Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Tuesday, October 8, 2013 - , , , 1 comment

Where the Dead Talk:


Rating: 4.5 Stars
Version: eBook
Author: Ken Davis

GoodReads:
Out past the towns and villages of Colonial Massachusetts lies a lake, black and icy and deep.When night settles on the deep woods, when the wind sings a mournful song through the trees, voices can sometimes be heard, rising from its still surface: voices of the lost, voices of the damned, voices of the dead.
When tragedy unlocks the terrifying secret of the lake, when revolution explodes across the countryside, the doorway to Hell opens a crack and the dead begin to rise.

Review:
Where the Dead talk is not a genre that I generally gravitate towards. However, my interest spiked after reading the summary and I decide to give it a shot. The combination between my love of Halloween and the fact that it's slowly approaching probably aided in my decision… just a bit :).

Though I did enjoy the story, it seemed like it took an eternity to finish. My honest guess was that the book was somewhere around 500-600 pages long, so imagine my shock when I learned it was only 264 pages in length (GoodReads). I guess when you read intermittently... on the bus... on your phone… you don't make as much progress as you think you do. Also, the storyline seemed to build a little slow, which in my case didn't help matters.

Yet, when the zombies came out, I was hooked. I got chills when a character would look up and see a zombie staring back or see a zombie scrambling on the ceiling of a dark house.  I’ve really never understood the fascination with zombies; much less zombie themed books, but “Where the Dead Talk” gave me a little glimpse of understanding.  Let me say again, this is NOT my genre, but I really enjoyed this book! Other than what I’ve already said, I really don’t have much more to add, but if you have questions/comments please feel free to post below.

Give it a shot and get in the Halloween mood!

Friday, September 27, 2013

Friday, September 27, 2013 - , , 1 comment

Halloween: Magic, Mystery, and the Macabre


Rating: 4 Stars
Version: eBook
Compiled by: Paula Guran (authors listed below)

 I received this publication from NetGalley with the condition of an honest review. So here it is:

GoodReads:
The farther we've gotten from the magic and mystery of the past, the more we've come to love Halloween - the one time each year when the mundane is overturned in favor of the bizarre, the "other side" is closest, and everyone can become anyone (or anything) they wish... and sometimes what they don't. Introducing nineteen original stories from mistresses and masters of the dark celebrate the most fantastic, enchanting, spooky, and supernatural of holidays.

Review:
“Halloween: Magic, Mystery, and the Macabre” was a delight to read! The stories are all very creative, and when combined, capture the spirit of Halloween perfectly – pun intended. This is something I would definitely recommend to those who love Halloween (such as myself), enjoy spooky short stories, or are in need of a Halloween pick-me-up.

One thing I really liked was the opening introduction, because it helped lay the framework for which the stories are founded upon. The introduction includes, but is not limited to, a brief history of Halloween and a brief summary of the stories contained within. For those who have not yet read Paula Guran’s earlier compilation entitled “Halloween”, you are in luck. This story is a stand-alone compilation and needs nothing other than a love of Halloween to enjoy it.  Of course, a love of Halloween is not necessary, but it sure helps!

Here is a list of titles contained within this compilation. Bare in mind, these won’t really do you much good, but they will give you a hint about the subject matter.

1.      “Black Dog” by Laird Barron
2.     “From Dust” by Laura Bickle
3.     “Angelic” by Jay Caselberg
4.     “Pumpkin Head Escapes” by Lawrence Connolly
5.     “All Hallows in the High Hills” by Brenda Cooper
6.     “We, the Fortunate Bereaved” by Brian Hodge
7.     “Thirteen” by Stephen Graham Jones
8.     “Whilst the Night Rejoices Profound and Still” by Caitlín R. Kiernan
9.     “Trick or Treat” by Nancy Kilpatrick
10.   “Long Way Home: A Pine Deep Story” by Jonathan Maberry
11.   “The Mummy’s Kiss” by Norman Partridge
12.  “All Souls Day” by Barbara Roden
13.   “And When You Called Us We Came To You” by John Shirley
14.  “The Halloween Men” by Maria V. Snyder
15.   “Lesser Fires” by Steve Rasnic Tem & Melanie Tem
16.  “Unternehmen Werwolf” by Carrie Vaughn
17.   “For the Removal of Unwanted Guests” by A.C. Wise
18.   “Quadruple Whammy” by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro


“May the Magic of Halloween always be a part of your lives.”
-Paula Guran



Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Wednesday, September 18, 2013 - , 1 comment

A Monster Calls


Rating: 5 Stars
Version: eBook
Author: Patrick Ness

GoodReads Summary:
The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming...

