Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: Set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion.
My Review:The Three-Body Problem is the first book in the Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy. The story begins during China’s Cultural Revolution, a tumultuous period in the mid-20th century marked by political upheaval and ideological fervor. The protagonist, Ye Wenjie, witnesses her father’s public execution during this time, which profoundly shapes her outlook on humanity. Subsequently, she became involved in a secretive government project called Red Coast, aimed at using advanced technology to make contact with extraterrestrial civilizations.
The narrative then shifts to present-day China, where a nanomaterials researcher named Wang Miao gets involved in a mysterious conspiracy. Scientists around the world are facing unexplained suicides, and bizarre occurrences are disrupting the fabric of reality. Wang discovers a virtual reality game called Three-Body Problem, where players are immersed in a world that mirrors the challenges faced by an alien civilization on the fictional planet Trisolaris.
As a lawyer, I know almost nothing about complex science theories, physics, astronomy, etc. Due to my ignorance, I have no idea whether the science explored in this novel is real, based upon actual theories, made up by the author to suit the story or some mixture of all three. Nevertheless, I found it to be utterly fascinating, and the message of the story (I won’t give away the ending) stayed with me — even now, I think about what would happen if this were to really happen in real life.
I have never read a book by a Chinese author before, so I really liked branching out and reading something from a culture I don’t know much about. The book had a slow-burn feel, with a big reveal at the end of the book. I just checked out the second book at the library and can’t wait to delve into it.
Stats/Recommendation: As of the writing of this review (November 27, 2023), this book has a 4.09-star rating on Goodreads. If you haven’t already read this book, I would highly recommend it. This book also won a TON of awards, so you don’t have to only take my word for it.
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: A shipwrecked man comes upon an apartment building located in the middle of the ocean. Inside, he finds the skulls of twelve residents, each one eager to tell their story. This is the final book of The Bedlam Bible.
My Review: I received this audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for letting me read this! I listened to this audiobook while on vacation in South Carolina. It was a pleasant mid-70’s to 80 degrees (F), and this book fueled my long walks on the Hilton Head beach. As always, Pauley’s work is macabre, inventive, bizarre, and just all-out fun. I can’t believe that this is the last book in the series. I only recently found this series (and this author), and having to say goodbye feels like a bad breakup. Don’t do this to us, Pauley! We need more! For a brief synopsis of each book, please see the below.
The First Life of Anikoy Marlon: A man wakes up on a life raft in the middle of the ocean with a corpse. The corpse’s skin is etched with a journal of sorts (I think it’s the Bedlam Bible), which the man reads. The man has no recollection as to how he arrived on the rowboat. When he finds a platform in the middle of the ocean, he leaps without thinking and gets knocked out. When he comes to, he is in the 8th block tower. The following stories are from residents of the 8th block tower seen in Anikon’s mind’s eye when he sticks his finger inside the eye socket of their skulls.
Heirs of the Abyss: Rita had always had weird, terrifying dreams of 8th block. Rita’s mom (who had an unexplored connection to 8th block) always said that “dreams won’t eat you except in 8th block, where they eat you alive.” Rita is not an 8th block resident at the beginning of the story but lives in a neighborhood nearby. She starts to date someone living in the 8th block. When she enters in the building for the first time, she is relieved to discover that it doesn’t live up to her nightmares. Until she moves in with Tony.
Trapdoor: A serial killer stalks the residents of 8th block. He’s taken 9 so far, including Kimmy, a friend of the story’s protagonist. Everyone knows the face of the man in the 8th block, but he has yet to be captured. In an effort to find her friend, the protagonist finds the killer on a dating app and decides to go on a date with him. Despite her preparation ahead of time, she falls under the killer’s supernatural spell and finds herself trapped, just like the others.
Killing Teddy: I have read and reviewed this story before as part of another one of Pauley’s anthologies. You can see the review by clicking here.
Bad Blood: The protagonist is a nurse at a hospital. She volunteers for the Chance Program, which is a program providing healthcare aid to lower-income patients. One such patient is a woman named Ellie, who is a resident of the 8th block tower. Ellie is under the delusion that she has “bad blood,” and that if she transfuses it with someone else’s blood, she will get better. It freaks out the nurse, and she is relieved to get out alive. Against her better judgment, she goes back to care for Ellie with dire consequences. This story is probably my favorite so far. It had the right creepiness factor. I wanted more of this story. While there was enough details about the nurse to start to get invested, it left me wanting more…more details about the relationships the nurse had with her family and her girlfriend, and I wanted to have more creepy interactions with Ellie.
