August 2018 Wrap-up

August's TBR Pile (11/14):

MVPA Book Club Selection: Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham ✓
TBR Pile: Little Bee by Chris Cleave ✓
Reading Assignment: How to Fall in Love with a Man Who Lives in a Bush by Emmy Abrahamson ✓
Reading Assignment: The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert ✓
Book of the Month Club (July): Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Book of the Month Club (August): The Dinner List
Series Pick: Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine ✓
Comics Pick: The Walking Dead Vol. 30
Romance Pick: The Stolen Bride by Jo Beverley ✓
Romance Pick: Emily and the Dark Angel by Jo Beverley ✓
Nonfiction Pick: College Girls by Lynn Peril ✓
Classics Pick: Daisy Miller and Washington Square by Henry James ✓
Young Adult Pick: Unspoken by Sarah Brennan ✓
Added: Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 3477 pages
Pages Remaining: 656,890 pages

Current Read - Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books bought/received (1) -- I picked up The Eyre Affair for cheap instead of waiting for the library holds list.

September's TBR Pile:

TBR Pile: An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin
Reading Assignment: The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
Book of the Month Club (carry-over): The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle
Book of the Month Club (carry-over): Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Book of the Month Club: TBD
Book Club: Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
Series Pick: Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan
Comics Pick: Rat Queens Vol. 4
Romance Pick: Flirting with Forever by Gwyn Cready
Nonfiction Pick: Pox Americana by Elizabeth A. Fenn
Classics Pick: Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Young Adult Pick: Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan

Movies watched

The Avengers: Infinity War -- I was not ready for that emotional roller coaster.
Deadpool 2 -- So f*ing funny. Love it when they break the fourth wall.
Ready Player One -- Not as bad as I was thinking it would be, but a little too flashy.
The Trip -- A rewatch for us as we wanted to watch the other two movies.
The Trip to Italy -- Loved this crazy film featuring two crazy guys.
The Trip to Spain -- Loved the final movie. So good.
Absolutely, Anything -- Not quite sure why this has such a low rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It's not great, but it's also not a steaming pile of garbage as the rating implies.
Won't You Be My Neighbor? -- This has been on our list for awhile now. Very moving!

TV Shows watched

Bachelor in Paradise S5 -- So much more fun than the regular series.
Legion S2 -- We're slowing making our way through the season. Only a few more episodes to go.
Supernatural S5 -- Finishing the last season that I watched all the way through.

Comments - As expected, my reading slowed down this month but I still knocked out quite a few from my shelves.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Another Bunch of Videos

This one actually made me laugh out loud.

Terry Crews is a gift

Depressing and yet accurate...

This little videos are very entertaining.

This is so very true. And for the record, I am over 30...

I really enjoyed Unbreakable. Here's hoping this is a good continuation.

Loved this re-imagining...

I love a good historical drama based on real events.

I still haven't seen the first one, but this looks like some fun.

Um... Yep!

This looks delightful!

College Girls by Lynn Peril

Title: College Girls

Author: Lynn Peril

Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company 2006

Genre: Nonfiction - U.S. History

Pages: 416

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - Nonfiction Adventure; Popsugar - Microhistory

A geek who wears glasses? Or a sex kitten in a teddy? This is the dual vision of the college girl, the unique American archetype born when the age-old conflict over educating women was finally laid to rest. College was a place where women found self-esteem, and yet images in popular culture reflected a lingering distrust of the educated woman. Thus such lofty cultural expressions as Sex Kittens Go to College (1960) and a raft of naughty pictorials in men’s magazines.

As in Pink Think, Lynn Peril combines women’s history and popular culture—peppered with delightful examples of femoribilia from the turn of the twentieth century through the 1970s—in an intelligent and witty study of the college girl, the first woman to take that socially controversial step toward educational equity.

Another one of those books sitting on my shelves for much too long. Overall, I was invested in the history of women in college but I will admit that I knew a decent amount of the information presented. Peril does a great job at laying out different areas of the college experience throughout history. I was especially interested in the chapter about sex education. The book was packed full of information an primary sources.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday -- Palaye Royale "Mr. Doctor Man"

Love the sound of this band.

