Gallows Hill

Hello!

Clearly I'm in a dark phase. This week's review is on Gallows Hill by Lois Duncan.

Role-playing takes on a terrifying cast when 17-year-old Sarah, who is posing as a fortune-teller for a school fair, begins to see actual visions that can predict the future. Frightened, the other students brand her a witch, setting off a chain of events that mirror the centuries-old Salem witch trials in more ways than one.

Hobbit (The)
E
Divergent
Gallows Hill
E
Handmaid’s Tale (The)
O
G

S

Finally a book that fits into my challenge. It's almost like I forgot what I was doing. This is clearly a YA horror. It was cheesy and the ending I just don't know what was happening with that. They're not challenging books which makes for a quick read if you want a little fix of not-so-scary horror. The beginning was pretty good. The flashbacks and the connections to Salem were really cool. The characters were a little eh and underdeveloped. The plot was all over the place and I really wish she explained the paperweight better. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Calling All Writers

Hey everyone!

So as you may have read in my review Gillian Flynn has some crazy books! My question this week is:

If you're a writer (or if not) where do you get your inspiration from?

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

Dark Places

Hello, hello, hello,

Today I welcome you to Dark Places.

Yeah, I'm just reviewing the book written by Gillian Flynn.

Libby Day was just seven years old when her evidence put her fifteen-year-old brother behind bars. Since then, she has been drifting. But when she is contacted by a group who are convinced of Ben's innocence, Libby starts to ask questions she never dared to before. Was the voice she heard her brother's? Ben was a misfit in their small town, but was he capable of murder? Are there secrets to uncover at the family farm or is Libby deluding herself because she wants her brother back? She begins to realise that everyone in her family had something to hide that day... especially Ben. Now, twenty-four years later, the truth is going to be even harder to find. Who did massacre the Day family?

This book was good. The writing was great and it totally carried the Flynn mark. Characters and plot were not as great. It was not a psychotic and thrilling as Gone Girl. If you've already read Gone Girl you might be a little eency teensy bit disappointed. I don't suggest reading this alone in the dark because it has a depressing factor that may take hold of you. This vile little book is still insane, specifically the ending (which is another unpredictable one). I love there is no romance at all in this book, there are rarely any books without romance. Flynn doesn't need that to get people into her books. She does it just with her fantastic writing. I don't want to know what's going on in Flynn's mind to create these but good for her. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

Demon Seed

Hey there!

This weeks review is on Demon Seed by Dean Koontz.

Susan Harris lived in self-imposed seclusion, in a mansion featuring numerous automated systems controlled by a state-of-the-art computer. Every comfort was provided, and in this often unsafe world of ours, her security was absolute. But now her security system has been breached, her sanctuary from the outside world violated by an insidious artificial intelligence, which has taken control of her house.In the privacy of her own home, and against her will, Susan will experience an inconceivable act of terror. She will become the object of the ultimate computer's consuming obsession: to learn everything there is to know about the flesh... 

So this was like a modern Frankenstein with more technology. It was pretty cool and a little frightening. This is definitely one of his darker books with a lot of physical domination that is sexually fueled. And it's all done through.... a computer. Now this was written in 1973 could Dean Koontz be onto something? This is all about a computer living, I have a feeling we're not so far behind Koontz's imagination now. The 1997 rewrite is not as good. He removes a lot of what makes the story frightening and on edge. The 1997 rewrite is cheesy and it is completely from the computer's viewpoint and closer to romance than thriller. The computer just says the same thing over and over, which could be because he's a computer and programmed a certain way but it's not because he breaks out of the lab he's in. It was definitely entertaining and a quick read. The end was definitely funny and probably the best part of the book and NOT BECAUSE IT ENDED. If you are going to pick up this book, pick up the 1973 version and not 1997's. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Calling All YA Readers

Hello everybody!

I have some exciting news!

I found this great subscription box!

It's a book box called Uppercase Box. I say YA readers because it is one hand-picked Young Adult book a month plus bookish items. Cool right?

I know you probably all want to see it, so I present you with the three I received so far.

April: This Uppercase Box included a signed copy of The Start of Me and You  by Emery Lord. It also included a little framed picture, a handwritten note to me, book magnets, and an I Love Max Watson pin. Great first box! But they get better.

