horror – One Chapter

Choose Your Own Adventure: Eighth Grade Witch by Andrew E.C. Gaska

2 stars Children’s Chapter/Middle School

I was excited when I came across this book while volunteering at the library last week. Once a month, I clean the children’s graphic novel sections at two of the branches that our library has in town, and when I came across this graphic novel, I immediately snagged it up. This book brought back so many memories of reading the smaller paperbacks of Choose Your Own Adventure stories with my own children when they were younger. I really had high hopes for this graphic novel. Unfortunately, this book didn’t work for me.

I was totally lost in this book, I mean really lost. I started it multiple times and took many of the different options that were offered within its pages, but it still didn’t make any sense to me. I even backtracked and thought that perhaps I had landed on the wrong page and had read the “If you want …… go to page XX” wrong but nope, I was just lost. It felt that when I page hopped, there was no connection to the previous page that I had just read, which was unfortunate.

I liked the storyline as I thought it could have lots of different possibilities. Thirteen-year-old Rabbit has just moved into a new city, into a new house, that has been rumored to be haunted. From day one, things are a bit weird and I’m not sure if she’s a witch or if she’s not but that’s just one of the questions that she’s confronted with. There seems to be a lot happening in Rabbits new surroundings, bits and pieces that I tried to put together, but it was the illustrations that drew me in.

The illustrations were great, and I liked the variety of text fonts that were used throughout the book as they made the scenes pop.

I remember loving the original Choose Your Own Adventure books in fact, I still have some of the books that I used to read with my own children. I will try to find another one of these graphic novels and try it again, as perhaps it was the story itself that I couldn’t follow. Perhaps I am better off imagining these books in my head instead of seeing them in a graphic novel. This book, I’m not a fan. 2 stars

William by Mason Coile

5 stars Horror Thriller

Wowza! Take notice people, this is what is happening……AI is in our future. I just hope that William will not be there! This was one exciting book to read on vacation. I’m not much of a science fiction fan but boy, give me a book like this and I will be reading sci-fi forever! The story centers upon a couple Lily and Henry who live in a multiple story house. Henry doesn’t leave the house as he has some type of psychological disorder and just opening the outside door, sets off some alarms in his head. He does work though. He has his own lab on the top floor of the house as he’s a robotic engineer. Lily, a computer engineer, actually leaves the house and goes to work. Basically, Lily is their link to the outside world.

They’re rich, money is no object as Lily has sold a company that she created so as Henry tinkers in the attic, Lily heads off to work. Reading about Henry’s creations in the attic, I kept wondering if there was some type of goal running through Henry’s mind. Their house has a start-of-the-art security system which if you think about Henry’s disorder, their financial situation, their vocations, and how big the house is, it’s understandable, they’d have this.

Life is good until Lily invites Paige and Davis, former employees of Lily’s, over for supper. During the evening, Henry sees some physical contact between Lily and Davis and begins to wonder what that is all about. Lots of emotions here and now, Henry wants the upper hand, so he invites everyone to his lab. This is the first time that even Lily gets to see what’s behind this locked door. Everyone meet William.

Lily, Paige and Davis all think William is amazing! Created by Henry, this independent AI is able to think creatively by himself. William is not a walking, talking AI man with arms and legs but he’s close. As they conversed with William, he was creeping me out! Lily, Paige, and Davis were all shocked at how well-spoken William was yet here was Henry standing right there with them, and he was even shocked. This was impossible! He’s more human than Henry created him to be!!

The house goes on lockdown. The house’s security system has become engaged. David and Lily deny turning it on. The house is a fortress, they are locked in. William has plans for this evening and he’s dangerous, very dangerous. William is everywhere, he’s smarter than you can imagine, and he’s not giving up as he’s got nothing to lose.

I had my thoughts on how this book would go but dang, that twist that came out of nowhere and got me! Boy, did it get me! Never saw that one coming and that was pure craziness! Pure fantastic craziness!!! Loved it….. Can someone erase my mind so I can read this one again? 5+ stars – have to reread this one sometime in the future if/when I ever get over it.

