Book Review: "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing" by Matthew Perry

 

"What if I wasn't enough, like I always wasn't enough?"

This fear was the lifelong companion of Matthew Perry, whose beloved character saved, and is still, saving a lot of people across the Earth. He was enough, more than enough. He just didn't believe it. And that feeling is so certain for literally millions of people, including me, that is impossible just not to sympathize with every word that is written here.

We see Matthew's history since childhood and we can see how the feeling of worthlessness comes together since this young age and what ultimately brought him to look for things to make him feel "wonderful."

This seems to be a story all over the place, I think it's like it was written in a way Matthew was telling us every aspect as if he was telling us with us by him, like he were talking in front of us. I don't know, maybe at the end the editors found that to be a good idea, and it looks messy in certain parts, but you get the hang of it. I read some comments about this book and saw some complaints about this issue, but in the end, I felt as if I was talking to a friend.

Yes, this book caught my attention when it was released because I'm a Friends fan, but I didn't read it at the moment, I just didn't look for it and I chose other books instead. After his passing, I considered to reading it again, but the hype surrounding this event made me pause. The way he left caused a great impression and I wasn't ready, especially because the first reports were indicating the use of ketamine, a drug that I had previously used for my depression treatment, which I hated and felt down because that would've mean he was in a really bad place for that sort of drug.

I got my Kobo this month, yay! I don't even remember the first book I read, but the second was this one. My heart felt I really had to do it. It was, needless to say, incredibly difficult. Yet, I came to understand alcoholism in a certain way that I hadn't seen before. I've lived with an alcoholic my whole life, there are huge differences between Matthew's experiences and his, of course, but the main idea is there, and my sympathy grew exponentially, so I thank Matthew for the laughs in the show, but for the teaching about his condition as well. It's an eye-opener.

This book made me laugh because, how could you not laugh? It's Matthew Perry you're reading about! It didn't make me cry, but man, it was gut-wrenching, I had to stop several times because it was too much, but I'm glad I could read all of it. I learned a lot, not just about himself, but also about people and their own addictions surrounding me. 

I'll leave here 5 quotes from the book:

• My mind is out to kill me, and I know it.
• Somehow the culture all around me had taught me that drinking equaled laughing and having fun, and a much needed escaped from pain.
• Something that has often saved my life is that I get scared.
• I am a romantic, passionate person. I have longed for love; it's a yearning in me that I cannot fully explain.
• There are so many scars on my stomach that all I need to do is look down to know that I've been through a war, a self-inflicted war.

MATTHEW LANGFORD PERRY was a Canadian-American actor, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the iconic sitcom Friends. His portrayal of Chandler, with his sharp wit and sarcastic humor, made him a fan favorite and earned him widespread recognition. Perry was also open about his struggles with addiction, becoming an advocate for recovery and even opening a sober facility. He was born on August 19, 1969 and passed away on October 28, 2023, leaving behind a legacy of laughter, talent, and resilience.

Read More

Book Review: "Writers & Lovers" by Lily King

This is the story of Casey Peabody, a 31-year-old woman who has lost her mother and has been through a breakup recently. Casey has been writing a book for six years and has been trying to finish it while she breathlessly works as a waitress.

As the story unfolds, we can see how she has to deal with her lifelong friends that are getting married and start to have the lives they're supposed to have because of their age. King accurately describes that being over 30 doesn't mean your life's solved but actually starting; the character struggles mentally, financially, and romantically.

The first half of the book was really slow-paced for me compared to the second half, which is important somehow since you can feel the anxiety and hopelessness Casey has. Throughout the book, we can see more characters, like Oscar, Silas, Muriel, Harry, Caleb, and Adam but none of them has enough development. I still celebrate Muriel, Harry, and Casey's friendship, though, but I disliked completely one of her romantic relationships completely; I never liked the way he always referred or talked to her at all. Also, I felt as forced as she felt it.

Writers & Lovers isn't for everyone, maybe that's why I felt I wouldn't finish it. What totally makes it up are the parts about writing. King completely nailed it, at least when it comes to amateur writers like me, I don't know about the rest. She talks about the fears and expectations that come with it with the right words, and I know that more than one will feel identified with those quotes.

