The Troop by Nick Cutter

Published January 7, 2014

by Gallery Books*

Description

Lord of the Flies meets The Ruins in this frightening novel written in the bestselling traditions of Stephen King and Scott Smith.

Boy Scouts live by the motto “Be Prepared.” However, nothing can prepare this group of young boys and their scoutmaster for what they encounter on a small, deserted island, as they settle down for a weekend of campfires, merit badges, and survival lessons.

Everything changes when a haggard stranger in tattered clothing appears out of nowhere and collapses on the campers’ doorstep. Before the night is through, this stranger will end up infecting one of the troop’s own with a bioengineered horror that’s straight out of their worst nightmares. Now stranded on the island with no communication to the outside world, the troop learns to battle much more than the elements, as they are pitted against something nature never intended…and eventually each other.

“Lean and crisp and over-the-top....Disquieting, disturbing,” says Scott Smith, author of The Ruins and A Simple Plan, The Troop is a visceral burn of a read that combines boldly drawn characters with a fantastically rendered narrative—a terrifying story you’ll never forget.

This book was... gross. But that was only due to the fact that scenes were described so well. I mean, they were pretty gory and I had a hard time reading some of the scenes. I actually had to skip some of them because I wanted to gag a little bit. It was weird because I can usually deal with gross scenes, but in this case I just couldn't do it.

The story splits between what is going on on the island where the Boy Scout Troop is and interviews conducted by the government about what happened that caused the events (for example, a scientist who created something bad that spread). I don't want to give away too much, but it makes people so insanely hungry that they will eat anything (though thankfully not humans- if there were zombies this would have been beyond horrifying) while quickly wasting away no matter how much they eat.

The content was good, but as I said before you probably need a stronger stomach to get through this. The story was fast paced and kept me coming back to see what would happen next despite the creepy shivers I'd get every time I got to a gross scene.

*I received a free digital copy to review.

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

 

Description

Named one of the Funniest Sites on the Web by PC World and winner of the 2011 Bloggies Awards for Most Humorous Weblog and Best Writing, the creator of the immensely popular “Hyperbole and a Half” blog presents an illustrated collection of her hilarious stories with fifty percent new content.

In a four-color, illustrated collection of stories and essays, Allie Brosh’s debut Hyperbole and a Half chronicles the many “learning experiences” Brosh has endured as a result of her own character flaws, and the horrible experiences that other people have had to endure because she was such a terrible child. Possibly the worst child. For example, one time she ate an entire cake just to spite her mother.

Brosh’s website receives millions of unique visitors a month and hundreds of thousands of visitors a day. This amalgamation of new material and reader favorites from Brosh's blog includes stories about her rambunctious childhood; the highs and mostly lows of owning a smart, neurotic dog and a mentally challenged one; and moving, honest, and darkly comic essays tackling her struggles with depression and anxiety, among other anecdotes from Brosh's life. Artful, poignant, and uproarious, Brosh’s self-reflections have already captured the hearts of countless readers and her book is one that fans and newcomers alike will treasure.

This was a highly entertaining book that didn't take me very long to get through. I love Brosh's blog Hyperbole and a Half and it was like reading her blog in printed form... The pictures from both her book and blog are probably the best part, by the way. I found her writing about her experience with depression to be touching and explained in a way that it makes it easier for people who have never dealt with it to understand.

OK, I'll be honest. You could skip buying the book and read the blog for some of the chapters in the book, but the book is highly entertaining and when you want to read it you don't need internet access. Also, it's very colorful and doesn't require batteries to read it... unless you're reading it at in the dark by flashlight. And if you really prefer a digital version it's available on Kindle and other electronical versions. But if you like her blog you'll like this book.

Before I Die by Candy Chang

Published November 5, 2013

Description

What do you want to do before you die?

When artist Candy Chang painted the side of an abandoned building with chalkboard paint and asked her neighbors this question, she never expected it to become a worldwide phenomenon. Within a day of the wall’s completion, however, it was covered in colorful chalk dreams as people stopped and reflected on their lives. Since then, more than two hundred walls have been created by people all over the world.  This beautifully designed book is an inspiring celebration of these walls. Filled with our hopes, fears, humor, and heartbreak, it’s a reminder of our shared connections and a chance to ponder life’s ultimate question.

Candy Chang is an artist that (I think at least) brings people together with her interactive projects. This project specifically started as something for the community (in New Orleans) and it has since spread world wide. Some of the things people wrote were funny, some were sad, and some inspiring.

The book is filled with pictures and stories and, at the end of the book, it tells you how to make your own "Before I die" wall in your community. This is something that, with the help and resources, would be a great project for my town. While it's not the kind of book I typically read, it was a nice change and is something I'll probably leave on my coffee table and look at from time to time when I need some inspiration.

Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield

Published November 5, 2013

Description 

Caught up in a moment of boyhood competition, William Bellman recklessly aims his slingshot at a rook resting on a branch, killing the bird instantly. It is a small but cruel act, and is soon forgotten. By the time he is grown, with a wife and children of his own, William seems to have put the whole incident behind him. It was as if he never killed the thing at all. But rooks don’t forget . . .

Years later, when a stranger mysteriously enters William’s life, his fortunes begin to turn—and the terrible and unforeseen consequences of his past indiscretion take root. In a desperate bid to save the only precious thing he has left, he enters into a rather strange bargain, with an even stranger partner. Together, they found a decidedly macabre business.

And Bellman and Black is born.

William Bellman has some luck and a lot of work ethic... and then more bad luck (though never with money). He is a business man who makes that his focus. Whatever he is working on at the time gets his full attention and thoughts. I both liked and hated that about him. But when he sees the man in black he becomes obsessed with him- both in trying to find him and thinking about who he is/might be.

When it came to the end of the book- we follow him from the time he is a child and kills the rook to late adulthood- that he wasted the time he could have had with his family by focusing on working. His work seemed to be the center of his life and when tragedy strikes he is thrown even more into business pursuits. It seemed to me that his focus on business rather than family was such a waste. But after being surrounded by so much tragedy he loses the ability to appreciate what he has and he makes "more"- getting more, saving more- his life. It was sad but very interesting and well written.

2013 Banned Books Week!

I always get excited about Banned Books Week but then I forget to post anything about it until it's either halfway through or at the very end. I think the last time I posted anything about banned books week was back in 2010. I'm sorry. I am easily distracted.

I think it's the lists the I like to look at most. For example:

Top 10 Challenged Book by Year
100 Most Frequently Challenged Book by Decade

Banned books that shaped America

I still can't understand why the Harry Potter series was the #1 most challenged book from 2000-2009. Of course, I love Harry Potter so I'm biased (I talked about why I love it in this post). It would almost be better if, in order to challenge a book, you have to read the entire thing. Who are you to say a book should be banned if you haven't even read the full thing yourself? And so what if you didn't like it? What makes you so special that you think that because you took offense other people shouldn't have access to it? It infuriates me... so go out and read a banned book. Because you can!

There is also a Virtual Read Out going on this week. Click the link to find out more!

Free download of the full banned books lists