Rustic Book Reviews: February 2020

Review: This Life I Live: One Man's Extraordinary, Ordinary Life and the Woman Who Changed It Forever

Feb 26, 2020

This Life I Live: One Man's Extraordinary, Ordinary Life and the Woman Who Changed It Forever by Rory Feek
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Feb 25, 2020

Ubiety by Grzegorz Kunowski
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thank you to the author for reaching out to me and asking me to review. I hope to finish this today. it is pretty short read. Only about 92 pages.

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light"

'A while ago I starting to feel a certain cold, a cold that just grew and fed upon my soul, a cold that not even the harshest of winters can bring. I fear that I will never recognise beauty again, for you are a rainbow but I am colour-blind. Some things are meant to be, and some things aren't. I only hope that someday you may forgive me.'
Sincerely, Adam...

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Feb 18, 2020

Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 1 by Young Kim
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I wanted to pick this up because I wanted to see if I would enjoy the graphic novels. I have never read the actual books and want to read them one day but I thought I would attempt these first.

However, these follow the plot of the movie. I am not sure if the movie is the same as the actual books but this was almost taken right out of the movies so if you watched them then you know the exact story line to this and I don't see the need in reading these.

The art work colors were stunning however, the art was hard to follow at times. I would get lost as to where I was supposed to be next and then I would notice that the artist had moved over to the other side. So I do think that could have been better.

I may continue on just because I started them. I do already own Vol 2 so I will read that one but I am not sure after that.

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Feb 17, 2020

Lumberjanes: Pungeon Master by Noelle Stevenson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wont give anything on this book because you basically are still following the Lumberjanes at the camp.

My review from Book 1.

This was so cute. So hard to give any details on it since it was only like 25 pages but you follow a group of kids that attend a camp and by the end of the 25 pages you want to know what is happening at this camp.

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Lumberjanes: Up All Night by Noelle Stevenson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was so cute. So hard to give any details on it since it was only like 25 pages but you follow a group of kids that attend a camp and by the end of the 25 pages you want to know what is happening at this camp.

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The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!

I just knew that I would love this book when I first found out about it. It did not disappoint me.

You are following different timelines, one from 1982 and the other from 2017.

1982: Viv Delaney - running away from her family, she is headed to New York but on the way she gets a ride with a hitchhiker and he does something that make her uncomfortable and she tells him to just drop her off - well he does - in a place called "Fell NY" - She ends up staying longer than she wants and gets a job at "The Sundown Motel" and after being there for a while she begins to notice the Motel isn't all that it appears. It is more than just a Motel and it holds a lot of secrets. Doors begin to open and close on their own but over time she begins to notice a routine when a certain person arrives at the Motel. But in the process of Viv learning what is going on - she goes missing and has left her purse and car with no trace of her. No one has ever found out what happened to her.

2017: Carly - Niece of Viv. It has been 35 years and she never knew what happened to her aunt. Her mother would never talk about her and when her mother passed away she left to find out the secrets of her aunt. Upon arriving in Fell NY - and doing some research she finds out that the Motel is hiring the night time clerk - the same position her aunt held when she went missing. So she could not miss the chance to put in her application for the job. Upon getting the job she begins to also realize there is more to this Motel and that it holds a story that needs to be told. She soon dives in to her investigation.

You are following 2 timelines and seeing each POV and you are seeing as they both investigate the matter and how both find out the same thing but Carly ---- She pushed a little harder.

This story was creepy at times and I loved how it had me wanting more. I highly recommend this book. I definitely want to move on to more by this author. I currently own The Broken Girls and will be getting to it soon.

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Final Girls by Riley Sager
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book had me hooked at first but then in the middle it slowed down and I caught myself almost DNFing it but I held on. I am glad I did.

I really enjoyed this book but however, I think I predicted who the Killer was from the front of the book. HOWEVER, that did not detour me from enjoying this book and seeing how the twist was in there.

Quincy Carpenter experienced was there when the killer hit Pine Cottage and she cant remember what has happened that night. She only remembers before and the end but NOTHING in the middle.

She has been friends with a few people along the way that have suffered the same thing she has gone through and they survived. They are all the only ones that survived and hence the name "The Final Girls."

However, one of the girls commits suicided and Quincy just doesn't understand what happened. But after receiving an email from Lisa the day before Lisa died with a warning, it has Quincy concerned.

Once Katie shows up looking for Quincy and trying to see how she is dealing with the death of Lisa, things begin to go down hill.

