Mischief Night by James Kaine

Rating:

5 Stars

Themes:

Horror, Slasher, Short Story

Thoughts:

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I could not put this book down, apparently the running joke if you start a book before bed you finish it applied well to this book. I instantly took a liking to Susan, Kevin and the kids so there was some instant tension for me hoping the characters I liked would make it to the end and I must admit I thought instantly that Charles deserved to die so maybe he could be the sacrifice. Jack is a twisted character but the first chapter with his backstory shows just how easy it is for someone to get so twisted. I appreciated the authors note at the beginning with the correct pronunciation of Samhain and the jokey do with that what you will so it didn’t feel like a lecture but offered the option to use the Celtic term properly. The epilogue also creeped me out as the way in which it was left means that there could totally be another if the author desires and again just how easily we humans can actually be manipulated. I also appreciated that the potential sexual assault of a character was illuded to but done off page as a thoughtful touch to the audience, alongside all the gore of Jack and his goons actions it felt even more thoughtful and purposeful.

Favourite Quote:

“Horror movies are cool until you live one”

Comments

The War of Sober by Edward Rand

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Self-Help, Addiction, Psychology Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a great book not just for addicts trying to establish and maintain their sobriety but also psychologists, counsellors and the people working with them. It approaches the experience of addiction from the perspective of going to war and may help those who can’t get along with the 12 steps, contingency management or other forms of therapy traditionally used. It’s also helpful to have Edward detail his own experiences and approaches throughout so it feels less clinical and shows he does know what he’s talking about when he mentions the difficulties so it comes across less patronising than some self-help addiction books. Favourite Quote: "It doesn't matter what happened yesterday. Win or lose, if we are still alive, we must decide to be different today and then make the correct choices today, because friends, ...

Broken Glass by Sarah Kay

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Poetry Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This collection is mixed for me, some of the poems were really good and all were definitely emotive but I think so many poems on the Hamas attack and subsequent war which is highly politically charged a little difficult to tackle. Favourite Quote: "What good is it to open my heart when in the end, you will stab it in the back?"

Shame-Sex Attraction by Lucas Wilson

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, LGBTQ+ Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is definitely a difficult read and it took me quite a while to get through it for that very reason. It is split up into 17 different peoples experiences with a foreword and afterword. It’s definitely an important read for many as these practices are still legal in many countries, including my own, and without knowledge of the damage of the practices many may not join in the protests or sign the petitions to try to get laws in place. As a member of the community myself I found some of these stories such as the ‘Sniffing the Gay Away’ and ‘Convert’ especially difficult to read and reminded me just how lucky I was to have such a supportive and loving community around me. I appreciated that the afterword highlighted the limitations of the collection such as having little to no religious, geographical or racial diversity but that they did try to ga...

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