May: This box included a signed copy of The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey. Another framed picture, a book notebook, and a "Wicked is Good" sticker from The Scorch Trials.

June:This most recent box I received yesterday. And it was the best one yet! This box included The Wrath and The Dawn and a signed book plate by Renee Ahdeih. It also came with a BookiEmoji tote bag, stickers, and book mark. Probably the best part of all was the scarf that was inspired my the cover. 

I just started receiving these in April but I can't wait for more! I look forward to it every month and buy them for the rest of my life. Just simply go to uppercasebox.com to order your own. It's about $30 with shipping and it's so worth it. There's also an option to choose your own more specific box but I love the variety and surprise.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Designated Ugly Fat Friend

Welcome back!

My question this week is:

How do you feel about the term The Duff, or Designated Ugly Fat Friend?

As always leave your comments below. Also leave any suggestions of how you think I can improve my blog.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

The Duff

Hey there!

This week I'm reviewing The Duff  by Kody Keplinger.

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper may not be the prettiest girl in her high school, but she has a loyal group of friends, a biting wit, and a spot-on BS detector. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. But things aren't so great at home and Bianca, desperate for a distraction, ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone. 

This was like the one book that I saw the movie before reading the book because I didn't know it was a book. This book was charming and funny, but I really hated the concept. The Designated Ugly Fat Friend. That's awful! Although at the end it gets turned into a good message blah blah blah. This book was obviously written by a teenager. She is a talented one though. It was extremely cliche. I am a sucker for YA so even though it was a obvious ending I was still pleased. But what was the main character thinking! I mean come on! If I was her I would totally make different choices because the situation was just ridiculous. But it was still funny and I did get kind of sucked in. I gave it 3 out of 4 stars.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

Birthday Book Haul

Hello!

So twice a year I allow myself to place a large order of books. The first is during June right after my birthday. So last Wednesday I placed an order and they have been slowly trickling in. Today I'll show you what I've gotten this week and then I'll update you when the rest come in.

Here we have Attachments, The Book of Unknown Americans, Redeployment, The Joy Luck Club, Elephant Company, The Children Act, The Art of Racing in the Rain, Euphoria, The Thirteenth Tale, Tell the Wolves I'm Home, Fight Club, and Horrorstor.  All of these were part of Barnes and Nobles 2 for $20 summer reading book promotion. ( Go check it out)

Clearly this is The Heir the fourth book in The Selection series.  The first three are still on their way.

Finally, March, The Strange Library, The Martian (which I'm reading now), I Am Malala, The Rosie Project, and The Clan of the Cave Bears

Lots of books to read and review. But since I read faster than I post reviews it may take a while for you to see these. If you think I should post more reviews a week leave a comment down below and let me know how often.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

One Final Night

Hello there!

This week my review is on One Final Night by Wendy L. Young.

Mel and Paul, like many modern couples, seem to have it all. But beneath the thin veneer of a successful, happy life trouble has eaten away the once-strong foundation of their relationship. It all comes crashing out in one final, fateful - and shocking - night.

C
One Final Night
Book of Lost Things (The)
R
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

Seventh Son

This was a fairly short book BUT it was actually really good. Young did fantastic work in under 100 pages that some authors can't get done in 300. For the short amount of pages she had it was great.  I did not expect the ending. Although I guess in a short story there are less pages to give away too much information. This book still haunts me. It was a little cliche but most books are, I'm happier that there was an element of surprise. Everything is realistic: characters, dialogue, situation. If you are looking for a quick, good read I highly recommend this book. It gave me chills and I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

Paper Towns

Hey there!

Obviously I am on a John Green kick because my book review this week is for Paper Towns.

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life - dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows. After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues - and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer Q gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew. 

These characters are pretty much the same. In fact the stories are all very similar just in different settings. Although this book makes a great palette cleanser. It's less of an emotional roller coaster than his other books, which is nice for a change. This book addresses high school cliques but not in a normal way.  It's like a high school coming together. The beginning of the book was great, mysterious and suspenseful. The second part just kept repeating itself and somewhat anti-climatic. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie 

The Bell Jar

Hello there!

