Top 5 Tuesday

Top 5 Tuesday: 5 Tropes I Can’t Get Enough Of

Top five Tuesdays is hosted by Meeghan Reads. Each Tuesday there is a new topic based around your top 5 for each prompt. I enjoy participating in these because I feel it helps readers connect to the bloggers. I started my blog to not only keep track of my reading journey but to also make connections with my readers. I am excited to share my favorite tropes with you, lets go!

Top Five Book Tropes

Enemies to Lovers
Magic School
Fake Dating
Cults
Twins With a Twist

Lets Deep Dive

Enemies to Lovers

“Red, White and Royal Blue” by Casey McQuiston is probably my favorite example of this trope.

The Presidents son Alex Claremont has never really gotten along with Prince Henry but when pictures are taken and threatened to be released publicly these two nemesis have to act all buddy buddy. One ting leads to another and these enemies become long distance lovers.

This is my second favorite LGBTQ read, with my first being “One Last Stop” also written by Casey McQuiston. If you haven’t read these books yet make sure to check them out!

Magic School

“A Deadly Education” by Naomi Novik matches this description perfectly!

El is a magically gifted girl who attends the Scholomance School for gifted children. This school is particularly strange because the only way to leave is if you graduate or die. Follow some simple rules and just maybe you can leave with your body still intact. The most important rule is never to walk the halls alone and to always be on the lookout for rogue monsters.

I loved this book because the world was so well built! I felt like I was actually attending school with El. I am very excited to read the second book here soon!

Fake Dating

“The Dating Plan” by Sara Desai was one of my favorite romance reads ever!

Daisy and Liam couldn’t be more opposite. A software engineer who is very detail orientated and a Venture capitalist who has something of a bad side. However, both Daisy and Liam need to get their families off their backs. They come up with a fool proof plan and start “Dating” leading towards an engagment.

I loved this story because neither of them really wanted it to end in a relationship but throughout the course of the book they fell in love and it felt very natural.

Cults

“A Deadly Influence” by Mike Omer was the first book I have ever read regarding cults and I fell in love with this plot instantly!

Abby Mullen works for the police department as a hostage negotiator. When a child goes missing and an old friend requests for her help memories come rushing back!

Abby and the childs mother were in a cult together when they were children and Abby was the lucky one who made it out. Where is the poor child? Could the cult have something to do with this?

I really enjoyed this book because occasionally there would be flashbacks regarding her time as a child in a cult. I was not expecting to love it as much as I did but the way the author portrayed Abby’s character and her past trauma it really pulled me in and felt very tasteful.

Twins With a Twist

“The Girl in The Mirror” by Rose Carlyle was the first thriller book I have read where I didn’t guess the twist at the end.

Iris and Summer are identical twins but what lies on the inside is very different. Iris has always been jealous of Summer especially ever since Summer married a very handsome and rich man. But when a sailing trips go wrong Iris jumps at the chance to finally walk in her sisters footsteps.

Like I said the twist in this book had me screaming! I know some people said they could see what happened from a mile away but for me I was shocked till the end.

Final Thoughts

There are so many different tropes out there these days but most of them that I could think of were romance based. Is there a reason why I couldn’t think of tropes other than romance and thriller? Possibly because that is all I ever read? Oh well, I just know these are tropes I always look forward too. I am currently reading “The Love Hypothesis” by Ali Hazelwood which is a fake dating trope!

What are some of your favorite tropes? Did any of yours make my list?

Top 5 Tuesday: 5 Books That Scare Me

This weeks top 5 Tuesday is all about 5 books that scare me. I haven’t read any books that really scare me so I am going to take this as 5 books that I think will scare me. Honestly I feel like they are all going to be Stephen King because he is the king of Horror but let’s see what happens. Top 5 Tuesday is hosted by Meeghan Reads.

5 Books That I Think Will Scare Me

“The Shinning” by Stephen King

I am currently reading this book and I am a little bit short of half way. I haven’t ran into anything too scary yet but I feel like that is because the story is still just starting out. I have ran into some parts that I have noticed my heart rate creeping up and my body feels tense, so I think this book could be the first book to actually scare me!

I watched the movie a little while ago and I wasn’t exactly scared but probably more confused than anything. I am finding that now that I am reading the book I am understanding the story better and I think that will help get me to the point that I will actually be scared.

“IT” by Stephen King

I absolutely hate clowns and the fact that I have see both the old and the new film along with the sequel of this movie astounds me! I first watched this back in 2016 when here in Utah (maybe the whole country… IDK) there were people dressing up as clowns and hurting people, I remember at work we couldn’t walk outside without someone always with us for fear we could die, not great timing, it probably made my fear even worse!

