Lauren Reviews The Deep by Nick Cutter

Title: The Deep
Author: Nick Cutter
Published: January 2015 by Gallery Books
Acquired: Purchased ebook from Amazon
Rating: 5+ Stars

From the acclaimed author of The Troop—which Stephen King raved “scared the hell out of me and I couldn’t put it down.…old-school horror at its best”—comes this utterly terrifying novel where The Abyss meets The Shining.

A strange plague called the ’Gets is decimating humanity on a global scale. It causes people to forget—small things at first, like where they left their keys…then the not-so-small things like how to drive, or the letters of the alphabet. Then their bodies forget how to function involuntarily…and there is no cure. But now, far below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, deep in the Marianas Trench, an heretofore unknown substance hailed as “ambrosia” has been discovered—a universal healer, from initial reports. It may just be the key to a universal cure. In order to study this phenomenon, a special research lab, the Trieste, has been built eight miles under the sea’s surface. But now the station is incommunicado, and it’s up to a brave few to descend through the lightless fathoms in hopes of unraveling the mysteries lurking at those crushing depths…and perhaps to encounter an evil blacker than anything one could possibly imagine. 

This book reminded me of the movie Sphere with Dustin Hoffman, except this book actually was terrifying. I couldn't tell if things were real or not, and if/when I did.. it was too late for the character. I was sucked into the mind of the narrator and his worst nightmares (some of which were real turned out to be real) come to life and just scare the hell out of you. The world-building aspect of this novel was on par for me. Not too much detail, not too little. We get a sneak peek of the world slowly being consumed by the 'Gets, which was terrifying in itself, but we also got to go eight miles under the sea to cramped labs and living quarters. 

As for the scare factor... an example, (and I don't think this qualifies as a spoiler), but millipedes. MILLIPEDES. They freaked the narrator out his whole life and then he would imagine them (or were they real?) and the detail of them... the scratching noises their legs make, the squishy noise of their bodies sliding and curving to push forward. The imagery Nick Cutter created seriously made my skin crawl.

Besides the scare factor and world-building, the plot kept me fixated completely. I was rooting for the narrator the entire time and there never was a dull moment. The narrator honestly want to help his brother, who would in turn help the world by curing the 'Gets. But still.. the creep factor is what held this novel together for me. 

I mostly read at night in bed and I literally got up a few times and flipped my sheets up because my legs itched. I really enjoyed this book, but I'll be honest and tell you now it was a complete mind-bender. I'm still waiting for nightmares from reading this. I'm sure it'll happen soon enough and I'll update you all with the juicy details!

View from Page Thirty: Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

Hello, dear Readers! Since I'm still in quite a slump (damn you Netflix), I went to the list of books you call provided to me, the lovingly named Slumplist, and gave one of them a try - hence A View from Page Thirty*

As I perused the Slumplist, I decided to look up a book that I have been meaning to read for ages but never had - Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe recommended by Ania.

The Book: Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe by Fannie Flagg 
Release Date: 1987
Publisher: Random House
Genres: Historical Fiction

Summary: 

It's first the story of two women in the 1980s, of gray-headed Mrs. Threadgoode telling her life story to Evelyn, who is in the sad slump of middle age. The tale she tells is also of two women -- of the irrepressibly daredevilish tomboy Idgie and her friend Ruth, who back in the thirties ran a little place in Whistle Stop, Alabama, a Southern kind of Cafe Wobegon offering good barbecue and good coffee and all kinds of love and laughter, even an occasional murder.

A View from Page Thirty:
Erm I guess this section should more accurately be called the View from Page 81. I sort of just got lost and kept going. And I full blame the theme music playing in my head on that. The theme music from the movie from the early 90s. The theme music from one of my all time favorite movies.

So knowing that background, I can't really say if this is a valid View from Page Thirty. I already pretty much know the story from the movie (at least I think I do), and I heartily love it to pieces. It brings ALL OF THE FEELS.

I can't help but compare it to the movie and so far, I literally hear lines as I read them. I can't help but hear it narrated by Jessica Tandy. Personally I see this as a plus.

Things are a bit more disjointed than the movie though. The movie, while keeping the flashback reveal that the book is doing, seems to focus more on the four main ladies, while this is almost the story of Whistlestop, Alabama. I am getting more information on the lives of some of the background characters in the movie, which I find quite charming. The order of things is all over the place though so I am not sure if people who don't already know the characters and the story like I do would enjoy it as much. But honestly I am still leaning towards the "Still enjoyable" camp.

