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@booksbylemon

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When life gives you lemons, contemplate the void.
🦋Ovarian cancer survivor
🗝️A DARK AND WILD WOOD (Voyager) out now

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👻 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 👻

Apparently, I like my books the way I like my cemetery photos: full of atmosphere and a little haunting. 🪦🍂📚

For today’s #ThiccBooksChallengeOct26 prompt, I rounded up some of my favorite paranormal reads of 2026 so far. 😉 From gothic romance to unsettling horror, these books made room for something otherworldly—and kept me turning the pages.

Give me ghosts, strange powers, sinister secrets, and just enough creeping dread to question every noise in my house. 😂🕯️

👻 Have you read any of these? What paranormal read should haunt my TBR next?

👻 Wanna join in on the spooky fun?
Reach out to the admins for more info:
@thiccbooksandthiccthighs
@nikki_loves_to_read
@stephs_bookery
@thiccbookscommunity

#paranormalbooks #spookyreads #bookstagram #horrorbookstagram

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Definitely judging a book by its cover 🫣📖✨

#bookcovers #bookish #judgeabookbyitscover

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First episode out now!

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As someone who wrote a Bluebeard retelling, I thought it might be helpful to round up a list of some others:

💙A THOUSAND MONSTROUS FORMS by Saratoga Schaefer (me!)
💙HOW TO BE EATEN by Maria Adelmann
💙BUT NOT TOO BOLD by Hache Pueyo
💙EVEN YOUR BONES WOULD DO by Claire Schultz
💙THE HOUSE SAPHIR by Marissa Meyer
💙A DARK AND WILD WOOD by Sarah Nicole Lemon
💙SOUR CHERRY by Natalia Theodoridou
💙IN THE DREAM HOUSE* by Carmen Maria Machado

*Carmen Maria Machado’s book is a memoir, but it was one of the inspirations for ATMF and also includes Bluebeard references and related themes, so I think it belongs here.

How many of these have you read or are on your TBR list?

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👻New Release Ghost Books 👻

Hi friends! There are so many 2026 new release books that have some sort of haunting or ghost element to them!! Ghosts is the theme for round two of Not So Scaryathon so I thought I'd share this delightful list as well a full detailed video going over most of these! The video is on my YouTube channel (link in my stories today)

Out of this list I have already read:
👻 Midnight On The Celestial @juliaalexwrites
I absolutely loved this spooky and witchy cruise ship fantasy stand alone . So unique and she kindly donated a copy for the Not So Scary giveaway!!

Others I'm excited for:
👻Our Strange Duet @penchant4words
👻How To Survive Camping Books 2 & 3 @bonnie.k.quinn
👻All Her Ghosts @cyprith
👻The Glowing Hours @leilasidd13
👻A Dark Wild Wood @booksbylemon

Which of these immediately go on your Spooky TBR??

****Instagram is marking anything made on canva as AI 🫠 I promise I made these my self 💗

#thebrightsidegirl
#ghostbooks #paranormalbooks #spookybooks #octoberreads

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October TBR? Sorted.

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Now I know this wasn't included in my spooky TBR video but that's only because I'd already moved it next to my bed to start reading!

Inspired by the tale of Bluebeard, A Dark and Wild Wood by Sarah Nicole Lemon is the lush and atmospheric story of a maiden with dark magic who becomes the apprentice to Lord Death-for a price. Ever since she was a child, Salomé has been plagued by visions of spirits and dangerous powers she can't control. After watching her foster mother burn as a witch, she and her beloved sister Rochelle are raised together in a convent, a grim and dreary existence. Until one day, Rochelle vanishes. Determined to find a way to save her, Salomé runs: first to a brothel, and then, after a terrible accident, away from the village and into the woods. Deep amongst the trees of the wild Black Forest, she comes face-to-face with Lord Death. Rather than taking her life, he brings her to his home at the heart of the woods, a strange manor full of locked rooms and mysterious corridors, crumbling one moment, magnificent the next. He promises to make her his apprentice and teach her how to harness her mind and magic. His words are as seductive as his presence-but should one trust Death? A swirling mirage of dark fairy tale, gothic romance, and historical fantasy, A Dark and Wild Wood is a novel best devoured all at once. But proceed with caution, as everything is not what it seems...

