Brief synopsis: Bram Stoker was an ill child who hardly left his bed during the first seven years of his life. Luckily, his nanny Ellen Crone had an odd way of making Bram feel better from the moment he was born. But when Bram and his sister Matilda find some odd items in Ellen's room one night, they decide to follow her out to the old Artane Tower - and what they see is nothing short of terrifying. Then they don't see Ellen again. Years later, Bram and Matilda, alongside their brother Thornley go in search of Nanny Ellen, only to find mysteries much more disturbing than they could have imagined.



Dracul is sort of a prequel to Bram Stoker's Dracula, if you will. Though I've never read the original Dracula, I do have a ton of interest in vampires and the folklore surrounding them. This novel is written by Dacre Stoker (something like Bram Stoker's great-great-great nephew or something) and J.D. Barker. What I never knew, until reading this novel, is that Bram Stoker believed his story of Dracula to be real, which is all sorts of terrifying. Dracul is a book written based off notes of Bram's about his famous vampire character. There's snippets of these notes at the end of this novel.

I was really impressed with this book - I struggled with it at times, but simply for the fact it was a e-book I read, as opposed to physical pages of story. The writing was enthralling and the story was chilling. I was a little bit confused with the timeline, but it cleared itself up eventually. I became easily attached to the characters. And honestly, I couldn't read the story too late at night because it kind of freaked me out.

There is gore, and the story is incredibly haunting, but this is the perfect read just in time for Halloween. I would definitely recommend - and don't worry if you haven't read Dracula. It had no influence on my understanding of the story.

Also, how gorgeous is that cover?

Hi, hello. I've been a garbage reader this past month and only read two books. Yeah. Two. I'm so disappointed, but life drags you down every once in a while, right? School has been pretty busy, but work. Oh geez, work has been crazy overwhelming lately, and I've been too exhausted to really do much of anything honestly. I'm now two books behind schedule for my Goodreads Challenge, and I'm not doing so hot on my POPSUGAR Reading Challenge either. I'd like to say October will be better, but with the way it's looking so far, I can't make any promises. I'm sure I'll catch up pretty well in November and December when I've got glorious holiday time.


So, here's what I read in September.





Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban (illustrated) by J.K. Rowling & Jim Kay ★★★★★
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Prompt: N/A
Check out my favorite illustrations here.






The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson ★★★☆☆
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Prompt: Nordic Noir
Brief synopsis: Mikael Blomkvist is a well-known investigative journalist. But there's an issue - he's been sued for libel and he's out of his regular gig. Just in time, Henrik Vanger of one of Sweden's wealthiest families, wants Blomkvist to spend a year searching for insight into the death of his niece, who disappeared almost 50 years ago. Later, Blomkvist is joined by Lisbeth Salander, a young prodigy investigator. Together, they uncover secrets years old.
See full review here.









What did you read in September? Which books were your favorites?

Over the past month or so, we’ve been trying to be a bit healthier and happier in our lives and at home, including when it comes to Courage. Alongside getting in some physical fitness and doing things that make us happy, we’ve also been pursuing the 28-day challenge for Courage, including making a switch to Purina ONE®. I’ve included 28 things below that we’ve been doing for healthier and happier homes and to be healthier and happier in our lives overall, and maybe some of these ideas will also work for you and your pets. Check it out!

Health

1. Walk/physical activity - get it in however you can. I try to get in at least 10,000 steps most days. I may do this by walking around Target (my fave) or even walking in front of tv when I get home from work. Sometimes, I even go to the gym and survive through 30 minutes of torturous high-intensity interval training (HIIT).

2. Ditch the soda - look, I love soda and I'll get it when I go out to eat, but we try not to keep it at home, or else I'll guzzle all the sodas down!

3. Don't force restrictions on yourself. I know I'm worse about my eating habits when I really try to list out what I can't eat. I'd rather eat what I'd like to, but find a good balance.

4. Yoga, anyone? Yes, yoga is technically physical activity but it's also a great way to relieve stress and center yourself.

5. Stand up. My smartwatch helps with this, but it’s so important to stand up throughout the day.

6. Breathing and meditation. Meditation doesn’t always work for everyone, but focusing on your breathing a couple of times of day can help you relax. There are so many great apps that also provide a visual for you to focus on as you match your breath to the visual.

7. Rest. Everyone needs different amounts of sleep, but you find what works for you and what makes you feel best. I'm also a super fan of naps.




Home

1. Make the bed. It drives hubby bonkers, honestly, but I make the bed every single time we get out of it.

2. Have fluffy spaces that make you happy. Whether it's a sofa loaded with cushions or a reading nook with a beanbag - get comfy in your own home.

3. Don't fret over cleaning daily. Yes, wash the clothes and the dishes. Take out the trash. But you're not dusty regularly? Who the heck cares?

4. Decorate for the holidays and seasons you love! I throw decor up for everything from Valentine’s Day to Halloween. And apparently there are studies that say it makes you happier.

5. Rearrange your furniture from time to time. If your feel like you’re in a rut, moving your sofa may make home feel totally new and exciting.

6. Give your space some good smells - we love wax melts and candles. I prefer fresher scents, not so much the sweet bakery smells.

7. Keep the temperatures comfortable. When hubby and I first moved in together, we never wanted to run the thermostat - for either heat or chill. What we came to find out is we weren't actually saving much money - we were just sweating or freezing to death. Our home is definitely better with climate control.




Happiness

1. Don't sweat the small stuff - I need a reminder every minute of everyday, but in the grand scheme of things, how impactful are the tiny things stressing us all out?

