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itskatehill's reviews
128 reviews
Pet Sematary by Stephen King
5.0
"Grief, not stupidity, Louis. There is a difference...small, but vital. The battery that burying ground survives on. Growing in power, Judd said, and of course he was right- and you're part of its power now."
Wow.
This is the first Stephen King novel I've read, and I can't wait to read more. I think the magic of Stephen King's storytelling is that when you explain what one of his books is about it almost sounds hokey, or odd how those things could be scary, but then when you read his work, there is something much deeper there. In an interview King gave in 1993 with Charlie Rose he said: "Fiction is a lie...but good fiction is the truth inside a lie." King writes about things that make us human. Within the horror and suspense of Pet Sematary, there is a real thread of the inevitability of death, and how grief can make us do terribly strange things.
This story hit me hard because I lost my dad when I was 13, and am well acquainted with grief. It was atmospheric, creepy, funny at times, and very well written. If you've been on the fence about checking this one one, definitely do.
Lastly, I would say this was a 4.5 star read for me, just because there were some instances where I thought King wrote too much. There were some passages that I thought were too wordy, but that's just my two cents. Otherwise, perfectly chilly and poignant.
Wow.
This is the first Stephen King novel I've read, and I can't wait to read more. I think the magic of Stephen King's storytelling is that when you explain what one of his books is about it almost sounds hokey, or odd how those things could be scary, but then when you read his work, there is something much deeper there. In an interview King gave in 1993 with Charlie Rose he said: "Fiction is a lie...but good fiction is the truth inside a lie." King writes about things that make us human. Within the horror and suspense of Pet Sematary, there is a real thread of the inevitability of death, and how grief can make us do terribly strange things.
This story hit me hard because I lost my dad when I was 13, and am well acquainted with grief. It was atmospheric, creepy, funny at times, and very well written. If you've been on the fence about checking this one one, definitely do.
Lastly, I would say this was a 4.5 star read for me, just because there were some instances where I thought King wrote too much. There were some passages that I thought were too wordy, but that's just my two cents. Otherwise, perfectly chilly and poignant.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
5.0
I would give this book more of a 4.5 because it just didn't have that one little sliver of something to make it an all time favorite, but I thoroughly enjoyed this.
The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
4.0
I loved this!
It was my friends copy otherwise I would have highlighted all over it because there were so many great quotes and passages. One of my favorites was: "This is what happens when you repudiate who you are. Once you do that life works against you, and your fate is no longer your own." There were so many quotes like that that lit lightbulbs in my mind. Off the top of my head there were quotes on how little we actually have control over, the rules were never the point it was about finding out who you are, forevers are comprised of nows, etc.
I love how the book centers around being true to who you are, and the power of love. My thoughts on love in this book is that it's not necessarily about the curse. We all experience loss in our lifetimes, and so it was like a metaphor for everyone's lives not just the Owens.
I had already seen Practical Magic, and so reading this was an interesting split image of what I remembered from the movie, and whatever imagery the book described. (Mild spoilers here). There were a few things I thought were inconsistent or strange. For example: a 30 year old woman sticking her hands down Vincent's pants when he was 14, and how they went on to have a sexual relationship. And then if I didn't know the book was set in the 1960s I never would have known because there is barely any language to indicate that it is, but maybe that's not the point. Who knows. The Vietnam War is mentioned, but otherwise, not much. Jet tips Raphael a $5 at one point, and just because this is how I am, I looked up how much that would've cost in the 60s, and it was almost $50. At this time in the book they were struggling financially, and I doubt Jet would've been so free with money like that, so I just doubt the author looked into those kinds of details. Or how in one part of the book Franny said Sally had dark grey eyes, and then a few pages later says she has clear grey eyes.
Of course these aren't major plot issues, but it was just enough to downgrade this from a five star to a four, four and a half star read for me. For me personally, if it had been more obvious it was in the 60s, and these kinds of details were consistent, I think it would've been a five star.
