Wrap Up l October 2018

Novels

• White Devils, Paul McAuley
• The Girl in 6E, AE Torre

Audiobook

• Night Chills, Dean Koontz
• American Psycho, Brett Easton Ellis
• Hell House, Richard Matheson
• Mega, Jake Bible 
• The Vision, Dean Koontz
• The Key To Midnight, Dean Koontz
• A Darker Shade of Magic, VE Schwab
• Vicious, VE Schwab 
• The Voice of the Night, Dean Koontz 
• The Mask, Dean Koontz
• The Funhouse, Dean Koontz 
• The Voice of the Night, Dean Koontz 

Started

• Bed of Nails, Michael Slade 
• The Blood of the Fold 

Book Review - Misery

Misery

Stephen King

Stars 8
Pages 369
Med Reading Level
Horror/ Thriller / Psychological / Dark

Being a Stephen King this has been on my TBR for a while, I have watched bits and pieces of the movie and mostly knew what the novel was about. It just didn't seem very appealing, like it was going to be one of Kings incredible character novels. That would lack on the action, too much buildup and setting, maybe a little bit anticlimactic

I was really wrong, this was an amazing book, probably one of my fastest King reads. I just couldn't put the book down, read it all in one day. There was so much action, and just a perfect balance of "this can't be happening" and "this is so real". That King added a book into the middle of this book, gave a glimpse that he could write whatever he wanted. If he wanted to write sterotype, super mainstream popular novels I'm sure he could. If he wanted to write YA I'm convinced he could and he would dominate in every field.
I am just happy he chose to stick with his own visions instead of fallowing advice I am sure he got from publishers at some point.

Wrap Up - July 2016

Once I started this list I realized I had done more reading than I thought, pretty happy with what I got through this month.

1. One Foot in the Gravc, Jeannie Frost *reread
2. Halfway to the Grave, Jeannie Frost
3. At Graves End, Jeannie Frost
4. Long Hard Road Out of Hell, Marilyn Manson *reread
5. Serial Killers the faces of evil - Magazine
6. In the Afterlight, Alexandra Bracken
7. Killer Families : murder by dads, moms, kids and spouses, Sylvia Perrin

Was really excited to get back into Jeannie Frost's, Night Huntress Series, they are quick and easy reads. I really like her characters and will post a review of it all. I did find that by the end of the third novel I just wasn't feeling it (nothing to do with the book). I didn't start the fourth, tried a different romance, couldn't get into it. Tried a few lighter novels one adult one ya, just wasn't sparking any interest. In a bit of a reading slump.

Also picked up The Stand, read just under half on several occasions, its a pretty sizable detailed slowish read. Around halfway through it now hoping to finish it in August.

Book Review - Superstitious

Superstitious
RL Stine

6 Stars

Adult / Fiction / Horror/ Mystery / Thriller / Monster / Supernatural

RL Stine's Debut into Adult Novels. I have been a fan of Goosebumps for years, my dad read them to me when I was a child. I was hoping that his adult novels would bring the same high standards.

Book Overview
24 year old Sara returns to Freewood, the small town where she went to college, running away from her crazed ex boyfriend in New York City. Just another sleepy little town where nothing much happens. Until the gruesome murders begin, animalistic attacks that leave bodies gutted and torn limb from limb.  With no evidence left behind the police are at a loss. But someone in Freewood has a secret and there may be more truth to those silly little superstations; only old people believe in than you would have ever guessed. Time to brush up on your rhymes and rules if you want to survive.

Review
Detailed descriptions of the gore, a touch of romance, a dash sex and a few curse words are really the only difference between this book and Goosebumps. I was disappointed in how simple the writing was, the story line was good but there was missed potential. The biggest downfall of them all was the main character. I loathed Sara, and spent much of the read muttering "don't do it you stupid girl" to myself. Another one of those books with so much potential, such a shame to see it fall flat.

Will be giving some of RL Stines other adult novels a try, in hopes that later attempts have become a touch more sophisticated.

