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The Silent Patient
The Silent Patient
Alex Michaelides | 2019 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
8
8.3 (39 Ratings)
Book Rating
Twisty and captivating!
My rating: ☆☆☆☆

TRIGGER WARNINGS: talk of suicide, mental illness, depression, stalking, cheating, loss of a parent, and child abuse.

The Silent Patient is told through two different point of views: Theo's, who narrates majority of the novel and Alicia's diary entries. It starts with talking about Alicia and her husband, the life they had, and that one fateful night that changed multiple of lives.

Alicia was seeing things, a man who watched her but she could never see his face clearly. She tried talking to her husband and a therapist about the stalker, but they didn't help one bit. They put her on medications for hallucinations, Alicia didn't take them because she didn't believe that they were hallucinations she was seeing. Then one fateful night, the police barged into the apartment to see Alicia standing standing over her now dead husband. He had been shot five times in the face by Alicia.

Alicia went to court and was charged guilty with her husband's murder but did not speak at all. She became a mute and instead of being sent to prison, she was assigned to a psychiatric unit called The Grove. This is where Theo comes in.

Theo is absolutely obsessed with Alicia Berenson and is determined to get Alicia to talk as nobody else has been able too. But he soon realizes that it isn't what he wants to hear. This is the big twist and I can't tell you cause that would be a spoiler and I don't want to spoil you. *insert winky kissy face*

“That's how therapy works. A patient delegates his unacceptable feelings to his therapist; and she holds everything he is afraid to feel, and she feels it for him. Then, ever so slowly, she feeds his feelings back to him.”

Reasons why I rated it 4 stars:
1. The plot:
The Silent Patient was not only compelling, but captivating as well. It did start a tad slow but soon became unputdownable!

2. My enjoyment:
I really enjoyed the twists, turns, Greek stylized tragedy, and the mysteriousness of both the main characters' stories.

3. Character and story development:
Wow! The development in The Silent Patient was really amazing. Background was given for both characters and story. There was development, even with the switching of POV's. I was not expecting to be enthralled with both Theo and Alicia's stories.

4. Grammar and spelling:
This is a freebie star as I listened via audiobook. But everything sounded grammatically correct!

5. The overall story:
At first, The Silent Patient was slow and I was pushing myself to just get it finished. But it eventually picked up and I was blown away with the mysteriousness and enthrallment of the story.

“We're all crazy, I believe, just in different ways.”
  
Masters of Horror: A Horror Anthology
Masters of Horror: A Horror Anthology
Matt Shaw | 2020 | Horror
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
112 of 200
Kindle
Masters of Horror: A Horror anthology
Presented by Matt Shaw
Collection of authors

Masters of Horror A selection of some of the finest horror writers of today were invited by Matt Shaw to bring him their twisted tales for this anthology. A book put together with the sole purpose of reminding readers what the horror genre is really about. Each author was told they could write about any subject matter they wanted so long as it was set in a world of horror. The only rule they had: No Paranormal Romance. Vampires do not sparkle, werewolves do not date, Witches do not scour Tinder for Virgins and ghosts do not declare their undying love whilst tidying the apartment... This is horror... Featuring work from: Introduction- Matt Shaw Brian Lumley - The Cyprus Shell Ramsey Campbell- Again Sam West- Survival J R Park - Mary Peter McKeirnon- Doll Face Andrew Freudenberg- A Taste of Mercy Mason Sabre - Chocolate Shaun Hutson- The Contract Anton Palmer- Dead-Eyed Dick Wrath James White- Beast Mode Shane McKenzie- Dewey Davenport Tonia Brown - Zolem Graeme Reynolds- The Pit Adam L.G. Nevill- Hippocampus Gary McMahon- You Can Go Now Ryan Harding - Down There Matt Shaw - Letter From Hell Matt Hickman- Eye For An Eye Daniel Marc Chant - Three Black Dogs Amy Cross- Checkout Kit Power- Loco Parentis Adam Millard - In The Family Guy N. Smith - The Priest Hole Jaime Johnesee- Just Breathe Craig Saunders- Raintown Sam Michael Bray - The End Is Where You’ll Find It Jeff Strand- Don’t Make Fun Of The Haunted House Mark Cassell - Trust Issues Paul Flewitt- The Silent Invader Clare Riley Whitfield- The Clay Man Jim Goforth- Animus Brian Lumley - The Deep-Sea Conch Chris Hall- Afterword


A few comments on the ones I enjoyed the most!
1. The Cyprus shell by Brain Lumley

This is a letter to a friend explaining his recent early departure from a dinner party. He explains his awful experience and aversion to oysters! Got to say I loved it and it captured so much in a short letter!

