Name the last three books you have read...

[Bookworm616]

How did the into the wild book compare to the movie? I cried like a baby at the end of the movie lol. It was such a beautiful story yet just so tragic and the movie was put together so well. I had high hopes of being able to visit the site until I found out the van had been removed (so sad).

And they actually just moved that bus in like 2020. I can't believe it took them that long to move it.

I watched the movie a few years ago. For the most part, it was a good movie, though I found myself fast forwarding over some stuff because it seemed a bit longer than it needed to be.

The book is amazing. He really delves deep into McCandless's life. You get a real sense of who he was and how he may be came to his decision to cut his family out of his life. Jon Krakauer really did his research into McCandless. And the version I read had an update on what he thought ended up killing him. I mean, this update is from like 2013 or something, so even though he wrote the original article and book not long after he passed, Jon was still trying to solve the mystery like almost 20 years later. That's the affect this kid's life had on the author.

And I have to say, I felt more strongly about McCandless by reading the book moreso than the movie. Though Emil Hirsch did a great job playing him, Jon Krakauer did a phenomenal job bringing him to life. Reading that book really got me into reading more of Krakauer's books. And I cried multiple times reading the book.

I highly recommend this book (and Into Thin Air) especially if you loved the movie.

 

[beccaomecca]

And they actually just moved that bus in like 2020. I can't believe it took them that long to move it.

I watched the movie a few years ago. For the most part, it was a good movie, though I found myself fast forwarding over some stuff because it seemed a bit longer than it needed to be.

The book is amazing. He really delves deep into McCandless's life. You get a real sense of who he was and how he may be came to his decision to cut his family out of his life. Jon Krakauer really did his research into McCandless. And the version I read had an update on what he thought ended up killing him. I mean, this update is from like 2013 or something, so even though he wrote the original article and book not long after he passed, Jon was still trying to solve the mystery like almost 20 years later. That's the affect this kid's life had on the author.

And I have to say, I felt more strongly about McCandless by reading the book moreso than the movie. Though Emil Hirsch did a great job playing him, Jon Krakauer did a phenomenal job bringing him to life. Reading that book really got me into reading more of Krakauer's books. And I cried multiple times reading the book.

I highly recommend this book (and Into Thin Air) especially if you loved the movie.

Man Emil killed it playing McCandless huh!! I would agree with you, there were definitely periods of the movie feeling like it was stretched out. Yeahhh that’s right! It’s crazy that it took that long to be removed, although it would have been pretty cool to see and feel where it all tragically came to an end. I just found myself pissed off watching the movie and thinking damn how could he have come all this way for end to end like this. And then to think if he had a decent childhood he would most likely still be here today I wondered if they carried any responsibility for his death. I did hear that a few years later another guy died in a similar fashion, lost in the wilderness. It’s funny when I was watching the movie I was thinking man this dude has to be a crazy nature loving Aquarius! We long to be lost and disconnected from people a lot of the time, then when they showed his birth date at the end it tripped me out because we share the same birth date although I’m 86 and he was 68. The movie really affected me, it’s a wonderful thing to feel moved from a movie, but this one was just so FREAKING sad, it cut me up seeing how happy he was in the adversity of all he’d suffered through, he still shared a positive message to the world. I’ve always been a huge fan of Sean Penn too, Dead Man Walking is someone one of my favourite movies.
Now I really feel intrigued that you say that the book is better than the movie. I’ll definitely have to give the book a read - thank you i know I’m going to cry all over again no matter how hard I try not to lol.

The only two movies I’ve cried in is this one and Beaches haha my best friend made me watch it and I literally had to leave the room (in hope she wouldn’t pause the movie) and balled my eyes out haha!

Nice, that’s cool as that you’ve enjoyed other books from Krakauer, sounds like an author I’ll have to get into, although I have four books on the go right now. I’m terrible!!!

Really appreciate your feedback

 

[Tamstrong]

Reality is broken.

