January Update

Hey there!

Wanted to just give you an update for January

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

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

T
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 still have only finished one animal: ELEPHANT

And I have finished letters: B, D, F, J, P, and X

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

Horns

Heyo!

Today's post is dedicated to the novel Horns by Joe Hill. (Which is Stephen King's son...Joe King)

At first Ig thought the horns were a hallucination, the product of a mind damaged by rage and grief. He had spent the last year in a lonely, private purgatory, following the death of his beloved, Merrin Williams, who was raped and murdered under inexplicable circumstances. A mental breakdown would have been the most natural thing in the world. But there was nothing natural about the horns, which were all too real. Once the righteous Ig had enjoyed the life of the blessed: born into privilege, the second son of a renowned musician and younger brother of a rising late-night TV star, he had security, wealth, and a place in his community. Ig had it all, and more—he had Merrin and a love founded on shared daydreams, mutual daring, and unlikely midsummer magic. But Merrin's death damned all that. The only suspect in the crime, Ig was never charged or tried. And he was never cleared. In the court of public opinion in Gideon, New Hampshire, Ig is and always will be guilty because his rich and connected parents pulled strings to make the investigation go away. Nothing Ig can do, nothing he can say, matters. Everyone, it seems, including God, has abandoned him. Everyone, that is, but the devil inside. . . . Now Ig is possessed of a terrible new power to go with his terrible new look—a macabre talent he intends to use to find the monster who killed Merrin and destroyed his life. Being good and praying for the best got him nowhere. It's time for a little revenge. . . . It's time the devil had his due. . . .

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

S

I just want to begin with that this was one of Joe Hill's earlier novels and therefore he had not hit his peak of writing. This book was littered with Biblical references which was one of the best parts of the book. It reminded you what the book was about. Overall, there wasn't much action. There was an awful lot downtime and wandering. This book was almost worth reading for the last few chapters which really....finally brought the book together and told you what the heck was going on. Most of the time it was just a bunch of random information that had nothing to do with the plot. Although the last few chapters were good, the book just ended and felt unfinished. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. I have high hopes for Mr. Hill though for upcoming books.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

This Post Brought to You By the Letter D

Hello, hello, hello!

As I mentioned in Monday's post I finished the letter "D".

Here is what I read to finish it:

Defending Jacob
Divergent
Doctor Sleep

And as usual, I will end my post with a video:

Keep reading!

Mackenzie

Classics

Hi!

On Monday I reviewed Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller which is a classic. So this week, my question for you is:

What is your favorite classic and why?

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

Death of a Salesman

Hey there!

Next up is Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller.

The story revolves around the last days of Willy Loman, a failing salesman, who cannot understand how he failed to win success and happiness. Through a series of tragic soul-searching revelations of the life he has lived with his wife, his sons, and his business associates, we discover how his quest for the "American Dream" kept him blind to the people who truly loved him. 

Looks like I dropped the ball on another letter. I've finished the letter "D" as well. The finished letters are just piling up. Expect a "D" post on Friday.

This was another school read. I absolutely loved this book. For anyone who doesn't know, this book is a play. I don't think it could have worked as a prose piece. The stage directions really bring the story to life and it gives the reader more of the subtle messages Miller was trying to get across. Also, it made room for more symbolism by setting up the scene in advance. The characters were just so well developed and I loved the limited third person writing that goes along with play writing because you don't get that often. There were a few scenes that seemed misplaced and random but overall it was a nice read. I don't always enjoy doing school reading but this was one that I would say everyone should read at least once. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

The Best of Me

Hey there!

Now for a little variety. The next book up is  The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks. I have already finished "B" so this will be a review for fun.

In the spring of 1984, high school students Amanda Collier and Dawson Cole fell deeply, irrevocably in love. Though they were from opposite sides of the tracks, their love for one another seemed to defy the realities of life in the small town of Oriental, North Carolina. But as the summer of their senior year came to a close, unforeseen events would tear the young couple apart, setting them on radically divergent paths. Now, twenty-five years later, Amanda and Dawson are summoned back to Oriental for the funeral of Tuck Hostetler, the mentor who once gave shelter to their high school romance. Neither has lived the life they imagined . . . and neither can forget the passionate first love that forever changed their lives. As Amanda and Dawson carry out the instructions Tuck left behind for them, they realize that everything they thought they knew -- about Tuck, about themselves, and about the dreams they held dear -- was not as it seemed. Forced to confront painful memories, the two former lovers will discover undeniable truths about the choices they have made. And in the course of a single, searing weekend, they will ask of the living, and the dead: Can love truly rewrite the past?

