{Guest Review: Courtney} We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson

Page Count: 214

Published on: October 31, 1962

Published by: The Viking Press, Inc.

Genre(s): Gothic, Mystery, Classics

Source: Hardback from IUPUI

Where To Find It: Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: 5 Stars

Goodreads synopsis:

My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise, I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death-cup mushroom. Everyone else in my family is dead.

“Fate intervened. Some of us, that day, she led inexorably through the gates of death. Some of us, innocent and unsuspecting, took, unwillingly, that one last step to oblivion.”

Hello Lovely People! It Courtney and I am back with an overdue review for you guys ☺

During one of my latest literature classes,one of my favorite professors had the class read The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and I instantly fell in love with her writing style. If you have seen Netflix’s adaptation of Haunting of Hill House it was inspired by Jackson’s book under the same name. Gothic literature is one of my favorite genre’s and when you mix it in with a classic my heart explodes. I have fallen in love with Jackson so much she made my top five list of topics I want to explore in my senior capstone project next semester.

Most gothic novels rely on the supernatural to get the reader to be scared, this one, does not. The scariest part of this book is the unknown and the comments that come out of our main characters mouth. I think this is why the book works. In other similar books like The Turn of the Screw, the author relies heavily on supernatural events to scare the reader. (I know there is a debate whether the governess is seeing ghosts or mentally ill in this book but to keep it simple we are going to assume that there are ghosts). As a reader, I found myself being more scared of the main character than the thought of any supernatural beings and that was a first for me.

Jackson’s book takes the readers on an adventure as they slowly begin to find out the mystery that lies with the Blackwell family. The family is rich but is feared by the village nearby for something other than the money they have. This fear comes from the events that took place six years prior to when we meet the characters. One night at dinner, the family was slipped arsenic in their food. Only three of them were able to walk away from the event. Uncle Julien, who now confined to a wheelchair and remains mentally unstable and obsesses over the murders; and Constance, who uses cooking in order to deal with the event. Constance is also too afraid to leave her home due the assumption she was the one behind the poisoning. And finally, Mary Katherine, also known as Merricat. Merricat becomes the narrator of this story and she was the only one not present at dinner during this event. She is the only link the family has to the outside world. Twice a week she goes into the village collecting the items the family needs but beyond that, they live in isolation.

To survive, the sisters have created a strict routine that keeps them going each day. Essentially they are shut-ins until a family member from the outsides comes and threatens the safety the sisters have. The events that come from the ending, left one that pulled at my heartstrings. As a reader, the thought of someone murdering their family chills me to the core but the way the ending plays out made me feel sorry for the sisters. They essentially do not have a life beyond three rooms and it made me think.

The minute I finished this book I went to Amazon and purchased a copy for myself. I cannot explain it but this is a book I want to read over and over again. If you have the chance to read it I strongly suggest you do.

Courtney

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{Guest Review: Courtney} She's Not There by Joy Fielding

Page Count: 368 

Published On: February 23, 2016

Published By: Ballantine Books

Genre(s): Mystery, Thriller, Fiction

Source: University Library 

Age Rating: Adult fiction

Where To Find It: Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads Synopsis: 

A novel of psychological suspense about a woman whose life takes a shocking turn when a young girl contacts her, claiming to be her daughter, kidnapped in Mexico years earlier, from the New York Times bestselling author of Someone is Watching.

