Handyman wants to parlay his DIY YouTube stardom into getting a TV gig (which seems unrealistic for a 20-something and the current revenue yielded by Handyman wants to parlay his DIY YouTube stardom into getting a TV gig (which seems unrealistic for a 20-something and the current revenue yielded by being a YouTube sensation) so he plans to renovate a house in 30 days documenting his progress. Whoops, turns out the house is wicked haunted and mayhem ensues. For some reason I do not understand, though bless Ibsen for at least addressing it, despite positive video proof of ghosts and some high quality EVPs, Kevin, our struggling protagonist, ignores this ghost hunting stardom opportunity in favor of struggling through hanging drywall while trying to ignore poltergeisty shenanigans -- much to his detriment.
I love a haunted house story and in this worn out genre The House of Long Shadows does not disappoint. There are some creepy ghosties here, but as is true within this genre, you have to truly bring it to actually do something unique in this space. Ibsen had the makings of something quite good, but unfortunately it was rushed and unrealistic and poorly explained when we got there. Not horrible mind; just not amazing.
Where the book truly falters is in its rendering of any sort of dialogue, including Kevin's YouTube videos, the comments left on said videos, and his internal monologues. Clunky. I would suggest Ibsen reads more Elmore Leonard, or maybe better Joe Lansdale, to refine his style.
Nonetheless, not a horrible read at all. Solid effort and about a million times better than the sequel which I'm reading now and am not sure I can finish. For a Kindle Unlimited book, definite 2 thumbs up. For an Audible credit, which Audible kept insisting I use, no frakkin way.
This reads a lot like the Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges) trilogy, but I liked it quite a bit more. This was less repetitive overall, though it suffers 3.7
This reads a lot like the Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges) trilogy, but I liked it quite a bit more. This was less repetitive overall, though it suffers from bloat (no duh, it is Stephen King after all) and a sort of silly ending (no duh, it is Stephen King after all). However, whatever its faults, it is Stephen King (after all) so compulsively readable and generally well written.
I find there is little point in recommending this novel, or advising you stay away from it since it is King and that places it, no matter how junky it is, on most people's must read list. This book wasn't junky however and I think King fans will be pretty satisfied. His overt and subtle nods to his other work alone make it fun for King fans. And when he's on a roll, as in the first 1/3 of the novel, it is a great ride.
A note on the audiobook: The narrator, Will Patton (thanks Char!), is the same guy who did the Bill Hodges books and while generally good, he is awful at voicing certain characters -- in particular Holly Gibney (sp?) who becomes a major character here (imo). It is hard to have sympathy for her character when she sounds like a cross between a robot and an alien schoolmarm. I have no idea how this character reads, but I am fairly sure she is meant to be sympathetic and that just isn't conveyed by this narrator (as it wasn't in any of the Bill Hodges books) to yours truly. Your mileage may vary. ...more
Rickman is very talented and the Watkins series is entertaining. It picks up some steam in this second novel and seems to set the framework for wh3.75
Rickman is very talented and the Watkins series is entertaining. It picks up some steam in this second novel and seems to set the framework for what is to come. My only complaint is he is soooo repetitive. Maybe this is less noticible in book form, but on audio, the repetition of certain phrases over and over again is grating.
I think this was my favorite yet. Dude, there are partially invisible unicorns -- who are just as mean as I always suspected they were -- what's not I think this was my favorite yet. Dude, there are partially invisible unicorns -- who are just as mean as I always suspected they were -- what's not to love?
I think Aaronovitch is getting more thoughtful as he develops his plots -- I found this much tighter than earlier entries in the Rivers of London series and finally Aaronovitch seems to be coming around to the idea that by book 5, the reader should already be enmeshed in this weird world and foregoes the explanation of basic principles like what vestigia is or details on how to cast spells. These repeated explanations for new readers were always so boring to me -- why should new readers get rewarded for starting in the middle of the series? You want to know the basics, well start from the beginning! (But this is always a pet peeve of mine, so no surprise I've been wondering how long it would take him to find the appropriate balance of backstory and new story).
Buy, borrow, or burn: While I think this is the best of the series so far, unless you are collecting, this is a borrow. I don't think these are books that need to re-reading, so see no need to add it to already overflowing bookshelves. Though maybe a PayPal donation to the author is warranted to keep him in the Peter Grant business and reward him for the entertainment. ...more
I starting watching Mindhunter on Netflix and got interested, all over again, with the origins of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit and the beginning I starting watching Mindhunter on Netflix and got interested, all over again, with the origins of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit and the beginning of profiling serial killers and sexual predators. Since I read quite a few of Douglas' books back in the day, I thought I would turn my attention to his partner, or colleague, Roy Hazelwood instead of digging out my old copy of Mind Hunters.
Hazelwood specializes in sexual predators primarily and others with sexual paraphilias. As usual with most of these types of true crime accounts, I found myself horrified and fascinating at the behavior people are capable of. You will need a strong stomach and adequate home security if you read The Evil That Men Do. In any case, this focus on the sexual aspects of crime is unique and to my mind adds some information above what you learn from Douglas' work.
The psychology behind profiling was well explained here. As a special bonus treat you get to apply what you learned in a case in the last chapter.
Michaud is a little too fanboy over Hazelwood for my liking and that detracted from the overall presentation, plus some better organization could have helped. However, a solid entry into the profiling/true crime genre -- though if you only had a chance to read one book, I would suggest Michaud/Hazelwood's later Dark Dreams over this. ...more
Really affecting book about the relationships, or lack thereof, between siblings and family. Interesting look at the origins of the AIDS crisis an4.75
Really affecting book about the relationships, or lack thereof, between siblings and family. Interesting look at the origins of the AIDS crisis and coming out as a gay man in the 80s, though, with the exception of David, the stories of the other siblings were all quite interesting as well.
Great premise -- what happens to the Scoobies when they grow up plus Lovecraft! -- but inconsistently executed. Far too much getting bogged down actioGreat premise -- what happens to the Scoobies when they grow up plus Lovecraft! -- but inconsistently executed. Far too much getting bogged down action, which is odd since you'd think action bits would be exciting, but I just wanted Cantero to get to the point already. Not quite enough character development plus that weird pacing just sort of left me wanting. ...more
Strange plot -- narrator goes on search to find the man who built his odd childhood vacation house and in doing so recounts not only his past but the Strange plot -- narrator goes on search to find the man who built his odd childhood vacation house and in doing so recounts not only his past but the past history of a host of "Frank" houses -- yet entertaining. Overall resolution not really sensical, but a decent read overall.
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