Tomie

Today's manga post is on Tomie by Junji Ito. It is 750 pages long and is published by Viz Media. The cover is black with a silhouette in white lines and a blood drop in the center. The intended reader is someone who likes horror manga. There is some mild foul language, implied sex, and violence in this manga. The stories follow different characters has they interact with Tomie. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- Tomie Kawakami is a femme fatale with long black hair and a beauty mark just under her left eye. She can seduce nearly any man, and drive them to murder as well, even though the victim is often Tomie herself. While one lover seeks to keep her for himself, another grows terrified of the immortal succubus. But soon they realize that no matter how many times they kill her, the world will never be free of Tomie.

Review- This was the manga that made Junji Ito famous and for good reason. Ito really leans into the surreal with this story. Tomie is like a force of nature, she is unknowable, un-understandable, and unstoppable. She wants what she wants and she will use anyone and do anything to get it. The art is incredible at conveying the horror of undying, evil being of inhuman desires. I would recommend this manga for all manga readers and horror readers for an experience that you will never forget. 

I give this manga a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

Tomie

Today's manga post is on Tomie by Junji Ito. It is 750 pages long and is published by Viz Media. The cover is black with white lines outlining Tomie with a red blood drop in the center. The intended reader is someone who likes horror on a cosmic scale. There is mild foul language, mild sexuality, and lots of violence. The story's perspective changes with every chapter has it is really a string of short stories around Tomie and what she does. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- Tomie Kawakami is a femme fatale with long black hair and a beauty mark just under her left eye. She can seduce nearly any man, and drive them to murder as well, even though the victim is often Tomie herself. While one lover seeks to keep her for himself, another grows terrified of the immortal succubus. But soon they realize that no matter how many times they kill her, the world will never be free of Tomie.

Review- A interesting collection from Ito where the reader follows different people over the course of many years and their interactions with Tomie. Tomie is not just a beautiful woman, she is something much more dangerous and evil. She drives people mad and she enjoys the madness. The art is good with the horror that follows Tomie's every step on every page. The reader is drawn to Tomie, just like the characters, into her mystery and her desire for horror and blood. I would have liked more information about Tomie herself, like has she always been around or was she a normal person once? I know that some readers like the total mystery of Tomie but I wanted more about her. Maybe that was Ito's plan, if so then it worked on me. I would recommend this manga to horror fans and of course, fans of Ito. 

I give this manga a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

The Promised Neverland, Vol. 5

Today's post is on The Promised Neverland, Vol. 5 by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu (Illustrator). It is 195 pages long and is published by Viz Media. The cover has Emma facing the read with her arms out to protect the others has they run away. As it is the fifth volume in the series, you need to have read the first four to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes dark stories with plucky children. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this volume. The story follows Emma, Ray and others as needed. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- ESCAPE!
As Grace Field House goes up in flames, Emma and the other children make their run for freedom. With Mom refusing to give up and an army of demons at her call, this escape from captivity won’t be easy. Just what will Emma have to sacrifice to pull it off…?

Review- The children make their escape safely and now are in the outside world. Emma and Ray knew that it would be dangerous but the dangers surpass their guesses. But the children have good heads and have been training for this, so they are as ready as they can be. It feels like the real story is starting now with the children in the real world and facing it's dangers. In addition they are still being hunted by the demons from Grace Field House, who do not like to lose their future meals. I am very curious about the world outside of the walls and what the children are going to find there. 

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money. 

The Promised Neverland, Vol. 4

Today's manga post is on The Promised Neverland, Vol. 4 by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu. It is 92 pages long and is published by Viz. The cover has Emma, Norman, and Ray on it. As it is the fourth volume in the series, you need to have read the first three volumes to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes shonen manga, tense horror plots, and heist stories. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this volume. The story is told from third person close of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- Life at Grace Field House is good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious food and plenty of playtime. But perhaps not everything is as it seems…
Just as the plan to escape the orphanage is coming together, Mom viciously breaks Emma's leg and reveals that Norman's days are numbered. Emma and Ray will do anything to save their friend from being eaten by the demons, but can they outsmart their devious foe?

