Roger's Reads

Author & Book Reviewer

Review of The Dreadful Objects by Chris Cooper

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The dreadful objects book coverThe Dreadful Objects follows our main character Jamie Lawson who has been in a major rut and has been unable to move on with his life, following the death of his girlfriend a year earlier. He then learns that his uncle, a famous and quite wealthy horror author, has committed suicide and has bequeathed Jamie all of his possessions including a couple of million dollars and a big, creepy and spooky mansion, filled with macabre horror memorabilia.

From the cover, I thought that this might be a haunted house story, but it wasn’t. It was more about haunted objects, which made me think of the television show a few years back entitled Warehouse 13.

So Jamie inadvertently discovers that the events in his uncle’s horror books actually happened in real life. Now that might not seem all that surprising except that all of the events that took place in the books occurred after the books were written.

Jamie decides to dig a bit to see if he can discover further connections and learns that two items that are locked in glass cases appear to be linked with real-life deaths and might hold the key to figuring out why his uncle killed himself. As Jamie puts together more pieces of the puzzle, he begins to realize that the mystery may be even stranger than he’d initially thought and may, in fact, be paranormal in nature (hint: it is)

I’ve read a ton of haunted house novels, so I found the idea of haunted objects to be a refreshing change of pace from the usual haunted house trope (though I have to admit that I do have a soft spot for haunted house stories). I also really enjoyed the vivid and vibrant descriptions of the house and all of the spooky off-the-wall objects contained therein, which I felt added to the richness and the atmosphere of the story.

Though this novel is classified as a horror novel and it is a bit on the scary side, true horror fans may be tad disappointed. It’s true that the story is dark at times and definitely tells a suspenseful, spooky tale, but it does so in a more lighthearted way. As such, I felt that this novel might be better placed in the cozy mystery genre (or perhaps the cozy horror genre, if there is such a thing).

All in all, The Dreadful Objects was a twisty, wildly entertaining story with relentless pacing, rich, lifelike characters and a brilliant ending which made this novel a real page-turner for me. It’s a wonderfully mysterious thriller that I had a difficult time putting down right until the surprising and utterly satisfying conclusion. Recommended!

In the spirit of full disclosure, I won this book in a Goodreads drawing and was under no obligation to leave a review.

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Review of Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore

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Reincarnation blues book coverSo I went into this book knowing absolutely nothing about it. I was browsing at the library, and it caught my eye, and after having read the blub, I loved the concept of the book so much that I picked it up. And I’m glad I did.

Reincarnation Blues follows our main character Milo who has reincarnated 9,995 times and is one of the oldest if not THE oldest soul on earth. But — he only has five lives left to gain perfection, and when he does, he earns a place in the great cosmic soul — gets to become part of the Oversoul of the universe. But if he doesn’t, he ceases to exist. Completely. He just fades into nothing.

But there’s another interesting complication. At the end of every life, he awakes on the bank of the river in the arms of the anthropomorphic manifestation of Death also known as Suzie (she prefers to be called Suzie as she doesn’t like to be referred to as death). But it is Suzie who comes to him as Death at the end of every one of his lives.

For millennia, Suzie and Milo have loved each other, and they are both facing the future with a kind of dread as Milo’s lives count down. So in this way, it’s a great love story, though that is not the focus of the book.

It’s also worth mentioning that when he’s on earth living out a life as a human, he has no recollection of any of this other lives nor does he remember that the love of his life — or should I say his soul — is waiting for him on the other side. His wisdom does tend to grow with each life, however, so we do get to see his evolution.

What I found especially fascinating about this book was that the book the author provides us with small glimpses of many of his incarnations. Several of them, however, are much more detailed and I found them all riveting. Some take place in the way distant past while others take place in the far future, some even in space. What’s interesting about these stories is that they are chronological so we have no idea where we were going to end up after turning the page; though the author does an excellent job of weaving all these lives — including Milo’s time in the afterlife — together into a cohesive story. The author shifted seamlessly and elegant from one time period to the next.

I loved the fact that if you really screwed up during one of your lives, then you have to live a life of penance such as coming back as a ladybug or a housefly. Of course, the author goes into quite a bit of detail with Milo’s five remaining lives, and it’s in these stories where we truly get a feel for the kind of person he is.

