Book Review: Horror Movie

Tags

Horror, Horror Movie, Netgalley, Paul Tremblay

What a creepy, disturbing read! So much so, that the night after I finished it, I had a dream in which I woke up thinking, “I just pulled a “Thin Kid” on them!” Yikes! You’ll have to read the book to find out what that means, but it ain’t good. The format of the book was really well done with the narrator “The Thin Good” interspersing past and present in addition to the script of the movie. Sometimes the script seemed so real that it was hard to distinguish it from the actual filming of the movie. Sometimes the narrator revealed info and hid other details. It isn’t long before you start question the reliability of the narrator but yet he keeps insisting he’s telling the truth. Definitely not a book I will forget any time soon!

But it wasn’t just “The Thin Kid” who was fascinating. Cleo and Valentina (the script writer and director) and even Karson, all who also have parts in the movie, have you guessing about their motives. The first film, a super-low-budget production never makes it to the theaters (or tape or DVD, for that matter), but 30 years later, it’s got a huge fanbase and Hollywood wants a re-make. And that’s both good and bad. I’ll let you see why.

Loved it! Maybe even more than “The Cabin at the End of the World”, which was also a good movie. I’d love to see “Horror Movie” become a horror movie.

Paul Tremblay

GoodReads says:

A chilling twist on the “cursed film” genre from the bestselling author of The Pallbearers Club and The Cabin at the End of the World.

In June 1993, a group of young guerilla filmmakers spent four weeks making Horror Movie, a notorious, disturbing, art-house horror flick.

The weird part? Only three of the film’s scenes were ever released to the public, but Horror Movie has nevertheless grown a rabid fanbase. Three decades later, Hollywood is pushing for a big budget reboot.

The man who played “The Thin Kid” is the only surviving cast member. He remembers all too well the secrets buried within the original screenplay, the bizarre events of the filming, and the dangerous crossed lines on set that resulted in tragedy. As memories flood back in, the boundaries between reality and film, past and present start to blur. But he’s going to help remake the film, even if it means navigating a world of cynical producers, egomaniacal directors, and surreal fan conventions — demons of the past be damned.

Book Review: Worth Fighting For

Tags

Christianity, Essays, John Pavlovitz, Netgalley, Non-fiction, religion, Worth Fighting For

This collection of Pavlovitz’s writings (with a few new essays) from the past few years are well written and well-conceived. In my case, he was preaching to the choir. I pray, though, that this book can reach those who have a chance of being converted by his logic and by the truth he speaks.

These essays are both timely and they address important issues, as well. In the current fraught political climate, Pavlovitz addresses ways to remain true to the Christian faith while reminding us of what is worth fighting for—the very future of the world we hope to live in.

John Pavlovitz

GoodReads says:

John Pavlovitz has inspired millions to keep boldly loving both neighbors and strangers throughout the years of Trump’s hate-mongering campaign and presidency and continues to be a voice of sanity and urgency when so much is still at stake. It’s a scary time for America, with rights for women and transgender people being rolled back, the truth about Black history and experience being silenced, and unrestricted gun violence on the rise. People who value inclusion, compassion, and the common good are understandably anxious and angry―but we can’t give up hope. We need motivation to keep fighting for justice. This inspiring volume features Pavlovitz’s most important writing from the past several years alongside brand-new essays to provide the encouragement, stamina, and direction we need to keep going, even when things feel bleak.

Book Review: Tiny Threads

Tags

Book Review, Fiction, Horror, Lilliam Rivera, Netgalley, supernatural, Tiny Threads

To be published: September 24, 2024

I have to admit that halfway through this book I felt like I was watching a trainwreck in slow motion as Samara began to spiral more and more out of control. But it turns out that she absolutely needed to do so in order to get her to a place where she both heal and be healed. I don’t know what working in the world of high-power fashion is like, but I imagine as with everything, one does not become famous or make a lot of money with oppressing someone. And despite just how very aware we are of those oppressions these in this day and age, we still can’t seem to fix the system. I love the way Rivera uses supernatural suspense to further open Samara’s eyes and the alcohol she consumes to numb those nightmares only serves to break her down instead. An excellent read!

Lilliam Rivera

GoodReads says:

In this gorgeously sinister novel of supernatural suspense, a young woman gets her dream job working for a famous designer—and discovers the dark side of the glamorous world of fashion. 

Fashion-obsessed Samara finally has the life she’s always dreamed A high-powered job with legendary designer Antonio Mota. A new home in sunny California, far away from those drab Jersey winters. And an intriguing love interest, Brandon, a wealthy investor in Mota’s fashion line. But it’s not long before Samara’s dream life begins to turn into a living nightmare as Mota’s big fashion show approaches and the pressure on her turns crushing. Perhaps that’s why she begins hearing voices in her room at night—and seeing strange things that can’t be explained away by stress or anxiety or the number of drinks she’s been consuming. And it may not be just Samara imagining things as her psyche unravels, because she soon discovers hints that her new city—and the House of Mota—may be built on a foundation of secrets and lies. Now Samara must uncover what hideous truths lurk in the shadows of this illusory world of glamour and beauty before those shadows claim her.

Book Review: Society of Lies

Tags

Fiction, Lauren Ling Brown, murder, mystery, Netgalley, Society of Lies, Suspense

Available August 13, 2024

Well, I didn’t see that coming. Oh, the amazing things people will do to protect the lives they are living or desire to live. But there is always karma to deal with in the end. No spoilers but this book is more than just a murder mystery—it’s about privilege and greed and ethics and racism and love and friendship, as well, all in the context of one of the Ivy League schools—Princeton. Ivy League schools are changing but they certainly are renowned for their privilege, and therefore, racism. Also, there are some wonderfully drawn characters and great dialogue. All in all, a wonderful debut novel from the editor of numerous documentary film and television projects for HBO, Netflix, and Disney, among others.