I could read this book thanks to NetGalley ;)

LILY KING grew up in Massachusetts and received her B.A. in English Literature from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and her M.A. in Creative Writing from Syracuse University. She has taught English and Creative Writing at several universities and high schools in this country and abroad. Lily's new novel, Euphoria, was released in June 2014. It has drawn significant acclaim so far, being named an Amazon Book of the Month, on the Indie Next List, and hitting numerous summer reading lists from The Boston Globe to O Magazine and USA Today. Reviewed on the cover of The New York Times Book Review, Emily Eakin called Euphoria, “a taut, witty, fiercely intelligent tale of competing egos and desires in a landscape of exotic menace.”

Read More

Book Review: "Eighteen Inches: The Distance Between the Heart and Mind" by Mirtha Michelle Castro Mármol

TW: Anxiety, depression, death, rape, sex, abortion.

"I am a woman who lives and does everything passionately. When I love, I love hard; when I hurt, hurt badly."

It was difficult to read this book. Difficult to the point I considered stopping. It made me cry since the beginning and made me remember things I thought I was ready to let go. So, pay attention to the back cover's warning and mine: "this book might make you cry..." Even so, I regained courage and continued. Yes, I kept crying, but less this last time. The other part of the warning is also true, by the way: "{this book might] fill you with nostalgia, empower you, or even give you hope."

It's both sad and comforting to know that we are not alone when it comes to heartbreaks, even if it seems that way. Castro Mármol writes down feelings of pain and longing that we might not know how to express through letters and poems, which might seem familiar from other poets nowadays, but that have the precise words to connect directly to you, even if you are not experiencing any of these feelings.

"Eighteen Inches" is an inch-by-inch journey that shows us that love might come and go and that it can be also found again, even if it comes in a different way. I don't feel empowered or hopeful after reading it but I think it's because I'm not there yet, not because this book fails in its purpose. I'm sure that it can be just right for someone else. 

I'm eternally grateful to Mirtha, who decided to share a part of her soul to us.

I could read this book thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing ;)

MIRTHA MICHELLE CASTRO MÁRMOL is a Dominican born actress and poet. At the age of five, her family migrated to Miami, Florida. She wrote her first poem at the age of six and since then cultivated a passion for poetry. She currently resides in Los Angeles, California. “Letters, to The Men I Have Loved” is her debut as an author. It consists of profound letters and poems directed to various men during different milestones in her life. Her work expresses loss, love, pain, growth, and hope.

Read More

Book Review: "30-Second Literature. The 50 most important forms, genres and styles, each explained in half a minute"

The idea of this book is excellent. I enjoyed it from the beginning. It's a perfect work for people that are looking for some light reading, for those starting their literature studies, and for people that have no idea of some related terminology.

I received this copy in a .ascm format, so I don't know how it would look in a tablet or in a physical format, but I think it'd work splendidly in a digital way since it has tiny sections that can send you to other pages with related content, as well as extra bibliography.

I would've liked the inclusion of a couple of more authors biographies' for each section and that they would've dedicated time for children's and erotica's literature since they have been earning new readers and more relevance nowadays.

If I ever see this book, I'm gonna buy it.

I could read this book thanks to NetGalley and Ivy Press ;)

ELLA BERTHOUD started reading on a journey from Tehran to London, on the parcel shelf of a Wolsey 1300 when she was five. She spent the next thirteen years reading books in inappropriate places like ski-lifts and trampolines. She studied English Literature at Cambridge University, where she read as many novels as she could at once. She continued on to University of East London where she studied Fine Art, and combined her twin passions of reading and painting by listening to books while creating works of art.

Read More

Book Review: "break your glass slippers" by Amanda Lovelace

"fairy godmother says villains almost never look like cackling witches, cruel stepmother, or bratty stepsisters, they're so much quieter than, & i think that's what makes them so menacing. in some chapters of your storybook, you'll find them hiding everywhere -even in the faces of those you hold dearest. they never reveal their true intentions until you've already trusted them too much & just like that, everyone you know has turned into a stranger."