Bout of Books 23 Finish Line

Pages Read Today: 297 (Unspoken) + 224 (College Girls)
Pages Read Total: 1360

Books Read Today: 1
Books Read Total: 4

Comments: I didn't quite reach my goal of 5 books in one week, but I came pretty darn close. I'll be finished with College Girls probably Tuesday. It's a dense history book so it takes me a bit longer to read. Overall, I am very happy with what I read this past week. Very excited to continue the reading momentum!

Goals:

Read 5 books
Read 1000 pages ✓
Review all books read ✓
Read books only from my shelves -- I failed a bit at this by reading The Hazel Wood, but I justify the exception because I had to wait on the library hold.

TBR Pile:

Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham ✓
College Girls by Lynn Peril (in progress)
Unspoken by Sarah Brennan ✓
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle
Little Bee by Chris Cleave ✓
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Eruption by Steve Olson
Added: The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert ✓

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 20th and runs through Sunday, August 26th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 23 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Next up the TBR pile:

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Title: Unspoken (The Lynburn Legacy #1)

Author: Sarah Rees Brennan

Publisher: Random House 2012

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 373

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; A to Z - U; Seasonal Series - Eating Fruit

Kami Glass is in love with someone she's never met—a boy she's talked to in her head since she was born. This has made her an outsider in the sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale, but she has learned ways to turn that to her advantage. Her life seems to be in order, until disturbing events begin to occur. There has been screaming in the woods and the manor overlooking the town has lit up for the first time in 10 years. . . . The Lynburn family, who ruled the town a generation ago and who all left without warning, have returned. Now Kami can see that the town she has known and loved all her life is hiding a multitude of secrets—and a murderer. The key to it all just might be the boy in her head. The boy she thought was imaginary is real, and definitely and deliciously dangerous.

One of those books that's been on my shelves for way too long (have you been noticing a trend in my book choices lately?). I finally picked it up and found myself enjoying this tale of self-discovery, ancient secrets, possible romance, and real magic. I enjoyed uncovering the secrets of the Lynburns and Sorry-in-the-Vale over the course of the book. I was right there with her in suspecting almost everyone in the town. At times I got a little annoyed at Kami's naiveté but had to keep reminding myself of her age. That made it much more developmentally appropriate. Unfortunately, this volume ended on a huge cliffhanger. Guess I need to go find the second book in the trilogy.

Lynburn Legacy

#0.2 The Spring Before I Met You
#0.5 The Summer Before I Met You
#1 Unspoken
#1.5 The Night After I Lost You
#2 Untold
#3 Unmade

Next up on the TBR pile:

Quentin: 23 Months

Likes: Arthur (usually), cars trains and planes, climbing, being free and wandering, his stuffed panda, reading with mommy

Dislikes: Naps, vegetables, when it's time to go, Arthur playing with his toys

Sleeping: Random wake-ups for the past couple of weeks. We're transitioning to a twin size mattress on the floor and I think he is still adjusting.

Eating: Most of the things except for vegetables. He's a bit of a better eater than Arthur at the same age, but still being a picky toddler.

Playing: Lots of imaginary play with the play kitchen and all the cars and trucks. Plus, he's huge fan of playgrounds and the beach.

Milestones: Starting to actually talk. Only a few words here and there, but more more communication.

Out and About: Too many activities to list! We've been going going going every week.

Next up on the TBR Pile:

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Title: The Hazel Wood (The Hazel Wood #1)

Author: Melissa Albert

Publisher: Flat Iron Books 2018

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 359

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Reading Assignment; Share-a-Tea; Seasonal Series - Someone Travels

Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: Her mother is stolen away—by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”

Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began—and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.