At first, it looks like a disease. An epidemic that spreads through no known means, driving its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. But the force that’s sweeping the world is no pathogen. It’s just the first shock wave, unleashed by a stunning discovery—and what’s in jeopardy is not our minds but the very fabric of time itself.

In New York City, Detective Barry Sutton is closing in on the truth—and in a remote laboratory, neuroscientist Helena Smith is unaware that she alone holds the key to this mystery . . . and the tools for fighting back.

Together, Barry and Helena will have to confront their enemy—before they, and the world, are trapped in a loop of ever-growing chaos.

Welcome to the neighborhood. Watch your husband, watch your friends, and watch your back.

Cat Winthorpe has worked hard to get what she has: a gorgeous home; social standing; and William, her successful, handsome husband. Then a friendly new couple moves into the estate next door. While cautious, a good neighbor like Cat greets them with open arms and warm hospitality.

Neena Ryder isn’t a fellow lady of leisure. A life coach with off-the-rack dresses, personal issues, and a husband who hasn’t delivered, she’s anxious to move up in the world. This beautiful new town is a step in the right direction. It’s also making Neena aware of what she doesn’t have. Namely, William. When Neena’s infatuation escalates into obsession, it’s just a matter of eliminating a few obstacles to get the life she wants. The life next door.

As Neena’s secret fixation grows, so does her friendship with Cat. But beneath their cordial interactions is a wealth of temptations, secrets, and toxic jealousy. For both women, the desire for a perfect life can turn perfectly dangerous.

Julian and Claire Perry and their two children, Megan and James, have made the move to a bigger, nicer home in their city's historic district. But something isn't right.

The neighbors seem reluctant to visit. Claire can't shake the feeling that someone is watching her. Megan receives increasingly menacing and obscene texts. And James is having terrible dreams. No wonder, considering what he's seen in the corner of the basement, staring at him and shuffling closer ever so slowly.

Pity no one warned the family about the house. Now it's too late. Because the darkness at the bottom of the stairs is rising....

 

[Bookworm616]

Man Emil killed it playing McCandless huh!! I would agree with you, there were definitely periods of the movie feeling like it was stretched out. Yeahhh that’s right! It’s crazy that it took that long to be removed, although it would have been pretty cool to see and feel where it all tragically came to an end. I just found myself pissed off watching the movie and thinking damn how could he have come all this way for end to end like this. And then to think if he had a decent childhood he would most likely still be here today I wondered if they carried any responsibility for his death. I did hear that a few years later another guy died in a similar fashion, lost in the wilderness. It’s funny when I was watching the movie I was thinking man this dude has to be a crazy nature loving Aquarius! We long to be lost and disconnected from people a lot of the time, then when they showed his birth date at the end it tripped me out because we share the same birth date although I’m 86 and he was 68. The movie really affected me, it’s a wonderful thing to feel moved from a movie, but this one was just so FREAKING sad, it cut me up seeing how happy he was in the adversity of all he’d suffered through, he still shared a positive message to the world. I’ve always been a huge fan of Sean Penn too, Dead Man Walking is someone one of my favourite movies.
Now I really feel intrigued that you say that the book is better than the movie. I’ll definitely have to give the book a read - thank you i know I’m going to cry all over again no matter how hard I try not to lol.

The only two movies I’ve cried in is this one and Beaches haha my best friend made me watch it and I literally had to leave the room (in hope she wouldn’t pause the movie) and balled my eyes out haha!

Nice, that’s cool as that you’ve enjoyed other books from Krakauer, sounds like an author I’ll have to get into, although I have four books on the go right now. I’m terrible!!!

Really appreciate your feedback

Well, when you finish those four books, Into the Wild will be waiting for you.

The book, more than the movie, had an effect on me that I never expected. The story of Chris McCandless is both incredibly inspiring and senselessly tragic. You really get an understanding, through the book, how he just shot himself in the foot before he even did his little "into the wild" journey. Had he just had a map of the area, I'm confident he would be alive today and we'd never know of his existence.

