Book #35. Next up from my to be read cart: Suffer the Children by Craig DiLouie. This one has been on my list for a bit – all the children in the world die, but then they come back and can only live on blood. The concept is simple, but horrifying (and let’s be honest – simplicity is usually best). Curious to see where it goes.
Anyone else struggle sometimes to begin a book after you’ve finished a different one?
Jen Mac watches T.V. (WUT?!?! The horror!) Yes, I know – this is a book blog. However, when one of my faves is brought to movie or television format I fangirl like the best of them. Who better to share this with than my stacky peeps (that’s YOU y’all)!
Here is what I’m currently watching that are adaptations of books or book series:
A Discovery of Witches – the show on AMC (and originally on Sundance) is based off the All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness. Arguably, this trilogy should have been in my top 10 (but then it wouldn’t have been a top 10). The show follows the adventures of a witch (Diana Bishop) and a vampire (Matthew de Clairemont) after she accidentally calls up the ancient manuscript Ashmole 782. BUT…the 3 existing supernatural species (witch, vampire, demon) are forbidden from consorting together, a group of witches has targeted Diana for nefarious purposes, and Ashmole 782 hasn’t been seen by anyone, supernatural or mortal, in hundreds of years.
I’ve been riveted by this television series. Admittedly, some of my fascination comes from having read the books and knowing what was to come. Barring that, the first few episodes felt a bit slow. I kept waiting for something big to happen and then the episode was over. Halfway through the season now, and it feels like things are starting to move along. I enjoyed the casting of Diana and her aunts. I initially disagreed with the casting of Matthew (in the book he felt so primal, almost animalistic, that I expected someone more overtly, obviously, not exactly masculine, but physical if that makes sense). After making it halfway through, he has started to grow on me and I’m seeing why he was cast.
Outlander – this is the Starz series based on my favorite book series of all time. There have been 4 seasons and a 5th is currently being filmed. My favorite season was season 1 (no surprise as the first book was my favorite as well), but I have enjoyed all 4 seasons. As the seasons have progressed the writers have taken more artistic liberties (yes yes I know – it’s an adaptation, but it’s not always necessary to make changes just because, especially if it isn’t to move the story along). Overall, we look forward to watching it in my house (and it doesn’t hurt that Jamie Fraser is easy on the eyes). Droughtlander is real y’all and season 5 can’t come fast enough. Also, bring on Book 9 – herself won’t tell us when Bees is coming, but (fingers crossed) hopefully, sometime this year. I’ll be the one sprinting to the bookstore and hyperventilating loudly while purchasing. People have told me before that you CAN, in fact, buy too many books. But can you, though? Major side eye anti-book-hoarders.
Game of Thrones – we are late to the party with this one (I didn’t have HBO for many years), but I did read all the books. Aaaaaaaand….I’m still waiting for the next book to be released (George R. R. Martin I’m looking at you. It would be great to get to read this book before I die of old age or the dragons grow up and eat me). We are only a few episodes in and loving it so far. Yes, it is extremely graphic – in true HBO fashion the show pulls no punches. That is what I like best about it; I never know which characters are going to get beheaded or what’s coming next. I’m looking forward to some of the worst characters getting their comeuppance (that Cersei is they epitome of helicopter mom and WHO KILLS A DOG/DIRE WOLF?!?!?!? Ugh the WORST!) Funniest character: Tyrion Lannister (that Peter Dinklage has the best lines – plus I’m a huge fan of characters that are both clever and sarcastic). Also, Khal Drogo!!!! Seriously, drool-factor 100% – I get why Daenarys was all about speaking Dothraki. I’m also looking forward to seeing what happens with Arya- she’s a little spitfire and I hope she hands out some playground justice.