The Plant People: The protagonist’s brother is missing, and their mother is taking it hard. The mother is one of those senior citizens who have been complaining that they are going to die soon (for the past few decades). The mother lives on the top floor of the 8th block tower, and the protagonist notices that plants are starting to grow through the floor of the apartment. Put a pin in that, we will come back to it in a second. Although the protagonist hasn’t seen her brother in a while, since they are estranged due to his drinking, she agrees, at the mother’s urging to check on the brother. Oddly, the brother is not at his apartment, and what is more odd, is that he hasn’t been living there for years. Where is the brother, and what are these pervasive flowers that keep pushing their way up into the mother’s apartment? Another favorite of mine in this anthology. It was creepy as hell and with an unexpected twisted ending.
The Burden of Lunar Ticking: Grandpa Grimace is not well, which is why his daughter lets him live with her and her kids. The protagonist is one of the children. When Grandpa first tells the protagonist that he can astro project, the protagonist just thinks it’s his crazy Grandpa telling tall tales again (like how the moon ticks because it’s fake). But soon certain events make it hold not to believe.
Cyber Solaris: There’s a room in the 8th block tower that holds cages full of starving people. It’s a prison. And there’s one prisoner, prisoner 11 (a.k.a. Rover), for which a strange sound plays. Cyber Solaris is an app on a phone that allows you to time travel. One of the other prisoners has this device on his person, and he offers it to Rover for a pack of cigarettes. Rover accepts it with strange consequences. I didn’t see the twist at the end coming and it was awesome.
Black Friday: The parents of the protagonist are addicted to clearance sales, and bought depression on sale for Black Friday, and gave it to the protagonist’s Aunt Nora. They gave the protagonist anorexia. This is a weird, short story that was really fun.
The Sinking Sanctuary: I was a little confused about what was happening in this story. It had to do with Old Joe Booth, the Bedlam Bible, and weird hallucinations. The astronaut from The Astronaut’s Dream Book also made an appearance.
A Mist of Light: Mr. Crum is on the 2nd day of his new job’s orientation. Even though he’s 50 years old, he has no idea what he wants to do with his life, except collect rocks, but that doesn’t pay the bills.
The Eden Room: A decade ago, tumors sprouted from Waylon Peterhearst’s forehead, and everyone calls them horns (like devil’s horns). One night Tom Stripper, a “dispatcher,” knocks on Waylon’s door, claiming that Waylon is dead. Tom is there to “dispatch” him into the next life. It is yet to be seen whether to Heaven or Hell. The path to the next life is filled with traps created by the bad deeds Waylon did during his lifetime. This was a fun story and an interesting premise.
Life is Beautiful in Spite of Everything: The protagonist, a resident of the 8th block tower, finds a camera. He is bitter and resentful about the other residents.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: “White Fuzz is a weird sort of love story between two deeply disturbed individuals, each a product of their isolated environment. It’s not an easy read. It’s shocking, gross, and horrifying. Manages to check off every trigger! You’ve been warned.”
Franklin feels alone in life. One fateful night, he gets a curious text from a stranger, Lynda, another resident of his apartment building. She convinces him to come over, against his better judgment, and surprisingly the night seems to be going great, despite a little awkwardness.
However, it’s clear that Lynda is living with demons that are in desperate need of exercising, as everything inside her apartment seems to trigger some dark memory buried deep within her psyche. In hopes of helping her escape the prison that is her home, he invites her over to his place, but the problems only get worse, to the point he fears she won’t make it through the night.
Just when he feels the night has reached peak insanity, he discovers her madness is rubbing off on him…
My Review:White Fuzz is the second book in the series The Bedlam Bible. As with many Pauley novels, this one is short, weird and wonderful. Franklin receives a mysterious text message from a stranger. Turns out, she is a neighbor in the Eighth Block Tower, and he goes over to her place. As they initiate a sort of romantic entanglement, weird (and gross) things start to happen. And when I say gross, I mean the description the author gave of the encounters were so vivid that I literally felt stomach sick.