Being in a dead-end job and having to work two jobs to exist, his story has a romantic and inspiring charm to it. His story has stuck with me still, because I admire his courage in doing what he did and just reading of his adventures makes you realize just how much he lived in his short 24? years. He saw more of the country, in the 2ish years he wandered, than most people do in their lifetimes.

And it's amazing the impact he had on everyone he came into contact with. It's a shame his life ended the way it did.

 

[beccaomecca]

Well, when you finish those four books, Into the Wild will be waiting for you.

The book, more than the movie, had an effect on me that I never expected. The story of Chris McCandless is both incredibly inspiring and senselessly tragic. You really get an understanding, through the book, how he just shot himself in the foot before he even did his little "into the wild" journey. Had he just had a map of the area, I'm confident he would be alive today and we'd never know of his existence.

Being in a dead-end job and having to work two jobs to exist, his story has a romantic and inspiring charm to it. His story has stuck with me still, because I admire his courage in doing what he did and just reading of his adventures makes you realize just how much he lived in his short 24? years. He saw more of the country, in the 2ish years he wandered, than most people do in their lifetimes.

And it's amazing the impact he had on everyone he came into contact with. It's a shame his life ended the way it did.

Haha! Right! So realistically I won’t be reading into the wild until 2050 haha! You sound like a writer yourself

I absolutely agree with you, I think that’s why I felt a lot of frustration during the movie because it was like how could you embark upon such a dangerous journey ill prepared! There were so many what ifs, if he’d just gone with the old man I think he’d still be here too, he showed us before Covid showed us the real importance of life and living not just existing.

I feel like I’m usually more touched by books than movies, I guess because of my own interpretation of how characters etc look, I don’t tend to enjoy watching the movie and reading the book because they’re bound to not be exact.

Yes you’re right I think you wouldn’t be human if you weren’t impacted by the book or movie, I wasn’t expecting to be as effected as I was lol

Do you know of any other books that are similar in nature to into the wild?

 

[Bookworm616]

Haha! Right! So realistically I won’t be reading into the wild until 2050 haha! You sound like a writer yourself

I absolutely agree with you, I think that’s why I felt a lot of frustration during the movie because it was like how could you embark upon such a dangerous journey ill prepared! There were so many what ifs, if he’d just gone with the old man I think he’d still be here too, he showed us before Covid showed us the real importance of life and living not just existing.

I feel like I’m usually more touched by books than movies, I guess because of my own interpretation of how characters etc look, I don’t tend to enjoy watching the movie and reading the book because they’re bound to not be exact.

Yes you’re right I think you wouldn’t be human if you weren’t impacted by the book or movie, I wasn’t expecting to be as effected as I was lol

Do you know of any other books that are similar in nature to into the wild?

Well, you should read it before 2050! LOL.

I'm not much of a non-fiction reader, so I don't really have any suggestions other than "Into Thin Air" which is the book the movie "Everest" was based on. I had no idea until I read the book the author, Jon Krakauer, was actually ON that climb that was one of the worst Everest disasters. That is just crazy to me.

As for me being a writer, I've written a couple of screenplays (they didn't go anywhere) and I'm currently writing a book, though I'm in a bit of a writer's block right now. That is not my profession, but I'd love to make it my profession one day!

 

[beccaomecca]

Well, you should read it before 2050! LOL.

I'm not much of a non-fiction reader, so I don't really have any suggestions other than "Into Thin Air" which is the book the movie "Everest" was based on. I had no idea until I read the book the author, Jon Krakauer, was actually ON that climb that was one of the worst Everest disasters. That is just crazy to me.

As for me being a writer, I've written a couple of screenplays (they didn't go anywhere) and I'm currently writing a book, though I'm in a bit of a writer's block right now. That is not my profession, but I'd love to make it my profession one day!

Oh wow good on you, I’m sure you’ll one day have your books on the shelves I feel like you have some connection to Jon Krakauer seriously haha. It’s interesting … thank you for your suggestion that does sound like a great read I’ll give it a go once I get some of these other books out the way lol.

