The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock Review

I wanted to love The Devil All the Time. I tried so hard to love it, and I did in the beginning. However, things fell apart pretty quickly.

Set in 1960, Ohio and West Virginia, The Devil All the Time follows a unique cast of characters. Willard Russell returned from World War II tormented by the carnage. But the hardest thing he will ever face is the death of his wife. He prays and offers sacrificial blood, but nothing calms the cancer. Then there’s Carl and Sandy Henderson who travel the country looking for models to feature in their deadly photographs. You can’t forget to mention the spider handling preacher and his sidekick who are running from the law. Finally, there’s Arvin, Willard and Charlotte’s orphaned son, who grows up in the thick of it all.

The Devil All the Time starts well. It’s atmospheric and gritty. It has the promise of a great story. In the beginning I was hooked.

Unfortunately, the more I read the less interested I became. I could care less about most of the characters. I also thought Arvin would be more involved. He really didn’t become prominent until the end.

Basically, everything happened at the end. The pacing felt off and the payoff comes late. It just kept building and build. And frankly, I got bored. In the last few pages everything finally started to come together, but by that point I’d lost interest. I’m bummed that I didn’t like The Devil All the Time more. I had high hopes for it.

My Rating: 2/5

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The Body by Stephen King Review

Stand By Me has always been one of my favorite Stephen King movies. There’s just something special about it. So I wanted to read The Body to see if I felt the same way. I did. It was so good. It’s definitely one of my favorite King stories now.

It’s 1960 in Castle Rock, Maine. When a boy from a nearby town goes missing, Gordie Lachance and his three friends set out on a quest to find his body. This coming of age story explores contrast between loneliness and friendship as the boys face life and death.

I loved The Body. I’m so glad that I finally made the time for it. It gives more depth into the mind of the main character. Years after the event, Gordie became a successful writer and The Body is his memoir. I’m impressed by King’s ability to create an entirely different tone from his own. There are glimpses of Kings style, but it truly feels like this was written by someone else.

While this is considered a coming of age story, it is overwhelmingly nostalgic. We get to see how the events in this story effected an adult Gordie. He shares the good memories along with the bad. King captured the feeling of a late summer day as a kid. I started to miss my own childhood friends.

The Body deserves a ton of love. It shows King’s talent. It’s out of usual style, but it’s wonderful nonetheless.

My Rating: 5/5

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From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout Review

I had to see what the hype was all about. From Blood and Ash has been everywhere. Let’s get to it.

The Maiden is chosen by the gods to bring in a new era. She can’t be touched, spoken to, or interacted with. Poppy’s life is not her own. All pleasure is forbidden until after Ascension. And even then, she doesn’t know what awaits her. Her guard, Hawke, catches her eye. He makes her question….everything…. Poppy’s world will never be the same.

The beginning of From Blood and Ash was slow. There’s no way around it. It takes a bit to build the world, and I still never had a completely clear grasp of it. However, all that will be solved later.

Poppy is hard to get to know in the beginning. I wasn’t convinced that I would like her. Luckily, she develops more throughout the book. By the end, I liked her. I think she’s a great character.

I liked Poppy as a character, and I loved the romance between her and Hawke. They are both so sassy. I love a good witty romance.

Lastly, I expected the twist. It was quite obvious, but I loved the execution. It brought the whole story to a place I loved, and answered all of my question. Not to mention, that cliff hanger was killer. It set up for the next story perfectly. I need it now.

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Books I’ve Bought Recently

It’s been a minute since I’ve done a book haul. My birthday was January 11th and I might have treated myself to some of the books that I’ve been wanting. …

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo Review

I finally read Siege and Storm. I’ve wanted to move on with this series for a minute, but I kept procrastinating. Unfortunately, after reading Siege and Storm, I’m not sure if I want to continue this series. Let’s get into my review.

Alina and Mal have fled the Fold, but darkness still haunts them. The Darkling survived that monumental day on the Fold and brought a new power with him. With the help of a charming privateer, Alina chases her new destiny. As her power grows, her connection to Mal suffers. She will have to decide if she wants to save her country, or lose everything she has ever loved.

Ugh, the angst. The whole book was focused around the angst between Mal and Alina. Even during major events. Mal was almost never off of Alina’s mind. Plus, there is a possible love triangle, or square, developing. Let’s just say Alina has a lot of options. It was all very dramatic.

After getting past the angst, the story is mostly filler. A few new characters and plot points were introduced, but it mostly felt like filler to start the next book.

I was disappointed by this. It didn’t give me the sequel I wanted. I loved Shadow and Bone, but Siege and Storm wasn’t great. But it did set up an interesting power change for the last book. I might continue on with the series just to see how it plays out.

My Rating: 2/5

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Needful Things by Stephen King Review

I’m happy to be back in Castle Rock. It’s been so long since I’ve read anything by Stephen King. So the first book I grabbed this year had to be Needful Things.