I read "the princess saves herself in this one" back in 2016 and I completely fell in love with Amanda Lovelace's style and, if I'm completely honest, I think that book made me change my opinion about poetry books. Even so, I didn't read the rest of "Women Are Some Kind of Magic" books, I don't know why, but I did read "to make monsters out of girls" and it made sense to me perfectly again because I was in a very bad place.

Sadly, I didn't feel any connection with this book. I love the concept, and, for some reason, I love Cinderella (Disney's Cinderella), but I felt nothing. There are a couple of verses I liked but not enough to feel the same way I felt with the previous books.

There are illustrations that fit with the poems, there are illustrations that are repeated several times, but what's worse is that there are some blank pages, which makes the price of the book insane. I think they could've tried more poems or even different illustrations to make it better.

The only reason I'm giving this book an extra star is that I can see a personal evolution in Lovelace. I'm pretty sure that she's transformed from a queen into a fairy godmother whose magic spells are actually these words specially created for broken hearts and desperate souls. 

Respect! 

I could read this book thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing ;)

AMANDA LOVELACE began writing books of her own, & so she did. When she isn't reading or writing, she can be found waiting for pumpkin spice coffee to come back into season & binge-watching Gilmore Girls. (before you ask: team jess all the way). The lifelong poetess & storyteller currently lives in New Jersey with her partner, their moody cat, & a combined book collection so large it will soon need its own home. she has her B.A. in English literature with a minor in Sociology. 

Read More

Book Review: "Dark Celebrations" by Calvin Demmer

"Being asleep meant an escape from feeling; being awake only brought truth and reality."

I've felt a little bad recently, so I spent more time than usual reading a book like this. What I mean with this is that this is a light reading, regarding pace and structure.

Once again, I had the chance to read Calvin Demmer's chilling stories and I'm happy to say that there's no way I can not love this book. I don't believe in the supernatural but man, I do enjoy reading about it. This book, in particular, has the exact amount of suspense that you don't need to be a supernatural enthusiast to enjoy it. Everything captivates you since the beginning, and the art by Beth Rocksteady is a win! I would've loved to see more.

Even though we are talking about different stories, the world-building is complete, you don't need a lot of character backgrounds to understand them or to understand the context they're in, which is fantastic due to normal stories' shortness. ENJOY the plot twists.

I honestly started to expect a big connection to everything in Unidentified Fatherly Object and with the biggest revelation. I knew Fred would die but after everything was clarified. At the same time, I liked all the stories on their own.

My personal favorites were:

• Labor Day Hunt
• Happy Dark Year
• Dying Valentine
• She Will Rise

And, I'm not sure about this, but it seemed like there was a reference to The Call of Cthulhu. I say I'm not sure because I haven't read the book but that was what I pictured when I read the last one.

I hope you enjoy it as I did!

I could read this book thanks to the author.

CALVIN DEMMER is the author of The Sea Was a Fair Master and The Town That Feared Dusk. When not writing, he is intrigued by that which goes bump in the night and the sciences of our universe.

Read More

Book Review: "Ink and Arrows" by Shruthi Viswanathan

"You can ease your anger with revenge, but you can't ease the emptiness with anything."

Rea is a Suveri, a woman whose powers are granted thanks to the tattoos she has on her skin. She is a "human" that has the ability to handle magic. She looks for revenge for his father's death, which was in the hands of humans who exploited her tribe's magic.

After being arrested for trying to kill her father's murderer, Archduke Sebestyén of Alisia gets her free in exchange for her tattoo knowledge, and she only accepts if he grants her three wishes. As the story passes, both start to save each other, Sebestyén saves a stubborn and famished Rea while bringing her food to her somewhat cottage, and Rea saves him with her peace and companionship.

Sebastyén's royal position changes drastically when the war ends, which makes him realize his relationship with Rea is in jeopardy and that he just can't have it all because of his father and the kingdom. While Rea's feelings are clear, he has to make a choice.

