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Erica Robyn Reads

a horror book review blog

Recent Posts

Indie Bookstore Day 2025 | Book Event

A tablet lies on dry grass and surrounded by dandelions in a natural outdoor setting. The screen displays the cover of the book Everybody Is in the Place by Emma J. Gibbon. The cover features a colorful, fantastical illustration of a female figure with glowing eyes and curved horns, holding something mysterious in her hands. Stars and swirling cosmic elements fill the background, giving the cover a magical and otherworldly feel. The title text is in bold, colorful letters across the top and middle, with the author's name at the bottom.

Everybody Is in the Place by Emma J. Gibbon | Book Review

Spider to the Fly by J.H. Markert | Book Review

[Wrap-Up] January 2018

January 31, 2018      Erica Robyn      30 Comments

[Wrap-Up] January 2018

Phew. I’m not usually one to wish away time, but I am very happy to see January 2018 making its way into the past. This month was equally horrible and fantastic… but I won’t bog down this post with the negative details. 

The good news is that I got a new job! It’s with an incredible company with an awesome office space. I’m still pinching myself to make sure I’m not dreaming!

Let’s dive in to my monthly wrap-up!


My Reading Breakdown for January:

  • 5 Stars- 6
    • Assassin Marked by Michael C. Sahd
    • The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor
    • Collected Halloween Horror Shorts: Trick ‘r Treat
    • Gun Kiss by Khaled Talib
    • Kingsbane by T.L. Branson
    • The Murders of Molly Southbourne by Tade Thompson
  • 4 Stars- 6
    • The Gatekeeper by Kevin J. Kennedy
    • The House on the Forgotten Coast by Ruth Coe Chambers
    • Inside the Wall by A. Tebbs
    • No Room For Napoleon by Adria Meserve
    • You Only Get One Shot by Kevin J. Kennedy & J.C. Michael
    • 100 Word Horrors: An Anthology of Horror Drabbles by Kevin J. Kennedy
  • 3 Stars- 3
    • Help Me Follow My Sister Into the Land of the Dead by Carmen Maria Machado
    • Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O’Nan
    • The Vanishing Season by Joanna Schaffhausen
  • 2 Stars- 0
  • 1 Star- 1
    • Bonfire by Krysten Ritter
  • DNF- 2
    • Friend Request by Laura Marshall
    • Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore
Monthly Musings:

  • Watching: 
    • Fuller House (Netflix TV Series, Season 3)
      • I enjoyed this season a lot more than the first! Of course there are still some lame bits, but overall this one seemed much more relaxed. However, I’m SO over the love triangle. That took away a lot from my overall enjoyment of the series. 3/5
    • Cheapest Weddings (TV Series, Season 1)
      • When I started watching this show, I was really hoping to pick up some tips and ticks for our wedding planning. Unfortunately, I didn’t. Though it was still pretty fun to watch. I really enjoyed a few of the couples, but the majority were a bit rough to watch… 2/5
    • The Wall (2016 Movie)
      • I LOVED this movie! The action was awesome, the storyline was interesting, the humor was perfectly timed, and I loved the characters. I also really enjoyed that the different types of soldiers had a different  color. I would definitely watch this one again! 5/5 
    • Atypical (2017 TV Series)
      • I love Keir Gilchrist’s acting! When I first saw this show advertised, I couldn’t wait to watch it. I binge watched this one and cannot wait for season 2! 5/5
    • Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005 Movie)
      • This one wasn’t for me. The setup of the movie was interesting; the main character narrated the whole thing and broke the fourth wall to talk to viewers from time to time. Robert Downey Jr. did a great job! His character was so funny. However, the plot of the movie just wasn’t for me. I wasn’t draw in or even that interested. 2/5
    • The Next Three Days (2010 Movie)
      • I really enjoyed this one! The whole plot of the movie was about a woman that went to jail for a crime she didn’t commit, so I found it terrifying! The suspense had me feeling super anxious! The drama and sadness were very well done! 4/5
      • Playing: 
        • Reigns (Mobile Game)
          • I am SO addicted to this game. All you do is swipe right or left to follow a storyline as you try to properly rule a kingdom. You can die very easily if you’re not paying attention, but it’s so fun to see how long you can reign before dying or being killed! Only once so far have I made it to dying from old age. 
        • Drinking:
          • Lots of sparkling water! My new office has an awesome machine where you can customize the flavor levels and choose sparking or plain. It’s amazing!
          • Listening to:
            • I’ve been really hooked on Korn recently, specifically the Greatest Hits Vol. 1 album.
            • Sirius XM Radio- Alex won a free year and decided to put it in my car, since I was the one traveling the most. My goodness, I’m going to be SO sad when the year is up! I have so many favorite channels that can’t be duplicated on regular FM radio…
          • In the bookish community: 
            • Deanna of Deanna Reads gave me an awesome shout-out in her December Wrap Up! (Thanks again Deanna!)
            • My blogging friend Esther at Bite Into Books celebrated her first blogiversary! 
            • My friend Heather at Heather’s Reading Hideaway also celebrated her first blogiversary!
            • Kanu Kibuishi announced that Amulet Volume 8 will be released on September 28th of this year!  *UPDATE* It will be released a bit earlier, on September 25th, 2018!
            • Barb of Booker T’s Farm has created a new series called Books to Bark (and crow) About! I cannot wait to read more of these!
            • We got a teaser trailer for Fahrenheit 451! 
            • Looking forward to: 
              • Alex and my dating anniversary! Every year we go back to the restaurant where we met for dinner.
              • The Walking Dead returns February 25!

