The last Kim Liggett book I reviewed here (Blood and Salt) was creepy and weird and crazy. This one tops it.
The cover tagline is "eerie and unnerving and tense". Yep, I'd agree with that.
Devil worship, high school football, and history converge in Smalltown USA.
127 years ago six families founded Midland. The sixth generation of the founding families are now high school seniors. Only the Tate family has more than one child: Clay, Jess, and Natalie (who goes by the nickname Noodle). One year ago their father went off his rocker and slaughtered every female cow on a neighboring ranch. Clay found his father muttering about the devil and blood.
Clay lost everything that night. Without his father to cut the wheat, the responsibility falls to Clay. He quits football and dumps his girlfriend. While their mother spirals into depression, Jess goes goth and becomes the town whore. Only Noodle seems immune, excelling at school and keeping the family together by a thread. Clay decides to get Noodle out of their podunk little farm town and starts saving for her to attend private school 45 minutes away.
But now, a year later, weird things start happening around Clay. He has visions of baby cows being slaughtered and then kids start dying under suspicious circumstances. A school counselor, a devout Catholic in a town of Baptists, thinks there might be a cult in Midland. As things get stranger and stranger, Clay isn't sure whether he's the chosen one to lead the cult or defeat it.
Not going to lie, this book was weird and creepy. I did figure out what was really happening (and who is on what side) pretty early though.
Also, I have no idea how I got this book. It kinda just appeared on my ottoman. And that's kinda weird too. It's being added to the LMC collection right now.
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Thursday, March 23, 2017
A Death-Struck Year by Makiia Lucier
Hellllloooooo....
I finally got a chance to get some reading done last night. Let's face it, no one comes to visit the LMC on PVN, except maybe to ask me to print their child's schedule. I had ONE visitor last night. And it was a lost parent. *sigh*
So, I read this. I saw this come in a few orders ago and thought it sounded interesting, but not enough "hook" to get me to steal it off the cart before it went on display. It was recently returned with a good review from the student, so I figured I should read it!
Sometimes it's difficult for students, particularly those who struggle with language, to separate fact from fiction when reading historical fiction. I can't tell you how many students think they're expects on the Salem Witch Trials because they read The Crucible. Or how many thought Rose and Jack were really on the Titanic. We, as teachers of literature, need to make sure our students understand that while the events in the book really happened, and likely affected a lot of people, the characters in this book are either changed to fit the plot or made up entirely.
In this case, the historical events are World War I and the Spanish Influenza outbreak. Our characters, however, are entirely fictional.
Cleo's parents died in a carriage accident (remember this is the early 1900s) and she has been raised by a much older brother and his wife. They are relatively wealthy, as they have a live-in housekeeper and Cleo attends a private boarding school for girls. Her brother and sister-in-law set out on an extended anniversary trip, leaving Cleo at school. It is during this extended stay at her school that the Spanish flu arrives on the West Coast.
Cleo makes several bold, and perhaps rash, decisions to leave the school, live at home alone, and volunteer as a Red Cross worker/quasi-nurse. In doing so, she meets new female friends outside her circle and is attracted to the male military medical student assigned to their area. I do feel some of the interactions were a bit cliched.
I won't spoil what happens to Cleo, but the author throws in a twist at the very end I didn't see coming.
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS!
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
I finally got a chance to get some reading done last night. Let's face it, no one comes to visit the LMC on PVN, except maybe to ask me to print their child's schedule. I had ONE visitor last night. And it was a lost parent. *sigh*
So, I read this. I saw this come in a few orders ago and thought it sounded interesting, but not enough "hook" to get me to steal it off the cart before it went on display. It was recently returned with a good review from the student, so I figured I should read it!
Sometimes it's difficult for students, particularly those who struggle with language, to separate fact from fiction when reading historical fiction. I can't tell you how many students think they're expects on the Salem Witch Trials because they read The Crucible. Or how many thought Rose and Jack were really on the Titanic. We, as teachers of literature, need to make sure our students understand that while the events in the book really happened, and likely affected a lot of people, the characters in this book are either changed to fit the plot or made up entirely.
In this case, the historical events are World War I and the Spanish Influenza outbreak. Our characters, however, are entirely fictional.