(Spoilers done). The message of this book is beautiful, and I loved the author's writing style, the world she created, and how light hearted and fun a lot of the book was. I think the magic of a book is how it can inspire you, whatever that may mean. To think differently, to be a better person, to take up a new hobby, or in the case of this book, to love more. I think that message will stay with me for a long time. I'm excited to read more of her work.
It was my friends copy otherwise I would have highlighted all over it because there were so many great quotes and passages. One of my favorites was: "This is what happens when you repudiate who you are. Once you do that life works against you, and your fate is no longer your own." There were so many quotes like that that lit lightbulbs in my mind. Off the top of my head there were quotes on how little we actually have control over, the rules were never the point it was about finding out who you are, forevers are comprised of nows, etc.
I love how the book centers around being true to who you are, and the power of love. My thoughts on love in this book is that it's not necessarily about the curse. We all experience loss in our lifetimes, and so it was like a metaphor for everyone's lives not just the Owens.
I had already seen Practical Magic, and so reading this was an interesting split image of what I remembered from the movie, and whatever imagery the book described. (Mild spoilers here). There were a few things I thought were inconsistent or strange. For example: a 30 year old woman sticking her hands down Vincent's pants when he was 14, and how they went on to have a sexual relationship. And then if I didn't know the book was set in the 1960s I never would have known because there is barely any language to indicate that it is, but maybe that's not the point. Who knows. The Vietnam War is mentioned, but otherwise, not much. Jet tips Raphael a $5 at one point, and just because this is how I am, I looked up how much that would've cost in the 60s, and it was almost $50. At this time in the book they were struggling financially, and I doubt Jet would've been so free with money like that, so I just doubt the author looked into those kinds of details. Or how in one part of the book Franny said Sally had dark grey eyes, and then a few pages later says she has clear grey eyes.
Of course these aren't major plot issues, but it was just enough to downgrade this from a five star to a four, four and a half star read for me. For me personally, if it had been more obvious it was in the 60s, and these kinds of details were consistent, I think it would've been a five star.
(Spoilers done). The message of this book is beautiful, and I loved the author's writing style, the world she created, and how light hearted and fun a lot of the book was. I think the magic of a book is how it can inspire you, whatever that may mean. To think differently, to be a better person, to take up a new hobby, or in the case of this book, to love more. I think that message will stay with me for a long time. I'm excited to read more of her work.
Faithful by Alice Hoffman
4.0
Beautifully written book. It's hard to write a review after just having finished it because I feel as though I'm still digesting, but it was a beautiful picture of grief, and what can come out of it. I related very much to Shelby, and her early life self punishment, and how she was so certain she knew how her life would go, but ended up being delighted to know that the future is wide open. It's such a valuable lesson for all of us.
Somehow Alice Hoffman always ends up writing about love in its various forms, and I couldn't be more grateful for that. It's a nice reminder about what actually matters. There are many roads to finding love, and this is just another example. I've dealt with grief in my life, many times, and a need to control or to think that I knew exactly how my life would play out, and I've been happy to find at times that I was wrong. There is something wonderfully hopeful about Hoffman's writing, that I can always rely on to pick me up when I've fallen down again.
I've read two of her books now, and it seems as though there's no real plot, just characters experiencing their lives. I love her style of writing. I teared up many times, and overall really enjoyed the book.
Somehow Alice Hoffman always ends up writing about love in its various forms, and I couldn't be more grateful for that. It's a nice reminder about what actually matters. There are many roads to finding love, and this is just another example. I've dealt with grief in my life, many times, and a need to control or to think that I knew exactly how my life would play out, and I've been happy to find at times that I was wrong. There is something wonderfully hopeful about Hoffman's writing, that I can always rely on to pick me up when I've fallen down again.
I've read two of her books now, and it seems as though there's no real plot, just characters experiencing their lives. I love her style of writing. I teared up many times, and overall really enjoyed the book.
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
3.0
Okay.
I've heard that this book is a masterpiece, and it's many peoples favorite novel of all time. I feel very conflicted about this one. The writing is stunning, and there is no denying that Hanya knows how to craft story, and has a mastery of the English language. I loved that part. Even though the first 200 or so pages are mostly all character driven and not plot, it sucked me in.
