First off, let me say that I don’t think video games have to be analyzed deeply by everyone who plays them. They can be purely entertainment, and that’s perfectly okay. However, as is my nature, I often use the media I consume—whether it’s books, movies, or games—for self-reflection. I didn’t grow up with video games, and Silent Hill 2 is actually my very first playthrough of any game in the series. That gave me a raw, unfiltered experience of ...
Book Book Review: Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline | Characters Flat as a Pancake
*Orphan Train* by Christina Baker Kline seemed like the perfect read-along to tackle with the bestie. For those of you who’ve known me for many moons, y’all probably remember the shenanigans Fizzy and I got into over on the now-retired blog, *A Simply Enchanted Life*. I got divorced. She got older. I got chonkier. Life happened. So some of y’all might not know the bestie. Let me fix that: her name is Fizzy. She writes over at ...
Book Review: Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain | Eugenics and the Cost of “Doing What’s Best”
Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain is a historical fiction novel set in North Carolina in the 1960s. It’s not a feel-good story, and it’s not exactly a feel-bad story either (hey, don’t laugh at me—words are hard), but it’s a little bit of both. The 1960s were a challenging time for women in general. Married women had to get permission from their husbands to be prescribed the newly available birth control pill, effectively placing their ...
Book Review: Satan’s Harvest by Robert David Chase | Victim Blaming in Paranormal Narratives
Satan’s Harvest is book #6 in the Ed and Lorraine Warren series, and the fourth one I’ve read. I’ve had some trouble tracking down a couple of the earlier titles (yes, I am glaring directly at my library for this), but honestly—that frustration pales in comparison to the reaction this book inspired. I’m just going to say it outright: writing this review may very well be the literary equivalent of setting fire to any chance of being accepted as ...
Book Review: Werewolf by Robert David Chase | Jacob Black Not Included
Werewolf by Robert David Chase is the fifth installment in the Ed and Lorraine Warren series. It’s the third book I’ve read so far, and honestly? At this point, every story involving them somehow circles back to extremely mentally ill people being turned into paranormal spectacles. Werewolf is no different. While it’s credited to the Warrens, the Ramseys, and coauthor Robert David Chase, no matter how many people were involved, the narrative ...
