Pet Sematary by Stephen King is an intense tale about family and how far someone will go to bring things back to “normal.”

I have been hearing that this is by far Mr. King’s most terrifying novel. With the latest movie adaptation out now, I finally had the time to pick this one up.

When I began reading this novel, I really enjoyed the calm and semi-slow beginning. This really introduces the reader to the characters, their relationships with one another, the neighbors, and the setting in a wonderful way.

While things seem to be sailing long smoothly, there is suddenly a scene that’s wicked gruesome. When I hit that scene, which was certainly a bit disturbing, it was also heart-poundingly interesting! During that, I was totally engaged and read as fast as I could to see what was going to happen.

After that, the tale slows again, but the creep factor begins to build. It happens slowly at first, but as the tale goes on, it gets more and more intense while the reader begins dreading what will happen next.

The creepiness and dread continues to build right up to the end, which plays out as many readers may be able to predict, but it is alarming nonetheless.

One of my favorite elements of this book was the family dynamics. Like I said at the top, this was a tale about how far a family member is willing to go… They weren’t a perfect family, that’s for sure. But the family of four really cared about one another.

My favorite character was definitely their neighbor who lived across the street, Jud. He was your stereotypical older Maine gentleman who sits on his porch drinking beer and telling stories into the night. I really enjoyed how quickly he became family to the crew when they moved in.

Throughout the story, Jud was the one that told the really horrific tales to get both the reader and the main character, Louis, up to speed with the history of the area, what can go wrong, and other such things. My heart broke over the things that Jud had to tell and relive, as well as the things that he had to live through over the course of this story.

This tale also had a strong supernatural element to it that I found really interesting and a bit terrifying. Per usual, some of it was only mentioned vaguely, which I think helps add to the mystery and terror!

My favorite passages:
…the fearbone, like the funnybone, is located in different places on different people.

I don’t think children ever forget the lies their parents tell them.

Louis Creed was no psychiatrist, but he knew that there are rusty, half-buried things in the terrain of any life and that human being seen compelled to go back to these things and pull at them, even though they cut.

My final thoughts:
While I did really enjoy this one and thought that many parts were quite creepy… This one just didn’t rank very high on terror level for me. Perhaps that is simply because I had very high horror expectations of this.

Even so, I still thought that this was an awesome read! There were many instances where I couldn’t stop reading because I was hooked!

I will very likely reread this one and I would highly recommend it to other that don’t mind a bit of gore! However, if you have children, this one may be more difficult for you, so a word of caution there.

Short story collections were never a huge hit with me. I’ve always picked them up from time to time because I kept hoping I would find just the right collection. However, with most collections, the tales inside were always hit or miss. I’d have a couple of four or five star ratings, but then a majority of one, two, or three star ratings.

Then I got an email from Kevin Kennedy…

After reading a few collections that he put together, my tune changed! I have absolutely loved each collection that I have read so far from Mr. Kennedy. With each collection, I just couldn’t wait to get to his story to see what he had come up with based on the theme. They never disappointed!

When I recently got an email from Mr Kennedy that read, “Hey Erica, my solo collection will be released soon. It’s about 32K. Do you fancy giving it a read?” I screeched and nearly threw my phone in excitement!

A collection of just his work?! I was SO in!

Right off the bat, I have to say that this collection did not disappoint. Per usual, I absolutely loved the majority of the tales! The writing style of each was perfect; the pacing and the plots were organized wonderfully, and each tale was so different and exciting.

When I finished one tale, I couldn’t wait to dive right into the next! I easily could have read through this book in one sitting, but I forced myself to take breaks so I could enjoy it for a bit longer.

Friendship, dogs, and zombies. Bewilderment and carnies. Crime and love. Disgust and payback. Development and cannibals. Work and monsters. Sex and violence. Evolution and darkness. The last of humanity and Gods. Young adults and curses… This collection truly has something for everyone.

Here are my rating breakdowns for each story in this collection:

Life on a Double Decker- 5/5
What a great story to kick off the collection! I’m a sucker for a good zombie tale to begin with, add in a dog, and I’m in love. The story was set up perfectly and then we dive right in! The three main characters of this story were interesting. While I’m totally satisfied with the short story, I also wouldn’t mind seeing more from this group!

