Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Stephen King It- Book Review

For the last month or so, my reading life has been consumed with one book- Stephen King's It. At just shy of 1500 pages, it took me a long time to read this sucker. It wasn't the page length though, it was the content within. I would get to scenes, read them almost with eyes closed, and then put the book down wishing it were a paperback rather than an ebook, so I could toss it into the fire consuming the horrors within.

You see, I don't really like clowns. Not so much the circus clowns or the religious clowns, but more the killer type clowns. A year ago or so when people were dressing like clowns and just staring at people, I would have been the guy in the newspaper with the headline- Local Man chases after guy in clown outfit screaming. It would not have been pretty.

Due to my dislike of killer clowns, I never read 'It' nor saw the movie, but with a new movie on the horizon and a sort of re-falling in love with Stephen King novels (although I still argue he needs and editor), I picked up 'It' on a whim.

The book was originally published in 1986 and follows the lives of a group of outcast/nerds in Derry, Maine. A horrible tragedy happens to Georgie, Bill's brother. Georgie goes chasing after a boat on a rainy day when the boat washes down the sewer drain. When Georgie goes after it, he finds a man with yellow eyes dressed in a clown suit, who winds up murdering Georgie. This though is not the first murder in Derry.

Years later, the gang is split and are all adults when a call goes out that it is time to come back to Derry. The clown is back and is once again murdering people. So, the story is told from the perspective of the individuals traveling back to Derry, but looking back at the year all the murders happened when they were children. It appears in forms that touch upon a child's inner most fear- a clown, a leper, etc. The now adults know that even though this may be their last trip back, it is time to stop It once and for all.

While I know I am last in the pack to read this, if you haven't read it, know it is a LONG book. Even though this takes place within a few years of these children's lives, it is almost real time. It is also 1500 pages of mostly child torture. It attacks kids and takes the form of what scares them most and keeps reappearing in that form. While Pennywise the clown is the most well known, it was the scene under the porch with the leper that made me want to throw the book in the fire. The victims are children almost exclusively, so expect a lot of scaring of children.

With that written, I have to state the book still works. I am an adult man now and the book still had me squeamish and it is 31 years old at this point. There were a few slang words that didn't quite fit anymore and some may be turned off by homophobia type sentences, but overall, the book still works. It could be written today and it would still scare the pants off of individuals. This is the reason why Stephen King is timeless and the book still sells. It is a good book and a great horror book. There is something visceral about the creature It, so it continues to be scary.

I am glad I read it, but this is one of those cases where I will never, ever unless held at gunpoint will read this book ever again because I simply don't like killer clowns.

I gave this one 4 stars.

Here is your Amazon link- Stephen King It

Monday, April 24, 2017

Perfect Little World by Kevin Wilson- Book Review

I recently took a trip to NYC and brought Perfect Little World on the train with me, after hearing about it on Book Riot and then seeing it as a choice for Book of the Month. I figured fate was telling me it was time to pull this one out of the To Be Read pile and into the Currently Reading pile. Yes, I have a pile of books that I am currently reading. This was a great little book to take on a trip and was just a fun read.

The book centers on Izzy who is sleeping with her art teacher in HS in Part 1 of the book. She is the top of her class, but wants to fail, so she doesn't have to give the valedictorian speech. She has a disconnected father and works in a BBQ shop where her manager is her father figure. As one can guess, Izzy becomes pregnant with her teacher's baby and he takes off on her. Lost and really alone, she runs into Dr. Grind.

Grind is a psychologist who is about to start a study on communal living. Parents will care for each other's children and the children will not know who their biological parents are until later on in the experiment. The cost for Izzy is 10 years of her and her child's life, but all expenses are paid and she will get a free college education.

Part 2 is each year of the experiment. I won't spoil it, but one can guess things will not run smoothly. There will be difficulty with some parents letting others raise their child, family issues, sexual tension, and a whole slew of other issues that happen when people are thrown together for long periods of time. The interesting thing is this is normal for their children since this is their lives, so they do not know there are problems. Can the program survive all of this with individual personalities running amok?

This was both a funny and insightful book at the same time. While the focus should be on the children and what will become of the them, the real experiment happens with the adults. Izzy is a single parent too in the midst of families who signed up for this, so she is always the outsider in terms of being the youngest and single, so her perspective will always be different. So, it is nice to travel with Izzy as our narrator.