 

[beccaomecca]

H is for Heroin gives a sad glimpse into the lives of those affected by the Opioid epidemic that has taken the nation hostage. The sobering verse and haunting images remind us all that the after effects of this drug fueled holocaust are lasting and permanent. Sadly, the book turned out to be a very real glimpse into the life of Nick's sister (Yo-Yo) who lost her life at a very young age.


THE CELESTINE PROPHECY AN ADVENTURE An ancient manuscript has been found in Peru. Its contents: nine insights the human race is predicted to grasp as we enter an era of true spiritual awareness.

In this gripping adventure-tale, James Redfield offers a compelling vision of the new spiritual understanding that is emerging in human culture. You will instantly recognize the truth of the First Insight: in each of our lives occur mysterious coincidences-- sudden, unexplained events that, once interpreted correctly, serve to guide and direct our actions.

Join the adventure and let this synchronistic perception guide you through a daring search for the remaining insights. Each will be found in turn, and each will clarify how a growing link with the spiritual is relentlessly transforming human life.

Reading like a story of high adventure, but having the in-depth effect of a spiritual parable, THE CELESTINE PROPHECY will take you on a journey, that will lighten your soul, and connect you with a vision and an experience that is already changing the world. (Easily one of the best books I’ve read but you have to be open minded about it)


When disaster struck inspirational gurus Allan and Barbara Pease's lives, they turned to science to learn how to turn failure into ultimate success. They discovered new studies of the brain that show how you can reprogram your mindset, enabling you to see opportunities, not difficulties. In The Answer the Peases share their experiences with honesty and humour and show you how to make your life what you want it to be.

So if you want to improve your life but need help to make the first step to change The Answer will show you how to:

– Ask the right questions of yourself
– Gain confidence to change a job, relationship or lifestyle
– Decide what you want and establish a true course in life

In The Answer you will discover that changing your life starts with asking the right questions.

 

[Tamstrong]

Henry Cadmus grew up on Catalina Island, a scenic vacationland off the Southern California coast. But Henry's experiences were far from idyllic. Today, even though Henry has seen firsthand the horrors of war, the ghastly images that haunt his dreams is one he associates with his childhood… and the island: a snarling pig-man holding a cleaver; a jackal-headed woman on a high balcony, dripping blood; strange occult rituals… and worse. If it was up to Henry, he would avoid the island entirely.

But Henry is returning to Catalina Island. At his wife Ruby’s insistence, Henry, Ruby, and their infant daughter are coming to Avalon, so that Henry can face his fears, exorcise his demons, and reconcile with the one he fears most… his mother.

In 1973, thirteen kids with an appetite for something different went out to play. First came the ritual and the dare . . . then the screaming and the blood. Before the night was over, only eleven children survived to share a terrible secret. Twenty-six years later, the small town of Denton, Missouri, has been rocked by three brutal murders—each victim bound by a childhood friendship stained with blood. Far from the shadow of suspicion, far from the memories of an unforgivable crime, the past has returned with a vengeance. And this time, the fun and games are just beginning.

When Wylie encounters Phinn—confident, mature, and devastatingly handsome—at a party the night before her brother goes to juvie, she can’t believe how fast she falls for him. And that’s before he shows her how to fly. Soon Wylie and her brothers find themselves whisked away to a mysterious tropical island off the coast of New York City where nobody ages beyond seventeen and life is a constant party. Wylie’s in heaven: now her brother won’t go to jail and she can escape her over-scheduled life with all its woes and responsibilities—permanently. But the deeper Wylie falls for Phinn, the more she begins to discover has been kept from her and her brothers. Somebody on the island has been lying to her, but the truth can’t stay hidden forever.

 

[Ol'Skool Classic]

I was about to ask how & why you were able to read 3 more books so quickly, but then..duh.....

 

[Tamstrong]

I was about to ask how & why you were able to read 3 more books so quickly, but then..duh.....

LOL. Yep. Since I'm on summer break and with everything I'm dealing these days, it's been a good way to spend my time.