Carnivalland – 4/5
Yes! That ending!!! I love tales that mosey along with a light sense of confusion and dread, and then BAM!

The Way of the Streets – 5/5
A wonderful crime tale! I really liked the main character, Tyrel. If only he had listened to Monique!

I’ll Give Ye Fois Gras, Ya Cunt! – 5/5
Oh my Lordy! Amazingly disgusting. What payback!!

Charlie the Vegetarian Cannibal – 5/5
I LOVED this one! I especially loved the role that books played in the development of the main character! Terrifying but lovely!!

The Gatekeeper – 4/5
I had originally read this one back in January of 2018. I loved the idea behind this one! So creepy! So interesting!

A Tarantino Oz – 3/5
The first half of this one was a horror theme that’s not in my wheelhouse, but the second half was awesomely violent!

Flesh – 5/5
Woah! I loved this one! What is it about inbreeding that makes a tale that much more terrifying? It’s a disgusting topic for sure. I loved the powers the cave seemed to have!

The Karakyuza – 5/5
Woah! This was a quick but powerful one! What an interesting concept.

Lake Mesquite – 5/5
This final story is a tribute to Richard Laymon’s Dark Mountain. I haven’t yet read that, but I definitely need to now! Phew, this story was awesome!! It was the perfect story to round out the collection!

This is definitely a collection that I will be coming back to from time to time to reread! I highly recommend it to all types of horror fans; there’s something in here for everyone!

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett is a tale of interesting breakthroughs in science, determination, and wonder. In the story, we follow our main character as she sets off to find answers when her company receives a letter from a scientist that has gone rogue deep in the Amazon, telling them that the person that they sent to check on her has died.

This was a novel that I really enjoyed as I was reading it, but once I set it down and started thinking about it, I didn’t love it as much…

When I first started reading this one, I really enjoyed the writing style, but I can’t say I was hooked. While there were many scenes that were quite sad, the first 65 pages were a bit of a drag.

At page 65, the main character, Dr Marina Singh, was finally sent on her journey that the synopsis promised. Unfortunately, for a while, we then follow the main character as she is stuck in a nearby town, feeling lonely and miserable. She was just hanging out, biding her time until she was finally taken to see who she was determined to see; Dr Annick Swenson.

The excitement of the tale really picked up when Marina headed into the Amazon! However, that was on page 156… So if you’re a reader that DNFs at page 100, like me, keep that in mind!

The scenes in the jungle were by far my favorite. I loved the description of the animals they saw, the setting itself, and the people. There was also a lot of anxiety and fear that could be felt when reading because of how unusual and intense the setting is.

One quick scene that got me was when Marina was trudging through a rainstorm and touching the trees to keep her balance on the “path,” and someone told her she shouldn’t do that, because she can’t see what is on the tree, waiting to bite.

Another scene was when a few characters were on a boat on the river. One character had the driver stop the boat. The crew didn’t understand why they stopped until the man that halted them reaching into the water and pulled out an anaconda! Yikes!

Just a few more notes on the things that I enjoyed before this review takes a turn.

I really enjoyed the writing style! Ann Patchett is so talented and I love that I can be totally immersed in her stories. The descriptions of the people and places really come alive, her plots are wonderfully organized, and everything flows perfectly.

The most intriguing characters to me were definitely Milton and Easter. I wish we had gotten a bit more with Milton to learn more about him rather than him just kind of being present. And Easter was so wonderful! I would love to read a novel about all of this from his perspective! I think it would be really powerful and interesting, but probably heartbreaking as well.

I also really enjoyed the focus of the research the scientists were doing. It was quite odd, but also very interesting. This research also made a very interesting point about medicine and such things. When the point was made very clearly, I couldn’t help but think of the quote from Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton:

“Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could,
they didn’t stop to think if they should.”
– Ian Malcolm

Beware, the Negatives:
I didn’t care for the main character at all. Though Marina was in her forties, there was something that made me keep thinking she was in her early twenties. She just seemed so naive and, at times, pretty immature. She had major issues regarding her father, and she just couldn’t figure out who she loved. Is is her boss? Her coworker? A random guy she just met who was hired to drive her around? It was honestly exhausting.

