The Reading Corner

Dead Dot Com - Sam West Well, ah....yeah that was a read and a half. It's full of violence and brutality, rape and gore. At first nothing seems to make sense and it's page after page of women being brutalized. You know how when you read something bad...but they did it really well? That's the kind of writing this book has. The story didn't capture me, didn't keep much of my attention, and my head reeled with "but why?" because even as a fan of gore and violence and all things spooky, I just didn't feel connected with this particular story. And this isn't saying anything against the author, like I said it's actually well written. At first it had me thinking this guy just has his jollies wrapped up in people being tortured. But you know, some people are just drawn to all things bad. That doesn't make them bad people, or bad writers, it just means their imaginations are a little different than the average persons would be. This is not a book

The Sleep Experiment - Jeremy Bates I sat here for a solid minute thinking of what to write, of what to say about this book. It's entertaining, unique, well written.  The lack of a single star is only for a few cheesy, mild moments that made me roll my eyes and perhaps breath in a little sharper. This book has an interesting plot, and if you haven't read The Russian Sleep Experiment, I suggest you do, as this particular story stems from it. What happens when we simply don't sleep? That's what Doctor Roy Wallis is set to find out with his experiment. Two people stuck in a room pumped full of gas to keep them awake. As days bleed into nights and nights bleed into days we see the effects that a lack of sleep has on the human body and mind. I won't say the book is "action packed". There are a few slow moments that I wanted to skim, rather than read, but I chugged through it, searching for important information hidden within the fluff. The characters are no

Don't Scream: 60 Tales to Terrify - Blair Daniels I went into this book expecting some sort of cheesy ghost stories, but I left utterly satisfied and spooked. Yes, admittedly, some stories are cheesy, and made me laugh more than shudder. But a majority of them are very good, some heart breaking, some scary, some disturbing. It's a good mix of different plots, each unique and entertaining. Some I could read in the dark without a problem, while others I had to pop on a light and shut my door. The writing is solid, good use of imagery, good characters, and as I said, fine and unique plots. The stories are never too long that you grow bored, waiting for the next one, in fact some I felt were too short, and I was left going "that was IT?", which is always a fun feeling to have when you're reading. Though you don't get to know the characters well in the few pages you have with them, they are well written, and can evoke emotion from you (for example, one parent in

Peeler - Gord Rollo It was... okay. Not the worst story I've ever read, certainly not the best. It entertained me for the thirty minutes I took to read it but it was...lack luster. A shell of a plot that could have been way more interesting if the author took the time to plan it out more. Characters that were interesting, but again just shells, just people. I didn't feel sympathy or sadness for them. I'm not saying it's a bad story, but it's...eh. I won't re-read and I won't remember it by next week. This review is short because there's just not that much to say on it. It's there, it's a story, it's fine. Some grammar mistakes but honestly, I can see why you wouldn't want to hire an editor to read and re-read, it's just a simple story that passes time. Call it the Candy Crush of stories, you read it because it's there, not because you went looking for it. Peeler earns three out of five stars

Imaginary Friend - Stephen Chboski I see two faults with this book which has resulted in me taking away a single star. 1. The book is too long. It could easily have been cut in half and it would still be just as satisfying. It's an enjoyable read, but there's only so many times I can bother with the "were safe now oohhhh noooo something bad happened" trope. 2. The way the book starts and ends is on a completely different note, and evokes completely different feelings. You could easily split the book into two separate stories and they'd work fine on their own. That being said, the book is quite enjoyable. I found myself captivated by the strong characters, and thoroughly enjoyed the spooky imagery the book provided. Is it the scariest thing out there? No. But it is thought provoking, it does provide entertainment, and it did keep me seated for the last hundred pages until I finished. Chbosky does a great job of making us feel for his characters, and that's wh