I've also been trying to find something watch on "TV" to mix it up, but after catching up on Stranger Things nothing else is really appealing to me right now. So, I just start another book. lol

 

[Bookworm616]

Oh wow good on you, I’m sure you’ll one day have your books on the shelves I feel like you have some connection to Jon Krakauer seriously haha. It’s interesting … thank you for your suggestion that does sound like a great read I’ll give it a go once I get some of these other books out the way lol.

LOL! It does seem that way, doesn't it? I think it's just I started reading his books very recently and I'm loving his writing style. The reason I don't read much nonfiction is because the writing is so dry and it gets boring really quickly. Jon Krakauer writes his nonfiction more fiction-like and it's a style I'm really enjoying right now.

 

[beccaomecca]

LOL! It does seem that way, doesn't it? I think it's just I started reading his books very recently and I'm loving his writing style. The reason I don't read much nonfiction is because the writing is so dry and it gets boring really quickly. Jon Krakauer writes his nonfiction more fiction-like and it's a style I'm really enjoying right now.

haha it sure does seem that way :-D it’s a beautiful thing! Oh yes I feel you on that hey, once you find a relatable writing style from an Author you’re hooked! I really like Paullina Simons I think she’s a great writer. I just suck with reading haha I love it but I’m old now and out of touch haha I think I need that app that turns text to audio haha!

 

[Tamstrong]

They come for your children... and leave their own.

You know, the best thing about nightmares is that they’re not real. It’s all just in your head, and as soon as you wake up, pop!

It’s all gone. You’re safe.

It’s not like they could crawl out, creeping from your mind with long, slender fingers and milky yellow eyes sunken into heads with pointed horns bursting out.

That’d just be insane.

Daniel Tanner’s life is insane. A mysterious disease came to claim his son, seemingly pulling him into the grave with cold fingers named misery and hopelessness.

Now a stranger has come calling with an even stranger tale of monsters—horrible things that take children in the middle of the night and leave their own, things that crawled out of the faery tales our barbarous ancestors used to tell, things that they tried to warn us about.

We didn’t listen.

Because monsters aren’t real, are they? There’s no reason to fear the dark, no reason at all to believe the old tales about the creatures with a taste for human meat.

That would be insane… wouldn’t it?

Me, Lisa Carron. If being a depressed, frumpy, widowed mother of three wasn't bad enough, I just found out I'm a grim reaper. I know what you're thinking. Wow, that's kind of sexy and full of awesomeness. Hardly. Oh, and my clients? Stupid people. Like I don't get enough of that from the living.

Since Alaska is big and angels of death are few, I've been partnered with reaper extraordinaire, Nate Cramer. He's strong, silent, and way too good looking for my recently widowed state.Oh, and he reaps violent criminals, so that should be interesting.

Forget the danger and the hours of self-analysis it will take for me to find my reaper mojo. My biggest problem? Hiding it all from my overly attentive family and nosy neighbors. Now that's going to take a miracle.

Normally, a trip like that would be a dream come true for a widowed, mother of three, who just happens to be grim reaper. Here’s the thing though, situations rarely work out as I imagine they should. And usually not in my favor.

This time isn’t any different. Instead of the endless free drinks and gambling I’d been hoping for, I get the opposite—demons, water zombies, and a bimbo ghost roommate, who gives new meaning to the phrase dead drunk.

But it’s not all bad. I’m making new friends, learning spectacular reaper skills, and saving souls. I just hope I don’t lose mine before I can get the Underworld all sorted out.

 

[Tamstrong]

It seems rather fitting that I’m a grim reaper who happens to be a widow. In fact, my husband’s death ignited a chain of events that shook my life and landed me as GRS’s newest grim reaper. He’s been dead for over a year, but I can’t shake the feeling that the circumstances surrounding his car accident aren’t what they appear.

My suspicions are confirmed when I find a receipt for a storage locker rented in his name. Of course, I have to investigate, but what will I find? Was he leading a double life, cheating on me? If only. What I find makes me wish another family in Ohio was all he’d been mixed up in.