            In Case You Missed It

            • [Wrap-Up] December 2017
            • 12 Of My Favorite Science Fiction Reads
            • 3 January Book Releases I Can’t Wait To Read
            • 2018 Book Adaptations I Can’t Wait To Watch
            • My Favorite Book Quotes from 2017
            • [Giveaway] Book-Shaped Flash Drives!
            • [Bookish Discussion] 4 YA Cliches That I’m Tired Of
            • Unique Book Blogger Award
            • [Book Review] The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
            • 2 February Book Releases I Can’t Wait To Read
            • [Book Blogger Hop] Changing Older Posts


            Thanks for reading!
            How was your month? Have any special plans for February? I’d love to hear about them in the comments section below!

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            Here are a few more recent posts you might like:

            • Indie Bookstore Day 2025 | Book Event
            • Everybody Is in the Place by Emma J. Gibbon | Book Review
            • Spider to the Fly by J.H. Markert | Book Review

            Reader Interactions

            Comments

            1. Lory says

              January 31, 2018 at 11:38 am

              Ugh, "equally horrible and fantastic" describes my life too right now. I'm hoping the latter wins out at some point.

              I'm so glad to hear about your job! Tell us more…

              Reply
              • Erica Hatch says

                January 31, 2018 at 11:56 am

                Oh no! I hope things turn around for you soon! Let me know if you want to meet up somewhere for lunch or a bookish adventure if you need to get out for a bit and vent! πŸ™‚ I'm not sure how far away we are from one another but I'd bet we can meet halfway or something πŸ™‚

                The new job is incredible! It's in the same town that I live in, so that's a major plus! No more working out of state! πŸ™‚ My team is awesome. The company space is fun, it's in an old mill building. I'm still just training, but I'm so excited to start actually working! πŸ™‚

                Reply
            2. Barb says

              January 31, 2018 at 1:48 pm

              What a great reading month. I know I've added a couple to these to my wishlist. Sounds like the new job is working out great. How exciting. I remember watching "The Wall" when it first came out and really enjoying it as well. I can't believe that The Walking Dead doesn't come on until the 25th. For some reason, I thought it started earlier. Oh well, guess I'll just have more Sunday night reading time until then.

              When we bought our new car (which my husband drives) we got a year of Sirius radio for free. Needless to say, when it was up, hubby started paying for it out of his mad money – he liked it that much.

              Reply
              • Erica Hatch says

                January 31, 2018 at 10:48 pm

                πŸ˜€ I may have to pay for the radio as well… We'll see! It just has the most amazing channels that are more "my style" than the radio around here… I only listen to two FM radio stations, but I have at least eight XM channels!

                Reply
            3. Angela Lawrence says

              January 31, 2018 at 2:07 pm

              Looks like you had a really good reading month! I hope your new job continues to go well and that February is fabulous for you!

              Reply
              • Erica Hatch says

                January 31, 2018 at 10:45 pm

                Thank you so much! <3 I hope you have a great month as well!

                Reply
            4. Abby Miller says

              January 31, 2018 at 3:05 pm

              Looks like you had a pretty great reading month. I hope you have a fantastic February.

              Reply
              • Erica Hatch says

                January 31, 2018 at 10:45 pm

                Thank you. I hope you have a great month as well!

                Reply
            5. JJ @ This Dark Material says

              January 31, 2018 at 5:02 pm

              Great reading month, Erica! I'm hoping to pick up the pace a little bit in February thanks to some upcoming ARCs, but sticking to 2 books/week is quick enough for me πŸ™‚ And that Fahrenheit 451 trailer!!! AHHH!!

              Reply
              • Erica Hatch says

                January 31, 2018 at 10:45 pm

                πŸ˜€ Right?! I cannot wait for this movie/show!!