The chemistry with the main characters, their acceptance to their feelings, and the sexual tension are very clear, which makes you root for them even more. Although the pace was pleasant, I would've liked more examples of Rea's powers and the tribe's traditions as well as Sebastyén's intentions to change Suveri lives and its repercussions in the kingdom. This would've been well-developed in a longer book. At the same level, I think it's a shame that we can't see enough of Sebestyén's brother, Arnold.

I felt the ending was written in a lazy way, so this book left me wanting so much more. I still enjoyed it while it lasted.

SHRUTHI VISWANATHAN is a fantasy novelist who is always lost in her head. Her best friends are imaginary characters who sometimes end up on the pages of her books. When she’s not writing, she likes to try out new restaurants, play video games, and read books that will take her on unforgettable journeys.

Read More

Book Review: "A Grief Observed" by C.S. Lewis

"Did you ever know, dear, how much you took away with you when you left? You have stripped me even of my past, even of the things we never shared."

This is the first time I read a C.S. Lewis book other than "The Chronicles of Narnia." I thought I'd read some of his science fiction material first but, as I read somewhere online, you don't look for this book, this book FINDS YOU.

Reading an author's own words in a book that wasn't intended for publication feels like an invasion of privacy at first, but while you keep reading, you discover a huge amount of similarities between you and other people, and this is an incredible reminder that we aren't different when it comes to love or pain, no matter the nationality, no matter the distance, no matter the time.

This book helps you grief because you find sentences you need from someone who really understands, from someone that wrote those words in THAT moment of despair. Lewis was able to put all the questions that come through our heads when we lose someone -although this book was written from the death-grief perspective, this is also relevant for a separation of a loved one, which was my case.

I am not a religious person, I tried to but failed years ago; I've always disliked when people approach me and try to make me feel better by saying that God works in mysterious ways and stuff like that. Lewis's words felt different. In his despair, he questions God's intentions, but in the end, you can see evolution and acceptance, because no matter how much you blame a deity or try to find your questions answered, this deity can't bring you that person back, so if your relationship was a pure one, you can always go back to those beautiful memories.

"I know that the thing I want is exactly the thing I can never get. The old life, the jokes, the drinks, the arguments, the lovemaking, the tiny, heartbreaking commonplace."

And yes, it hurts like hell but is what we have and is what we can work with. Lewis found his reconciliation with God while looking back at his memories and seeing them as perfection. 

A Grief Observed was my tiny reminder that I need to find reconciliation, not with a God/Goddess, but with myself.

C.S. LEWIS was an author, essayist and Christian apologist. He is best known for his children's classic series – The Chronicles of Narnia. Clive Staples Lewis was born on 29 November 1898 and lived until 22 November 1963. He was born in Belfast, North Ireland into a Protestant Ulster family.

Read More

Book Review: "Women on Top" by Michelle Miller

“Women on Top” gives you the idea that you’re going to read about women that create paths for others to follow or to influence people in some way.

The title fools you as well as the book cover.

Reading about women that enjoy their femininity, their works, their sex life is perfectly fine, the problem is that this book is about spoiled women that have a lot of privileges in their lives (I know they’re people that have good luck and that can have extraordinary experiences, that’s not wrong, what’s wrong is their personalities). The thing about these characters is that their main purpose in life is to find men, based on their appearance or status; the thing about these characters is that their resilience is proven if one of them sweats.

The stories could’ve been handled better, especially because these are short stories. Here you can find descriptions that aren’t relevant, things that won’t be mentioned again, and even tables attached as if they were essays.

The pacing, in general, is slow at the beginning of each story and too fast at their endings, which makes you feel dissatisfied. They’re unnecessary flashbacks, masochistic love, and some naïve woman. Also, there’s mentioned that the universal feminist dream is ending up with a man and family. Equality? Not in this book.

Both women and men have no depth, they only have lives filled with lies, pathetic people, expensive wine bottles,  and fashion brands, whose purpose is to show knowledge in that area somehow. Almost everything is about convenience and s*itty people can still get some kind of reward.

