Ybarra Bookstacks: 2019

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Carrie White can "Shine"

***** I feel like I shouldn't have to say this for such an old book but I will anyway. There are spoilers*****

I don't know why it took me so long to get to reading 'Carrie' It has been sitting on my bookshelf for a couple years, and the day I finally picked it up I read clean through half of it before falling off of reading for two whole months then I picked it back up and finished it.

As a lover of the horror movie genre, I can say that I have seen 'Carrie' in its original film adaptation as well as its newer adaptation that came out in 2013. I had expected the movies to be pretty close to the source material and in truth they are. However, like any adaptation there is lacking.

The book doesn't just tell Carrie White's story. It goes back and forth between firsthand accounts, scientific studies into telekinesis based around what Carrie did on prom night (not just in the school gym but in the town as well), news articles, and the story as it happened to Carrie and the other teens surrounding the incident.

What interested me the most was that after the prom and the confrontation with her mother Carrie lets all of her rage and sorrow out on the town and anyone who happens to cross her path. She opens up all of the water hydrants she passes, blows up a gas station, and takes down powerlines. all of these things result in most of the town of Chamberlin being set ablaze and people running in the street being electrocuted. I know it must sound harsh to say that this is the part of the book that I found most interesting, but the death and destruction are not what grabbed my attention in these last chapters.

What grabbed my attention was the fact that Carrie, while unleashing her abilities onto her surroundings had also somehow opened up a backdoor in the minds of every single person within a certain radius of herself. A hive mind if you will. Without having to ask what was going on or who was responsible, a single name came to mind of the citizens of the small town. Carrie White.

Sue Snell uses this connection to sort of track Carrie. The closer she got the more knowledge about what had happened to Carrie that night was able to flood her mind. In the end, Sue is unable to disconnect herself from Carrie's mind and has to experience what it feels like to die.

It is possible that Carrie didn't know about this ability until she and Sue encountered each other in those last moments. This ability is also common in characters who we know for a fact "Shine" In the Stephen King universe. We also know that people who shine can have certain abilities that others who shine do not. So I guess a good question would be, just how much did Carrie shine? And did her actions on prom night draw the attention of anyone else?

Note:
As mentioned in my previous post I have decided to read all of the Stephen King novels and short stories that I can by publication date. However, because certain books are no longer in print I understand that they may have to be skipped over. I'm doing this to try to keep with the continuity. many of King's works are referenced in his other works even if it is just one sentence or one name in a whole novel. I want to be able to catch as many as I can on my own without having to resort to looking up connections online. of course with this line of thinking I started at the beginning with Carrie. This also means that when Carrie was published no one except King knew what "Shining" was and they wouldn't know until three years later when 'The Shining' was published.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

TK Queen and the Vampire Scene

After months of not picking up any books I can say that my reading slump is over? Hopefully!
A couple months back I picked up Stephen King's 'Carrie' for the second time. This time I finished It. After reading half of the book in one day then letting my reading schedule fall off this plain of existence for a couple months. But the point is I finished it!
And what do I plan to do next you ask... well I'm going to do what I always intended to do. Which is to first and foremost read all of the Stephen King books in order from original publication date. Now that I have finished 'Carrie' It is time to say goodbye to Chamberlain Maine and wonder into Jerusalem's Lot (AKA Salem's Lot). Though there will likely be a post soon dedicated to our TK Scream Queen

Just for my own record : 'Carrie' read in paperback was 245 pages

I realize that the task ahead of me is going to be a daunting one. This is mostly due to the fact that I do not own every SK book. Currently I'm at 22 which is probably less then a quarter of his whole collection. But I am also trying to hunt the books down in hard cover. which means I mostly pass up the paperbacks unless I find them for super cheap... or I like the edition. I've also realized that once I finish 'Salem's Lot' it is going to be a BITCH to hunt down 'Rage' which Stephen King deliberately took out of publication (hence print) due to real life school shootings. This means I'll be hunting through used book stores and online for it hoping to find anything under $100. I'm serious this book goes for $100's-$1000's on ebay for paperback alone! Its almost as scary as some of his monsters...almost. but we will get there when we get there

Monday, June 24, 2019

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a lot different from books that I usually read. When the story starts we know as much abut the main character as he knows about himself. Throughout the course of one day lived in the minds and bodies of several different people our main character discovers what his purpose is at Blackheath and makes it his goal while living the same day over again in his different hosts to find Evelyn Hardcastle's murderer. You would think getting to relive the same day over and over again would put Aiden at an advantage on the hunt for Evelyn's killer, but he soon finds out he is not the only one searching. If his rivals find out first everything resets and all memories of the days he has already lived will be lost and if none of them do they all restart. who knows how long Blackheath has been their prison or how many times Aiden has woken up in the body of another limited by the way their bodies and minds work.

I liked this book because of how well it presented the idea of living inside another persons head. As Aiden finds himself in new hosts he discovers how they can both help and restrict him. Some bodies are less capable then others leaving him to rely on others, some minds prove better suited to his detective work.

The story is also something that you really have to think about. When Aiden moves on to a new host, the day he lived before in the previous is not just suddenly gone. There are several times in fact that he runs into himself, giving him information to keep his past the same so that he can make sure his past self gets the information needed to move on. He checks the time constantly so that he can mentally keep track of where all of his hosts and many of the other guests of Blackheath are at any given time. It becomes like a big elaborate game of chess and it is played out beautifully.

