Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll is a curious tale that many of us know, whether we have read the story, watched any of the the films, or simply heard about it.

This is a classic that I have been putting off for ages. I didn’t have a specific reason to keep bumping it lower on my TBR, after all, I really enjoy the films! It was about time I finally read it.

Oh bother… This one was not for me.

I began reading this one hoping to also read Through The Looking-Glass… But when I finally got through Alice In Wonderland, I had no desire to continue on.

Even getting through this short tale was difficult enough for me. Each time I put it down, I didn’t care to pick it back up but forced myself to. I also kept checking my phone while I had the book cracked open on my lap, simply because I kept getting bored.

I do respect this tale for what it is. I do like that the overall plot was that of an strange childhood dream. However, I just couldn’t bring myself to care at all about this book version of Alice, which was quite a bummer because it really affected the overall experience for me.

Of course, in typical dreams, you do silly things and don’t think of the consequences. And Alice was also a child. But this character just fit in perfectly with all the other unlikable characters from other tales that I can’t stand.

My Favorite Passages:
She generally gave her self very good advice (though she very seldom followed it)…

“Who are you?” said the Caterpillar.
This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, “I – I hardly know, Sir, just at present- at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.”

My Final Thoughts:
Overall, I am very happy that I finally read this tale. But again, it just wasn’t for me.

This is a case where I definitely prefer the film adaptations to the original story.

I am Drusilla by Lucille Moncrief was a quick short story about witches and vampires, centering around the things that beings will do out of jealousy and love.

Full disclosure: I was provided with a copy of this by the author in exchange for an honest review.

This tale is about a witch who had her love stolen from her on their wedding day. But little did the would-be murderer know, Drusilla had already anticipated this move.

As she enters the underworld to rescue what was taken from her, she feels her powers begin to grow. But even if she manages to get what she wants, will she still have her happily ever after?

This was a fun little read! The writing style was wonderful. It’s a tale that certainly sucks you right in.

Minivans and Baseball is a free companion to Winter’s novel Cubicleland. I picked this one up and meant to read it immediately afterward, but life got in the way…

The author wrote this novella as a standalone piece, but it is also perfect to read after you have read the novel to learn more about the characters from the main story.

This story centers on Bill, a family man that is going through a tough time. He’s injured his back recently and the pain is still causing some issues. He and his wife are having trouble with their financials, which is causing some stress. Bill is also struggling to come to terms with letting go of his past and what his life could have been so he can be happy with what he does have currently.

I loved this novella so much! In just a short time, we really got to know the character. I really felt for him as he held a job in customer service. My full-time job is all about talking to store owners or their head of marketing, and I’ve had another job where I had to handle all the calls for people unsubscribing to a newspaper (which was way more stressful than it sounds). When Bill said he liked his work, but that there were definitely some stressful situations that arise, some rude people, and a handful of really bad apples, that really hit the nail on the head…

“Bill spends the next few hours dealing with customer support cases by email and phone. He decides to handle one last support ticket before starting his lunch break. He calls the contact number listed with the ticket and introduces himself. The man on the other end of the line unleashes a string of insults and profanity so thoroughly colorful that Bill isn’t sure what all the words mean when strung together that way.”

So from my experience, I really loved the bit where Bill flew off the handle and gave it right back to someone who was being a douche. Of course, it wasn’t professional… but it was still quite refreshing!

In this tale, we also got to see Bill learning some very important things. The section with his call to counseling was very powerful. I’m so glad to see that included.

“Do I really define myself by what I’ve lost?”

Everyone could use some counseling every now and then, and to see it pop up more and more in the things I’m reading and watching is wonderful.

This was such a great novella! I will definitely be reading this again from time to time, especially when I re-read the full length novel, Cubicleland, again!

Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered is an awe-inspiring read that is packed with wonderful self-help tips and brutally honest stories that any reader can connect with.

This book was everything I was hoping for and more. I knew that this was being marketed as a self-help book, but this seriously could not have arrived at my doorstep at a better time…

I’ve been listening to the MFM Podcast for quite some time now. I absolutely adore Georgia, Karen, Steven, and the various four-pawed support crew.

I love how open and honest Georgia and Karen are. How unafraid and real they seem when talking on their show. And of course, I love the true crime element!

When I found out they were working on a book, I was ecstatic. Of course, when the link when live on Amazon, I pre-ordered immediately. Then when the book came in, I dropped everything and started reading.

