Tag: Krampus

Posted in Bookish Babble

Book Review – Krampus The Yule Lord

Posted on by Mama

I won’t spoil anything, but I have decided to make it a goal to read at least one book per month. If I so happen to read two, I’ll be very lucky and I have a few I want to get off my shelf. I prefer physical books myself; the smell and feel of a book in my hands reminds me of being a kid and getting books from the library. But I divulge.

Any who!

Krampus is one that I really couldn’t put down once I got into it. I needed to read more!

Krampus The Yule Lord by Brom

Genre: Horror, Dark Fantasy, Fiction, Mythology

Number of Pages: 357

My Rating: 💋💋💋💋💋

Favourite Excerpt: “Mankind has lost its connection to the land, to the earth, to the beasts and spirits. They gather their food not from the forest and fields, but from plastic bins and ice boxes. Their lives are no longer tied to the cycles of the seasons and the harvest, no longer do they need the Yule Lord to chase away the winter darkness and usher in the light of spring. Man has only himself to fear now…he has become his own worst devil.”

Book Summary:

One Christmas Eve in a small hollow in Boone County, West Virginia, struggling songwriter Jesse Walker witnesses a strange spectacle: seven devilish figures chasing a man in a red suit toward a sleigh and eight reindeer. When the reindeer leap skyward, taking the sleigh, devil men, and Santa into the clouds, screams follow. Moments later, a large sack plummets back to earth, a magical sack that thrusts the down-on-his-luck singer into the clutches of the terrifying Yule Lord, Krampus. But the lines between good and evil become blurred as Jesse’s new master reveals many dark secrets about the cherry-cheeked Santa Claus, including how half a millennium ago the jolly old saint imprisoned Krampus and usurped his magic.

Now Santa’s time is running short, for the Yule Lord is determined to have his retribution and reclaim Yuletide. If Jesse can survive this ancient feud, he might have the chance to redeem himself in his family’s eyes, to save his own broken dreams, . . . and to help bring the magic of Yule to the impoverished folk of Boone County.

My Thoughts:

The cover is what captivated me at first when I saw this posted a long time ago on a “book club” group on Facebook. Ever since I learned about Krampus years ago from a friend online, I was hooked, mesmerized if you will. How could a beautiful holiday like Christmas have a darker side? A dark Santa if you will, at least that’s how I kind of see him.

The book is a bit slow to start before you really get into character development and you truly get to meet Krampus and his Belsnickels. But I have to say; I fell in love with the diverse cast of misfits and the charismatic and vengeful Krampus. You begin to feel connected to the characters in some form or another and there are those you definitely hate, like Chief Dillard. I find you either love or hate Santa in this portrayal and to be quite honest, I was not a big fan. For myself, I connected most with Krampus and his realization of the ever changing world.

Jesse, the oddly lovable main character is a bit of a lost soul until he meets Krampus. Flipping his world upside down and then some. As I was reading, I thought I wouldn’t end up liking him, that he was the typical troubled main character you’ve read in books before. But the 180 degree he makes is remarkable and you begin to see a softer side to the bad boy musician Jesse. Even though he gets himself into heaps of trouble first!

I also loved the fact that it tied in Pagan traditions and Norse Mythology, which was an unexpected surprise that I quite enjoyed. I personally find both of those topics fascinating on their own, but to have them throw into one book was a bonus.

I don’t really want to give any spoilers, but this book is definitely not short of twists and turns that will keep you wanting more, I sure did! I think the author did a fabulous job on character development and story, making you cheer and feel sympathy for the poor Yule Lord all at the same time. I can honestly say near the end of the book, I shed a tear or two.

If you love dark fantasy, a lot of profanity and a bit of gore, this book is undoubtedly worth the read. But be fair warned, this one is not for the faint of heart.

Happy Yuletide!

Ciao!

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

Quiet Monday

Posted on by Mama

Another glorious morning….makes me sick! Just kidding, and if you don’t know the movie reference, than you really need to watch Hocus Pocus. Original, not the newer ones…blah. Don’t know why they need to ruin incredible movies with sequels. Sorry tiny rant over….for now….muahaha!

Anyway….

The day was pretty quiet for the most part; Valeria slept quite a bit today and it seems our little one has already got two little top teeth ready to pop out. Teething at three months, oh man. She just can’t wait for anything; seems she wants to be early on a lot, such a determined little soul. I’m pretty sure I can get her walking and maybe starting potty training within the year….we’ll see! I think she gets her determination from me… *smirks*

I updated my agenda or planner, which ever you want to call it, I’m trying to plan out my days and weeks so I’m a little more organized again. And to not feel like a lazy bum trying to remember everything I need to do and appointments.