As pieces of the puzzle surrounding my husband’s death fall into place, I discover a scheme so diabolical, it could change the face of death as we know it—and not in a good way. Using our mad reaper skills, my partner Nate and I skirt the edge of ethereal rules, call on some old friends to help, and learn there’s a lot more to being a grim reaper than we ever imagined—or wanted to know.

This is the most recent book of this series. It's an entertaining read so far.

A haunting and true short story of the lobotomist who cut a brutal swathe through the lives of thousands of vulnerable Americans from the author of Miracle at Coney Island.

In July 1952, Dr. Walter Freeman arrived at the gates of a West Virginia asylum. In his medical bag he carried two metal picks and a surgical hammer. He had invented a “cheap, easy” ten-minute lobotomy. The press described it as a miracle cure, a new frontier in psychosurgery.

That summer, in just twelve days, Freeman lobotomized 228 men, women, and children in West Virginia’s public mental hospitals. His blitzkrieg of brain surgery became known as “Operation Ice Pick,” named after the tools he wielded.

To some, the doctor was a hero, solving the crisis facing the nation’s underfunded and overcrowded psychiatric institutions. But many who watched him operate saw a dangerous risk-taker, a showman and a charlatan. This is the true story of a scientific pioneer whose misguided quest created one of the biggest tragedies in American medical history.

This was a story that needed to be told, but unfortunately I wasn't impressed with the way the author told it. I don't recommend it at all.

Llew has a gift. Her body heals itself from any injury, at a cost to anyone nearby. Llew’s father disappeared when she was eleven, leaving her orphaned, as far as she knew. Since then, Llew has learned to survive the streets of the gold-mining town of Cheer – full of opportunistic men and desperation. It’s a hard existence made tougher when her so-called friend accuses Llew of murder, sending her to the gallows.

Llew’s Aenuk ability to absorb life means she doesn’t stay dead for long, but she does leave a trail of death behind her.

Escaping the hangman’s noose sees Llew fall into the hands of Jonas: the man with the knife and the Karan power to kill Llew’s kind. If Llew can nurture the attraction he has to her, maybe she can keep that knife from her heart.

But lurking in the shadows is Jonas’s half-brother, Braph: the man who has learned to combine Aenuk and Karan powers into infinite and addictive magical potential.

Healer's Touch is a fantasy novel flavored with a wild west setting, steampunk-like technology, enough romance to draw you in, horror to keep you hooked, and just enough sex to keep things spicy.

I really enjoyed this book. I was hoping to find the next book in the series, but I haven't had any luck so far.

 

[Tamstrong]

WITCH...

Summer is here and school's out, but boredom quickly sets in for the penniless kids of the Redsow housing estate. If only they had something to do...

In an effort to escape a pack of local bullies, best friends, Ashley and Jude, decide to brave Devil's Ditch, a place deep in the woods that everyone says is haunted by something ancient and evil.

At first, everything seems fine, but then they discover an old farmhouse covered in weeds. Inside is a naked woman in chains. Her name is Rose, and there's something not quite right about her.

THIS BOOK IS ONE OF THE CURSED MANUSCRIPTS

On December 21, 2012, according to the Mayan Calendar, the world was supposed to end. It didn't. But on that day, 113 mysterious manuscripts were discovered around the world, each one written in blood by an unknown author. After several dozen unexplained deaths befell the finders of said manuscripts, a decision was made to lock them up for good in a secret vault beneath the Vatican. It is said that anyone who reads the stories will die, and as such they are now referred to as 'The Cursed Manuscripts.'

After a terrible night of arguing, young married couple, Laura and Danny, drive home with their daughter, Rose, asleep in the back seat. Danny is drunk, and shouldn't be driving at all, but Laura keeps quiet about it. She always keeps quiet. There's no point making her husband angry. That would only make things worse.

But things are about to get much much worse.