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager

5 stars Thriller

To live with this guilt for years would have drove me crazy. Ten-year-old Ethan and his best friend Billy are sleeping in a tent in the backyard at Ethan’s house. This is nothing new, they’ve done it before, countless times. Only, this time Ethan awakes and finds that Billy is not there. What? Not only that but there is a slice in the tent. Yup, Billy is missing, and no one knows anything!

Dang! These ten-year-old boys were neighbors and friends and to have this happen, I can’t even imagine. It’s now thirty years later and Ethan returns to his childhood home. The memories of that horrific night linger and when strange events start to occur, Ethan is on high alert. What is happening? Who or what is doing this and why? Reconnecting with friends and neighbors, Ethan tries to piece together what happened in his backyard, thirty years ago. He’s finding similarities between the two events, yet I began to wonder about the reliability of the individuals Ethan is connecting with.

This was a great page-turner. As Ethan gets reacquainted with his past, I was conducting my own investigation and eliminating suspects. The author was kind enough to throw in some exciting twists into the mix and I had to reexam my predictions as some of them went out the window. I liked how it wasn’t just one mystery that we were trying to solve but Ethan was now living another nightmare, and this was linked somehow. 5 stars

Cold Snap by Lindy Ryan

3 stars Fiction

What did I really read? Thinking that this book was going to be a good short read, I found myself slowing down as a read and trying to decipher exactly what was happening which made this book so long. For only 124 pages, it took me days to get this book finished. I loved the cover of the book. If you look closely at the deer on the cover, the added graphics made me excited for what was inside the pages of this book.

I thought the book started out strong as the main character Christine decides to head to their cabin with her 15-year-old son and their cat. A recent widow, Christine, is still mourning the loss of her husband so it’s off to their remote cabin in Pennsylvania to celebrate the holidays. Are you starting to understand the complications this trip “can” entail? Remote cabin. Recent widow. Grieving family. A family cabin. Well, I was really stoked about how this book was starting off.

Their son Billy hasn’t been the same since dad’s accident and well, neither has mom. Billy’s lack of communication is not helping the situation and if you add that to Christine’s emotional issues, the two of them together alone in a cabin over the Christmas holidays was not a good plan from the start. Christine was supposed to be the mother, but she frustrated me with her actions and her attitude towards those around her. She chose to go on this journey with her child and their cat, she was supposed to be the adult here, but I think she forgot that.

I liked that the book carried the creepy, mysterious traits that I was looking for, the pages were definitely turning quickly but when it came down to trying to straighten out any of the uncertainties that the characters were facing, I felt lost. I wasn’t sure if it was the grief, the weather, the characters, or just plain craziness but the book started to go off the rails for me. What was missing? Perhaps I was trying too hard to put everything together, perhaps it was a combination of a lot of different things, and I just needed to go with the flow of the book, but it was frustrating. I was stopping and rereading portions of the book, under the impression that I had missed something from the first read.

This is my first book by Lindy Ryan and I’d like to read another book by this author. I loved how the author set up the story and built upon it. Perhaps this book was not for me. 3 stars.

You Better Watch Out by James S. Murray

5 stars Thriller

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“You gotta see this.””

I couldn’t see fast enough nor read fast enough as Eddie and Jess tried to make sense of the world that had become their new world. As my husband was driving the car, I was trying to read him some of this book, but my mouth and my eyes were not in sync. I was talking gibberish and as my husband suggested, I just read silently, as silent as I could with all my gasps and shoutouts. Dang, I wasn’t expecting the last half of this book to be this exciting!

