Halloween Drawings

Happy Halloween everyone! To celebrate Halloween, I drew some drawings:

A drawing of trick or treaters walking through a forest, (possibly Sleepy Hollow ;) ). 

This was incredibly fun to draw since one of the trick or treaters is dressed up as 

Hobbes (from Calvin and Hobbes). 

The textures in this were fun to draw. 

A drawing of Clara from Splendors and Glooms. 

Her eyes didn't look right the first time I drew them, 

but they look better now. 

A drawing of Christine from The Phantom of the Opera, 

This was quite fun to draw (I based her costume on the costume from the 2004 film). 

I tried to draw Lizzy-Rose holding a violin, since she 

plays a violin in the book (Splendors and Glooms). 

That didn't work, so I decided it would be better to do a 

portrait of her without an instrument. 

A drawing of Raoul from The Phantom of the Opera,

his clothes and hair were fun to draw. 

                                              
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Which drawings are your favorite? What are you dressing up as for Halloween?
-Quinley

Spooky Books to Read During Fall

Hello everyone,
I hope you are having a good October.
To get into the Halloween theme, I thought it would be fun to make a post about my favorite gothic books. (In no particular order):


                                       Coraline 

(image from Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Coraline-Neil-Gaiman/dp/0380807343/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1538610118&sr=1-1&keywords=coraline+book)

This is kind of fantasy and sort of gothic at the same time, and maybe a little horror. (Though mind you I tend not to like horror stories.) The story is quite fun and there are some Shakespeare references here and there since two of the characters used to be Shakespearian actresses (though, those references tend to be very brief.) This story has a lot of twists and turns and likable characters as well as characters that may terrify you.

            Splendors and Glooms 
                   

(image from Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Splendors-Glooms-Booklist-Editors-Choice/dp/0763653802/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1538610233&sr=1-1&keywords=splendors+and+glooms&dpID=51lYXH84q7L&preST=_SY344_BO1,204,203,200_QL70_&dpSrc=srch)

            If you like gothic books, you will like this one. The story is set in Victorian England.
                  There are a lot of mysteries in it, and being gothic, it also has some magic.
                    The main characters in this story are quite likable and relatable, although
                     the antagonist is terrifying. I enjoyed that there were facts about the Victorian period                           throughout the book.
                   


            The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 

(image from Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Sterling-Unabridged-Classics-Washington-Hardcover/dp/B00ZQB4F9U/ref=sr_1_77?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1538681791&sr=1-77&keywords=the+legend+of+sleepy+hollow) 

This was really the first gothic book I read, and was also the cause of many of my fan fictions, and a few movie reviews. It is one of my favorite gothic stories with its twists and turns, and of course my favorite character Ichabod Crane and his romance (and love triangle) with Katrina Van Tassel. And the question of who Katrina should marry (Brom or Ichabod) adds a lot of drama to the story. Sadly, that drama is a lesser known part of the story. It is only near the end, that you finally get to see  the famous figure of the story, the Headless Horseman. 

         The Phantom of the Opera 

                

(image from Amazon, 
https://www.amazon.com/Phantom-Opera-Inktober-2016-Sketchbook-ebook/dp/B01N9VXMMG/ref=sr_1_25?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1538609684&sr=1-25&keywords=phantom+of+the+opera+book) 

(Also even though the cover above is for the sketch book and not the actual novel I thought I should add it anyway, since it is such a cool cover.)

I am in the middle of reading a full version of this book. My description below is based on an abridged version of it, I have already read.  
This book is perfect for those who like operas and mysteries, especially those who do theatre, because most of the mysterious that happen in this book tend to take place back stage (as well as on stage, and below stage.) And also in this book there are wonderful backstories for the characters, that will make you like them even more. 


          A Drowned Maiden's Hair 
            

(image from Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Drowned-Maidens-DROWNED-Sep-12-2006-Hardcover/dp/B00EEUIIRY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1538609046&sr=8-2&keywords=a+drowned+maidens+hair ) 

If you like calmer stories that aren't as spooky as the others I mentioned, then you will like this one. It's not as scary as the others. This book was written by the same author who wrote Splendors and Glooms, however, it shows what spiritualists (or fake spiritualists) were like in the Victorian times. And this book also has a similar plot line to Oliver Twist. This book does have some sad parts in it, but overall it is a good and calming book. 

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Have you read any of these books? Also are you excited for Halloween? 

Love, 
Quinley