Month: January 2018

Hello!

I usually post about books I have read, but this time, which I don’t do very often, I didn’t finish a book.

The book is Haunted By Chuck Palahniuk

First, the cover is a bit freaky AND unknowing to me, it glows in the dark. UGH!

The book has received great reviews, but a word that comes up in several of the reviews is disturbing. And boy is it…disturbing. I thought, I can read this. I’ve read disturbing books before. Oh. My. Word. I must say, I haven’t read anything this bothersome….or disturbing.

Basically it’s about a group of eccentric people that are picked up by a bus in the middle of the night. They can’t tell anyone they are leaving, they may only bring one bag to their destination, which is an isolated mansion. While at the mansion, the owner pressures them to create, in writing, something…but not sure what.  That’s the thing…you meet all these people that are given an alias for their name and then suddenly you are reading a short story that one of the captives wrote. To put it simply, the short stories written by the “captives” are disturbing. (need to look up some synonyms for disturbing!) And here’s the kicker, they get more bothersome as the book goes on!! Oh. My.

So, I read the first chapter (which actually caught my attention) and the first “written” short story. Well, I didn’t read all of the first story due to it being, you guessed it, disturbing. I had to skip an entire page of description of an event. It grossed me out. It’s not bloody and gory…it’s just…disturbing.  How does someones mind go that way?

Later, I shared the story with Jason and he also thought “WOW! That is nasty!”  And he has read more disturbing things than me!

So, now you want to read the first chapter and short story in this book, but you have been warned…it is bothersome and disturbing.

 Welcome Back!

I just finished the book
Best Day Ever by Kaira Rouda

“I glance at my wife as she climbs into the passenger seat, and I am bursting with confidence. Today will be everything I’ve promised her…and more…”

Paul Strom has the perfect life: a glittering career as an advertising executive, a beautiful wife, two healthy boys and a big house in a wealthy suburb. And he’s the perfect husband: breadwinner, protector, provider. That’s why he’s planned a romantic weekend for his wife, Mia, at their lake house, just the two of them. And he’s promised today will be the best day ever.

But as Paul and Mia drive out of the city and toward the countryside, a spike of tension begins to wedge itself between them and doubts start to arise. How much do they trust each other? And how perfect is their marriage, or any marriage, really?

I read a lot of reviews on this book and the vast majority loved this book, thought it was thrilling and suspenseful.  I wasn’t impressed.
The main character is Paul, he is narcissistic and SO extremely into himself, that he actually bored me when he wasn’t turning my stomach! What he was able to get away with, was at times, pretty farfetched.  The entire story is told by Paul and he would talk to himself to remind us how great he was and how all women loved him and they all threw themselves at their feet and how rich he was and how he lived in the best place ever. Barf.

Paul and his wife Mia are going to their cottage on the lake, for the weekend, kid free. He is planning on making it the best day ever, except we find out he has a much more sinister plan for her.

I usually like these types of books, but it really didn’t do anything for me. You can figure out what will happen. I thought it can’t be this predictable, but yep, it was. There were times I thought, here comes a twist, but nope. Nothing. The ending was pretty unsatisfying.

I’d give this book a 2.75 out of 5 stars.

You may want to give this book a chance, because MANY readers gave this book 4-5 stars. It just wasn’t for me.