Hey everyone, I’m sorry I vanished for so long. I sit down, write half a post, and then run out of words. I’m hoping (fingers crossed!) to be a little more consistent in the weeks to come. Famous last words…
I’m back with my annual what-I-read post! Normally I do a huge, overwhelmingly long post stuffed with all the books that I read in the year. This time I’m splitting it up into genres to make it easier to read. 😊 I had planned to share detailed thoughts, opinions, and mini reviews on all the books, but it’s already the end of March and I’ve procrastinated too long.
Total Stats for the Year
Books Read: 196
Pages Read: 52,982
Genres: 15
Favorite Book: The Count of Monte Cristo
Least Favorite Book: Eat Pray Love
The Gothic Horror
Before 2023, I hadn’t read much, if any, gothic horror. I was pleasantly surprised by this genre and fell in love with the stories. They weren’t cheesy, creepy stories like I expected. They had so much depth and asked so many moral questions (especially Frankenstein).
Notes: books in italics are re-reads and books with asterisks are audiobooks.
Stats
Books Read: Five
Average Year Written: 1880
Average Rating: 4.4 stars
Average Page Count Per Book: 304 pages
Best: Dracula by Bram Stoker
Worst: The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
Dracula by Bram Stoker – 5 Stars
I was shocked to find that Dracula is not, primarily, a story of death, but of life, light, and hope. Of freedom and friendship. Of love and heartbreak. It’s must-read.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – 4 Stars
The struggle of our two selves is real. I love how it is portrayed here. The self that you feed is the one that takes control of you. Indulge your darkness and one day you’ll find that you can’t escape it.
Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley* – 5 Stars
Oh, my goodness, what a beautiful story. I loved the dual perspectives – you despise the Creature until you hear his side of the story. You hate the Creator until he shares his woes. You end with so much compassion for both parties.
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde – 5 Stars
I’ve tried writing reviews for this book, but I just can’t. I love it so much and all my words can’t do justice to the brilliance of this novel. It has about a million shocking twists and tear-jerkers around every corner. Go read it. Now.
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux* – 3 Stars
I’ve already posted my mixed thoughts on this book. Read here. All in all, I thought it was an interesting story, but the characters were cruel and weak, and the story lacked any moral.
~Hattush
Let’s chat! Do you enjoy gothic horror? Have you read any of these books? Did you enjoy them? How do you feel they compare to modern horror?
Daughter of the Light 
I don’t like the sound of Gothic Horror or any other horror.
I don’t need to import horror into my head but I have read a few and just ordered Dorian. It’s a hardback. Will I need to dissect it? G’pa
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I agree and that’s why I didn’t read any gothic horror for so long. But I was pleasantly suprised to see that it wasn’t focused on scaring people. It wasn’t scary at all, lol. More on the dark side with good life questions asked.
Nooo! Don’t dissect Dorian! Its pretty small. Just over 100 pages, I think.
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I read Dracula and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when I was at school – Dracula I remember finding quite a slow burn after the opening chapters but it definitely gets better by the end, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde I felt the exact same way about the juxtaposition of the two personas and how one represents light and good and the other dark and evil.
Another really good one I read recently is the Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, it’s more body horror but is about a man who turns into a large fly overnight and his families reaction which has very similar themes of you become who you are as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde – it’s a short read but very grotesque and also quite sad at the end.
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Thanks for your comment, Michael. I’ll have to check out The Metamorphosis. It sounds interesting! Thanks!
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