A lifetime ago, every year Caroline Shipley looked forward to her wedding anniversary. But then a celebratory trip to Mexico for the occasion with her husband and friends ended in the unsolved kidnapping of her infant daughter, Samantha. Now, fifteen years after that horrific time, divorced and isolated,Caroline is forced to relive the kidnapping by reporters who call every year on the anniversary of Samantha’s disappearance. However, this year when the phone rings, Caroline hears the sweet voice of a girl claiming to be her long-lost daughter. Plunged back into the world of heartbreak, suspicion and questions that led the case to run cold so many years ago, Caroline doesn’t know what or who to believe. But when she starts to figure it out, she finds the answers dangerously close to home.

~~~

      As this review begins, I want to start out by saying that I never would have picked up this book if it had not of been for my boss. The only reason this book came into my life was because my boss had become annoyed with me because I was sitting at the library circulation desk and just staring off into space. She instructed me to go find a book to keep myself occupied during a slow day at work. I got up, I grabbed the first book I saw and ended up really enjoying it. I usually read YA contemporaries, so this was definitely out of my comfort zone. In the end, I am so glad I did because Joy Fielding has become a new favorite author. I have another one of her books in my work locker to read in the near future.

     The book is filled with flashback scenes as well as scenes that are set in the present. The book starts fifteen years ago when our main character is happily married with two beautiful children. This all quickly changes when one of her children Samantha, is kidnapped from a resort on a family trip to Mexico. This book follows the events that unfold from Carole’s point of view in the years following. She becomes the victim of the media and eventually divorces her husband and becomes estranged from her other daughter Michelle.

      Out of the blew close to the fifteenth anniversary of her daughter's disappearance she gets a phone call from a young woman claiming that she believes she is Samantha and from there it takes us on the journey of finding out the truth. I won’t go into any more details to save you from the spoilers so you can take the journey I took. But I will say it is worth the read and I highly recommend it.

      She's Not There has striking similarities to the May 2007 disappearance of Madeline McCann. She was snatched from her bed in a resort in Praia da Luz, a resort in Portugal. Her abduction occurred while her parents were in a restaurant below her. The McCann case caused an uproar because of the circumstances revolving around the disappearance. Though this book is fiction and does not end like the case does in real life the similarities are definitely there but the story still stands on its own and is very intriguing. As someone who loves true crime novels and actually follows the types of cases in true crime fiction novels, I really enjoyed the plot and pace of this novel. It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

Thank you guys for reading! Courtney {Instagram}

{Other Reviews by Courtney}

{Guest Review: Courtney} Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

Page Count: 428

Published on: May 19th 2015

Published by: Greenwillow Books

Source: Purchased on a Half Price book adventure

Age Rating: TW sexual assault is briefly mentioned & domestic violence

Where to Find It: Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: 4.75 stars

Goodreads synopsis:  

Reality, it turns out, is often not what you perceive it to be—sometimes, there really is someone out to get you. Made You Up tells the story of Alex, a high school senior unable to tell the difference between real life and delusion. This is a compelling and provoking literary debut that will appeal to fans of Wes Anderson, Silver Linings Playbook and Liar.

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.

Funny, provoking, and ultimately moving, this debut novel featuring the quintessential unreliable narrator will have readers turning the pages and trying to figure out what is real and what is made up. 

~~~

"I didn't have the luxury of taking reality for granted. And I wouldn't say I hated people who did, because that's just about everyone. I didn't hate them. They didn't live in my world. 

But that never stopped me from wishing I lived in theirs."

      If you know me, you know that books that contain themes revolving around mental health hold a very special place in my heart. I believe, when written correctly, they are a window into the people who suffer from these illnesses every day. I believe it is a way for us to put ourselves in other people's shoes. With that being said, Made You Up has made its way to my top ten list of 2018. The book held me at its grasp and I was unable to put it down. The book takes you on a journey where you do not know what is real and what is not because of Alex's schizophrenia and paranoia. She may be the most unreliable narrator I've read. She is unable to trust herself; however, the way that the story unfolds held me captive until the very last page.

      Our main characters world is filled with hallucinations, people, and noises that may or may not be really there. She takes pictures of the world around her knowing that reality will be there for her later in her photographs. She does perimeter checks of all the places she goes and she checks her food for poison. 

      This story also includes a romantic route, but surprisingly, I still fell in love with it even though romances are typically not my thing. This was not your typical romance. Their weird relationship was so interesting to follow because of the way that they interacted and attempted to understand each other. Their relationship had me hooked until the very end. I think the reason the relationship and love story didn't throw me off was because it was not your typical insta-love situation that usually drives me up a wall.