I was worried when I started this that all of the magic the movie has for me would be gone when reading the book because I know everything, but that's not the case. I am still loving the look at 1930s southern life. I am actually really looking forward to delve more into Ruth and Idgie's relationship and see how that compares with the screen.

I am going to keep reading for sure, but I do think that when this is all through, me and my well watched DVD are going to curl up for another session of feels.


So, is anyone else like me and avoiding reading a book a movie or tv show was based off of because you loved the adaptation so much? How about those that have taken the plunge, did it work out for the best or not so much?



*For those not familiar with a View from Page Thirty, basically it is me giving my thirty page first impression of a book. I have a personal rule that every book I start gets at least thirty pages. If I am not feeling it by then, time to move on. So I figured it would make a fun feature. 

Ten Books We'll PROBABLY Never Read

For future Top Ten Tuesday topics & info on how to participate, click here!

We aren't trying to be a bunch of meanies here but as a reader sometimes you just KNOW you aren't going to read some books....ever. Like EVER EVER.

Jamie's Picks

1. 50 Shades of Grey: I'm just not interested in erotica personally in general (I do like romance though) but with all the crap surrounding this and how much I already KNOW about it without having read it...NOPE. Seconded by Jana!

2. Anything by James Frey: I can usually separate author from books but I'm sorry I can't. I won't have anything to do with his adult or YA. Nor anything he writes under a pen name. NOOOPE.

Lori's Picks

3.  The Jungle by Upton Sinclair:  Part of me does want to read it because it takes place during one of my favorite time periods.  On the other hand, I really do not want to know that much about the meat industry.  I like my steak and I want to keep it that way.

4.  A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce:  I may one day finish Ulysses, via audiobook, because I'm already almost halfway-ish (I think; it's been a year since I last touched it).  But I don't think I'll ever voluntarily read something else by Joyce because he makes my hair hurt.

Julia's Picks

5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green: Yup. Just send the hate mail to me directly. I just don't think I am ever going to read this. 1) It's too hyped up 2) I have a pre-existing opinion of the author that I believe would color the reading of his books for me 3) the concept doesn't really interest me. I also think I am too far past adolescence to connect with the characters. Maybe, maybe not, but yeah, I'll probably give this one a pass.

6. The rest of the books in the Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon: I've read the first book, and I didn't like it all that much. It was just too wordy and extended way past where it should have stopped. I just can't continue reading that for another seven or however many books. That said, I am really enjoyed the Starz Outlander series. I think the difference is that the TV series filters everything down into easy to digest one hour segments, whereas it was just too easy to get lost or bored in the actual book series itself. Plus you know, the gorgeous Scotsmen are images instead of imaginations.

Bridget's Picks

7. All The Pretty Horses – Cormac McCarthy. This really goes for pretty much anything by him; I hated The Road, particularly because he apparently feels that he’s above punctuation (NOBODY IS ABOVE PUNCTUATION) and I don’t feel comfortable supporting such obvious flouting of the rules of the English language for no effect other than complete annoyance to the reader. And by the reader I mean me, because apparently some people don’t mind, but screw them, they’re wrong. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

8. The Five People You Meet in Heaven – Mitch Albom. Schmaltzy, inspirational books are decidedly not my taste—I thought The Alchemist was the stupidest thing I ever read, and though I enjoyed Tuesdays With Morrie when I read it, I don’t really have any desire to read it again.

Jana's Picks

9. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. I was warned by a friend, who told me that there is some very traumatizing animal violence in this book, and that is a total deal breaker for me. I don't even care what redeeming qualities this book has. If you brutally kill a sweet animal, you and all the rest of your books are blacklisted in my book.

10. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. Same as above! I'm so grateful to my blogging friends who have warned me about so many books containing animal violence. If you know of more I need to know about, please tell me in the comments so I can avoid them!



Tell us..what books are you PROBABLY never going to read?

Jamie's Renewed Love For Audiobooks!

I got into audiobooks a couple of years ago! They became my motivator for working out. I would ONLY allow myself to listen to my audiobook if I got my butt on the treadmill or was doing something active like cleaning.  I was so eager to keep going on in my story that it kept me on the treadmill the whole time and it made me get up off the couch, put my shoes on and head to the gym. I had rewards and such. You can read about my whole system here.

Then about a year into that system I got SUPER into a new workout routine. One that was less treadmill. I started doing Pilates and a lot of HIIT workouts. So I stopped listening to audiobooks mostly. I could have listening to them on my commute but I just was more into listening to music in the car on my Spotify app.