If I ever read this book I don’t know if I could even finish it because I would be way too scared! I have heard it is a good book though, so it is very tempting to try it and just see what happens. Someone talk me into this!

“The Exorcist” by William Peter Blatty

Once again this is a movie that really scared me! I can’t even look at this cover without feeling uncomfortable.

I really am not someone who likes to watch horror but I will give it a try around Halloween. I get scared really easily and I just do not think this book and I would get along too well.

I like to read my books at night and this would probably give me nightmares and I really can’t be having that right now.

“The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson

This was the TV show that actually convinced me that maybe one day I could enjoy watching horror movies. I thought the TV show was very well done. Since I’ve watched the show though I have been tempted to read the book because the books are always better. However, if the book is always better does that mean the book would be scarier?

The TV show scared the crap out of me so if the book is scary I am not sure I can handle it! The monsters my head creates can be scary enough let alone with a little guidance from a book! It would be worth the read though because I am sure it is a great read.

“Rosemary’s Baby” by Ira Levin

I guess there is a movie for this book (shocker) However, I haven’t seen it yet. While I was reading the synopsis of the book though it really did sound like an interesting horror tale.

I have heard a lot of great reviews about this book however, children and babies in horror films I feel like are always the scariest part! I couldn’t imagine reading about it!

Have you read this book? Would you recommend it?

Conclusion

I am not a horror fan. I think I will continue to read my thrillers and mysteries, that is as far as I need to take it! I leave all the horror reading to people who truly enjoy it!

I am currently reading “The Shinning” and I have already read “Pet Semetary” and I am sure I will read more of Stephen Kings novels but maybe only on special occasions. It was funny because as I was looking through scary books online “Pet Semetary” Kept popping up very high on the lists but I really didn’t think that book was scary. I hope one of his books can give me a good scare.

QOTD: What is the scariest book you have read?

Top 5 Tuesday is hosted by Meeghan from MeeghanReads. Each week is a new topic and you give your top five from that category. This weeks Topic is horror tropes that you are brave in the face of… or that you find mildly ridiculous to funny.

I am going to be honest with you, I haven’t read many horror books mostly just thrillers that involve human killers. I also wasn’t a horror fan at all growing up and recently started to watch scary movies. So top five horror tropes that don’t scare me might be a bit hard to do, maybe I just do what tropes I don’t think will scare me but still need to try. Let’s see what I can come up with, shall we?

Zombies

As much as I don’t like zombie movies it’s not because I think they are scary but more so the gore. I really don’t like watching blood, guts, and gore in my movies. Especially when it doesn’t seem plausible. Such as, I am good with blood and guts from a medical show but not in violent action movies or unrealistic situations.

I haven’t came across a zombie book before but I also don’t think I would read a zombie book either. Definitely not a trope I would read but I don’t think it would scare me either.

Do you have a zombie book to recommend?

Serial Killers

As a true crime fanatic serial killers don’t scare me. I find these more interesting than anything. I think I would really enjoy a book that covers a serial killer.

These movies tend to be cheesy because the victims are typically very stupid with their choices. I don’t really get scared watching these movies because of the killer but more so because of the jump scares! I am very jumpy at all times even when I know something is going to happen but I enjoy the thrill!

I welcome these types of books with open arms! Send your recommendations my way!

Aliens

The only alien that I approve of is Stitch. I could read about him all day every day. I have an extensive Stitch collection so I am all for that alien.

Aliens just don’t catch my interest, I don’t think aliens are real and I don’t like listening or reading about anything to do with aliens.

Alien movies are boring and offer nothing stimulating to my brain. I just don’t think this would be a scary trope for me.

Technology Take Over

I know this is a movie but I am sure a book exists or could exist with this type of horror trope.

I just don’t get the idea of something taking over technology. I wouldn’t find something like this scary whether it was a movie or a book. I find this more silly than anything.

I’m sure if ghost or demons do exist they could take over technology but I personally have not first handedly had this experience and until then I will believe this idea is completely ridiculous!

Cults

I just recently finished a book involving a cult and I was more intrigued than scared. The book was called “A Deadly Influence” by Mike Omer. This was a really good thriller about a kidnapping that was possibly connected to a cult. Check my review out Here.

Midsommar was an awful movie and I didn’t find it scary just more uncomfortable than anything. I just don’t think a horror book about cults would freak me out.

Thoughts

I really want to find a book that really scares me. However I have heard that it is really hard to find a book that really scares you. I need some book recommendations for the scariest books you have read.

I am currently reading “The Shinning” by Stephen King and although I didn’t find the movie scary I have high hopes for the book. I also have “The Chestnut Man” by Soren Sveistrup and I have seen some very good reviews on this book.

QOTD: What Horror tropes do you find not scary?