June 7, 2019

Forever Odd by Dean Koontz

Synopsis:
Odd Thomas never asked for his special ability. He's just an ordinary guy trying to live a quiet life in the small desert town of Pico Mundo. Yet he feels an obligation to do right by his otherworldly confidants, and that's why he's won hearts on both sides of the divide between life and death. But when a childhood friend disappears, Odd discovers something worse than a dead body and embarks on a heart-stopping battle of will and wits with an enemy of exceptional cunning. In the hours to come there can be no innocent bystanders, and every sacrifice can tip the balance between despair and hope.

The second book in the Odd Thomas series and it was just as good as the first. It was mysterious, but there were parts of it that actually made me uncomfortable while reading. That’s pretty hard to do.

It was interesting because the whole book takes place within a few hours. You don’t see that very often. But, it was so action packed that if it was dragged out, it would have been super long.

You never really know what Odd is going to get into. This one started right from the first page. I was shocked by how quickly I was introduced to the main story line.

I was also curious how book 2 would be different without Stormy in it. I don’t think I have recovered from the end of Book 1 yet. But there were some nice callbacks to their relationship. Even with wanting Odd to progress and be able to move on, it would be nice to hear about her in the next books as well.

This is definitely one of my top series to read. Its horror but it’s also fun. You get a good mix. Plus, you get Dean Koontz’s writing. Can’t complain there.

4/5 Stars

Memorable Quotes: “The dead don’t talk. Perhaps they know things about death that the living are not permitted to learn from them.”

“The heart cannot flourish in logic alone. Unreason is an essential medicine as long as you do not overdose.”

“We sometimes take refuge in misery, a strange kind of comfort.”

“The correct question has three equal parts. What’s wrong with humanity? Then . . . What’s wrong with nature, with its poison plants, predatory animals, earthquakes, and floods? And last . . . What’s wrong with cosmic time, as we know it, which steals everything from us?”

“Loneliness comes in two basic varieties. When it results from a desire for solitude, loneliness is a door we close against the world. When the world instead rejects us, loneliness is an open door, unused.“

“The world has gone mad. You might have argued against that contention twenty years ago, but if you argue it in our time, you only prove that you, too, live in delusion.”


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June 5, 2019

Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide by Karen Kilgariff, Georgia Hardstark

Synopsis
Sharing never-before-heard stories ranging from their struggles with depression, eating disorders, and addiction, Karen and Georgia irreverently recount their biggest mistakes and deepest fears, reflecting on the formative life events that shaped them into two of the most followed voices in the nation.
In Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered, Karen and Georgia focus on the importance of self-advocating and valuing personal safety over being ‘nice’ or ‘helpful.’ They delve into their own pasts, true crime stories, and beyond to discuss meaningful cultural and societal issues with fierce empathy and unapologetic frankness.
Being a big fan of the My Favorite Murder podcast, it was a no-brainer to pre-order their book when they announced it.

I didn’t know what to expect. Would it be funny? Touching? Overly edited? Way under-edited? But I was pleasantly surprised. Their chapters were written in their own voices and I could hear them in my head as I read.

It was actually a pretty insightful book. I was thinking it would probably be a little cheesy, but it wasn’t really. It had their comedy littered throughout it, of course. But it fit in with the rest of the book. There was actually solid advice in here and that surprised me. I also cried – so, there’s that too.

Not all of the stories were new. We’ve heard a lot on the podcast. But this was a different way to take them in and there were different tidbits of info throughout.

Solid book. I really enjoyed it 4/5 stars!


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