She was also incredibly flighty and had all these daydream-like thoughts about doing certain things that just didn’t make much sense as they seemed to come out of absolutely no where. For example, her daydream about taking off with Milton and living down here with him rather than going back home. What?!

I think one of Marina’s personality traits that bothered me the most was that she flipped between thinking she was totally useless to being absolutely convinced that she was correct and everyone else was wrong. There didn’t seem to be an area in-between to level her out.

I also really did not enjoy Dr Marina’s relationship with Mr. Fox either. Right from the start it rubbed me the wrong way. I wanted her to realize what was going on, but she never did, which made it that much worse.

There were various supporting characters, which unfortunately, all blended together for the most part. There were other scientists there helping with the research… and even though I just finished the book moments before writing this review, I can already only remember that one of the scientists was married and his wife was there with him. Every other character that was included were quite flat.

And then the ending rolled around… WOW.

I was enjoying the book up until this point! It was going to be a four star read for me. But then it hit a massive wall.

I did not like the ending at all. I honestly wish I had stopped reading at the bottom of page 349. The ending felt so rushed and unorganized… And that one scene that happened one night and dragged over into the morning. WHY?! That was so random and totally unnecessary. That scene alone has be teetering between a three star and a two star rating.

My Favorite Passages:
They hear a high whistle piercing through the thunder and wondered if it was their imagination. Imagination played a major role in the jungle, especially during a storm.

There was no once clear point of loss. It happened over and over again in a thousand small ways and the only truth there was to else was that there was no getting used to it.

My Final Thoughts:
Overall, an enjoyable read. While it was quite slow to start, I did really like the story while I was reading it. And even if I didn’t care for the main character, there were a lot of other elements of the book that I loved.

Based on the ending alone, I would not re-read this book. In fact, my copy is already in a pile to be donated to a local second hand shop.

However, I would love to see an adaptation of this story, if they change the ending of course…

Whether you are a successful business owner, an experienced marketer, an entrepreneur that’s just starting out, or just someone that is looking to develop their personal brand, Don’t Sell Me, Tell Me by Greg Koorhan is a must-read for anyone that wants to tell their story.

Whenever I read business related books, I’m very hesitant going in. I need the book to be informative but also written in a way that is very enjoyable to read. This one checked off both of those boxes!

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

I’ve been working in marketing for six years now. While that is not a ton of time, I’ve learned a lot about what customers like to see, and what is just background noise to them.

Along this journey, I always seem to come back to focusing in on telling the story of the product or company.

However, it’s the old toxic phrase, “But we’ve always just done it this way…” mindset that really bogs things down. So many people are so hesitant to show the human side of their companies. And why is that?!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve pitched creating About Us pages for various clients just to have them say something like, “Let’s focus on the more important elements first.” Or “I don’t think our website needs that.” Or my recent favorite, “No one wants to see our ugly mugs! Besides, it will take too long to pull that information together.”

In a world where people are getting very weary of the cold and secretive big corporations, showing your more human side to help build trust is absolutely critical.

Reading books like this one is always so exciting to me because it helps to back up my beliefs when I start to lose faith after being brushed off so frequently.

My 3 Favorite Elements Of This Book

First, I thought that the way the chapters of this book are organized was wonderful! I loved that there was a little recap at the beginning of each new chapter. This would make this book perfect for the busy entrepreneur or business owner that can only read a chapter here and there.

Second, this book was written in a very upbeat and fun way that kept me totally engaged. It made me so happy to compare the sections that I was highlighting in the book to the way that my current company runs. I believe that my current workplace has wonderful principles and they do an awesome job telling their story. In turn, this trickles down to our members.

Third, this book was very actionable! From the things that the author prompts you to think about and list out, to the exercises and additional resources mentioned, this can be used to jump start your storytelling process!

An absolute must-read!

I thought this was such a well-written book filled to the brim with advice. It didn’t bog itself down with too many examples, or long drawn-out and dry passages. It kept to the point, and it moved along at a great pace.

