Many people don't know King has this YA (okay it was released before "YA" was a thing but that is essentially what this is!) sword and sorcery book with kings, princes, wizards, poison, dragons, and more!  He initially wrote this book for his daughter, Naomi, but I think we can all benefit from the magical story within. It has nods to his Dark Tower universe (King Roland and Flagg the Magician...?) without having to rebuild the whole world for us.  Flagg is just as diabolical as you would expect, pitting two young princes against each other in his own effort to ultimately rule and ruin the land.

It was quite interesting to see King in this genre and headspace... it felt more like Dark Tower vibes than anything else he's done with a bonus of whimsy and magic.  You could almost hear The Princess Bride or Willow soundtracks in your head as you read this one.

It's not my favorite King, but I had a fun time with it and it was light-hearted enough (obviously some deaths and other acts that aren't so light, but it's a sword & sorcery tale so you get the picture!) 

AND THIS BOOK HAS AMAZING ILLUSTRATIONS BY DAVID PALLADINI

Honestly, I can listen to Dolly talk about anything and everything.  I just love her spirit, enthusiasm for life, the joy she emanates, and how she turns everything into something positive.  She is a true national treasure and I think she has so much to teach us, not included in her songs and all her lyrics.

This book was quite different than I expected.  It basically had an interview feel to it.  A man would talk about a song and he may or may not connect it briefly to a moment in Dolly's life.  It would just pan over then to her talking about that song and what was going on, why she wrote it, more about the people in her life connected to that song, the meaning of it, etc.  So the book read differently than any "memoir" I have read before, but I still got into it.  And the audio is full of Dolly singing in her responses as well as clips of real songs, too!

I definitely recommend this book to any Dolly Parton fan and to anyone just wondering who this powerhouse woman is, some of what she's gone through, her family life, her professional life, and how all of those songs she has released may connect to any and all of the above!

Off the Beaten Path is a solid collection of short stories/novelettes that connects the reader with horror on different levels.  Each story surprised me and had me wanting more, but I would like to call out my three favorites: "Off The Beaten Path - The Beginning," "Stranded," and "Dead Bait." There's a reason I don't really hike, take dark roads, go the "faster more scenic route," and tend to always be a cautious person... and these stories just support my theories!  "Stranded" really spoke to me, and I couldn't help but get a visual from one of the vignettes in John Carpenter's movie, Body Bags.  The plots are not the same at all, but in "Stranded" a character swallows a hair in his drink that starts to do weird things inside his body and it all goes downhill from there.  In Body Bags, a man gets a hair transplant and essentially turns into Cousin Itt.  But both make me think of this really long hair protruding from your body where it shouldn't be and just... I can't quite explain the gross horror I feel from that!  Wofford Lee Jones did a wonderful job at bringing some of my personal fears to life in the pages of this collection, and I think there is a story in here for everyone! 

I never thought I could be so wowed by tales of grief, loss, and pain.  But Scott Moses delivered me something I didn't know I needed or that I don't even know how my heart survived.  This short story collection is beautifully written and each story has a little blurb beforehand that explains either when or why it was written.  One of the blurbs almost made me cry ("Blues Exorcist," I am looking at you)!  There is not a single story I did not enjoy reading, but my favorites are "Nowhere, Louisiana," "Blues Exorcist," "What's In Your Name," and "Hunger Pangs."  This collection has stories everyone will hone in and and love, but I think each reader will have a different subset of favorites due to their own personal experiences and their connections to grief and loss.  With incredible cover art from Daniele Serra, Hunger Pangs is a collection that you can ravage up in one sitting or that you can spread over a few days to fully absorb all that's within.

Review to come!

Ah!  This book had me going the whole time!  The beginning does a great job at building the characters, their motives, and has you guessing what their lies and secrets could be.  The middle made my jaw completely drop and further propelled my need to finish this book and unravel it all.  And the ending left me completely satisfied with that small feeling of mystery and intrigue you get when you finish any domestic thriller.  I loved it!

I loved the twists and turns, the Southern gothic and Southern eleganza vibes galore, and I really just found myself fascinated with this plot.  Reading this felt like drinking ice cold sweet tea on a hot, humid, summer day in the South!  The wives, the gossip, the "bless your hearts," and just so much about this book make it one I will definitely be recommending!

And I know this has been called a retelling of Jane Eyre, and it might be, but I like to think of it is as just having LOTS of inspiration from and homages to the classic.  We have a lot of connections: Jane, Thornfield, Edward/Eddie Rochester, Adele, secrets, etc.  But then there are also TONS of homages and links to Rebecca: mysterious death of a wife, secretive man, the boat, the fire, etc.  It's a great blend of these two gorgeously haunting stories and I definitely think anyone who enjoys either or both will LOVE this modern and fast-paced twist of a book!  

Will Jane get a happy ending? Will she do better for herself than the man and life she has chosen or stumbled upon?  Will she even make it?  You've got to read to find out! 4 stars!

What is NOT to love about the Kill River trilogy?  It checks off every box for things I love in horror movies and books!  And like a lot of final installments in a trilogy, all bets are off.  Things we think we know are not so and anything can happen to anybody in the story, regardless of how long we have been reading their stories.  We get some more emotional abuse and psychological terror in this one than prior installments, but that does not take away from all the bloodshed and carnage!  There are loads of kill scenes and this book may have my FAVORITE kill scene from the entire trilogy.  After I finished the book I had to go back and read that one scene over again because the first time my jaw was on the floor!  80s horror fans and slasher fans will devour this book and fall in love with the Kill River universe!  HIGHLY recommended! 

Full review to come after ruminating with the book club!

For those just tuning in, the Nightmareland Chronicles is an ongoing serialized adventure horror epic following one man's journey to reach his estranged daughter in a world claimed by eternal night.  What we have learned so far is that we have stumbled into a dystopian and post apocalyptic world covered in night/darkness. And then came the lullaby from anything with a speaker or even a screen.  The lullaby forces anyone into a feverish sleep. Sleepwalking is the third installment in this series and it delivers!

After Lullaby, John has now fallen victim to his feverish dreams.  Now Mariah must enlist the help of a young boy, Marcos, who has essentially been overseeing and serving as caretaker of a small town.  I've said it before and I am saying it again: MARIAH IS A BOSS!  I love how each book has further explored into her mind, characters, actions, etc.  So far, she is definitely someone I want on my side if this type of situation ever presents itself.  And her relationship with Marcos is so motherly/protective/amazing.  Those final few chapters...!

And Marcos.  Can we talk about Marcos?!  We were briefly introduced to him in Lullaby and I totally expected him to be a huge part of this installment.  I am glad that he was because he is a smart and resourceful little thing!  I definitely think he and Mariah will rely on each other for as long as the author lets them live (I hope they make it to the end, but who knows?!)

Author Daniel Barnett has pushed us even deeper into this new world of darkness with new fears and threats the further we travel.  This is a series that you need to be reading and I am so ready to see what happens in Book 4!