Book Review - Right to Life

Right to Life
Jack Ketchum

7 Stars
158 pages
Thriller / Horror / Torture / R Rated /

Sara is pregnant with her married lover's child, on her way to the abortion clinic she is kidnapped by a deranged couple. Kath is unable to have a child of her own, a baby the solution to her unhappy marriage. A child to fill the void, besides Sara didn't want the baby anyways. For Stephen she is a dream come true, a slave to his every whim, a person without rights at his mercy.
In 6 months Sara will give birth to her child, these monstrous people will keep her beautiful baby and what will happen to her? She will have served her purpose and be entirely expendable. Sara must escape if she wants to live.

This was a thrilling read, an episode of Criminal Minds put to paper! For such a short story it had lots of detail and character development. Completely unbelievable and totally realistic. Recommended read for people who like short stories.

If you liked this you might also like : 

Series Review - Dead River Trilogy

Dead River Trilogy

Jack Ketchum

SPOILERS !!!

7 Stars
Horror / Thriller / Cannibal / Shocker / Realism /
Easy Reads

Off Season
9 stars

Ketchum balances the impossible with the believable, the realism of the setting and the situation makes you want to lean towards the improbable. That a family of nomadic cannibals roaming the hills and coastlines between Canada and the USA, created out of the necessity to survive, could exist. Although there are a few notes that tipped the story back into fiction.

Needless to say I loved this book, its a definite recommendation for anyone who likes horror. It is an easy, quick, draw-you-in action-packed read. Lots of blood, guts and gore in revolting detail.
\There are two versions of this novel, the original and the uncut. I have read both and as with most things the uncut is much more to my taste. The "original" was modified to appeal to mass market more so than a horror fan, suggested for those faint of heart types.

Off Spring
7 stars

This kicks off years after Off Season. In a world where most sequels have taken to picking up where the last sentence of the first booked left off this is a welcome change. The Family, destroyed in the final pages of Off Season have returned. They are the new generation; the Woman, First Stolen, Second Stolen and their offspring. A couple of mothers fight for their lives and lives of their children as they literally watch other family and friends get eaten alive.

This book did not live up to its predecessor, the characters, the setting, the story is all brilliant. The downfall was lots of repetition from Off Season. Definatly still something I would recommend, its good just not great.


The Woman
5 stars

This novel picks up right where the Offspring left off. The Woman, gravely wounded, is the only survivor of the OffSeason clan, after First Stolen, Second Stolen and the offspring are all killed she wanders the beaches.
The Cleek family appears fairly average until you get a look into their dark secrets.
Patriarch Christopher Cleek captures The Women, she is an experiment to him (one of many), can he domesticate her? and what effect will having a feral cannibal in their lives have on Cleeks wife and children?

I am so sad to write that I was not impressed with this novel. I feel like it was a publisher pleaser, its not something I would expect from Ketchum. The development is sloppy, the plot has huge holes and the whole thing is really unbelievable (which is what made the first book so great!). Filled with lots of shock factors and gore but thats about it :(


+ My Previous Posts for Off Season - Book Review Published August 19/2015

Book Review - Off Season

Off Season
Jack Ketchum

9 Stars
Horror / Thriller/ Cannibal/
Easy Read
270 Pages

The Story of the Lightkeeper has been told around campfires for years. The island where the lighthouse stood flooded nearly killing the whole family, severing their connection with civilization, slowly starving to death. Father and son are lost at sea attempting to reach the mainland, the mother dies hours before rescue in her daughters arms, and the final daughter the youngest becomes a feral child in order to survive. The tale only a generation or two from becoming a legend. The facts forgotten and eroded by the passing of time and many many retellings. Dead River is a small town, No-Wheres-Ville to the city folk who flock there during the busy summer. With winter in the air it is the off season, six travellers from New York settle into a rental home blissfully unaware of the cannibal tribe prowling in the darkness.

#1 right under the title the novel was recommended by Stephen King. #2 Cannibals #3 Ketchum wrote The Girl Next Door, which is one of the only books to stop me dead (pun intended) in my tracks.
This was such a delightful quick read, this had such high expectations after The Girl Next Door, I would have settled for nothing less than being deeply disturbed. Wish Granted! From the word go the action begins, I got a little worried once through this beginning part when the descriptions - which where far from boring, built up anticipation until the tension was pliable - got to be a little longer than I had thought. But it was worth the wait, because once The Family begins there hunt you can't put the book down!

