Have You Heard About Litsy?

Why am I posting about this? It's like when a big publication posts about a nice beach spot and then the small, secret spot is suddenly overrun with trashy tourists letting their dogs poop everywhere, driving up prices.

But in these times of everyone staying home and having to be amused by their phones and TVs, I thought maybe there'd be more reading. So here's Litsy. It's kind of like a mix of Instagram (pictures) and Twitter (word limit). You can have a to-be-read list (which you can add to directly from other's posts) and the only ratings are pick (love), so-so (meh), and pan (not good). You can also bail, which has been a fucking revelation to me. That I don't have to finish a book I'm not enjoying. Embrace it. Life is too short for crappy reads.

There's tons of little games and read-a-longs and swaps that are community organized and it's generally a very friendly and welcoming group. We very rarely get spammers or harassers (and if we do, they get the ban hammer pretty quickly). People have made pretty genuine friends on there and I know some of them meet IRL.

So if you're a reader and are interested in posting your meh pictures you took before you got that perfect one for bookstagram and mini reviews that don't have to be full of hashtags or promotions, come on and join us! The link above is actually directly to my profile. The website is OK, but I'd suggest a combination of it (to block any hashtags you're not interested in seeing and for a more organized notification bar) and the app (which is just more convenient).

Add me! :)

'Twelve Nights at Rotter House' review

Twelve Nights at Rotter House by J.W. Ocker (published in October 2019) is his first adult fiction book. Mostly, he's written travelogues about horror locations and history, so not a huge surprise that the main character of this, Felix, is also a horror travelogue author. I got this for my horror book club, but didn't finish it in time for the meet, which is disappointing as I had some things to say.

The premise of this one is that Felix, not a believer of ghosts, convinces the owner of Rotter House to let him stay alone for 13 days for a book. Immediately, you know things are going to go wrong seeing as the book is twelve days, but alas. The first couple of chapters detail him exploring the abandoned, ramshackled house and have some eerie moments. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he's joined by his friend Thomas. There's some tension between the two of them as they haven't spoken in over a year due to some falling out that isn't mentioned for some time. Both are horror junkies, though Thomas believes in ghosts/supernatural stuff, and it goes from there.

pictured is 'Twelve Nights at Rotter House' by J.W. Ocker

So, my biggest issue with this had to do (besides the ending) with pacing. It dragged so much, separated by days where much of the time nothing happens except the two men having long conversations about their history and horror stuff. It seemed to delve more into a drama than a horror/haunted house. Sometime after the halfway point it starts to pickup and dive headfirst into crazy town.

At this point, I could not put the book down as the tension between the two is revealed and some of the hauntings feel very personal. And then the ending, which threw me for a complete loop and made me angrily shut the book. I do not like endings like that.

For what it's worth, it did had some creepy parts and the horror trivia was fun, but I ultimately dropped the star rating from a four to a three after mulling on it for a couple of days. I'd suggest it for haunted house fans, but I guess be warned there's a twist ending.

'The Exorcist' review (book + movie)

I picked this up as my local bookstore was reading it for horror bookclub (it was rescheduled to April and then outright cancelled. I think they're going to try to do an online meetup, but we'll see). I heard from tons a folks that it was really scary and honestly, it wasn't.

I think it said a lot about gender and cultural norms and mental health (probably not intentionally in some cases) and overall I found it interesting. It was gross and perverse and though it had tons of scenes of research... we never got an explanation as to how Regan got possessed.

I have two theories. I haven't done any research into what people are thinking and I know there's a sequel but I haven't looked into it so no clue if it delves into it. So, first... she didn't close the ouija board. It was such a minor thing though and wasn't spoken about again once Regan started to really go off the deep end, but maybe? I mean, ouija is bullshit, but in the realm of possessions and such, it could be a possibility.

OR it's all just a visceral allegory. Regan is hitting preteen age and going through puberty. I've heard somewhere that some people think that during that time you're open to possession, but I think it's more simple than that. Just an ew, yucky thing. I mean, the possession could've been scary and apart from a few creepy moments, the entirety of it is just sexual. She asks people to fuck her, she masturbates, sometimes violently. A good chunk of her insults to taunt the priests are sexual in nature. For a seventies crowd, that is horrifying seeing a young girl talk/act that way. Overall, girls don't do that. People still feel that way now, to an extent.

