“Looking at the body you understand the person is gone, no longer an active player in the game of life. Looking at the body you see yourself, and you know that you, too, will die. The visual is a call to self-awareness. It is the beginning of wisdom.”

Yesterday was #IndependentBookstoreDay and I ended up in Asheville, NC for my Subaru‘s servicing and decided to hit up Mr K‘s Used Books and ended up with a wonderful haul! 📚

In S. King‘s “Misery”, he spoke of a phenomenon called the “gotta”, where you cannot put a book down because “I gotta know.” This book was full of the “gotta” gene. It had all the traits, too: a thriller, fast-paced, & short chapters.
But things got out of control for me & it went beyond the realm of possibility. What brought it down for me is the way that it concluded. Too much happened in 5% of the book & there were too many speeches.
⭐️⭐️⭐️

They say we‘re as sick as our secrets.

“‘I love you,‘ she said.

And I knew the point of love right then. The point of love was to help you survive.”

Just finished “The Humans” by Matt Haig and it was a fantastic read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Basically, the key rule is, if you want to appear sane on Earth, you have to be in the right place, wearing the right clothes, saying the right things, and only stepping on the right kind of grass.

Kids can be hurtful sometimes. They believe if you happen to be an adult, nothing can possibly hurt you.

January wrap-up! Favorite overall was Black Cake, but this was just a great reading month overall!

But that was the thing about death, as Marion knew so well. No matter how much the deceased were loved, life did not wait for the grieving.

This is a fun read, and I enjoyed the Marion character. Her relationship with her grandmother, especially, helped to create her into a 3D character. But: I find that the majority of other characters began to blend together. Besides Marion and her grandmother, I had a hard time remembering other characters & the who of who they were. Overall, this was a fun mystery read (with a dash of fantasy), & a pretty good introduction to a series.
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

You have to find a job that makes your heart feel big instead of one that makes it feel small.

Machines are sophisticated but they cannot read love. They cannot tell researchers what it feels like to be part of the sea, to be a blip of arms and legs, a small cavern of a mouth, skimming the briny surfaces of the world.

For us, the places we went were home. We didn‘t care if they were good or evil or neutral or what. We cared about the fact that for the first time, we didn‘t have to pretend to be something we weren‘t. We just got to be. That made all the difference in the world.

I didn't realize how much I needed a new book series in my life & I‘m delighted to have found one. The entire concept of mysterious doorways that sporadically appear to other worlds is fun, interesting, & full of possibilities. As an intro to the book's world, it allowed the explanations to unfold to its protagonist, so it was enough but not overwhelming with too much detail. (I did dock .5 star for being a bit TOO rushed at times tho)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This is the thing about people, Benny thinks. You can look at a person and truly have no idea what they are holding inside.

Thank you for the tag @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks #two4tuesday !

1. This is so tough because I like to stick with middle-paced reads, but if I had to pick, I‘d take fast-paced over slow-paced but the author‘s writing style can make or break either one.

2. I‘ve read some great plots lately, but the first one that came to mind was Between Two Fires. It made me NEED more medieval horror, and it was delightfully unique and well structured.

If I wrap myself in heat again, I‘ll be the only one left burned.

What I like about Jackson's writing is that she is able to have teen characters without the dialogue venturing into "fellow kids" territory. Her characters have realistic dialogue, with imperfections and casual banter which is why I was pulled in. And the plot? A perfect combo of creepy, mystery and tension, and a good final twist. Each happening seemed to have a purpose, & the ending tied everything together in a very satisfying way. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

What I like about Jackson's writing is that she is able to have teen characters without the dialogue venturing into "fellow kids" territory. Her characters have realistic dialogue, with imperfections and casual banter which is why I was pulled in. And the plot? A perfect combo of creepy, mystery and tension, and a good final twist. Each happening seemed to have a purpose, & the ending tied everything together in a very satisfying way. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

It occurred to Buddy Lee that anything could be a weapon if you were dedicated enough. Even love. Especially love.

A story of 2 dads who spent time behind bars, & failed the unspoken test of loving their sons unconditionally, & how they cope when their sons are killed. That's really the core of the novel. Yes, it's intense & a thriller and & it succeeds on all those qualifiers but the grief that Ike & Buddy Lee go through is what made this novel 5 stars for me. Cosby stands firm in reality & doesn't pull any punches, be it with race, sexuality, etc. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My tentative list for #roll100 even though it‘s already had its first roll, but no matter!

#24 - Joyland by Stephen King (super needed especially since I live in North Carolina)

#49 - Confessions by Kanae Monaco (been on my TBR list forever, and I‘ve heard great things)

✌🏻

“She said that you had to love the sea more than you feared it. You had to love the swimming so much that you would do anything to keep on going.” His mother looked out the car window. “Just like life, you know?”

#sundaysoapbox

Such a tough one, but these are my recent/typical go-to recommendations:

📖The Long Walk - Stephen King
📖The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
📖The Summer That Melted Everything- Tiffany McDaniel
📖John Dies at the End - Jason Pargin
📖Nothing to See Here - Kevin Wilson
📖The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot - Marianne Cronin
📖Beartown - Fredrik Backman
📖Razorblade Tears - S.A. Cosby

She was a shadow. She was the cruel, howling thing that could be heard during a full moon. She was the monster who crept into other children's dreams. But this is how monsters are made: from innocent things.

Overall, this is an interesting concept (I was nervous at first at the similarities to M Night‘s The Village, but this ended up being way more intriguing). I enjoyed the mystery and the characters, but there were a few unanswered questions for me at the end, and what felt like a wasted ability re: the Travis character.

A recommend from me: a unique plot, lovely writing, and an urgency to know what happens.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Before I went through that doorway, I knew there was no such thing as a portal to another world. Now I know that if you open the right door at the right time, you might finally find a place where you belong.