The Truth Lies Here by Lindsey Klingele

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I’ve finished another book last night right before I went to bed and I wanted to share it with you before I forget. This book didn’t end the way that I thought it would but that’s okay. I was thoroughly surprised when I got to the end and I like to be surprised. I don’t like being able to guess the ending before I get there. The story did move along at a nice pace, enough to keep you coming back to the story. I didn’t find any slow parts where I could have gotten derailed and not picked the book back up. This book will probably be the type of book for people who liked the tv show the X-Files.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN BONE LAKE? THE TRUTH WILL SURPRISE YOU.

In small town Michigan, Penny Hardjoy, an aspiring journalist, teams up with the nerdy boy next door and the town’s star quarterback to find her conspiracy theorist father after he goes missing and several other people turn up dead in the woods.

The deeper she digs, the weirder things start to get. Townspeople repeat the same phrases—verbatim. Men in black suits stroll around Main Street. Chunks of Penny’s memory go missing.

Pretty soon, her research leads her to the long-ago meteorite crash in Bone Lake’s woods, and she’s going to have to reconsider her definition of “real” if she wants answers. . . .

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Comic books?

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Do you consider comic books/anime/manga/graphic novels to be the same as reading an actual novel? Now, I’m not one to say that the book has to have a certain word count before it’s considered a “novel” and it can’t have any pictures or anything like that. I would say “yes” to that first question.

I’ve read the mini series “Wraith: Welcome to Christmasland” that was written by Joe Hill. It’s a prequel to the novel “NOS4A2” that tells you all about how Charles Talent Manx became the villain in that novel. It doesn’t add anything or take anything away from the book. It just gives you some back history on Manx.

I’ve also read the Locke & Key series, which was also written by Joe Hill. That’s my first comic book series that I’ve read and it’s what introduced me to author Joe Hill. It’s a good series but I would consider it and the mini series listed above to be for “mature audiences” only because of some of the content.

Professor Albus Dumbledore

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Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry during Harry’s time in school. In the first 2 films, Richard Harris plays the part of Professor Dumbledore. When Harris passed away after the second film, Michael Gambon plays the part of Professor Dumbledore from the third movie on to the rest of the series. Who do you think plays the part of Dumbledore better…..Richard Harris (pictured on the left) or Michael Gambon (pictured on the right)? This is a big debate in my household….my spouse and I are always discussing who we think played the part better.

Got caught?

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Have you ever got caught reading when you weren’t suppose to?

There have been a time or two that I got caught reading when I was suppose to be in bed asleep. I remember being given the speech that I would ruin my eyes because I was trying to read with not enough light to help me see properly. This was back during a time when we didn’t have tablets and e-readers that had a lit up screen to read on. It was just me and the book I was reading…..I usually left my door open enough to have some light coming into my room that I though was enough light to see by. Plus, I thought I could see/hear my parents coming down the hall and be able to put my book away fast enough to not get caught.

As far as school went, I usually only read when the teacher allowed it. I don’t remember getting caught when I wasn’t suppose to. I knew that if I did get caught that I would be in double the amount of trouble. I would get in trouble at school for not paying attention to the teacher but I would also get in trouble a second time once I got home.

Did you see the premiere?

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So, who here watched the premiere of “NOS4A2” (yes, I know I’m a little late on this)? Are you excited to see the next episode? What are your expectations for the first season? How many of you have read the book that this show is based on?

I know there are some little differences, so far, between the show and the book. However, I don’t think it’s enough to deter me from watching the show. Yeah, in the book, Vic McQueen was a little younger and she rode an actual bicycle instead of a motor cycle (that seems to be the big difference so far at this point). But I’m still interested in seeing how this show plays out. What do you think so far?

The Hunger Games (movies)

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My hubby purchased the entire collection of Hunger Games movies on blu-ray a few weeks ago. My collection doesn’t include a digital copy….just the movies themselves along with bonus features spread out over 6 discs. I’ve watched “The Hunger Games”, “Catching Fire”, “Mockingjay part 1” and “Mockingjay part 2” today. They seemed to have kept the movies pretty close to the books from what I can tell. I know they can’t put everything from the books into the movies….if they did, each movie would be about 12 hours long and no one would be able to sit through that. I did enjoy watching the movies today.

Anyway, I never did get to see these movies as they were being released in the theaters. I wanted to read the books and have them finished before I saw the movies. I didn’t want the movies to have any effect on what I was reading as I was making my way through the books and I’ve always preferred it that way. My hubby purchased the movies for me when I finished the last book in the trilogy not long ago.

Have you watched any of the movies? What are your thoughts on them? Did you watch them when they were released in theaters or did you wait to watch them at home once they were out on dvd/blu-ray?

Harry Potter: A Journey

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Well, it looks like we will be getting some more stories from the world of Harry Potter at the end of June. (I feel that won’t come soon enough though.) They will be selling four e-books called “Harry Potter: A Journey” and they each will focus on different subjects from the wizarding world.

