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A Land More Kind Than Home
Wiley Cash | 2012
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
In a small town in North Carolina, there is a small church by the river. The windows are covered with newspaper so no one can see what is going on inside. But what is going on in that church? Too many people in town refuse to question it and one person in particular has decided to remove herself from the church and take all of the children with her.
So how is it that Christopher Hall is now dead after going to the church? This was the very reason children were not supposed to be there in the first place.
Christopher is a mute and has been all his life. His brother Jess and he are always together. One day when they are playing around the house, they break the waterspout going into the rain barrel. They were trying to spy on their parents, but their mother has always told them that spying was wrong. After running from "the scene of the crime," Jess discovers that it's not his father that was in there making the strange noises with his mother. After this discovery, Jess is concerned when Christopher is called to go to church for healing.

Wiley Cash has written an amazing story that makes you question humanity and religion in America. Some people will believe just about anything in order to belong. The things you read in this book will have your mind reeling. Even though it took me a couple of weeks to read this book, if I hadn't been so busy I would have gotten it done faster. I read the last 100 pages in one night.

I look forward to reading what else Mr. Cash has to offer.
  
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx by Raekwon
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx by Raekwon
1995 | Rock
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"""It was a more intense injection of it. That was the second solo album, before the second Wu Tang album, and you can still hear that hunger in RZA's production. It's even more intense and claustrophobic. I didn't buy this album until six years after I discovered the Wu Tang, and it threw me again, I was obsessed with it. I used to have it on in the car all the time and I would stop it and go back to a little bit, then stop it and go back to another little bit, thinking about how I could replicate that, because it was so good. This was well after I came up with Sleaford Mods, just before I met Andrew. It was still so mind blowing. There was a theme to it, they always used to bang on about how it was a concept but I never got that. 'Guillotine' was my favourite one off it, and also 'Incarcerated Scarfaces'. The first one has this Keystone Cop kind of beat. It's bizarre, there's almost an Irish thing to that. It was east coast, you've got a lot of Irish immigrants there, so it must have spread through the culture. I used samples for the first four albums, or tried to, but I don't do it any more. It was just so tired to me, I'd rather leave sampling to those classic albums than flog a dead horse, you know. I was aware of the fact that it was an uphill battle trying to get clearance for stuff, but after three or four albums I was also getting bored of it, trying to find a loop off a great track. It didn't matter how obscure it was or how obscure the approach was, it just bored me and I needed something more home grown."""

Source
  
TF
The Frangitelli Mirror
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
69 off 235
Kindle
The Frangitelli Mirror
By G.R. Thomas
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In 1915 a book was stolen, a crow appeared, and fate dealt its hand.
Rose Carbonelli sees ghosts.
She doesn’t sleep.
She watches every corner, studies every shadow, listens to the screams that no one else hears.
Rose Carbonelli is terrified.
Her father hasn’t been heard from since he volunteered to go to war in 1915.
The money ran out a year ago, her mother, Edith, is fading away.
Rose needs a job to save them both, and an excuse to flee the ghosts of her home.
When Rutherford House advertises for a lady’s maid, Rose seizes the opportunity.
A wage to save her mother, food to fill her belly, and an escape from the dead that occupy the shadows…
It seems just so perfect.
But is it the escape Rose has been dreaming of?
Is there truth to the rumours about Rutherford House? What lurks within the bones of it? Why has the Lady Mary Rutherford not been seen in over a decade?
Is this the perfect escape, or is it another nightmare Rose could never have imagined?


I was so lucky and so thankful to receive this ARC!

See I had a feeling I would like it as I loved her last gothic horror but this was something else it was brilliant and I loved it.

I read this at night and it just added to the creepiness I have to keep checking my dark corners. The story was compelling it kept you wanting more. The characters were so well written you became invested especially in Rose. I just can’t praise it enough!!

Amazing!
  
Wyrd and Other Derelictions
Wyrd and Other Derelictions
Adam Nevill | 2020 | Horror
9
7.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
179 of 200
Book
Wyrd and other derelictions
By Adam L.G. Nevill

Derelictions are horror stories told in ways you may not have encountered before.

Something is missing from the silent places and worlds inside these stories. Something has been removed, taken flight, or been destroyed. Us.

Derelictions are weird tales that tell of aftermaths and of new and liminal places. Each location has witnessed catastrophe, infernal visitations, or unearthly transformations. But across these landscapes of murder, genocide and invasion, crucial evidence remains. And it is the task of the reader to sift through ruin and ponder the residual enigma, to behold and wonder at the full horror that was visited upon mankind.