While I was reading this I saw multiple vlogs of other people reading it, and absolutely breaking down while doing so. There was one woman who said she wished she could unread what she read because it was that traumatizing.
I then read that Hanya had written this type of book on purpose. That she wanted to write something in which the main character just never gets better, which I honestly think is interesting, but for her to intentionally write something that is supposedly very traumatizing, to the point that people are calling it "trauma porn," just makes me uncomfortable. Why would you do this?
That being said, I stopped when I got to part three. (Mild spoilers). At this point Jude has been adopted by a loving mentor of his, and it seems that his life is finally going well. He's getting something he has always wanted more than anything. I stopped here because I wanted to somehow trick myself into thinking this is where their stories ended. Jude gets better, and all that he went through was just a bad chapter of his life. I know that this isn't how it goes. The list of triggers is staggering, and at the point I stopped we had only just barely alluded to some of the things that Jude goes through.
There was a time in my life in which I would have wanted to continue. The voyeur in me, and my curiosity, would have kept going out of some masochistic need to experience the collective pain that everyone else experienced while reading this. But not now. I just don't see the need to put myself through that. And perhaps it's not as bad as a lot of people are saying, but I just don't know if I want to find out, because once those images are in my head they won't leave. Not for a while anyway.
So for now I am stopping at part three, and maybe one day I'll pick it up again to keep going, but I'm not sure. There are so many beautifully written books in the world that don't result in people sobbing hysterically on camera and telling their viewers that they wish they hadn't read it, that their mental health suffered, or that they would never recommend this book to anyone because it's unethical. And I just don't think I want to put myself through that.
So I gave this three stars for the time being. Maybe one day I'll pick it up again.
I've heard that this book is a masterpiece, and it's many peoples favorite novel of all time. I feel very conflicted about this one. The writing is stunning, and there is no denying that Hanya knows how to craft story, and has a mastery of the English language. I loved that part. Even though the first 200 or so pages are mostly all character driven and not plot, it sucked me in.
While I was reading this I saw multiple vlogs of other people reading it, and absolutely breaking down while doing so. There was one woman who said she wished she could unread what she read because it was that traumatizing.
I then read that Hanya had written this type of book on purpose. That she wanted to write something in which the main character just never gets better, which I honestly think is interesting, but for her to intentionally write something that is supposedly very traumatizing, to the point that people are calling it "trauma porn," just makes me uncomfortable. Why would you do this?
That being said, I stopped when I got to part three. (Mild spoilers). At this point Jude has been adopted by a loving mentor of his, and it seems that his life is finally going well. He's getting something he has always wanted more than anything. I stopped here because I wanted to somehow trick myself into thinking this is where their stories ended. Jude gets better, and all that he went through was just a bad chapter of his life. I know that this isn't how it goes. The list of triggers is staggering, and at the point I stopped we had only just barely alluded to some of the things that Jude goes through.
There was a time in my life in which I would have wanted to continue. The voyeur in me, and my curiosity, would have kept going out of some masochistic need to experience the collective pain that everyone else experienced while reading this. But not now. I just don't see the need to put myself through that. And perhaps it's not as bad as a lot of people are saying, but I just don't know if I want to find out, because once those images are in my head they won't leave. Not for a while anyway.
So for now I am stopping at part three, and maybe one day I'll pick it up again to keep going, but I'm not sure. There are so many beautifully written books in the world that don't result in people sobbing hysterically on camera and telling their viewers that they wish they hadn't read it, that their mental health suffered, or that they would never recommend this book to anyone because it's unethical. And I just don't think I want to put myself through that.
So I gave this three stars for the time being. Maybe one day I'll pick it up again.
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
3.0
3.5 stars.
This review will have spoilers.
I'll admit the reason I picked this up in the first place was because I saw the sequel, Hunting Prince Dracula, at my local library, and as someone who is thoroughly in love with any stories involving vampires, I learned that I should probably read the first book in the series first (duh). So here we are.