Another thing I was annoyed with was Chris' atheism and how it wasn't really explored well in my opinion. She comes off as dumb and a bit of a floozy and it sort of felt like victim blaming at times - a 'where's the father, your broken home caused this' or 'well, your lack of belief brought this demon into your house' sorta thing. I would've liked the utter horror at finding very convincing evidence that there's something else, more. But she just kinda cowtails. I do appreciate that they explored every avenue of health/mental health before even suggesting such a thing, especially consider this was set/written during the time where women were basically doped up on tranquilizers to be "normal" and there was no real exploration beyond that.  Tranquilizers are used quite often in both book and movie.

I also watched the movie. It was good, the practical affects were really interest to try and figure out (and in some cases, google - looking at you cold breath). I think they were trying to lean more into Karras' crisis of faith and everything with his mother, but it didn't come through as strongly as in the book and so that final scene I think wasn't as potent. I also found the pacing to be... bad. We don't get to see Regan slowly descend, she just IS one day and there really was no build up. I think that was the probably, as a mother, the creepiest thing while reading - thinking about these little things adding up to a child who I don't recognize anymore and nobody knows how to help.

For what it was, it is a masterpiece of horror literature/film, an entire genre of horror films wouldn't exist without it and overall, I'm glad for the experience.

February 2020 Wrap Up + March Goals

To start, have you seen the picture of that hospital nursery where they put all the babies into little frog hats for the leap day? Very cute. Highlight of my month considering it wasn't a great reading month, I didn't get much done with my other goals, and the news has been an absolute shitshow. So here's some cute frog babies.

I finished one book I started in January, Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (review here). And only actually started and finished two other books. The Princess Beard by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne, a very funny audiobook borrow (I'm working on a review of the trilogy now and some commentary not strictly review related) and Twelve Nights at Rotter House by J.W. Ocker, a physical book for horror bookclub at my local bookstore. I didn't finish it in time for the meet and didn't want to spoil the ending by going anyway, but there longer I have mulled on it, the more I wish I'd let it be spoiled. The ending honestly ruined the book for me and I'll likely post a spoiler-y review in a day or so.

As much as I was looking forward to Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeer, I just could not get into it and returned it to the library. I'll have to pick it up again when I think I can focus. I bailed on Highfire by Eoin Colfer, which is a shame as I dug Artemis Fowl, but just could not get into this adult fare. Didn't read any Way of Kings.

I'm slowly chugging along with American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI by Kate Winkler Dawson (it feels a bit disjointed with lots of facts thrown at you and also, wtf was original CSI. Insane.), The Book of Koli by M. R. Carey (which I'm not feeling so far, but I got it for review), and just started Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore on audio the last day of February (it's good so far).

On Litsy, I joined a group of gals who are going to be swapping books for four months. The 4 books we're going to cycle among ourselves sound interesting and I'm especially excited to get my choice back in the mail at the end. I'm reading my proof copy of The Girl and The Stars by Mark Lawrence, which I was SO stoked to receive a copy of. I've heard the author's other stuff has just been great.

I also set myself up for a bookswap, which I may end up regretting as I may spend too much on my match. The host hasn't matched everyone up yet, won't be until March 11th, I think? It's like spring/Easter themed. I'll probably post what I get on here (or if it messes up - which is why I stopped with the swaps originally - I'll complain about that instead).

Not much TV watched last month. I think I watched a single movie? Idk. Lots of YouTube. Just playing Dragon Age: Inquisition on hard and getting my ass handed to me. Bioshock and restarted Skyrim with a warrior, necromancer orc.


March Goals:

• Finally use the giant magnet to go magnet fishing.
• Finish The Girl and The Stars, primary, but also the others I'm currently reading (3, with the exception of Way of Kings since there's just no way)
• Get one book for one of the bookclubs (I'm leaning towards The Exorcist for horror bookclub)
• Once I get the match for the swap, get everything for it ASAP
• Write a short story (or anything, seriously)
• Get review for Rotter House posted here and two other posts (I have one solid idea and the other is a maybe)

Anyway, how was your February? 

