Review: 30 Days of Night, Vol. 1

30 Days of Night, Vol. 1 by Steve Niles

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Loved the artwork, but I'm kind of so-so on the storyline. I think that has more to do with having seen the before prior to reading this though. This didn't seem quite as fleshed out in comparison. I haven't seen any of the half-baked sequels though, so I'm going into the rest of these blind. I'm hoping it helps..



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Review: The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires

The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires by Molly Harper

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I have yet to read a Molly Harper book that I didn't love. They are just snarky fun. When you are looking for a book that doesn't take itself too seriously and is just a fun read, anything by this author works. I can't say that I loved this one as much as her Jane Jameson series, but it was still a great, and much needed quick read.



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Review: Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs

Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs by John Lydon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



“Any kind of history you read is basically the winning side telling you the others were bad.”

If that doesn't perfectly describe this book, I don't know what does.

I am of two frames of mind thinking about this book. One is that I found John Lydon's stance on the entire punk scene to be outstanding, and one that I agree with so I'm biased. When the punk scene started it was something completely different than what it evolved into and a lot of punks now don't seem to realize that. The fact that it is a scene now is the greatest indicator of that. Punk's origins wasn't about looking and thinking the same to fit in with a group. I respect Lydon for recognizing that and harping on it so much throughout the book. That part of this book was incredibly interesting; seeing how punk started and changed in such a short amount of time.

What wasn't interesting was how repetitive and bitter he still was about the Pistols. I won't fault Lydon for his bitterness, I'd be bitter as hell too, but 200 pages of incessant whining about it is more than my patience can take. The books starts to lose it's emphasis on the contribution of the Pistols and turns into a giant manifesto on why Malcolm McLaren is the worst person on the planet. But hey, he doesn't harbor any feelings of hatred toward him. Ha. I guess you should expect no less from Johnny Rotten though.

Despite the overabundance of bitterness, I still enjoyed this read. It's written like John Lydon talks: brash, nihilistic, narcisstic and incredibly entertaining. It talks about the British punk scene like no other artist would be able to do in the same way. I may not agree with a lot of Lydon's "truths", but you can't deny that he wasn't a major player in the punk world. This book is worth a read just for that aspect alone.



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Review: The Raven Boys

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



One of the things that I don't care for with audiobooks is my inability to highlight stuff. I guess I could have taken notes as I was listening, but I generally listen in situations where I can't. Anyway.

I'll admit that I was incredibly surprised that I enjoyed this book as much as I did. It usually takes me a while to get through audiobooks because it is hard for me to keep my attention focused, but this one kept me intrigued every time I was listening. The story flowed well and the author was able to hit just the right notes with the intrigue to not make it feel YA, but still keep it YA. Also, Will Patton was an outstanding choice as narrator. I've always liked him in general, but he is outstanding as a narrator.

I'm looking forward to seeing where the author takes the rest of this series, and listening to Will read it to me.



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Review: The Pact

The Pact by Karina Halle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I had to wait to check this one out until I was no longer in a fuck the world mood. I don't know about anyone else, but during those times the last thing I want to read is happy people doing happy things. It doesn't make me happy, it only makes me want to throw my beloved iPad in front of a moving vehicle. Alas, I had some freaking awesome news today and I felt the happy wash over me so I could finally get this one read.

I loved this departure from Karina's usual writing style and color me a little surprised by that. I didn't doubt that Karina could do a feel good story, it is that it takes a lot for me to love that kind of story line. I guess I need to chalk that up to Karina's amazing talent in creating incredibly relatable and likable female characters. I can't think of many other authors who has never failed to make me love every one of her female characters. Stephanie was no exception of this. I loved everything about her throughout the entire book. I never had an eye-roll moment that you usually get at least once. So, kudos to Karina on that one especially.

I think the only thing holding me back was that, while I did like Linden and his fabulously dirty mouth, I didn't love him like I did Stephanie. He never quite made it "there" for me. At one point, I actually wished that he was real so I could deliver a much deserved swift punch to the throat. I wish I could nail down exactly why he didn't fully connect with me (other than him being an idiot), but I can't. The only thing that I can possibly think of, is that Stephanie just overshadowed him in her awesomeness.

In my not so humble opinion, if you are looking for a read that is just going to make you feel good when you finish it, and you want a rocking female lead, this is a great choice for you.



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Review: The Bell Jar

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I think this has been one of the bleakest, yet somehow poignant, look at how quickly one can slip into a severe and debilitating depression. That descent happening throughout the story of a young woman attempting to establish a life that goes against the status quo of era adds even more to the level of despair portrayed.

I initially went into The Bell Jar knowing of Sylvia Plath and her infamous suicide, but not really knowing much about her or her works. Plath's willingness to starkly break down her personality, her illness, her failings, and her defiant opposition toward conventional feminine roles are woven together to show a strength that I wonder if Plath even realized she possessed. In doing so, she was able to completely blow open the heavily stigmatized mental illness for the world to see. She made it readable, but still showed the level of despair and alienation that she felt during the time. The fact that her contrasting views of gender roles and what she wanted from her life versus what was expected from her as a female was a huge factor into her breakdown only served to heighten the sense of defeat. It's easy to see why she became an important figure of the feminist movement.

It's even harder to read this book knowing how Plath's life ended despite hopeful ending of the book. Depression is a beast of an illness. I'm grateful to people such as Plath, who were so willing to open their life experiences for others to see that they are not alone.

“When they asked me what I wanted to be I said I didn’t know.
"Oh, sure you know," the photographer said.
"She wants," said Jay Cee wittily, "to be everything.”



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Book Sale!

Tarry Fisher's Mud Vein is on sale for $0.99!  If you haven't read this, I would highly recommend it.  If you are new to Tarryn, be prepared for very atypical and complex characters intricately woven into an equally complex storyline.  This one especially.  I do feel the need to add a disclaimer that this does not have a conventional HEA.  Some say the ending is downright depressing.  There is a beauty in that ending though, even despite how sad it was. 

http://amzn.com/B00JHVUQ70