‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

Synopsis:

'Salem's Lot is a small New England town with white clapboard houses, tree-lined streets, and solid church steeples. That summer in 'Salem's Lot was a summer of home-coming and return; spring burned out and the land lying dry, crackling underfoot. Late that summer, Ben Mears returned to 'Salem's Lot hoping to cast out his own devils... and found instead a new unspeakable horror.

A stranger had also come to the Lot, a stranger with a secret as old as evil, a secret that would wreak irreparable harm on those he touched and in turn on those they loved.

All would be changed forever—Susan, whose love for Ben could not protect her; Father Callahan, the bad priest who put his eroded faith to one last test; and Mark, a young boy who sees his fantasy world become reality and ironically proves the best equipped to handle the relentless nightmare of 'Salem's Lot.

It took me three tries, but I have finally finished ‘Salem’s Lot. There’s something about King’s writing where you have to be in a very specific mood to read his stuff. I’m not sure how to explain it, but I think anyone who reads his books will understand. 

In typical King fashion, there was jumping around from character to character, but it allowed for a depth to the character development and everyone got their own arcs. It took awhile for things to get going, but once they started it was full speed ahead. It went so quickly that I feel like some things may have been left out (somehow, with Mr. Descriptive). I can’t put my finger on exactly what that would be. 

With some of the deaths, it felt sort of like “oh, they’re dead now. Okay.” They just came out of nowhere with not much build up. It was interesting. 

Much like with IT, it took a turn that I wasn’t expecting. I don’t really know what I expected from ‘Salem’s Lot, but I didn’t expect it to be a book about Vampires. That was a bit of a shock to the system, as I don’t typically go for vampire novels. But the time we get to that reveal, it’s a bit too late to turn back. 

Overall – I enjoyed it. I don’t know if it liked it due to the quality of the book or just because it’s a King classic. Either way, if you’re in the mood for some Stephen King, I’d say it’s a good read with some likeable characters. 

3/5 Stars

Memorable Quote: “The town cares for the devil’s work no more than it cares for God’s or man’s. It knew darkness. And darkness was enough.”

“At three in the morning the blood runs slow and thick, and slumber is heavy. The soul either sleeps in blessed ignorance of such an hour or gazes about itself in utter despair.”

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Faith, Hope and Justice: Saved by Grace and How God Led Me Through Hell by Marie Libellule

Synopsis:

When a hard-working doctor dedicated to serving the poor is falsely accused of insurance fraud, she questions her faith, her life, and her vocation. But a series of unexpected messages from God, channeled through surprising messengers, changes everything - and leads her from the darkest despair into the light of vindication. A true story of faith, hope and justice, written by the woman who lived it.

I really didn’t expect to get drawn into the book the way that I did. Once I started it, I wasn’t able to put it down. I had to push through because I kept thinking WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?! JUST ONE MORE CHAPTER! Pretty soon it was 2:00 am and I only had one chapter left, so I just HAD to finish it that night.

The writing is really animated and puts you into the story. It’s not a super long book, but it’s very complete. It’s non-fiction, but it feels like a superhero book and gives you a whole new level of respect for doctors who really love what they do and respect their patients above all else.

Whether you like medical books or not, whether you are religious or not, whether you are into the medical field or not, I think this is a great book and highly recommend it as a quick afternoon read.

5/5 Stars

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Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis

Synopsis:

Founder of the lifestyle website TheChicSite.com and CEO of her own media company, Chic Media, Rachel Hollis has created an online fan base of hundreds of thousands of fans by sharing tips for living a better life while fearlessly revealing the messiness of her own. Now comes her highly anticipated first book featuring her signature combination of honesty, humor, and direct, no-nonsense advice.

Each chapter of Girl, Wash Your Face begins with a specific lie Hollis once believed that left her feeling overwhelmed, unworthy, or ready to give up. As a working mother, a former foster parent, and a woman who has dealt with insecurities about her body and relationships, she speaks with the insight and kindness of a BFF, helping women unpack the limiting mind-sets that destroy their self-confidence and keep them from moving forward.