Cleo's parents died in a carriage accident (remember this is the early 1900s) and she has been raised by a much older brother and his wife. They are relatively wealthy, as they have a live-in housekeeper and Cleo attends a private boarding school for girls. Her brother and sister-in-law set out on an extended anniversary trip, leaving Cleo at school. It is during this extended stay at her school that the Spanish flu arrives on the West Coast.
Cleo makes several bold, and perhaps rash, decisions to leave the school, live at home alone, and volunteer as a Red Cross worker/quasi-nurse. In doing so, she meets new female friends outside her circle and is attracted to the male military medical student assigned to their area. I do feel some of the interactions were a bit cliched.
I won't spoil what happens to Cleo, but the author throws in a twist at the very end I didn't see coming.
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS!
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
Sunday, March 19, 2017
Hey!
I just wanted to throw out a brief update. I know I haven't been on here lately, and I'm totally sorry! As you may know, WHHS is in the beginning stages of the NEASC accreditation process. We (the teachers) just finished up the self-study report. Guess who the Steering Committee picked to be their proofreader? That's right, this gal.
So, every moment I've had I've been working on commas and pronoun agreement and run-on sentences!
I have gotten through Standards 2, 3, 4, and 5. That leaves me 1, 6, and 7.
I have quite a few books on my ottoman to read as soon as this is task is complete!
Keep checking back for updates!
Follow me on Twitter@RamblingsLMS
So, every moment I've had I've been working on commas and pronoun agreement and run-on sentences!
I have gotten through Standards 2, 3, 4, and 5. That leaves me 1, 6, and 7.
I have quite a few books on my ottoman to read as soon as this is task is complete!
Keep checking back for updates!
Follow me on Twitter
Friday, March 10, 2017
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Hello!
I am so very happy to share we have saved up enough water and bottle return funds to put in a whopper of a book order! Half of it arrived yesterday (you can see the picture on my Twitter feed) and the other half is shipping soon. Once it gets here, NEW ARRIVALS will be Books of the Week!
One of the perks of opening new book boxes? Snagging what you think looks interesting first! Including this!
If I had to compare this book to other books or media (which I something I have to do for SLJ reviews), I'd say Night Circus meets Moulin Rouge meets Escape the Room/New Haven meets a murder mystery dinner. Yes, really!
Two sisters, abandoned by their mother and raised by a cruel father who is governor of their island, hear of the Caraval from their grandmother. The traveling show allows guests to either just watch or participate in the game. Scarlett and Donatella desperately want to attend, but the show is nowhere near them until just before Scarlett's (arranged) wedding. Their father, of course, would never let them go.
Enter Julian, a visiting sailor who takes an interest in Tella and was a previous guest of the Caraval.
Nothing is what it seems and no one is who they say they are.
Who is acting as part of the show and who is not?
And what of Legend, the creative master of the Caraval? His past and the girls' may be more entwined than they realize.
I LOVED this book and read it in one night. It will keep you guessing until the very end. Which, it appears, there will be a sequel.
Look for this book to go on display shortly in the LMC!
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs W.
I am so very happy to share we have saved up enough water and bottle return funds to put in a whopper of a book order! Half of it arrived yesterday (you can see the picture on my Twitter feed) and the other half is shipping soon. Once it gets here, NEW ARRIVALS will be Books of the Week!
One of the perks of opening new book boxes? Snagging what you think looks interesting first! Including this!
If I had to compare this book to other books or media (which I something I have to do for SLJ reviews), I'd say Night Circus meets Moulin Rouge meets Escape the Room/New Haven meets a murder mystery dinner. Yes, really!
Two sisters, abandoned by their mother and raised by a cruel father who is governor of their island, hear of the Caraval from their grandmother. The traveling show allows guests to either just watch or participate in the game. Scarlett and Donatella desperately want to attend, but the show is nowhere near them until just before Scarlett's (arranged) wedding. Their father, of course, would never let them go.
Enter Julian, a visiting sailor who takes an interest in Tella and was a previous guest of the Caraval.
Nothing is what it seems and no one is who they say they are.
Who is acting as part of the show and who is not?
And what of Legend, the creative master of the Caraval? His past and the girls' may be more entwined than they realize.
I LOVED this book and read it in one night. It will keep you guessing until the very end. Which, it appears, there will be a sequel.
Look for this book to go on display shortly in the LMC!
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs W.