This week's review is of The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.

The Bell Jar chronicles the crack-up of Esther Greenwood: brilliant, beautiful, enormously talented, and successful, but slowly going under -- maybe for the last time. Sylvia Plath masterfully draws the reader into Esther's breakdown with such intensity that Esther's insanity becomes completely real and even rational, as probable and accessible an experience as going to the movies. Such deep penetration into the dark and harrowing corners of the psyche is an extraordinary accomplishment and has made The Bell Jar a haunting American classic.

I can see why this book is a classic. This book takes you into the downward of depression and leaves nothing out. As a victim of anxiety I could totally relate to some pieces of this story. Plath touches on subjects that not many authors (especially at that time) will touch and she does a fantastic. You can definitely feel a piece of Sylvia Plath's soul in this book. It was so raw and emotional. There are not enough words to describe how great this book is. I gave it a 5 out of 5 stars.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

Looking for Alaska

Hey everyone!

This week's review is on Looking for Alaska by John Green.

Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. Then he heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

After. Nothing is ever the same.

Gone Girl
O
R
Inhale
Looking for Alaska
L
Along for the Ride

S

I have to say Green really likes his metaphors. He always sneaks in metaphors. I read this book because I needed an ugly crying book and I knew Green could deliver. It was a really good book though. It was somewhat predictable. Pudge kept not-so-subtly foreshadowing and basically gave everything away before it happened. It is definitely written for teens. Although I enjoyed it as an adult but I would probably have enjoyed it more as a teen. He manages once again to hit you in the feels. There's a lot of smoking, sex, and drinking. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Hello, hello, hello from Disney,

Today my review is on The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor. Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker's Guide ("A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have") and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox--the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod's girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan), whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he bought over the years.

U
R
C
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (The)
Invention of Hugo Cabret (The)
N

S

This was a charming little book. It was funny and whimsical. It was such a quick read. It's actually quite genius. Everything we do will eventually be erased because Earth will be no more. Not so much the aliens. It's almost like before climate change was a thing Adams knew that it was coming. If you want a light read this is the book for you. There is a lot of clever commentary on humans. And it's a classic! A book you have to read at least once. At first it's a little confusing but then things clear up. It's just a ridiculous kind of book. I gave it 5 out of 5 stars.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

The Seventh Son

Hey everyone,

This week's review is The Seventh Son by Joseph Delaney which is the first and second book of the Last Apprentice  series.

Only the Spook has the knowledge and skill to face ghosts, bind witches, and bargain with boggarts. Now he needs an apprentice—Tom Ward, who is the seventh son of a seventh son. Other apprentices have come before. All have failed, or fled, or died. Will Tom learn what they could not? Can he trust anyone, even his one true love? He will find out—and soon, for the dark is getting powerful, and the Spook's time has come. Will Tom survive to carry on his master's battle? Will he be the Last Apprentice?

C
O
Book of Lost Things (The)
R
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

Seventh Son

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It wasn't what I expected at all. I thought it was going to be some silly imaginary war story. Kind of like a bad Lord of the Rings. It was actually nothing like that, at least in the first two books. It was kind of spooky and they fight off different types of evils. I quite enjoyed it. It was simply worded so it would be great for a younger child. It really goes into depths about different creatures out there. Some situations seem impossible to get out of but they always manage it like in most books. This book really shows evil comes in all forms. The main character is strong but an outcast and kind of a jerk. So we don't have a perfect protagonist. (yay!) And finally no romance story line! How often does that happen? Rarely! There is a lot of gore and specifics of rituals though. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Welcome back!

This week my review is of The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.

Half sketches create a story in pictures too, relevant history. Real last-century French pioneer filmmaker Georges Méliès collected mechanical robot-like automata, and, impoverished, worked at a toy booth in a Paris railway station. Here, orphan Hugo fixes his late father's automata, and meets Méliès through his god-daughter Isabelle.