#bookstagram #specialeditionbooks #lockedlibrary #horrornovel currentlyreadi̇ng

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ℜ𝔢𝔱𝔢𝔩𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰 ⚔️

𝙳𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚏𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐?

I love a retelling, whether it’s a fairytale retelling or a legend retelling, I’m all for it.

Here are some of my favourites that I’ve read (or reread) this year ✨

✨ Lady Tremaine by @hochhauser a retelling of the classic Cinderella by from the ‘villains’ POV.

✨ Maiden by @georgialeightonauthor a St George and the Dragon retelling, where the women are at the heart of the story.

✨A Court of Thorns and Roses by @sarahjmaas the series starts out as a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, need I say more.

✨ A Dark and Wild wood a dark retelling inspired by the classic French folktale Bluebeard.

#fairytalebooks #fantasybookrecs #fantasybooklover #fantasybookstagram #fairytalestory

Fantasy books. Fantasy book lover. Fairytale retelling. Bookstagram. Book account.

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My hopeful reads for October! What are yours?
The Arachnid by IV Ophelia
A Dark and Wild Wood by Sarah Nicole Lemon
Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna Van Veen

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Another month in the books! 📖 We had a little bit of romance, some speculative fiction, fancy literature, and a sprinkle of spooky season prep! 🍂

What was your favorite read this past month? Drop it in the comments so we can add it to our TBR! ⬇️  #stephenking #annpatchett #lovehypothesis #bookrecs #septemberreads

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📚 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗵𝗮: 𝘈 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘞𝘰𝘰𝘥 🌲🖤
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮: Sarah Nicole Lemon
𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮: Harper Voyager (@harpervoyagerus)

Eu já tinha cruzado com esse livro algumas vezes enquanto fuçava o Pinterest e a capa sempre me chamava atenção. 🌲🖤 O visual da floresta, a estética gótica, o ar meio macabro... Lindo né?! Admito, não consegui me conter. Precisava descobrir o que tinha nessa história! Infelizmente, ainda não temos tradução para o português, mas quero compartilhar para quem lê em inglês ou consegue se aventurar no idioma.

Inspirado no clássico conto de fadas Barba Azul, o livro acompanha Salomé, uma jovem que vê espíritos desde criança e possui uma magia que nunca conseguiu controlar. Depois de presenciar a mulher que a criou ser queimada como bruxa, ela cresce em um convento ao lado da irmã, Rochelle. Quando Rochelle desaparece, Salomé parte à sua procura e acaba entrando na Floresta Negra. 🌲🌫️

É lá que ela encontra Lord Death - literalmente, a Morte. 💀

Só que ele não veio buscá-la. Lord Death a leva para sua mansão e oferece a chance de aprender a controlar sua magia. A partir daí temos portas trancadas, espíritos, segredos e a sensação constante de que alguma coisa está errada. 🕯️🗝️

A relação entre os dois é envolta em tensão, fascínio e muita desconfiança, mas vale avisar: não é um romance. A história está muito mais ligada à jornada de Salomé, à liberdade, ao medo, à perda e às escolhas que ela começa a fazer por si mesma.

E a atmosfera entrega exatamente o que aquela capa promete. 🖤 Uma floresta antiga, uma mansão inquietante e aquele clima de conto de fadas sombrio que eu amo. 🌲🕯️

⚠️ Gatilhos: morte e luto, violência, perseguição e execução de mulheres acusadas de bruxaria, misoginia, abuso, sangue, ferimentos e situações de ameaça.

Com uma escrita poética e uma ambientação melancólica, Sarah Nicole Lemon cria uma história sobre perda, identidade, pertencimento, poder e liberdade.

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