A dead ship carries a terrible cargo across a black ocean. Below deck, signs of slaughter and devotion await to tell a ghastly tale.
On a barren and hostile shore a great ritual has been enacted successfully. The act of a god may have taken place. But what kind of deity did this?
An eerily silent campsite. No sign of life. Look closer and observe the grisly artefacts of annihilation.
In the very foundations of this dreadful house, was something supernormal called upon to abolish life so mercilessly?

Wyrd contains seven derelictions, original horror stories from the author of 'Hasty for the Dark' and 'Some Will Not Sleep' (winner of The British Fantasy Award for Best Collection).
I’ve followed Adam and his been a fan of his books for years, his characters, his monsters and his storytelling is just fascinating. He really uses his surroundings to influence his writing. So this was a bit different to read where the only humans you come across are corpses and usually torn to pieces or sacrificed! The Wyrd and other shorts are just brilliant and each one leaves you wanting and needing to know more!
I’m not great with long wordy reviews with words even I don’t understand I tend to write how I feel once finishing a book. I absolutely loved this book I have read Hippocampus a few times and would absolutely love a full novel! Below are just a few words on how I felt about some of the stories.



Hippocampus

I’ve read this a few time and I pick up something I somehow missed in this short each time (don’t ask me how I have no clue)!
You genuinely feel you are walking the ship seeing what Adams describing! I would love to delve deeper into this tale and really hoping it will turn into a full novel!

Wyrd

Well that was just brilliant! Really drags you in! The best way to read this is sitting in a calm quiet place so you just get absorbed into following the trail we are lead on! Again I would love to know more it leaves you wanting more!!

Turning of the tide

Ok I’m good with the black lambs and human remains but dear god what did the dog do? 😂
It all started so well with the calming beach description then you keep reading and the sight
Of the phones and debris your stomach kinda lurches as you wait the the decimated corpses to follow! The poor golden retriever!

Enlivened

This one was full of gore and made my bones shiver! Great imagery on the monster too!! I love Adams imagination when it comes to his monsters!

Monument

I definitely hate dark craw spaces and certainly wouldn’t go delving in a cave like structures! This one definitely left me wanting to know where it was going and what had done this in the houses!


Hold the world in my arms for three days and All Will Be Changed

This creeped me out! Especially with the world being as it is now! Here you are walking in the footsteps of a world that’s changing that’s being changed by something!

Eagerly awaiting a new book!
  
Wyrd and Other Derelictions
Wyrd and Other Derelictions
Adam Nevill | 2020 | Horror
9
7.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
179 of 200
Book
Wyrd and other derelictions
By Adam L.G. Nevill

Derelictions are horror stories told in ways you may not have encountered before.

Something is missing from the silent places and worlds inside these stories. Something has been removed, taken flight, or been destroyed. Us.

Derelictions are weird tales that tell of aftermaths and of new and liminal places. Each location has witnessed catastrophe, infernal visitations, or unearthly transformations. But across these landscapes of murder, genocide and invasion, crucial evidence remains. And it is the task of the reader to sift through ruin and ponder the residual enigma, to behold and wonder at the full horror that was visited upon mankind.

A dead ship carries a terrible cargo across a black ocean. Below deck, signs of slaughter and devotion await to tell a ghastly tale.
On a barren and hostile shore a great ritual has been enacted successfully. The act of a god may have taken place. But what kind of deity did this?
An eerily silent campsite. No sign of life. Look closer and observe the grisly artefacts of annihilation.
In the very foundations of this dreadful house, was something supernormal called upon to abolish life so mercilessly?

Wyrd contains seven derelictions, original horror stories from the author of 'Hasty for the Dark' and 'Some Will Not Sleep' (winner of The British Fantasy Award for Best Collection).
I’ve followed Adam and his been a fan of his books for years, his characters, his monsters and his storytelling is just fascinating. He really uses his surroundings to influence his writing. So this was a bit different to read where the only humans you come across are corpses and usually torn to pieces or sacrificed! The Wyrd and other shorts are just brilliant and each one leaves you wanting and needing to know more!
I’m not great with long wordy reviews with words even I don’t understand I tend to write how I feel once finishing a book. I absolutely loved this book I have read Hippocampus a few times and would absolutely love a full novel! Below are just a few words on how I felt about some of the stories.



Hippocampus

I’ve read this a few time and I pick up something I somehow missed in this short each time (don’t ask me how I have no clue)!
You genuinely feel you are walking the ship seeing what Adams describing! I would love to delve deeper into this tale and really hoping it will turn into a full novel!

Wyrd

Well that was just brilliant! Really drags you in! The best way to read this is sitting in a calm quiet place so you just get absorbed into following the trail we are lead on! Again I would love to know more it leaves you wanting more!!

