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Showing posts from October, 2019

Beartown (Beartown #1) by Fredrik Backman

"A tale so interwoven and complex but so very simple at its core; it leaves the reader fulfilled and thoughtful. It is a story about being human, making mistakes and trying to find your own identity in a small town where the only thing that really exists is Hockey."  5 Stars Pros: Fast paced/Intriguing/Filled with scenes of heart wrenching emotion both good and bad, a true study of what it is to be human/Leaves the reader eager to read the sequel.  Cons: At first there were so many characters that it was hard to keep everyone straight but once the story gained momentum everything fell into place. Full Review In Beartown, there is one constant. One thing that brings the people together, win or lose, good or bad and that is Hockey. And this year, their Junior team is set to play a semi-final match, something that hasn't happened in twenty years. Tensions are at an all time high and when the members of the Junior Team are basically celebrities in their own town, they

Go Set a Watchman (To Kill a Mockingbird #2) by Harper Lee.

A harsh but necessary tale about returning to your home town and realizing that the people you idolized in childhood are in fact, flawed. It was a well rounded, if somewhat depressing wrap up to Lee’s series set in Maycomb County. 5 Stars Pros: Jean Louise or “Scout” is a spitfire, free thinking, spirited young woman who any woman with a mind and opinion of her own can relate to/The returning characters that are so well known in To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus, Aunt Alexandra, Calpurnia are there as well as a few new characters such as Henry Clinton and Dr. Finch, Scout’s Uncle, who is a voice of reason during a troubling, difficult time for her Cons: The harsh truth of the fact that the South during the Civil Rights movement/segregation was not a nice place to be, it’s not necessarily a con but more a depressing fact of American History/The sudden and untimely death of Jem, it felt like Lee had no room for the character so she just threw him off and away Full Review Jea

Asylum (Asylum #1) by Madeleine Roux

"A quick, entertaining and unsettling read that keeps the reader guessing right to the very end. Everything is interconnected and interwoven and Roux does a good job in keeping the reader guessing."  4 Stars Pros: Quick, easy read/Definitely has a good, creepy, unsettling vibe right off the bat/The mystery behind Daniel’s origins is intriguing and telling, leaving the reader to wonder why it is he feels so connected to this place. Cons: The characters were pretty one dimensional, you run of the mill, emotional teenager stereotypes but it didn’t take away from the book too much/Daniel and Abby’s relationship felt forced and awkward Full Review: Similar to Ransom Riggs Peculiar Children Series, Roux uses old photographs to help aid the reader in envisioning the surroundings. Though some of these seem photo-shopped they still add to the creep factor of the novel overall. Daniel Crawford, shy, smart, socially awkward is attending a Summer Course/College

Interview with The Vampire by Anne Rice

“A tale that could have been mesmerizing if it wasn’t so mired down in Louis’ self-hatred and the general lack of any redeeming quality in any of the other characters.” 2 Stars Pros: Rice gives an interesting view of the Vampire mythos, what can and cannot harm them etc/The description of their heightened senses was interesting.  Cons: Not one character seemed to have anything redeeming about them, except for Louis and his stubborn hold on his “humanity” but that also gave rise to his utter self-loathing which became absolutely insufferable/How the characters just fell in love so easily, there was really no reason for it, no real backstory, it was all just a little unsettling and weird. Full Review Louis is already the owner of a prosperous plantation in New Orleans when he is turned into a Vampire by the mysterious Lestat. Lestat’s reason for this is that he wants Louis’ plantation and so he more or less, gets what he wants. Louis struggles with the idea of being a Vam