2. Again by Ramsey Campbell

This is a strange little story about a hiker discovering a strange old woman keeping her almost dead husband tied to a bed. It was a little strange.

4. Mary by J R Park

Ooo this was good religious symbols and lots of murder and blood!!

5 Doll Face by Peter McKeirnon

This was creepy as f**k there are no limits to what a father would do for his little girl!

6. A taste of Mercy by Andrew Freudenburg

Brilliant so sad and yet so gross! You felt every word of the woe the trenches brought these men!

7 chocolate by Mason Sabre

Ok so I will be keeping a close eye on my kids and their imaginary friends needing chocolate haha loved it!

8 The Contract by Shaun Hutson

Well this taught us one thing is certain killing death would be a very silly thing to do!!

9 Dead-eyed Dick by Anton Palmer

This had me in tears laughing and must be every mans worst nightmare! I’m definitely getting my husband to read it! Brilliant!!

11 Hippocampus by Adam L.G. Nevill

Nevill is one of my favourite authors he has a way of taking you every step of the journey with every book he writes. This one did not disappoint I walked the length of that vessel
With him! I know have some pretty gruesome scenes in my head.

12 you can go now. By Gary McMahon

Totally heartbreaking in some way and utterly creepy in others! Also an eye opener to mental illness which I took from it!

13 letter from hell by Matt Shaw

Reading this made me sick to my stomach being a mum I think it’s my worst nightmare! I can just imagine how those mothers felt when their children never came home! Totally gut wrenching!!

14 Eye for an eye by Matt Hickman

Brilliant! Gruesome and totally what you’d expect from the afterlife of a murderer!

16 Loco Parentis by Kit Power

About a man rounding up a pedophile ring and breaking some bones but in a strange twist he turns it on the reader lol very good!!

I absolutely loved most of these stories I think there is something in there for every Horror fan I’ve also found a few more authors!
  
Casting JonBenet (2017)
Casting JonBenet (2017)
2017 | Crime, Documentary
Beautifully shot but no way as good as other true crime documentaries
Netflix is an absolute master when it comes to true crime documentaries. However, unlike Making a Murderer and The Keepers, this is a standalone film and it does not explore the crime in detail. As a result it falls short in comparison to the others.

The film is about the notorious 1996 case of a six year old beauty pageant participant, JonBenet Ramsey, who was found dead in her own house even though her family said she had been kidnapped.

One of the most important things about this documentary in particular is the fact that it is completely in the perspective of random people who have no connection really with the crime itself. Instead by creating a fake film about this true crime, they reveal the actors' own perceptions and prejudices against the case and against the people involved.

It is also vital to notice while the other documentaries were created to raise awareness and educate the public about levels of corruption in society and institutions - this seemingly does nothing but instead actually is a bit of a mockery towards the young victim of this crime. The actors throw out wild theories instead, and so you know little about what actually happened.

On the upside it is shot absolutely beautifully, so it looks like an art film. A bit disappointing really.
  
The Covenant (2006)
The Covenant (2006)
2006 | Horror, Mystery
I could watch this on infinite loop until I'm dead
I've watched this movie twice in as many days because it is the kind of bad that is wonderful. I don't know how I missed this one as a teenager, as everything involving witchcraft was interesting to me then. Think of The Covenant as a spiritual successor to The Craft, but with boys. And there are boys. This movie is one fuzzy sex scene away from being a David DeCoteau film. Notable features are an all male shower scene filled with foggy butts, Sebastian Stan (who's nineteen or twenty years old here) stumbling over a line regarding another kid's penis (after being called a homosexual slur) and, last but not least, the line, "I'm going to make you my weyotch." It's a gem.