A fun little read to listen to. Just make sure to wait to eat anything until afterward!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Title: World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
Author: Max Brooks
Book Length:342 pages
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Genre: Fiction, Horror, Zombies, Post-Apocalyptic
Read Start Date: August 18, 2023
Read Finish Date: October 1, 2023
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.
Ranging from the now infamous village of New Dachang in the United Federation of China, where the epidemiological trail began with the twelve-year-old Patient Zero, to the unnamed northern forests where untold numbers sought a terrible and temporary refuge in the cold, to the United States of Southern Africa, where the Redeker Plan provided hope for humanity at an unspeakable price, to the west-of-the-Rockies redoubt where the North American tide finally started to turn, this invaluable chronicle reflects the full scope and duration of the Zombie War.
Most of all, the book captures with haunting immediacy the human dimension of this epochal event. Facing the often raw and vivid nature of these personal accounts requires a degree of courage on the part of the reader, but the effort is invaluable because, as Mr. Brooks says in his introduction, “By excluding the human factor, aren’t we risking the kind of personal detachment from history that may, heaven forbid, lead us one day to repeat it? And in the end, isn’t the human factor the only true difference between us and the enemy we now refer to as ‘the living dead’?”
My Review:World War Z explores the global response to a zombie apocalypse. The book is presented as an oral history, with various individuals recounting their experiences during and after the outbreak, which occurred over a decade before the interviews took place. The novel begins with a brief introduction explaining the origins of the zombie virus, and how it quickly spreads worldwide, causing the dead to reanimate and hunger for human flesh. As the outbreak intensifies, governments and societies are unprepared, leading to chaos and widespread panic. The book then shifts to a series of first-person accounts from survivors, including soldiers, politicians, doctors, and everyday people from different countries and backgrounds.
I recently watched the movie adaptation of World War Z on Netflix (starring Brad Pitt) and I loved it so much, I watched it three times in a row. I remembered that I had World War Z on my bookshelf — a recent purchase from a used book store during my list trip to the US — and so began to read it. I was a little disappointed that the book was nothing like the movie. There was no Gerry Lane, a former United Nations investigator, who was recruited by the government to travel the world and find a way to stop the infection. Lane travels to South Korea, Israel, and Russia, where he learns more about the zombies and their weaknesses. eventually discovering a sort of cure. In the book, there was no singular story to focus on. Rather, each chapter is told by a different person and we only get to see snippets of the zombie apocalypse through each individual’s memory.
While the book was interesting, it wasn’t the action packed adventure that I was expecting. It was more slow paced and at times I struggled to get through certain stories. Ultimately, whether or not you enjoy World War Z will depend on your personal preferences. If you’re a fan of zombies, horror, or science fiction, then you might enjoy the novel and/or the film.
Stats: At the time of writing this blog post (October 10, 2023), this book has a rating of 4.02 on Goodreads. My rating of three stars falls a little below the average rating.
Recommended? Yes, but either read the book before the movie, or honestly skip the book all together and just watch the movie.
Marriages are tricky at the best of times, especially when one of you is dead.
Vincent Banecroft, the irascible editor of The Stranger Times, has never believed his wife died despite emphatic evidence to the contrary. Now, against all odds, it seems he may actually be proved right; but what lengths will he go to in an attempt to rescue her?
With Banecroft distracted, the shock resignation of assistant editor, Hannah Willis, couldn’t have come at a worse time. It speaks volumes that her decision to reconcile with her philandering ex-husband is only marginally less surprising than Banecroft and his wife getting back together. In this time of crisis, is her decision to swan off to a fancy new-age retreat run by a celebrity cult really the best thing for anyone?
As if that wasn’t enough, one of the paper’s ex-columnists has disappeared, a particularly impressive trick seeing as he never existed in the first place.
Floating statues, hijacked ghosts, homicidal cherubs, irate starlings, Reliant Robins and quite possibly several deeply sinister conspiracies; all-in-all, a typical week for the staff of The Stranger Times.
My Review:Love Will Tear Us Apart by C.K. McDonnell is a riotous, hilarious, and heartfelt romp through the magical underbelly of Manchester. It’s the third book in the Stranger Times series, and it’s just as good as the first two, if not better.