Review- With the escape plans to close, the plot is getting more intense. Mom is on to them and she knows that Emma wants to save everyone. So Mom makes the first move by breaking Emma's leg and moving Norman's due date up. By doing these things, Mom hopes to trap the children in despair and stop them from making different plans. But Ray and Emma will not be stopped so easily. This series just keeping getting better with how intense the plot and the ticking clock behind our characters. There is a good cliffhanger in the volume, so I am very excited to read what is going to happen next. 

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

Rosemary’s Baby

Today's post is on Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin. It is 308 pages long and is published by Signet. The cover is red with a baby pram in the center. The intended reader is someone who likes horror novels. There is foul language, sex and sexuality, and mild violence in this novel. The story is told from third person close of Rosemary. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Suppose you were an up-to-date young wife who moved into an old and elegant New York apartment house with a rather strange past.
Suppose that only after you became pregnant did you begin to suspect the building harbored a diabolically evil group of devil worshippers who had mastered the arts of black magic and witchcraft.
Suppose that this satanic conspiracy set out to claim not only your husband but your baby.
Well, that's what happened to Rosemary... Or did it...?

Review- This is an interesting classic horror novel. The story of Rosemary and her pregnancy is a journey for both her and the reader. The novel starts months before she gets pregnant and goes until after she gives birth. The writing is spare, very plain style, and that suits the novel. It helps with the more surreal aspects of the story and makes them more palatable. The scene when Rosemary gets pregnant is very dreamlike and that helps with the scene. The mystery of what is real or not, what did Rosemary experience is anything, that pulls both the reader and Rosemary along. We are on a journey together to discover Rosemary's baby. If you are interesting in classic horror then you should read this one but if you're pregnant, wait. 

I give this novel a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this novel from my local library. 

The Haunting of Velkwood

Today's post is on The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste. It is 246 pages long and is published by Saga Press. The cover is picture with a woman standing facing a foggy background and down the cover is reflecting the top like a lake but there are two women in the reflection. The intended reader is someone who likes ghost stories and queer love stories. There is mild foul language, implied sexuality, and no violence in this novel. The story is told from first person close. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- The Velkwood Vicinity was the topic of occult theorists, tabloid one-hour documentaries, and even some pseudo-scientific investigations as the block of homes disappeared behind a near-impenetrable veil that only three survivors could enter—and only one has in the past twenty years, until now.
Talitha Velkwood has avoided anything to do with the tragedy that took her mother and eight-year-old sister, drifting from one job to another, never settling anywhere or with anyone, feeling as trapped by her past as if she was still there in the small town she so desperately wanted to escape from. When a new researcher tracks her down and offers to pay her to come back to enter the vicinity, Talitha claims she’s just doing it for the money. Of all the crackpot theories over the years, no one has discovered what happened the night Talitha, her estranged, former best friend Brett, and Grace, escaped their homes twenty years ago. Will she finally get the answers she’s been looking for all these years, or is this just another dead end?

Review- A good ghost story about how until we face our past we can never escape it. Talitha Velkwood has been running from her ghosts for twenty years. One night her whole neighborhood just become a ghost town. No one can go in and never ever comes out. When a paranormal researcher comes with an offer of money for her just to try and walk into her neighborhood, she goes. The driving force of the story is the characters, mainly Talitha and Brett. Their relationship and history is the crux of the story. Talitha has never found herself nor had the courage to live her life for herself. While this is a horror novel, there is no gore or hard violence in this novel. 

I give this novel a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this novel from my local library. 

Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives

Today's fiction post is on Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives by Adam Cesare. It is 416 pages long and is published by Harper Teen. As it is the second in the series, you need to have read the first one to understand the story. The cover is a close-up of a Frendo mask. The intended reader is someone who likes teen slasher horror movies and novels. There is foul language, mild sexual content, and lots of violence in this novel. The story is told from third person close of different characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead. 