2. Cut yourself some slack when things don't go as planned.

3. Do the things you love, whether it's reading or watching tv, playing video games, or taking nap - do what feels best you.

4. Forget about society's expectations - I'm a weirdo and I'm proud to do the things that make me happy, even if they're goofy as all heck.

5. Treat yourself how you want to be treated - okay, so self-care isn't all about baths and face masks, but those things don't hurt if you enjoy them. I know I sure do.

6. Value experiences over things. (Don't get me wrong, I still love things, too.)

7. Be gracious with yourself and find love within yourself. Okay, this isn't like an overnight thing. It takes time and it's probably never 100% (at least not with me). But allow yourself to make mistakes and don't judge yourself based upon others.









Pets

1. Give your pets special things, like nice water and food bowls, and cozy clothes.

2. Give pets their own space, and give them space when they want it (cats, I'm telling ya - they definitely want their space at times).

3. Give them toys, or let them make their own (safe for them) playthings. Courage is a big fan of bottle caps, but also really loves her play-mat with hanging toys.

4. Change out their water often, and sometimes treat them with bottled water (you so fancy and so is your kitty or pup).

5. Let them cuddle. I let Courage on the couch and the bed. I know many folks are not fans of pets on the furniture, but it honestly just makes sense to me to let them have all the cuddles they want and be just as comfy as us humans.

6. Brush them and groom them in ways that make them feel comfortable - do what you can to make them less anxious in their groomings.

7. Give them food that makes a difference - Purina ONE® is formulated with high quality real meat, poultry, or fish, which helps support strong muscles and a healthy heart. With Purina ONE®, every ingredient has a purpose - with a mix of vitamins and minerals that are design to provide balanced nutrition, Purina ONE® is crafted to make a noticeable different in your pet's whole body health. Products come in wet and dry varieties for both cats and dogs, in formulas for all life stages.

For Courage, we've been trying out the Purina ONE® 28-Day Challenge. We recently switched to Purina ONE® Indoor Advantage Adult Premium Dry Cat Food for Courage, which is a hairball formula. Since she's long-haired, hairball formula is imperative to prevent her hairballing all over the place (yikes!).







Anyways, the Purina ONE® 28-Day Challenge could make a big difference in the life of your pet. After two weeks eating Purina ONE® Indoor Advantage Adult Premium Dry Cat Food, we definitely saw Courage with more energy and after 24 days, Purina ONE® could create a stronger immune system in your pets.









Sign up for the Purina ONE® 28-Day Challenge and get a $3 off coupon and a personalized food recommendation for your pets. Plus, between 10/7 - 10/13 - check out the temporary price cut on Purina ONE® Dry Cat Food - purchase two (2) 3.5lb bags of Purina ONE® Dry Cat Food for $15! AND get a FREE $5 Target GiftCard with a Purina purchase of $25 or more. If you tend to shop online instead of in-store, get 5% off plus free shipping when you subscribe to Purina ONE® at Target.


If you're interested in more tips and tricks about how Purina ONE® could help make your pets' lives a bit better, check this link out.



What do you do to bring happiness and healthiness to your home and life?

Brief synopsis: Mikael Blomkvist is a well-known investigative journalist. But there's an issue - he's been sued for libel and he's out of his regular gig. Just in time, Henrik Vanger of one of Sweden's wealthiest families, wants Blomkvist to spend a year searching for insight into the death of his niece, who disappeared almost 50 years ago. Later, Blomkvist is joined by Lisbeth Salander, a young prodigy investigator. Together, they uncover secrets years old.



I was reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for weeks. It's become such a classic, and probably the best known Nordic noir novel that exists. I've owned it for a few years, but it's fairly thick, so I always put off reading it. I finally got around to it this year to mark off the Nordic Noir prompt for the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge, and geez, I kind of see why it took me so long to finally pick it up.

It's a good book and an interesting story - don't get me wrong. It just took getting through half the book before it really got intriguing. The weirdest thing to me is that Lisbeth Salander (the actual girl with the dragon tattoo) doesn't really become an integral character until much, much later in the book than expected, and realistically, I don't feel like I ever really got to know her character very well. For a character to have the book named after her and the series to supposedly revolve around that character, it was incredibly odd to me that she wasn't really the main character - instead you get to know much more about Mikael Blomkvist, who is the character that the novel actually follows.

The novel was incredibly dark and disturbing and not at all for the faint-of-heart. There were actually parts that made me feel sick to stomach, which again, was unexpected for this book I've heard so much about.

I will say the story ended up having a pretty great storyline, but the beginning was boring and slow. There were way too many characters, with lots of similar names nonetheless, and parts were underwhelming at time. Now that I've gotten to know the characters a bit better, there's a possibility I would read more of the books, but most likely I'll never read more in the Millenium series.

I'm super excited to host my first book swap! If I'm being totally honest, I should have got this going a month ago, but... oops? Anyways, I'm hosting a Halloween book swap and I'm so excited to get the ball rolling.



Here are the rules:

1. Sign up on the form below, or click here to find the form, and complete by Saturday, October 13.

2. You will receive your assigned giftee via the provided email by Monday, October 15.

3. Send one new or gently used book to your assigned giftee - the book should have a Halloween theme, either a spooky, creepy, horror, or thriller book, or a book set at Halloween.  You can also send additional gifts or goodies, but you should stay around the $10 range. If you spend more than $10, just don't expect to receive the same amount in return. Make sure to send your package no later than Friday, October 19.

4. When you receive your book, post on social media with the hashtag #apabookswap and tag me (@kaylakedavra) and your gifter!











Have you ever hosted or participated in a book swap before? What's the best book you've received?