It – this book was originally a T.V. miniseries (in the ’90s) and was recently remade into 
two movies (the second one due to come out September 2019 – that’s this fall y’all!!). I’m EXTREMELY curious to see what they do with the “second half” as the first movie was an enjoyable view and made for a fun date night with the hubby. HOWEVER – here comes the drama from your book stack mama. This book is/was one of my favorites of all time. Yes, it’s gory and the main characters are all children in mortal danger. The story and character development are unbeatable in my eyes – King is certainly the king of horror. I was glad to see this movie get remade now that there is so much more that can be done cinematically (look, Tim Curry will always be an icon and his interpretation of Pennywise was top notch, but the director and editors, etc were able to do so much more with bringing the story onto the big screen). I was on board for the first 3/4 of the movie. They lost me when they had Pennywise kidnap Beverly and the boys had to rescue her. They took the strong female lead (the girl who ran with the boys and was even tougher than they were – remember she dove straight into that apocalyptic rock fight) and reduced her to a damsel in distress. It didn’t move the plot along and was used to disguise the fact that the ending of both parts occurred by jumping back and forth between perspectives and time – they did it to not give away the big reveal of Pennywise’s origins and the worst form he could take (giant spider hit that bill for me – even a tiny malevolent spider would have done it. No way, thank you, next.) I’m hoping they stay truer to the final showdowns and keep the main flavor of the story (they can leave out the turtle, in my opinion; I don’t think it will translate well to screen AND of course the scene everyone who has ever read this book is uncomfortable talking about – grackles y’all)
Leave me a comment and tell me What are you watching? Suggestions to add to my book stack? Drop me a line!
Hey y’all! Come follow me over on Instagram! @jenmacsbookstack Hope to see you there!
Book #34…chugging right along on my quest (no, I’m not aiming for any specific goal other than to maaaaaaybe surpass what I read last year). There is no specific reason to that other than just wanting to see if I can and because I like making lists.
Next up is What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman. I’m continuing my trend of creepy, suspenseful, horror-ish (and full on horror) novels. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it amiright? Anyone who knows me will tell you HALLOWEEN, not Christmas, is my favorite holiday (gimme alllllllll the pumpkin cinnamon plaid latte horror movie chilly basic goodness).
The premise of this books does not disappoint: Izzy Stone’s mother shot and killed her father. Izzy refuses to visit her. Her foster parents (who work at a local museum) have her catalogue items from a local defunct asylum. In these artifacts Izzy discovers letters, a journal, and clues to her past.
Looking forward to getting my claws into this one! Stayed tuned stackies!!
Ok, guys – this one was pretty heavy for a YA novel – tons to think about and chew over.
“You can’t change laws without first changing human nature.
You can’t change human nature without first changing the laws.”
-Neal Shusterman
*Caution, the post ahead is dark and full of spoilers – proceed at your own risk.*
The concept is strikingly simple yet unbelievably relevant to the battle today over women’s reproductive rights. In a not-so-distant future, another world war was fought and a deal struck surrounding reproductive rights. This deal was supposed to satisfy both sides: pro-life and pro-choice. Essentially, any baby conceived was bound to be born and kept alive until age 13. From 13 to 18 adolescents were able to be unwound (the decision being made by their parents, legal guardians, or the state – more on that in a minute). After they hit 18, they are no longer able to be unwound. Also, if they get pregnant (“uploaded”) they are also “safe”. Babies born MUST be kept alive so the options are to: keep your baby, give your baby up for adoption, leave it to be a ward of the state, or “stork” your baby (a horrifying practice where you abandon your baby on a stranger’s doorstep and run away – they open the door to find this baby and *poof* the baby is now legally theirs).
This has led to an abundance of babies and young children, a strain on the economy because the children given to the state all must be supported in state homes (StaHo) until 18 (or earlier – more on that in a minute), AND the added stress of wondering if you will wake up in the morning with another mouth to feed that was not of your own doing. Storked babies have as much of a chance of being passed from house to house, unwanted, as they do ending up in a family loved and actually cared for.
The new laws were intended to appease both sides and honor the sanctity of life, but instead they, ironically, cheapen life and turn children into commodities – chattel to be raised and sold as the need arises. Less than human, babies are almost worshipped, but only until age 13. And like the fading of their childhood into teen-hood, so fades their importance and stability – even amongst their own family with parents that supposedly love and want them. Teens are unwound for spare parts, because they are unruly or difficult (if you know a perfectly behaved teen, send them my way because I’d like to meet one that isn’t a hormone adled mess before I die), because they have something to gain, because they are donating them as 1/10th of their “riches” to the church, or because they are worth more unwound than alive in one piece. The adults placate themselves with the thought that the unwound aren’t truly dead – as if taking one of your children and chopping them up for spare part is ok as long as they are still considered neurologically alive.
