GOOSEBUMPS RANKED from Worst to Slightly Better
The first half of my Goosebumps official ranking, starting with the absolute worst and counting down to the mediocre middle. It was really fun seeing all of the Ermahgerd photos listed in one place. That was one Halloween costume that took on a life of its own. ...
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GOOSEBUMPS RANKED from Worst to Slightly Better
The first half of my Goosebumps official ranking, starting with the absolute worst and counting down to the mediocre middle.
THE BARKING GHOST
Goosebumps #32: The Barking Ghost is known for being one of Stine's least favorite in the series, and I can't disagree. What started out as a promising premise quickly got lost in the woods. It's one of the few examples where the TV show made significant improvements to the book.
THE SURPRISE PARTY
Fear Street #2: The Surprise Party was a fun and twisted mystery. It might not have been the most plausible story, but it maintained a foreboding atmosphere and succeeded in ways that a lot of later Fear Street books did not.
THE MIDNIGHT CLUB
Christopher Pike's The Midnight Club is a surprisingly powerful book that I found really moving. It easily ranks among Pike's best work.
THE THRILL CLUB
Fear Street #24: The Thrill Club is the lone book in the main Fear Street series to have a confirmed ghostwriter, which is one of the most interesting things about the book. Unfortunately, the strong central ideas of it are undone by its problematic and outdated notions of race.
DREAM DATE
Sinclair Smith's Dream Date was stronger in concept than it was in execution. It was still an enjoyable read. I just wish the dream sequences had been weirder.
BAD DREAMS
Fear Street #22: Bad Dreams held the promise of a good nightmare-fueled, supernatural thriller. Instead what we got was safe, boring, and forgettable. Stine has done this all before and he's done it better.
VULNERABILITY, VALIDATION, & RAGE
I wrote a new essay reflecting on validation, vulnerability, and shame. I explored the ways I have sought validation from an indifferent world before I learned how to love my authentic self.
FAVORITE MOVIES 2021
For the first time ever I have tracked the movies I watched throughout the year and watched enough of them to actually make a year-end list!
FAVORITE BOOKS 2021
Another year-end collection of my favorite books, somehow narrowed down to 10 with some honorable mentions.
FAVORITE ALBUMS 2021
My favorite albums of the year, plus a playlist and some rediscovered gems.
CHEERLEADERS: THE NEW EVIL
Fear Street Super Chiller #7: Cheerleaders: The New Evil is one of those sequels we didn't really need. It delivered a few fun and horrific moments, but it mostly got lost in its repetitive and ridiculous plot.
THE CHEATER
Fear Street #18: The Cheater started out strong but lost steam about halfway through. This is a shame because it had all of the right elements for a great read but it ultimately fell short.