U
R
C
H
Invention of Hugo Cabret (The)
N
S


I absolutely love this book! (And not just because it's mostly pictures) This has a great story line behind it and is absolutely fantastic. This isn't like the Oz series by Baum where the stories seem kind of silly when you're older this book is still fantastic as an adult. The illustrations are gorgeous. There is an actual story that coincides with the actual history of that time period which is rare for a children's book. This 500+ page book really is just a short story because a good amount of the book is pictures. The ending was somewhat anti-climatic but this book is definitely magical and is just what ever adult and child is looking for in a children's book. I gave it 5 out of 5 stars.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

People You Meet in Heaven

Hello there!

My question of the week is based on The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom reviewed on Monday.

If you believe in Heaven, who do you think you would meet there?

Mackenzie

The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Hey everybody!

This week I will be reviewing The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom.

Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination, but an answer. 

In heaven, five people explain your life to you. Some you knew, others may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie's five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his "meaningless" life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: "Why was I here?"

This is a re-read. I read it about 6 years ago and barely remembered it until the last person then I remembered little pieces. This book is fantastic. It's a book that really makes you think how you impact people. How could you meeting this person kill them. This book is so simple and perfectly lovely. It reads so easily. This book touches on death and an after life and it is well done. It was definitely kind of preachy but it was such a good book. I gave it 5 out 5 stars.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

The Longest Ride

Hello!

Today I'll be reviewing The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks.

Ira Levinson is in trouble. Ninety-one years old and stranded and injured after a car crash, he struggles to retain consciousness until a blurry image materializes beside him: his beloved wife Ruth, who passed away nine years ago. Urging him to hang on, she forces him to remain alert by recounting the stories of their lifetime together - how they met, the precious paintings they collected together, the dark days of WWII and its effect on them and their families. Ira knows that Ruth can't possibly be in the car with him, but he clings to her words and his memories, reliving the sorrows and everyday joys that defined their marriage.

A few miles away, at a local bull-riding event, a Wake Forest College senior's life is about to change. Recovering from a recent break-up, Sophia Danko meets a young cowboy named Luke, who bears little resemblance to the privileged frat boys she has encountered at school. Through Luke, Sophia is introduced to a world in which the stakes of survival and success, ruin and reward -- even life and death - loom large in everyday life. As she and Luke fall in love, Sophia finds herself imagining a future far removed from her plans -- a future that Luke has the power to rewrite . . . if the secret he's keeping doesn't destroy it first.

Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke. Two couples who have little in common, and who are separated by years and experience. Yet their lives will converge with unexpected poignancy, reminding us all that even the most difficult decisions can yield extraordinary journeys: beyond despair, beyond death, to the farthest reaches of the human heart.

Angels and Demons
R
M
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Doctor Sleep
I Am Legend
Lone Wolf
Longest Ride (The)
Once Upon a Prince
Superman on the Couch

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. After the jaded story  The Best of Me I wasn't really looking forward to reading this. I thought it was going to be some regular cowboy story with the sappy Nicholas Sparks twist. Well it was and it wasn't. It was a cowboy story and it was sappy BUT the overlapping love stories was fantastic. To see two love stories in two different centuries is so interesting. I know at the beginning the two stories make no sense but keep with it. It's beautiful. It is still not the best Sparks's novel but it was definitely good. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

How I Came to Sparkle Again

Hello, hello, hello!

Today's review is on How I Came to Sparkle Again by Kaya McLaren.

Jill Anthony spent her young adulthood in the ski town of Sparkle, Colorado.  But more than a decade has passed since she left when, only weeks after a very late miscarriage, she finds her husband in bed with another woman, she flees Austin, Texas for the town she knows:  Sparkle. Lisa Carlucci wakes up one morning after another night of meaningless sex, looks in the mirror and realizes that she no longer wants to treat her body like a Holiday Inn. She’s going to hold out for love.  The only problem is, love might come in the form of her ski bum best friend, who lives next door with his ski bum friends in a trailer known as “the Kennel.” Cassie Jones, at age ten, has lost her mother to cancer and no longer believes in anything anymore.  She knows her father is desperately worried about her, and she constantly looks for messages from her deceased mother through the heart-shaped rocks they once collected in the streams and hills of Sparkle. 

Where She Went
How I Came to Sparkle Again
A
L
E

S

This also fits into my 2015 challenge under "A book you own but have never read".

