#madebypernille

[madebypernille]

Book review Goodbye Things by Fumio Sasaki

Book review Goodbye Things by Fumio Sasaki Book review Goodbye Things by Fumio Sasaki – a book on minimalism and simplifying life. “Fumio Sasaki is not an enlightened minimalism expert or organizing guru like Marie Kondo―he’s just a regular guy who was stressed out and constantly comparing himself to others, until one day he decided to change his life by saying goodbye to everything he didn’t…

[bubblegumwitchswriting]

Flickering Lights

Writing Challenge October Prompt from madebypernille (here)

Date: 15/10/2018

“Kayla is that you?”

“Kayla’s not here,” Austin replied. Will looked up from his book, highlighter hovering in one hand. Austin, applying rosin to a bow, was right. Kayla wasn’t there.

“It’s not me either,” Austin added, slightly unnecessarily given that he was nowhere near the light switch and didn’t have Kayla’s preoccupied habit of flicking at switches.

Will shrugged.

“Bulb’s probably going,” he said, glancing back down at the lines in the textbook. They’d been wobbling for the last ten minutes as his powers of concentration faded and the lights weren’t helping.

“All of them?” Austin countered in a mild, mostly disinterested tone.

“Wiring then,” Will suggested.

At his words the lights stopped flickering, allowing Will to return to heavy medical textbooks. If he got nothing else out of them, they’d be great to prescribe as sleep medication. He yawned. Ten more minutes, then he’d let himself give in.

Nico dropped by eight minutes later (not that Will was counting). As he came through the door the lights starting flickering again.

“Got yourself a ghost?” he asked.

“You’d be the one to know,” Will answered, shutting the book with a relived and finite snap. Nico stared at him for a second.

“Spirits,” he intoned, with more sarcasm than authority. “Make the lights flicker again.”

They did.

Will just rolled his eyes.

“Did you want something?” he asked, pointedly.

“The pleasure of your company,” Nico said, sarcasm of the smirking variety now. “But if you want I’ll just go –“

Austin, though still apparently fixated on the instrument, shook his head sadly.

“The kind of welcome you get,” he commented. Will scowled at him, which caused Austin to hide a smile.

“Stay if you must,” Will said with a disinterested sniff. Nico grinned and pushed playfully at Will’s arm in an affectionate gesture he’d never have used around Austin before. It wasn’t quite an overwhelming outpouring of affection and declarations of undying love, but Will was secretly thrilled Nico was warming to Will’s siblings, even if he was more reticent about warming to Will’s friends.

In all fairness Cecil and Lou Ellen were hard to love. He only managed it because they’d both trapped him in friendship and it was too late to escape.

Nico had commandeered the laptop that had been whacked with hammers, and attacked with tongs and whatever else the joint talents of the Hephaestus and Hermes cabins could think of to connect it to the internet while simultaneously making it monster attraction free. They were discovering they had completely differing tastes in TV, but Will compromised quickly – too tired for argument when Nico suggested a horror to appease their new resident ghost.

The ghost was not appeased, and it didn’t let up.

It wasn’t until Kayla burst in, the door slamming back against the wall with a muffled ouch that the cause became clear.

“Cecil,” Will said in very measured tones.

Cecil became visible with far too much ceremony, ripping a cap from his head.

“How did you know it was me?”

“No one else would be stupid enough to steal from Annabeth.”

“Borrow,” Cecil said. “And I know you’re not going to believe this, but she actually gave me permission.”

“You’re right about me not believing you.”

Nico elbowed Will, fed up of the conversation. His eyes were glued to the screen where a very fake looking ghost was going after a very overdramatic group of teenagers.

“I’m trying to watch,” he complained. “Tell your friend to go away.”

Will was about to when the lights dimmed, flickered, came on full glare and then cut to black.

“Cecil!”

“That wasn’t me!”

“Oh like I’m going to believe that!”

“In fairness,” Austin said, stepping in. “He wasn’t near the switch that time.”

Will sighed and got up to switch them back on. As his fingers stretched out towards the witch, the lights came back on with a vengeance. Nico hissed, doing nothing to dispel the latest rumour that Nico was a vampire, and Austin groaned in complaint, squinting against the glare.

“See?” Cecil said.

“Okay,” Will said. “Fine.”

Cecil’s lip was trembling.

“What if it really is a ghost?”

Nico did look up then, eyes wide and face deadly serious.

“It might be,” he said.

“Don’t be silly,” Will said at the same time.