From the dust jacket- After barely making it out of the Kettle Springs cornfields alive, Quinn’s first year of college back in Philadelphia should be safe and comparatively easy. All Quinn wants is to forget what happened and be normal again. But instead, Quinn finds that her past won’t leave her alone when she becomes the focus of a host of online conspiracy theories that claim to prove that the Kettle Springs Massacre never happened. It’s a deranged but relentless fantasy, and there’s nothing Quinn can do to get people to hear the truth — not even on her own campus or in her own dorm room.
So when a murderous clown attacks Quinn at a frat party while another goes after her father in Kettle Springs at the same time, Quinn realizes that that the facts alone are never going to save her. Her only option is to go back home, back into the cornfields, back to where the nightmare began, to set the record straight the only way she knows how. Because when the truth gets lost in the lies, that’s when real people start to die.

Review- Set a year after the events of the first novel, Quinn is trying to be a normal college student that's hard when not survived a night of killer clowns but are the one who stopped them. So when her friends from Kettle Springs come to visit her and they get attacked by a man with a gun, she knows that it's not over yet. The action start quickly and never lets up. We jumped from Quinn at college back to Kettle Springs and then the two stories combine. Quinn and her friends haven't forgotten what they learned in the first novel and their character growth continues in this one. Like a good horror movie sequel the stakes are higher and the betrayals are bigger. A good second volume with a interesting ending that has me anxious for the next volume and where the story is going next. 

I give this novel a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this novel from my local library. 

Sweat and Soap, Vol. 8

Today's manga post is on Sweat and Soap, Vol. 8 by Kintetsu Yamada. It is 192 pages long and is published by Kodansha Comics. The cover has the two main characters dressed for the beach on it. As it is the eighth in the series, you need to have read the first seven volumes to understand the story. There is no foul language, some mild sexuality, and no violence in this series. The story is told from third person close of the two main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead. 

From the back of the manga- An Odd-yssey for Two
Now that Kotaro and Asako have met each other's families, things should be smooth sailing from here on out- right? But there's still their first company trip as a couple, not to mention some unexpected... gains... of romantic bliss to navigate. With their inner weirdos rearing their freaky heads, can Kotaro and Asako keep their ship afloat?

Review- Another very sweet volume in a sweet series. Asako and Kotaro are getting very comfortable with living together and are coming up on their one year anniversary. They are now both thinking about the future that they both want, like marriage and children. There is some humor with their co-workers, as they tease Kotaro about being weird and making sure that Asako is okay. It is all playing for fun. This series continues to have some of the best communication I have read of any romance manga. I am looking forward to the next volume.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money. 

Something's Wrong With Us, Vol. 5

Today's manga post is on Something's Wrong With Us, Vol. 5 by Natsumi Andō. It is 160 pages long and is published by Kodansha Comics. As it is the fifth volume in the series, you need to have read the first four volumes to understand the story. The cover has the two main characters on it. The intended reader is someone who likes mysteries with a touch forbidden romance. There is some mild foul language, sex, and mild violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the main character, Nao. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- Two Fates Under One Tragic Moon
Nao may have managed to infiltrate Kogetsuan by marrying Tsubaki, but can she discover the truth behind her mother's death without her true identity being exposed? At the invitation of one of the shop's junior employees, Jojima, she pays her first visit in years to the staff quarters where her mother raised her. She feels a natural affinity for this helpful young man, but it turns out the secrets of his past are just as terrifying as her own...

Review- Nao continues to play with fire as she gets deeper into Tsubaki's life and the politics of the tea house. Even worse, she is being manipulated by a co-worker, who is being paid by her mother-in-law. Her mother-in-law will stop at nothing to drive Nao from the house but Nao will not stop until she knows the truth. The mystery and the personalities of the characters are so interesting and at times very disturbing. But Tsubaki seems to really love Nao, as least as much as he can. There is be some great starting drama in the next volume and I cannot wait. 

I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money. 

