IT by Stephen King

Synopsis:

The story follows the exploits of seven children as they are terrorized by an eponymous being, which exploits the fears and phobias of its victims in order to disguise itself while hunting its prey. "It" primarily appears in the form of a clown in order to attract its preferred prey of young children. The novel is told through narratives alternating between two time periods, and is largely told in the third-person omniscient mode. It deals with themes which would eventually become King staples: the power of memory, childhood trauma, and the ugliness lurking behind a façade of traditional small-town values.

This was my first experience reading a King novel, and it was an interesting experience for sure.

I have never seen the movie, and I didn’t even really know what the book was about aside from the clown that wreaks all sorts of havoc.

The first thing I really noticed was how long the chapters are. I don’t know if this is just King’s style, or if it is just this book, but it made it really difficult to read large chunks of the book at a time. It took me almost a full year to finish it.

The story was obviously super intriguing. The parts where Pennywise shows up were the most entertaining by far, he was so creepy and annoying.  I really wish that the story revolved more around him and his antics, and I wish that the whole thing was just about a creepy/annoying clown terrorizing these children.

That is why I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending. It starts getting a little to weird when it starts revealing what is really going on below Derry. Even then, it is never really resolved for me. It is sort of along the lines of fear is only in your head, and when you enable it, it becomes real.

I did enjoy reading the book, but I enjoyed finishing it even more. The main gang of kids were great characters, and of course Mr. Pennywise. The supporting cast didn’t really do anything for me.

Final thoughts:

I wish the sections/chapters would have been shorter. That is my biggest complaint.

It is more enjoyable to read this when it is raining.

My favorite character was Ben.

3/5 stars. Good book, just such a chore to finish!

Memorable Quotes: “TV monsters and movie monsters and comic book monsters were not real. Not until you went to bed and couldn’t sleep; not until the last four pieces of candy, wrapped in tissues and kept under your pillow against the evils of the night, were gobbled up; not until the bed itself turned into a lake of rancid dreams and the wind screamed outside and you were afraid to look at the window because there might be a face there, an ancient grinning face that had not rotted but simply dried like an old leaf, its eyes sunken diamonds pushed deep into dark sockets; not until you saw one ripped and clawlike hand holding out a bunch of balloons”

“Scars can’t come back. They either are or they aren’t”

“”Whatever it was, It’s here again, in Derry. IT.”

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Cats, Scarves and Liars by Kathryn White

Synopsis:

Peppa is just your average Australian young woman, really. 23 years old, widowed and owner of a cat who can speak perfect English. (But no one will believe her about the cat.) Why is she being stalked by one of the customers from her job at the City South Post Office? What secrets does the mysterious Ivory Black know about Peppa and her past? What does he know about the strange murders that are happening all over Adelaide? And was it really necessary of him to steal her boyfriend's scarf?

Cats, Scarves and Liars is a quirky, offbeat tail tale from a unique Australian writer. You'll laugh, you'll cry you'll discover the meaning of life. (Actually, we lied about that last part.)

I didn’t really know what to expect when I got the request to review this book. All I knew was that I couldn’t turn down a book that had a cat as one of the main characters.

Cats, Scarves and Liars is a very quirky book. It is full of humor and can make you laugh. It is a pretty light read and is easy to get through.

Peppa is a really likeable protagonist. Her personality really gives the life to this book and makes it fun to read. The supporting cast was also written very well.

The storyline was a little weird, but in a good way. I feel like it could have maybe even been a little longer to go further into the lives of the supporting cast, but it is also good the way it is.

It got really weird at the end when the true story behind the talking cat was revealed, but it all came together and started making sense as well.

Overall, I felt it was just a pretty fun read. There were some deeper topics, but they were sort of glossed over and Peppa’s personality really took over.

I would recommend it for a nice Sunday afternoon if you are looking to have a little fun while reading.

3.5/5 Stars

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My Letter To Fear: Essays on Life, Love and the Search For Prince Charming by Patricia Steffy

Synopsis:

Over the course of two years, Steffy conducted interviews with the fabulous women around her and their equally fantastic friends. She put no restrictions on age, or ethnicity. They just needed to be willing to answer some questions. Steffy asked them about expectations they had for their lives when they were very young versus their current realities as adults. She asked them to tell her the best things about themselves (a question which was surprisingly difficult for people to answer) and the worst things. Those answers— the funny, the sad, and the hysterical—and her own experiences became the basis for these essays. 

I really enjoyed this book. It was funny at times, it was a bit emotional at times, and there were some essays that were just too easy to identify with. There is something for everyone mixed in the pages of this book.

The writing was fun and flowed well, there was never a point where I was bored and felt like I needed to put it down. But, I also feel like you should spread out the reading of the book over time so you can take in some of the essays and really think about them. It makes the book more enjoyable than reading it all at once at a rushed pace which results in forgetting everything you have read.

Each essay is pretty short, spanning only about 2-3 pages in length. It is the perfect office book. When you need a quick break from work to re-gather your thoughts (or sanity…) it is easy to pick up and read one or two, then put back down for later.

I think Patricia Steffy really got the feel for how a lot of women think and feel at various points in their life. That’s what makes this book so relatable and familiar.

It was a fun read.

5/5 Stars

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Blackout (Darkness Trilogy, #1) by Madeleine Henry

Blackout almost reminded me of the hunger games a little bit, except the point of the competition was to find true love, and in turn give your family electricity.

In 2015, Earth was hit with a solar flare that knocked out all of the electricity on the planet. The United States was able to bring enough scientists together to get some electricity back, but they could not power the whole country, only a part of it. This created the Dark Zone.

Families were left here to fend for themselves in the darkness with no power.

When Star and Phoenix’s families hear about a trade-off of sending a child to America in exchange for power, they both agree to go. They don’t know what they are in for on the other side, but they want the best for their families.

Little do they know, they are in the fight for their lives. Are they only battling for power? Or is there much more at stake?

The characters were generally likable and the writing was done really well. It was a very intriguing story, which made it hard to put down. It seemed as though the reader is always learning something new.

Phoenix was a bit too whiney for me. Every time something happened involving star, I imagined him throwing a hissy fit like a little child. It seemed like he was too caught up in his emotions and it was crippling his chances of survival.

Even though Star was a big part of the story, she didn’t make as many appearances and didn’t really seem relevant in them. She mostly lived in the story through Phoenix’s thoughts.

Overall, I enjoy the idea of the story. I liked the supporting characters more than I liked Phoenix. I can’t wait to see what happens next. It left off on such a cliffhanger!

This looks to be a really promising book series.

4/5 Stars

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