Lauren Ling Brown

GoodReads says:

When a young woman is found dead on her college campus, her sister doesn’t believe it was an accident—and her search for answers leads her closer to home than she ever would have imagined in this thrilling debut novel from an exciting new talent.

Maya can’t wait to return to Princeton for Reunions—it’s been a decade since she graduated, but she is looking forward to seeing old faces and reminiscing about her college days. And this year is even more special because her little sister, Naomi, is graduating.

But what should have been a dream weekend becomes Maya’s worst nightmare when she gets a call no one ever wants—Naomi is dead. The police are saying it’s an accident, but Maya suspects there is more to the story than they are letting on.

As Maya pieces together the months leading up to her sister’s death, she starts to realize how much Naomi hid from her. Naomi had joined Sterling Club, the most exclusive social club on campus—the same one Maya belonged to—despite Maya’s warnings. And if she had to guess, she’d say Naomi was also tapped for the secret society within it.

The more Maya uncovers, the more terrified she becomes that Naomi’s decision to follow in her footsteps might have been what got her killed. Because Maya’s time at Princeton wasn’t as wonderful as she always pretended it was—after all, her sister wasn’t the first young woman to turn up dead. Now every clue is leading Maya back to the past…and to the secrets she’s kept all these years.

 

Book Review: Thirst

Tags

Fiction, Marina Yuszczuk, Netgalley, Thirst, vampires

Having written my own somewhat different take on the vampire genre in my novel, Redemption, I was eager to see what Marina Yuszczuk’s take on genre would be. It was a very enjoyable read. Her slow, gothic, first-person narrative style is entertaining, and she takes vampirism to a current, very nowtro place, including some LGBTQIAP+ elements. I enjoyed reading about a vampire in both old and current Buenos Aires as it is somewhere I am not familiar with. The combination of Buenos Aires and its Recoleta Cemetery along with the history of the town and vampires along with a young mother/journalist who is also dealing with the impending death of her mother seemed unbeatable to me. The two stories it tells are good—one from the viewpoint of the vampire, the other from the grieving young mother—and when they come together it is a tremendous ending.

GoodReads says:

Across two different time periods, two women confront fear, loneliness, mortality, and a haunting yearning that will not let them rest. A breakout, genre-blurring novel from one of the most exciting new voices of Latin America’s feminist Gothic.

It is the twilight of Europe’s bloody bacchanals, of murder and feasting without end. In the nineteenth century, a vampire arrives from Europe to the coast of Buenos Aires and, for the second time in her life, watches as villages transform into a cosmopolitan city, one that will soon be ravaged by yellow fever. She must adapt, intermingle with humans, and be discreet.

In present-day Buenos Aires, a woman finds herself at an impasse as she grapples with her mother’s terminal illness and her own relationship with motherhood. When she first encounters the vampire in a cemetery, something ignites within the two women—and they cross a threshold from which there’s no turning back.

With echoes of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and written in the vein of feminist Gothic writers like Shirley Jackson, Daphne du Maurier, and Carmen Maria Machado, Thirst plays with the boundaries of genre while exploring the limits of female agency, the consuming power of desire, and the fragile vitality of even the most immortal of creatures.

Book Review: I Am Rome

Tags

Fiction, Historical Fiction, I Am Rome, Netgalley, Santiago Posteguillo

When the editor from Ballantine Books asked me to read, I Am Rome (Roma Soy Yo), because I had enjoyed The Tainted Cup so much, I was leery. It certainly wouldn’t have been a normal pick for me. But I found myself really enjoying it! Despite the naysayers who say it isn’t factual enough, I learned a lot about Rome and Julius Caesar and many of the other characters in the novel as I was constantly Googling them as I read. So, the book was more than real enough for me. Also, it was a compelling read with plenty of drama. I normally don’t like reading about battles and courtroom scenes, but Posteguillo managed to make those parts interesting to me, as well. Julius Caesar is only twenty-three when this book ends so he has another thirty-three to go before he is assassinated. I am looking forward to reading the translation of Maldita Roma, the continuing saga of Julius Caesar.

Below find an mp4 from the publisher:

I AM ROME

GoodReads says:

The runaway international bestseller–part sweeping historical epic, part legal thriller–following the trial that shaped the life of the young Julius Caesar and gave root to an immortal legacy.

Every legend has a beginning.

Rome, 77 B.C. Senator Dolabella, known for using violence against anyone who opposes him, is going on trial for corruption and has already hired the best lawyers and even bought the jury. No man dares accept the role of prosecutor–until, against all odds, an unknown twenty-three-year-old steps out to lead the case, defend the people of Rome, and defy the power of the elite class. This lawyer’s name is Gaius Julius Caesar.

Masterfully combining exhaustive historical rigor with extraordinary narrative skills, Santiago Posteguillo shows us the man behind the myth of Caesar as never before, taking us to the dangerous streets of Rome where the Senate’s henchmen lurk on every corner, submerging us in the thick of battle, and letting us live the great love story of Julius Caesar and his wife, Cornelia.

After Julius Caesar, the world was never the same. I Am Rome tells the tale of the early events that shaped this extraordinary man’s fate–and changed the course of history itself.

Below is short video with the author, Santiago Posteguillo, talking about the book:

I AM ROME author video