The Nice House on the Lake, Vol. 2

Today's post is on The Nice House on the Lake, Vol. 2 by James Tynion IV and Álvaro Martínez Bueno (Artist). It is 176 pages long and is published by DC Comics. The cover has Walter in the center and the others around him floating like in water. As it is the second volume, you need to have read the first one to understand the story. There is foul language, no sex, and some violence in this graphic novel. The intended reader is someone who likes end of the world stories with diverse characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- One of the most critically acclaimed and bestselling horror books of 2021 returns for its shocking second act—and now is the perfect time to enter the house! The 10 hardy survivors gathered in the house by their mutual friend Walter thought they’d finally cracked the code on his plans…and now everything they thought they knew has literally changed. Can they free themselves from their patterns? Or are they all just determined to build a prison of their very own?

Review- This comic is like a good TV show, intense, to the point, and doesn't over stay it's welcome. Walter is trying to get some control over his group and he is starting to understand that is not possible, that's humans are too much for him to control and still be loved by his friends. So he must make a choice and live with it. I feel that this was a great ending for a interesting series, there is more that can be done but this is a  strong send off if nothing more happens. The art is good, the writing is good, and the pacing is excellent, not too fast or too slow. I would be interested in whatever Tynion does next. 

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this graphic novel from my local library. 

The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade

Today's nonfiction post is on The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade by Ann Fessler. It is 354 pages long and is published by Penguin Press HC. The cover is pictures of different girls from the forties and fifties. The intended reader is someone who is interested in women's history. There is mild foul language, discussion of sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- A powerful and groundbreaking revelation of the secret history of the 1.5 million women who surrendered children for adoption in the several decades before Roe v. Wade.
In this deeply moving work, Ann Fessler brings to light the lives of hundreds of thousands of young single American women forced to give up their newborn children in the years following World War II and before Roe v. Wade. The Girls Who Went Away tells a story not of wild and carefree sexual liberation, but rather of a devastating double standard that has had punishing long-term effects on these women and on the children they gave up for adoption. Based on Fessler's groundbreaking interviews, it brings to brilliant life these women's voices and the spirit of the time, allowing each to share her own experience in gripping and intimate detail. Today, when the future of the Roe decision and women's reproductive rights stand squarely at the front of a divisive national debate, Fessler brings to the fore a long-overlooked history of single women in the fifties, sixties, and early seventies.
In 2002, Fessler, an adoptee herself, traveled the country interviewing women willing to speak publicly about why they relinquished their children. Researching archival records and the political and social climate of the time, she uncovered a story of three decades of women who, under enormous social and family pressure, were coerced or outright forced to give their babies up for adoption. Fessler deftly describes the impossible position in which these women found themselves: as a sexual revolution heated up in the postwar years, birth control was tightly restricted, and abortion proved prohibitively expensive or life endangering. At the same time, a postwar economic boom brought millions of American families into the middle class, exerting its own pressures to conform to a model of family perfection. Caught in the middle, single pregnant women were shunned by family and friends, evicted from schools, sent away to maternity homes to have their children alone, and often treated with cold contempt by doctors, nurses, and clergy.
The majority of the women Fessler interviewed have never spoken of their experiences, and most have been haunted by grief and shame their entire adult lives. A searing and important look into a long-overlooked social history, The Girls Who Went Away is their story.

Review- A deeply moving and troubling book about American history before Roe v. Wade and the girls who were sent away for the shame of being pregnant. Fessler is herself a child from a girl who was sent away and started this journey as a way to understand her birth mother and herself. The interviews in this book are heart-breaking to read. From women who were date raped and then shamed for the pregnancy to girls who were just uneducated about sex. The interviews are raw and very hard to read but the stories these women have to tell are important and enlightening, about stolen futures and life long trauma from their children being taken from them. I would recommend this book. 

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library. 