Once I began reading, I just didn’t have the will-power to set it back down. I absolutely loved this book! Just like the podcast, it’s real, it’s raw, and it has some hard-hitting stories and lessons.

The chapters are all organized wonderfully and with bits and pieces from the show shining through. While reading, I could really hear them narrating their chapters in my head because each of their writing styles are very similar to the way that they speak on the show.

While this book covered some really heavy topics, there was plenty of light-hearted elements as well. There was also a ton of humor. I was laughing out loud every couple of pages, sometimes more than once on a single page! Needless to say, I had a great time reading this!

One last note, when I first started reading, I took SO many notes. I quickly realized that I was writing down something from every page… so I told myself that I would only pull out the lines that I wanted to make sure to remember the most. Check out those passages below!

My Favorite Passages:
We barely get any time on this planet. Do not spend it pleasing other people. Fuck politeness. Love life exactly how you want to live it so you can love the life you make for yourself. – Karen

If he gets mad and yells, “Bitch!” at you, that doesn’t mean you’re a bitch. It means you were right. – Karen

What I’m saying is this: you’re responsible for your own quality of life. – Karen

And sometimes, people already have so much shiftiness going on in their lives they just can’t take another moment of it. Remember that. – Karen

I love chilling and day drinking and taking it ducking easy. But as it turns out, I’m not retired just yet, so I try my best to go against the lazy grain, which is why I always have multiple to-do lists going. Otherwise, I’ll to-don’t with everything and take a nap instead. – Georgia

Point being, you don’t have to bound into every situation ready to kick and, you just have to show up, and once you’re there, you might as well do your best. – Georgia

When you stop and hold yourself accountable for those negative thoughts by challenging them, they hold less weight. The more often you prove them wrong, the less control they’ll have over your mood. – Georgia

Nothing good happens in a forest. Ask Hansel, Gretel, or Harry Potter. – Karen

My Final Thoughts:
If you’re a fan of the podcast, you’re going to love this book! I cannot recommend it highly enough.

If you haven’t listened to the podcast, you may not really get their humor and many of the “inside” jokes, but I would still recommend it simply based on the self-help aspect.

This is one I will be re-reading time and time again.

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer is an unsettling story about a group of women that are sent into “Area X.” The reason why they are there is unclear. They know that there are dangers. They know they may not survive. And yet, they enter the area with a sense of excitement and fascination, ready to see what happens next.

Right from page one, there was an awesome sense of fascination, but an equally powerful sense of dread. As the story unfolded, these feelings intensified.

I was so interested in the overall plot. It was a bit like reading a book based on a fever dream; I wasn’t totally sure what was going on, but I was still really curious about everything.

One element that was really interesting, but also incredibly unnerving, was that the team was rather quickly becoming affected by some sort of supernatural force that surrounded them. I really enjoyed this mix of sci-fi and horror!

I also really enjoyed the atmosphere of the setting. It was so unusual, and there was a horror-vibe that just didn’t let up. You never knew what was around the next corner or what was hiding in the reeds.

I will admit that while I was reading this one, I really struggled to stay engaged. Perhaps I picked this up at a bad time… I just couldn’t help it; my mind kept wandering and I had to reread many paragraphs over and over again.

However, in the second half of the book, things picked up for me. There was one scene toward the end that had me so hooked that when my husband came up behind me and kissed the top of my head, I jumped and almost spilled my tea!

My Favorite Passages:
Curiosity could be a powerful distraction.

During our hike from the border to the base camp near the coast, we had experienced almost nothing out of the ordinary. The birds sang as they should; the deer took flight, their white tails exclamation points against the green and brown of the underbrush; the raccoons, bowlegged, swayed about their business, ignoring us. As a group, we felt almost giddy, I think, to be free after so many confining months of training and preparation. While we were in that corridor, in that transitional space, nothing could touch us. We were neither what we had been nor what we would become once we reached our destination.

Was this the moment when we were supposed to stop her? To come up with some other plan? If so, none of us had the nerve.

When you were too close to the center of a mystery there is no way to pull back and see the shape of it entire.

What can you do when your five senses are not enough?

My Final Thoughts:
This is a book that I think I need to re-read in order to better understand it. Like I said above, it was a bit like a fever dream. But now that I know the ending, I’m curious to see what I could learn the second time around.

That being said, I still really enjoyed this tale, especially the second half of the book!

I would definitely recommend this one to readers that enjoy sci-fi horror, but who don’t mind a bit of confusion.