Katie doesn't know who she can trust and with warnings from the reporter and her Fiancé, Jeff, that is an attorney - she doesn't know who she can trust.

There are some twist in that had me guessing my first thought but at the end of the book I was correct but it still made this book fun to read. However, I do feel like we had a lot of filler in the middle that could have been left out but it still made the book interesting.

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The Other People by C.J. Tudor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was the best book to start The Literally Book Club with!!

SO I have thought on this and I have come to find out that I really enjoyed this. There were twist and turns all through out this book. Once I hit that half way point, this book had me. I didn't understand it at first because you were following several POV's and you didn't know what was going on but once I found out, I was loving it.

We start with a father being late for you daughters party but on the way home he thinks he sees her in a car in front of him. He tried chasing that car but he received a call from the Police that stated he needed to come home. It was his wife and daughter.

You are following the father as he searches for his daughter.

Fran and her daughter, Alice are on the run because Fran knows what happen to the daughter.

Katie who sees him everyday in her restaurant and she has heard the story of what happened to his daughter.

The twist and turns of this book had me actually gasping out loud. I did not see some of the things coming. The author did this book justice and I commend him. I never seen the twist coming.

UPDATE 1:
I am very excited to join in on the Literally Dead Book Club by LaLa

I have already added this to my 2020 most anticipated so very exciting to see this as the first read for this club!

Make sure you go and add this group and follow all the Mystery/Thriller/Horror reads for the year.

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Feb 13, 2020

Voices in the Dark; 闇の声; Yami no Koe by Junji Ito
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a series of short stories and each one just as creepy as the next. Very dark writing by Junji Ito as usual.

by
Junji Ito,

01. Blood Slurping Darkness
02. The Ghost of Golden Time
03. Roar of Ages
04. Secret of the Haunted Mansion
05. Glyceride
06. The Earthbound
07. Dead Man Calling

I think they were all very good but the last one - Dead Man Calling - was my least favorite so maybe a 2.5 for that one but the entire book itself was a 4 star.

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Gyo, Vol. 2 by Junji Ito
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After reading Vol. 1 I had to go straight in to Vol. 2 and finished it about 30 minutes. I could not stop reading it.

Vol 2 also had 2 short stories at the end and I really enjoyed those as well.

Book 2 left off right where book 1 ended. The sickness is still covering Japan we still have walking fish but now It has been a month since Tadashi fell in the pile of dead walking fish. Waking up in a hospital he still wants to know where Kaori is. He takes off on the search to find that something horrible has taken over her.

Another dark read by Junji Ito.

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Gyo, Vol. 2 by Junji Ito
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

After reading Vol. 1 I had to go straight in to Vol. 1 and finished it about 30 minutes. I could not stop reading it.

Vol 2 also had 2 short stories at the end and I really enjoyed those as well.

Book 2 left off right where book 1 ended. The sickness is still covering Japan we still have walking fish but now It has been a month since Tadashi fell in the pile of dead walking fish. Waking up in a hospital he still wants to know where Kaori is. He takes off on the search to find that something horrible has taken over her.

Another dark read by Junji Ito.

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Gyo, Vol. 1 by Junji Ito
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Trigger Warnings: Blood, Gore, Sickness, Death of animals, Death of humans.

I found this on Scribd and gave it a read.

UMMM WOW.. This was disturbing. Who would have thought I would have loved reading a book that where walking dead fish have taken over Japan. It does have a crazy plot line but it still intrigues me enough I am going to continue on with book 2.

Junji Ito did it again. This is definitely his work.

We follow a couple that took a trip to Okinawa and while away, they begin to smell this awful smell. Then dead fish appear everywhere. Tadashi and Kaori are trying to escape the disaster that is occurring by trying to get back home but to their surprise, they are not safe back home.

This is dark and gruesome. I can almost smell the smell the longer I read this book.

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Feb 12, 2020

The Eighth Girl by Maxine Mei-Fung Chung
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

I am so excited to have been approved for this via Netgalley. A huge thank you to them and to the publisher.

I have been intrigued with this book since I first seen it was coming out!!! I cant wait to read this one.

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The Other Mrs. by Mary Kubica
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

A huge thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy of this! My heart skipped a beat when I was approved!

Thanks to Kayla @ Books and lala - I am highly interested in this book!

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Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

OMG!! Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the review copy of this! I am so excited to dive into this world!!!!

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Ubiety by Grzegorz Kunowski
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Thank you to the author for reaching out to me and asking me to review. I hope to finish this today. it is pretty short read. Only about 92 pages.

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light"

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