Villains Are Destined to Die, Vol. 6

Today's manga post is on Villains Are Destined to Die, Vol. 6 by Gyeoeul Gwon and SUOL (Artist). It is 288 pages long and is published by Ize Press. The cover has Penelope and Winter on it. As it is the sixth in the series, you need to have read the first five volumes to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes isekai stories with dark plots. There is mild foul language, no sex, and action violence in this manga. The story closely follows Penelope. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- Following the conditions of a contract between herself and Winter, Penelope is once again leaving the duchy! She joins the marquis for volunteer work in a war-stricken nation, and while their time there is hectic, the two are able to grab a moment alone at the seaside. But the couple’s peace is shattered when they learn sorcerer children have been kidnapped! In the face of Penelope’s desperation to save them, Winter’s calm approach to the situation has the duke’s daughter suspecting that everything is not as it seems...

Review- Penelope finally has something of her own to make money with and she reaches out to Winter to handle things for her. But before he is willing to do that, he wants to test Penelope. Of course, he doesn't tell her that and when the children they are with are really kidnapped by the back guys, Penelope loses what trust she had in Winter. Too bad for Winter, good for Callisto, as he saves the day and makes Penelope questions herself about him again. With her birthday getting closer and the end of hard mode, Penelope is starting to feel the pressure and Callisto doesn't understand. I love this series and I cannot wait for the next volume. 

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money. 

I'm Glad My Mom Died

Today's nonfiction post is on I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. It is 320 pages long and is published by Simon & Schuster. The cover is yellow with McCurdy in the center holding what looks like an urn. The intended reader is someone who likes survival memoirs. There is foul language, mild sexuality, and no violence in this book but there is childhood abuse. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the audiobook- A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actor—including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother—and how she retook control of her life.
Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called “calorie restriction,” eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, “Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn’t tint hers?” She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income.
In I’m Glad My Mom Died , Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail—just as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. Cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly , she is thrust into fame. Though Mom is ecstatic, emailing fan club moderators and getting on a first-name basis with the paparazzi (“Hi Gale!”), Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame, and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction, and a series of unhealthy relationships. These issues only get worse when, soon after taking the lead in the iCarly spinoff Sam & Cat alongside Ariana Grande, her mother dies of cancer. Finally, after discovering therapy and quitting acting, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wants.
Told with refreshing candor and dark humor, I’m Glad My Mom Died is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair.

Review- The book opens with McCurdy and her brothers trying to wake their mother up from a coma and McCurdy being sure that she can do it with the news that she has hit her mother's weight goal for her, 89 pounds. McCurdy gives the reader a raw and heartbreaking account of a childhood with a emotional immature and abusive mother. At times hard to read, as McCurdy holds nothing back about her life and career as a child actor, her mother's dream. Her mother wanted to be an actor but didn't have the support to do it herself so she then handed that down to her children, weather they wanted it or not. McCurdy did not want to be an actor, she liked writing and it shows in this memoir. All of her life had been about making her mother happy and then her mother dies and McCurdy is lost. This memoir is not just about the abuse that McCurdy survived but also about finding her life without her mother. I recommend this memoir if you like survival memoirs but the abuse is openly talked about and McCurdy really doesn't hold anything back. 

I give this memoir a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this audiobook from my local library. 

The Nice House on the Lake, Vol. 1

Today's fiction post is on The Nice House on the Lake, Vol. 1 by James Tynion IV and Álvaro Martínez Bueno (Artist). It is 200 pages long and is published by DC Comics. The cover has a a woman in a lake with bones floating around her and a lit house behind her. The intended reader is someone who likes horror and mystery graphic novels. There is some foul language, no sex, and some violence in this graphic novel. The story is told from third person close of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Everyone who was invited to the house knows Walter—well, they know him a little, anyway. Some met him in childhood; some met him months ago. And Walter’s always been a little…off.
But after the hardest year of their lives, nobody was going to turn down Walter’s invitation to an astonishingly beautiful house in the woods, overlooking an enormous sylvan lake. It’s beautiful, it’s opulent, it’s private—so a week of putting up with Walter’s weird little schemes and nicknames in exchange for the vacation of a lifetime? Why not?
All of them were at that moment in their lives when they could feel themselves pulling away from their other friends; wouldn’t a chance to reconnect be…nice? In The Nice House on the Lake, the overriding anxieties of the 21st century get a terrifying new face—and it might just be the face of the person you once trusted most.
Collects The Nice House on the Lake #1-6.