This is a great book to add to your shelves no matter who you are:

- A successful business owner- this book could make you rethink the way that you are putting your store out there and inspire you to update it.

- An experienced marketer– this may be a great reminder of why storytelling is so important. You may even learn a few new tips.

- An entrepreneur that’s just starting out– this is a great platform to help you properly organize your thoughts and beliefs before portraying that to the public.

- Someone that is looking to develop their personal brand– while this book is geared more toward the business owner, there are many elements that can be used to help with a personal brand.

On your first read through, you will probably be like me and highlight sections left and right! This will also be a great book to revisit every few years to make sure your story is still being told effectively.

The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce is a very quirky romance that will cause frustration, happiness, and a few tears.

While the romance is the key focus, this is also a wonderful tale about a tight-knit community made up of a wonderful cast of characters that I just couldn't get enough of!

While I was reading this book, I couldn't help but imagine it playing out as a Hallmark movie. So of course, I loved it!

This was the book club pick for my work's book club. I've missed the last few sessions, so I'm really excited to discuss this book with them soon!

This was such a fun and wonderfully heartwarming read! I'm so picky about the romance novels that I read, but this one ticked all the boxes!

At the beginning of the tale, we meet our cast. It's not long before the mysterious woman is introduced. From then on, the author paints a wonderful canvas of character development, filling in each bit of the painting a bit more the further into the story we traveled.

I really enjoyed that we learned about each character so slowly, and yet, it seemed like all of these characters were old friends; like I've know them for ages!

The cast of characters were just so much fun! We had a humble shop owner, two quiet and slightly creepy brothers, a tattooed woman that didn't have a filter, a clumsy eighteen year old that I found hysterical, an older gentleman just trying to get by, a man who only liked Chopin... And then of course, we had a mysterious woman.

It's easy to see from the start that there is a spark between Frank and this mystery woman. Predictable? A bit. Like I said above, this gave me some Hallmark feels, but I still loved every second of it and really enjoyed how everything played out.

The organization of the tale was perfect. We followed the main story-line while getting small flashbacks into the past of our main character, Frank, mostly, but we also got short chapters from the perspective of other characters that really helped to take the story to a whole new level.

Of course, the focus on music was lovely as well. I'll always be a sucker for stories that have a musical element. It was really interesting to see how the main character was able to choose just the right song that his customer needed to hear, even if it was the total opposite of what the customer thought that they needed.

There are SO many songs mentioned. I'll admit, I didn't know the vast majority of them. But luckily, Penguin Books South Africa created a playlist on Youtube where you can follow along with the songs that are mentioned in the book.

I want to say so many other things about this book, but I'll let you discover the magic of this tale on your own!

My Favorite Passages:
...people clung to what was familiar, even when it was painful.

For Frank, music was like a garden - it showed seeds in far-flung places. People would miss out on so many wonderful things if they only stuck with what they knew.

My Final Thoughts:
I'm so thrilled that I had the time to pick this one up. This is going on my list of all time favorite cutesy romances because it had everything I need in a romance; quirky characters, a wonderful community, a bit of mystery, and a whole slew of silly reactions and situations that all lead up to a wonderful ending.

I had a few happy tears escape near the ending of this one! It was just so wonderfully written.

If you're a fan of light romances, then I'd highly recommend this one to you!

I really enjoyed the humor in this one as well as the cartoons. But overall, this one just didn't hold my interest.

Breaking Wild by Diane Les Becquets is a tale of survival and the process of coming to terms with things that happened in the past.

In this story, we follow two perspectives; the woman who is lost, and the woman that is out searching. Both women have things from their past that weigh on their shoulders.

I found both of the main characters to be very interesting. I really enjoyed that the story started with high intensity and then backed up a bit to give us more backstory for each of them.

Like with most tales that have two perspectives, I definitely preferred one over the other. However, I still enjoyed each. They were written so wonderfully that they stood alone really well. The two tales also wove together perfectly, overlapping a bit in just the right places.