This book wasn’t just about one man’s search for perfection. Suzie (AKA Death) also had her own search for meaning, and I enjoyed seeing Death’s evolution as the story unfolded. But it was also about the power of choice and those terribly gray areas between right and wrong. But I don’t want to mention any more lest I delve into spoiler territory.

I think one reason I enjoyed this so much was that the book had a Terry Pratchettesque feeling to it, especially the humor I felt. Hell, Death, who is featured in many of the Terry Pratchett Discworld books, is also one of the main characters in this tale.

Reincarnation Blues was part sci-fi, part fantasy, part dystopian, with a good sprinkling of philosophy and humor. It’s a magical and quirky book that makes you think long after the story is finished. It is also wildly entertaining and uplifting, though some parts of Milo’s lives were rather brutal and a tad difficult to read about.

But all in all, this book was a home run for me, and I ended up loving it.

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Review of An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

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An unwanted guest book cover An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena follows a group of people who head out to Mitchells Inn located deep in the Catskills for a quiet weekend in the country. It’s a perfect place to do some skiing, work on a novel or simply relax.

So being in the middle of winter, the weather takes an abrupt turn for the worse, cutting off power and phone service. The guests remain in good spirits and make the best of it, settling in until the roads are cleared. The quiet serenity of the hotel’s paradise-like atmosphere is suddenly broken, however, when one of the guests turns up dead at the bottom of the steps.

It looks like an accident – an unfortunate tumble down the stairs. But one of the guests believes that the evidence indicates that this was not an accident. But when a second guest shows us dead — this one clearly murdered — the tension is instantly ratcheted up, and panic ensues.

Fear rises and tensions escalate as everyone is left to wonder: are one of the guests – one of them — the murderer? If so, which one? Or is there someone else hiding in the hotel, waiting to pick them off, one by one?

More murder follows and tensions — and tempers — rise even further as nobody is above suspicion, especially once secrets begin to emerge. Nobody can sleep. Nobody can trust anyone as they all wonder: Which if any of them will survive the weekend?

This was an excellent Whodunit in Agatha Cristie style. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters along with the backstory as I tried to guess the identity of the murderer, paying attention to all the clues along the way. This alone made the book difficult to put down and drew me right into the story.

I loved that fact that the story was told from the point of view of each guest, which added to the richness of the story. Each character had a distinct personality and backstory that didn’t make POV switches at all confusing. Each character is fully fleshed out, and we end up knowing each of their secrets, thoughts, desires, and hopes. But we don’t learn everything.

In fact, the author reveals just enough information about each character to make you wonder about their true motivations and their reasons for coming to the lodge. The story was, however, an eerie, tension-filled and suspenseful story that was fully immersive as we put ourselves in the shoes of the hotel’s guests. It wasn’t at all graphic or gory though — just a fun though unsetting whodunit.

So I absolutely loved this book. It was a clever, atmospheric and fun Whodunit with vivid, engaging and relatable characters all in a realistic setting. I mean, how can you not love a murder mystery that takes place in the woods in the midst of a storm?

I’m so glad that I went into this knowing nothing at all about it and there were plenty of twists and surprises to keep me turning the page. The author does an excellent job at throwing you off track, and I was unable to correctly guess who the killer was. Which is good — I hate when I guess the ending when I’m only part way through a story.

And even once everything is neatly tied up at the end, the story continues further on for a few extra pages, revealing an extra squeal-worthy twist that I did not seem coming at all and that I loved.

Shari Lapena is a new author for me, and I look forward to reading more by her.

My thanks to the Viking Press for an advanced readers copy of this book.

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Review of Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

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Song of achilles book coverThe Song of Achilles is a retelling of Homer’s the Iliad, focussing specifically on the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus. But this book is told from the point of view of Patroclus, Achilles’s best friend who, in this story, is cast as the lover of Achilles. So in this way, the story takes the Greek legends and the works of Homer and expands on them, turning them into something wholly new and different.

Patroclus, a young prince who accidentally kills the son of a nobleman, is exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect golden-haired son Achilles, whom we learn is a demigod, his mother being the fierce sea goddess Thetis. Achilles develops a friendship with Patroclus which deepens and becomes something more, much to the displeasure of Achilles’ mother who feels he is unworthy of being the companion of a future god.

