Senior Season by Tom Perrotta

Synopsis:

A glimpse into parallel lives in a suburban town Tom Perrotta has made recognizably his in novels like ELECTION, LITTLE CHILDREN and this fall’s THE LEFTOVERS.  Clay wouldn’t have said his life was defined by his place on the high school football team’s roster, but when he’s sidelined by injury, everything, including his sense of self, seems different.  And it’s not just that his concussion was bad enough to cause his parents and doctors to worry, to make him have trouble concentrating.  It’s that he’s seeing the previously familiar people in his world—from his girlfriend Megan to his geriatric neighbor Mrs. Scotto—from a new perspective.  Perrotta’s warmth and ability to describe the dramatic moments in the average lives of characters of every age are perfectly presented in “Senior Season”, a story that will add a layer to fans’ pleasure in this author’s themes and concerns. This e-book also includes an excerpt of THE LEFTOVERS.

Rating:★★★★★

Review:

For some odd reason, that I can't put my finger on, I've been really craving short stories or anthologies lately and this has put a real dent in my hunger. I honestly could not think of reason to give this book anything less than 5 stars. 

In my opinion, this did everything a short story was supposed to do. It gave the right amount of insight into the current situation, it had the right amount of drama and character relatability, and it ended off leaving you with just the right amount of wonder, but not confusion that some short stories leave you hanging onto. Long story short, it just had the right amount of everything!

I also really loved the excerpt of The Leftovers! It really makes you think deeper into the rapture, what it may mean, and who it will include; Or if the rapture didn't happen in this town, what really happened to all of the people that just vanished into thin air?

It goes without question that I definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a quick, light read or to anyone in general. I just loved this book all around and I'm excited to read the full version of The Leftovers. 

October 3-in-1

The topic for October's 3-in-1 is Haunted House: your favorite paranormal, horror, or scary books. The 3 in 1 series was started in a Goodreads group called Booktubers from around the world created by Cherrie Walker.


Booktubers From Around The World ⇨ https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/195015-booktubers-from-around-the-world

1. Wytches by Scott Snyder


   Wytches is an amazing horror graphic novel that I had the pleasure of reading for my very first graphic novel. For those that may not be into large novels, a comic or a graphic novel is usually the best way to go and this one will knock your socks off. The graphics are amazing and the story line is actually really good which I did not expect for a graphic novel, and the plot twist blew me away. 

2. The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe


   Every Halloween season I usually read a poem or a story from Edgar Allen Poe every day because they are spectacularly spooky. It's something quick and simple to read if you don't have much time to read and you can't really go wrong with Poe.

3. Tales from the Graveyard: The complete collection by Susan Shultz


   I read this two years ago and I loved every second of it! This a collection of four very grossly gruesome stories that all tie in together. This is perfect for Halloween in every way especially if you want some creepy bloody tales this season.

Dead Pool Vol. 1: Secret Invasion by: Daniel Way, Steve Dillon, Paco Medina

Synopsis:

Collects DEADPOOL (2008) #1-5.The Skrulls are here and everything’s gone topsy-turvy but, in Deadpool’s world, that just means it’s Monday! Like it or not, Deadpool may be the only person on the planet who can save us…but who’s to say he wants to?

Rating:★★★★

Review:

This was so enjoyable! The graphics were really good, it had it's giggle moments, and it had so many different scenarios for Dead Pool to take part in, it was just amazing. My favorite part of this graphic novel had to be the Zombie scenario because let's be honest, we all think about how the zombie apocalypse could come about.

I love that Dead Pool lives the "payback-is-a-bitch" way of life, which is when most of the giggle moments happened. He's just one of those relatable heroes the doesn't ignore the fact that he still has to do things the way of the world, like pay bills, even though he has superhuman abilities.


 I felt so much more relaxed and laid back reading this versus other superhero comics. It just wasn't as intense and serious following Dead Pool unlike other heroes which is what makes this particular hero more enjoyable to follow on a day-to-day basis. READ IT!

Strangers at a Funeral by: P.T. Phronk

Synopsis:

Brandon notices them at his grandpa’s funeral first: a pair of men in sunglasses who nobody seems to know. They’re not family, they're not friends, they’re just … there. No big deal, until they show up again at the next funeral. Drawn into a world of funeral selfies and burial crashers, Brandon needs to know what these strangers want from the dead. 

Only problem is, nobody gives a crap except him, and his school frowns upon skipping classes to watch people get buried. His sanity can’t take many more funerals, and those bulges under the strangers’ coats probably aren’t concealing anything pleasant.

Rating:★★

Review:

For a short story it actually had a nice plot tempo going on throughout the book but I don't know if maybe I shouldn't have read this while I was tired but I think the ending completely went over my head. This definitely makes me want to scan the crowd at any funerals I go to now but I'm just not sure what was going on at the end. I feel like the ending got really shaken up and so much was going on I don't feel like I got a clear enough explanation for what was really happening. Of course I can always make my own speculations but they may be far from what the author was trying to say. 

So to wrap this up, I wouldn't put this in the horror category but it does tingle your paranoia, the ending definitely needs some cleaning up in my opinion, and I wouldn't recommend this because it can get pretty confusing since the conclusion is unclear.

