Dewey's Readathon Closing Survey

When I finished Blood Secrets by Craig Jones, I was struggling to keep my eyes open, so I just went to sleep. I probably would've fallen asleep earlier if Blood Secrets wasn't such a page turner. I read a few reviews that said it has a huge twist at the end and I had to keep reading to see what it was. I definitely didn't see that ending coming. I'm not going to say anymore because I don't want to spoil it.

Total pages read: 478

Closing Survey

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?

Around 6:00 am I literally couldn't keep my eyes open anymore and I fell asleep

2. Tell us all the books you read!

Revolver by Michael Patrick Hicks, Keeper of the Children by William H. Hallahan and Blood Secrets by Craig Jones.

3. Which books would you recommend to other readathoners?

I enjoyed all of them and recommend them all.
 
4. What's a really rad thing we could do during the next readathon that would make you smile?

I liked that the mini challenges ran through the entire readathon instead of hourly.
 
5. How likely are you to participate in the readathon again? 

I will definitely be participating in the October readathon.

Readathon Update

I'm still readathoning, but I'm getting pretty tired. I just finished reading Keeper of the Children by William H. Hallahan. It's a weird book about a man who's trying to get his daughter back from a cult led by a man who uses astral projection to animate marionettes, teddy bears, scarecrows, and other inanimate objects in order to kill people. Oh, and he has large, muscular cats to kill people for him as well. I love the cover of this book and I was surprised to find the scene depicted on the cover was actually in the book.

Right now, I'm reading Blood Secrets by Craig Jones.

Dewey's Readathon Mid-Event Survey

Wow, we're already halfway through the readathon and I've only read 1³/₄ books. Actually, the first one was only a 60 page short story, not really a book. Revolver by Michael Patrick Hicks is a brutal, thought-provoking story about a future where the US is run by the alt-right and a young woman decides to commit suicide live on a TV show to win money for her family.

Mid-Event Survey

1. What are you reading right now?

Keeper of the Children by William H. Hallahan

2. How many books have you read so far?

1³/₄

3. What book are you looking forward to most in the second half of the readathon?

Blood Secrets by Craig Jones

4. Have you had any interruptions? How did you deal with those?

My boyfriend was being a bit distracting so I went to my bedroom to read and shut the door.

5. What surprises you most about the readathon, so far?

That I haven't fallen asleep yet.

Dewey's Readathon

Today is Dewey's Readathon! I will once again attempt to read for 24 hours.
 

Books I plan on reading:

1. Keeper of the Children by William H. Hallahan

2. Blood Secrets by Craig Jones

3. The Cellar by Richard Laymon

4. The Surrogate by Nick Sharman

5. The Prom Queen by R.L. Stine

6. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

7. Hellraiser Masterpieces Vol. 1
 

On my Kindle:

8. Revolver by Michael Patrick Hicks

9. 1922 by Stephen King

10. The Con Season by Adam Cesare 

Snacks I will be consuming:

- Charcuterie board (with brie, apricot jam, water crackers, 

grapes, cantaloupe, prosciutto and salami)

- Potato salad

- Chips

- Reese Crunchers

- Chocolate bars

- Big Foot gummies

-Peace Iced Tea

Opening Survey

1. What fine part of the world are you reading from today?

Oakville, Ontario, Canada

2. Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

Keeper of the Children...I had it in my stack for the readathon last April, but never got around to reading it and seeing it mentioned in Paperbacks From Hell has made me want to read it even more.

3. Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Everything on my charcuterie board...I love brie.

4. Tell us a little something about yourself!

I love yard sales and there's a giant one this morning that I can't miss, so I'm going to start reading a bit late this morning.

5. If you participated in the last readathon, what's the one thing you'll do differently today?

I want to read more than I did last time...I'm pretty sure I say that every time, but I'm really

trying to make a dent in my TBR mountain this year.

BOOK REVIEW: Waking the Ancients by Catherine Cavendish

In 1908, Lizzie Charters accompanies archaeologist Dr. Emeryk Quintillus on a dig in Egypt, unaware of his obsession with Cleopatra and his plan to bring her back to life using Lizzie's body.

In 2018, Paula and her husband, Phil, have relocated to Vienna for Phil's job, signing a three-year lease a breathtaking mansion with a too good to be true price tag. Paula soon realizes the reason for the low price when Phil goes away on a business trip, leaving her in the house alone. Strange occurrences lead Paula to discover the previous owner of the estate was Dr. Quintillus, who is still trying to find a way to be with his love, Cleopatra, even through death.

I love Catherine Cavendish's writing. Including Waking the Ancients, I've read five of her books (so far) — Linden Manor, The Pendle Curse, Dark Avenging Angel and The Devil's Serenade — and I've enjoyed all of them. Cavendish is great at writing detailed descriptions that immerse you in the story and establishing an eerie atmosphere. 

The most important part of a novel to me are the characters and Cavendish writes believable and relatable characters. I've been trying to not only read more horror books written by female writers, but to also read more horror books with strong female protagonists, which all of Cavendish's books feature.

The plot of Waking the Ancients is unique, combining the real history of Cleopatra with a fictional story about the supernatural.

This book is the second in the Nemesis of the Gods series, but each can be read as a standalone novel. I haven't read the first book in the series, Wrath of the Ancients, and I wasn't confused at all, but I enjoyed this book so much I'll definitely be reading the first book. The third book in the series, Damned by the Ancients, will be released October 23 and I'm already counting the days! I highly recommend Waking the Ancients to anyone looking for a creepy supernatural tale.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4/5