Author: Kim

Book Review: Dead Inside by Chandler Morrison

Dead Inside
Author:
Chandler Morrison

Published: January 1, 2015
166 Pages

Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 3.5 stars

Book Description:

In this bleak and disturbingly erotic debut novel, iconoclast Chandler Morrison provides readers with a dark exploration of the nature of death, individuality, and generational identity. Along the way, lines will be crossed, taboos will be violated, and common decency will take an extended leave of absence. This is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. Or anyone who enjoyed Fifty Shades of Grey.

A young hospital security guard with a disturbingly unique taste in women. A maternity doctor with a horrifically unusual appetite. When the two of them meet, they embark on a journey of self-discovery as they shatter societal norms while engaging in destructive and abhorrent behavior. As they unwittingly help each other understand a world in which neither of them seems to belong, they begin to realize what it truly means to be alive…and that it might not always be a good thing.

Kim’s Review:

I just … don’t know what to say. This one was absolutely ridiculous! It was nasty, nauseating, gross, inappropriate, etc. It definitely kept my attention but I can’t really say that I enjoyed it. I read it at the totally wrong time too; not a good one for a pregnant lady to read! I can usually handle gross horror, but there has to be some kind of plot justification for excessive gore. This one felt like gore for gore’s sake and not just any gore but depraved gore. I’m not sure I can even say that I’m glad I read it cuz I felt pretty horrible after I finished it. I absolutely cannot recommend it to just anyone; there are select few I would cautiously recommend it to.

Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

Book Review: The Cloisters by Katy Hays

The Cloisters
Author:
Katy Hays

Published: November 1, 2022
312 Pages

Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 3 stars

Book Description:

When Ann Stilwell arrives in New York City, she expects to spend her summer working as a curatorial associate at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she finds herself assigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden renowned for its medieval art collection and its group of enigmatic researchers studying the history of divination.

Desperate to escape her painful past, Ann is happy to indulge the researchers’ more outlandish theories about the history of fortune telling. But what begins as academic curiosity quickly turns into obsession when Ann discovers a hidden 15th-century deck of tarot cards that might hold the key to predicting the future. When the dangerous game of power, seduction, and ambition at The Cloisters turns deadly, Ann becomes locked in a race for answers as the line between the arcane and the modern blurs.

A haunting and magical blend of genres, The Cloisters is a gripping debut that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Kim’s Review:

My first book of 2023! And unfortunately it was kind of a dud. I went into it expecting a lot of supernatural mystery and spooky elements … what I got was adult drama and a murder mystery. The best thing about this book was the setting! Now I want to go to NYC and visit the Cloisters! The world of history and artifacts gets me all geeked out! There was a nice focus on some of those artifacts, but even then, it didn’t feel like enough. And there was some odd historical research that I really wasn’t able to follow; a lot of mental gymnastics that I don’t think would hold up very well in academia. Overall, I was just disappointed, I expected so much more!

Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

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Book Review: Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison

Make Room! Make Room!
Author: Harry Harrison

Published: 1966
288 Pages

Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 3 stars

Book Description:

The world is crowded. Far too crowded. Its starving billions live on lentils, soya beans, and ―if they’re lucky―the odd starving rat.

In a New York City groaning under the burden of 35 million inhabitants, detective Andy Rusch is engaged in a desperate and lonely hunt for a killer everyone has forgotten. For even in a world such as this, a policeman can find himself utterly alone….

Acclaimed on its original publication in 1966, Make Room! Make Room! was adapted into the movie Soylent Green in 1973, starring Charlton Heston along with Edward G. Robinson in his last role.

Kim’s Review:

Ok, I think I’ve come to a conclusion: Old book to film adaptations are so ridiculously different from modern ones. This is the second one that I’ve read where the film is actually miles better than the original book! I’m weirded out! I showed Ivan Soylent Green last year and I was reminded how brilliant it was. I mean, Charlton Heston, but even aside from him! That movie is terrifying and so well done! I noticed that it said it was based on a novel, so naturally, I looked it up. I finally bought it and read it … and it wasn’t that great at all!

I don’t want to spoil Soylent Green cuz everybody should watch it, but very little of the story from the book was put into the movie. And the story in the movie is so much better! Some of the concepts were the same; overcrowding, lack of resources, extreme classism, etc. and the setting was well done. I liked Andy Rusch, but mainly because I was picturing Heston the whole time. Overall, I’m glad I read it, but I’d quickly recommend the movie to anyone else!

Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

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