McDonnell has a knack for creating quirky and unforgettable characters, and this book is no exception. We’re reunited with the intrepid team of journalists from the Stranger Times.
All of our old favorite characters are back and better than ever. Banecroft has never believed that his wife is dead, even though there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Now, as her voice emanates through the mouth of the ghostly resident of the Stranger Times office, Banecroft has reason to believe that she is still alive.
Hannah has resigned suddenly from the paper to get back with her husband, who has changed completely. She is attending the same retreat that made him a better person. The new assistant editor is, at first impression, bothersome, and it doesn’t seem that she will get along with the rest of the staff, especially Grace, whom she sets the task of collecting old invoices for an audit. Stella continues to discover the extent (or lack thereof) of her powers, and Ox, Stanley, and Reggie get into their own side investigations.
I don’t want to spoil the book, so I will just say that the plot is as wild and unpredictable as you’d expect from a C.K. McDonnell novel. It’s full of twists and turns, and there’s never a dull moment.
Of course, no Stranger Times book would be complete without its fair share of humor. And Love Will Tear Us Apart is no exception. McDonnell’s writing is witty and sharp, and he has a knack for finding the funny side of even the most dire situations. A couple of my favorite quotes are below.
“Banecroft picked up the bottle of Irish whiskey that sat on his desk and poured himself a healthy measure, then kept pouring past the point of unhealthy all the way to death wish.”
page 4
“‘The words ‘I didn’t like it’ do not do justice to my sentiments. I only read the first two chapters, but it is the worst thing I have ever been in the presence of. It’s basically a hate crime. If an Irish person were to read it, there is every chance they would come and find you and beat you to death with it.'”
page 191
Overall, Love Will Tear Us Apart is a must-read for fans of urban fantasy, comedy, and all things weird and wonderful. It’s a book that will make you laugh, cry, and think, all at the same time.
Stats: As of writing this review on October 10, 2023, this book has an average rating of 4.46 stars. As you can see, many people think this book is great, so you don’t have to take only my word for it.
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: There are Dark Forces at work in our world (and in Manchester in particular) and so thank God The Stranger Times is on hand to report them. A weekly newspaper dedicated to the weird and the wonderful (but more often the weird) of modern life, it is the go-to publication for the unexplained and inexplicable . . .
At least that’s their pitch. The reality is rather less auspicious. Their editor is a drunken, foul-tempered and -mouthed husk of a man who thinks little (and believes less) of the publication he edits, while his staff are a ragtag group of wastrels and misfits, each with their own secrets to hide and axes to grind. And as for the assistant editor . . . well, that job is a revolving door – and it has just revolved to reveal Hannah Willis, who’s got her own set of problems.
It’s when tragedy strikes in Hannah’s first week on the job that The Stranger Times is forced to do some serious, proper, actual investigative journalism. What they discover leads them to a shocking realisation: that some of the stories they’d previously dismissed as nonsense are in fact terrifyingly, gruesomely real. Soon they come face-to-face with darker foes than they could ever have imagined. It’s one thing reporting on the unexplained and paranormal but it’s quite another being dragged into the battle between the forces of Good and Evil . . .
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Humor, Vampires, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Read Start Date: July 7, 2023
Read Finish Date: August 7, 2023
Number of Book in Series: 2
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: Vampires do not exist. Everyone knows this. So it’s particularly annoying when they start popping up around Manchester .
Nobody is pleased about it. Not the Founders, the secret organisation for whom vampires were invented as an allegory, nor the Folk, the magical people hidden in plain sight who only want a quiet life. And definitely not the people of Manchester, because there is nothing more irksome than being murdered by an allegory run amok. Somebody needs to sort this out fast before all Hell really breaks loose – step forward the staff of The Stranger Times.
It’s not like they don’t have enough to be dealing with. Assistant Editor Hannah has come back from getting messily divorced to discover that someone is trying to kidnap a member of their staff and while editor Vincent Banecroft would be delighted to see the back of any of his team, he doesn’t like people touching his stuff – it’s the principle of the thing.
Throw in a precarious plumbing situation, gambling debts, an entirely new way of swearing, and a certain detective inspector with what could be kindly referred to as ‘a lot of baggage’ and it all adds up to another hectic week in the life of the newspaper committed to reporting the truth that nobody else will touch.
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family’s orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake.
As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.
