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Bookish Talk, Life

Sunday Matters: A Lot of the Same

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Sunday Matters

These regular posts are really the only reason I know what day it is. Everything blurs together during the week. When I try to pick out something different or something news worthy to discuss, I end up with very little. The pup and I stare at each other, a lot. Reading has been very good. The days are long though. I often can’t wait for The Hub to get home just so we can take a drive or eat. It’s become very routine. No young people bursting into a room with the events of the day. Still adjusting.

Right Now:

Coffee, some toast and then student ministry. When I get home, The Hub will probably be watching sports so I will crash on the couch with my current read.

This Week:

I am taking Friday off this week. I needed to use up some vacation days and some retired colleagues are coming in from Idaho so we are meeting in the valley for lunch. Later that same day, I have a Ladies Night for student ministry which should be fun.

Other than that, not much. Still working from home. I am thinking about moving my work setup to another location. I am sick of this view.

Reading:

I reviewed My Heart is a Chainsaw. I didn’t love it but I think true fans of classic slasher films might really enjoy it.

I also finished Piranesi. Oh my word. Get that book. It’s so different. I loved it and now I want to own a nice, physical copy. My review of it should be up this week.

My current read is Taste by Stanley Tucci. I love him. I love his show too but man, his cooking makes me very hungry.

Watching:

American Horror Story: Part 2. All about Aliens and the conspiracy theories surrounding them. A little bit of a stretch but entertaining as heck.

Squid Game. Starting this one this weekend. I’ve heard it’s super gruesome and yet, everyone is watching it on Netflix.

Our horror movie watching has started with the classic Halloween. The new one that is coming out this month has ZERO appeal to me. Give me the classic anytime.

Grateful for:

  • My Bible reading has been pretty good these past few weeks. I am doing a study on the book of Revelation. It’s the first time I am reading that book and not seeing the “end times”, it’s more a plan for the future. Interesting.
  • Early bed time. With my knee all jacked up, I’ve been heading to bed early. I do read for a bit but then I am out. It’s been lights out by 9pm on most nights. Unheard of!

I still haven’t satisfied my vegetarian chili/cornbread craving. I need to make that happen this week. Have a wonderful Sunday and week!

Book Review

Review: My Heart Is A Chainsaw

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My Heart is a Chainsaw

My Heart is a Chainsaw
By Stephen Graham Jones
Gallery / Saga Press, 9781982137632, August 2021, 416pp.

The Short of It:

Dark. An homage to slasher films of the 80s.

The Rest of It:

Jade Daniels is an angry young woman living in the small town of Proofrock. Forced to live with her abusive father, she takes comfort in the form of slasher films, especially ones where the killer deals out revenge for something, think Jason from Friday the 13th. Her knowledge of such films is extensive. So much so that it spills into her schoolwork. As the story unfolds, some of it is told through the term paper she is about to submit. Slasher 101.

Something is amiss in Proofrock though. Two young people were ripped to shreds by something while out on the lake. The town calls it a bear attack. Jade sees it for what it is, the beginning of all slasher films and immediately acts to find the killer.

This was a very strange read. It reminded me a lot of American Horror Story: 1984, which brought up the concept of “the final girl”. You know the girl. The one that lives at the end of the killing spree. Jade pieces things together but in doing so, has to also find the final girl. It can’t be her. She is not final girl material. When she finds her, the action quickly ramps up and it’s hard to keep track of who is alive and who is dead. It’s a crazy ride.

I’m not sure this book is for everyone. Yes, horror fans will enjoy it to a degree but it’s very surreal in the telling. By the end of the book, I was fully into the characters but also felt like I had been taken for a wild ride. It is very different. I anxiously waited for this book to come in for the RIP Challenge but although it totally fits the challenge, it wasn’t the atmospheric read I was hoping for.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.