Monday, February 20, 2017
Unmasked by Kane Hodder and Michael Aloisi
Confession time...I have a weird obsession with Jason.
Yes, really.
I dressed up as Jason in middle school for Halloween.
Yes, really.
I did a paper in college on Jason as a tragic hero.
Yes, really.
I actually hate bloody slasher movies. I've only actually seen one of the Friday the 13th movies (and most of it my eyes were hidden in my then boyfriend's chest). I don't plan to watch them either. But I have READ just about everything on the character from a psychological standpoint, including why we (meaning people like me) are drawn to such a character.
In looking for memoirs to update our collection (if you weren't aware, our seniors must read a memoir and we have ours pulled out in a special collection section), I came across this. It was out of stock on Amazon, so it went on our Follett wish list. When we placed the most recent order, it went out there too and had to be cancelled. BUT, the paperback was now available on Amazon, so I ordered it. It'll be donated on Wednesday.
Anyway, I LOVED this book. It's semi-autobiographical. There is an author separate from Kane Hodder doing the actual writing, and both admit parts are creative, as memory is unreliable (remember The Things They Carried?). Hodder has played Jason more times than anyone, and really, it's his portrayal you picture when you think of Jason. That menacing deep breathing thing and the head twist before moving thing is Hodder's creation.
Hodder was a stunt man first, and does nearly all of his own in the Jason movies. He's become a cult hero, to the point that his fans were rabid when he was not cast in Freddy vs. Jason. (There's a WHOLE lotta psych work than can be done with Robert Englund and Freddy, but that's another post.)
I laughed out loud several times (Hodder likes to prank, a lot), got teary eyed a few times (he carried a wheelchair bound fan through a haunted house when it wasn't accessible!), and got really angry in a few places (see previous paragraph).
I hope you enjoy this one too!
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Tweet what you're reading #whhs #read
Submit your written reviews to The Westie Review corner of The Rostrum
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
Yes, really.
I dressed up as Jason in middle school for Halloween.
Yes, really.
I did a paper in college on Jason as a tragic hero.
Yes, really.
I actually hate bloody slasher movies. I've only actually seen one of the Friday the 13th movies (and most of it my eyes were hidden in my then boyfriend's chest). I don't plan to watch them either. But I have READ just about everything on the character from a psychological standpoint, including why we (meaning people like me) are drawn to such a character.
In looking for memoirs to update our collection (if you weren't aware, our seniors must read a memoir and we have ours pulled out in a special collection section), I came across this. It was out of stock on Amazon, so it went on our Follett wish list. When we placed the most recent order, it went out there too and had to be cancelled. BUT, the paperback was now available on Amazon, so I ordered it. It'll be donated on Wednesday.
Anyway, I LOVED this book. It's semi-autobiographical. There is an author separate from Kane Hodder doing the actual writing, and both admit parts are creative, as memory is unreliable (remember The Things They Carried?). Hodder has played Jason more times than anyone, and really, it's his portrayal you picture when you think of Jason. That menacing deep breathing thing and the head twist before moving thing is Hodder's creation.
Hodder was a stunt man first, and does nearly all of his own in the Jason movies. He's become a cult hero, to the point that his fans were rabid when he was not cast in Freddy vs. Jason. (There's a WHOLE lotta psych work than can be done with Robert Englund and Freddy, but that's another post.)
I laughed out loud several times (Hodder likes to prank, a lot), got teary eyed a few times (he carried a wheelchair bound fan through a haunted house when it wasn't accessible!), and got really angry in a few places (see previous paragraph).
I hope you enjoy this one too!
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Tweet what you're reading #whhs #read
Submit your written reviews to The Westie Review corner of The Rostrum
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
Monday, February 13, 2017
The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer
I took a few days off to do an SLJ review...look for it in March 2017--it's horror!
Anyway, this book was #3 of the B&N clearance sale. It was half off the list price. This one was worth it!
You may have heard of the author. She wrote a little novel called Twilight and its sequels.
A former government scientist (real name Julianna, currently going by Alex) is on the run years after her lab partner and mentor was murdered. She knows too much and represents a liability. It seems now though her former employer needs her. They have discovered a terrorist plot to release a viral agent of mass destruction. Only someone of her caliber chemist can help them.