The image of love is wrong, although we all can fall in any of them, of course (masochistic, toxic, stupid). There’s a sentence that made me cringe intensely. A man takes one of these women to an art gallery because it had reminded him of her. That sounds kinda cute, right? And the resemblance turns out to be: “[He took her there] because he was thinking about her vagina.” Add a sarcastic smile here, please. Oh, mother of Thor!

The few tiny good things, a couple of sentences, intertextuality, and plot twists aren’t enough to make this book worth it. I’d definitely not recommend this book to anyone unless, like the author, such person has a fetish for khakis and calves.

I could read this book thanks to NetGalley and Amazon ;)

MICHELLE MILLER wrote pseudonymously until the publication of her debut novel, The Underwriting, which was translated into twenty languages and developed for television with Fox. She holds a BA and MBA from Stanford University and, in a past life, worked at JP Morgan's private bank. Michelle lives between London and Asheville, North Carolina, where she was born and raised.

Read More

Book Review: "Forgive Yourself: These Tiny Acts of Self-Destruction" by Jared Singer

"Goodbyes

are exactly like that—

no matter how ready you think

you are for them,

they always leave you with so

many things you want to say."

Reading this book wasn't what I expected. I know that reading someone else's poetry you enter in a part of their soul that is not always available to anyone else. Poetry can get very personal. It's not only a writing genre where you put words together to make them rhyme, but it's also a process where you express what you can't say with your voice in a certain moment, and I feel this process is different than writing a diary because mind and heart look for the correct words or even invent them to capture them on a piece of paper to never let them go.

Jared Singer talks about different kinds of love: the one that is romantic, the one that comes from friendship, the one that comes with one's identity and culture and self-love but also about their counterparts, like a partners' loss because love is gone, the loss of friends due to suicide or hate crimes, the loss of one's self, which happens often and can involve any of the aforementioned losses and, therefore, the need of self-destruction as well as the path to acceptance.

I'd say "TOXICITY" and "I STILL MISS YOU" were poems that felt like a bunch of slaps because they reminded me of myself. And that's the thing about poetry that differs from characters in novels. Even though these aren't your words, you can find your feelings finally expressed and that you are not the only one that thinks the same.

The only one I disagreed with was "YOUR SLEEPING PILLS." Didn't I get the point of it? Maybe. But as someone that has been in treatment for months, I can't tell myself that I don't need them. Of course, my body and mind would love not to take them, that I'd be better off without them in a certain way, but taking those pills is something that I need to get used to since what I have is not something that will ever end. Still, even with those pills, I do have those moments of self-destruction (you need to read the poem to understand such moments).

I could read this book thanks to NetGalley and Button Poetry ;)

JARED SINGER is an audio engineer and poet currently living in New Jersey. He grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, and came to maturity in Brooklyn. This life has taught Jared that both beauty and hardship will find us wherever we go, and cannot hide from either. What we can do is choose which we look for and which we focus our life around. Jared is proud to have his poems focused on joy, science, and learning from his worst moments.

Read More

Book Review: "The Bird King" by G. Willow Wilson

This book was disappointing and for a moment I thought I wouldn’t finish it. The beginning of it totally caught my attention, though.

As the synopsis says, the story is set during the reign of a sultan that falls into the hands of the Spanish Inquisition, a situation that changes the lives of two friends, Fatima and Hassan. The story looks promising at this point because we can read a little bit about the traditions held around that time and place (Iberian Peninsula), like the way Fatima and Hassan arrived at the palace, the way they served their masters (Fatima as a concubine and Hassan as a magic mapmaker, as well as their subsequent longing for freedom, and how this freedom looks even more impossible to achieve with the arrival of the Holy Office representatives.

In order to save Hassan of a terrible fate involving his talent with mapmaking, he and Fatima embarked in a journey that I think it lacked a feeling of adventure and emotion, which made it boring; a journey that also added unnecessary characters that didn’t have enough background to make you feel anything for them, not love nor hate (and I'm afraid to say I felt nothing for the main characters either). Also, they were parts that were a little bit confusing to me, but I have the feeling that it was because of the Kindle format I got.

This story wasn’t for me. Definitely.