Star Wars: Darth Vader, Vol 1: Vader by Kieron Gillen

Synopsis:

The original Dark Lord of the Sith stars in his first ongoing series! Ever since Darth Vader's first on-screen appearance, he has become one of pop-culture's most popular villains. Now, follow Vader straight from the ending of A NEW HOPE (and the pages of the new STAR WARS comic book) into his own solo adventures — showing the Empire's war with the Rebel Alliance from the other side! But when a Dark Lord needs help, who can he turn to? As Vader pursues a very personal vengeance against the Rebels and investigates the Emperor's secret machinations, he clashes with weapons scavenger Aphra and deadly Battle Droids, and returns to Geonosis to build an army. But some very powerful people don't want him to learn the truths he seeks! Guest-starring Jabba the Hutt, Boba Fett and more!

Rating:★★★★

Review:

First of all, I was never one to jump aboard the Star Wars wagon so I only know what I've heard other's say about it and of course the infamous Family Guy interpretation. Long story short, I only know the just and the basic concept of the story.

Oddly enough the first thought that came to my mind when I opened this comic was just that the graphics were absolutely awesome and matched up perfectly with the theme of the story. We are taught as humans to, without a shadow of a doubt, hate the villains of any story so for an author to have me seriously rooting for a villain, Darth freaking Vader to be exact, is just mind blowing all by itself and it really speaks on the capability of Kieron Gillen as an author to deliver a story.

The only thing that I can think of that really bothered me in this volume was how repetitive the mini prefaces or summaries at the beginning of each individual comic were. It was almost like copying and pasting the exact same thing over and over, just adding an extra sentence or two at the end and I find repetitiveness very irritating which is why I only gave this 4 stars instead of 5.

On my recommendation scale I absolutely recommend this to everyone 😁 because this was a really nice read to see things from a villain's point of view. It definitely leveled the playing field of good and bad motives.

A Justified Bitch(A Las Vegs Mystery #1) by: H.G. McKinnis

Synopsis:

It takes a guilty bastard to make a justified bitch.

When a severed finger shows up on her doorstep in a seedy section of Las Vegas, Helen Taylor does not freak out. She’s already crazy, as evidenced by her junk-stuffed house and its ever-growing population of cats. There’s also Bobby, her long-dead husband. Helen talks to him regularly, and Bobby talks back.

The finger and the brutal murder it reveals are more than a hoarding cat lady with a phantom husband can ignore. Helen’s a suspect, and she ends up in jail. Summoned by the detective on the case, Helen’s sister Pat arrives from Phoenix with two teen-age boys in tow.

While Helen is AWOL from a mental facility, another gruesome murder is discovered. Pat, the boys, and the detective struggle to separate fact from insanity, but it takes power beyond the ordinary to bring the truth to light.

Publishing Co.: Imbrifex Books

Release Date: August 8, 2017

Rating: ★★★★

Description:

I received this book from Netgalley and Imbrifex Books in exchange for my honest review. I'm also a tad bit late posting my review for this book so bare with me. I thought this was a really good adult murder mystery and it was handled very well.

I really liked the whole drama on top of drama role this book took on because not only are we focusing on finding this killer but we are also dealing with all of the family craziness going on. With that being said that really took this murder mystery and turned it into so much more for me. There was always something grabbing for my attention so I didn't really have the opportunity to get bored.

Character wise I think H. G. McKinnis did a great job of giving her characters roles and keeping them playing their OWN roles. Unfortunately, I didn't really feel connected with the characters, even though I knew all about them, something was still missing that made me lack sympathy for them.   

On the predictability scale I don't think it was easy to guess who the killer was but when you find out who it actually is you're left kicking yourself because you feel like you should have known all along. Because I honestly thought I knew who the killer was but the joke was on me. 

I absolutely loved the gruesome descriptions of the two murder scenes! It was something that really made me wince and cringe even though I wasn't literally seeing anything. Reading this was honestly like watching criminal minds and it was greatly appreciated. 

I think this book is great for those YA addicts looking to test the waters in the adult genre, especially those in love with mystery novels. I'm not quite sure how the rest of the series is supposed to work out but I'm excited and I'm definitely looking forward to it.

A Castle In England by: Jamie Rhodes; Briony May Smith; Isabel Greenberg; Issac Lenkiewicz; Will Exley

Synopsis:

A collaboration between writer Jamie Rhodes and the National Trust, A Castle in England is a unique and fascinating graphic fiction project inspired by Scotney Castle in Kent.

Using the rich history of this fourteenth-century castle as a starting point, Rhodes has created five short stories that take place over different eras in the castle's past: The Labourer(Medieval), The Priest (Elizabethan), The Smuggler (Georgian), The Widow (Victorian), and The Hunter (Edwardian). Each of these stories has been illustrated by experienced comic and graphic novel artists Isaac Lenkiewicz, Briony May Smith, William Exley, Becky Palmer, and Isabel Greenberg, creating a visually striking graphic collection that is steeped in historical context.

Publishing Co.: Nobrow Press

Release Date: May 1, 2017

Rating: ★

Review:

     I received this book from Nobrow Press in exchange for my honest review. I did like and appreciate that this is split up into 5 different short stories in 5 different time eras all in the same castle. 

     But from the beginning I did not like the time taken to do a family tree for ever story, I honestly just think it was a waste a space and it hurt the book. I understand this is a Historical Fiction Graphic Novel but I was not expecting a whole history lesson. As in I did not think there would be actual factual information sections after each story. The graphics were very underwhelming and lacking an abundance of color. 

     I tried to keep myself interested in the story but this book did not capture my attention like I thought it would. I found my self skimming through the rest of the book after the second story. This is sadly not a book that I would recommend because it is a good concept of mixing a collection of short stories with a graphic novel but it's utterly a disappointment in too many ways to turn a blind eye.