What happens next will put Laura's strained marriage to the ultimate test as she and Danny find themselves broken down in the middle of the night on a lonely road. Their only hope for survival is to stay inside the car, because there are cannibalistic maniacs outside trying eat them.

THIS BOOK IS ONE OF THE CURSED MANUSCRIPTS

On December 21, 2012, according to the Mayan Calendar, the world was supposed to end. It didn't. But on that day, 113 mysterious manuscripts were discovered around the world, each one written in blood by an unknown author. After several dozen unexplained deaths befell the finders of said manuscripts, a decision was made to lock them up for good in a secret vault beneath the Vatican. It is said that anyone who reads the stories will die, and as such they are now referred to as 'The Cursed Manuscripts.'

Clip and Xavi are students in love, and have just boarded a train in order to catch their afternoon lectures. But they aren't going to make their destination. Somebody has other plans for them.

The world is about to stop making sense, and Clip and Xavi's bright futures are going to be cut very short. There are dark and evil dangers aboard the train beyond their understanding, and for some reason the lights keep going out. Strangest of all, the train has just entered a short tunnel but doesn't seem to be coming out the other end. It's almost like the tunnel goes on forever. And ever. And ever.

THIS BOOK IS ONE OF THE CURSED MANUSCRIPTS...

On December 21, 2012, according to the Mayan Calendar, the world was supposed to end. It didn't. But on that day, 113 mysterious manuscripts were discovered around the world, each one written in blood by an unknown author. After several dozen unexplained deaths befell the finders of said manuscripts, a decision was made to lock them up for good in a secret vault beneath the Vatican. It is said that anyone who reads the stories will die, and as such they are now referred to as 'The Cursed Manuscripts.'

These are all great reads. If you enjoy horror, give them a go.

 

[Tamstrong]

Emily Bennett works as a therapist in Pennsylvania, helping children overcome their troubled pasts—even as she struggles to forget her own. Once upon a time, Emily was part of a middle school clique called the Harpies—six popular girls who bullied the new girl to her breaking point.

The Harpies took a blood oath: never tell a soul what they did to Grace Farmer.

Now, fourteen years later, it seems karma has caught up to them when one member of that vicious circle commits suicide. But when a second Harpy is discovered dead shortly after, also from apparent suicide, the deaths start to look suspicious. And when Emily starts seeing a woman who looks a lot like Grace Farmer lurking in the shadows, she’s forced to wonder: Is Grace back for revenge? Or is Emily’s guilt driving her mad?

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but the Harpies are about to find out just how much words can hurt you.

Not bad.

Life made you get your hands dirty; life was vengeful if you tried an easy route.

After the virus decimates 99.9% of the world's population and all traces of humanity along with it, Rhiannon and Will are forced to move beyond their past fame, fortune, and personal demons to rescue a mute girl from the clutches of two warring cults.

Meh.

A missing husband. Mysterious calls. And the biggest lie of them all.

Read with caution - you may never want to answer your phone again...

Will and Amanda Thorne are living the dream until, one day, their phone rings. Within 24 hours, Will is missing and Amanda's world is shattered. Who was on the phone? Where has Will gone?

Amanda is determined to find her husband and is drawn into a world of drug dealers, criminal masterminds and broken promises.

As the truth becomes clearer, she has to face the terrible possibility that she may never have known her husband at all...

Nope.

 

[Ol'Skool Classic]

Jericho Porter was done. Out. Retired.
Porter had managed the impossible: retiring from the Gatekeepers…alive. Now, he was ready to slow down and live life on his terms. He was finally free.

He was also mistaken.

When Malkah Hafeez, an ex-lover and fellow Gatekeeper, calls in a favor, he knows he should refuse. She saved his life once, right before betraying him, gifting him with two neutralizing bullets center mass and leaving him for dead. He knows the smart play is to cut his losses, walk away, and disappear.

He’s done it before; he can do it again.
If he does, he dies.