Tom Lake is a meditation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have led before their children were born. Both hopeful and elegiac, it explores what it means to be happy even when the world is falling apart. As in all of her novels, Ann Patchett combines compelling narrative artistry with piercing insights into family dynamics. The result is a rich and luminous story, told with profound intelligence and emotional subtlety, that demonstrates once again why she is one of the most revered and acclaimed literary talents working today.
My Review:Tom Lake tells the story of Lara Novak, a woman who lives on a cherry orchard in Northern Michigan with her husband. Her three adult daughters return to the farm for the season. I believe that the present day events are set during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the pandemic is mentioned only in passing and doesn’t become an overarching theme of the novel. While picking cherries, the daughters ask Lara to tell them the story of Lara’s summer at Tom Lake during her early twenties, where, while participating in a summer stock theater company, she fell in love with a famous actor named Peter Duke. The daughters grew up watching Peter Duke in several favorite movies, and only recently learned that their mother had dated him in her youth.
The novel alternates between the present and the past, and the stories soon intertwine in a intricately woven story, where past actions / events, resonate with /dictate the present.
The storylines are character heavy, and not much happens other than the telling of their lives. In such books, I always find that it is vital that the book is written well, and that the lives of the characters are engaging enough to keep my interest. Both are true with Tom Lake. Patchett writes in beautiful prose, and her characters are relatable and loveable.
Stats: as of writing this post (October 9, 2023) Tom Lake has a 4.23 rating on Goodreads. My review of 4 stars is on par with the masses.
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: The seductive and stunning #1 New York Times bestselling sequel to Sarah J. Maas’s spellbinding A Court of Thorns and Roses .
Feyre has undergone more trials than one human woman can carry in her heart. Though she’s now been granted the powers and lifespan of the High Fae, she is haunted by her time Under the Mountain and the terrible deeds she performed to save the lives of Tamlin and his people.
As her marriage to Tamlin approaches, Feyre’s hollowness and nightmares consume her. She finds herself split into two different one who upholds her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court, and one who lives out her life in the Spring Court with Tamlin. While Feyre navigates a dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms. She might just be the key to stopping it, but only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future-and the future of a world in turmoil.
Bestselling author Sarah J. Maas’s masterful storytelling brings this second book in her dazzling, sexy, action-packed series to new heights.
My Review:A Court of Mist and Fury is the second book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas. It continues the story of Feyre Archeron, a mortal girl who becomes entangled in the world of faeries.
The book begins with Feyre suffering from the aftermath of her traumatic experiences in the first book, A Court of Thorns and Roses. She is struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and feeling trapped in her engagement to Tamlin, the High Lord of the Spring Court.
Rhysand, the enigmatic High Lord of the Night Court, claims Feyre as part of a bargain they made in the previous book. Feyre is taken to the Night Court, where she gradually begins to heal both physically and emotionally. She forms deep bonds with Rhysand and his inner circle, which includes Amren, Azriel, Cassian, and Mor.
The book also delves into the politics and power dynamics of the faerie courts, as well as the looming threat of an ancient evil.
The central romance between Feyre and Rhysand is a significant aspect of the story, and I found it excruciating to read about. At nearly 24 hours long, this book is so long and painful. Everyone goes around “hissing” and “snarling,” calling each other “prick,” “bastard,” and “whore,” and the plot is just pointless. Snore. I also found it disturbing that the main character is supposed to be a teenager (19 years old?), and her fairy lovers are grown men. And I don’t mean that they are like 1,000 years old, but in fairy years, that’s a teenager…I mean, they are (maybe) 1,000 years old, and in fairy years, that makes them at least 30, if not 40 or 50! I don’t understand how this book is a YA novel (according to Goodreads). I wouldn’t want my teenager to read this book. There are way too many graphic sex scenes! I also don’t understand why people are so thrilled at the relationships between the main character and the 2 fairy lovers…they are abusive! The relationships are abusive! How many times in the book did we hear that Tamlin “locked me up!” (like 100…we get it! He LOCKED YOU UP!!) Even though Feyra left one abusive relationship, she is a “traitor” for getting into another relationship? What?? Great message: leaving an abusive relationship is wrong…huh? Rhys is suddenly a great guy, when in the last book, he was a class-A jerk, because he is Feyre’s mate? (another word beat into the brain: mate, mate, mate, mate, mate). “My mate”…yes, we get it, Maas, Rhys is Feyre’s mate…you don’t need to repeat it 200 times. And then Feyra stopped referring to him as Rhys and started saying, “My mate.” I had a giant eye roll at that. Sorry for venting, but I could not even with this book.