After this I only have one more "H" to finish that letter.

Okay, as for my review. I read this book when I wasn't feeling so great and thought I could use some more sparkle in my life. BUT this book was about how the protagonist, Jill, ended back in the town Sparkle....Ugh. Not exactly what I was looking for. It was an okay story. It was cheesy and kind of cute. It was so typical and predictable. The relationship between Cassie and Jill is the best part of the book. I also found the story behind Jill heartbreaking. I thought it would be super heartwarming. It fell flat. Some of the dialogue and movements seemed forced. There were also too many characters to keep track of. Half of this book was great and half of it was juvenile. I gave it 3 out of 4 stars,

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

Paranormal

Hey everyone!

My question this week is...

What is your favorite paranormal creature and why?

Please comment below with your answers! And see everyone else's answers on Friday!

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Dead Until Dark

Hey everyone!

Today's review is for Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris which became the True Blood TV show.

Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much. Not because she's not pretty. She is. It's just that, well, Sookie has this sort of "disability." She can read minds. And that doesn't make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill. He's tall, dark, handsome - and Sookie can't 'hear' a word he's thinking. He's exactly the kind of guy she's been waiting for all her life. But Bill has a disability of his own: He's a vampire. Worse than that, hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, with a reputation for trouble - of the murderous kind. And when one of Sookie's colleagues is killed, she begins to fear she'll be next.

This unfortunately doesn't fit into the alphabet challenge. But it does cross off "A book based on or turned into a TV show" in my 2015 challenge.

So I pick up this series thinking great it will be a good mystery book, oh and cool vampires. I did not expect it to have so much sex. Overall though it was a decent book. It's a fairly quick, easy, somewhat sleazy read. This story was set up so that most of it was introducing characters and then the end and the problem all just kind of happened at the same time. It was kind of set up poorly. Unfortunately, Sookie is the perfect looking protagonist, the only difference is that she has her own kind of power. These books were silly and ridiculous with not that great writing but they are now a guilty pleasure of mine. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

March Update

Hey there!

Oops...looks like I accidentally skipped the February Update. But anyways here is one for March and February.

In these past two months I've only added a few books to my challenge. I've also added a separate challenge that I'm working on and encourage all of you to as well. But sticking just to this challenge I present what I have so far:

Angels and Demons
R
M
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Doctor Sleep
I Am Legend
Lone Wolf
L
Once Upon a Prince
Superman on the Couch
  
Boy in the Suitcase (The)
Under the Dome
Confessions of a Mask
K
Still Alice

C
O
Book of Lost Things (The)
R
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
S
  
Defending Jacob
Insurgent
N
Graveyard Book (The)
O
S

Ender’s Game
Light Between Oceans (The)
Exhale
Persepolis (The Complete)
Happiness Project (The)
Angel in a Fur Coat
Narrative of Fredrick Douglass
Two Towers (The)
Self-inflicted Wounds: Heartwarming Tales of Epic Humiliation

Funniest Cop Stories Ever
E
N
N
E
Chemist (The)
Fellowship of the Ring (The)
O
X-It

Gone Girl
O
R
Inhale
L
L
Along for the Ride
S

Hobbit (The)
E
Divergent
G
E
Handmaid’s Tale (The)
O
G
S

If I Stay
G
U
A
N
A
S

Just Breathe
And the Mountains Echoed
Child of the Dark: The Diary of Carolina de Jesus
K
Allegiant
L
S

K
Angel Sister
N
G
Among Schoolchildren
R
O
O
S

L
I Am Number Four
O
N
S

M
O
N
K
E
Y
S

N
About a Boy
R
Warriors Don’t Cry
Horns
A
L
S

O
C
Touched by Angels
O
Palestine
U
Speaker for the Dead

Perks of Being a Wallflower
E
A
C
O
C
K
S



Q
U
A
Intensity
L
S

R
A
V
E
N
S

S
N
A
K
E
S

This Is Where I Leave You
U
R
K
E
Y
S

U
R
C
H
I
N
S



V
U
L
T
U
R
E
S 

Where She Went
H
A
L
E
S

Xenocide
E
N
O
Princess Ever After
S 

Y
A
K
S 

Z
E
Bourne Identity
R
Aunt Jane’s Hero

S

I have still only finished the word "ELEPHANTS" and the letters B, D, F, J, P, and X. Please keep reading for more updates and reviews!

