Haven by Tom Deady

TITLE:  Haven

AUTHOR:  Deady, Tom
GENRE:  Horror

DATES READ:  4/16/2017 - 4/30/2017

MY RATING:  4/5

This local author is in the running for a Bram Stoker Award! I was lucky enough to get a copy from our book store. Can't wait to get started...

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A small town called Haven put its monster (Paul Greymore) in prison, halting a series a child deaths. After Paul serves his time and returns home, the killings resume. He insists he never committed the alleged crimes, and there are those that believe him. But if Paul isn't the killer, who is?

I really enjoyed Haven!!! A well woven monster tale with a delightful and devious cast of characters. Deady has fleshed them out so well that you want to hug them or slap them across the face. They're real people and it shows in the emotion he draws to the surface.

This book has a "Stranger Things" and even "Goonies" vibe to it. Kids vs. Monsters vs. Bullies. Nothing like a coming-of-age tale complete with potential monsters and mysteriously scarred heroes.

I would recommend this (no doubt) to horror and paranormal lovers everywhere. It's an awesome read that makes you think twice about that summer dip in the lake, or walk in the woods.

Will read and write soon!

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Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

TITLE:  Go Set a Watchman

AUTHOR:  Lee, Harper
GENRE:  Fiction

DATES READ:  4/13/2017 - 4/25/2017

MY RATING:  3.5/5

The sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird, a book that touched my heart in many ways. We're reading both in my regular book club so that we can compare the two on Harper Lee's birthday!

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This book is set a couple of decades after the first one and involves young Scouth (now 26!) returning home to visit her old stomping grounds. Her homecoming is bittersweet as she learns some difficult truths about her town, her friends, and her family.

I listened to this one on audiobook, and my favorite part was that Reese Witherspoon read it! Her voice fits Scout so perfectly. I don't think they could have made a better choice for narration.

While shifting away from the childish innocence and hope of To Kill a Mockingbird this book did not sway my love for the original book. I was worried from reviews I had read that it might. But it does make me look at some of the characters a little differently.

I still adore Scout (especially her voice as a child). This book brought to light, even further, the still divided south. It also brings to light how people change throughout their entire lives. And someone you may idolize can become somebody else...

Overall, I loved Mockingbird more, but this book surprised me. And in a more pleasant way than I thought.

Will read and write soon!

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The Gunslinger by Stephen King

TITLE:  The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1)

AUTHOR:  King, Stephen
GENRE:  Fantasy/Science Fiction

DATES READ:  4/3/2017 - 4/16/2017

MY RATING:  4/5

The first book in Stephen King's Dark Tower canon.  I've never read any of the Tower books before, so I'm intrigued and a little apprehensive. Thanks for the assignment from my Stephen King book club!

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The start of the Gunslinger's journey across the desert to capture the Man in Black. What a wild ride!

I feel like this book could be the start of a beautiful relationship for me. I may be a... Tower head? That's what my masterful book club leader called it. I'm still on the fence, but maybe I am...

King drew me in with the dystopian world, the futuristic bizarre language and the intensely complex character of Roland, the gunslinger. There are some really unique ideas at play here involving time and different worlds that may leave timid readers confused.

I like some weird stuff, and he lost me a little at the end with all of the time nexus, universe bending craziness. But the baseline story was a good time.

And let's face it... the man in black is such a great nemesis!!!

The world King created is epic, dystopian, futuristic and somehow manages "western" vibes. Recommended but with some reservations. Not sure everyone will get it.

Will read and write soon!

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