But then recently I decided that I wanted to get back into audiobooks. And I am IN LOVE WITH THEM ALL OVER AGAIN. I started out just wanting to try them again to do re-reads (and also asked for suggestions) and I did do a reread of a favorite book it and it was DELIGHTFUL. Such a good way to do a reread especially if you are new/getting back into audiobooks because you already are familiar with the story.

I started my audiobook obsession about midway through April and I added 2 books to my count for the month. I listened in the car. I listened when I would take the baby I nanny for a walk. I listened when I was getting ready in the morning and while I was making/eating breakfast (my husband leaves way before me). Listened while I was cleaning or painting my nails.  And when I wanted to listen to music (and some days I did) I just did that. But I still got 2 extra books "read" for the month. What a great way to sneak in some extra books! My listening decreases on the weekend because my husband is around and I'm not commuting anywhere but I still felt like I was able to sneak in some reading in times, like when applying makeup or doing my hair, when I'd be listening to nothing at all normally.

I'm so excited to be back in the world of audiobooks!

Do you audiobook or no? What are some of your favorite audiobooks? Where do you get audiobooks from (I use Overdrive primarily because YAY FREE with my library card)?

Lori Reviews The World According to Garp by John Irving

Title:  The World According to Garp

Author:  John Irving

Publication Information:  First published in 1978

How I Got This Book:  Honestly, I don't remember where I bought it, but I know I purchased my copy.

Goodreads Synopsis: This is the life of T.S. Garp, the bastard son of Jenny Fields--a feminist leader ahead of her time. This is the life and death of a famous mother and her almost-famous son; theirs is a world of sexual extremes--even of sexual assassinations. It is a novel rich with "lunacy and sorrow"; yet the dark, violent events of the story do not undermine a comedy both ribald and robust. In more than forty countries--with more than ten million copies in print--this novel provides almost cheerful, even hilarious evidence of its famous last line: "In the world according to Garp, we are all terminal cases."

My Thoughts:  I really enjoyed this one, even though it took me a while to finally finish.  It's funny because I stopped in the middle of a chapter because it started to drag for me.  Several weeks later I picked it back up and within two pages it picked up and I couldn't hardly put it down.

This is my second experience with John Irving.  I read and loved The Cider House Rules back in high school.  I own two (three?) more of his novels.  A Prayer for Owen Meany will definitely be my next Irving.

Though it didn't seem like it before reading the novel, the above synopsis (which is also on the back of my copy of the book) does a pretty good job of summing up the plot.

It leaves out the hilarious and real characters that Irving creates within this novel.  They are complex.  They have layers.  They mean well and are serious, but at times sometimes totally undermines that and it's hilarious and that's how life is.

One of the main things I took away from this novel is that you should just be good and kind to folks because they're folks.  Don't judge.  Don't hold them to your own personal standards.  Help them, regardless of who they are, because they need help.  And also oftentimes you can help and support someone the most by just listening and being there.  It doesn't always take a crazy act of solidarity to show your support.

My one gripe is the last chapter, which goes through the main characters and details what happens to them.  As I read it, it felt like it dragged.  But I know if this hadn't been included, I would have been frustrated and wondered what happened.  Many of the characters met comical ends, which was kind of "eh" for me.

All in all this is a good book.  And I think I would probably read it again some day.

Welcome Our New Contributor Lauren!!

Hi everyone! Jamie here! I'm excited to introduce a new contributor to TB&TB! Her name is Lauren and I've known her from Goodreads since 2008/2009 timeframe when I created and moderated the Goodreads College Students group. She blogged solo for a little bit and then decided she wanted to come back but didn't know at what capacity so I reached out to her to see if she'd want to join us here and I'm SO excited she said yes. I remember bonding with her A LOT over historical fiction back in the day and I can't wait to see what she's reading again these days as she shares with us.

I hope you will give her a warm welcome with me because we here are SO SO excited for her to be with us! Now I'll let Lauren introduce herself!!

Hi everyone! I'm a proud new contributor to The Broke and the Bookish blog. I'm Lauren, a twenty-something that has been around the book blogging/bookish world since my college days.

I am fascinated with historical fiction and learning about other cultures. Anything pertaining to women and their struggles throughout the ages has always inspired me. Reading is not a way for me to get away from the world, but a way to see it through another person's eyes.