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

2019 TBR

For 2018 I had decided that I was going to read three books every two months totaling to eight books for the whole year. I also said if I was not on track with my reading That would not allow myself to purchase any new books. That was a lie. I still bought books and have a stack from last year I have yet to read or have read half of and put down. I also didn't make my reading goal. I was short by one title. I honestly could have done it. I had at least three books I had finished half way. The person I was doing the reading challenge of 18 books for the year also did not reach goal, so this year we have decided to try only one book a month. If I end up going over that amount i'll consider upping the stakes depending on how much time in the year is left or what books i'm considering picking up.

Last year I had wanted to read 'IT' but decided against it because I knew I wouldn't be able to, or rather wouldn't want to be juggling multiple books when I was reading it. I know it will probably take me more then a month to finish and it wouldn't have fit into that 3 books in 2 month quota I was trying to reach. I'm hoping this year is the year...

That being said I do have several books lined up for this year as well as comics/manga. Before you ask I do not count a single comic book issue as it's own book when i'm tallying up number of books read. I count them as a book when I have reached up to six to eight issues depending on the comics run, because that is the usual amount of comics per volume.

Without further to do here are a list of some of the books I hope to read this year. Books already read will be crossed out: currently at 2/12

'~~An Anonymous Girl' by: Greer Hendricks; Sarah Pekkanen~~

~~'The Daughters of Salem' by: Thomas Gilbert~~

'The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle' by: Stuart Turton

'Girl Logic: The Genius and the Absurdity' by: Iliza Shlesinger

'Tales of Japan' illistrated by: Kotaro Chiba

'Kojiki' by: Keith Yatsuhashi

'The Window' by: Glen Rolfe

'An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness' by: Kay Redfield Jamison

'Wicked Saints' by: Emily A. Duncan

'Sunburn' by: R. L. Stine

'Women Talking' by: Miriam Toews

'Little Darlings' by: Melanie Golding

Monday, March 4, 2019

Release Date

New Stephen King Book

September 2019

Friday, February 22, 2019

An Anonymous Girl

'An Anonymous Girl' has not one but two authors (Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen), each one showing us a different characters perspective of the events that their book collectively discloses to the reader. It is a job that they do well. I say that the events of the book are being "disclosed" to the reader because as each characters version unfolds it feels almost like an intrusion. We are hearing their thoughts and know what they are thinking, following them as they commit acts that they later deny to their opposing character, acts that have the power to both frustrate and ignite anxiety in everyone including the reader.

The story starts off by following Jessica, a woman in her early twenties who lives in the city on her own and works as a freelance makeup artist. Things change when Jessica sneaks her way into a payed psychology study and soon becomes the only candidate the doctor in charge wishes to continue the study with. Enter Dr. Shields who goes on to secretly condition Jessica while telling her the study is on human morality. The story continues from the perspectives of both women both in and out of the study as it begins to shape both of their lives.when the tests administered by Dr. Shields are taken outside of the classroom (literally) we begin to see who people are and how far they are willing to go to get the answers they want even if they are fake, even if it means the murder.

I can't help but compare 'An Anonymous Girl' to 'YOU' by: Caroline Kepnes. Its not necessarily the stalker aspect though one of the main characters of 'An Anonymous Girl' could probably match Joe in every way, if not better him (if you have read the book you know who I'm talking about). I'm talking about the way we are introduced to our main characters, and how they are artfully unfolded to the reader. It starts off slow, we come to see them as normal people and we place them in our own categories, Intelligent shopkeeper, a girl trying to make it big and support her family at the same time, and finally the elegant and respected doctor. Once we become comfortable with theses characters we begin to see them change. These changes could be based off of how they engage with one another, but it could also just be their nature. As the story continues to unfold the difference becomes apparent, the change more rapid, and at some points they can almost feel like a slap to the face, leaving you stunned at the will of a character to push forward, the realization of how deep an obsession, or the monstrous nature that has been so easily hidden and for so long. I personally had several nights where I couldn't put 'An Anonymous Girl' down because a certain character had unfurled so much and began to divulge information that shed so much light on aspects of themselves the reader never would have thought to question, but that explained so much.

Though the story starts off slow it quickly turns into an anxiety inducing battle of wits, lies, truths, and lives that you can't help but keep following, if only to know how far some people will go.

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Saturday, January 26, 2019

! ! UPDATE ! !

Stephen King Reading List has been updated with last years releases and to show my current status on the list

Tuesday, January 8, 2019

The Daughters of Salem

Photo taken from amazon because I do not have a physical copy of the book.

'The Daughters of Salem: How we sent our children to their deaths part 1' is a historical fiction graphic novel that depicts the events leading up to the Salem witch trials where innocent girls were put to death. Through the point of view of Abigail Hobbs; a 14 year old girl who has just become a women in the eyes of the whole town, we see the events and circumstances that cause the people of Salem to feel fear, anger, hatred, and ultimately lead them to committing violent acts both against the native peoples who surround the town as well as to each other.

I really like how the story unfolds through Abigail. when she talks or explains things we get to see them laid out in front of us on the panels. For example when the towns people talk of seeing the devil out in the woods, We get to see the whole story played out the way she imagines it looking based on their details. Each person talking about the same thing but it looks different in every story.

This was a very quick read and honestly can't wait to pick up a copy or for part 2

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