I liked the fact that the romantic relationship between Achilles and Patroclus wasn’t rushed or forced but instead built up slowly and powerfully throughout the years. It was definitely a slow burn as these two first grew up together, learned about life together and even fought together, their bond deepening as they matured into young men.

But their world comes crashing down when Helen of Sparta is kidnapped by Prince Paris, the son of the king of Troy and Achilles is strongly encouraged to fight for Sparta. So he and Patroclus journey to Troy to fight with the Spartan army in spite of prophecy that threatens to destroy everything they hold dear.

What I enjoyed is that often, Achilles is portrayed as an arrogant, unsympathetic character but in this novel, we get the see his human and vulnerable side — someone capable of deep love and loyalty. We see his tenderness and his insecurities. It was interesting to see Achilles attempt to balance his duty as a prince and warrior with his love for Patroclus. Though an admirable character, it’s easy to see his weaknesses, namely his ego, excessive pride and errors in judgment.

But it was Patroclus’ character that I especially loved; he was brave, loyal, wise beyond his years and compassionate to the plight of others around him. I loved seeing him transform from a clumsy, socially inept exiled prince to the self-assured and confident lover of Achilles. Though he wasn’t skilled in battle like his demigod lover, he is skilled in surgery, empathy and helping others.

I also loved his description of his epic love for Achilles in one passage:

“I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.”

I appreciated that fact that the author didn’t make their relationship perfect and without strife. Like all relationships, there was conflict. They quarreled, clashed at times, and even hurt each other, but most of the time, their disagreements were because of their deep love for the other — though Achilles’ god-like pride was often at fault.

It’s also interesting to note that Patroclus often played the role of Achilles’ conscience, causing him to consider his actions and evaluate his judgment. It also struck me that it was Patroclus who taught Achilles to be human, to be compassionate and most importantly, how to love. Patroclus cares deeply about people in an otherwise harsh and cruel world, and perhaps this caring for others rubbed off on Achilles, causing him to become more than just a cold-hearted warrior.

Now even though the romance between Achilles and Patroclus is an essential element in this story and helped to illustrate Achilles’ human side, this novel is not defined by that romance. Rather, this is also the story of a demigod driven by honor who grew to fulfill his destiny as a warrior and a hero — perhaps even someone who was tainted by war.

If you’ve read the Iliad or are familiar with the Trojan war, you know that the story has a tragic end; but in case you haven’t, I won’t tell you what happens. But even though I knew how it all turns out, the ending of this book still left me absolutely shattered and broke my heart into pieces. I was so invested in these characters that I couldn’t help but hope that they could somehow escape their fate, to somehow rise above it. So even though I thought I was prepared for how it would hit, it still wrecked me and left me breathless.

Though this ending was painful and heart-wrenching, it was also eloquent and beautiful, and I’m so glad that I read it. This is a book about joy, suffering, war, glory, violence, heroes and the cruelty of men. It’s about pride, hubris, and vanity. But it’s also about being loved and being remembered. The Song of Achilles is a beautifully written book with rich, lyrical prose and a captivating story with a lot of heart about a love so powerful it defies death and time.

The descriptions and settings were realistic and evocative, and because of the richness of detail, I felt at times that I was there with the characters, witnessing and experiencing the events right along with them. It probably helped that I listened to this on audiobook.

All in all, The Song of Achilles is a lush and expertly woven novel that fascinates from its opening words to its tender final scenes, and I ended up giving this five stars.

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Review of And The Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness

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And the ocean was our sky book coverI love Patrick Ness, and when I heard that he wrote a re-imagining of Moby Dick but told from the point of view of the whales, I simply had to pick it up, even though I hate to admit that I’m not much of a fan of Moby Dick. Though to be fair, I was in high school the last time I attempted it.

And the Ocean Was Our Sky is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel that follows our main character – a female whale named Bathsheba, her fierce hunting whale pod and their ongoing war with humans. What made this story especially interesting is that the book is told entirely from the whale Bathsheba’s point of view.

This is a story where the whales hunt humans, and the humans hunt whales. The human world resents the whales because they’re killers, and the whale world resents the humans because they’re killers. And all of the whales tell stories about and live in fear of a monstrous human creature known as Toby Wick.

Patrick Ness shows the brutal and vicious cycle both whales and humans are caught up in an endless cycle of revenge. In this way, the story is grim and dark in places but definitely not without hope.

