Books

 
Let a book take you far, far beyond...

As a previous university literature major, there's no doubting that I love reading, right? I love it nearly as much as I love writing. In this section, you'll find my favorite books.

What am I Currently Reading?...

**REMEMBER TO SCROLL DOWN FOR NEW BOOK REVIEWS!**

Note: I only review books I like.  Just because I am reading a book doesn't mean I'll write a review if I didn't enjoy reading it.

Let The Right One In

Being my favorite movie, I thought I'd check out the book. To be honest, I liked the book very much, but I found it a bit too "heavy" in certain parts. However, reading this book helped me better to piece things together in the film that I had a few questions about. For example, I got to see how Eli was turned into a vampire and there was background information given on his family as well.

What I found so clever about this book is the way that Lundqvist wrote from different character's prospectives. It was interesting to see how this one little vampire affected and tore apart so many lives in the city where he lived. All in all, this was a great book, but be prepared to read a lot of very disturbing and/or gross things. I would not recommend this book to anyone with a weak stomach. ^^

Harry Potter

OK, so with all the hype surrounding Harry Potter and the fame of the series and it's writer, I decide that I needed to experience it all for myself. I purchased the Harry Potter box set from Amazon for $50 and began reading endlessly (7 months). I can honestly say that I really enjoyed the books, not all were my favorite, though, but the imagination of JK Rowling is so HUGE, it's almost SCARY! She has created a whole world of magic and overwhelming weirdness that I felt trapped in myself! I mean, who would even think of something as far fetched as moving pictures, flying hippogriffs, horcruxes, hallows, dementors, merpeople and so, so much more!

The first two books of the series, I would say, were for children, but as Harry progresses in age, the books become more mature and more, in my opinion, "serious," which I think is a great move on the writer's end because it allows the audience to grow with Harry. I would say that out of all 7 books, "The Prisoner of Azakaban," "The Half-Blood Prince," and "The Deathly Hallows," were my favorite three. Granted, the others were good, but I found that "The Goblet of Fire" and "The Order of the Phoenix" had a lot of unnecessary rambling-ons that could have been summed up in half the number of pages that Rowling filled up. I found myself losing my concentration and bored while reading those two. Don't get me wrong, the two books are significant in the series, but they were by far too long and uninteresting at points.

At the end of the day, however, I can honestly say that I am proud of myself for having read and purchased all seven of what the world considers to be one of the most intriguing modern series! I have enjoyed them all, and I will definitely reread some of the books in the future. I will save my collection for my children, in hope that they find the Magical World of Harry Potter as interestingly fascinating as I have! :) I won't give away the "message" of the series, but I think it was one that any child or adult should take to heart!

Love,

Torri :)

Favorite Books

Rebecca is a novel of mystery and passion, a dark psychological tale of secrets and betrayal, dead loves and an estate called Manderley that is as much a presence as the humans who inhabit it: "when the leaves rustle, they sound very much like the stealthy movement of a woman in evening dress, and when they shiver suddenly and fall, and scatter away along the ground, they might be the pitter, patter of a woman's hurrying footsteps, and the mark in the gravel the imprint of a high-heeled satin shoe." Manderley is filled with memories of the elegant and flamboyant Rebecca, the first Mrs. DeWinter; with the obsessive love of her housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, who observes the young, timid second Mrs. DeWinter with sullen hostility; and with the oppressive silences of a secretive husband, Maxim. Rebecca may be physically dead, but she is a force to contend with, and the housekeeper's evil matches that of her former mistress as a purveyor of the emotional horror thrust on the innocent Mrs. DeWinter.
Review by Vicki Williams

Echoes from the Macabre is another favorite book of mine written by Daphne Du Maurier. In this book, you'll find a collection of creepy, unsettling stories that may keep you up at night. ;) I'm sure everyone is familiar with "The Birds," which was made into a film by Alfred Hitchcock. My favorite stories in this book are: "The Apple Tree," "The Old Man,""Don't Look Now" (also a movie), and "The Blue Lenses."

