PopCulture Readathon, Round 2: Elm Street Board Mini Reviews & Adventures In Babysitting Board TBR

This month I've been participating in the second round of the PopCulture Readathon, created and hosted by Whitney @ bookswhitme (with some assistance from Lorryn @ Reading Parental).  You can check out my original TBR post here, if you like.  I met my goal of completing the Elm Street board and I'm planning on attempting the Adventures in Babysitting board as well to round out this month. Without further ado, check out my thoughts on the books I read for the Elm Street board and my TBR for the Adventures in Babysitting board:

The Lost Boys - Vampire Lore

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

I can never resist a good vampire story and most of the stories featured in Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite edited by Zoraida Cordova are pretty good. My favorites here are Seven Nights for Dying by Tessa Gratton, Senior Year Sucks by Julie Murphy, A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire by Samira Ahmed, Mirrors, Windows & Selfies by Mark Oshiro, and First Kill by Victoria "V E." Schwab. Plus, I really enjoyed those pages between each story that kind of operates as a real life behind the scenes on a certain vampire related topic from Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Child's Play - Middle Grade Horror

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

This series is quickly becoming a favorite. I don't know why I put it off for so long because it's exactly what I needed and The Whispering Skull (Lockwood & Co. #2) by Jonathan Stroud  is no exception.  The tone of this is so much fun and it's great getting to know the cast of characters.  Plus, I really appreciate the sense of humor and that there's no romance element.  I can't wait to continue this series and I'm fully planning on continuing with it on audiobook.  The production of this novel just sounds fantastic.  The narrator is incredibly talented.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Poltergeist - Haunted House

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

Horrid by Katrina Leno is a fantastic YA Horror novel with a dash of the paranormal.  It's incredibly atmospheric, creepy, and, dare I say, dreadful but in the best way. It's quite intense, complex, and emotional. Leno builds the level of unease until you can practically feel it pushing down on you.  I bet you'll love this if you're a fan of And the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich and Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House.  I'm going to have to read more from Katrina Leno as soon as possible.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice - 3 Word Title

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

Midnight Taxi, Tango (Bone Street Rumba #2) by Daniel Jose Older is a great follow up to Half-Resurrection Blues.  Older has pretty quickly become one of my favorite authors. I really appreciate his style of urban fantasy.  It was great being back in Carlos' New York and I was glad to see everyone again.  I need to continue this series as soon as possible.

My review is also on Goodreads.

No More Wire Hangers - Family Dynamics

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

War of the Sons (Supernatural #6) by Rebecca Dessertine & David Reed  takes a little too long to get going but once our does it's pretty great.  I really miss watching new episodes of the tv series.  The authors do a good job of getting the tone of both Sam and Dean right which is one of the main things I look for in these tie-in books.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Labyrinth - Fae Lore

❋ ❋ ❋ 

.Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson #3) by Patricia Briggs is probably my least favorite of the first three books in the series so far. It was great coming back to Mercy's world, but the plot here this didn't quite live up to my expectations. I'm definitely continuing on with the series though because I have a feeling it could become an all time favorite.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Clue - Murder Mystery

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

The Only Good Indian by Stephen Graham Jones has been recommended to me several time and I don't know why I've been sleeping on this author for so long.  I really enjoyed his brand of horror and writing style.  I think I'm going to have to get caught up on Jones' work!

My review is also on Goodreads.

Halloween - Holiday Centered

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

I really liked The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand - a little more than I expected to actually. It's a fun and funny retelling/ continuation of a classic Christmas tale. I love it's nods to the original and other Charles Dickens stories. I also really appreciated the twist at the ending.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Alien - Space Opera 

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

John Scalzi is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I don't know why I've been holding off on this series opener after enjoying Lock In and Head On as much as I did.  Now that I've officially read Old Man's War (Old Man's War #1) by John Scalzi , I can say that I definitely understand the hype for this one.  It's so rare that we get to see an older cast helm a novel, let alone sci-fi, that that was a draw right off as well.  This was quite a ride and I can't wait to see where this series goes next.

My reivew is also on Goodreads.

Adventures In Babysitting Board TBR

Ghostbusters - Ghosts

My choice: Unnatural Acts (Dan Shamble, Zombie PI #2) by Kevin J. Anderson - I loved the first book and the short stories I've read in this series.  It's so much fun and I can't wait to see where this series goes!

Dead Poets Society - Inspirational

My choice: Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters by Jennifer Chiaverini - A friend of mine gave me this and absolutely swears by the author.  This will be my first experience with her work and I'm looking forward to trying it.

Back to the Future - Time Travel

My choice: To Say Nothing of the Dog (Oxford Time Travel #2) by Connie Willis - I absolutely loved Doomsday Book and I can't wait to see what's next in this series.

Troop Beverly Hills - Nature on the Cover

My choice: Lila by Marilynne Robinson - This wouldn't normally be my sort of read, but it comes highly recommended from one of my best friends.

Goonies Never Say Die - Treasure Hunt/ Heist Novel

My choice: Tokyo Heist by Diana Renn - I've ben eyeing this at my library for quite awhile and it's about time I pick it up.

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids - Kid on the Cover

My choice: Dead End in Norvelt (Norvelt #1 by Jack Gantos - This will be my first Jack Gantos novel and it's about time.

Grease 2 - Standalone in a Series

My choice: The Stuff of Nightmares (Sherlock Holmes) by James Lovegrove - This sounds like it's going to be a cool steampunk Sherlock Holmes story.  I've read a few books in this standalone series featuring different authors.

E.T. - MG About Friendship

My choice: 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass - This just looks delightful!  Plus, it's recommended for fans of Groundhog Day.

Annie - Retelling 

My choice: Ordinary Girls by Blair Thornburgh - This will be my first Sense & Sensibility retelling.

Are you taking part in this readathon?  Have you read any of these books?  What are you reading this week?  As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!