I thought it was really interesting to see how each of the women were still being held back in life by the problematic elements of their past. One story-line made my blood boil a bit, while the other made me so sad. About halfway through the book, I realized that my feelings about their pasts affected how I felt about them in the present, but even so I ended up really rooting for each character!

The pacing started off with a pretty high intensity, then slowed down to build up their backstories. There were a few side stories into each of the women’s pasts that helped the reader learn more. Those bits to me were the “slower” sections (I couldn’t help but rush them to get back to what was happening in the present!), but they really helped add depth to the tale.

The element of survival was terrifying. I couldn’t believe how strong Amy Raye was.

The search was wicked suspenseful. Each time Pru headed out with her dog, I kept hoping for good news.

I will have to leave off there; I don’t want to spoil it for you.

My Favorite Passage:
But the winds and the weather in these parts could turn as quickly as a car in slick pavement.

My Final Thoughts:
Overall, a very suspenseful tale with two story-lines that worked so wonderfully together.

If you enjoy tales of survival with deeper personal plot points, then I highly recommend this to you!

Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond is a must-read for any fan of the TV series, Stranger things. This thrilling tale was so well-written and so similar to the tone of the show! I absolutely loved it.

This is the first official Stranger Things novel. It covers the events that occurred before number 011 made her entrance.

I went into this one having only watched the show. I didn’t read the blurb for this book because I wanted to go in as dark as possible. I was so interested to see where this story would take us!

If you’d like to go in as dark as I did, stop here!

I won’t spoil any major plot points, but I will discuss a few things that you may want to avoid.

****************************************************************

Right in the prologue, we meet Eight. I was thrilled!

Eight was such an interesting character in the show, and to see her as a child was really fun. I loved seeing her spunk and her personality already shining through full force, even at such a young age. Because Eight was so young in this story, I would love to see another book that happens a few years later!

While Eight was certainly a key character, this story centered upon a study that Dr. Brenner did with young adults. He was giving a group of participants drugs to try to force them into abilities. Two of the young adults, Terry and Alice, seemed very promising to him. But soon, the group begins to realize that things aren’t as safe and simple as they originally thought. But would Dr. Brenner let them leave?

Each of the characters were perfectly developed for their roles! Each of them were so unique and interesting. I really felt protective over a number of them and just wanted them to have a happy ending. I loved how quickly they all banded together and became a great support system for one another.

When the story reaches the point of a pretty big reveal, I was so excited. It was a little predictable, simply based on the fact that I had already seen the show and guess where this was headed… But the reveal was still exciting nonetheless!

My Final Thoughts:
This is a book that you may want to pick up on a day off. Once I began reading, I dreaded putting it down. I just wanted to cruise through to see what would happen next!

Like I said at the start, this is a must-read for Stranger Things fans! This was such a fun and interesting read. I really enjoyed learning some of the backstory and cannot wait to see more books like this!

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant is a heart-pounding, spine-tingling tale of horror set in a remote area of the sea far beyond the reach of fast-acting rescue.

I first heard about this novel on the Books in the Freezer podcast. As the two hosts were describing it, I thought: A book about violent creatures of the sea that are rumored to be mermaids? Sign me up!

The first eighteen amazing pages set the dark tone for the book. The author certainly doesn’t hold back! I knew right from the start that I was in for a treat with this one.

The overall pacing of the tale was perfect and the plot was so interesting! It was so suspenseful at first, and then it quickly turned into an action-packed tale of horror and survival.

One of the elements that I wanted to mention right off the bat was how diverse this cast was. It was really neat to see how perfectly the author developed the characters and how their differences were made apparent to both the reader and their fellow cast members.

And my goodness, this cast! I adored a number of them so much! A number of times, I talked to my husband about how nervous I was that they were going to be killed. A few characters were a bit rough around the edges, while other characters made my skin crawl or made my blood boil. But each of them were so interesting.

I loved that the focus of the story was not only on the scientific search for mermaids, but that there were dozens of other smaller elements all mixed in.

Each character on the ship brought their own personal and professional baggage along with them, and I’m not talking about their research gear. While we didn’t learn about all of them, we did learn about a fair amount of them! Some brought along strong hopeful thoughts, some brought dreams of fame, while others carried things like the goal of revenge, violence, and other darker things.