From her temporary obsession with marrying Matt Damon to a daydream involving hypnotic iguanas to her son's request that she buy a necklace to "be like the other moms," Hollis holds nothing back. With unflinching faith and tenacity, Hollis spurs other women to live with passion and hustle and to awaken their slumbering goals.

When I started this book, I didn’t realize how polarizing it was. A lot of people love it and a lot of people HATE IT.

Here’s what I take away from it – It’s not so much a self-help book as it is a motivational book. It’s more of a kick your ass into doing something rather than giving you tools on how to improve yourself. And that’s fine. That’s what this book is, don’t expect more than that.

If you’re religious, you’ll probably relate to it more than someone who isn’t. Rachel is a rather religious person, so she mentions it a lot. It never seemed preachy to me or pushy, so it wasn’t something that turned me off.

I’m not a huge fan of her writing style. I enjoy that it’s more conversational than it is dry and boring. But, being called “sister” way too many times certainly isn’t for me.

2/5 Stars. Overall, I don’t think it deserves ALL the hate it gets (some, yes), but it doesn’t deserve the absolute love it gets either. It’s just a book, and it wouldn’t be on my recommended list.

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Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

Synopsis:

Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8-Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college. She’s pretty optimistic about her chances until classes begin, and she runs into Miles. Didn't she imagine him? Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She’s not prepared for normal. 

 I’m not sure how this book turned out to be a feel good story. Nothing during the reading of it suggested it would be that way except, maybe, for the fact that it’s a Young Adult novel. I find, more often than not, Young Adult goes the feel-good route instead of soul-crushing route.

Now, there was one twist in this book that shook me to my core and nearly made me cry. I had to put it down and process it for a minute before I could continue.

The two main characters, Alex and Miles, are very strong and well developed. Made You Up gives you an interesting take on mental health and high school. There is a really weird side plot with the principal which ends up being an important plot point in the end, but I just thought it was really strange an unnecessary.

Overall, this book was really easy to get through. It doesn’t take long to read, and the characters are likeable. If you’re looking for a lighter read (with difficult topics) I would recommend it. Be warned, it will make you question everything that you know while reading it.

4/5 Stars

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Traffick by Ellen Hopkins

Synopsis:

In her bestselling novel, Tricks, Ellen Hopkins introduced us to five memorable characters tackling these enormous questions: Eden, the preacher’s daughter who turns tricks in Vegas and is helped into a child prostitution rescue; Seth, the gay farm boy disowned by his father who finds himself without money or resources other than his own body; Whitney, the privileged kid coaxed into the life by a pimp and whose dreams are ruined in a heroin haze; Ginger, who runs away from home with her girlfriend and is arrested for soliciting an undercover cop; and Cody, whose gambling habit forces him into the life, but who is shot and left for dead.

And now, in Traffick, these five are faced with the toughest question of all: Is there a way out? How these five teenagers face the aftermath of their decisions and experiences is the soul of this story that exposes the dark, ferocious underbelly of the child trafficking trade. Heartwrenching and hopeful, Traffick takes us on five separate but intertwined journeys through the painful challenges of recovery, rehabilitation, and renewal to forgiveness and love. All the way home.

To be honest, it’s been a long time since I read Tricks. I remembered the premise, but not all of the characters or what happened. So, jumping into Traffick – it was hard to keep all of the characters straight until about halfway through the book. I probably should have made myself a key so I could remember everything. 

The best way to sum it up is a novel about lost kids finding their way back home. 

I liked it. It’s always nice to jump back in to an Ellen Hopkins book with her unique writing style. They’re deep, they hit hard, but they stick with you and are easy to get through. 

It would be easy to leave this universe and stick with just two books, but I wouldn’t mind another book showing if they can really integrate themselves back into their families after spending time turning ‘Tricks’ in Vegas. The addiction and the PTSD are interesting storylines that could be further explored, and I think Ellen Hopkins would do a great job writing it. 

4/5 Stars

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