Review- An interesting alien invasion and end of the world story. A group of friends are invited to a lake house for a week and over the week the world is destroyed by an alien invasion. Now they have to survive and rebuild humanity. The mystery of who  Walter really is and what his goals are is the main thread of the story. The group has to think and decide what to do next, now that they are alone. The characters are interesting ad their interactions with Walter are the most interesting because it gives insight into Walter and what his goals are. I'm very curious about what is going to happen and how the story is going to be wrapped up. 

I give this graphic novel a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this graphic novel from my local library. 

Disobedient Women: How a Small Group of Faithful Women Exposed Abuse, Brought Down Powerful Pastors, and Ignited an Evangelical Reckoning

Todays post is on Disobedient Women: How a Small Group of Faithful Women Exposed Abuse, Brought Down Powerful Pastors, and Ignited an Evangelical Reckoning by Sarah Stankorb. It is 366 pages long and is published by Worthy Books. The cover is white page with a strip being ripped down and revealing red under. The intended reader is someone who is interested in religion and the lives of people who are religious. There is no foul language, discussions of rape, sexual molestation, and violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the audiobook- Journalist Sarah Stankorb outlines how access to the internet—its networks, freedom of expression, and resources for deeply researching and reporting on powerful church figures—allowed women to begin dismantling the false authority of evangelical communities that had long demanded their submission. A generation of American Christian girls was taught submitting to men is God’s will. They were taught not to question the men in their families or their pastors. They were told to remain sexually pure and trained to feel shame if a man was tempted. Some of these girls were abused and assaulted. Some made to shrink down so small they became a shadow of themselves. To question their leaders was to question God.
All the while, their male leaders built fiefdoms from megachurches and sprawling ministries. They influenced politics and policy. To protect their church’s influence, these men covered up and hid abuse. American Christian patriarchy, as it rose in political power and cultural sway over the past four decades, hurt many faithful believers. Millions of Americans abandoned churches they once loved.
Yet among those who stayed (and a few who still loved the church they fled), a brave group of women spoke up. They built online megaphones, using the democratizing power of technology to create long-overdue change.
In Disobedient Women , journalist Sarah Stankorb gives long-overdue recognition for these everyday women as leaders and as voices for a different sort of faith. Their work has driven journalists to help bring abuse stories to national attention. Stankorb weaves together the efforts of these courageous voices in order to present a full, layered portrait of the treatment of women and the fight for change within the modern American church.
Disobedient Women is not just a look at the women who have used the internet to bring down the religious power structures that were meant to keep them quiet, but also a picture of the large-scale changes that are happening within evangelical culture regarding women’s roles, ultimately underscoring the ways technology has created a place for women to challenge traditional institutions from within.

Review- This was a very enlightening and at times very hard read. Stankorb comes from a place of person knowledge about the topic and because of her history, she gains the trust of the women whose stories she tells. She breaks down the how's of the power structure within churches and how it creates a perfect place for abuse of kinds. Stankorn not only has interviews of survivors but studies that have been done investing religious abuse. While the subject matter is dark, there is hope in this book, hope for the healing, and hope for the future by holding religious leaders responsible for their actions. 

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this audiobook from my local library.

Sister, Maiden, Monster

Today's fiction post is on Sister, Maiden, Monster by Lucy A. Snyder. It is 265 pages long and is published by Tor Nightfire. The cover has a ball with wings and tentacles coming from it. There intended reader is someone who likes cosmic horror. There is foul language, sex, and violence in this novel. The story is told from first person in three section with three different narrators. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the novel- To survive they must evolve.
A virus tears across the globe, transforming its victims in nightmarish ways. As the world collapses, dark forces pull a small group of women together.
Erin, once quiet and closeted, acquires an appetite for a woman and her brain. Why does forbidden fruit taste so good?
Savannah, a professional BDSM switch, discovers a new turn-on: committing brutal murders for her eldritch masters.
Mareva, plagued with chronic tumors, is too horrified to acknowledge her divine role in the coming apocalypse, and as her growths multiply, so too does her desperation.

