Gothic Reads 3: Seven Gothic Tales

 The Before:

    This is one that I've had for a while. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to read it. I'm giving it one last shot today.

The Feels:

The Concerns:

Just about fell asleep with this one... Cannot recommend. 

Plot: 2/10

Writing Style: 3/10

Meaningfulness: 1/10

Gothic Reads 2: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

The Before:

Today is the loviest of all fall days. I woke up this morning and began to read out on my patio (reviews to come). I've been so busy with the start of the school year, so I've decided to try something a little different today. I'll be listening to a radio drama version of this wonderful story, which you listen to as well right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7kVIIVsFMk&list=PLfkJoqn3qIr1CQ5UV3MUa5FY-7JDRcvJl&index=16&ab_channel=PacemakerStudios

The Feels:

What a perfect start to the season! It totally awoken that cozy feeling inside me, which was only helped by my adventure to the apple orchard today. Katrina is much more kind in this version. 

The Concerns:

YIKES! The conversations in that classroom... The teacher actually hits a kid and we hear the slap. Ichabod is a bit more of a d-bag. Katrina didn't really lead him on; he was really only invited to a party. He then assumed that meant that Katrina wanted to marry him. Although it wasn't nice for Katrina to have invited him while having an ulterior motive, that shit's on him. He was also pretty awful to his horse. 

Plot: 10/10

Writing Style: 9/10

Meaningfulness (Yeah... it just dawned on me that this is in fact a real word and yes I have been spelling it wrong all these months...): 8/10

Gothic Reads 1: Mexican Gothic

The Before:

    Well I obviously have to start the season off right with this big summer hit! Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is about a young woman in the 1950's who is trying to help her newly married cousin that is suffering from some sort of strange illness. Also Yay! New Adult novel. 

The Feels:

    YAAAASSS!! Woman of color lead? Set in Mexico? I'm here for it. Everything is quite literally an homage/criticism of everything Gothic. You've got The Yellow Wallpaper, Rebecca, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Cathulu guy that was super into racism/eugenics so I'm not going to bother looking up his name (she was obviously critical of him), and a bazzilion more. Even got a little nod towards the film Crimson Peak. This is a perfect book for experts of the Gothic genre. 

The Concerns:

    Um... There might be a few rape scenes in this novel? I hate that I honestly don't know if they are or are not. Just left me feeling weird. Not of fan of that part. Taking off some points for that...

    The plot was also a bit slow. Wish the ending was a bit darker/more tragic.

Plot: 8/10

Writing Style: 9/10

Meaningfulness: 10/10

Gothic Reads: Intro

     As summer slowly draws to a close, my attitudes towards Gothic Lit have heightened. Gothic Literature is my absolute favorite genre, (other than perhaps fairy tales). Although I have always enjoyed the Gothic, I learned more about it when I studied abroad. I took a Romantic class, which turned out to be a Gothic Romance class. Some of the novels I remember the best are The Monk by Mathew Lewis, Mysteries of Udolpho by Anne Radcliffe (NO I did not read the WHOLE thing), Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, and (of course) Frankenstein. I absolutely loved everything we read, even Udolpho, which if soooo f*cking long. 

     This autumn, I have decided to rededicate myself to the Gothic, after all, my novel is not just a Romance; it is a Gothic Romance. Some of these books will be ones I have on my "To Read" shelf and have been there for some time. I cannot wait for you to join me on this adventure of the Gothic.