Amity

It does not live up to the glorious potential of its premise or creeptastic cover, but it wasn't bad. Tons of spooky imagery, very little character development. A nice little slice of horror for a dreary day. 3 ill-advised wedding venues out of 5.

Oh, this was so much fun. Jack is every person in a horror movie that mocks the monster/killer/entity out of disbelief, so much so that you kind of want to clap with glee when he finally bites it. At least, that's how he starts...he becomes a bit more sympathetic as the story unravels itself, but he is still basically a Grade-A Jerk. Maybe just one with like, a heart of bronze? It was spooky and funny and a little sad, and every time I started reading it I didn't want to stop. There were even a few times that I chose to pick it up over [b:Nona the Ninth 58662507 Nona the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #3) Tamsyn Muir https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1643298298l/58662507.SY75.jpg 92285474], which is just about the highest praise I could bestow. A great Halloween read! 4.5 connections, connections out of 5.

Jerusalem's LotThis was good, but I prefer my ‘Salem's Lot with vampires. 3/5 Graveyard Shift Pretty much all I could think of was: Still, there is a lot of effective imagery here. 3/5Night SurfI really love [b:The Stand 87591651 The Stand Stephen King https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1674820514l/87591651.SX50.jpg 1742269] so this one worked for me. 3/5I Am the DoorwayDidn't dig this at the beginning, but then it got pretty spoopy. 3.5/5The Mangler“It tried to fold everything.” ABSOLUTELY NOPE! A silly premise executed so well. 3.5/5The BoogeymanVery eerie and so sad...4.5/5Gray Matter4/5BattlegroundAnother silly one with a fun finale, 3/5TrucksStephen King was really all about inanimate objects turning on us in this collection. Very creepy final line, though - he's so good at wham lines. 3/5Sometimes They Come BackNot a huge fan of the constant fridging of women or the kitty death in this one, but otherwise it was great. 4/5Strawberry SpringPredictable ending but the atmosphere in this one is chef's kiss 3/5The LedgeAgain, not a fan of the fridgingbut still compelling. 3.5/5The Lawnmower ManI mean it's probably better than the movie, but this one just didn't land for me. I think I'd just be grateful that someone was mowing the lawn and not question anything else tbh 2/5Quitters, Inc.This one was okay; I don't have a lot to say about it. 3/5I Know What You NeedThere was a lot of good build up in this, and a decent amount of tension, but then it just...fizzled out. 2.5/5Children of the CornVicky deserved better, she was being very reasonable and Burt can kick rocks. But overall, very creepy. 3.5/5The Last Rung on the LadderOh gosh, so good and so sad. 3.5/5The Man Who Loved FlowersThis was another one that was just fine, nothing super memorable. 3/5One for the RoadUgh, I just love ‘Salem's Lot. 3.5/5The Woman in the RoomWhen I initially finished this, I didn't think it was the strongest finish; however, I think I will adjust my rating because it was quite good (and so, so sad). 3.5/5Overall, a generally consistently good collection with some King classics. 4 possessed bits of technology with a lust for blood out of 5.

“And look, if we repay brutality with more brutality, how does it end? We do something just a little bit worse every day, and soon enough we're just like him.”“We'll never be like him.”“Maybe not, but we need to cooperate, to rebuild. Someone's got to start.”This is basically the crux of the problem in the sequel to [b:Ashfall 9644151 Ashfall (Ashfall, #1) Mike Mullin https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1301592315l/9644151.SY75.jpg 14531613]: Alex has Chronic Hero Syndrome, and while it is incredibly sweet and endearing, it gets him (and his loved ones) into a lot of trouble. And I mean a lot of trouble, because this is quite the long book, and could easily be re-titled Alex's Series of Unfortunate Decisions that Lead to a Series of Unfortunate Events but probably that isn't as catchy. The story starts not too long after the end of the first book: Alex and Darla are on his uncle's farm, life is not good by any stretch but they are surviving, and Alex decides it's time to find his parents after an encounter with some bandits leads him to believe something has happened to them. Darla, being the queen and wonderful girlfriend she is, is of course coming with him. This begins their journey which includes: corrupt government agencies, cannibals, hypothermia, infected gunshot wounds, starvation, an endless winter, scurvy, prostitution, and more. You know, for kids! I didn't like this one quite as well as the first, and that's down to one main reason: I missed my darling Darla for the portion of the story when she was missing. Not that I don't like Alex - I do, he's a good dude - but Darla makes the story sparkle for me. Still, this was captivating, and I'll be reading the next one as soon as I can get my grubby little hands on it. 3.5/5 rounded up because of Rita Mae, one of my favorite fictional librarians of all time.

Not as good as Dangerous Girls, which is one of my favorite YA thrillers that covers similar ground, but still pretty good! It kept me turning the pages and played with reader sympathies. 3.5 Italy tourism facts out of 5.