                Reply
            6. Greg says

              January 31, 2018 at 9:18 pm

              Congrats on the new job! That's exciting. And yay for the 4 and 5 star reads. I see you DNF's Friend Request. That one wasn't a favorite of mine either. I did finish it but I don't think you missed much… πŸ™‚

              I had sirius XM for a while,and yup- I miss it! so many channels…

              Reigns sounds fun, I may have to try that. πŸ™‚

              Reply
              • Erica Hatch says

                January 31, 2018 at 10:44 pm

                Thank you so much! πŸ™‚ Yeah, I remember your awesome review! Gosh the book was such a let down for me, I had really high hopes for that one when I first read the synopsis. I'd love to hear what you think of Reigns if you try it!

                Reply
            7. Ivyclad Ideas says

              January 31, 2018 at 9:33 pm

              WOW! You read a lot of books! I only read five this month. :')
              Good luck with the new job. πŸ™‚

              Reply
              • Erica Hatch says

                January 31, 2018 at 10:40 pm

                Thank you so much! πŸ™‚

                Reply
            8. Olivia-Savannah says

              January 31, 2018 at 11:09 pm

              January was a busy but good month for me! I'm sorry it had some downs for. But congratulations on your new job and the epic office. I hope you enjoy it x Oh, and all those series sound so good. Have a brilliant February.

              My recent post: http://oliviascatastrophe.com/2018/01/life-lately-december-january/

              Reply
              • Erica Hatch says

                February 1, 2018 at 1:20 am

                Thank you so much!! πŸ™‚ I hope you have a great February as well! And thanks for stopping by πŸ™‚

                Reply
            9. Amy says

              February 1, 2018 at 3:53 pm

              WOW that job does sound like a dream! I'm so happy for you, Erica, that's so amazing. And SO COOL about the water machine!!

              Hope February is a much better month for you than January was πŸ™‚

              Amy @ A Magical World Of Words

              Reply
              • Erica Hatch says

                February 1, 2018 at 11:38 pm

                I'm so excited about it!! πŸ˜€ And thank you so much. I hope you have a lovely month as well! πŸ™‚

                Reply
            10. Amy Rule says

              February 1, 2018 at 7:26 pm

              I love the format of this post! I've been meaning to start posting wrap ups for a while now and this is super inspiring.

              Looks like you read a lot of awesome books this month, and I'm looking forward to The Walking Dead too!

              Reply
              • Erica Hatch says

                February 1, 2018 at 11:40 pm

                Thank you! Feel free to copy it! πŸ˜€ I'm still adjusting and adding things as I go πŸ™‚

                Reply
            11. Dani Eide says

              February 2, 2018 at 12:51 am

              You had such a great reading month!! And how on top of reviews are you!! I was surprised to see Wild Beauty wasn't for you, but if characters blend together then yeah, not for me either! <3

              Reply
              • Erica Hatch says

                February 2, 2018 at 11:33 am

                Yeah… It was just too slow and boring for me, but I think that particular style just isn't for me.

                Reply
            12. Gabriella Morales says

              February 2, 2018 at 3:51 am

              Wow, you really had a successful reading month! I was only able to read 11 things in January. I'm bummed you didn't like Bonfire. I'm dying to read it. I tried so hard to get an ARC, but I guess I'll wait for the paperback.

              Reply
              • Erica Hatch says

                February 2, 2018 at 11:31 am

                I hope you have better luck with it! A few of my reading friends really enjoyed it!

                Reply
            13. Heather Cilley says

              February 2, 2018 at 7:58 am

              6 5 star ratings is pretty amazing!! I feel like January was a great reading month for so many people!! Hope February is just as good E! πŸ™‚

              Reply
              • Erica Hatch says

                February 2, 2018 at 11:31 am

                πŸ˜€

                Reply
            14. Alicia AKernelofNonsense says

              February 2, 2018 at 11:44 pm

              I am wired to side-eye books written (or is it "written"? <—-see, look at how cynical I am) by celebrities, which is why I've stayed far away from Bonfire. Ha, you just gave me an update on when The Walking Dead returns, so thanks for that. I was beginning to wonder. Wishing you a better month in February and lots of luck with your new job!

              Reply
              • Erica Hatch says

                February 3, 2018 at 3:05 am

                Ha! Thank you so much!! <3

                Reply
            15. AngelErin says

              February 4, 2018 at 3:58 am

              Congrats on the new job!! I agree with you about January being equally horrible and fantastic. LOL. It seems like it was quite a long month honestly. πŸ˜›

              Reply
              • Erica Hatch says

                February 4, 2018 at 4:36 am

                Thank you!! <3 And right?! Gosh. Here's to a better February! πŸ™‚

                Reply

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            Erica Robyn of Erica Robyn Reads
            Hello! I’m Erica, a Mainer living in New Hampshire who runs on hot tea, good books, and loud music. Join me as I seek out amazing horror tales and help support the indie horror community!
             

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