      In the end, Alex is able to come to terms with her mental illness. She starts the book with schizophrenia and she ends the book with it. She is not cured but that's okay. Zappia didn't romanticise going off your meds either and making it seem like everything is a walk in the park as long as the character stays on them. Because its not. Zappia also did an amazing job of treating Alex like an actual human being. There have been to many books where authors take too much from their characters and make it seem that just because they are mentally ill they must be wrong or they must not be able to make their own decisions all the time. And as someone who has struggled with her own mental health issues, it was really refreshing to see her being treated like an actual human being and not dehumanized for circumstances that are out of her control. 

      The only reason this book did not get a complete five stars was because of the ending. There was so much build up and it fell flat leaving me wanting more. It is still an amazing book that I recommend checking out and it will be one that I re-read in the near future.

{Guest Review: Courtney} Mothers and Other Strangers by Gina Sorrel

Page Count: 318

Published on: May 2, 2017

Published by: Prospect Park Books

Genre(s): Fiction, Contemporary

Source: Gifted from Liv

Age Rating: TW: adult themes and topics

Where to Find it: Amazon // Goodreads // Book Depository

My Rating: 3 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

“My father proposed to my mother at gunpoint when she was nineteen, and knowing that she was already pregnant with a dead man’s child, she accepted."

Thus begins this riveting story of a woman's quest to understand her recently deceased mother, a glamorous, cruel narcissist who left her only child, Elsie, an inheritance of debts and mysteries. While coping with threats that she suspects are coming from the cult-like spiritual program her mother belonged to, Elsie works to unravel the message her dying mother left for her, a quest that ultimately takes her to the South African family homestead she never knew existed.

~~~

Trigger Warning: Contains themes revolving around sexual assault, suicide attempts, and eating disorders

~~~

What would you do if your parent was not the person you thought they were; and what would you do if you found out your life was based on a lie? After the death of her mother, Elsie goes on a journey to uncover the lies and secrets of her mother. She is given a box that holds pieces of her mother’s past. Within this box she finds her own death notice where she learns at one time her mother faked both of their deaths and left South Africa to escape hardship. Before her death, her mother had never mentioned the family they had left behind. After learning about the family that she was taken from, Elsie goes on a journey to discover the truth surrounding her mother and relives some of the most heartbreaking moments of her life.

I first came across the novel when Liv sent me a Snapchat of the synopsis. I knew instantly that I wanted to read it from the very first line of the synopsis. I’ve had it for a while, but I choose to put the book off for a while until after finals when I knew I’d have time at work to sit and the desk and read. I wanted to like this book, I really did but some of the themes throughout bothered me and they appeared with no real warning. My boss frowns upon crying while working and this book made the tears fall. Eliza is such a fragile, tormented soul and she had my heart breaking throughout the novel. Her mother on the other hand, made me rage and made me want to scream out loud. Her mother was very problematic and choose to only make herself happy and pretended that her daughter was not there. Her mother’s married boyfriend who she “spiritually” marries in this “group” she was a part of almost made me want to slam my head against a wall. In the end, she does leave him when he admits to doing immoral and terrible things, but by that time, it is too late and she is on her death bed.

I do, however feel that the first line from the blurb “My father proposed to my mother at gunpoint when she was nineteen, and knowing that she was already pregnant with a dead man’s child, she accepted." was very misleading. This alone made me want to read it and it was not the thriller mystery I thought it was. It’s more of a "finding yourself" novel where she is growing up and and learning about her past and coming to terms with it. Not that this is a bad thing, but it did mislead me and my expectations of this book were very different from what the book actually was. It was still a decent book, but in my personal opinion, I would never read it again. The beginning was very promising but the ending and conclusion was very dull and left me wanting more.

Thank you guys for reading!

Courtney

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{Guest Review: Courtney} My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman

Page Count: 370

Published on: June 16, 2015

Published by: Washington Square Press

Genre(s): Fiction, Fantasy, Contemporary

Source: Paperback- bought

Age Rating: YA

Where to Find: Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: 4.75 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

Elsa is seven years old and different. Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy, standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-men-who-want-to-talk-about-Jesus-crazy. She is also Elsa's best, and only, friend. At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother's stories, in the Land of Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal.