'Just Mercy' review

This book was a tough one. I'm not sure if I'd of picked it up had my bookclub not chose it as February's nonfic read, but after reading it I say this: Everyone needs to read this book. If you want a better understanding of how the justice system works and it's failings here in America, read this.

I had to take breaks while reading this as it was just so upsetting and a stressful read, especially when Stevenson gets into his work with incarcerated children. The just utter lack a regard to these people's lives is disgusting.

Bryan Stevenson has just dedicated his life to this and has had such a powerful impact on many people's lives and even had hand in changing laws (here, here, here) that were very much unfair. We still have long steps to go in getting the justice system to not be such a crapshoot, needlessly biased against all people of color and poor people, but the strides this man has taken so far are pretty amazing.

It's also interesting to think about how had he not volunteered with the SPDC and met Henry, who was on death row, and really got to know this man, that it might not have gotten him thinking about the injustice of it all and started him on this quest.

"I frequently had difficult conversations with clients who were struggling and despairing over their situations-over the things they'd done, or had been done to them, that had led them to painful moments. Whenever things got really bad, and they were questioning the value of their lives, I would remind them that each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done. I told them that if someone tells a lies, that person is not just a liar. If you take something that doesn't belong to you, you are not just a thief. Even if you kill someone, you're not just a killer. I am more than broken. In fact, there is a strength, a power even, in understanding brokenness, because embracing our brokenness creates a need and desire for mercy, and perhaps a corresponding need to show mercy. When you experience mercy, you learn things that are hard to learn otherwise. You see things you can't  otherwise see; you hear things you can't otherwise hear. You begin to recognize the humanity that resides in each of us." (pg. 290)

I think the thing I find most impressive about Stevenson is really just his way with words. Both with people and on page. It definitely feels like he gets the grasp on how to talk to people right away and some of his phrases really hit home the idea that there's something wrong here. The most prominent one that was pointed out my bookclub was that instead of life sentence, he frequently said death sentence - because that's what it was... you sentence someone to 100+ years without parole, that's a death sentence. It's insane to me that it took until 2009 before this started being changed.

This overarching story follows Stevenson's quest to get Walter McMillian off of death row for a crime he couldn't possibly have commited. The facts that stacked up against the police force and DA and courts that dealt with this who only wanted to get this murder wrapped up before elections, was just mind boggling. The lack of care in the case was just... horrifying. They put this man on death row before he was even trialed. They bribed people with lesser sentences if they said they saw him places he wasn't - even though there were dozens of witnesses saying he was miles away from when the murder happened. This entire debacle ruined this man's life and while Stevenson ultimately got Walter, thankfully, freed, he was never the same and died thinking he was still on the row. It was utterly tragic and completely unnecessary that someone's life had to go out that way because of some people didn't want to admit they made a mistake.

As a far warning, there are some descriptions of people being sent to the electric chair that are pretty graphic and were upsetting to read. If you are anti-death penalty, this will be a tough one for you and it definitely gave me a lot to think about.

There is an absolute wealth of information on the Equal Justice Initiative website, which was founded by Stevenson in 1989, if you're interested in learning more, volunteering or donating. I haven't watched it yet, but have heard the documentary, True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality, was very good.

'The Wives' review *spoilers*

Originally, I had this rated a little higher, but the more I stewed on it, the more I just did not like it. And weeks later, writing this review, I'm just not happy about it, so here we go.

The premise of this - about a gal who agreed to a poly marriage where she wasn't supposed to know anything about the other wives but finds out that her husband may be abusing one of the other wives and wants to try and save her - was an interesting ideas. And if that's all it was, I think this would've been a good thriller-type (with more research into the whole poly thing needed, most def), but there was a "plot twist" that pretty much invalidated the first half of the book.

I mean, I kinda hated it. I rated it two stars on Goodreads, a pan on Litsy.