Stranger Things: The Other Side was such a neat graphic novel that follows Will Byers when he was stuck in The Upside Down.

I’m pretty obsessed with the world that has been created here. So when I saw this graphic novel at Target one day, I snagged it immediately.

NOTE: There will be brief show spoilers below, so if you haven’t watched the show yet, I recommend saving this for later.

The story begins with Will running from the monster. As he runs, there’s suddenly a bright light and then he’s in a world that looks like his world, but it’s much darker and smelly…

The tale then follows Will as he tries to make contact with his friends and family. Throughout, we see flashes back to Will and the crew playing their campaign, which helps boost Will’s bravery in his current situation.

I really enjoyed how wonderfully this tied into the show. It overlapped perfectly and we saw bits and pieces of what was happening on the other side while Will was below. These events included when Barb went missing, when the hunters were attacked and also went missing, and when Will’s mom made contact with Will.

The pacing was quick, but powerful. I didn’t want it to end!

The artwork was lovely. I really enjoyed the color palette and the overall design. It was really atmospheric and quite intense, the violent scenes especially!

My Final Thoughts:
This is definitely a must-read for Stranger Things fans! I loved reading this so much!

I was so pumped to see that they are going to do more like this to cover bits that the show didn’t focus on. The next one is “Stranger Things: SIX.”

Authority by Jeff Vandermeer is the second book in The Southern Reach Trilogy. In this book, we get a look at the system that sends people into Area X.

For the Sci-Fi readathon that runs through the month of June, I am determined to get through this trilogy.

I really enjoyed that we followed a fresh face at the government agency who was learning more about Area X and the team, which allowed the reader to learn more as well. It was really interesting to see things through Control’s eyes. He started out curious, but things slowly started to spiral out of control.

There was one scene that really creeped me out! That scene alone added another star to my overall review!

However, just like the first book, this one was still a bit confusing.

There were many instances where I had to stop, turn back a page, a reread. This one also seemed to ramble a bit to me. I think if things had been tightened up a bit, I would have enjoyed it more.

My Favorite Passages:
But when you encountered a real ghost – the Thing Entire – it was a shock… it took your breath away. Not away. It didn’t take your breath away- your breath wasn’t going anywhere. Your breath was still in you, locked up, not of use to you.

Somehow, even though it was too late, he could see the hit coming before the impact, almost as if it were in slow-motion. It still knocked him off his feet.

My Final Thoughts:
While I didn’t really love this one, I’m still really glad I read it.

I definitely want to continue on to the third book, and I still want to re-read to see if this is one of those cases where I enjoy it more the second time around.

This comic is yet another comic snagged at a Free Comic Book Day. In this edition we have an Overwatch tale and a Black Hammer tale.

Zarya: Searching
Zarya: Searching was the Overwatch tale. I have to admit, I don’t know much about this world outside of the bits and pieces my husband has told me about the game.

The quick story was interesting. It was fun while reading, but I’m not sure I’d pick up a full volume.

I did really enjoy the artwork and the colors though! And the characters that we met were neat.

3/5

The Quantum Age
The Quantum Age was the Black Hammer tale.

This was another quick preview that just seemed like a bunch of name dropping all at once, but because it was all so quick, I forgot the characters immediately.

I do think that this one did a decent job introducing a new storyline, but it just wasn’t for me.

1/5

I did it everyone! I finally finished reading Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer, and completed The Southern Reach Trilogy.

The previous books in this trilogy really confused me. Even so, I was determined to finish it out.

Because of my determination, Acceptance was a novel that I had really high hopes for. I was hoping that things would become more clear, so I wasn’t so confused with the whole thing. I pushed through because I wanted to see if something toward the end would finally give me a bit of a light-bulb moment that would help me if I went back and reread the books.

Unfortunately, I finished this one just as confused as I was after reading the other books.

This book took me quite some time to get through because, like the others, I just couldn’t stay engaged. I literally did everything I could think of rather than read… I cleaned, I moved furniture, I filled a bag for Goodwill, I dropped said bag off at Goodwill, I went grocery shopping, I worked extra for my part time job, I watched TV… Oye!

Needless to day, this was a very difficult trilogy for me. However, I am quite proud of myself for sticking it out and finishing this series, especially since I owned all three books.

My final thoughts:
For those that enjoy the confusion, this one is right on par with the other two books and I’d recommend this one to you.

For those of you like me that need just a little something to go on in order to understand what’s happening, I don’t recommend this to you.

I LOVE the art on this cover!