For only 225 pages, this book packs a punch! At first, the book reminded me of one of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes and I was intrigued to find out how this one was going to end. What would they find at the end of this so-called, “town”, if they ever do find the end and were they going to make it out alive? One-by-one, we meet the characters in this book and I’m trying to find their common dominator. They’re all stuck inside this little make-believe town but what is the purpose and what type of game is this that they are the “players” when they don’t know the rules. Dang, this book is one that I will definitely have to reread again, if I can ever get it out of my head! 5 stars++

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

4 stars Thriller

There were parts about this book that I really enjoyed as I thought they were very unique. I thought this story had great potential. I loved how the story was being shared and the energy that the story was taking on but as the intensity started to build, I found myself doubting the scenes that were playing out before me.

The formatting of this story must be mentioned because I feel that this plays a big role in this story. The story is told through the eyes of eight-year-old Bela who lives with her Mommy and Daddo. This being the case, the story is made up of mostly short choppy sentences and the placement of these sentences on the page varies. It takes a bit to get used to this type of reading but once you do, I feel it adds to the intensity and the implications of what is happening in the story.

Bela has an imaginary friend at home, Other Mommy. Other Mommy comes out of Bela’s closet, only when Mommy and Daddo leave the room. Seems harmless until Other Mommy starts talking to Bela about entering her heart. Confined to her room, Bela knows Other Mother’s wants now and Bela knows how to control her friend. Other Mother is not about to let Bela’s get away though; she wants her. Bela goes with her mother to the park one day and while out on that outing, Other Mommy leaves the bedroom. Other Mother is spotted by Bela, at the park. Bela though, is not the only person who sees her. Other Mommy, this once imaginary friend of Bela’s, is no longer Bela’s imaginary friend.

Questioned by her parents, Bela describes Other Mommy as, “tall, sometimes slides on her belly.” Yeah, that creeped me out a bit. What kind of imaginary friend named Other Mommy would “slide on her belly?” I can’t even describe the image that came across my head when I read that. If Other Mommy is not imaginary, what was she? With these intense moments, the anticipation of turning the page was fantastic. I wanted to know more about Other Mother, yet I wanted more storyline and the chaos that she was creating for this family. The ending was a disappointment for me. Why did the author have to end it like that? After everything that had occurred, it seemed like such an easy solution to an outstanding event.

The September House by Carissa Orlando

I’ve been waiting for this one. I didn’t know that The September House was going to take me on an incredible ride that would have me sitting on the edge of my seat. As I read the first couple pages, Carissa began explaining where my new fictional friends were setting up house, I knew that I had found the menacing book that I had been looking for. Surprising enough, Margaret and Hal had that same exact feeling when their eyes fell upon the listing for the 5-bedroom home on Hawthorn Street. They had finally found what they had been looking for! With their daughter off to college, the couple had finally stumbled upon their dream house, a permanent place that they could call their own and they weren’t going to let it slip away.

Their dream is not all roses as they soon discover that the house comes with a dark past. This older home has seen a few deaths within its quarters, yet this knowledge doesn’t stop the couple from pursuing their dreams.

Margaret and Hal love their new home and start to adjust to their new life. They even get the services of the previous housekeeper, Fredricka, to help them in their beautiful new home. It sounded as if the couple had finally fulfilled their dream until the mysterious events started to shake things up. It began in the master bedroom as a liquid began flowing out of the walls. You can just imagine their reaction as the blood oozes down their master bedroom walls. My reading interest spiked immediately as this new wrinkle came out of nowhere and now, I must know why and who is responsible. I loved the imaginary as the river of blood streamed down the bedroom walls, flowed into the hallway and poured itself down the staircase, until it rested on the first floor. Ah, what a sight! The house fills with screams and sounds of children running around as the days pass and Margaret and Hal try to make sense of what is happening to their dream house. Such a stressful time for Hal and Margaret. Hal can’t take any more of what the house is giving, and he wants them to walk away, leaving the house behind them. Margaret loves the house, and she refuses to leave. Hal is forced to move out by himself, telling his wife and the house, good-bye. Katherine, their daughter, comes to visit. She’s concerned that she hasn’t heard from her father and decides to search for him herself.