I wrote my final paper in one of my classes on Jubilee because I LOVE it!It is a masterpiece! The book is the tale of a girl named Vyry who is a biracial slave growing up on a plantation in south Georgia. The setting is the Civil War south and the author, Margret Walker, describes in vivid detail, the horrible things that slaves had to endure. Vyry experiences harsh treatment throughout her life just because she is half black and considered by whites to be nothing at all. Though Vyry goes through challenging trials and tribulations, she never loses her pride nor the hope of one day being free.

The Mist in the Mirror, written by Susan Hill, is a ghost story reminiscent in plot and style to nineteenth-century English fiction. James Monmouth returns to England from several years travelling abroad, he is looking for a sense of who he is and a place he can call home. But the pull of the past and the strangeness of the present draw him into a terrifying mystery of a ghost and of horror.

*Check out my other favorite ghost story by Susan Hill, Woman in Black, in GHOST section of my blog.

Mark Twain is definitely my second favorite author, after of course, Du Maurier. In Puddn'head Wilson, Roxana, a light-skinned mixed-race slave, switches her baby with her white owner's baby. Her natural son, Tom Driscoll, grows up in a privileged household to become a criminal who finances his gambling debts by selling her to a slave trader and who later murders his putative uncle. Meanwhile, Roxy raises Valet de Chambre as a slave. David ("Pudd'nhead") Wilson, an eccentric lawyer, determines the true identities of Tom and Valet. As a result Roxy is exposed, Wilson is elected mayor, Tom is sold into slavery, and Valet, unfitted for his newly won freedom, becomes an illiterate, uncouth landholder.


This Victorian novel, Lady Audley's Secret, follows Robert Audley through his detective-like work in trying to uncover what happened to his friend George Talboys, and who his uncle's wife, Lucy Audley, really is. During his search, Robert has to deal with lies, deceit, and even an attempt to kill him. Although the novel's content of bigamy and attempted murder was considered fairly immoral at the time of publication, it was extremely successful. This novel is one of mystery and suspense; I'm still surprise that such a novel was written so long ago. I guess that goes to show how extraordinary Mary Elizabetha Braddon was as a writer, and how beyond her times she was.

OK. Everyone always thinks I'm completely mad when I say that Frankenstein is one of my favorite novels! :) To those people, I only say that they don't know what they are missing. This book is full of suspense and excitement! When I first started reading it, I was thinking that it would be some stupid/fake novel about a monster-like man, but I was wrong! I couldn't put this book down, and ended up reading it in 2 days! I think our perception of Frankenstein has been distort, as the media portrays it as a book about a slimy green monster all sutured up in threads. It's NOTHING like that at all. Frankenstein isn't even the name of the monster!
The plot of Frankenstein is one that is very captivating and moving (I was near tears at the end), and if you're looking for an adventurous novel, I advise you to check out this one ASAP!

Comes the Blind Fury was one of the first books that I ever read by Saul. It is a classic ghost story that kept me reading each page, even though I was terrified of what the next one might hold...

A century ago, a gentle blind girl walked the cliffs of Paradise Point. Then the children came - taunting, teasing - until she lost her footing and fell, shrieking her rage to the drowning sea... Now Michelle has come from Boston to live in the big house on Paradise Point. She is excited about her new life, ready to make new friends...until a hand reaches out of the swirling mists - the hand of a blind child. She is asking for friendship...seeking revenge...whispering her name

The Unloved is another one of my favorite books by Saul.

On a lush island off the South Carolina coast stands the Devereaux mansion, a once-great plantation house now crumbling. Here, Marguerite Devereaux has cast off her dreams to care for her aged, demanding mother. Now, for the first time in twenty years, Kevin Devereaux has returned home to visit his mother - hated, frightening Mother. Suddenly, horribly, Mother dies inside the locked nursery. All the secrets of this once-proud southern family emerge like tortured spirits from the sinister past to wrap their evil around the unsuspecting children.