The fun is seeing how bad this experiment gets. It doesn't get outrageous in the sense of diverging from reality, but it is very real as in what happens when one couple wants to divorce one another mid experiment? Or what about living in community where your wife isn't your own wife or husband isn't your only husband? While couples are expected to stay with one another, what happens when alcohol is introduced?

I found the book a fun read that got a bit laggy at times, but it could have been my situation of being stuck on a train rather than the book itself. It was a simple read too that drew me into the situation. While the couples got jumbled a bit, part of that was the point as Izzy acknowledges that she can't remember everyone's name all the time. The children are the background of the book and aren't really developed except for Cap, Izzy's child. They are just there to keep the experiment going.

I gave this one 4 stars.

Here is your Amazon link- Perfect Little World by Kevin Wilson

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Lola by Melissa Scrivner Love- Book Review

If you have been reading my reviews, you will notice I don't post a lot of negative reviews. On my previous site, a long time ago, I did and never felt great about it. I know what it is like to write a book and the amount of time that goes into it, so as a small time book reviewer, I try to highlight only books I really enjoy. So, I am going to be a little uncomfortable with this review, but I have to review it since I got it from Blogging for Books and need to post a review.

I was so excited to read this book too. After having the main character described as Lisbeth Salander meets Walter White, I was in. The problem is Lola is a great character, but the rest...

Lola is the leader of the Crenshaw Six, but isn't the recognized leader by any of the other gangs because she is a woman and she puts her boyfriend in front regularly. At a party, her boyfriend is approached by the Cartel to interrupt a drug deal between a rival dealer and a new supplier. The cost of the deal is $4 million. If they blow it, Lola is going to be gutted by the cartel.

I am not going to spoil anything as one can guess what happens. The deal is blown and now Lola must figure out what went wrong and solve the mystery of who is the new supplier and deal with the rival gang leader. She also only has a week to do it. Will Lola get out of this?

While this book is only about 320 pages, it felt incredibly long due to the sheer amount of downtime in the story. One would think only having a week to get everything done, we would be in a fast paced book filled with twists and turns. Sadly, that is not the case. Lola observes her rival several times throughout the book watching his porch and you are with her for all that time. She also makes trips to the hospital to do visits, walks around the neighborhood, gets into her brother's love life, etc. This should have been a go-go-go type of book.

As stated earlier, Lola is a great character. She is ruthless when she needs to be and tactful in her decisions. She should be the lead of a book. The difficulty is her supporting characters are unforgettable and because there is so much downtime, the element of danger is lost. I kept forgetting her boyfriend's name for example, as he would disappear from the book for long stretches and he is supposed to be a main secondary character. Her rival is kind of two dimensional and her brother's side story is just a major distraction. As stated, this should have been faster paced for a drug deal gone wrong with the police, cartel, and rival drug gangs all gunning for her, but it simply wasn't.

Sorry to say that I would have a hard time recommending this one. I gave it 3 stars, maybe 2.5. I'm sorry about this one as I wanted to enjoy it.

Here is your Amazon link- Lola by Melissa Scrivner Love

Monday, April 17, 2017

Thrawn by Timothy Zahn- Book Review

I am not going to lie. Anyone who knows me in real life, knows I am a huge Star Wars nerd- movies, comics, expanded universe, etc. When Disney ended the first expanded universe, I was actually upset as a few of my favorite characters were now gone from the Star Wars Universe with Thrawn being one of those characters. I loved the Thrawn trilogy and those books were usually the ones I would recommend to people if they wanted to jump into the EU of Star Wars.

When I heard Thrawn was coming back, but was going to the Rebels universe, I got a little nervous. Rebels is a great show, but it is geared toward younger fans. Disney's first few books from the Rebels universe were ok, but also geared toward a younger audience. Was Thrawn by Timothy Zahn, the guy who created the character, going to be on the same path? The good news is no. Thrawn wasn't Disney-fied at all! In fact, it might be one of the better Thrawn books.

As can be expected, this is a prequel for Rebels and an origin story of how Thrawn rose through the ranks of the Imperial Empire. It is also the origin story of Arihnda Pryce of Rebels fame. The book also introduces Eli Vanto, who is Thrawn's translator, but really first in command and confident as time moves on. We do not get scenes of Thrawn's past, but simply how he entered into the Empire to fight the rebels.