I've been waiting for this book to come off hold at the library. I've heard such good things about this volume. A dark fairy tale sounds right up my alley! Thankfully this book delivered on an amazingly creepy story with great characters and full of twists and turns. It took me awhile to move through this book not because it was bad but because I savored every paragraph. For most of the book I was a bit unclear as to whether the events I was reading were real or in some weird dream state. Sounds bad, but I loved it! I loved the questioning and dream-like state that most of the books existed in. Loved it!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Bout of Books 23 Update #2

Pages Read Today: 323 (The Hazel Wood) + 76 (Unspoken)
Pages Read Total: 839

Books Read Today: 1
Books Read Total: 3

Comments: I sped through the wonderfully horrific volume that was The Hazel Wood. From there I found myself at a bit of a loss and flailed around my bookshelves until pulling out and starting Unspoken.

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 20th and runs through Sunday, August 26th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 23 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Next up the TBR pile:

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

Title: Little Bee

Author: Chris Cleave

Publisher: Simon & Schuster 2009

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 290

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: TBR Pile; Seasonal Series - Recommendation

We don’t want to tell you too much about this book. It is a truly special story and we don’t want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know something, so we will just say this: It is extremely funny, but the African beach scene is horrific. The story starts there, but the book doesn’t. And it’s what happens afterward that is most important. Once you have read it, you’ll want to tell everyone about it. When you do, please don’t tell them what happens either. The magic is in how it unfolds.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed the plot and the characters. It was a fascinating look at refugees. The storyline had some interesting twists and turns. I really liked that the characters were flawed making them much more realistic. But the writing just bugged me. I couldn't really get behind the first person narration. It was just too stifled for me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

This house smells of cardboard boxes... Loving that we've gotten this much packed already, not loving the smell.
I finally got a book about the smallpox epidemic of the Revolutionary period from the library. I am way too excited about this one!
My planner supplies are a bit out of control. I need to do a bit of organizing.
We've possibly lost another library book. Seriously where has it gone????
I'm so ready for my weekend retreat. Unfortunately it is still weeks away.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Bout of Books 23 Update #1

Pages Read Today: 138 (Talking as Fast as I Can) + 266 (Little Bee) + 36 (The Hazel Wood)
Pages Read Total: 440

Books Read Today: 2
Books Read Total: 2

Comments: I knocked out the rest of my book club selection (meeting is on Sunday) and finished a book that's been on my shelf for too long... And I started a book that has been on my shortlist for awhile now. So far, it's extra creepy and I love it.

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 20th and runs through Sunday, August 26th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 23 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Next up the TBR pile:

Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham

Title: Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls

Author: Lauren Graham

Publisher: Ballantine Books 2016

Genre: Memoir

Pages: 224

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Popsugar - Goodreads Choice Award Winner

In Talking as Fast as I Can, Lauren Graham hits pause for a moment and looks back on her life, sharing laugh-out-loud stories about growing up, starting out as an actress, and, years later, sitting in her trailer on the Parenthood set and asking herself, “Did you, um, make it?” She opens up about the challenges of being single in Hollywood (“Strangers were worried about me; that’s how long I was single!”), the time she was asked to audition her butt for a role, and her experience being a judge on Project Runway (“It’s like I had a fashion-induced blackout”).

I really really wanted to like this memoir. I enjoyed watching Lauren Graham on both Gilmore Girls and Parenthood. I was looking forward to hearing her fun stories about life in Hollywood. And yet, I just didn't really enjoy this one. I felt that the stories were very meandering. I just kept getting pulled back out of the narrative. Her references and silly asides seemed very dated already. I would hope that care would be taken when adding very time specific references and the ones chosen just weren't that great two years on. Pretty disappointed in this one.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #8

Reading: Finally picked up Little Bee by Chris Cleave. It's been sitting on my shelf for years!

Watching: Loving this season of Bachelor in Paradise. Way better than The Bachelorette.

Listening: Downloaded and working my way through Crooked Media's podcast The Wilderness. In some ways it's very depressing, but in other ways it fascinating and somewhat uplifting.

Making: My next craft project is prepping birthday thank you cards for the boys's birthday party.

Feeling: J and the boys were all sick this past week. While I've escaped most of the sickness, I've had to deal with three sick people in my house. I am now exhausted. Here's hoping I don't catch it now.

Planning: I've gotten the decor, activities, and goody bags worked out for the party. Now I just need to finalize our menu for the day of.