The story follows 3 unwinds who, through design or circumstance, find themselves on the run from the law in an attempt to remain alive. Connor’s parents want to unwind him because he is an unruly 16 year old (news flash parents – if your kid is unruly to the point you want to END THEIR EXISTENCE, you may need to rethink your life choices…just sayin’). Risa was an abandoned ward of the state, chosen to be unwound when there was not enough funding to justify supporting a moderately talented teen when there are babies being surrendered every day that the government is bound to raise to age 13. Lev has been raised his entire life to be offered by his parents as a tithe to his church (parents who will adopt and take in storked babies, yet raise one of they birthed as a lamb to be slaughtered).
I had to sit down and think for some time before I was composed enough to write this review at all. Reading, I was pissed as hell. This book takes to completion some of the concepts we deal with on a daily basis in regards to women’s rights – kind of a “what if” to the extreme if you will. Like The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, someone has to suffer in the face of changing laws. In this case, rather than fertile women, it’s the children who will do the sacrificing.
Well, clearly I have some strong feelings about this book y’all (were you actually surprised? I doubt it). The concept it covers is extremely relevant and hits WAAAAAAAAAAY to close to home (as both a woman and mother). First off, I really enjoyed both the story and writing style of Neal Shusterman. He broke the book down into chunks titled by the main characters names, which made it a quick read. The story itself was riveting, if disturbing, mostly because it isn’t too difficult to imagine people convincing themselves that something like this is a viable option. As the economy becomes more strained, and parents more stressed by parenting (and potentially having children added to their brood for them), it isn’t too hard to see how some might think unwinding their child would be morally acceptable, nay, their moral OBLIGATION to support their other children (especially if the unwind is considered a “problem child”). The Bill of Life didn’t actually serve to make life better for children or protect them – I argue that it actually made things worse for all in this fictional universe.
The part that hit me hardest, I think, was the story Connor tells about a baby that was storked to his family (FYI Connor’s parents – pretty sure the psychological trauma you inflicted on him with this one event is why he is so unruly and angry. If this is any indication of your parenting skills, it’s my guess his young life was full of instances that helped to usher in the breakdown of this family). The baby was left on his doorstep, but his family didn’t want it. Rather than bringing it to a StaHo, they waited and abandoned the baby on the doorstep of one of the neighbors. This was repeated until the baby wound up back on Connor’s doorstep so ill and uncared for that “he” died a short time later at the hospital. In a world where children were either worth money or were another expenditure, this baby had nothing to offer and was thrown away like so much trash. As a mother, I couldn’t fathom looking to unwind my own children (no matter how difficult they’re being – and we’ve had some wildcat moments) nor having a child wind up on my doorstep and not taking them in. My heart ached for this little fictional, dead baby.
Another hard-to-get-through section was the unwinding of a secondary character, Roland. It was described in detail (although not graphically) as he was disassembled, piece-by-piece. The most horrifying part was that unwinds are kept conscious and aware throughout the entire unwinding process – made to witness their own termination (although we come to see later that each of the bits of each person retains their own memory or sense of self)! How a population would think that THIS – sentencing a group of society to their own demise, which they are fully aware is coming and must be aware while it happens, is any better or different than the termination of all the pregnancies they adopted this law to prevent is such a “can’t see the forest through the trees” moment – I was/am flabbergasted.
I did find that there were some areas where the story seemed to drag a little bit for me – areas where there weren’t really anything big going on. After running to escape and moving to various safe houses with these three, arriving at the graveyard and having to slow down to the speed of everyday life was kind of a let down.
Again though, this is a YA novel and the author does an excellent job moving the story ahead, weaving in “history”, and making it accessible to the age group it’s intended for.
Do Connor, Risa, and Lev survive to their 18th birthdays? Is there a rebellion? Whose teeth does the admiral actually have in is mouth?!? For the answer to all these questions you will have to read to find out – you won’t be sorry you did!
Rating: 4/5
Happy hump day y’all! We are officially closer to the weekend – on the downhill side of the week if you will. It’s still rainy and a bit chilly for my taste here, so I’m snuggled up on the couch with my dog and (you guessed it) my book! I also have a snazzy blanket across my legs because I am practicing for my future as a crotchety recluse *shakes fist at passersby* Just kidding…sort of.
Anywho, I like lists, almost as much as books (I even make lists of books – my ultimate nerdy fun). Legit, I even have a notebook with a list of books to get from the library (alphabetized by author last name – obviously – because I’m not a monster) straight up. In case you were stumbling around the Internet, hoping to happen upon the next great thing you should read, you’ve come to the right place.
