After reading Swanson’s novel A Kind Worth Killing which was like a cross between Strangers on a Train and Don’t Make Agreements with Psychopaths for Dummies (a book not yet written but should be), I was excited to see that Swanson had another book, which is why I picked up Her Every Fear. A Kind Worth Killing had a hook immediately, Her Every Fear took me a little to get drawn in but after a few chapters, it was the thriller on steroids that I […]
You Keep Telling Yourself That, Pal…
John Wayne Cleaver has some (most) indicators that he’ll probably be a serial killer one day: The superficial/not actual indicators: His middle name is Wayne, his dad is named Sam (which makes him the Son of Sam), his last name’s Cleaver, he’s obsessed with serial killers. The real: The “triad”–bedwetting, animal cruelty, and a compunction towards arson. Oh yeah, and he’s a sociopath. But as much as John studies serial killers, he keeps telling us and his therapist that he’s studying them so that he […]
Truth Time: Victor Frankenstein is a Dick
Hollywood can’t get Frankenstein right. We all grew up thinking that the Frankenstein monster was this green, groaning thing was stupid and aimlessly looking for people to murder. The reason why Hollywood can’t get it right is because while people do die in the book, it’s not a traditional horror novel. Instead, it’s a quiet study of what makes us human and what happens when our basic needs aren’t met. It’s a gentle argument that we are shaped into the people we are rather than born […]
I Wasn’t As Attached As I Wanted to be…but as I wrote the review, I found that I was
I’ve realized that I’m an odd sort of Rainbow Rowell fan. I liked Eleanor and Park ok-enough. I think I liked the idea of it more than the execution of it. I embraced the nostalgia of the time and of first love but it’s not really a book that I’ll revisit…nor do I ever recommend it to my friends (that’s telling to me). I know that this is blasphemy in these parts and I apologize. But I liked Eleanor and Park enough to read Landline…and […]