Speaking of appointments; I was absolutely ticked this afternoon. APPARENTLY, I had a doctor appointment with the new physician who took over the practice from my family physician who retired. However, when I booked this appointment I was informed that it was for February 22nd, not January. The office called me today without leaving a message, which is unusual, so I called them back. I was then informed I missed the appointment. I was not a happy camper, I don’t miss important appointments. Unfortunately, now I have to wait until the end of March to see this new doctor for myself. MARCH! Are you freaking kidding me! I’m to have a meet and greet for my daughter February 2nd, but I might call them to confirm the date and time now. Sad that I have no trust in the receptionists there any longer; now I am going to have to double and triple check whenever I book anything. I miss the old staff I used to know. Needless to say, I was not a happy mama this afternoon after that call.

I don’t enjoy being perceived as flaky or forgetful, because I’m not. I’m usually annoyingly early and extremely punctual. Time is precious; my time, your time, everyone’s! Scheduling is a thing for me and planning ahead (to a degree), hence why I’m using my agenda more in the last year and into this new year. I am a visual person, so an agenda just works. I hate using my phone for stuff like that. Nuh uh, don’t like it.

After I calmed from that whole debacle, I was going to start blogging and watching the latest episode of 90 Day Fiancé, when baby girl woke up. A quick diaper change, a bit of play, a few photos and then passed to daddy so that I could make us some dinner. It’s nice though, they keep me company in the kitchen. I made up this pasta dish, as I usually like to experiment in the kitchen: peas, onions, ground beef, roasted mix vegetables and the sauce was sour cream (there was a small amount left and I wanted the container out of the fridge), Parmesan and a bunch of spices (black pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt and dried parsley). It turned out pretty good, my husband seemed to enjoy it. It reminded me a bit like stroganoff. A very hearty dinner, my husbands favourite types.

Valeria was a sleepy bear, so we ended up putting her to sleep around nine tonight. So currently she is fast asleep behind me on the couch as I’m writing. But I’m going to end it here and hopefully finish my show, maybe read some more. My book is getting good now…Krampus is after Santa! I’ll do a book review once I’m finished.

I’ve been inspired by another lovely blogger to read more, after reading a post of hers. Go check her out, she is wonderful! https://pinkfordays.wordpress.com/

Ciao!

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

Mellow Day

Posted on by Mama

Well, it’s finally happening, a small winter storm. We woke up to a very dark, gloomy and rainy/snowy day. It was a bit chilly as well. We have a special weather warning for our area for potential ice. That means my husband isn’t able to go to the office, 2 hours away, for his team social meeting that they have once a month. I know he loves the drive, and he gets to spend some time at his mom’s place. I don’t like him driving tired, so he makes it at least a two day affair, which I don’t mind at all. Better safe than sorry.

But the weather made the day pretty uneventful. It was pouring rain most the day, so we weren’t able to go for our walk. To be fair, with the weather warning, it probably wouldn’t have been a good idea anyway. Baby girl got lots of rest today, and she babbled quite a bit with us today as well. I swear she wants to talking already. I jokingly ask her about her day and what she would like to do and she babbles and smiles.

I had a few phone calls to make today on behalf of my mother. She had carpal tunnel surgery on January 2nd, however during her recovery she seems to have gotten a bit of a cold and lost her voice. Had to call and reschedule the follow-up from tomorrow to Thursday. Suture removal can’t wait unfortunately. Then I had to call our tax guy to see if those were completed, another appointment scheduled. Dog food ordered. Forgot to call for an eye exam appointment for myself, that will be a task for tomorrow.

I’m trying to read a little every day as well. I have two novels going at the moment; It Rides a Pale Horse by Andy Marino and Krampus the Yule Lord by Brom. Loving both books, however I am really enthralled with Krampus at the moment. Highly recommend if you enjoy more of a dark fantasy/thriller. I’ll probably do a book review on both of these at some point.

Baby girl had a bath today, she has learned to love being in the bath, but getting out she wails like a banshee! We keep it warm in the bathroom for her so she isn’t cold when she gets out. I think she enjoys actually being in the water, which will hopefully make swimming lessons easier when we enrol her. Which won’t be for a bit still, she is only three months right now and I believe it’s six months when they can start. My husband was a swimmer in high school and I was always a fish out of water as a kid. I don’t want her to be afraid of water, so the sooner we can get her swimming the better.

Otherwise, today was pretty mellow. Now, we are unwinding watching Bob’s Burgers and watching our girl discover her feet. It’s pretty amusing to watch her smile as she watches her toes wiggle. So, I’m off to enjoy the moment!

Ciao!!