Review: The Want-Ad Killer by Ann Rule

Cover Source: GoodReads

Title: The Want-Ad Killer
Author: Ann Rule
Narrator: Paul Boehmer
Version Reviewed: Finished Audiobook
Website: www.annrules.com

I borrowed this audiobook from my local library.

GoodReads Synopsis:

After his first grisly crime, Harvey Louis Carignan beat a death sentence and continued to manipulate, rape, and bludgeon women to death-using want ads to lure his young female victims. And time after time, justice was thwarted by a killer whose twisted legal genius was matched only by his sick savagery. Here, complete with the testimony of women who suffered his unspeakable sexual abuses and barely escaped with their lives, and of the police who at last put him behind bars, is one of the most shattering and thought-provoking true-crime stories of our time.

Review:
For as long as I can remember, I've had a fascination with reading and watching documentaries about serial killers and true crime stories. It's always been interesting to me, the minds of the people that can commit such unspeakable acts of violence, and also serves as a reminder to me that there are people to be wary of in every day life.

When this book popped up for my library's True Crime Tuesday, I knew I had to listen to it.  I had never previously heard of Harvey Louis Carignan or the "Want-Ad Killer" so I was curious about who he was and what he had done. It's safe to say that he was one messed up dude.

The crimes that he commited were unbelievable and the man himself was ridiculously disgusting and vile. He would literally marry women that had teenage daughters because he was into teen girls. How freaking terrible is that?

Although his story was interesting, it makes me sad to know that there are people out there that commit such heinous crimes and I feel so bad for all the poor women that he violated, murdered, and ruined.

Rating: 3 Stars.

Review: Dracula by Bram Stoker

Cover Source: GoodReads

Title: Dracula
Author: Bram Stoker
Narrator: L.A. Theatre Works
Version Reviewed: Finished, Audiobook
Website: www.bramstoker.org

I borrowed this audiobook from my local library.

GoodReads Synopsis:

Before Twilight and True Blood, only one vampire commanded "the children of the night." In this blood-thirsty tale of unholy terror, Count Dracula slips into Victorian London with a cargo of his native Transylvanian soil - so he can rest between victims. The city seems helpless against his frightful power, and only one man, Dr. Van Helsing, can stop the carnage. But to do this, he must uncover the vampire's lair and pierce his heart with a wooden stake. A L.A. Theatre Works full cast performance with: Denise Carole, Sheelagh Cullen, John Glover, Karl Miller, Lisa O'Hare, Moira Quirk, David Selby, Andre Sogliuzzo, Simon Templeman, Nick Toren and Matthew Wolf.

Review:
Dracula is one of those books that I've wanted to read for years. Unfortunately, I often aspire to read many classics but, in the end, find myself bored by them. That is what happened when I sat down anda attempted to read my hardback copy of Dracula. I tried many times to get into the story but just couldn't do it.

When the L.A. Theatre Works's version popped up in my local library's weekly feature, I thought 'why not give it a try?'. And so I did. Listening to a full cast put on the theatrical version of this story definitely made for a fun and interesting read. Though I'm still not a huge fan of Stoker's original story, listening to this version, though abridged, was a lot nicer for me.

Rating: 3 Stars

Review: The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

Cover Soure: GoodReads

Title: The Rules of Magic
Author: Alice Hoffman
Narrator: Marin Ireland
Series: Practical Magic #1
Version Reviewed: Finished Audiobook, ARC eBook
Website: www.alicfehoffman.com

I borrowed the audiobook from my local library and received the ARC from the publishers in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.

GoodReads Synopsis:

Find your magic
For the Owens family, love is a curse that began in 1620, when Maria Owens was charged with witchery for loving the wrong man.
Hundreds of years later, in New York City at the cusp of the sixties, when the whole world is about to change, Susanna Owens knows that her three children are dangerously unique. Difficult Franny, with skin as pale as milk and blood red hair, shy and beautiful Jet, who can read other people’s thoughts, and charismatic Vincent, who began looking for trouble on the day he could walk.
From the start Susanna sets down rules for her children: No walking in the moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles, no books about magic. And most importantly, never, ever, fall in love. But when her children visit their Aunt Isabelle, in the small Massachusetts town where the Owens family has been blamed for everything that has ever gone wrong, they uncover family secrets and begin to understand the truth of who they are. Back in New York City each begins a risky journey as they try to escape the family curse.
The Owens children cannot escape love even if they try, just as they cannot escape the pains of the human heart. The two beautiful sisters will grow up to be the revered, and sometimes feared, aunts in Practical Magic, while Vincent, their beloved brother, will leave an unexpected legacy.

Review:
After reading Practical Magic, I found myself a little disappointed. It wasn't as great as I had expected and left me a little nervous about reading The Rules of Magic. This book did have one thing to rival Practical Magic. For the previous book, I had seen the movie and loved it for years. With this one, I had nothing to compare it to. So I went into this book unsure of how I was going to feel about it but excited all the same to learn more about the aunts.