Loving: Cooler mornings were made for coffee and couch snuggles. Loving the bit of cooler weather we've had this past week.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Dream State "White Lies"

A random YouTube find from this week. I really dig this song. Must download the entire album.

Bout of Books 23 Starting Line

I'm really hoping to knock some books out this week!

Goals:

Read 5 books
Read 1000 pages
Review all books read
Read books only from my shelves

TBR Pile:

Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham (in progress)
College Girls by Lynn Peril
Unspoken by Sarah Brennan
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle
Little Bee by Chris Cleave
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Eruption by Steve Olson

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 20th and runs through Sunday, August 26th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 23 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Next up the TBR pile:

Fall Bucket List

Another season, another bucket list. This one will be a bit weird as we are moving to a different state at the end of September. There is a short list of things we want to hit before leaving California and a list of things for Indiana and Nebraska. It's going to be a mixed bag.

California:

Visit Rocket Fizz
Take a Ferry Ride to San Francisco
Have a Beach Day
Enjoy my Retreat Weekend!
Celebrate Arthur and Quentin's Birthdays!
Visit Children's Fairyland
Visit Children's Creativity Museum
Eat at Black Bear
Buy pie in Guerneville
Have one more pool party

Midwest:

Visit Fort Wayne Zoo
Visit Science Central
Visit Omaha Zoo
Visit Omaha Children's Museum
Get a new library card
Find a good park
Go see a movie in the theater
Go to Vala's Pumpkin Festival
Eat at Coney Island
Travel to OBM Sparkle Party in Iowa City
Find a good indie bookstore
Visit the comic books store
Find a good brunch place (Wheatfields?)
Have dinner with a friend alone
Join a new parent group
Join a book club
Get my crafty business started
Go to Fort Wayne for Thanksgiving
Create a fall signature cocktail

Next up on the TBR pile:

Daisy Miller and Washington Square by Henry James

Title: Daisy Miller and Washington Square

Author: Henry James

Publisher: 1878; 1880

Genre: Classics

Pages: 288

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Share-a-Tea; A to Z - W

In Daisy Miller, James paints a vivid portrait of a vibrant young American girl visiting Europe for the first time. Lovely, flirtatious, eager for experience, Daisy meets a wealthy American, Mr. Winterbourne, and a penniless but passionate Italian. Her complex encounters with them and others allow James to explore one of his favorite themes, the effect of Americans and Europeans on each other.

I enjoyed the styled writing of this short novella. However, I can't quite get behind the characters. Daisy is very much like another Daisy of literature, completely one-dimensional. I just couldn't deal with her lack of depth. So mixed feelings on this one I guess...

Washington Square’s Catherine Sloper is Daisy Miller’s opposite. Neither pretty nor charming, she lives with her wealthy, widowed, tyrannical father, Dr. Austin Sloper, who can barely conceal his disdain for his shy, awkward daughter. When a handsome suitor, Morris Townsend, comes calling, Catherine’s father refuses to believe he is anything other than a heartless fortune hunter and sets out to destroy her romance.

This story I enjoyed a bit more than the first one. I enjoyed the interplay between all the characters and personalities. I have read that James disliked this story very much, but I enjoyed this slice of life.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Summer Bucket List Finish Line

I ended up with 14 activities finished this summer. Lower than I would have liked, but I we have been super busy getting ready to move in September.

Two beach days (Half Moon Bay and Stinson) ✓
Jelly Belly Factory ✓
Go to the Warped Tour ✓
Sonoma Train Town ✓
Pool party 2x ✓
San Francisco Wharf/Musee Mechanique ✓
Make popsicles 3x
Pacific Pinball Museum ✓
Go on an easy hike with all the kiddos ✓
Escape Room adventure
Rocket Fizz Visit
Baskin Robbins ✓
Mini Golf ✓
Movie in a Theater ✓
Summer brunch party
Make your own pizzas party
Make Donuts 2x
Treasure Island Flea Market or Jack London Square Market
Fourth of July Festival at Berkeley Marina ✓
Waterpark day ✓ - We ended up spending most of our Gilroy Gardens Day at the waterpark area. Loved it!
Cookout
Read a romance series ✓ - I sped through Mose of the Renfrew/Kyle series from Jo Beverley
Make smores
Try a new (to us) ice cream place
Take the ferry to SF - We didn't get to this during the summer but have it on the calendar for later this month.