Against every sense of self-preservation, he agrees to one more contract, joining Malkah’s elite team as she completes the erasure of a high value target. Outgunned and outmanned, Porter must risk it all, unleashing the fearsome power of the Gatekeepers once again.

In order to survive, he will have to step into his old world for one last dance with death.

Go West, Prof Croft!

When my magical order assigns me to Grimstone, Colorado on a case, I’m in no hurry to pack my staff and spell books.

The outlaw county is a far cry from my academic calling in New York City. And I’m being paired with junior wizard James Wesson. A hustler, womanizer, and wannabe cowboy, he’s exactly why I prefer working alone.

But something sinister is snatching blondes on the full moon. The local werewolf gang? The six-hundred pound witch who runs the brothel? Or does the perp come from the mortal ranks of a population as strange as any supernatural I’ve encountered?

The only certainty is the lunar cycle, set to wax full in twenty-four hours—meaning we need to get cracking.

Can the wizard duo of Croft and Wesson blow open the case in time to save the next victim?

Or will our odd-couple act spell doom for Grimstone?



Not every danger comes in the form of a mega-threat like a Titan. Some predators are a lot cozier...more personal.

When one such creature threatens an independent tutor, Harry Dresden must shake off the blood and dirt of his most recent battles and rise to the occasion, even when it turns out that the new predator is far more dangerous and connected than first appearances would suggest.


Three entertaining reads. The first two are spin-offs for two different larger shared universe series. The third is a novella that takes place a few months after the events of the last full length Dresden Files novel. Good little Dresden appetizer until the next full length novel releases.

 

[Tamstrong]

What would you do if you discovered your adored child wasn't your child at all? That a mistake had been made in the hospital, and someone else took your child home, and you took theirs? This is the heartbreaking dilemma facing Abbie Bernard and Logan O'Connell -- an impossible situation with no acceptable answer. Or is there? Both Abbie and Logan are desperate to protect their children and to keep their families intact. Can they find a way to keep both of their daughters?

The story idea was okay, but it was a bit too predictable and too much like a plot for a movie on the Lifetime channel. The writing, mostly due the nightmare formatting and poor editing, was a mess. The author overused italics to emphasize crap that didn't even make sense most of the time. And every time the italics were used, there was NEVER a space before the next word! Sometimes the lack of spacing also included the word before as well. WTF?!?!? I won't be reading anything else by this author for damn sure.

Tick-tock… time to die.

It sounds like just another urban legend -- a clock appears in your home, ticking backward to midnight, and when the twelfth chime rings, the recipient is gruesomely murdered. But when Kristen receives a clock of her own, ticking backward to her doom, she must unravel its mysteries. Mysteries that have their roots in her family, and that will lead her through generations of madness.

The clock is ticking, and when it reaches midnight, Kristen will discover that some urban legends are real, and sometimes the dead do not stay dead. It's only a matter of time...

It was okay. It was a bit longwinded and sloppy, but I still got some entertainment out of it. It's like he was in a hurry when he wrote/edited this one. It's not as good as a lot of his stuff, but it's not his worst work either.

Thank you for posting this one in your last post, Ra. I hadn't even realized he'd released it.

As usual, Jim Butcher wrote another good one.

 

[Ol'Skool Classic]

The story idea was okay, but it was a bit too predictable and too much like a plot for a movie on the Lifetime channel. The writing, mostly due the nightmare formatting and poor editing, was a mess. The author overused italics to emphasize crap that didn't even make sense most of the time. And every time the italics were used, there was NEVER a space before the next word! Sometimes the lack of spacing also included the word before as well. WTF?!?!? I won't be reading anything else by this author for damn sure.

But Susan Wiggs says Patricia Kay is a "master story teller". Is Susan Wiggs a writer herself & does she have the same writing style if so?

Thank you for posting this one in your last post, Ra. I hadn't even realized he'd released it.

As usual, Jim Butcher wrote another good one.

Yeah, I didn't know he had something new out already until it showed up in my Kindle New Release Notices. Luckily I had just finished the Croft & Wesson book so was able to to get & read it when I saw it.