When Elsa's grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, Elsa's greatest adventure begins. Her grandmother's letters lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and totally ordinary old crones, but also to the truth about fairytales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other.

 ~~~

Hello Livthebooknerd readers!

It’s Courtney, back with a review of Fredrik Backman’s My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell you She’s Sorry. Last month (April), Liv, Mallory and I traveled to Indianapolis and visited three book stores where I gladly spent my paycheck on some books right before our finals began. Liv managed to talked me into purchasing this book at one of the three Half Priced Books stores we visited. I’m not going to lie, I was afraid to read this at first because I was extremely close with my grandmother who passed away last summer but I am so glad I did.

I related to Elsa so much in this book. Growing up I did not have many friends, I was the brunt of unwanted teasing in school, and I was an outsider.  Likewise, I was also very close to my grandmother like Elsa, and I consider my grandmother to be my superhero. Elsa’s grandmother was described as eccentric, nutty and very independent. My grandma was very independent but unlike Elsa’s grandmother she was not shooting paint balls at people from her balcony. Her grandmother may seem out there from the surface but when you get to know her you discover so much more. Granny loves Elsa with all her heart and would do literally anything for her. Granny is able to show Elsa what it means to love others, and to be loved, and gives her the gift of friendship.

This book takes place in two worlds, our world and the world of Miramas. Miramas is where Elsa and her grandmother go to quite often throughout the novel. Miramas is located in the Land of Almost Awake and it becomes a very complex kingdom that, I admit, had a hard time following at times. Granny and Elsa live in an apartment complex together shared by an array of characters. In the beginning I thought I knew who the characters were, but by the end you realize there is more than meets the eye. The book teaches you not to judge a person by who they may seem to be if you do not take the time to get to know them first. Backman is able to link their stories together is such a fantastic way and we soon realize there is more than meets the eye and their stories will break you. Their stories make the fairy tale part of this book so much easier to understand.

Elsa’s granny does unfortunately die in the beginning of the book and Elsa is forced to take on the world without her superhero by her side and we follow her on her journey through grief. This book would have been perfect to read last summer after losing my grandmother as I was able to relate to what Elsa was feeling because my grandmother was also my superhero. This book helped me remember memories with my grandmother and at times it had me crying my eyes out at work and other times it had me smiling from ear to ear.

Fairytales are not just for children like we think they are, anyone at any age would enjoy this book and it is one I am so glad I decided to read.

Thank you guys for reading! Courtney {Instagram}

{Other Reviews by Courtney}

{Review by Courtney} Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

Page Count: 323 Published on: 2014

Published by: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux Genre(s): YA, Coming-of-Age, Romance, Realistic, Contemporary, Death, Family Source: Print: Paperback Age Rating: P-13; R TRIGGER WARNING, Sexual Abuse, Family Violence, Drug and Alcohol Abuse

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

My Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

It begins as an assignment for English class: Write a letter to a dead person.

Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because her sister, May, loved him. And he died young, just like May. Soon, Laurel has a notebook full of letters to the dead—to people like Janis Joplin, Heath Ledger, Amelia Earhart, and Amy Winehouse—though she never gives a single one of them to her teacher. She writes about starting high school, navigating the choppy waters of new friendships, learning to live with her splintering family, falling in love for the first time, and, most important, trying to grieve for May. But how do you mourn for someone you haven't forgiven?

It's not until Laurel has written the truth about what happened to herself that she can finally accept what happened to May. And only when Laurel has begun to see her sister as the person she was—lovely and amazing and deeply flawed—can she truly start to discover her own path.

In a voice that's as lyrical and as true as a favorite song, Ava Dellaira writes about one girl's journey through life's challenges with a haunting and often heartbreaking beauty.

~~~

Hey guys!

It is Courtney and I am and I'm back with a review of Love letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaria

I've been in a really bad reading slump the last month or so. I have also walked passed Love Letters to the dead for months on the shelf and never decided to pick it up. Everything changed about a week ago. Recently one of our beloved school recourse Deputy Carl Koontz was killed while executing a warrant. His death has impacted our hole community and it changed a lot of things around our small town. I was close to him and spent many hours with him talking about things in my life that were bugging me. Things that I couldn't tell most. When i walked into Barnes and Noble one Friday night I walked up to Love Letters and for some reason I knew I needed to take it home. I'm so glad I took it home too. This book is now on my top 10 list of all time books. This book inspired me to write my own love letters to Deputy Koontz and it has given me a part of my life back. I know giving part of my life back sounds weird but it is true. I no longer dwell on what I can't tell Deputy Koontz and now I just write to him every night before bed. Life is starting to feel normal again- something I never thought I'd be able to say.