This book is very similar to The Notebook but it falls very short of my Sparks standards. The past and present are so blurred I don't know where I am. It also felt that this book was just random narrators that might possibly cross paths at some point. This book didn't feel like a Nicholas Sparks book (I didn't even cry) and it seems like Sparks is running out of ideas and writing to writing. I did like the ending and it was a quick read. But to get to the end it was a rough road.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

New Year Reminder

Hello everyone!

Since it is a new year and I have new readers I want to remind everyone what this challenge is and I'm going to do that by reposting my very first post, or most of it.

"Hi, I'm Mackenzie. First thing that you should know is I'm an avid reader although I don't always read very fast because of school work and such, but I love to read. So I discovered this Animal Alphabet Challenge. You take an animal name for each letter of the alphabet and then for each letter of the animal's name you read a book that begins with that letter. Sounds kind of confusing but I hope you'll understand in a few moments. So I found this challenge as I was reading The Hobbit so I have already taken the liberty of filling out one of my h's. Also, as I go I'll provide my views on the book. So here are my list of animals:

A

R

M

A

D

I

L

L

O

B

U

C

K

C

O

B

R

A

D

I

N

G

O

E

L

E

P

H

A

N

T

F

E

N

N

E

C

F

O

X

G

O

R

I

L

L

A

Hobbit (The)

E

D

G

E

H

O

G

I

G

U

A

N

A

J

A

C

K

A

L

K

A

N

G

A

R

O

O

L

I

O

N

M

O

N

K

E

Y

N

A

R

W

H

A

L

O

C

T

O

P

U

S

P

E

A

C

O

C

K

Q

U

A

I

L

R

A

V

E

N

S

N

A

K

E

T

U

R

K

E

Y

U

R

C

H

I

N

V

U

L

T

U

R

E

W

H

A

L

E

X

E

N

O

P

S

Y

A

K

Z

E

B

R
A"

Now hopefully you new people know me better and my continuing readers remember what this challenge was for.

Happy reading!
Mackenzie

2014

Hey there!

2014 is over and done with. I want to know:

What the best book you read in 2014?

Have a happy 2015 and keep reading!
Mackenzie

Intensity

Hello there!

Next book to review is Intensity by Dean Koontz.

Past midnight, Chyna Shepherd, twenty-six, gazes out a moonlit window, unable to sleep on her first night in the Napa Valley home of her best friend's family. Instinct proves reliable. A murderous sociopath, Edger Foreman Vess, has entered the house, intent on killing everyone inside. A self-proclaimed "homicidal adventurer," Vess lives only to satisfy all appetites as they arise, to immerse himself in sensation, to live without fear, remorse or limits, to live with intensity. Chyna is trapped in his deadly orbit. Chyna is a survivor, toughened by a lifelong struggle for safety and self-respect. Now she will be tested as never before. At first her sole aim is to get out alive --- until, by chance, she learns the identity of Vess's next intended victim, a faraway innocent only she can save. Driven by a newly discovered thirst for meaning beyond mere self-preservation, Chyna musters every inner resource she has to save an endangered girl ... as moment by moment, the terrifying threat of Edgar Foreman Vess intensifies.

Q
U
A
Intensity
L

S

The title is deceiving. This book is not very intense at all. I didn't find myself ont he edge of my seat or not wanting to put this down. It's convenient that the main character is a psych major so she can analyze what's going on. And how can you stay so calm! It's almost impossible. I would suggest this book for people who want a little bit of action but don't want to be too scared. Dean Koontz is undermined by Stephen King but he's just as good of a writer. This unfortunately was not his best work. I had high expectations for this book because of the title but I felt it fell short. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars.

Keep reading!
Mackenzie

December Update

Hello and Happy New Year!

Below you'll find my December update (I know it's January).

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

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
H
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
I
L
S

R
A
V
E
N
S

S
N
A
K
E
S

T
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 still have only finished "ELEPHANT". As for letters I've finished "B", "F", "J", "P", "X"

Keep reading!
Mackenzie