“I did sense a presence,” Nico said. “I didn’t want to alarm anybody.”

“He didn’t,” Will said. “Hush it Nico, I’m not having Cecil too scared to leave this cabin.”

Cecil did look petrified.

“I don’t want to stay in here!” Cecil protested. “Not if there is a ghost around!”

Nico seemed to think deeply about that.

“The ghost could be outside,” he said, apparently innocently.

Will gave him a disbelieving look, Nico responded with a bright grin the other two missed.

“Well I can’t leave then!” Cecil said, oblivious.

Will breathed in deeply.

“You are not going to get murdered from here to your cabin,” he said.

“He might be,” Nico said, diplomatically. “It’s a possibility.”

“For example Annabeth might find out you borrowed her cap,” Austin put in.

“Not helping,” Will told him. He just got a grin for his trouble, unknowingly similar to the one Nico had given him.

The lights went out again.

Cecil wailed. Will reached for the torch he kept near his bed, for when the younger ones were scared.

“Boo!”

The lights came back on and Lou Ellen was in the middle of the room, in face monster face paint that, in the moment of sudden light, was realistic enough to have Cecil bolting.

“That’ll teach him to prank my cabin,” Lou Ellen said cheerily.

“The lights?” Will asked.

Lou Ellen nodded.

“He was screwing around with them in my cabin. Frightened Jasmine out of her wits. Thought I’d give him a taste of his own medicine.”

With Lou Ellen and Cecil both gone, the lights stayed firmly on. Nico left near curfew and Austin headed up to the infirmary to join Kayla on a late shift. The cabin was empty. The cabin was quiet. He fell asleep choppily, distracted by the thick silence and the absence of his siblings. Theirs used to be such a noisy, full cabin. Only having the three of them was bad enough. When it was only him it was worse.

He was just on the very edges of sleep, heavy and disorientated, when the lights flickered, crackling and hissing eerily.

“Oh come on!”

[imgonnabeyourbubblegumwitch]

October Writing Challenge

For this month’s writing challenge I’ve chosen the awesomely spooky and wonderfully creative set of prompts from madebypernille (link here)

I’ve decided to add a little extra challenge for myself and will be using a random number generator to choose a fandom. I’m only really still active in writing wise in the PJO, Ducktales, and Marvel (specifically the young avengers) fandoms so I’ve chosen those three, and thrown in original characters too. 

Spooky month is my favourite month and this prompt list is awesome so I’m looking forward to some writing!

For my reference, because I know I’ll forget otherwise. fandom numbers as follows: 

1.       PJ

2.       YA

3.       OW

4.       DT

[madebypernille]

Book review: A Lesson in Vengeance

Book review of A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee This is my book review of A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee. It’s a Dark Academia vibe standalone book about Felicity and her schoolmates at Godwin House. Magic, witches, mysteries and romance in a thrilling mix. A Lesson in Vengeance “Felicity Morrow is back at Dalloway School, a centuries old, ivy-covered campus that was home until the…

[madebypernille]

Book review: Shakespeares romancer og folkeeventyret

*This book review of Shakespeares Romancer og folkeeventyret will be in Danish since the book is only published in Danish* Jeg modtog et anmeldereksemplar fra forlaget Ravnerock mod en ærlig anmeldelse af værket. Boganmeldelse af Shakespeares Romancer og folkeeventyret Shakespeares Romancer og folkeeventyret er en fagbog, hvori instruktør Kitter Krebs, undersøger Shakespeares romancer og…

[madebypernille]

Book review: Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Book review: Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Book review of Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf is considered a classic by many. It’s also one of the books on the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge list. Finishing that is one of my long term reading goals. Mrs Dalloway and her flowers All it says on the back of my edition of the book is “Still, life had a way of adding day to day.” Which is actually super fitting for…

[madebypernille]

Book review: Wonderscape by Jennifer Bell

Book review: Wonderscape by Jennifer Bell

Book review of Wonderscape by Jennifer Bell Wonderscape by Jennifer Bell is a middlegrade fantasy book. Jennifer Bell is also the author behind The Uncommoners which I loved. So I had to give Wonderscape a shot too. The cover is beautiful and the description on the back had me intrigued. Wonderscape by Jennifer Bell “The game is on, travel with wonder. When Arhtur, Ren and Cecily investigate a…

[madebypernille]