Turning of the tide

Ok I’m good with the black lambs and human remains but dear god what did the dog do? 😂
It all started so well with the calming beach description then you keep reading and the sight
Of the phones and debris your stomach kinda lurches as you wait the the decimated corpses to follow! The poor golden retriever!

Enlivened

This one was full of gore and made my bones shiver! Great imagery on the monster too!! I love Adams imagination when it comes to his monsters!

Monument

I definitely hate dark craw spaces and certainly wouldn’t go delving in a cave like structures! This one definitely left me wanting to know where it was going and what had done this in the houses!


Hold the world in my arms for three days and All Will Be Changed

This creeped me out! Especially with the world being as it is now! Here you are walking in the footsteps of a world that’s changing that’s being changed by something!

Eagerly awaiting a new book!
  
40x40

Kaz (232 KP) rated The Dead Ex in Books

Nov 5, 2019  
The Dead Ex
The Dead Ex
Jane Corry | 2018 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
5
6.8 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Interesting characters but not entirely well executed, one plot line was interesting (0 more)
Negative depiction of someone with Epilepsy, poor ending (0 more)
‘The Dead Ex’ was a buddy read, I had never read anything by Jane Corry before. To be quite honest with you, it will possibly be the last book I will read by this author.

Firstly, this book is split into several threads of story. We have the main character Vicki’s point of view, a little girl named Scarlett and a woman named Helen. Lately, whenever I have read a book which had more than one story thread running through it, I’ve been frustrated that one plot was good and the others, disappointing. With ‘The Dead Ex’, this was the same. I liked Scarlett’s story line and found it particularly moving. The power of this story was let down, by the weaker threads running along side it.

The characters were mostly ok, but I found some of their behaviors to be too exaggerated. This book would have been a good read for this month’s ‘Disability Read-a-thon’ (I read this just before the beginning of October), because the main character in this book, has Epilepsy. The sad thing for me though, was that this book would have been the perfect example of how NOT to portray a person with this condition.

I felt annoyed that, whenever anyone discovered that the main character had Epilepsy, she was instantly treated with suspicion. To me, this didn’t highlight the condition, but in some ways, demonized people who have to deal with Epilepsy and this wasn’t fair.

The plot of this novel was, for the most part, intriguing and I wanted to continue reading to find out what was going to happen. Whilst the many threads of story were tied up in a satisfactory way, there were a couple plot twists, which I felt to be weak, or really silly.

Overall, I think that this book was trying to highlight many social issues. Unfortunately, this need to cram a lot into the pages of this book, resulted in a weak and messy read.

This book was ok, but nothing that I would recommend rushing out to read.

My Rating: ** 1/2 Stars
  
The Broken Girls
The Broken Girls
Simone St. James | 2018 | Horror, Thriller
6
8.5 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
Barrons, Vermont -- 1950
A young girl who is a student at Idlewild Hall goes missing. Idlewild is a school for wayward girls. The authorities believe she has just run away with some boy, but her friends and roommates know this is the farthest thing from the truth.

Barrons, Vermont -- 1994
Deb Sheridan another young woman is found dead in the field at Idlewild Hall, which has now been closed for many years. Her killer is her boyfriend at the time, Tim Christopher. Why would he leave her at this place?

Barrons, Vermont -- 2014
Someone has bought Idlewild Hall and plans to renovate it. But why? The place is nothing but a money pit. Fiona Sheridan is determined to find out who is buying the property and their motivation behind it. Will she be able to deal with all the secrets this place holds? When a body is found during the renovations, Fiona's attempts go into overdrive? Will she be able to find out who is behind this before she too becomes a subject of Idlewild?

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Going through this book, I was a little skeptical about what was going to happen. I'm not a big fan of books with ghosts, but this one wasn't too bad. I gave the book a rating of 3.5 stars. While the book was interesting, I found myself going for other things to do besides reading this book. The story flowed naturally even switching from the past to modern day.

Mary Hand is a ghost that haunts the grounds of Idlewild. She will show you things that you may not want to see. But is a ghost behind all the strange things that happen at Idlewild Hall or is there another culprit. We know for sure that Deb Sheridan was killed by her boyfriend, but what about the body found during the renovations? In 1950 the school was full of wayward girls. Girls who in those days, parents could not be bothered by and mental health was a taboo issue. So they sent their daughters away to school. Four girls in room 3C became very close friends. Sonia, Katie, CeCe and Roberta. The book tells their story from 1950 leading up to the disappearance of one of them and Fiona's perspective from 2014, trying to find out the history of Idlewild Hall and the new owners.

Overall, for me the book was good, not great. This is the first book I have read by Simone St. James. If her other books deal with ghosts and spirits, I'm not sure if I will read them or not, but I may give them a chance.

If you like ghosts though, I think you should give this book a try, YOU may enjoy it.