The main story, besides the origin stuff, is how Thrawn chases a top notch smuggler for most of his career until the final conflict between the two. It is also the story of Pryce as she seeks revenge against her former boss when she is dismissed. It is a world of politics, warfare, and what tactics and leadership look like.

Let me start with the negative. There are long stretches of this book that are political dialog. Part of Thrawn's difficulty in rising through the ranks is the Empire is notorious for disliking aliens in favor of humans, so people look to undermine him politically. Thrawn also seems to not understand the political system of the Empire, so he must learn to navigate those waters. Prepare to read a lot of politics.

The great part is the character of Thrawn is back and just as good as before. What makes his character unique, for those who do not know him, is he studies art and people's faces and mannerisms to figure out what type of character people have. He is all strategy in his thinking, but as stated, it comes from his study of art. He is a thinker and not just an actor. He is not the shoot 'em up type, but rather how does one get out of situations using one's mind and resorting to guns only when needed. It is a breath of fresh air in the Star Wars lightsaber or pistol world.

The other fun is you are rooting for the Empire, if you root for Thrawn. He is fighting the Rebel Alliance and is trying to destroy it, which the reader forgets. He is on the Emperor's side and not Luke Skywalker's. So, he is an incredible anti hero.

While I wouldn't recommend this one to new fans jumping into the EU, I would recommend it to longer fans or fans who know the movies/EU pretty well. There isn't much exposition as to who some of the characters are as you are just supposed to know them. It is a fun book for Thrawn fans and people who want to get to know this character.

I gave it 4 stars, but that is weighted as I am a fanboy.

Here is your Amazon link- Thrawn by Timothy Zahn

Monday, April 10, 2017

Allegedly by Tiffany D Jackson- Book Review

I started reading Allegedly by Tiffany D Jackson on a whim. I was looking for a book to read in between books and was drawn to the title. When I read the premise, I knew I had to read a bit more. It became one of those books I tore through, felt it was a bit longer than needed to be, and then disliked the ending so much it almost ruined the rest of the book.

Mary Addison murdered a baby when she was 9 years old, allegedly. She has moved from "baby prison" (solitary confinement) to juvie to a halfway house where she is allowed to leave under supervision. Her fellow prisoners torture her regularly, from simply throwing her stuff on the floor to much worse things later in the book. Mary has been in the prison system so long, she is numb to most of it.

The worst part is everyone knows her story. Her story has been written about in a ton of books and it looks like it will be made into a movie. In a place where people assume, knowing your crime is a different story.

Mary gets visited by her mother regularly on Sunday, where her mother stays for about 15 minutes to talk about her new life. Mary also works at an elderly home, where she has met Ted, an 18 year old who has gotten 16 year old Mary pregnant. Mary has also gotten a new roommate who is working through the justice system with an independent group who helps those who have received injustice get justice. The connection to that is Mary has started to remember things about that night when she allegedly murdered a baby that don't seem to add up.

I'll begin my review portion by stating, this is not a light book to read. For those who have triggers, there is abuse, statutory rape, torturous conditions, and of course the murder of an infant which gets described in great detail several times. The funny thing is this is marketed as a book for teens. My guess is because the protagonist is a teen, but this is NOT a teen book, maybe a young adult, but definitely not for early teens.

I am also going to go a tiny bit negative. There were three things that bothered me about this book. The first was the length. At about 400 pages, it becomes a bit too long. The second was the Ted story, as it was a bit clichéd. As soon as Ted is introduced, you know he is going to get her pregnant and you know he is going to be something else (I won't spoil, but you learn pretty quickly what that something else is). Finally, the ending. I have talked to a few people online who also disliked the ending. You journey through 390 pages or so and the last few pages simply ruin the book. I am not going to spoil, but just be prepared.

Now for the positives, as there were more than negatives. Mary's story about that night unfolds wonderfully. You get glimpses here and there, but you don't get the whole story until you need to. Her relationship with her mother is well described and thought out. It would be a tense relationship between them. It is also an incredible look at the injustice found within the justice system. How can someone prove her innocence when the whole world knows her story? She was 9 when the crime happened, it is now 7 years later and she has no hope of getting justice.

Overall, I sort of enjoyed this one. It was a good story, but it is brutal in places, so how could one enjoy brutality? I gave this one 3.5 stars.