Book review: Verdensherrerne 2 - Afsløringen

Book review: Verdensherrerne 2 – Afsløringen

Bog anmeldelse af Verdensherrerne 2 – Afsløringen Verdensherrerne – Afsløringen er andet bind i en fantasy serie af Pernille Neergård. Den handler om en ung pige med magiske kræfter, der bliver sendt på en skole i en parallelverden kaldet Elamenta. Jeg har modtaget et eksemplar af bogen til anmeldelse her på bloggen. Tak til Forlaget Dreamlitt og forfatter Pernille Neergård for…

[madebypernille]

Book review: Forbandelsen over Laitana 1

Book review: Forbandelsen over Laitana 1

Forbandelsen over Laitana – Den magiske sten

Forbandelsen over Laitana is currently only published in Denmark, and thus the book review will be in Danish

Jeg modtog et anmeldereksemplar fra forfatteren mod en ærlig anmeldelse af værket.

Den magiske sten

“Forbandelsen over Laitana – Den magiske sten” er første bog i serien om Laitana, skrevet af Sissel Moody. Bogen handler om en ung pige, der…

[madebypernille]

Her finder du writing prompts!

Er et af dine nytårsforsæt at du gerne vil skrive hver dag? Her er forslag til 5 forskellige steder du kan finde writing prompts og gå igang med at skrive med det samme! Godt nytår!

Her finder du writing prompts!

Disclaimer:Denne blogpost indeholder muligvis ’affiliate links’. Det betyder at hvis du klikker dig ind på noget via mine links og køber et produkt på den side linket fører til, så modtager jeg et symbolsk beløb i kompensation. Det koster ikke dig noget ekstra overhovedet, hverken ved at klikke eller når du køber noget. Jeg reklamerer ikke for noget jeg ikke selv…

[madebypernille]

Book review: The Raven King

Here is my book review of The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater. The Raven King is the final book in The Raven Cycle, a series filled with teenagers, romances, mysteries, dangers and magic!

Book Review of The Raven King

“The Raven King” is the fourth and final book in The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater. Following The Raven Boys, The Dream Thieves and Blue Lily, Lily Blue. A series about magic, psychics, spirit paths, dangers and mysteries of the past.

Summary

“For years, Gansey has been on a quest to find a lost king. One by one, he’s drawn others into his mission: Ronan, who…

[madebypernille]

Bookreview: The Lost Plot

Bookreview: The Lost Plot

Bookreview of The Lost Plot

This is my bookreview of The Lost Plot by Genevieve Cogman. It is the fourth book in The Invisible Library series about the interdimensional Librarian spy, Irene Winters.

Summary

“The Lost Plot is an action-packed literary adventure. In a 1930s-esque Chicago, Prohibition is in force, fedoras, flapper dresses and tommy guns are in fashion, and intrigue is afoot.…

[madebypernille]

Bookreview: The Invisible Library

Bookreview: The Invisible Library

This is my bookreview of “The Invisible Library” by Genevieve Cogman. This is the first in a book-series about the interdimensional book-stealing librarian, Irene Winters. I know, it sounds super weird but it’s actually Irene’s job to steal books. Her adventures are high-adrenaline mysteries starring a kick-ass booklover.

Summary

Borrowed from the authors webpage:

“Irene is a professional spy for…

[madebypernille]

Book review: The Trouble with Perfect

Book review: The Trouble with Perfect Book review of The Trouble with Perfect by Helena Duggan. This is the second book in the middlegrade series about Violet and the town of Perfect. The first book about Violet and this mysterious town, is A Place called Perfect. The Trouble with Perfect “Boy’s not bad – is he? Strange things are happening in the town that used to be Perfect. Things are being…

[madebypernille]

Book review: Contemporary Plays by African Women

Book review: Contemporary Plays by African Women

Book review of Contemporary Plays by African Women This is a book review of Contemporary Plays by African Women, an anthology by Methuen Drama. In 2020, I decided to start my 52 plays reading challenge. In 2021, I am trying it again. Each week for a year I have to read a script for a play. It can be any kind of play, but the goal is to read at least one a week. Contemporary Plays by African…

[madebypernille]

Book review: Wyntertide by Andrew Caldecott

Book review: Wyntertide by Andrew Caldecott

Book review of Wyntertide This is a book review of Wyntertide by Andrew Caldecott. Wyntertide is the second book in the series about Rotherweird, a small, secret town in England with lots of secrets. It’s been a while since I picked up Rotherweird, but now I’ve finally got my hands on Wyntertide and it’s time for the verdict! Wyntertide by Andrew Caldecott “For four hundred years, the town of…