I'm back! Again! This time for GOOD!

Wow... two YEARS.  It's been a while.  A lot in my life has changed since then.  Ups, downs and all directions.  My life has been something...  But I'm back!  For good, this time!  No excuses, for real!  I will making more reviews and sharing my thoughts with you guys.  I apologize for the long hiatus, especially for those that have checked my blog when it started, and continued checking to see if there was something new.  I'm back, and I'm ready to talk about books!  Care to join?  Let's see what's coming:

Misery by Stephen King

Author:  Stephen King

Genre:  Horror, Fiction, Thriller

Reading Experience:  9/10

Story:  8.5/10

Writing:  8/10

My Verdict:  8.5/10

I respect a writer when he or she makes the book come alive.  When a book evokes the same feeling the main character is feeling, or makes the entire atmosphere swallow you whole, then that writer has earned my respect.  Of course, it has to be Stephen King!

The story is simple:Paul Sheldon is a bestselling novelist, famous for his Misery Chastain series.  But his life changes when he was driving through the snow and crashes his car, hurting himself very, very badly.  It's a good thing Annie Wilkes was there!  She has become his nurse since the moment she found him in the wreck.  She takes care of him, nursing him back to health.  And she is also his biggest fan...and his captor.

11/22/63 by Stephen King

Author:  Stephen King

Genre:  Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, 

Suspense, Thriller

Reading Experience:  7/10

Story:  8/10

Writing:  7/10

My Verdict:  7.5/10

We all know what happened that 22nd of November in 1963.  The world stood still and fell silent, to mourn John Fitzgerald Kennedy, as he was assassinated while strolling down the street of Dealy Plaza in Dallas, Texas, in his motorcade.  It shook not only the United States to its core, but also the world.  Every human held their breath, as they watched in horror the development of this tragedy.

Theories and conspiracies began to surface about the man that shot JFK.  Why did he do it?  Was he hired?  Who hired him?  Was it an inside job?  Was he working alone or someone from the government hired him?  They kept coming; more questions and less answers.  But it all lead to the man that pulled the trigger: Lee Harvey Oswald.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

“Stories are wild creatures, the monster said. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?”

- A Monster Calls

Author:  Patrick Ness 

(originally conceived by Siobhan Dowd) 

Genre:  Fantasy, Young Adult, Horror, Contemporary

Reading Experience: 7.5/10

Story:  8/10

Writing:  7.5/10

My Verdict:  8/10

This is a sad story, with an even sadder background.  This is one of those books, one of those stories, that stick with you far beyond the last sentence.  It evokes something very sad and very dark since the first chapter, and it holds you until you read the last one.  Never have I once cried for a book as much as I did with this one, not even the Fault in Our Stars or any of the sort.  No, this book strung many strings in my heart, and it's a personal treasure, a favorite almost.

The story is simple: a boy named Conor and a monster that stalks him every night at midnight.  Conor is coping with his mother's cancer, school and many other things that will hit home and make you reminisce about the obstacles and frustrations of being a teen.

This monster visits him every midnight, demanding only one thing from Conor, the single thing Conor will never, ever give anyone: the truth.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Author:  Agatha Christie

Genre:  Mystery, Thriller, Murder Mystery

Target Audience:  All ages, adult

Reading Experience:  9/10

Story:  9/10

Writing:  9/10

My Verdict:  9/10

Bienvenue à l'Orient Express! S'il vous plaît, venez à bord!

Pardon my French, but I couldn't resist!  Even though the train isn't exactly French, I couldn't help it.  The French language has a certain je ne sais quoi, and it kinda fits everywhere!  Okay, I'll stop.  Promise.

Welcome to the Orient Express!  Please, come on board!  (that's what I was trying to say in French.  I have no way of knowing if it's correct, so sorry in advance if you're French).  What we have here is one of the most iconic, well-known story of Agatha Christie's hero, Hercule Poirot!