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

Believe Me

Hey everybody!

Next up is the book Believe Me by Nina Killham.

Thirteen-year-old Nic Delano has a lot of questions. Like why does he have a babysitter at his age-and where did she get such long legs? But mostly, what exactly is the meaning of life? His mother, Lucy, an astrophysicist and atheist, has always encouraged Nic to ask questions. But lately she doesn?t like the answers he?s getting. Nic has been hanging out with a group of devout Christians and is starting to embrace the Bible?and a very different view of the heavens. But when unexpected tragedy strikes, Nic and Lucy?s beliefs are truly to put to the test. And they need each other now more than ever. But will a mother and her son be able to find a common ground where faith meets understanding and love is, ultimately, what endures?

I definitely judged this book by its cover. Not going to lie. Also, the title caught my attention. So this was written in the point of view of a 14 year old boy but it's meant to be an adult novel. It had the simplicity of a teenager's writing and it was all over the place. Maybe that's why the book didn't go deeply into the topics it was supposed to. The characters never really developed, although at first they were interesting overall they were flat. It was very superficial. And the big tragedy? Happens at in the last 50 pages. Definitely not enough time to resolve the issue at hand. it just kind of ends...okay? I thought maybe there would be this big point that made the book worth reading. It's like the adult version of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. The concept was a good one and had a lot of potential but Killham didn't follow through. I gave it 2 out of 5 stars.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

P.S. This was a book for my separate 2015 reading challenge, fulfilling the "A book based entirely on it's cover"

Modern Fairy Tales

Hello there,

We've talked a lot about fairy tales. My question is:

What fairy tales do you like to see modernized and why? Also, what new fairy tales should I check out?

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

The Pied Piper of Hamelin

Hey everyone!

Next up is The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Russell Brand, yes Russell Brand wrote a children's book...I think.

Well I don't think I would ever read this to a child. The whole time I was thinking, "What the heck am I reading?" I'm sure most of you know the story of the Pied Piper and this I guess is the same thing...just really weird. As an adult it was an amusing read. As I was reading I found it jumped around so much I thought I was missing pages because it didn't follow through and it was very unfocused. The seemingly main character, Sam, really shows up about five times and he really isn't necessary for the story. I don't even know why he was there. Brand really forced the morals but never explained them. After mentioning something of importance once he just left it. This is definitely something that would come out of Russel Brand's mouth. Maybe he should stick to writing about himself. I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

P.S. This book was read in order to fulfill the "A book you can finish in a day" category in my 2015 book challenge.

New Year, New Challenges

Hey everyone!

So I was so backed up with reviews that I'm finally starting to review books that I started in January. That being said I also made my Goodreads goal.

Last year I surpassed my goal of 60 and ended with 69. This year I made my goal 70.

On Pinterest I found a 2015 reading challenge. That I will keep you updated on at the very bottom of each post. Here is the challenge:

I hope you'll follow along.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

77 Shadow Street and The Moonlit Mind

Hey there!

In this post you get a two for one review. The main book is 77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz. The prequel to this is The Moonlit Mind .

77 Shadow Street

The Pendleton stands on the summit of Shadow Hill at the highest point of an old heartland city, a Gilded Age palace built in the late 1800s as a tycoon’s dream home. Almost from the beginning, its grandeur has been scarred by episodes of madness, suicide, mass murder, and whispers of things far worse. But since its rechristening in the 1970s as a luxury apartment building, the Pendleton has been at peace. For its fortunate residents—among them a successful songwriter and her young son, a disgraced ex-senator, a widowed attorney, and a driven money manager—the Pendleton’s magnificent quarters are a sanctuary, its dark past all but forgotten. But now inexplicable shadows caper across walls, security cameras relay impossible images, phantom voices mutter in strange tongues, not-quite-human figures lurk in the basement, elevators plunge into unknown depths. With each passing hour, a terrifying certainty grows: Whatever drove the Pendleton’s past occupants to their unspeakable fates is at work again. Soon, all those within its boundaries will be engulfed by a dark tide from which few have escaped.