To start off I do want to warn you that this books is HEAVY. There is sexual abuse, family abuse, suicide, and drugs and alcohol involved with this book. This book will weigh heavy on your heart. I knew none of this going into this book and it caught me off guard. So here's a friendly warning of what I'm about to talk about.

Characters:

Sky: Laurels love interest who also happened to know May. Sky and Laurel go through some very rocky relationship issues. The romance between them may not be the main focus but it adds to the book. Sky is very mysterious and no one really knows much about him and I think this is what drives Laurel close to him. She wants open up. He teaches Laurel how to do this. He is always there to rescue her too when she needs it.

Natalie and Hannah: Natalie and Hannah are Laurels to best friends who end up being a couple in the end. Hannah doesn't want to accept her feelings so she sleeps around with men. Her brother is a big reason she won't come out. He is abusive towards her and eventually she moves out from her grandparents house. In the end they get their happily ever after.

Laurel: our main character and my favorite character. She is asked to write a letter to a dead person for an English assignment and it turns into her coping mechanism. She was with her sister May the night she died. She blames herself for her sisters death. This is weighing on her. It's eating her up inside.In the beginning we don't really know much about Laurel and in the end her story hits us like a ton of bricks. Her character has helped me grow as a person and there will always be a special place in my heart for her.

May: Laurels sister who recently die. Laurel has always looked up to her sister. May was always told that she was the reason who parents stayed together. So when her parents divorced she felt responsible. We never really get a true answer as to how she died, did she jump? Or did the wind blow her off the bridge. I think it's left up for the reader to decide. I personally think she jumped. She had always been told she was brought her parents together and they are separated. She always wanted to protect her sister and she just found out her boys friends best friend was sexually abusing her. She was drunk, she walked on the handrail over the bridge. It was windy. It is left up to us to decide if she jumped or if the wind and her drunkenness lead to her death.

Laurels mom: Her mother leaves her and runs to California to follow her dreams. She essentially abandoned her child a very hard time in their lives. I understand we all grieve differently but I don't understand how you can walk away from your own kid. Because of all this Laurel has a lot of contempt for her mom and to be honest I can't blame her. In the end they work it out. They reconnect and they tell each other how they feel.

Laurels Dad: from the beginning of the book we can tell that her dad is depressed and an absent parent. He is struggling to deal with his others daughters death. The only time we really see him happy is when Laurel brings other people into the house.

Aunt Amy: Laurels moms sister. Laurel spends her time living with her aunt and dad. Aunt Amy is a strong believer in God and she is in love with a man Laurel calls "Jesus" Man. This man in the end turns out to be after Aunt Amy's money.

Likes and Dislikes:

Dislikes: There were no chapters. This made me want to keep reading and I never knew when to stop.

Liked: Even if you had no clue who Kurt Cobain was (if you don't you're missing out on something) or any of the others she writes to you could still follow the story. She incorporates her story in with theirs and she gives the readers a back story of these famous people. You will soon realize she writes to each person for different reasons

There is a playlist in the back of the book (or at least my copy) and I highly suggest listening to it while reading this. It will not disappoint.

smile emoticon

There is a place on her website where you can write your own letter to a dead person and read others.

Before I go I want to address the whole "this book is coping The Perks of being a Wallflower" I've seen a few times. While there are similarities in these two books they are COMPLETELY two different books. I can see why some people think they are alike because they do deal with some of the same subjects they are told very different ways. If you hated PERKS I'd pick this book up. If you loved PERKS I'd pick this book up.

Other Reviews by Courtney:

• My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
• The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Thank you guys for reading this review

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Until we meet again,

Courtney

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I hope you all enjoyed this review! I plan on reviewing this book too, because I read it right after Courtney, so keep an eye out for that too!

Happy Reading!
Olivia
~livthebooknerd~

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