Tag: book

Book Review: Sharp Objects

Posted on by Shawshank

So I watched the HBO miniseries long before I read the book. I loved the series, so I really wanted to see how the book was.

I loved the book as much as the miniseries.

Newspaper journalist Camille Preaker, is broken. Mentally broken. Fresh out of a recent hospitalization for self-harm for carving words on to her body. Camille is sent back to her hometown to investigate 2 brutal murders, as well as navigating and interacting around her family, including her 13 year old half sister.

I really liked the grittiness of the book, and the descriptions of her family and what it was like growing up in a small town. Since she’s a reporter, no one what’s to talk to her on the record, but she persists, and ends up figuring it all out.

Did I mention the twist ending?

I think I just did, but you have to read it for yourself. But when I first saw the twist on the show, I was shocked, repulsed, disgusted all at the same time. It was great. The book lead up to it as a slow burn.

I just wish I could read it again for the first time. Go out and get it!

Book Club: Full Dark, No Stars

Posted on by Shawshank

Before getting into the meat and potatoes of the Book Club, is like to draw attention to the new graphic. A couple nights ago, I asked Crystal for a couple new graphics for the site to inspire me and to make it look a little more professional. She’s awesome at them, so thank you so much baby!

Ok, week 2 of the Lockup Library Book Club. This months book is Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King. This week we’re talking about story number 2;

Big Driver.

This is a Lifetime movie waiting to happen. Oh wait, it’s already been turned into one. Not my favourite so far. At some points it was a little rambly.

Big Driver is a story about Tess, a lite mystery writer in a small town in Massachusetts giving a talk in the library. Tess only takes speaking engagements where she can drive, and at the most spend one overnight. At the end of her talk the organizer, Ramona, tells her of a shortcut that’ll shave some time off her drive home.

Tess takes the shortcut, and here’s where bad things happen. She gets a flat tire, and has to wait and hope that someone will drive past, as there’s no cell coverage.

Someone does drive by and stops to help. He doesn’t help though, he grabs her and rapes her multiple times and leaves her for dead.

It’s a story of retribution. Tess escapes and plans her revenge.

It was an ok story. I just don’t think it really was for me. I wasn’t really into it, when she started to talk to her gps like it was a person. I think along the way she pretty much had a mental snap as well.

I hope the next story catches my attention better than Big Driver did. But like I’ve heard before, you either really like King’s stories or you don’t.

So far, out of the two stories read, it’s 50/50.

On to the next story! See you next Sunday, friends!

I’ve been locked in your heart-shaped box for weeks

Posted on by Shawshank

Ok, time for the next book in the Lockup Library Book Club. As I mentioned in a post last week, I had a dream where Stephen Ling was just a small time writer, that no one had heard of. So this prompted me to push a book back, and read one of his.

The book I’ve chosen for the next couple of weeks is Full Dark, No Stars. It’s a collection of four short stories – but with a bonus story at the very end, so I guess technically there’s five stories.

So, a time frame. I’m thinking a story a week, again meeting on Saturday’s. But they are short stories, so we’ll have to play it by ear. This could be a book we finish in two weeks.

It’s an adventure for sure!

If you have it, awesome. If you want to go out and get it, go for it! We start the first story 1922, tonight.

Happy reading!

Oh I rush and rush until life’s no fun

Posted on by Shawshank

Look who’s back, back again. Book Clubs back. It’s the third week of the Lockup Library Book Club. We’re almost to the end of The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I hope you guys are enjoying this as much as I am.

The Historian chapters 41-60

Ok guys, it’s starting to get good. There’s action, in little bits, and you’re left wanting more. Is there going to be a pay off? I sure hope so. But there’s two stories going on at once, and that’s basically my modus operandi by now.

All of a sudden, boom! there’s a secret society, and that’s pretty much my bread and butter, especially after Foucault’s Pendulum. (Which by the way, y’all HAVE to read.)

This secret society is tasked with making sure that Dracula stays dead, and doesn’t hurt anyone else. Let’s just say the society does what it’s tasked with, and dispatches someone that they think will shortly be turning into a vampire.

Now, the main characters in the 1930’s are on their way to Bulgaria, and the secondary characters in the 1970’s are deep in France, looking for them? Confused? Good. Who has two thumbs and won’t spoil anything?

This guy!

Alright ladies and gentlemen, we’re on the final push now. All we have to read are chapters 61-79, and we’ll be finished this awesome vampire book. And just in time for Halloween.

Next week when we come together for the final Book Club Meeting for The Historian, I’ll unveil the next book up for the Lockup Library Book Club treatment!

Happy reading everyone.

I need a photo opportunity – I want a shot at redemption

Posted on by Shawshank

Went to SlightyBiggerTown today for some running around, including groceries. So we carved out some time for me to hit the second hand store for a…..

BOOK HAUL!

I walk in, and do a couple of passes on the book cases, and only find one lonely Stephen King. And it’s the book that I made fun of when we watched the movie long ago. MITER GAY! MITER GAY! Crystal does say the book is better than the movie. Fingers crossed

So I start to walk back to pay for it, and I spy a little blue sign that says fill a bag of books for a buck. Say no more, a nudge is as good as a wink to a blind bat, yanno! So I went up to the counter and asked for a bag, and went back for more.

I’ll try and be short with my motivations for buying each book. Please hold all questions to the end of the presentation.

Sometimes you just need a mindless book. Of course it’ll have to be a Jack Reacher novel – now with 100% less Tom Cruise.

I’ve never seen the movie, but a quick google says this one could be scary.

The Cemetery Dance is your chance to do the hump – now it’s stuck in your head too.

Now this one just looks kinda of cool. Who doesn’t judge books by their covers?

Now by this point of been over these 4 bookcases (that are a lot and I mean a LOT of Danielle Steel, and other romances), and this little gem is sitting there, just waiting for me to pick it up. I’d have pushed people out of the way to get it. The TV show was amazing.

Any questions?

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