I am so insanely happy that I gave The Rules of Magic a try. In my opinion it was sooo much better than Practical Magic. All the arcs of the story had climaxes and all of the calmer moments were balanced by moments of action and conflict.  The characters were great in their different personalities and it was great to learn about each individual and how their lives were affected by love, magic, family, and the Owen Curse.

I definitely enjoyed learning more about Maria Owens and the family's history. I loved how Hoffman used the real Salem Witch Trials and the real people involved and twisted them into her story. The Scarlet Letter is one of my favorite classics and I really enjoyed the addition of Nathaniel Hawthorne as a distant relative of Jet, Franny, and Vincent.

This book was absolutely amazing. It's crazy to me how much content Hoffman can pour into one book. I honestly think the contents of each book could easily be spread out into a long series, but works in their current form.

Whether you have or haven't read Practical Magic, enjoyed or didn't enjoy it, I highly recommend you read The Rules of Magic! It's an amazing story all on it's own.

Rating: 4 Stars

Review: Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

Cover Source: GoodReads

Title: Practical Magic
Author: Alice Hoffman
Series: Practical Magic #2
Narrator: Cherry Jones
Version Reviewed: Finished AudioBook
Website: www.alicehoffman.com

I borrowed this book from my local library.

GoodReads Synopsis:

The bestselling author of Second Nature, Illumination Night and Turtle Moon now offers her most fascinating and tantalizingly accomplished novel yet -- a winning tale that amply confirms Alice Hoffman's reputation not only as a genius of the vivid scene and unforgettable character but as one of America's most captivating storytellers.
When the beautiful and precocious sisters Sally and Gillian Owens are orphaned at a young age, they are taken to a small Massachusetts town to be raised by their eccentric aunts, who happen to dwell in the darkest, eeriest house in town. As they become more aware of their aunts' mysterious and sometimes frightening powers -- and as their own powers begin to surface -- the sisters grow determined to escape their strange upbringing by blending into "normal" society.
But both find that they cannot elude their magic-filled past. And when trouble strikes -- in the form of a menacing backyard ghost -- the sisters must not only reunite three generations of Owens women but embrace their magic as a gift -- and their key to a future of love and passion. Funny, haunting, and shamelessly romantic, Practical Magic is bewitching entertainment -- Alice Hoffman at her spectacular best.

Review:
I watched Practical Magic for the first time when I was a very young child. I grew up on horror movies and mainly had nightmares when I watched kids programming so watching Practical Magic as a young kid wasn't a big deal. I've always been Halloween obsessed (it's also my birthday!) and a lover of all things spooky so I found myself going back to the movie tons of times and, especially, each year around the spooky season. To be honest, until the release of The Rule of Magic, even as a book lover, I had no idea that Practical Magic was a book. I knew that I had to read it this year and I was so excited to dig in!  With all that being said, I found myself... disappointed.

Practical Magic was a good book but after being obsessed with the movie for so long, I honestly felt the book to be a bit lacking. Normally I'm a hardcore book-over-movie person but I really do feel like the movie is better than the book in this case. The story basics were still the same but it just seemed like the book was a little lackluster. I enjoyed the characters and the setting deeply but it just felt like there was a lot of build up and never any peaks. Like you were riding a rollercoaster and slowly felt yourself climbing the highest hill only to stop at the top and never go over the edge.

There just wasn't that much excitement for me. I will continue to watch the movie each year and be okay with my love for the cinematic version. I will be diving into The Rules of Magic soon so, even though my hopes aren't as high as they were before, I can't wait to dig in.

Rating: 3 Stars.

Review: The Scarecrow Walks At Midnight by R.L. Stine

Cover Source: GoodReads

Title: The Scarecrow Walks At Midnight
Author: R.L. Stine
Series: Goosebumps #20
Version Reviewed: Finished Audiobook
Narrator: Lexy Fridell
Website: www.rlstine.com

I own the paperback copy of this book but borrowed the audiobook from my local library.

GoodReads Synopsis:

Jodie loves visiting her grandparents' farm. Okay, so it's not the most exciting place in the world. Still, Grandpa tells great scary stories. And Grandma's chocolate chip cookies are the best.
But this summer the farm has really changed. The cornfields are sparse. Grandma and Grandpa seem worn out. And the single scarecrow has been replaced by twelve evil-looking ones.
Then one night Jodie sees something really odd. The scarecrows seem to be moving. Twitching on their stakes. Coming alive . . .

Review:
Each October I try to put a dent in my collection of R.L. Stine books. They're short and easy to read so I figured why not dive into them during the spooky season? I realized while going through the titles that this was one that I never read when I was younger but one that I've heard a lot about.  So, in starting my October reads, I wanted this to be the first one I sank my teeth into.

For starters, I'd never listened to an R.L. Stine audio book before and I have to say that this narrators voice was pretty darn silly and kind of distracting as an adult. It probably works for children, but as adult, it was a bit ridiculous.

The story itself though was great. It had the makings of a true great horror story, a little reminiscent of Children of The Corn and Jeepers Creepers if they were made for children. As a true horror fan, I was impressed with this story. Some of these books are super silly and this one had it's moments, but it was a really great little read.

Rating: 3 stars

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