Review- This is a very interesting, well-written, and odd novel that is NOT for everyone. The world is ending, it starts with a virus, that kills most infected, and the ones who survive are changed. Now the survivors either hear things or are hungry for very different food, like brains or blood. So begins the most unusual end of the world story I have ever read. There is so much to talk about with this novel. The writing style is very good. Snyder handles the three different points of view very well, the reader is never lost about who is talking. While I did enjoy this novel, this is NOT for everyone. There are disturbing scenes from the characters realizing how changed they are to their bodies changing again at the end of the world. While not for everyone, this was is a good and interesting novel. 

I give this novel a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this novel from my local library. 

Ilse Koch on Trial: Making the “Bitch of Buchenwald”

Today's nonfiction post is on Ilse Koch on Trial: Making the “Bitch of Buchenwald” by Tomaz Jardim. It is 368 pages long and is published by Harvard University Press. The cover is the mug shot of Koch. The intended reader is someone who is interested in World War II history and a closer look at the trials of one person. There is some foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- An authoritative reassessment of one of the Third Reich’s most notorious war criminals, whose alleged sexual barbarism made her a convenient scapegoat and obscured the true nature of Nazi terror.
On September 1, 1967, one of the Third Reich’s most infamous figures hanged herself in her cell after nearly twenty-four years in prison. Known as the “Bitch of Buchenwald,” Ilse Koch was singularly notorious, having been accused of owning lampshades fabricated from skins of murdered camp inmates and engaging in “bestial” sexual behavior. These allegations fueled a public fascination that turned Koch into a household name and the foremost symbol of Nazi savagery. Her subsequent prosecution resulted in a scandal that prompted US Senate hearings and even the intervention of President Truman.
Yet the most sensational atrocities attributed to Koch were apocryphal or unproven. In this authoritative reappraisal, Tomaz Jardim shows that, while Koch was guilty of heinous crimes, she also became a scapegoat for postwar Germans eager to distance themselves from the Nazi past. The popular condemnation of Koch―and the particularly perverse crimes attributed to her by prosecutors, the media, and the public at large―diverted attention from the far more consequential but less sensational complicity of millions of ordinary Germans in the Third Reich’s crimes.
Ilse Koch on Trial reveals how gendered perceptions of violence and culpability drove Koch’s zealous prosecution at a time when male Nazi perpetrators responsible for greater crimes often escaped punishment or received lighter sentences. Both in the international press and during her three criminal trials, Koch was condemned for her violation of accepted gender norms and “good womanly behavior.” Koch’s “sexual barbarism,” though treated as an emblem of the Third Reich’s depravity, ultimately obscured the bureaucratized terror of the Nazi state and hampered understanding of the Holocaust.

Review- This is a deep dive into one person's role in Nazi Germany. Ilse Koch did not work at a camp, she was married to the camp commander and she was a card carrying Nazi but she had no authority. Instead she became the face for all Germans who knew what was happening and did nothing. So the legend of Ilse Koch as grown over the years and now she is a symbol of a power and lust crazed woman. That image does no favors for anyone, not for those who do act in those ways nor to a average person who just looks the other way. Jardim wants to engage with history and try to pick apart what really happened and what Ilse Koch did. This book is written in a very academic way and that will put some readers off but if World War II history is a passion for you, then you should have this one a try. 

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

The Children of Old Leech: A Tribute to the Carnivorous Cosmos of Laird Barron

Today's fiction post is on The Children of Old Leech: A Tribute to the Carnivorous Cosmos of Laird Barron by Ross E. Lockhart (Editor) and Justin Steele (Editor). It is 342 pages long and is published by Word Horde. The cover is black with leeches and a broken red circle. The intended reader is someone who has read some of Laird Barron's work. There is some foul language, implied sexuality, and horror violence in this book. The stories are told from different points of view per story. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- There are Things — terrifying Things — whispered of in darkened forests beyond the safe comfort of firelight: The Black Guide, the Broken Ouroboros, the Pageant, Belphegor, Old Leech...
These Things have always been here. They predate you. They will outlast you.
This book pays tribute to those Things.
For We are the Children of Old Leech...and we love you.