I had mixed feelings about this book. I think because there was so much hype surrounding it and its own cool website I was really excited and wanted to love it. But then I dove into the world of the Pendleton and didn't feel that way. This is a book that deals with a lot of supernatural creatures and Koontz just failed at describing them. I couldn't imagine half of the stuff he was talking about because the descriptions were so jumbled. I also was unaware of the timeline. I think it took place in 24 hours? But all of that was unclear, how long did they have to live in that miserable situation. There were just too many stories. How the heck was I supposed to keep up with all those people? And some of them just seemed to be thrown in there and have no purpose in the story. This had a lot of traits of Koontz's other books. Overall, it just felt unfinished and in the end Koontz seemed to just want to end the book. This book felt like it could have had so much potential. I gave it 3 out of 4 stars.

The Moonlit Mind (I believe this is a Kindle exclusive)

Twelve-year-old Crispin has lived on the streets since he was nine—with only his wits and his daring to sustain him, and only his silent dog, Harley, to call his friend. He is always on the move, never lingering in any one place long enough to risk being discovered. Still, there are certain places he returns to. In the midst of the tumultuous city, they are havens of solitude: like the hushed environs of St. Mary Salome Cemetery, a place where Crispin can feel at peace—safe, at least for a while, from the fearsome memories that plague him . . . and seep into his darkest nightmares. But not only his dreams are haunted. The city he roams with Harley has secrets and mysteries, things unexplainable and maybe unimaginable. Crispin has seen ghosts in the dead of night, and sensed dimensions beyond reason in broad daylight. Hints of things disturbing and strange nibble at the edges of his existence, even as dangers wholly natural and earthbound cast their shadows across his path. Alone, drifting, and scavenging to survive is no life for a boy. But the life Crispin has left behind, and is still running scared from, is an unspeakable alternative . . . that may yet catch up with him.

I liked this a lot better than 77 Shadow Street. The two really have nothing to do with one another accept that they are across the street from each other. It was simple and the plot was kind of creepy and whimsical. There were real people and not made up creatures I couldn't picture. There was some great symbolism in it specifically the moon. The one issue I had was that Koontz sets up some great symbols for the reader to figure out and then he ruins it by spelling it out for the reader. At times he left nothing to the imagination of the reader. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was drastically better than its later counterpart.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure

Hello!

At the beginning of the week I reviewed The Maze Runner by James Dashner. Now naturally I have to review The Scorch Trials  and The Death Cure. I'll do as I have done before where I don't provide a summary and just give you a quick review.

The second installment in the series was definitely more action packed. This was probably my favorite book of the series. There is a lot more scenery in this book and the characters are better developed. Oh and the feels in this book! I had so many emotions I didn't know what to do with myself! There was a lot of sleeping and passing out on Thomas's part... a lot. Dashner again kept a lot from the reader for a good majority of the book and I found myself getting frustrated that I couldn't know, I gave this book a 5 out of 5 stars.

I lost faith. This book was like the typical third book in a series like this. It was good but it's been done. Also, so much was left without explanation. I guess that's what the prequel is for. I'm still so confused not a great way to end a series. This book was a lot of back and forth, who's good, who's bad, they're here, now they're back to point A. And why? I'm not sure. This book lost a lot. It could have been great and it kind of failed. There was a lot of action and twists and turns but the end just left me hanging. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars,

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

The Maze Runner

Hey everyone!

Next up on the list is The Maze Runner by James Dashner.

If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human.

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.

Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.

Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.

Everything is going to change.

Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.

Remember. Survive. Run.

This book starts off a little slow. But then it sure does pick up and after that I couldn't put the series down. It was definitely a unique dystopian teen sci-fi book other than the whole concept of "Big Brother". Dashner really created his own world in this book. He creates slang words that the Gladers use which is sort of unique to this book. Only a few characters really had personality, the rest were completely lacking. It also doesn't help no one has their memories so personality is almost impossible. The reader goes into this book with absolutely no information but his name and it takes a REALLY long time before we find out anything. It also did seem like a big video game but don't all of these types of books. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie