I put off writing reviews for two of the books in this timeframe and those needed to be posted before I could do this post so… here we are.

I also put off doing most things this week because I decided I wanted to do a driveway market and needed to prep some things for that, so that’s been my main focus this week. I’d really wanted to do a market at some point in November or December, but the friend I do them with wasn’t up for it and I can’t get to them on my own, but I still really wanted to do one. It seems like the ideal time of year for it (minus the heat, of course).
Sure, we’ve got our online store, but that’s really hard to get out there, and sometimes it’s just nicer to sell things in person.
So I decided to set up a stall in my driveway. I had a section of secondhand goods (more like a yard sale), and I had a little stall set up with my table and a display. I only did that this weekend (the 14th & 15th), and it didn’t go very well, but I’m planning to try and do it next weekend as well. I sat out there all morning on both days and got 2 visitors on Saturday and none on Sunday. I guess yard sales aren’t really a thing anymore.
Most of the stuff is my own (books, paintings, book bags, cards, CDs, scarves), but I’ve also got a few things my nana made (the fabric art, “jar holder”, and wristbands).

If nothing else, it gave me a few hours to sit and read (and chat with the magpies who frequently popped over to sing for me).
I passed my reading goal of 53 books months ago (one book for each week of the year), and made my new goal “to read at least as many books as I’ve brought home”. I am currently 7 books behind in this goal, having added 109 to my collection this year, but I don’t have any more appointments in 2024 so I think I’m safe to say that is the final number!

Goosebumps: A Night in Terror Tower by R.L. Stine
3/5 stars
Parts of this one gave a bit of a thriller feeling, but some parts were just… odd. It feels like it was almost a good idea but something wasn’t quite clicking.

Goosebumps: The Cuckoo Clock of Doom by R.L. Stine
4/5 stars
I’ve read this one several times and remember it quite clearly at this point, but that doesn’t change the feeling of dread and tension that builds up throughout the book. I do think the lead-up is a little too drawn out, but once you get through that, it’s definitely got the classic Goosebumps feel to it.

The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls by Emilie Autumn
4/5 stars
This book was dark, intense, and horrifying, but it was also poetic, and beautifully written. From the moment it began, I was intrigued, filled with curiosity and a feeling that gnawed at me with a need to know how it would end.
(full review)

The Gown by Emilie Autumn
3/5 stars
This was a little unsettling and eerie, provoking feelings of minor distress as felt through the character. But I felt a little let down by it at the same time, though not in a way I can pinpoint.

Don’t Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews
5/5 stars
(re-read)
When we really love a book, we sometimes get the desire to read it again at a later date. This is one of those books that really should be read twice. Re-reading this book makes so much of it seem clearer, a lot of the emotions and things said hit harder, and there are pieces that just click. The first time you read this book, you are doing so with only half of the context, but the second time, you have all of that context. You know the whole story, and it adds all of these extra layers to the tortured feelings and the horror of everything that’s happening. My first time reading this book, it wrecked me. The second time? It beat me to a pulp, chewed up every inch of my being, spat me out, and repeated the process.
(full review)

I haven’t been working on much aside from some cards for the market, but I did finally go into the shed after living here for three years, and that feels like more of an accomplishment than any update I could give on a project tbh.
For context: the shed is scary, I have never stepped a single foot inside it, and last week I went all the way in. Right into the far corner. Because the universe put a bunny in my yard and now I feel responsible for him, so I’ve been keeping an eye on him and he was hiding because something spooked him. Anyway, the point is he’s cute and I finally entered the scary shed because of him.

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