Jennifer’s
Comments
(group member since Dec 27, 2022)
Jennifer’s
comments
from the Chapter Adventure Reading Challenges (Formerly GXO) group.
Showing 1-20 of 119
• The War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells- Classic/Sci-Fi/Horror
- Finished: August 19th.
- 3 stars on Goodreads.
Close to 4 stars, but not quite there. I’ve seen a few movie adaptations, but somehow never read the book until now. I did mostly enjoy it, but for such a short book it tended to drag on a bit.
• The Exorcist - William Peter Blatty- Horror/Paranormal/Thriller
- Finished: August 31st.
- 4 stars on Goodreads.
Well…..that was disturbing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the entire movie. Just a few of the more famous scenes here and there. I know the movie caused quite a stir when it was released, but now I’m wondering if all of the most disturbing scenes from the book were included, because….surely not? In any event, yes, this book is disturbing, and shocking, and enthralling in the manner of a car accident that you can’t look away from.
I was just coming here to ask the same thing. Went to add my August key word book and there’s no topic for it.
Gilda wrote: "Challenge Complete: Single Day StoryThe Regulators by Richard Bachman (aka Stephen King)
It’s certainly true that, under the Bachman pseudonym, King’s writing becomes darker. This b..."
I picked the same book for this motif ☺️
• The Regulators - Stephen King- Horror/Paranormal/Suspense
- Finished: July 17th
- 4 stars on Goodreads
I enjoyed this pretty much on par with most of King’s stuff I’ve read. I feel like I maybe should have read this one right after (or at least closer to) reading Desperation, because I forgot most of what happens in that one other than a very vague notion. d
• A House With Good Bones - T. Kingfisher- Mystery/Horror/Paranormal
- Finished: July 8th
- 4 stars on Goodreads
I don’t have much to say about this one, other than it was superbly creepy.
• Someone Is Always Watching - Kelley Armstong- Mystery/Thriller/Horror/Romance/YA
- Finished: June 25th
- 4 stars on Goodreads *SPOILER*
This was an enjoyable read. My only complaint is that Blythe’s past “crime” wasn’t as drastic as it should have been. The storyline would have had much more impact to find out that perfect, quiet, Blythe had done something completely heinous.
• The Princess Bride - William Goldman- Fantasy/Adventure/Romance/YA
- Finished: June 12th
- 3 stars on Goodreads.
I need to preface this review with the caveat that the reason I’ve given it 3 stars is because William Goldman is a sexist, racist, fat-phobic asshole. And this isn’t because I’m some sensitive soul - I’m not usually one to hunt for deeper meaning or agendas where there are none. He truly doesn’t even try to hide that fact that he’s a terrible human being in the 2 introductions he writes for this anniversary edition. He writes them as if his views are natural, and perfectly fine. Even given that his whole persona in the book is mostly fake (he had 2 daughters in real life, not a son). I almost tossed the book in the trash before even getting to the actual story.
Examples:
1. He seriously considers cheating on his wife. The only reason he doesn’t, is he gets interrupted by a phone call.
2. He makes fun of his own (fictional) son for being overweight, and treats him badly in general because of it.
3. He uses racist stereotypes/slurs
a) (not verbatim) He says if his son were “painted yellow” he’d be unbeatable on the school sumo team
b) He uses the term “spick” at one point in reference to Inigo.
It’s truly a shame, because the story itself, and the whole S. Morgenstern gimmick easily deserves 5 stars. And there’s a whole bunch of great stuff that’s not included in the movie. But I swear, every time William Goldman intrudes into the story writing as “himself”, I cringed.
From the Belletrist book club list • How To Be Eaten - Maria Adelmann
- Retelling/Urban Fantasy/Horror
- Finished: May 27th.
- 5 stars on Goodreads
This was friggin fantastic! Easily one of the best I’ve read so far this year. The entire thing is just so gritty and atmospheric. The characters seem utterly preposterous, yet all too real at the same time. Each somehow makes their fairytale based story seem entirely plausible. Which is to say, the author has managed to create characters with personalities and storylines that draw the reader in, while also boldly inviting them to suspend disbelief. Well, I gladly did so, and was immensely entertained in return.
• The Innkeeper’s Song - Peter S. Beagle- Fantasy/Romance/LTGBQA+
- Finished: April 21st
- 5 stars on Goodreads
*MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD*
Yes, yes, it did take me an inordinate amount of time for me to read this book. Normally that would mean a lower rating. BUT. The problem was that I could not for the life me read it while in any state of sleepiness whatsoever. Even the tiniest bit of sleepiness meant that I no longer understood what the f*ck was going on. And since I’ve mostly been reading in bed before sleeping….that turned into a hellofalot of chapters I would have to go back to reread. Which was kind of amusing to be honest.
It’s not that the storyline is overly complex (I’ve definitely read storylines that were more difficult to follow), it’s just that the storytelling style itself is so full of whimsy and metaphors. It really required my full attention to keep abreast of it. Then add in the fact that one of the characters has taken on a disguise as the opposite gender, and the reader (and other characters) don’t even find out about it until more than halfway through the book…it just makes for a bit of a muzzy-headed reading experience. If that makes sense.
In any event, both the storyline and style of writing are actually quite genius, and entirely delightful.
• Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen- Historical/Contemporary/Romance
- Finished: April 6th
- 5 stars on Goodreads
Fantastic! I saw the movie years and years ago, and I’ve had the book sitting on my shelf for an embarrassingly long 9 years. From what I recall the movie is pretty faithful to the book, but now I want to do a rewatch.