Here is your Amazon link- Allegedly by Tiffany D Jackson

Monday, April 3, 2017

The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak- Book Review

I had a chance to read this one when it was still in pre-publishing format a few months ago, so some details may not line up with the final copy. The wonderful thing is the story has stuck with me for these last few months and I quite enjoyed it. The other wonderful thing is this is a Book of the Month selection this month, so for just $5, you can try Book of the Month and get this book! (Plug plug)

The book takes place in 1987 and centers around Billy, who is a nerd. He loves his computer almost as much as his friends, but his computer is older and the game he created is flawed because of it. It runs too slowly and there are programming problems, but it is all about his game.

There is something else magical about 1987, Playboy has just come out with an issue that features Wheel of Fortune letter turner Vanna White! If Billy and his friends can just get a copy, not only can they see Vanna in all her glory, but the plan is to photocopy the magazine and sell copies to their friends. It is a fool proof plan with the only step being- get the magazine.

This leads Billy to a store where he thinks he can get the magazine. In the back of the store are two computers that are better than his and behind one is Mary. She is an expert programmer, has nothing but time as she helps out at the store, but has a secret that she is unwilling to share with Billy. The other kids make fun of Mary, but a computer game and a plan to get a Playboy, will bring Billy and Mary together.

On a purely nostalgic level, this book connected with me so much. I was a similar age as Billy in 1987, I too loved computer games, and I remember that Playboy. It truly was one of those- we gotta see inside issues. So, it hit all the right buttons for someone like me.

It was also a lot of fun. It was a cute romance story that isn't quite a romance either as the two leads are in their teens. It is a childhood romance, so to speak. The characters were well developed and the feel for the time was just right.

The story wasn't quite perfect though. I enjoyed it a ton, but the Playboy storyline became second fiddle as did Billy's friends. The break in story line was a tad convoluted, especially with how it was to be pulled off. There were also some other problems with the storyline, especially the big secret which even someone Billy's age should have figured out pretty quickly.

It worked though. It was a fun read that as I was reading it, I kept asking myself- why I am I taking this so seriously? It is a good afternoon read where you just want to sit back and enjoy yourself for a bit- not too heavy and not too deep, but a fun romp back in time.

I gave this one 3 stars.

* I wish to thank NetGalley for the early edition. I received it in exchange for an honest review

Saturday, April 1, 2017

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann- Book Review

*Disclosure- should you use any of my links, I will get a portion of the sale*

This was the first book I had to keep secret. I couldn't post on Goodreads that I was reading it, I couldn't share my thoughts on Litsy or any other social media, and I couldn't tell my friends about it. Why? Because I received it early from Book of the Month, so I could blog about it on April 1st! How cool is that?

Killers of the Flower Moon is the next book from David Grann who wrote the incredible Lost City of Z. If you have not read that one, I highly recommend it. This one is a different story, but told just as well.

It is the 1920s and the Osage Indians have been living the high life thanks to the discovery of oil running underneath the reservation. Oil tycoons from everywhere come to bid on the oil into the millions (in the 1920s). The Osage nation gets portions of the sales, so the reservation is filthy rich.

The problem is it IS the 1920s, so people think less of the Indians and are resentful that they are making so much money by doing nothing. All of a sudden, richer members of the tribes start dying. Individuals are shot and bullets seem to disappear, people are murdered and the investigations come to nothing, yet these are not isolated incidents. Someone is murdering these tribal members.

The story switches then to the investigation and as the book title suggests, the roots of what will become the FBI. An outside individual starts the investigation into these murders and will uncover all sorts of crime scene manipulation, corruption, and all sorts of other problems. We are talking about estates worth millions of dollars in the 20s.

Obviously, this is a true story, so Grann is dealing with what may be known history (although it was new to me), but he is such a wonderful storyteller that I was drawn right in. I loved it so much that I wound up finishing it in just about a day and a half. I think anyone who picked it for Book of the Month would enjoy it.

My only critique is that the Tom White (the investigator) story starts to take over, the Osage become background to their own story. It becomes his story and how he was going to solve everything. That was minor though.

I really enjoyed this one. It was an interesting story with good twists and turns. I gave this one 4 stars.

Here is your Book of the Month link- Try Book of the Month for just $5!