This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.

It wants the truth.

Review:
I’ve wanted to read this book for a while, so when I saw it was on sale for $3 at Amazon, I didn’t hesitate to purchase it! Overall, the book was an enjoyable read, but there were some things I didn’t enjoy. For example, I didn’t like beginning’s ambiguity, nor did I like how it ended. However, I was prepared for the latter, since many blogs had mentioned their disappointment too – yes, I did my research. For those who also want to read this book, I think I should mention it contains a bit of British influence. It’s not a bad thing; it was just something I wasn’t use to.

As I mentioned above, there is a lot of ambiguity towards the beginning of the story. I didn’t really notice this until someone asked me to describe what I was reading. Afterwards, I had a hard time coming up with an explanation. For example:
  •  You know Connor’s mom is sick, but you don't know from what (specifically), thought it’s safe to assume cancer.
  • You know Connor is having nightmares, but you don't know what about.
  • Connor caused the Yew tree to come walking, but he (or you) doesn’t know why.

I should also mention that I was 75% of the way through this book and the only thing I knew for sure was who was related to whom and that an ancient yew tree came to tell Connor three stories... that's it. I also noticed that the book sounded elementary, but trust me it’s not!

As for Connor, he struggles to cope with his mother’s condition. He really just wants things to go back to normal, but of course, it’s not that simple. His classmates isolate him as if he is a disease, and his teachers constantly pity him.  Connor keeps mentioning that he wants to be punished, because being punished means that he’s not pitied. At one point, Connor badly beats a bully (Harry) to the point of hospitalization, but instead of being expelled as he hoped, the principal simply dismisses him.
“He was going to be punished. It was finally going to happen. Everything was going to make sense again. She was going to expel him. Punishment was coming. Thank God. Thank God-
“But how could I do that?” The headmistress said. “How could I do that and still call myself a teacher?” she said. “With all that you’re going through.”

At one point I thought, “Maybe the yew tree signifies his inner struggles, his way of dealing with the enormous amount of pressure, stress, and worry that he’s under.” After all, there was a section of the story that said he could feel his actions, but they weren't his doing. Throw in the fact that only Connor - out of a cafeteria full of students - could see the giant yew tree, and you have either the above situation or schizophrenia. However, physical proof always remained after the tree’s visit, so I guess it was real?

The ending was extremely sad and I’m not going to spoil it. All I will say, is Connor finally had to face his inner truth. I've had a very similar experience and it really hurt to emphasize with Connor because it brought back tough memories. 

Everyone should have to read this book. 

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Sunday, September 15, 2013 - No comments

Share a Thought Saturday (2): Target Audiences




Now you might be saying “What? No, it’s not Saturday!” and you would be correct. However, it is only 24 past midnight and I don’t feel like waiting an entire week to bring this topic up. The topic that I’m offering up for discussion is the following.

“Do you judge people for what they read? If so, is there a set age limit for books of certain genres?”

I’ve done a little bit of discussion on this before (off blog chat) and it was interesting to hear what others had to say. I know books are targeted for certain readers, i.e. YA, middle grade, adult, etc.… Yet, what happens when you don’t fit the target audience? Speaking of which, I had an experience with this the other day in one of my favorite bookstores. I inquired about “Witch Eyes” by author Scott Tracy. The guy was very nice and led me over to the area where it was supposed to be located (though I had already scanned it thoroughly). After a quick look, he said that unfortunately they did not have it and began offering alternative suggestions. For some reason, one phrase stuck in my head that went something along the lines of “… though you might be a little too old for that.” Of course, I took no offense and he meant to harm, but what if it was one of my favorite books? Anyways, enough with the anecdotes.

Let me superimpose a hypothetical situation. You look across the bus isle and see a college student reading a middle grade book. What is your first thought?  

My personal view is that people should not judge others by the book they read. After all, if someone derives pleasure from reading Dr. Seuss, then who are we to criticize them for it? When you think about it, one reason people love eReaders is because of the privacy aspect. You can take your device with you anywhere and read whatever you please.

- Did you miss last weeks discussion? Here's where you should go: Film vs. Book



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