The plot is blah, the music is alright, and it has the mid-noughts "blue and orange" filter--but that's not why you're watching this movie. You're watching it because the actors are hot, there's not-so subtle gay subtext (though if Sebastian Stan's character kisses another guy, is it really subtext?), and latent homoeroticism. The whole stinkin' thing could be an allegory for homosexuality, but really, I don't think anyone was thinking that far ahead.

Also, there's a character named Pogue Perry. Pogue. As in, rhymes with "vogue." My boyfriend couldn't stop laughing, and he was only half watching it to humor me.
  
Small Spaces (Small Spaces #1)
Small Spaces (Small Spaces #1)
Katherine Arden | 2018 | Children, Horror, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.5 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fantasy Horror Book marketed for middle school/middle grades
‏I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

Katherine Arden is best known for her adult/young adult fantasy novel, The Bear and the Nightingale. With Small Spaces, Katherine Arden ventures into writing for middle school-aged children. This creepy horror book brought me back to my childhood where I stayed up late reading Lois Duncan, Richard Peck, and Joan Lowery Nixon. Those authors, among others, wrote horror books for children that were able to scare you without being gory.

The description of Small Spaces brought to mind the movie Jeepers Creepers 2 - a school bus full of children breaks down and they are in danger of something in the night/dark. That is where the similarities end. Arden teams up 3 students who are classmates but not friends. They leave the bus for the safety of the forest...

This story is tame compared to many of the horror movies children have seen in recent years. It is the innocence of the story while being scary and suspenseful that makes it such an interesting read.

Small Spaces is the first book in her Small Spaces series. The 2nd, Dead Voices, has a release date of August 27, 2019. I preordered it and will review it as soon as possible.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 7/24/19.
  
Gideon the Ninth
Gideon the Ninth
Tamsyn Muir | 2019 | Horror, LGBTQ+, Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Descriptions (2 more)
characters
Kept me guessing
a bit predictable at places and gruesome (0 more)
Necromancers in Space
Before reading Gideon the Ninth all I knew about it was: Necromancers in space and lesbians. Everyone who recommended it to me said it was "Amazing" and I "had to read it." Why the lesbian thing was a thing, I'm not sure? representation? Yeah, I'll go with that.
Anyway,
They were right. It is amazing, interesting read. I admit I had some difficulty getting into the first couple of chapters, however I think that was a me problem not from the narrative. Which is gothic and dark, everything that you'd expect from wizards who raise the dead and fight with skeletons would be, and so much more.
It is an interesting concept, although it read more of a mystery to me than a horror, (horror isn't really my genre, I don't have much to base it on. but most of the critics agree that it is in that genre.) and you're in space for maybe 15 pages of the book, if that much. I think there will be more space in the sequel.

The characters interacted with each other well, the tension between them all are great and I had a clear picture of each. Tamsyn kept me guessing on who was or wasn't trustworthy, and the palace that they explore was beautifully described.
Highly recommend if you want something different. This adventure isn't something you'd forget.
  
Over Raging Tides (Lady Pirates, #1)
Over Raging Tides (Lady Pirates, #1)
Jennifer Ellision | 2018 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Over Raging Tides (Lady Pirates, #1) by Jennifer Ellision
Over Raging Tides is the first book in the Lady Pirates series, and going by this one, I can't wait to continue with this series. Grace has been a pirate since the age of seven, and is now Quartermaster and First Mate of Lady Luck, a pirate ship with an all-female crew. There is rivalry between her and Celia, the other woman who wanted the Quartermaster role. Grace's mother was taken from her when she was younger, by creatures of the sea that aren't friendly! Everyone presumes she is dead, including her love, the Captain of the ship. Things get interesting when Grace rescues two brothers from the Mordgris and brings them on-board. Her life changes and she sees things she never saw before.

This story was amazing and gripped me from the very start. The world building is amazing, and rich in history. The characters are well developed, although obviously some are more than others. One of my favourite characters is Sam, and I can't wait to see what she will do next. There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow, and the pacing was very smooth.

One word for you though - cliffhanger! This is the first book in the series so it does end with one almighty cliffhanger that will leave you wanting book two immediately. Unfortunately for me, it's not actually released yet, so I will have to wait oh-so-patiently!