It's the tenth book of a series of stories and cases led by the Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot.  Even though it's the tenth, it's my first and only Poirot novel to date.  And i have to say, Christie has made a fan out of me with her eccentric, one-of-a-kind detective... and that's only with ONE book.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Author:  Shirley Jackson

Genre:  Horror, Paranormal, Supernatural, Gothic

Target Audience:  Adults

Reading Experience:  7.5/10

Story:  7.5/10

Writing:  7.5/10

My Verdict:  8/10

Nothing like a good, old-fashion, haunted house story that makes you question not only the character's sanity in all of the story, but yours as well.  This book is purely psychological; it messes with the character's head, as well as yours.  It leaves you wondering... how much of it was actually real?  

I'm back!!! *Cue applause*

Bookworms!  Hi!!!  Yes, it's me!  I'm back!!  It's been some time now.  Did you miss me and my GIFs?  I bet you did!  Sorry for the hiatus, but just got a new job, and between the training and the actual job, it's been... hectic.  But I'm back!  Back from the dead!

Cell the movie is here!

Remember Stephen King's book Cell?  There's a movie coming out!  This YEAR!  I'm so EXCITED for it!  I was a little worried about the casting, but the trailer proved me that it could become a great adaptation!  Plus, Stephen King himself helped with the screenplay, so you know it's going to be GOOD!  John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson and Isabelle Fuhrman play the main characters in this bloody, action-packed story of a cellphone-caused apocalypse that makes people behave like aggressive monsters, whose only purpose is too kill.  Watch them try to survive here, in the trailer!  AHH!  I can't wait!

If you want to read the book, then check out my review!

Also, you can buy the paperback of Stephen King's Cell here!

Paper Towns by John Green

Author:  John Green

Genre:  Adventure, Mystery

Target Audience:  Young Adult

Reading Experience:  8/10

Story:  8.5/10

Writing:  8/10

My Verdict:  8.5/10

In contrast to my review of Colleen Hoover's November 9, I thought I might add one of my favorite Young Adult novels.  

Paper Towns, by John Green, is the story of Quentin "Q" Jacobsen.  Q has loved his neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman  all of his life, since the moment she moved next door.  But from afar.  He never dared to tell her.  They had one moment together as children that marked their relationship forever.  Now as teenagers, Q and Margo rarely speak; they are strangers.  She's an enigma to Q, but he still loves her.  Everything is fine and normal until one night Margo climbs through his bedroom window on the second floor, like a ninja with a special mission.  She embarks Q on one of the most memorable nights of his life.  But when that adventure ends, and a new day dawns, Margo disappears.  And Q starts to believe that she left clues for him, so that he could find her.  Q embarks on his own mission to find her, following the clues she left behind.

I won't say more, 'cause I'll spoil it.  But if you thought the Fault in Our Starts was good, this one takes the cake, in my opinion.

November 9 by Colleen Hoover

Author:  Colleen Hoover

Genre:  Romance, Contemporary

Target Audience:  New Adults, Adults

Reading Experience:  4.5/10

Story:  5.5/10

Writing:  6/10

My Verdict:  6/10

As I stated in past posts, I'm not a fan of romance.  I'm more into action, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, thriller and horror.  If it's sprinkled with romance and comedy, I wouldn't mind - as long as it's done right.  Books that are made entirely of comedy and romance?  No, thank you.  Books with YA or NA in their labels?  I'll pass.

I read this for two reasons: 

• I was somewhat curious about the story and book, given that it was really popular among Colleen Hoover fans.  So I had a "hunch" that I might actually like this book, even though it was a romance novel.
• My sister insisted that I read this book.  Like, every single DAY.  I was still reading Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard when she was already pushing the book towards me.  It was only fair, since she read one I recommended her (which she loved it!).

My hunch was wrong, and so was my sister.  Sorry, Sis.  But this was not... enjoyable.  At all.  This is coming from someone that read ALL the Twilight books, most of John Green's (which were actually good) and even Fifty Shades of Grey.  I mean, I've read good romances and really bad ones.  This wasn't horrible, but it was cringe-worthy. 

I know I will be lynched by my sister and all die-hard Colleen Hoover fans, but I have to write about my experience when reading the book, and it was not pleasant.