Jen Mac’s List of Favorites (in no particular order):
1. Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon (all time, hands down, proclaim it loudly from the roof top like my religion level obsessed)
2. Into the Wilderness series by Sara Donati (if you liked Outlander, you will like this too – trust me)
3. It by Stephen King (I used to reread this yearly. Since having children I can’t bring myself to pick it up, but maybe once they are not the same ages as many of the characters)
4. The Stand by Stephen King (love my post apocalyptic adventures, plus King is the king)
5. Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling (duh)
6. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfus
7. Any of Philippa Gregory’s princess novels
8. Dan Brown (his Robert Langdon novels – although all his books are a riveting read)
9. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
10. The Passage trilogy by Justin Cronin (science AND vampires – yes, please!)
So, there you have it, my top 10. Good night and happy reading!!
Book #33 that’s what! I’ve started reading Unwind by Neal Shusterman. Occasionally, I take a jaunt into young adult fiction. Yes, I’m a fan of Harry Potter and all things from the wizarding world (deathly hallows forever y’all) and I shamelessly enjoyed the Twilight series (and I do a reread every so often).
The premise of this book is both interesting and disturbing – in the not-so-distant future, conceived children MUST be kept alive until age 13. Between 13 and 18 years, children may be “unwound”; all of the child’s organs get transplanted. I looooove me a good dystopian novel. Check back later this week for a review!
This is a mini book review for Andrew Pyper’s The Homecoming.
Let me start by saying that this is my first ever book review and it might have spoilers, so bear with me.
At first, I really like The Homecoming – it had that spooky, we don’t really know what’s going on vibe working for it – the isolated, forest located harkened back to all the camp slasher films of my youth; there was a dead character that summoned his family to this place while he remained a mystery to us and to them, and there was this time limit placed upon the entire scenario. I was intrigued – who was their dad really? Why were they in this house? What did it all MEAN????? I wanted to know, and as a fan of Pyper’s previous book The Demonologist I was interested to see what he had in store for this family.
I have to admit though, that about halfway through the book my interest started to flag. There were little clues to what was going on, but it was (for me anyway) a bit underdone. The addition of the second “family” group was interesting, but again, with the way the plot played out, not necessarily believable with the “villain’s” goal. The explanation given as to why the group(s) were at Belfountain made sense and did the job of wrapping up some loose ends.
Here is where I really struggled and what led to me, ultimately, feeling dissatisfied with the book:
1. We never really get Aaron’s true back story.
2. There is this whole undertone of some sort of societal unrest/ detainment camps, etc which is hinted at, but we never truly find out what the deal is. When the 2 survivors get out, it plays a role, but is all kind of glossed over.
3. The two survivors kind of go back to their lives, but it was left open ended. Personally, I’m not a fan of open ended plots. Some people love ’em – I’m not one of them usually (and this was no exception).
All-in-all a decent read – didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. It had a pretty interesting twist, but I was glad I got it from the library.
Rating: 3/5 stars
So, if you happen to follow my reading adventures over on Instagram #jenmacsbookstack you may have noticed that I am keeping track of what I’m reading. I started doing this last year for me. While I was doing this I started following some excellent bookstagrammers who gave me so much inspiration for my book stack. So…..I decided to post mine as well – you never know who will want to read what you’re reading amiright?
Anyway, I’m currently on book #31 since January 1. I’m reading The Homecoming by Andrew Pyper (author of The Demonologist). I’m hoping to finish this weekend and to post a review early next week.
I’ve been reading…a lot, as I have done most days since I was a child. Of course, life got in the way, as it tends to do, for a while. For the last year – ish, I’ve been back – baby! And then I started reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and it got me thinking…“Am I happy?” like on a daily basis satisfied with my life or have I let some of the tougher things I dealt with for loooooooooong periods of time turn me into a jaded pain in the ass. Hint hint – I think it’s the latter. SO, I decided to change my attitude and actions in a bunch of areas. One of the items discussed is pursuing challenges or achieving a new goal. If you’ve followed my instagram this past year, you’ve seen I read…a lot…like, an uncomfortable amount for some (and not so much compared to others – I’m looking at you bookstagrammers #lifegoals). There are people that get sent books…for free (yeah, let that sink in for a second – for me that’s like the ultimate in happy surprises). They review them and blog about what they are doing. Then I thought why not me?. Posting about my books isn’t THAT much different, and it might be fun to do something a little different. I’m ready to start shaping my life to be what I want it to be and see where this journey takes me.
Thanks for joining me!
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
Jen Mac's Book Stack 