The story focused mainly on the same handful of characters, but also turned to focus on other supporting characters as the story progressed to really give the reader the full scope of things. I really enjoyed this format because it moved along much more fluidly than books that have chapters dedicated to each of the varying perspectives. The sections in this story that were from the perspective of the dolphins and sea creatures were especially interesting and also quite emotional!

This tale also had a wonderful romance mixed in. This romance was just perfect. It progressed quickly, but with the whole fear of being eaten by sea creatures looming, I certainly don’t blame them! The two were adorable together but it was also very realistic.

It was also refreshing to see one scene where they stole a quick kiss before moving on with their tasks that was so refreshing! Far too often you see these long drawn out, totally unnecessary make out sessions, where the reader sits there thinking something bad is going to happen simply because they are wasting time. These two were too smart to waste time.

I would love to write a ton more about this book, but this is yet another one that I need to hold back on so I don’t spoil the magic!

My Favorite Passages:
They both sunburned fast, and freckled even faster. They even had the same eyes, dark blue, like the waves of the Monterey Bay.

A thin-fingered hand slaps across the lens, and the video stops. The screaming takes longer to end, but in time, it does.
Everything ends.

Children of islands and the coast went one of two ways: they learned to fear and respect the water, or the learned to live for it.

Nature is bigger and weirder than anyone ever wants to think it is.

“No offense, hon, but you flirt like it’s a form of espionage and you’ll be executed if you get caught.”

It was a brief, glancing kiss; anything deeper or more involved would have risked both their lives. That wasn’t the goal. They might die here, but they weren’t going to do it yet. Olivia’s eyes widened in brief surprise before she leaned closer and kissed Tory back, putting as much as she dared into the gesture. It was a moment of peace stolen from the jaws of chaos, and it meant more than either of them could say.

My Final Thoughts:
This book is one of those rare finds that is just so wonderfully written and perfectly horrific that I want to shout about it from the rooftops to make sure horror fans go out and snag a copy immediately.

If you’re a horror fan that is looking for something that has a tense and suspenseful atmosphere, interesting characters and relationships, wonderful writing style, and a plot that will keep you totally hooked as well as fearful about what would happen next… then you need to check this one out.

While this was the first book that I’ve read from this author, it definitely won’t be the last. I cannot wait to pick up the novella that companies this tale and I especially cannot wait for the second book in the series!

Rolling In The Deep by Mira Grant is a horror novella that really packs a punch!

This tale takes place before the full length novel, Into the Drowning Deep.

In this novella, we follow the crew of the ship, scientists, divers, mermaid performers, videographers, and TV talent on the first trip to the Mariana Trench, where they joke about finding mermaids. Little do they know, they’re about to get exactly what they wished for, but these mermaids aren’t the cute Disney type.

The fateful events of this tale were what prompted the second trip (covered in Into The Drowning Deep) out to the same area.

At just 128 pages, this tale begins with a sense of dread. As they set sail, the suspense begins to grow. Once the first water test comes back to the ship with some blood in the sample, the story really takes off.

Having read the full length novel first, I really enjoyed learning a bit more about what had happened to kick off the second trip.

Just like my thoughts about the novel, this novella was wonderfully written. It had a bit of a slow start that introduced the readers to the various people on the trip. While I say this was slow, it also helped to really set the scene.

The characters were developed wonderfully in just a short time and they were characters that you either loved and wanted to protect, or wanted to throw overboard yourself.

The tale overall had great pacing and the plot was horrific but awesome. I felt that it gave you just enough to make you want to dive immediately into the full novel if you hadn’t read it yet, but if you had read the full length novel, I felt that this was a satisfying chunk of backstory.

My Favorite Passages:
Alien eyes watched the strange metal object as it floated upward. There was blood in the water. Their home had been invaded.
They would respond.

Was there any reason in the world to expect a deep-sea predator with that many teeth to be friendly?

My Final Thoughts:
highly recommend checking this novella out! I really enjoyed it.

I think it would work well reading either before you pick up the full length novel, or afterward. Whichever you would prefer would be fine in this case.