At the insistence of one of my friends, and the promise of a film adaptation, I finally decided to give J.D. Vance’s memoir, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, a chance. It was quite a thought-provoking and somewhat somber read. While he grew up in Ohio like me, there was a lot that I couldn’t relate to personally, but there were many things he described that I’ve at least witnessed in my lifetime.
Read moreBooks
Book Review: Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen McManus
I know the title sounds reminiscent of Pretty Little Liars, and I totally agree. It doesn’t help that Two Can Keep a Secret is a young adult novel, but I promise you, this mystery novel by Karen McManus is highly entertaining. Also, unlike the other two books I’ve reviewed from McManus, this one is totally unrelated to that world.
Read moreBook Review: One of Us is Next by Karen McManus
Lucky for me, Karen McManus is awesome, and published the sequel to One of Us is Lying back in January, so that means I just finished reading One of Us is Next! It was as entertaining as the first installment, and it makes me just want to read everything this woman puts out. The text is easy to read, and her characters are described in such a vivid way that I almost feel bonded to all of them.
Read moreRed Dragon Book & Movie Review
As I mentioned before, I’m sort of obsessed with Hannibal, so I decided to get in tune with the source material. Before watching the 2002 movie of the same name, I decided I first wanted to read the 1982 Thomas Harris novel, Red Dragon. I thought this would be a good way to compare how Hannibal did and then compare it to the movie afterwards. That way, I wouldn’t accidentally overlap anything that happened.
Read moreBook Review: I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid
I mean, straight off the bat the title, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, stood out to me, so it’s no surprise that I got my hands on Iain Reid’s debut novel. Again, title alone told me that this was going to be a thriller, and it definitely was!
Read moreBook Review: One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus
I picked another young adult novel to follow up Fangirl, but this was a solid choice, I promise you. While I moved back a little age-wise, One of Us is Lying follows a rag-tag group of high-schoolers navigating through a thought-provoking thriller.
Read moreBook Review – Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
After that brutal reading of Shirley, I decided I need to pick something on the lighter side, so I went back into the young adult world to read Rainbow Rowell’s, Fangirl. As a self-proclaimed fangirl (seriously, ask almost anyone I know), I felt like this was a solid choice that I could relate to. Turns out I did a little bit!
Read moreBook Review: Shirley by Susan Scarf Merrell
Did I just choose another book that got adapted into a film? You bet. Is it going to be creepy? It better be! Does it star Elisabeth Moss? Of course. I respect horror on film and in writing, and yes, I’ve read a few Shirley Jackson works in my time, but I was drawn to this fictional novel, Shirley, because it was a more subtle thriller delivered from the perspective of an outsider looking into the Hyman/Jackson home.
Read moreBook Review: The Wife Between Us
I love thrillers, so I was glad to be reading a new one that more recently came out and already has the rights picked up by Steven Spielberg for a screen adaptation. In my mind, those are really good indicators of an excellent novel. And I was right! The Wife Between Us, co-written by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen had so many great twists and turns that I tore right through this in a week!
Read moreNine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
After reading a few of her novels, I’ve finally brought myself back around to Liane Moriarty! I got off of a short wait list to read her latest novel, Nine Perfect Strangers. And boy was it exciting! I finished it in three days, which is incredibly fast for me.
Read more