I didn’t really like the first book, but thought that I would give the second book a try. I liked the second book even less than the first.
Stats: As of the writing of this post on October 9, 2023, this book has a rating of 4.64 on Goodreads. So clearly, my review is not tot typical reception that this book usually receives.
Recommended? No, but as stated above, my opinion is the minority.
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads:Since 1973, The Exorcist and its progeny have scared and inspired half a century of filmgoers. Now, on the 50th anniversary of the original movie release, this is the definitive, fascinating story of the scariest movie ever madeand its lasting impact as one of the most shocking, influential, and successful adventures in the history of film. Written by Nat Segaloff, an original publicist for the movie and the acclaimed biographer of its director, with a foreword from John Russo, author and cowriter of the seminal horror film Night of the Living Dead.
On December 26, 1973, The Exorcist was released. Within days it had become legend. Moviegoers braved hours-long lines in winter weather to see it. Some audience members famously fainted or vomited. Half a century later, the movie that both inspired and transcends the modern horror genre has lost none of its power to terrify and unsettle.
The Exorcist Legacy reveals the complete story of this cultural phenomenon, from the real-life exorcism in 1949 Maryland that inspired William Peter Blatty’s bestselling novel on which the movie is based, to its many sequels, prequels, TV series, and homages. Nat Segaloff, biographer of the film’s director, William Friedkin, draws on original interviews with cast, crew, and participants as well as revelations from personal papers to present an intriguing and surprising new view of the making of movie, and its aftermath.
Segaloff also examines as never before the keys to the movie’s enduring appeal. Friedkin and Blatty’s goal was far more ambitious than making a scary movie; they aimed to make people “think about the concept of good and evil.” The Exorcist succeeds, and then some, not just by creating on-screen scares, but by challenging viewers’ deepest personal beliefs—and fears.
My Review: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The Exorcist Legacy is about the making and impact of the 1973 film The Exorcist. It is a comprehensive and well-researched work that draws on interviews with cast, crew, experts, personal papers, and other archival materials. It provides a unique and fascinating perspective on one of the most important and influential films ever made.
Segaloff begins by tracing the history of the film, from its origins in a real-life exorcism in 1949 to its publication as a novel by William Peter Blatty in 1971. He then goes on to discuss the making of the film, from its controversial casting and production to its groundbreaking special effects.
Segaloff also explores the film’s cultural impact, examining its influence on other horror films, its role in popularizing the concept of demonic possession, and its enduring appeal to audiences around the world.
The Exorcist is more than just a horror film; it is a complex and challenging work exploring themes such as faith, doubt, good and evil, and reality. Segaloff explores these themes in his book and argues that the film resonates with audiences today because it taps into our deepest fears and anxieties.
Whether you are a fan of The Exorcist, a horror film enthusiast, or simply interested in the history of cinema, The Exorcist Legacy is a must-read.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads:CHORIZO, NEVADA is filled with the grittiest of men and the filthiest of women—the perfect place for a man chockful of secrets to hide. But one fateful day, his past catches up to him…
A Japanese assassin, with a cue-ball for an eye, invades the town with an army of two-foot eyeless minions who thirst for human blood. This man has two things on his mind: Where is his purple television? And who is the dead man that stole it from him?
The Doom Magnetic Trilogy is a fast-paced sci-fi western, packed plum-full of sex, violence, cosmic voids, coliseum-style combat, genetically engineered mutants, breathy brain whispers, cigar smoke torture chambers, and a sea of electric television zombies.
This is the weirdest book you will ever read.
My Review: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Mungden has stolen The Purple Television (an object that has magical powers) from the Japanese Government, and Qoser, a Japanese assassin with a cue ball for an eye, has been tasked with its return due to his unique skillset (i.e., he can use the doom magnetic).
I have read many of Pauley’s books, and like the rest, this one is weird but oddly amazing. The description level given to the characters, actions, and scenes is always fantastic, and you can see the images in your head as you read.