For a clean, nautical adventure, with magic, mayhem, and a good dosing of rum, then I can highly recommend this book! Another corker by Jennifer Ellision.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
The Invisible Man (2020)
The Invisible Man (2020)
2020 | Horror, Sci-Fi
Excellent tension (1 more)
Brilliant score
Suprise Thriller a Real Hit
What I love about cinema is that you can go in expecting one thing and come out experiencing another - which was exactly how I felt coming out of The Invisible Man.

The film stars Elisabeth Moss as Cecilia who is desperate to escape the grasp of her abusive partner Adrian (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and does so by way of a tense opening that is devoid of any dialogue. Instead, as an audience we are holding our breath as she tiptoes around the house.

When news comes that Adrian is dead and has left her a small fortune she straight away becomes suspicious and is convinced he has orchestrated the whole thing. As time passes Cecilia is stalked by an invisible force that those close to her believe is simply PTSD and all in her head.

It's written and directed by Leigh Whannell who is probably one of my favourite cinematic writers. Fans of Saw will recognise him as Adam, the poor bastard who gets locked in the bathroom at the films climactic ending [apologies if you haven't seen that yet, but it has been 16-years].

At it's core The Invisible Man echos a clear message. Cecilia's experiences of being gaslighted by Adrian is a serious topic that many women from abusive relationships will have experienced first hand. The psychological trauma that Cecilia goes through makes her doubt her own sanity.

The best part about the film is the way that Whannell is able to create a sense of unease. In a number of scenes we are left looking at an empty corner of a room, or a chair. When the camera pans it is because it is going to focus on something that is there - but of course there never is.
  
Not Another Soldier
Not Another Soldier
Samantha Holt | 2014 | Contemporary, Romance
6
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is the story of Sienna and Nick. Nick is her dead husband's best friend although they haven't actually been that close over the past few years. Nick wants Sienna, and Sienna wants Nick, but she doesn't know if she can 'just' be a wife any more, especially an army wife. Nick however knows what he wants and isn't prepared to back down from a challenge.

On the whole, this was an enjoyable story that kept me reading. It's not one of the best that I've read but it definitely wasn't one of the worst. One of the things for me is that Sienna is quite a whingy character. Now I'm not saying she doesn't have the right, she really did have a scumbag of a husband but you see, my thing is, she is the one that made the choice to stay with him for all that time. Yes, I know she was leaving him when he died and it took his hands around his throat for her to do that but still... she knew he was cheating, it was a loveless marriage, yada yada yada and she STILL stayed. Nick deserves a medal, not for being a marine, but for keeping his mouth shut in such a situation.

Not Another Soldier is a relatively well-written and fast-paced novel. The characters are all well-rounded whether you like them or not. For me, it was a bit like a Chinese meal - satisfying at the time but hungry half an hour later.
 
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
 
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
September 2, 2016
  
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles
1967 | Pop, Psychedelic, Rock

"I associate this album with a specific moment in my life. We never had a TV until I was about 16, so we would only hear about stuff like The Simpsons and Neighbours from friends. They seemed exotic and distant. But this one time I did see an episode of Neighbours in which one of the main characters got hit by a car, and it really fucked me up! I'd never seen anything like it before. And so, as I was driving home, my mum had Sgt. Pepper's on in the car and I was listening to 'A Day In The Life', and I was looking at a certain spot in the road, and I heard the line, which goes ""he blew his mind out in a car"", and it all suddenly came together. I imagined a car crash and I imagined this spot on the road and I imagined what I'd just seen with this song. And I think that is the first time that I genuinely understood the concept of death. I was probably only about five. That's the thing about The Beatles, you can get it into you from zero up. I never forgot that feeling of being petrified and understanding death for the first time. And the music did that to me. It wasn't Neighbours or the road, it was the fact that somehow that song had transported me and helped me to understand a real emotion. He [Lennon] had been dead about five years at that point. Children love The Beatles, and they love Queen, because there is something about those bands that is so colourful and fun and they create such a world. And the Sgt. Pepper's world is so easy to visualise, you can literally hear the crowd and the characters and the colours, the carnival air. It's all just magical. I've always enjoyed the fact that my band doesn't sound the same from song to song, and I think we get that from The Beatles. The Beatles were every type of band for ten years, and then they were nothing, which is probably why they are the most famous band in the world."

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