I thought this was very impressive for a debut novel! Yes parts were slow, and some parts (I think) are unanswered. For example: that bit at the end when her father was with Jack's last victim? But he wasn't the killer? Either seems like a plot device used just to make us think it's her father (I knew it wasn't), or I just missed why he was there in the first place. Maybe to sleep with her? If so, that's a huge coincidence.
I am SO glad Thomas wasn't the Ripper. There were plenty of things that pointed to it being him (like how one of the victims had TC tattooed on her? Like?). I would've had a hard time with that if it ended up being this thing of like...oh nooo I'm in love with a serial killer! But then I thought well they're in the other books so it can't be him.
I thought the amount of research the author did was great! She goes over what she left in that was factual and accurate vs what she used artistic license for. I was reading over some of these reviews and I wonder if they just missed that part? Yes it's obviously historically inaccurate in parts, but she explains everything that is and isn't at the end. Yes, I thought the medium was a huge plot device, but also, apparently there was a psychic medium who offered his services to Scotland Yard for the murders so...I can't fault it.
I did guess who the Ripper was- or at least I had it narrowed down to four men, and one of those four was the Ripper. I'm glad it wasn't painfully obvious.
Anyway, overall, I enjoyed this, despite feeling a bit squeamish at parts. I'm excited to read the next book in the series.
This review will have spoilers.
I'll admit the reason I picked this up in the first place was because I saw the sequel, Hunting Prince Dracula, at my local library, and as someone who is thoroughly in love with any stories involving vampires, I learned that I should probably read the first book in the series first (duh). So here we are.
I thought this was very impressive for a debut novel! Yes parts were slow, and some parts (I think) are unanswered. For example: that bit at the end when her father was with Jack's last victim? But he wasn't the killer? Either seems like a plot device used just to make us think it's her father (I knew it wasn't), or I just missed why he was there in the first place. Maybe to sleep with her? If so, that's a huge coincidence.
I am SO glad Thomas wasn't the Ripper. There were plenty of things that pointed to it being him (like how one of the victims had TC tattooed on her? Like?). I would've had a hard time with that if it ended up being this thing of like...oh nooo I'm in love with a serial killer! But then I thought well they're in the other books so it can't be him.
I thought the amount of research the author did was great! She goes over what she left in that was factual and accurate vs what she used artistic license for. I was reading over some of these reviews and I wonder if they just missed that part? Yes it's obviously historically inaccurate in parts, but she explains everything that is and isn't at the end. Yes, I thought the medium was a huge plot device, but also, apparently there was a psychic medium who offered his services to Scotland Yard for the murders so...I can't fault it.
I did guess who the Ripper was- or at least I had it narrowed down to four men, and one of those four was the Ripper. I'm glad it wasn't painfully obvious.
Anyway, overall, I enjoyed this, despite feeling a bit squeamish at parts. I'm excited to read the next book in the series.
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
5.0
4.6 stars.
Wow. Where do I even begin with this one???
I'll tell you how reading this went: I picked this up off my bookshelf and started reading. The prologue alone completely hooked me, and after seeing how masterfully Grady Hendrix creates characters, suspense, moments of coziness, etc., I immediately knew I had to annotate this. Stephen King says thew way to become a better writer is to read a lot. As I am a writer, Grady Hendrix was a masterclass in story crafting.
I went from laughing, to feeling comfy, to downright horrified within pages. I could never guess where the story was going, and I think that's the mark of an excellent horror/suspense author because so often these "thrillers" follow the same story arc, the same rhythm, the same everything.
I was completely smacked in the face with this book and even the author not being what I thought they would be. I thought that Grady Hendrix was some middle aged to older lady with greying hair and cute librarian glasses, who was going to write a campy stories about southern ladies in a book club slaying vampire(s), plural. It's in the title so I figured it would be multiple.
It's not multiple. It's one vampire, and Grady Hendrix is a man, and it was definitely not campy. I feel sort of dumb for assuming that considering that I did pick this out of the horror section at Barnes & Noble but...oh well.
Spoilers.
The reason this isn't a perfect five star for me is because I thought the scene in which James rapes Slick was completely unnecessary, and I didn't think it appropriate that Hendrix, a male author, should have decided to write that in. There could have been other ways for James to "plant himself" into her. He could have had her drink his blood, which (hello), he's a vampire. It'd make sense for that to happen.