The audiobook is masterfully narrated by Connor Brannigan. He has a wide range of character voices and is fantastic at building atmosphere with his tone. Pauley nailed using Brannigan as the narrator for his works.
The Doom Magnetic Trilogy is not for everyone. It is a violent and strange series that may not appeal to all readers. However, if you are a fan of dark and twisted science fiction, you should definitely check it out.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Humor, Vampires, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Read Start Date: July 7, 2023
Read Finish Date: August 7, 2023
Number of Book in Series: 2
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: Vampires do not exist. Everyone knows this. So it’s particularly annoying when they start popping up around Manchester .
Nobody is pleased about it. Not the Founders, the secret organisation for whom vampires were invented as an allegory, nor the Folk, the magical people hidden in plain sight who only want a quiet life. And definitely not the people of Manchester, because there is nothing more irksome than being murdered by an allegory run amok. Somebody needs to sort this out fast before all Hell really breaks loose – step forward the staff of The Stranger Times.
It’s not like they don’t have enough to be dealing with. Assistant Editor Hannah has come back from getting messily divorced to discover that someone is trying to kidnap a member of their staff and while editor Vincent Banecroft would be delighted to see the back of any of his team, he doesn’t like people touching his stuff – it’s the principle of the thing.
Throw in a precarious plumbing situation, gambling debts, an entirely new way of swearing, and a certain detective inspector with what could be kindly referred to as ‘a lot of baggage’ and it all adds up to another hectic week in the life of the newspaper committed to reporting the truth that nobody else will touch.
My Review: The characters from The Stranger Times are back and as hilarious as ever. Instead of telling you how great the book is, I’m just going to share some of my favorite quotes from the book below.
“‘But we haven’t got running water’, said Grace.
‘Yes,’ said Banecroft. ‘The good Lord has blessed me with many gifts, including male genitalia. Ergo, I can pee anywhere. Out of windows, in woods, in that plant pot beside your desk…’
‘Don’t you dare,’ warned Grace.
Banecroft waved a hand theatrically in the air as he left the room. ‘Too late!’
Grace looked around the room. ‘He wouldn’t, would he?’
Her colleagues avoided her gaze.
‘If you’ll excuse me,’ she sighed, ‘I need to go and burn an asparagus fern.'”
page 62-63
“Vincent Banecroft slipped through he doors of the Kanky’s Rest pub and looked around him. He’d never been here before and yet he knew the place well. It was a proper old fellas pub. Everything was made out of hardened wood or worn leather, including the clienetele.”
Page 135
“Hannah shook her head. ‘How has he got this far in life without anyone stabbing him?’
‘I heard that,’ roared Banecroft from the other room. ‘Shows what you know. I’ve been stabbed twice!'”
page 201
“On the day Banecroft went to pass his driving test on the first time, Patrick, the instructor who’d had to endure the stresses of teaching him, resigned in protest at a system that was broke beyond belief. He retrained in a less stressful profession and ended up being awarded a medal for his work as a bomb-disposal technician.”
page 415
Stats: As of writing this review on September 3, 2023, this book has an average rating of 4.39 stars. As you can see, many people think this book is great, so you don’t have to take only my word for it.
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: There are Dark Forces at work in our world (and in Manchester in particular) and so thank God The Stranger Times is on hand to report them. A weekly newspaper dedicated to the weird and the wonderful (but more often the weird) of modern life, it is the go-to publication for the unexplained and inexplicable . . .
At least that’s their pitch. The reality is rather less auspicious. Their editor is a drunken, foul-tempered and -mouthed husk of a man who thinks little (and believes less) of the publication he edits, while his staff are a ragtag group of wastrels and misfits, each with their own secrets to hide and axes to grind. And as for the assistant editor . . . well, that job is a revolving door – and it has just revolved to reveal Hannah Willis, who’s got her own set of problems.
It’s when tragedy strikes in Hannah’s first week on the job that The Stranger Times is forced to do some serious, proper, actual investigative journalism. What they discover leads them to a shocking realisation: that some of the stories they’d previously dismissed as nonsense are in fact terrifyingly, gruesomely real. Soon they come face-to-face with darker foes than they could ever have imagined. It’s one thing reporting on the unexplained and paranormal but it’s quite another being dragged into the battle between the forces of Good and Evil . . .
The Legal Alien 