I could read this book thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic ;)

G. WILLOW WILSON is the author of the acclaimed novel The Bird King, co-creator of the Hugo and American Book Award-winning series Ms Marvel, and has written for some of the world’s best-known superhero comic book series, including The X-Men, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Her first novel, Alif the Unseen, won the 2013 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, was a finalist for the Center For Fiction’s First Novel Prize, and was long-listed for the 2013 Women’s Prize for Fiction. In 2015, she won the Graphic Literature Innovator Prize at the PEN America Literary Awards. Her work has been translated into over a dozen languages. She lives in Seattle.

Read More

Book Review: "A Dash of Flash" by Millie Thom

I attended a short story course at school that changed my literary views some years ago. Firstly, because I discovered that you can tell an entire story in no more than one page and with a wide range of resources ㅡplot twists, cliffhangers, parodies, uff! Secondly, that you can receive a huge impact from those tiny stories, and finally, that these aren't so easy to write precisely for the first two statements (or maybe they're but not for me *insert stressed emoji here*).

Even though Thom's book can be read quickly, I couldn't do it because of work and school, but I think such thing helped in the end because I could read a bit here and there and from time to time. Furthermore, the plots are so varied that it's not necessary to read it that fast or read it in the provided order, so I'm sure you can find a story that pleases you, or maybe you like them all! The magic about this kind of fiction is that you actually don't know what to expect: you can receive a sudden spark of inspiration because you want to write your own version or maybe you get an avalanche of shivers because of that impressive plot twist.

This is a very light reading and I recommend it to people that enjoy short fiction, but mostly to those that have never tried it before. My rating might not be the highest, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it, I just think some of the stories weren't read in the right moment for me, but this situation can be completely different for someone else!

I could read this book thanks to the author and Booktasters ;)

MILLIE THOM is a former geography and history teacher with a degree in geology and a particular passion for the Anglo-Saxon and Viking period. Originally from Lancashire, she is a mother of six grown-up children and now lives with her husband in a small village in Nottinghamshire, midway between the town of Newark and the lovely old city of Lincoln. When not writing, Millie enjoys long walks and is a serious fossil hunter. She is also an avid traveler, swimmer, and baker of cakes!

Read More

Book Review: "The Ingredients of Love" by Nicolas Barreau

Previously posted on Goodreads!¹

The tagline of this book says "This book will make you happy" (I read this book in Spanish, so I'm not sure if the phrase goes exactly like that). BUT this is my tagline: "This book will make you feel like The Hulk!"

I don't like to say this, but I really hated this story.

First of all, this is sold like an intelligent, charming, and blah story when is the contrary. God, I'm so angry that I feel that I'm also writing in a not intelligent way!

We have this total cliché plot of lies and a pair of immature persons in their 30's hat act worse than teenagers. We have Aurélie, who's recently been dumped, so she ends with a two-day "depression", and I'm using quotation marks here because that's what the synopsis says, not what happened; she forgets about this when she reads a book "about her" and saves her life. At first, when I found this book, I thought this would be metaphorical... my mistake. The character of the book is actually her, physically, so I DON'T UNDERSTAND how a book that describes my physical appearance can save me. Then, because she has practically seen heaven, she goes nuts when she tries to find the author.

Then we have André, a person that at first I believed was the one with common sense... NOPE! He falls in love at first sight (falling in love like that isn't the bad part) and creates an awful story around himself just to get in touch with Aurélie. He's the bridge between "the author" and this girl. He doesn't get the hints Aurélie gives him about not being interested and he doesn't understand. There was a moment that got me on my nerves:

"'Do you know that you're a really bad person, monsieur Chabanais?'

'Yes, I know. I'm worse than you can imagine.'" 

And I was like: "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, GIRL! PAY ATTENTION!"

He gets so obsessed that he makes things that aren't healthy in any way. But, "he's in love" and that's what matters, right? (This f****** weirdo). And Aurélie HATED HIM most of the time and then... loved him? WT...