Next up on the TBR pile:

NPR Romance and Horror Lists

NPR just released their list of the 100 Favorite Horror Stories based on a reader's choice. I love these lists and use them for my perpetual reading challenges. So I'm adding this to my challenges!

Frankenstien by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Dracula by Bram Stoker
"Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne
"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe
"Carmilla" by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
"The Turn of the Screw" by Henry James
"The Great God Pan" by Arthur Machen
"The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs
"The Willows" by Algernon Blackwood
"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
"Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" by M.R. James and Darryl Jones
The Werewolf of Paris by Guy Endore
I am Legend by Richard Matheson
Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice (first trilogy)
Minion by L.A. Banks (Vampire Huntress Legend Series)
The Hunger by Alma Katsu
Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman
Bird Box by Josh Malerman
Feed by Mira Grant (Newsflesh series)
World War Z by Max Brooks
The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
"The Shadow Over Innsmouth" By H.P. Lovecraft
The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor Lavalle
The Fisherman by John Langan
Laundry Files by Charles Stross (series)
The Cipher by Kathe Koja
John Dies at the End by David Wong
At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft
"All Our Salt-Bottled Hearts" by Sonya Taaffe
Uzumaki by Junji Ito
Communion by Whitley Strieber
"The Repairer of Reputations" by Robert W. Chambers
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons
Burnt Offerings by Robert Marasco
The Shining by Stephen King
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
The Elementals by Michael McDowell
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
Lunar Park by Bret Easton Ellis
The Bone Key by Sarah Monette
Infidel by Aaron Campbell
The Ruins by Scott Smith
Rebecca Daphne de Maurier
"Where are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates
The Red Tree by Caitlin R. Kiernan
Swan Song by Robert McCammon
"The Screwfly Solution" by James Tiptree Jr.
"Left Foot, Right" by Palo Hopkinson
Come Closer by Sara Gran
Furnace by Livia Llewellyn
The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
Through the Woods by Emily Carroll
Sandman by Neil Gaiman
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi
"Goblin Market" by Christina Georgina Rossetti
Experimental Film by Gemma Files
"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson
The Collector by John Fowles
The Terror by Dan Simmons
Intensity by Dean R. Koontz
The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum
Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z. Brite
"Night The Missed the Horror Show by Joe Lansdale
Penpal by Dathan Auerbach
NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
"Bloodchild" by Octavia E. Butler
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Kindred by Octavia Butler
The Devil in America by Kai Ashante Wilson
"I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison
Books of Blood by Clive Barker
The October Country by Ray Bradbury
The Weird by Ann Vandermeer and Jeff Vandermeer
The Imago Sequence and Other Stories by Laird Barron
Alone with the Horrors by Ramsey Campbell
Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enriquez
Shadowland by Peter Straub
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
"The Body" by Stephen King
"It's a Good Life" by Jerome Bixby
The Other by Thomas Tryon
The Troop by Nick Cutter
Elizabeth by Ken Greenhall
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
Goosebumps by R.L. Stone (series)
Rotters by Daniel Kraus
The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste
The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs
Spiriti Hunters by Ellen Oh
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan

I also somehow missed their 100 Romance Stories list from 2015. I'm going to add this one also!