**to the uncut version, which I had started and shelved after deciding to wait till I had the whole series - which I still have yet to get my hands on - you people did the world a terrible disservice, we would have had this masterpiece way sooner if not for your small minded mass market paperback, grubby greedy little manipulations.

Book Review - Twisted Imaginings

Twisted Imaginings Vol's 1-4

By Gary Charles

Horror/Short Story/ Thiller/ Killer/ Gore/ Graphic
8.5 Stars


I had never heard of Charles before although once I did a little googling he is somewhat of a big name in the UK. They should promote him in Canada and the US like crazy! These are such amazing stories, I grabbed all four volumes for free off of I-tunes and I am so happy that I did. If you are a fan of Stephen King or Clive Barker (I have the Books of Blood in mind) then you have to read these stories. They are so creepy and wonderfully thrilling.

1. The Circus
2. The Tunnel
3. Gypsy's Revenge
4. Mother
5. The Greenhouse
6. The Messiah
7. Voices in Shadows
8. Vomit Baby
9. The Pleasure in Pain

Sorry if I got these in the wrong order but I recommend each and every one of them, the Circus and The Greenhouse were my two favourites, can't wait to read more by Charles. Such an amazing author find!

Book Review - NOS4A2

NOS4A2
Joe Hill

8.5 Stars
686 Pages
horror/ thriller / supernatural /

Vic McQueen is a finder, using her bike she can almost always find anything that has been lost. Welcome to the world of inscapes, where Miss Maggie's tiles can answer any question, and  the immortal Charlie Man hides away his stolen children in the magical inscape of Christmas-land, a peaceful world filled with all the joys of christmas all year round a paradise... as long as you don't mind the fine print.

My goal for this year was to read at least one Stephen King book every month, but they started to get repetitive. So to change things up a bit I said one adult horror novel much like King each month and the next best thing to King? His son Joe! I find Joe Hill to be an easier quicker version of Kings novels with a lot of the same writing style (understandably). I raced through Horns last month (and have not yet watched the movie...still) and decided to grab this next.

This is one of those reads that I cannot say enough good things about. I loved this book, such a great read I had hard time putting it down. I really felt for these characters; liked the good guys, loathed the bad guys, associated with Vic and her family. I loved Lou's character to pieces. I was close to tears when Hooper died. Despite the fact that we jumped around in time a bit it was easy to fallow, pages 404 & 511 referenced Derry and Pennywise (it, 11/22/63, insomnia - King), The Tree house of the mind (Horns -Hill), The True Knot (Dr. Sleep - King) I was in my element knowing I had read all these associated novels!

If you liked this I would recommend

        

Vampire Book Tag

I am going to put this all down as if you are Vamp Newbies, and know next to nothing about our friends from beyond the grave.
What defines a vampire for me aka THE RULES not all of these criteria need to be met but the first 3 are always present, the farther down the list we go the more specific the book would have to be
*as vampires age from new born vamp to ancient the rules often modify or change all togther 

1. Undead 
2. Immortal, remain the age/appearance they died at, unnatural healing capabilities
3. Supernatural Powers (may have all or none or some)
1. Unnaturally/Inhumanly 
1. strong, 
2. fast, 
2. animal like hearing, 
3. eyesight, night-vision
4. Flight
5. Psychic powers, telekinesis, vampire to vampire  and or vampire to human
4. Killed by -- Often turn to dust, or skeleton when killed
1. Sunlight
2. Stake through the heart 
3. decapitation
4. Fire (completely consumed)
5. Silver (bullet or stake fatal, burns when in contact with skin, vampire kryptonite)
6. If you kill a "sire" vampire all the vampires he "created" will die too,
7. if restrained can be starved to death
8. some vampires need air (drowning/suffocation) others don't
5. Non-Fatal "allergies" to
1. Garlic
2. Holy Water
3. Crosses, not effected by bible passages, "God" spoken aloud may have reaction of sorts
4. Bites from werewolves/ other paranormal beings
6. Created by
1. Evil spell
2. Demonic possession 
3. bitten by vampire  and or 
1. only to rise as one after "natural death"
2. and only transformed if you drink his blood as well
3. must drink another humans blood before transforming
4. Some can be born vampire, either two vamps conceive somehow or pregnant human mother is bitten and gives birth to vampire child.
5. Half Blood Vampires, from a variety of things
6. Created by human virus/experimentation 
7. Depending on the novel becoming a vampire can have various levels of difficulty and steps not all humans can always become vampires 
7. Fangs, they drink blood, most often must be from a human direct from the source, could also be direct from source animal, human from the source or blood bank style, animal from the source or blood bank style, other vampires, may be allergic and or preferential to certain types of blood
1. Blood Lust or Urge to feed, May or May not be able to control, may be affected by
1. when the vampire last feed
2. age of vampire
3. if the vampire is wounded
4. strength of sire vampire
5. may or may not have to kill when feeding
2. May or may not be affected by state of humans blood, ie drunk humans, what people eat, blood type, HIV, Aids, Cancer
8. May or may not have reflection  and/or shadow, or turn up on film
9. May or may not need an invitation into places, ranging from private homes to any type of building
10. Ability to change shape, bat, smoke, 
11. Control over other supernaturals (varies)
12. Must sleep when the sun is up, variety of rules for dusk/dawn,
13. Good vs Evil Age old question of with or without a soul, same human as before transformed/ monster looking like human