Harry Potter: A Journey Through Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts
Harry Potter: A Journey Through Potions and Herbology
Harry Potter: A Journey Through Divination and Astronomy
Harry Potter: A Journey Through Care of Magical Creatures

The first two are set to be released at the end of June and the other two will follow some time after, according to Pottermore, the official Harry Potter digital site. These e-books sound like something Hermione would enjoy. Anyway, it’s a good thing my hubby got me that Kindle Fire last year since I will want to read these when they come out.

Another childhood favorite?

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This was another favorite of mine when I was a kid. My grandparents purchased this for me once upon a time when I was sick at home. I remember when I did a book report when I was a kid on this book. I dressed up as Fern from this book and even brought along a little stuffed pig with me to serve as “Wilbur”. The teacher I had at the time was offering up bonus points if you dressed up as one of the characters from the book.

Synopsis: Some Pig. Humble. Radiant. These are the words in Charlotte’s Web, high up in Zuckerman’s barn. Charlotte’s spiderweb tells of her feelings for a little pig named Wilbur, who simply wants a friend. They also express the love of a girl named Fern, who saved Wilbur’s life when he was born the runt of his litter.

E. B. White’s Newbery Honor Book is a tender novel of friendship, love, life, and death that will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come. It contains illustrations by Garth Williams, the acclaimed illustrator of E. B. White’s Stuart Little and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series, among many other books.

The Great American Read

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Last year, PBS held an eight-part series on tv to discuss the country’s best-loved novel. I did remember making my vote but I didn’t get a chance to watch any of the episodes on tv.

Did you watch the eight-part series? Did you place your vote to help determine which novel/series won? How many of the books on the list have you read? Do you plan on reading all the book on the list? What are your thoughts on the books that made the list?

  1. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Best Loved)
  2. Outlander (series) by Diana Gabaldon (Finalist)
  3. Harry Potter (series) by J. K. Rowling (Finalist)
  4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Finalist)
  5. The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkein (Finalist)
  6. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
  7. Charlette’s Web by E. B. White
  8. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
  9. The Chronicles of Narnia (series) by C. S. Lewis
  10. Jane Eyre by Charlote Bronte
  11. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
  12. The Grapes of Wraith by John Steinbeck
  13. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
  14. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
  15. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  16. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
  17. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
  18. 1984 by George Orwell
  19. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
  20. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
  21. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
  22. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
  23. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
  24. The Stand by Stephen King
  25. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
  26. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
  27. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
  28. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
  29. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
  30. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
  31. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
  32. The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
  33. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
  34. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
  35. Dune by Frank Herbert
  36. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
  37. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
  38. The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel
  39. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
  40. The Hunger Games (series) by Suzanne Collins
  41. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
  42. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
  43. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
  44. The Giver by Lois Lowry
  45. Memoirs of a Geisha by Author Golden
  46. Moby Dick by Herman Melville
  47. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
  48. Game of Thrones (series) by George R. R. Martin
  49. Foundation (series) by Isaac Asimov
  50. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
  51. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
  52. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
  53. The Godfather by Mario Puzo
  54. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
  55. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
  56. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
  57. The Shack by William P. Young
  58. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
  59. The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
  60. Beloved by Toni Morrison
  61. The Martian by Andy Weir
  62. The Eye of the World (series) by Robert Johnson/Brandon Sanderson
  63. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
  64. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevesky
  65. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
  66. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
  67. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
  68. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
  69. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
  70. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
  71. Hatchet (series) by Gary Paulson
  72. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
  73. The Twilight Saga (series) by Stephanie Meyer
  74. Tales of the City (series) by Armistead Maupin
  75. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathon Swift
  76. Ready Player One by Earnest Cline
  77. Left Behind (series) by Tim LaHaye/Jerry B. Jenkins
  78. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
  79. Watchers by Dean Koontz
  80. The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
  81. Alex Cross Mysteries (series) by James Patterson
  82. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
  83. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
  84. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
  85. Flowers in the Attic by V. C. Andrews
  86. Fifty Shades of Grey (series) by E. L. James
  87. The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
  88. This Present Darkness by Frank E. Peretti
  89. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  90. Another Country by James Baldwin
  91. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
  92. Looking for Alaska by John Green
  93. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
  94. Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon
  95. Mind Invadors by Dave Hunt
  96. White Teeth by Zadie Smith
  97. Ghost by Jason Reynolds
  98. The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah
  99. The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead
  100. Dona Barbara by Romulo Gallegos

“The Bone Keeper” by Luca Veste

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I’ve finished another novel and wanted to share it with you. This novel is a stand alone and was a really creepy read. I enjoyed it, don’t get me wrong. I didn’t see the ending coming. I imagined that the killer was a particular person and it wasn’t who I thought it was. Plus, it seems that the author is trying to throw you a few curve balls to throw you off. But if you’re looking for a crime novel that is really creepy, than this book may be right up your alley.

Synopsis: Twenty years ago, four teenagers went exploring in the local woods, trying to find the supposed home of the Bone Keeper. Only three returned.

Now, a woman is found wandering the streets, horrifically injured, claiming to have fled the evil urban myth.

And then a body turns up.