Hey ghoulies! Guess who actually accomplished some reading in January? This gal! Surprise surprise. I've been in this worssssssssssssst slump and I am finally coming out of it but I still have 0 time to read. *Cries internally*
I was able to read a grand total of... wait for it... 4 books in January!
I started out 2020 with the book that was given to me by my grandpa. This book really resonated with him.
Fall on your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald
Read from December 27th 2019 until January 1st 2020
Historical fiction
566 pages
Synopsis:
Following the curves of history in the first half of the twentieth century, Fall On Your Knees takes us from haunted Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, through the battle fields of World War One, to the emerging jazz scene of New York city and into the lives of four unforgettable sisters. The mythically charged Piper family--James, a father of intelligence and immense ambition, Materia, his Lebanese child-bride, and their daughters: Kathleen, a budding opera Diva; Frances, the incorrigible liar and hell-bent bad girl; Mercedes, obsessive Catholic and protector of the flock; and Lily, the adored invalid who takes us on a quest for truth and redemption--is supported by a richly textured cast of characters. Together they weave a tale of inescapable family bonds, of terrible secrets, of miracles, racial strife, attempted murder, birth and death, and forbidden love. Moving and finely written, Fall On Your Knees is by turns dark and hilariously funny, a story--and a world--that resonate long after the last page is turned.
Short Review: This is going to be a tough book to review. I’m giving it four stars right now, but it’s possible that this rating might change in the future because I just don’t know how I feel about this book right now. This book is about the Piper family—a mixed family (white and Arab) living in Cape Breton, Canada. The majority of the story takes place during the First World War but begins before then and extends well past the Second World War. The book begins as this story of how this family comes together and the challenges they must overcome. It’s a beautiful historical story! But, as the story trudges along, things get really messed the heck up. I started having to take breaks from the book because my mind couldn’t wrap around the events occurring. I kept thinking, “wtf is happening? Holy shit as if this just happened!” I struggled with the religious portions of the book, only because I am not religious at all. I know that it was a large part of the belief system in the past, but it was a hard pill to swallow when the author is writing from the minds of 9 year old girls who can’t even play properly without upsetting God. There was a major grief emotion plot in the book. It shows how all the different characters dealt with their own stages of grief. I feel that it was incredibly well done. Ultimately, this was a tough book to read. There are A LOT of triggers, so fair warning about that. But, I am happy to have read it.
Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
Read from January 1st 2020 to January 8th 2020
Historical fiction
464 pages
Synopsis:
On a dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the river Thames, an extraordinary event takes place. The regulars are telling stories to while away the dark hours, when the door bursts open on a grievously wounded stranger. In his arms is the lifeless body of a small child. Hours later, the girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Is it magic? Or can science provide an explanation? These questions have many answers, some of them quite dark indeed.
Those who dwell on the river bank apply all their ingenuity to solving the puzzle of the girl who died and lived again, yet as the days pass the mystery only deepens. The child herself is mute and unable to answer the essential questions: Who is she? Where did she come from? And to whom does she belong? But answers proliferate nonetheless.
Three families are keen to claim her. A wealthy young mother knows the girl is her kidnapped daughter, missing for two years. A farming family reeling from the discovery of their son’s secret liaison, stand ready to welcome their granddaughter. The parson’s housekeeper, humble and isolated, sees in the child the image of her younger sister. But the return of a lost child is not without complications and no matter how heartbreaking the past losses, no matter how precious the child herself, this girl cannot be everyone’s. Each family has mysteries of its own, and many secrets must be revealed before the girl’s identity can be known.
Once Upon a River is a glorious tapestry of a book that combines folklore and science, magic and myth. Suspenseful, romantic, and richly atmospheric, the beginning of this novel will sweep you away on a powerful current of storytelling, transporting you through worlds both real and imagined, to the triumphant conclusion whose depths will continue to give up their treasures long after the last page is turned.
Short Review: Right off the hop I need to address how beautiful the writing of this book is. It’s hauntingly beautiful. Diane Setterfield, you have officially became an auto buy author for me because of this reason. The storyline was incredible. I was pulled in right from the beginning. The suspense that she used with one simple sentence: “something is going to happen” sends chills down my spine. The weaving of several storylines was magnificently done: The Swan Inn (where storytelling thrives), Mr. Armstrong (an honest farmer and his loving family), The Vaughan’s (a grieving family with a missing child), Lily White (an isolated woman with a haunting past), and Rita Sunday (a well educated nurse). The main story takes place alongside the Thames river, where a man finds a drowned 4-year-old. Who does the child belong to? Is it Amelia Vaughan that has been missing for 2 years? Or is it Alice Armstrong who has just recently went missing? This historical fiction with magical realism is my first 5-star rating of the year and it deserved it! I highly recommend this book.
Carrie by Stephen King
Read from January 8th 2020 to January 12th 2020
Horror
290 pages
Synopsis:
Carrie knew she should not use the terrifying power she possessed... But one night at her senior prom, Carrie was scorned and humiliated just one time too many, and in a fit of uncontrollable fury she turned her clandestine game into a weapon of horror and destruction...
Short Review:
W O A H Carrie, Stephen King’s first published book and exactly where I start my King journey. Am I upset that I have waiting my entire 25 years on this planet to read anything by Stephen King? Yes. I am extremely disappointed in myself because I could have been enjoying these hauntingly horrific stories for years... Carrie White is an outcast whom has been bullied by her peers due to her appearance and her religion. The way Carrie is treated in the book is absolutely disgusting. You can tell that 46 years have passed since publication because my high school experience and dealing differences and bullies was way different. Making fun of other students isn’t a popularity bonus nowadays, supporting each other and helping one another is. The only thing I’ve known about this plot was the blood, so the whole “After Prom” portion was intense! It had my toes dancing and antsy like crazy! I can’t wait to write a full review of this on my blog and I also can’t wait to keep reading more Stephen King!
In the House in the Dark of the Woods by Laird Hunt
Read from January 12th 2020 to January 19th 2020
Horror
218 pages
Synopsis:
In this horror story set in colonial New England, a law-abiding Puritan woman goes missing. Or perhaps she has fled or abandoned her family. Or perhaps she's been kidnapped, and set loose to wander in the dense woods of the north. Alone and possibly lost, she meets another woman in the forest. Then everything changes.
On a journey that will take her through dark woods full of almost-human wolves, through a deep well wet with the screams of men, and on a living ship made of human bones, our heroine may find that the evil she flees has been inside her all along. The eerie, disturbing story of one of our perennial fascinations--witchcraft in colonial America--In the House in the Dark of the Woods is a novel of psychological horror and suspense told in Laird Hunt's characteristically lyrical prose style. It is the story of a bewitching, a betrayal, a master huntress and her quarry. It is a story of anger, of evil, of hatred and of redemption. It is the story of a haunting, a story that makes up the bedrock of American mythology, but told in a vivid way you will never forget.
Short Review:
This book felt like it took be ages to finish. The writing style was different and challenging to get used to, so reading 20 pages actually felt like the length of reading 80 pages. I found myself rereading a lot of portions of the text because they confused me. The characters of the wood really annoyed me through the entire book. Every time “Goody” would ask a question, they would dance around the answer or plainly not answer or even straight up insult that she asks so many questions. I understand that it was because it was all some big game to get her to take the place as the next Eliza, but man that is just frustrating as hell. Also, the ending pissed me off. They left Goody’s story unfinished after she became Eliza. I wanted to know how she felt. What her thoughts were... instead, we got the story of the old Eliza. Ugh, I don’t know. I’m just not pleased over all with this book.