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest - Ken Kesey- Classics/Contemporary
- Finished: March 24th.
- 4 stars on Goodreads
I don’t know what sort of an ending I was expecting, but that definitely wasn’t it. I’m too tired to write a comprehensive review…maybe I’ll come back to it at some point.
• Dark and Deepest Red - Anna-Marie McLemore- Fantasy/Retelling/YA/Historical Fiction/Romance/LGBTQA+
- Finished: March 15th.
- 4 stars on Goodreads.
This book is full of whimsy, and delight…but also full of darkness and intolerance. Every time I read anything in regards to how “witches” were accused and snuffed out, I can’t help feeling a flickering ember of rage. I’ve been a fan of Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tales since I was a child, and I really enjoyed this retelling of The Red Shoes.
• Sea of Rust - C. Robert Cargill- Dystopian/Sci-Fi
- Finished: March 6th
- 4 stars on Goodreads
That was depressing as shit….but fascinating at the same time. I’m wrestling with what my rating should actually be, because some aspects I would rate a 3, and others would get a 5. So I’ve landed on 4, but I probably won’t bother keeping this on my shelf. Ugh. I liked it, but I didn’t at the same time.
• When the World Tips Over - Jandy Nelson- Contemporary/Fantasy/LGBTQIA/Romance/YA
- Finished: February 20th
- 5 stars on Goodreads
Holy hell, I love this author SO DAMN MUCH. Her writing is whimsical and rambling, a veritable hurricane. You never know how any given sentence is going to end. Her writing hurts my heart in the best way possible. Like it’s being lifted right out of my chest.
• Do Androids Dream if Electric Sheep - Philip K. Dick- Dystopian/Sci-Fi/Classic
- Finished: February 13th.
- 5 stars on Goodreads.
I can’t believe how long it’s taken me to get around to reading this book. It’s really quite excellent. I haven’t seen either of the movies (original & remake), and I’m now wondering how closely they follow the book. They’ll be added to my list of things to watch for sure.
• Summer’s End - Kristy Brown- Summer Solstice # 1
- Urban Fantasy/Romance/YA
- Finished: January 12th.
- 1 star on Goodreads. *SPOILERS*
This book went straight into the trash bin when I was done reading it. I only finished it because it fulfills part of a reading challenge I’m doing. My head hurts, and I don’t even have the mental energy to write a comprehensive review on why it was so fucking terrible. Or the fortitude to be nice about it. So here are all of my raw thoughts, just copied and pasted from my updates while reading.
Page 15: DOONEY? I'm sorry, but that's the stupidest fucking name ever. Storyline better be able to carry that.
Page 53: Oh no. Listen, if this guy is supposed to be an amazing killing machine, trained since he was 4, and supposedly no one has been able to beat him since he was 8......how the fuck am I supposed to believe a few high school jocks can take him down, even momentarily. And "hitting the tall one right in his special place"? C'mon now. Do better.
Page 54: Oh, my bad. I forgot this is university, not high school.
In my defence though, they're all acting like a bunch of immature jackass high school kids...
Page 126: Ah, shit. And now we've taken a religious turn...
page 128: I'm this close to DNF -ing, I swear. The light has to remain "pure"...what kind of misogynistic dogshit is this.
Page 135: More tingles in my "area"
Page 151: I can't get over the whole naming his bike Shelly and treating it like a real woman/person.
Page 159: Alex. My dude. You're being such a fucking creep right now. Stop.
Page 160: Holy shit, when u think it can't get worse. "I'm still a guy with needs". Gross.
Page 161: Seriously, what was the author thinking here??? Alex's thoughts and attitude are absolute trash. He's disgusting. "I just want to be a normal teen for once. I should get points, I mean I could 'do' anyone, but the fact that I don't...I should get brownie points, right?" JESUS CHRIST.
Page 162: And it just keeps getting worse.
Page 169: Shittiest angel back-stories I've ever read.
• The Time Machine - H.G. Wells- Classic/Sci-Fi/Fantasy
- Finished: January 9th.
- 5 stars on Goodreads
I can’t believe I’ve seen the movie(s), but it’s taken me this long to read the dang book. Aside from some slightly mind boggling intellectual talk at the beginning, during the dinner hosted by our time traveller, before he embarks on his journey, this is a fairly simple and straight forward read. If I had concentrated on just reading, I would have easily finished it in one sitting. In any event, I really enjoyed this. It’s been a long (LONG) time since I’ve seen it, but if I recall correctly, the 1960 movie follows the book fairly closely. If I can find somewhere to stream it, I’d like to watch it again to see the differences.
• Merry & Bright - Debbie Macomberhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Super cute. I like Debbie Macomber’s style
• Kidnapped By the Krampus - Emily Shorehttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
This was probably one of the most ridiculous books I’ve ever read 😅. I bought it at the end of the season last year after seeing someone else share it. I don’t know why I fall into these traps so often, knowing full well I don’t enjoy the majority of erotica. But the thing is, I can’t really pinpoint what it is that determines whether I like it or not. I really enjoyed the first few books of Ice Planet Barbarians series (and plan on reading more when I get my hands on them - just waiting for more matching cover special editions to be released), so why didn’t I like this book? I dunno. But I was definitely getting bored by the halfway point. It has a pretty cover at least? And printed page edges.
