story and the fear I felt while reading it.
The Pit and the Pendulum is more of a thriller than a horror story to me. It tells of a man Sentenced to death by the Inquisition, Who wakes in a completely dark room. Through his explorations in the dark and good luck he finds a deep pit in the center of his cell. This is just the first of his many encounters with death in his cell. I love this story not only for the suspense that builds or because I won a contest associated with it, but because, despite the scary aspects of it, hope is at the center of the story. It makes it different than other Poe stories. And adds another layer to the story. The Raven
Arguably one of the most famous poems in existence, The Raven tells the story of a man tormented by a talking raven. The raven only repeats “Nevermore” to the man as he laments his lost love Lenore.
The Raven has a lyrical quality that keeps you intrigued by where the story’s headed. It has elements of the supernatural without being an outright ghost story. Like The Tell Tale Heart it leaves you with an uneasy feeling of trying to figure out what was reality and what wasn’t. Poe had a masterful way with words and if you love these three works you’ll probably enjoy more of his stories and poems. So are you going to read Poe this Halloween season? What other scary or suspenseful books do you love? Let us know in the comments below!
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For Handmade Monthly in September I made some bookmarks on Canva. But it's not getting posted until October, because well life! I'm sorry! But I do have it here for you and I think it turned out pretty cute!
The fun thing about this DIY is even if you feel like you are not good at crafting or artsy things, it's actually easy to get a good result. And I think the bookmark would make a great gift for the book lovers in your life. Or a fun thing to give to your book club members. It's an inexpensive gift that can be personalized a million different ways, and surely loved by the voracious readers in your life. Making a Bookmark on Canva
We aren't sponsored or endorsed by Canva in any way but I like to use their site to design little things like this because it's easy and I like the variety of templates, stickers, and fonts. I love how things are customizable without being difficult to use. To help you out I have made this video describing how to make a bookmark on Canva.
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I only used pictures and digital stickers on my bookmark, but it would also be cute to have a favorite book quote or reference to a favorite book on the bookmark as well.
Once your bookmark is finished being created you can print it off on cardstock, photo paper, or regular paper, and get it laminated. I actually used regular paper and clear packing tape to laminate mine! I think it turned out pretty cute. I love how Sofía's cute little face is peeking out of the top of the book.
If you're going to print it at home you will want a good printer. I love my Canon because it does wireless printing from the computer and my phone. AND it does automatic double sided printing, so I don't have to go figure out which way to reload the paper in to make sure it prints correctly on both sides. It's my favorite feature.
So hopefully you found this tutorial helpful and a great way to make your book gift giving a little more personal this year!
PS for What to Read Wednesday, consider this your recommendation for A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. It's an amazing book and a classic for a reason, you will not regret this read!
This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for purchases made through those links at no additional cost to you. All views expressed are my own. Thank you for your support.
Today for What to Read Wednesday I have a classic that I just had the pleasure of listening to on Audible. It's actually a play from 1912 written by George Bernard Shaw: Pygmalion. And although it is over 100 years old, I found the themes and plot still suitable to our present times. Read on to see why!
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
Pygmalion is named after a Greek mythological figure Pygmalion, a sculptor who fell in love with his sculpture. Venus changed his sculpture into a real women and they were married. This parallels to Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion as Eliza Doolittle is brought out of the gutters and taught proper English by Professor Henry Higgins. But Do Higgins and Doolittle marry in Shaw's Pygmalion? You'll have to read it to find out!
I really enjoyed this play. As I said, I listened to it on Audible and the version I listened to had all different actors playing each character, so it made it easy to follow along.
And although set over 100 years ago, the themes of appearance and identity, social class, and feminism. All topics we are still talking about on a daily basis. I loved the way it was presented, subtly and with humor. Eliza becomes a very strong and self-assured woman by the end of the play, but still maintains her manners with those about her. You may be thinking these names Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins sound familiar, that's because My Fair Lady is based on Pygmalion. Though it has been changed, so I suggest reading the play too!
So have you read this lovely classic? Will you now? Let us know in the comments below!
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Today for What to Read Wednesday I want to suggest a book that has been out a few years already and had a movie made from it that won Academy Awards: Room by Emma Donoghue.
Room by Emma Donoghue
Room is one of those books that you're not sure of at first. It's told from the perspective of a 5 year old boy which bothers some people who read it. But once you get into the story it's easy to get past that.
The story is about a boy, Jack, and his Ma who are trapped in an eleven ft square room. I don't want to give too much away because I feel the book is better that way. But I will say this book is very thought provoking and a testament to the bond between mother and child. The book deals with heavy topics, and a lot of them including trauma, rape, suicide, and family struggles, but because it comes from Jack's perspective you don't put the book down feeling depressed and hollow. My final feeling when finishing the book was hope. And I think that's one of the reasons I loved it. This isn't a book I would recommend for young children, despite it being told from the perspective of a 5 year old, but older teens and adults could probably handle the themes of the book. This is another book that I listened to on my phone. They had different voice actors for characters and I think that really helped to keep me engaged. I love listening to books because it helps me to stay up on my reading and taking care of my home. If you're busy and on the go like me, listening to books is a great way to get extra reading in! I have been using Audible and I love it. You can try it out here.
If you've seen the movie before, I would still recommend the book. I too watched the movie before reading the book, and I still feel the book is different enough that it is worth your time. (Although I do think the movie did a great job staying true to the story). The movie is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video too. If you don't have Prime, what are you waiting for?
So have you read Room? Will you be picking it up and trying it out? I promise you won't regret it. I loved it and all though it deals with heavy subjects it's really thought provoking and a beautiful book. Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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Creators of Hot Cocoa Bombs! (copyrighted)
Author
Helen Reynolds: Mother of six children , grandmother to eleven! I love to cook, craft and create things and I especially love doing that with my family, So, when my lawyer daughter, Lindsey, my artist daughter, Madalynn, and I came up with the idea of Hot Cocoa Bombs, this blog was born. Then, one more daughter, with her technical and science skills, plus creativity has joined in to round us out! Read more about us here! Archives
July 2024
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