The Heretic's Daughter is a novel by Kathleen Kent that tells the story of the Salem, MA witch trials. Sarah Carrier and her family are falsely accused of practicing witchcraft, publically shamed, and thrown into Salem jail. The story tells of the harsh treatment received by those who were wrongly convicted. It's a very heart-rendering story about the strength of one family who struggles for freedom in a time when those who stood up for their rights and freedoms were scorned by religious tyrants. I give this book an A+ for the story, the historic account, and the excellent writing by Kathleen Kent.

The Graveyard Book is an excellent read. My sister told me that one of her students was reading this book and that he said it was good. I decided to read it, not expecting much out of it, but I was pleasantly surprised after a few chapters. Neil Gaiman, author of Coraline is an excellent writer!

When he was a baby, Bod's family was murdered by Jack. Fortunately, Bod escapes murder and hides in the graveyard where he is taken in by ghosts who raise him as their own son. This book sounds silly, but it's full of suspense and imagination. Gaiman does an excellent job in bringing the characters alive. The book is worth a read and I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I did! I can't wait until the movie. :)

More favorites...

I got this book at a book sale at Garden Ridge for $1.00. I wasn't really expecting it to be anything big, just something to kill time whenever I was bored at work or when I wanted to read before I went to sleep. Anyway, I was highly impressed with the story! The story is one of magic, adventure, and good vs. evil. I really enjoyed reading this book and it has become one of my favorite books! If you're looking for a good book to read for action and adventure, I suggest you pick up a copy of Puddlejumpers today!

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Witches, witches and more witches! This historical account tells the story of the first witch trials, not in New England, but in Pendle Forest in Northern England. Mother Demdike, a village medicine woman, and her family are all accused of witchcraft because they practice the traditions and rituals of long ago. When villagers mysteriously began to die, Mother Demdike and her family are faulted and labelled witches. This is a great read, I couldn't put it down and read the entire thing in 2 days! Sharratt writes well and coherently, creating an atmospheric feel - Pendle Forrest and the characters come to life.

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After reading the positive reviews of this book on Amazon, I thought I'd read it. I really liked this book because it was an easy read. It deals with the psychological & social disorders of two sisters who are shunned by their neighbors, who hold the eldest sister responsible for the death of nearly everyone in her family, despite the fact that there is evidence to prove her guilty. Because she is ridiculed, the eldest sister, who seems to be suffering from aragrophobia, is afraid to venture outside the house. She depends on her younger sister, who is mentally retarded, but has keen common sense; and is very deceptive. The story is told cleverly from the mentally retarded sister's point-of-view so it can be a bit distorted, which gives this book its mystery and suspense - it works. Towards the end of the book, you almost feel sorry for the two sisters, as their mental states hinder them and leave them literally captived in both mental and physical "shells" that they cannot overcome. This book is a great read for those of you who may be into psychology or studying it! :)

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NEW!

What can I say other than Daphne Du Maurier does it again.  I was sucked in at once to this atomospheric novel by the rich description that Du Maurier gives that literally paints a mental picture of the setting and the characters.

Young Philip Ashley's uncle Ambrose is all he has in the world, which is why he is heartbroken when he learns that his uncle has succumbed to death during his stay in Italy with his new Italian wife, Rachel, who soon comes to England to live at her deceased husband's estate.  At first Philip is not at all happy with the idea of having his "cousin" Rachel at his and Ambrose's house, but soon, Philip falls for Rachel's charm and is sucked in, and things take a turn for the worst now that the estate becomes fully run by her, but Philip is much too blinded by love and infactuation to see it all.

All in all, this is a nice, exciting read.  The book is a mystery because what you think will happen in the end doesn't happen at all.  I also found myself totally upset with the main character's naivety and weak mindedness when Rachel comes into the picture.  I often cursed him and said to myself that he deserved EVERYTHING he got!  Hahaha  This book is definitely worth a read.  Another great book by my favorite author, Daphne DuMauier.