Review- This was an interesting series short stories set in the universe of the Old Leech from Laird Barron. From stories about the Old Leech eating people in parts to people seeing him in the flesh and what horrors that brings. The writing styles are very diverse and give the reader many options for setting and characters. If you have read Barron's work, this collection is a nice companion but for the horror fan who has not read Barron, you will get less out of this collection and should go read Barron's work. Enjoyable collection for Laird Barron fans. 

I give this collection of a Three out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and A Legacy of Rage

Today's nonfiction post is on Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and A Legacy of Rage by Jeff Guinn. It is 400 pages long and is published by Simon & Schuster. The cover is a picture of the siege of the Mount Carmel. The intended reader is someone who is interested in modern American history. There is some foul language, discussions of rape and sexual abuse of children, and violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- This is the definitive account of the disastrous siege at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, featuring never-before-seen documents, photographs, and interviews, from former investigative reporter Jeff Guinn, bestselling author of Manson and The Road to Jonestown.
For the first time in thirty years, more than a dozen former ATF agents who participated in the initial February 28, 1993, Waco raid speak on the record about the poor decisions of their commanders that led to this deadly confrontation. The revelations in this book include why the FBI chose to end the siege with the use of CS gas; how both ATF and FBI officials tried and failed to cover up their agencies’ mistakes; where David Koresh plagiarized his infamous prophecies; and direct links between the Branch Davidian tragedy and the modern militia movement in America. Notorious conspiracist Alex Jones is a part of the Waco story. So much is new and stunning.
Guinn puts you alongside the ATF agents as they embarked on the disastrous initial assault, unaware that the Davidians knew they were coming and were armed and prepared to resist. His you-are-there narrative continues to the final assault and its momentous consequences. Drawing on this new information, including several eyewitness accounts, Guinn again does what he did with his bestselling books about Charles Manson and Jim Jones, revealing new details about a story that we thought we knew.

Review- A very in-depth look around what happened at Mount Carmel, before and during, the siege at Waco. Guinn interviews everyone who is willing to talk with him from ATF agents, reporters, people of Waco, and surviving Branch Davidians. The book covers the beginning of the Branch Davidian sect and David Koresh's personal history. The interviews give great insight into what went wrong and how easy it was for everything to get out of any kind of control for both sides. The ATF at large did not know that the Davidians knew they were coming and that the Davidians believed that the ATF were from the devil and the end of world was starting. The book continues into the nearer present with following the agents and survivors. The writing is good, the facts both for and against Koresh and his followers and what they believed and how far they were willing to go to bring around the end of the world. I learned a lot about Waco and the people involved, I would recommend this book. 

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library. 

Harrow County: Omnibus Volume 2

Today's post is on Harrow County: Omnibus Volume 2 by Cullen Bunn et all. It is 408 pages long and published by Dark Horse Books. The cover has Hester Beck with a bloody cow skull in her hands. As it is the second omnibus, you need to have read the first volume to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes historical urban fantasy and horror. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and action violence in this graphic novel. The story follows Emmy. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- While Emmy has been focused on dealing with supernatural threats from the outside world; a much bigger problem has been brewing at home, leading to an epic confrontation that will alter the fate of the entirety of Harrow County!

Review- A great conclusion to a great story. Emmy has so much to do with keeping Harrow County safe from all the spirits in it and she has to learn about who she is really is. Emmy learns more about her family, her real powers, and what powers Kammi had. Bernice is also learning how to protect Harrow County in her own way. But none of that matters when Hester is returned to the world and she is gunning for Emmy. This was an great journey with Emmy and the others in Harrow County. I would read the next thing by Bunn and the artists who work with him. 

I give this omnibus a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this graphic novel from my local library.