Meanwhile at the house, these strange happenings are intensifying, and the occurrences are becoming more frequent. Edie, their neighbor starts to give me the creeps as I’m not sure whether he’s a friendly neighbor or part of the strangeness that is taking place. Katherine attempts to get the house blessed and it would be too easy for that to work, but at least they tried. Katherine behavior started to bother me. I couldn’t get a good read on her which added to the drama of this book. The ending was fantastic, yet I was sad that I had read the last page. Oh, I can’t forget the birds! What a great touch to add those to the story. This was a great story with an intense, building storyline with interesting and entertaining relationships, add in some mystery, tension, and you have one exciting read. 5 stars

Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth

4 stars Mystery

What the heck did I just read? This was one interesting book and I say that in a good way. It went against many of the traditional rules that books follow, which caught me off guard. I knew that this book was not for everyone and that it was unique but I think it was the way that the author presented the material, that made the book enjoyable and captivating to me. I just didn’t know what to expect from these dark characters.

Ralph discovers his mom Laura, has fallen. Although Laura doesn’t like Abby, Ralph and Abby have been living with his mother, in her house. Before we get too involved in the story, we discover that these three characters all have some dark issues that make this story entertaining or disturbing, depending on how you look at it. When Laura dies from her fall, Ralph and Abby take ownership of the house or so it seems. Abby works in a nursing home and has taken to one of her patients. I had to wonder how much of this relationship is based on her personal issues and how much of it is human nature?

With disturbed characters and no super hero around to come in and save the day, there’s sure to be some confusion and smoke before the dust settles. The book was a bit creepy, it made me think, and it gave me a new perspective. I’m glad that I read it. There are a lot of triggers in this book so beware if anything bothers you. Some readers think that the book is humorous but I only thought that parts of it were. 4 star read for me.

Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang

5 stars Sci Fi / Fiction

Dang folks! I fell all over this one. The more I read this story, the more I couldn’t put it down. The story was building on top of itself and what started off as something so innocent and sincere was falling apart. She loved her new job, this is something that she strived for and now, she finally had it. She felt that she was finally “someone.” I think that she had her head so high up in the clouds that she didn’t see what was in front of her face or what was in the mirror staring back at her. Until it was too late.

The main character is unnamed throughout the book which I found interesting. She needs money and she wants a job at Holistik, a beauty company. She feels that if she gets this job, she’ll be “someone.” She just needs this dream job: a position at Holistik. When she finally lands the job, she feels that all of her problems will be solved. She’ll have her status, friends, and of course, money. She needs the money to help pay her own bills and to keep her parents at their own facility.

She emerges herself into the Holistik culture and she sees it for what it is. She begins to see the negative pieces of the puzzle and she now wants to turn back time and start over. She wanted to be the simple girl, the girl who blends in, the girl who has no money but dear, it’s too late for that. She now has to pay the price for being a part of the Holistik team and now, it’s going to cost her. The staggering price tag on this dream job is so high that I literally scream at her. What is she going to do now?!?! Did you not see any of this before?!? I was literally worn out after reading this book. Feeling so connected and captivated by her actions, I couldn’t stop thinking about what was on the horizon for her as I tried to go about my day. Even now, the memory of this book still haunts me. 5 stars for sure!!

The Last Laugh by Mindy McGinnis

5 stars YA Suspense

It went off the rails pretty quickly! I suggest that you read the first book in this series before you tackle this book, as you’ll want to enjoy this ride to the fullest effect. There was quite a bit of drama amongst the characters even before this book began. As things started to heat up, I had a hard time putting this book down. Taking off right where the previous book left off, Mindy’s not just wrapping things up inside this book, Mindy begins by stoking up the fire. Into this dark storyline, I met some fantastic characters that I didn’t trust but they fit perfectly inside this story. Thanks, Mindy, for that fantastic ending.