I'm also pretty sure there was a typo on page 306. I think the word was supposed to be 'died,' not 'did.' Also, I know this was set in the 80s and 90s, and DNA testing was just becoming a thing, but I feel like if Patricia was such a true crime fan then she would've known not to touch the evidence or try to move it, or would know that lying to police, thinking of planting evidence, is a crime. Again. Maybe during this time period it wasn't like that. I don't know.
Either way, I had an amazing time reading this. It's not often that a book sucks me in (no pun intended), and this did. I started it last night and read for five hours straight, and then picked it up again today at 11 am and didn't stop until an hour ago at 7 pm. I hesitate to say that it's one of my all time favorite books, despite it being so highly rated for me, but I really, really enjoyed it, and I will be checking out more of Grady Hendrix's writing because I think he's extremely talented.
Wow. Where do I even begin with this one???
I'll tell you how reading this went: I picked this up off my bookshelf and started reading. The prologue alone completely hooked me, and after seeing how masterfully Grady Hendrix creates characters, suspense, moments of coziness, etc., I immediately knew I had to annotate this. Stephen King says thew way to become a better writer is to read a lot. As I am a writer, Grady Hendrix was a masterclass in story crafting.
I went from laughing, to feeling comfy, to downright horrified within pages. I could never guess where the story was going, and I think that's the mark of an excellent horror/suspense author because so often these "thrillers" follow the same story arc, the same rhythm, the same everything.
I was completely smacked in the face with this book and even the author not being what I thought they would be. I thought that Grady Hendrix was some middle aged to older lady with greying hair and cute librarian glasses, who was going to write a campy stories about southern ladies in a book club slaying vampire(s), plural. It's in the title so I figured it would be multiple.
It's not multiple. It's one vampire, and Grady Hendrix is a man, and it was definitely not campy. I feel sort of dumb for assuming that considering that I did pick this out of the horror section at Barnes & Noble but...oh well.
Spoilers.
The reason this isn't a perfect five star for me is because I thought the scene in which James rapes Slick was completely unnecessary, and I didn't think it appropriate that Hendrix, a male author, should have decided to write that in. There could have been other ways for James to "plant himself" into her. He could have had her drink his blood, which (hello), he's a vampire. It'd make sense for that to happen.
I'm also pretty sure there was a typo on page 306. I think the word was supposed to be 'died,' not 'did.' Also, I know this was set in the 80s and 90s, and DNA testing was just becoming a thing, but I feel like if Patricia was such a true crime fan then she would've known not to touch the evidence or try to move it, or would know that lying to police, thinking of planting evidence, is a crime. Again. Maybe during this time period it wasn't like that. I don't know.
Either way, I had an amazing time reading this. It's not often that a book sucks me in (no pun intended), and this did. I started it last night and read for five hours straight, and then picked it up again today at 11 am and didn't stop until an hour ago at 7 pm. I hesitate to say that it's one of my all time favorite books, despite it being so highly rated for me, but I really, really enjoyed it, and I will be checking out more of Grady Hendrix's writing because I think he's extremely talented.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
5.0
4.8. Wow. What a crazy, amazing, wild ride that was.
I've recently started reading through all the tbr books on my shelf, and picked this one up. It had been sitting on my bookshelf for six years, and I'm so glad I finally got around to it.
This brought me back to elementary and middle school when I loved reading series. I'll definitely be picking up the sequel once I'm through the rest of my tbr.
This was so well-written, and the story was expertly crafted by Bardugo. It's hard to comment much more on it because wow, this was just fantastic. It was such a gripping, memorable story.
I've recently started reading through all the tbr books on my shelf, and picked this one up. It had been sitting on my bookshelf for six years, and I'm so glad I finally got around to it.
This brought me back to elementary and middle school when I loved reading series. I'll definitely be picking up the sequel once I'm through the rest of my tbr.
This was so well-written, and the story was expertly crafted by Bardugo. It's hard to comment much more on it because wow, this was just fantastic. It was such a gripping, memorable story.