There’s a new store in Castle Rock. It has something for everyone. Literally. Anyone who enters finds the object of their dreams. In addition to payment, the proprietor, Leland Gaunt, requests that each person performs a “deed” on someone else from town. These deeds soon cause unrest in Castle Rock. Sheriff Alan Pangborn is the only one who begins to suspect the new shop owner.

My Thoughts on Needful Things

I don’t think Needful Things gets the hype it deserves. It was never on my radar until recently. I’m glad I picked it up. I almost liked it more than IT and I know I liked it more than Carrie. It had everything I need in a suspense novel. Plus, King brought back one of my favorite bad guys, Ace Merrill. He was the antagonist in The Body, which was adapted into the movie Stand By Me.

Needful Things is one of the most character driven stories that I’ve ever experienced. There is a lot of backstory and minute details that you have to pay attention to. I personally enjoy that, but if you enjoy plot driven stories it might drive you crazy.

There was a ton of miscommunication in this one. Basically, the whole climax was built on miscommunication with a little nudge from Leland Gaunt. He just set the wheels in motion and then watched the chaos unfold.

Lastly, the imagery at the end was amazing. It was spooky and thought provoking. I do think it wrapped up a little too easily for all the build up, but that was my only negative thought. I’m ready to move on to my next King title. Recommend a few in the comments!

My Rating: 4/5

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The Book Room Diaries, Part 1: Chaos

When I started Reading in the Wildwood, I had no real working space. I worked mostly from my living room couch. I also didn’t have shelves. As you can imagine, that was a huge problem for an avid reader. I had books everywhere. It was getting out of hand. So this year my husband and I decided to turn one of our extra bedrooms into an office/book room.

That wasn’t as easy as it sounds. The bedroom we chose had some moisture damage, so we basically had to start from scratch. And by scratch, I mean we had to rip out all of the walls and the carpet. When we got the carpet ripped out we noticed that there was some damage to the subflooring as well. So, of course, that had to go. I’m not exaggerating when I say that we basically started from the ground up.

Right when we decided to do this my husband’s job started to pick up, which is a total blessing. However, he is the construction master of this marriage. I know nothing about it. I just wanted to get past this part, so that I could pick out paint colors. Luckily, my grandfather has a construction company. He came and put my floor and walls back together. Let me just tell you. That was a process, but we got through it.

After the Construction

So now the walls are painted and the flooring is down. This is where I come in. This is what I’ve been waiting for. It’s time to turn this room into my dream room.

Piece by Piece

My husband bought my this awesome antique roll top desk for Christmas(below). This was the first piece of furniture to go in this room. Now I’ve got a little recliner for reading in the corner of the room. It’s right next to a window with a beautiful view.

Slowly, the pieces are coming together. Last night we brought in my shelves and my books. I’m going to find some contact paper to wrap the white shelf in. It has some damage and since it’s not real wood I can’t paint it. But I think contact paper will work just fine.

Today, I’m organizing my shelves and getting everything into place. I still have a few more pieces of furniture that I need, but it will all come with time. I’m so ready to start decorating, and I’m ready to finally have the book room of my dreams. I’m so thankful and I’m definitely blessed. I can’t wait to share the finished book room with y’all!

The Birthday Book Tag

Today is my birthday! It’s a rainy, cold day here in Alabama. It would be a great day to stay in. We even had a chance of snow in the …

January 2021 TBR

It’s time for my January 2021 tbr. I don’t have a lot planned this month. I think I’m still recovering from the holiday season. My brain hasn’t returned to the …

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse Review

Well, we’ve made it to my last review of 2020. Luckily, it’s a good one. I haven’t heard a lot about Black Sun, but it’s so good. It’s book one in a fantasy series inspired by Native American culture. Let’s get to it.

A god will return to the city of Tova under a black sun on the day of the winter solstice. The Sun Priest prophesizes an unbalance in the world. Days earlier, a ship launches from a distant city bound for Tova. The captain, Xiala, is Teek. Her magic calms the waters. Her only passenger is a blind man name Serapio. His destiny is ahead of him and he will do anything to fulfill it.

My Thoughts on Black Sun

I love the fact that Black Sun is inspired by pre-Columbian America. I think we can all agree that we need a break from fantasy based solely on European culture. It’s time for something new and this gave me everything I wanted.

The storyline is pretty straight forward. The new religion is trying to cast out the old gods. However, there is corruption in the system. There is a steady uprising in the number of cultists that are returning to the old gods. The cultist prophesize the return of the Odo Sedoha. The unrest in Black sun is almost palpable. Something big is about to happen.

Next, let’s talk about characters. For the most part, Serapio is our main character. He is also probably the most developed. However, Xiala and Naranpa are important to the story as well. Some mysteries still remain around each of the characters, but I imagine those will be revealed throughout the series.

I believe Black Sun is the starting point to something epic. There was a lot of world building and unanswered questions, but it left me wanting more. It was an awesome read.

My Rating: 4/5

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