I've had my face in books pretty consistently since I learned how to read. My freshman year in college is when my passion really kicked in high gear. It started with buying a couple of books at a used bookstore in town, then I discovered PaperBackSwap online, then I hit Books-A-Million pretty hard. Since 2006, I went from owning about 10 books stacked on my dresser in my bedroom to owning over 600 today (not including around 200 ebooks). I have 4 overflowing bookcases and I literally have books stacked around the house. I feel I will never even touch the surface of all the life, love, happiness, tears, and precious moments that line the pages of all the books the world has to offer.

Everyone has pictures of their beautiful, immaculately organized bookshelves. I just can't bring myself to organize everything. Series books scattered around, books piled in the spare bedroom, allowing the boyfriend a shelf or two (which is harder than you can imagine)... but I'm too eclectic in my genres to even try to piece together that puzzle. And there's my weeny dog, Emmitt, who's always on the lookout for a good glamour shot.

My other passion/obsession is tattoos. I don't see many tattooed readers out there, but I am seeing plenty of amazing quotes from distinguished authors being tattooed becoming more prevalent in society. I am not a biker chick, I've never been to jail, but once I did get a speeding ticket. Many people still judge others by their tattoos. If I am being judged, my guess is I look like a hardcore librarian. All of my tattoos are extremely personal and almost all of them are book related. 

These are just a few of my tattoos. The quote on the skull is from Victor Hugo's Les Misérables that reads, "It is nothing to die. It is frightful not to live." Another quote on my inner arm is from Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale that reads, "Nolite te bastardes carborundorum," which is mock-Latin for "Don't let the bastards grind you down." Lastly, there is a quote on my back from Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five reading, "Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt." These are just a few, and hopefully I'll have many more to come!

I do know that I will always live to read and read to live. Without memoirs of amazing people, fictional characters who make me laugh, literary pieces to expand my world... I don't know what this life has left to offer. I hope you enjoy my posts and I hope to get know more passionate book lovers out there like me! You can find me lurking here on blog and at the social media sites below. Feel free to stalk me! It's going to be a hell of a ride!

Email / Twitter / Goodreads / Instagram / Facebook

April Favorites & May TBR

Hi friends!! Hope you've had some good reading this month. Here's what we loved and what we are looking forward to next month!

APRIL FAVORITES

 

Jamie's Pick

 

All the Rage by Courtney Summers 

This book is SO SO important and I loved it. I felt so many emotions plus I loved the mystery of what happened to both girls. Loved the dialogue about slut-shaming, victim blaming, rape culture etc.

Lori's Pick

The World According to Garp by John Irving  It was SO hard for me to decide between this one and Gilead by Marilynne Robinson.  But this one ultimately got the edge because it made me laugh a lot more and its "help folks because they need help" message really made an impression with me.  Plus I struggled with this book for a while, whereas Gilead was one I totally devoured.

Lauren's Pick

Bird Box by Josh Malerman

There is something that cannot be seen in this world, so the characters in the book resort to blindfolding themselves every time they step outside and some even gouge their eyes out. I read this novel in one day and I'd do it again. The narrator's story kept me turning page after page. I'd recommend this novel to anyone who wants a little scare or a good classic horror, but without all the blood and guts.

Bridget's Pick

Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight

You could probably categorize this as a murder mystery, but really it's so much more. And just when you think you've got it all figured out...surprise, you don't! 

MAY TBR

Jamie's pick

A Sense of the Infinite by Hilary T. Smith
I loved Hilary T. Smith's debut Wild Awake so I'm really excited about this one and it seems to be about friendship so YAY!



Lori's Picks

East of Eden by John Steinbeck  I'm rereading this one soon.  I think I'll try to savor it over the course of a few relaxing days as opposed to locking myself up in my room to read it like I did the first time.  I can't wait to see what I learn this time around.

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell  I'm doing a summer-long reread of this novel with a group and I am really excited.  This has been my favorite novel for ages, but I haven't read it in quite a while.

Lauren's Pick

Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton

The real question is... who wouldn't want to read a novel about a kickass female assassin?

Bridget's Pick

Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson

Okay, okay, so I've technically already started this but I'm not that far into it, and I'm also not at home right now so I can't very easily glance over at my bookshelf to see what I've got on my plate. 

Kimberly's Pick

Firefight by Brandon Sanderson
This is a sequel, so I don't want to say too much about it for fear of spoilers. However, the world Sanderson created is as amazing as I've come to expect from him. The characters are fantastic and the action and lighter moments are so well balanced that I was hooked from the moment I opened it.