Lord of Scoundrels, by Loretta Chase
Indigo, by Beverly Jenkins
Outlander (series), by Diana Gabaldon
Texas Destiny, by Lorraine Heath
The Serpent Garden, by Judith Merkle Riley
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, by Jennifer Ashley
The Bedwyn Saga (series), by Mary Balogh
Ravished, by Amanda Quick
The Wallflowers (series), by Lisa Kleypas
The Bridgertons (series), by Julia Quinn
The Brothers Sinister (series), by Courtney Milan
The Rules of Scoundrels (series), by Sarah MacLean
Flowers From the Storm, by Laura Kinsale
Spindle Cove (series), by Tessa Dare
Maiden Lane (series), by Elizabeth Hoyt
Pennyroyal Green (series), by Julie Anne Long
The Bride, by Julie Garwood
The Pink Carnation (series), by Lauren Willig
A Knight in Shining Armor, by Jude Deveraux
Not Quite a Husband, by Sherry Thomas
Desperate Duchesses (series), by Eloisa James
Something Wonderful, by Judith McNaught
The Windflower, by Laura London
The Spymasters (series), by Joanna Bourne
The Duke of Shadows, by Meredith Duran
Beast, by Judith Ivory
To Have and to Hold, by Patricia Gaffney
The Captive, by Grace Burrowes
The Lotus Palace (series), by Jeannie Lin
All Through the Night, by Connie Brockway
Blaze, by Susan Johnson
Morning Glory, by LaVyrle Spencer
Simple Jess, by Pamela Morsi
The Morning Gift, by Eva Ibbotson
A Lady Awakened, by Cecilia Grant
The Summer of You, by Kate Noble
The Rake, by Mary Jo Putney
The India Fan, by Victoria Holt
North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell
The Far Pavilions, by M.M. Kaye
Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
Venetia, by Georgette Heyer
Eleanor & Park, by Rainbow Rowell
Anna and the French Kiss, by Stephanie Perkins
The Queen's Thief (series), by Megan Whalen Turner
Perfect Chemistry, by Simone Elkeles
Adios to My Old Life, by Caridad Ferrer
I-Team (series), by Pamela Clare
In Death (series), by J.D. Robb
Nine Coaches Waiting, by Mary Stewart
Psy/Changeling (series), by Nalini Singh
The Iron Seas (series), by Meljean Brook
Kate Daniels (series), by Ilona Andrews
Ember, by Bettie Sharpe
The Inheritance Trilogy, by N.K. Jemisin
A Civil Campaign, by Lois McMaster Bujold
Archangel, by Sharon Shinn
Warrior's Woman, by Johanna Lindsey
Charley Davidson (series), by Darynda Jones
The Black Dagger Brotherhood (series), by J.R. Ward
Immortals After Dark (series), by Kresley Cole
Fever (series), by Karen Marie Moning
The Winter Sea, by Susanna Kearsley
Cry Wolf, by Patricia Briggs
Vampire Huntress (series), by L.A. Banks
Dark Hunter (series), by Sherrilyn Kenyon
The Magpie Lord, by K. J. Charles
Fated Love, by Radclyffe
Hot Head, by Damon Suede
Cut & Run, by Abigail Roux and Madeleine Urban
Keeping Promise Rock, by Amy Lane
Butterfly Tattoo, by Deidre Knight
Maid to Match, by Deeanne Gist
Redeeming Love, by Francine Rivers
Natural Law, by Joey W. Hill
Liberating Lacey, by Anne Calhoun
The Lady's Tutor, by Robin Schone
Bet Me, by Jennifer Crusie
Heart of the Falcon, by Francis Ray
Something About You, by Julie James
The Chocolate Kiss, by Laura Florand
A Bollywood Affair, by Sonali Dev
Dream Man (series), by Kristen Ashley
The Chesapeake Bay Saga, by Nora Roberts
Lucky Harbor (series), by Jill Shalvis
Chicago Stars (series), by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Troubleshooters (series), by Suzanne Brockmann
Virgin River (series), by Robyn Carr
The Mackenzie Family (series), by Linda Howard
Blue Heron (series), by Kristan Higgins
The Madaris Family (series), by Brenda Jackson
Wild Seasons (series), by Christina Lauren
Intimate Betrayal, by Donna Hill
Crazy Thing Called Love, by Molly O'Keefe
Black Knights, Inc. (series), by Julie Ann Walker
The Girl You Left Behind, by Jojo Moyes
Doukakis's Apprentice, by Sarah Morgan
Sex, Straight Up, by Kathleen O'Reilly
Her Hesitant Heart, by Carla Kelly