I thought the dynamic between the whales and humans was utterly fascinating, and this relationship was laden with deep symbolism and metaphor. I found myself setting down the book several times, to contemplate the deeper meaning of what I was reading. I appreciated the paradox of how both sides hunted the other in order to prevent from being hunted by the other.

I’ve seen this book this referred to as an upside-down retelling of Moby Dick and it description nailed it in my opinion — especially since the whales referred to the bottom of the ocean as their sky (hence the title) and the human sky as The Abyss.

What I especially loved about this book were the illustrations. They were beautiful and haunting, and added to the richness and depth of the story. I’d go so far as to say they’re integral to the story, so you definitely do not want to bypass them when working your way through the novel.

Now I will say that this is not a novel for children even though it is published in the Young Adult category. This is a novel with mature, complicated and intricate themes which may be better understood by adults and older teens. Additionally, the illustrations tended to be quite dark as the novel progressed…and by dark I mean blood and depictions of violence; so in this way, it was a raw and graphic story. What I found especially compelling was how the illustrations started out in complete black and white with increasing amounts of red as the tale became bleaker.

There were so many interesting themes to this story such as clinging to the past, obsession, war, the passing down of prejudices, the pursuit of violence, hatred of others different from ourselves and how often, we end up becoming the monster we think we’re fighting. There was also the idea of how getting to know our enemy is the key to stop fearing and hating them, which was well illustrated in the ending. The ending, by the way, was amazing and I love it.

All in all, And The Ocean Was Our Sky is a wonderful, multi-layered thought-provoking fable with gorgeous illustrations and beautiful writing that is well worth the read. The emotional, physical, and ethical challenges of the characters pulled me right from the very beginning and didn’t let me go until the end. It was an immersive, compelling, and complex read that I ended up loving. I ended up giving this phenomenal book five stars.

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Review of The Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

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Heart shaped box cover imageFor those of you who don’t know, Joe Hill is Stephen King’s son. This was my first Joe Hill novel, and I definitely plan on reading more.

The Heart-Shaped Box follows an aging rock star, 54-year-old Judas Coyne who is a collector of macabre objects. So when he sees a notice on an auction site stating that they are selling their stepfather’s ghost to the highest bidder, how could he refuse? So for a thousand dollars, Jude becomes the proud owner of the dead man’s suit, which, the ad claimed, is haunted by a spirit.

So yeah, that didn’t work out so well for him.

When it arrives, Jude and his most recent girlfriend Georgia (whose real name is Mary Beth – he always nicknames is girlfriends from the state their from: Florida, Georgia, etc.) quickly learn that this suit isn’t some relic that you can tuck on the top shelf of a closet and ignore.

Nope. This is the real deal, and they soon learn that the ghost’s name is Craddock McDermott and he isn’t only impossible to get rid of, he is vengeful and extremely dangerous — and he is scary as hell.

The ghost soon begins messing with their minds and taking over their thoughts (turns out he was a sadistic hypnotist in life) all the while bringing that gleaming razor blade that he dangles on a chain from his bony hand ever closer. I found this part especially terrifying: how in the hell can you battle a ghost that has the ability to take over and control your mind?

From this point on the story moves with a spine-tingling urgency. Jude wants the ghost gone, and the ghost wants Jude — and anyone who interferes — dead.

It’s difficult to talk too much about this type of book without giving away the story. Let me just say that pretty much each chapter is a battle for survival and this fast-paced story grows more and more intense and more and more frightening and vivid. The tension continues to escalate as there is a desperate race to somehow stop this relentless ghost before it kills both Jude and Mary Beth. This is a haunting that goes to extremes.

The Heart-Shaped Box wasn’t just a scary ghost story. It also ended by being a deep and self-revelatory story for our characters and Hill took us on an amazing ride to do so.

A word of warning — this is by no means a cute little ghost story. The novel is a gritty, dark and sinister tale of revenge from beyond the grave with some gory bits even thrown in. The characters of Jude and Marybeth were flawed, real, and relatable and Craddock….well, Craddock was utterly chilling…spine-tinglingly so. So in this way, the book was an excellent characters study as well as a frightening ghost story.

All in all, I loved this engaging book though it scared the hell out of me. It had a clever plot, gripping twists and turns, beautiful prose and the ultimate creepy villain. This is the kind of book that makes you want to keep all the lights on.

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