And the writing? Barreau spoils himself saying things like "I looked at the writing, as it was the key to unveil Miller's mystery. And it was. But I couldn't see it at that moment." Lord, have mercy! Also, the synopsis says that this book is filled with books, recipes... I'm sorry, but there's no mention of a real book and the recipes are attached at the end of the book, resulting in a waste of sheets.

NICOLAS BARREAU was born in Paris, the son of a French father and a German mother. He studied romance languages and literature at the Sorbonne and worked in a bookshop on the Rive Gauche in Paris but is far from an inexperienced bookworm. With his two other successful novels The Woman of My Life and You'll Find Me at the End of the World, he has gained an enthusiastic audience. The Ingredients of Love is his second novel.


¹This review was written and originally posted on my Goodreads profile in 2016. It might now present minor changes in structure or corrections but has not changed its intention.

Read More

Book Review: "The Sea Was a Fair Master" by Calvin Demmer

I read What is Love? by Calvin Demmer some days ago, but I think the author surpasses that previous work with The Sea Was a Fair Master.

These 23 stories are very different from one another, something that makes you feel that they were written by different authors, and I believe that's precisely the wonder of this book. I've been told lately that writers need to find their own voice, that they need to stand out from the others, and it's true, it's how they get recognized at the end; again, while Demmer's stories seem to be written by different people, because of the variety of themes, I think that he clearly leaves his signature in the dark or unexpected paths his characters take and in the way he satisfactorily ends each story.

This is a horror compilation and you can read how such horror teams up with suspense, darkness, and love. You can read about an android in one moment, about a proud trash collector or about kids that aren't angelic in the other. If you need a quick and exciting reading where you can feel your heart racing and your jaw clenching with excitement, then this is the book for you. I'm sure you are going to find at least a couple of tales that are going to stick with you for a long time.

I could read this book thanks to the author.

CALVIN DEMMER is the author of The Sea Was a Fair Master and The Town That Feared Dusk. When not writing, he is intrigued by that which goes bump in the night and the sciences of our universe.

Read More

Book Review: "Stars Above" by Marissa Meyer

Previously posted on Goodreads!¹

It was a nice touch to gather all these short stories. The thing is, that you have to be familiar with the entire Lunar Chronicles series (well, The Little Android can be read separately, I guess).

All of these are SPOILERS if you haven't read or finished The Lunar Chronicles.

The Keeper: ★★★★☆ Loved to read about Michelle Benoit and the problems she had when Cinder arrived to her farm... and she named Cinder! I almost cried!

Glitches: ★★★★☆ (More of a 4.5) I'm a weak person when it comes to Cinder. This is the story of how she meets the Lihns and Iko! (Reread)

The Queen's Army: ★★★★★ If by any chance you don't like Wolf, this short story will change your mind! I just liked him, now it's different!

Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky: ★★★☆☆ (3.5) You can meet the Thornes and that story about Kate.

After Sunshine Passes By: ★★★★☆ This is the story of how Cress ended up in the satellite. Made me cry a bit because she never stopped being a dreamer.

The Princess and the Guard: ★★★★★ All things about Luna and Lunars are perfect! And Levana's there (I love her because she's a well-written villain). This is a story about Winter's early steps.

The Little Android: ★★★★☆ Another twist with another fairytale, The Little Mermaid, but of course, instead of a mermaid you have an android, because why not! This story doesn't add any relevant backstory of TLC.

The Mechanic: ★★★☆☆ (3.5) Kai's point of view when he meets Cinder.

Something Old, Something New: ★★★★★ (x20!) A perfect epilogue of The Lunar Chronicles, all the beloved characters are there! This story is set two years after the battle in Luna.

MARISSA MEYER is a fangirl at heart, with a closet full of costumes, a Harry Potter wand on her desk, and a Tuxedo Mask doll hanging from her rearview mirror. Han and Leia are still her OTP. She may or may not be a cyborg. Marissa is also the NYT bestselling author of a number of books for teens, including The Lunar Chronicles, the Renegades Trilogy, and Heartless.

¹This review was written and originally posted on my Goodreads profile in 2016. It might now present minor changes in structure or corrections but has not changed its intention.

Read More