My biggest issue with the book is that it uses Thursday's mental illness as a plot point and a "convenient" way to wrap up all those loose ends and random choices she made (oh, she's mentally ill, that explain everything, right?). I realize people react to certain situations differently, but this level of psychosis just doesn't seem reasonable given the reason why. Thursday had a miscarriage sometime before the story begins, and while that's horrible and traumatic, it and her refusal to accept it (and the events after) fully are used as the catalysts to her downward spiral. I dunno, man.

Another thing I disliked about this book, other than the main character Thursday, was just... the characterization of every other female in the book. They were caricatures and stereotypes and just flat as a board. All these women were held down and hurt in some way by men and I'm just not happy reading about that. That's all they were. All their characters were there just to further demonize men. Men are manipulators and cheaters and they bribe and cajool women to stay with them (well, with the exception of Thursday who is just too crazy for her "husband," but he's a-ok leaning into that psychosis to get the food/sex whenever he wants). It's just gross. I'd also venture that this can be considered rape seeing as she, during those scenes, wasn't cognitively aware that they were no longer in a relationship and he's just taking advantage of that.

Also, that ending? When she should've been on the road to recovery and it honestly seemed like it, she just goes batshit on what's-her-face that visits? Out of left fucking field, man. Ridiculous. Of all the people she interacted with in the book, I'd say she's maybe three down the line of who she should be most angry with. In no way a realistic reaction. And maybe that was just in her head? But I fucking hate that kind of shit.

Needless to say, I'm not interested in reading any of Tarryn Fisher's other books as looking at their reviews, I see much of the same and no thanks.

January 2020 Wrap Up (w/some Feb goals)

Books Completed:

Storm Front - Jim Butcher (finished Jan. 05) review here

Guts - Raina Telgemeier (finished Jan. 11) 4 out of 5 stars, read because my oldest daughter gave it to me to read after she did. She has all her graphic novels and has liked them all. They're pretty good books!

Monstress Vol. 4: The Chosen - Marjorie M. Liu and Sana Takeda (finished Jan. 29) 4 out of 5 stars, this entire series has been interesting and beautiful, so far. Pretty great world building, too!

The Wives - Tarryn Fisher (finished Jan. 20) 2 out of 5 stars. I have a bone to pick with this book. It was seriously terrible. I may just dedicate a review post to it, but we'll see. (If I decide to, I'll link it here, too.)

I won a book (The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence) and recieved a book I won back in December (American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI by Kate Winkler Dawson). Both are have jumped up the immediate TBR pile (behind Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeer, the bookclub horror pick for February: Twelve Nights at Rotter House by J.W. Ocker, and my current reads).

picture of My Grandma and Me by Mina Javaherbin

Books Read With bb: 11 (plus plenty of rereads)

Her faves of the month:

First Numbers by Tony Mitten and Ant Parker & 12 Lucky Animals by Vickie Lee and Joey Chou (her Chinese zodiac is the dog!)

One of the picture books I read to the bb,  My Grandma and Me by Mina Javaherbin and Lindsey Yankey, completed 3 prompts for 3 different challenges I'm loosely working on. It was a pretty book and sweet.

January was rough for reading. Haven't gotten into the swing of this new year and new schedules so, especially audiobooks, reading has been all over the place. Also, all of my adult reads last month were just.. bad with the exception of one and current reads (though Just Mercy is upsetting in a different kinda way).

Here's hoping February is better! Loose TBR for February is: finish up Just Mercy (physical book for nonfic bookclub), The Princess Beard by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne (audiobook), Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeer (physical library borrow I've /patiently/ awaited), Twelve Nights at Rotter House by J.W. Ocker (physical book for horror bookclub), American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI by Kate Winkler Dawson (physical copy for review), and probably a few chapters of The Way of Kings.

Other Unnecessary Stats:
Active TV shows: Grimm S5E9, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina S3E4, The Great British Pottery Throw Down S3E3
Movies watched: The Witch ****, Paranormal Activity 2 ***, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil ***
Video games playing: Dragon Age: Inquisition (3rd replay, on hard) and picked up No Man's Sky again