If I have missed anything please comment. I am sorry if this list is hard to fallow I referenced a few websites + good ol' wikipedia and my somewhat wonderful memory bank
Depending on the novel vampirism can be an underground secret affaire to something very public.
It can be an old or new "condition" depending on how long the public has known about vampirism.
Humans in the novel can range from Wanna-be vamps to terrified victims desperate to escape any contract to vampire hunters

This post seems to be getting way longer than I intended it to be...

Seven Deadly Sins Book Tag

GREED—What is your most inexpensive book? What is your most expensive book?
What Author Have You Read the most books from? Tamora Pierce 34 books

WRATH—What author do you have a love/hate relationship with?
EDIT*What is your biggest bookish problem?

Over Hyping, series that I wish had been stand alones.

GLUTTONY—What book have you deliciously devoured over and over with no shame whatsoever?
Harry Potter, JK Rowling

SLOTH—What book have you neglected reading due to laziness

Classics - Watership Down, Frankienstein

PRIDE—What book do you most talk about in order to sound like a very intellectual reader?

A Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
Also when you get the reference to a or a quote from another novel

LUST—What attributes do you find most attractive in male or female characters?

Edgy, Bad boy, lethal, sarcastic Strong,
Mary JaniceDavidson
Sherrilyn Kennyon
Yasime Galnorm

ENVY—What books would you most like to receive as a gift?

The Lord of the Rings + The hobbit omnibus hardcover
Stephen King matching novel set 

The Horror Readers Evolution

It all begins with Halloween... Scooby Doo. Mysteries. The transformation scene in Pinocchio.

Picture Books

• The Big Pumpkin, Erica Silverman
• Too Many Pumpkins, Linda White
• Spooky Hour, Tony Mitton
• Boo! Robert Munsch 

Children's Horror

• Goosebumps, RL Stine
• Fear Street R L Stine
• Shivers, MD Spenser
• Spine Tinglers, MT Coffin
• Scary Stories, Alvin Schwarts 
• Bone Chillers, Betsy Haynes

YA Horror

• Coraline, Neil Gaiman
• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs

Classics

• Frankenstein, Mary Shelly
• Dracula, Bram Stoker
• Dr. Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson
• Edgar Allen Poe, Collection

Adult Authors

• Richard Laymon
• Stephen King
• Richard Matheson
• Dean Koonze
• Jack Ketchum
• Clive Barker

Famous Movies That Are Books

• The Exorcist, William Peter Blatty
• The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson
• Rosemary's Baby, Ira Levin
• Silence of the Lambs, Thomas Harris
• Jaws, Peter Benchley
• 30 Days of Night, Tim Lebbon
• Cabin in the Woods, Tim Lebbon

There are lots of things here that I left out so please leave a comment if you have a must read horror novel that comes to mind right away.