Their sole lead is an urban history teacher named Daniel. All of a sudden tons of money is appearing in his bank accounts after trips to Mexico and Egypt. It would appear the educator is claiming to be helping Habitat for Humanity, but is instead running drugs, viruses, money, or all 3.
Alex kidnaps Daniel to torture him for information. NOTHING is as it seems.
One of the main characters is a German Shepherd who steals the show, along with a Great Dane and a Bassett Hound.
Trigger warning: several other dogs are killed in a gun fire fight. They die as heroes and there is no harsh or violent description of their deaths, but I think younger readers should know.
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Tweet what you're reading #read #whhs
Submit your written reviews to The Westie Review corner of The Rostrum
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
Anyway, this book was #3 of the B&N clearance sale. It was half off the list price. This one was worth it!
You may have heard of the author. She wrote a little novel called Twilight and its sequels.
A former government scientist (real name Julianna, currently going by Alex) is on the run years after her lab partner and mentor was murdered. She knows too much and represents a liability. It seems now though her former employer needs her. They have discovered a terrorist plot to release a viral agent of mass destruction. Only someone of her caliber chemist can help them.
Their sole lead is an urban history teacher named Daniel. All of a sudden tons of money is appearing in his bank accounts after trips to Mexico and Egypt. It would appear the educator is claiming to be helping Habitat for Humanity, but is instead running drugs, viruses, money, or all 3.
Alex kidnaps Daniel to torture him for information. NOTHING is as it seems.
One of the main characters is a German Shepherd who steals the show, along with a Great Dane and a Bassett Hound.
Trigger warning: several other dogs are killed in a gun fire fight. They die as heroes and there is no harsh or violent description of their deaths, but I think younger readers should know.
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Tweet what you're reading #read #whhs
Submit your written reviews to The Westie Review corner of The Rostrum
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
The Bookman's Tale by Charlie Lovett
This was another book I picked up at the clearance sale at B&N, $28 down to $6. The snippet on the jacket indicated a connection to the Shakespeare authorship question, something Miss Stevens and I love to debate about.
I do not believe the actor/director William Shakespeare wrote the plays attributed to him. There is not even proof the man wrote a letter to his long ill wife, let alone full length plays in iambic pentameter. I believe Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford or a group comprised of de Vere, Christopher Marlowe, Francis Bacon, and others wrote them. That makes me an Oxfordian.
Side note: there's a theory that what's hidden on Oak Island isn't treasure, but the original manuscripts of the plays, as written by Bacon. I am obsessed with Oak Island.
So, about this book. I wanted to love it.
A rare book collector's wife passes away and he moves to the English countryside to escape their home. He takes on side jobs evaluating and appraising old books. In this work, he finds what appears to be the basis one of the plays, with handwritten notes by William Shakespeare. It is the Holy Grail of literature.
The story is told in in 3 ways--the present, the year Peter and Amanda met, and England in Shakespeare's time and after.
I could not get into it. I tried so hard.
Peter was wimpy, whiny, and weird. Shakespeare was a pompous jerk. Amanda was a rich brat.
I'm sorry to say I did not like this book!
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Tweet what you are reading #whhs #read
Submit your reviews to The Westie Review in The Rostrum
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
I do not believe the actor/director William Shakespeare wrote the plays attributed to him. There is not even proof the man wrote a letter to his long ill wife, let alone full length plays in iambic pentameter. I believe Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford or a group comprised of de Vere, Christopher Marlowe, Francis Bacon, and others wrote them. That makes me an Oxfordian.
Side note: there's a theory that what's hidden on Oak Island isn't treasure, but the original manuscripts of the plays, as written by Bacon. I am obsessed with Oak Island.
So, about this book. I wanted to love it.
A rare book collector's wife passes away and he moves to the English countryside to escape their home. He takes on side jobs evaluating and appraising old books. In this work, he finds what appears to be the basis one of the plays, with handwritten notes by William Shakespeare. It is the Holy Grail of literature.
The story is told in in 3 ways--the present, the year Peter and Amanda met, and England in Shakespeare's time and after.
I could not get into it. I tried so hard.
Peter was wimpy, whiny, and weird. Shakespeare was a pompous jerk. Amanda was a rich brat.
I'm sorry to say I did not like this book!
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Tweet what you are reading #whhs #read
Submit your reviews to The Westie Review in The Rostrum
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
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