Completed Series, Trilogies Duologies

Duologie

The Sight, David Clement Davies
If I Stay, Gayle Forman
The Shinning, Stephen King
Daughter of the Lioness, Tamora Pierce

Trilogy

As Dead As It Gets, Katie Alender
Inkworld, Cornelia Funk
Beka Cooper : The Hunt Records, Tamora Pierce

Complete Series

The Books of Pellinor (4 books)
Uglies, Scott Westerfeld (4 books)
Hannibal Lecter, Thomas Harris (4 books)
IceMark Chronicles, Stuart Hill (4 books)
Warriors, Erin Hunter (6 books)
The Beast House Chronicles, Richard Laymon (4 books)
Twilight, Stephenie Meyer (4 books)
The Circle Opens, Tamora Pierce (4 books)
Song of the Lioness Tamora Pierce (4 books)
Protector of the Small, Tamora Pierce (4 books)
Immortals, Tamora Pierce (4 books)
Circle of Magic, Tamora Pierce (4 books)
Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Rick Riordan (5 books)
Harry Potter, JK Rowling (7 books)
Series of Unfortunate Events, Lemony Snicket (13 books)
The Nightside, Simon R Green (12 books)
Redwall, Brain Jaques (22 books)

Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge Intro.

I have never watched Gilmore Girls so I am not in a huge rush to finish this list by any means. I found this list on Pintrest, discovered I have already read quite a few and have some others on my TBR list.

There are 338 Books on the List, the Link to the list is here

Read

1. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
2. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
3. Carrie, Stephen King
4. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
5. Christine, Stephen King
6. The Crucible, Arthur Miller
7. Cujo, Stephen King
8. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Mark Haddon *I remember Loving this book and thinking it was something everyone should read in school but I need to reread it
9. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown
10. Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson
11. The Great Gatsby F Scott Fitzgerlad
12. Hamlet, Shakespear
13. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
14. Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, JK Rowling
15. How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Dr Seuss
16. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
17. The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe, CS Lewis
18. The Little Match Girl, Hans Christian Anderson
19. The Lottery, Shirley Jackson
20. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold
21. My Sisters Keeper, Jodi Picoult
22. The Raven, Edger Allen Poe
23. Romeo and Juliet, Shakespear
24. A Room of Ones Own, Virginia Woolf
25. The Shinning, Stephen King

Started But Never Finished

When I was taking english classes in school many of these where on reading lists for final projects or some of the bigger essays, I would start to read one of these books and if I couldn't figure out how I was going to write the essay from the book, to go with whatever our topic question was I would put the book down after about 100 pages and try again... Some of these I will finish some I might not they are at the bottom of my TBR more or less

1984, George Orwell
Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carrol
Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
Beowulf
Canterbury Tales, Chaucer
Charlottes Web, EB White
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
Edgar Allen Poe, Complete Tales
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hunter S Thompson

My Rory Gilmore TBR List

The Dirt : Confessions of the Worlds Most Notorious Rock Band, Motely Crue
Fat Land : How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World, Greg Critser
Lord of the Rings, J R R Tolkein
Frankenstein, Mary Shelly

2015 January to May Wrap up + Mini Reviews

This is me playing catch up for the year

Wrap Up

1. Dirty Rocker Boys, Bobbie Brown
2. Skinny, Donna Cooner
3. The Fault in our Stars, John Green 
4. Prince of the Icemark, Stuart Hill
5. Gerald's Game, Stephen King
6. The TommyKnockers, Stephen King
7. It, Stephen King
8. The Bourne Supremacy, Robert Ludlum
9. The Bourne Identity, Robert Ludlum
10. Clash of Kings, George R Martin
11. A Game of Thrones, George R Martin
12. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Robert Louise Stevenson
13. The Lost Hero, Rick Riordan
14. The Son of Neptune, Rick Riordan

Mini Reviews

Loved - It

Hated - The Tommyknockers, I hated this book, the only thing that got me through was my promise to read all the Stephen Kings and the references to other books, this is the first Stephen King I have despised.

Classic - Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Series's

1. A Song of Ice and Fire
2. Lost Heroes of Olympus
3. Bourne

Disappointed - A Game of Thrones and Fault in our Stars, both for the same reason. I was told I absolutely HAD to read them, they where amazing, that I had never read anything quite like them, on and on and on. After much harassment I did read them, they are good but they are not great or overly original. I would classify The Fault in our Stars as average writing a YA version of My Sisters Keeper with a less than original plot that left me thinking a wanna be JD Salinger.

Non Fiction - Dirty Rocker Boys