We aim to please here at Lit Carnivale. You have the option to read the reviews below or scroll down to watch the review video. In January 2020, Toi read 1 graphic novel, 1 nonfiction (writing skills) book, 1 anthology by local authors (based in OBX VA & NC), and one cozy mystery. Check it out.
Rating 5.0
The subtitle for this collection is on point. There is so much blood in this, yet somehow, it’s still beautiful. I can’t give this illustrator enough credit. The story is good on its own, but the images catapult it to another level.
This installment, covering issues 7-17, really brings out the darkness of Dark Fantasy. This book brings the whole series, I assume, into the realm of smart horror. This isn’t just a scary or frightening tale, it’s a complex epic of historical and magical themes to serve as a cautionary tale against pride and hubris, vengeance and revenge, and the pursuit of truth and or power.
I like Maiko more in this one, though she’s not my favorite character. I feel for her more in this one than in the first, as we get to see more of her past and understand why she is who she is. Even the monster inside her seems more relatable, whether likable or not. The little half fox and necromancer cat fill in the remaining gaps of my heart and keep me invested in the darkest moments. They are, for me, critical to the overall appeal of the story.
The end of this install, for me, was a bit of a cliffhanger, but that is to be expected in this ongoing saga. I can only imagine what the coming volumes will reveal about Moriko, the mother who’s still a mystery despite the revelation of her sinister motives in Maika’s birth.
This is where I’ll stop for fear of giving away spoilers. This is an excellent follow-up to the first in the series and I look forward to more.
Highly recommended to mature dark fantasy fans.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
Rating 5.0
I enjoyed reading this book, which says a lot since I struggle to read memoirs and writing skill books. The first part of this book is the memoir portion that explains how Stephen King became the writer he is. The second part is filled with his insights to help young or aspiring writers.
Learning about King’s childhood helped to explain where and how the ideas for his haunting stories come from. I appreciate that King’s story isn’t one of overnight success, but one that involves a lifelong love of writing where hard work and skill paid off. I love that he advocates reading as a major component to being a good writer.
I didn’t agree with everything King offered in the area of writing skills, but since he’s Stephen King and much further along in his career than I am, I can at least respect his ideas and find value in them. He praises his ability to write without too much plotting, but I think that’s more of a personality trait than a writing rule or even a guideline. Some writers will be plotters and others will be pantsers, simple as that.
At one point, King says that theme develops from good stories and not the other way around. I can see some truth in this. A good story will have engaging themes in it by the nature of it being a good story, but I don’t agree that a good story can’t start with a theme. I have written many stories with a theme in mind first. While I don’t have the accolades of King, I do believe other highly acclaimed writers have likely, at some point, wanted to say something or emphasize a theme and then created a great story to put that message out into the world.
I think I get what King is saying here, though. I feel that he doesn’t want writers to limit themselves to only writing stories when there’s a theme to capitalize on. King states that he feels writing should be about writing, the desire to write, and the love of the story. If you are fortunate enough to make a good living off of it great.
I admire that he is honest and unapologetic about who he is and what he writes, even it if offends someone. He never sets out to offend people, it just happens sometimes, but isn’t that the case with anyone who shares creative work with the public.
I love his lists of reading recommendations at the end of the book.
I was not King’s number one fan when I started this book and I’m still not, but I do respect him more than I did before. I don’t have to be his number one fan to like the stories I like and not like the ones I don’t like. I respect him as a great writer regardless.
Highly recommended to writers at various stages, memoir enthusiasts, and fans of Stephen King.
Actual rating 4.25 (4 stars).
I really enjoyed this collection and will likely read it again when the weather is more conducive to reading on the beach or by the pool. There were a few things that kept me from loving this collection, but I still really liked it. I admit the delicate nature of an anthology with so many contributing factors such as various authors and possible editors can result in semi-satisfaction more often than not, but I think this team did a great job.
So first, here’s what I loved. I loved the collaborative feel of the collection. All the stories can easily stand alone, but I adore how they were all so connected, and not just by the Luck Bucket. I enjoyed reading about stories that take place close to my home town with references to cities in my area. I enjoyed the diversity of the characters without each cultural or racial difference being made into an issue unnecessarily. The approach to cultural and racial diversity was handled realistically and practically, and I really appreciated that. And lastly, I enjoyed the genre-blending that seemed to happen seamlessly from one story to the next. While they were all romance first, it was nice to see subtle touches of suspense, paranormal, and fantasy, here and there.
Now, what I had trouble with was the unrealistic abundance of gorgeous blondes. At least they were mostly men. In one of the stories, I felt that the ending was a bit cliche considering the build-up seemed to suggest something more progressive and dramatic. A woman finds a way to fit herself into a man’s life because he refuses to inconvenience himself. I just felt like the great love this man was feeling wasn’t so great. He never even considers going to track her down or make any sacrifice to be with the woman he supposedly loves; yet, she has no problem altering her life-long dream to be with him. It was disappointing. And while I enjoyed the last story, the timing of the delivery seemed off. Characters were introduced and began development without physical descriptions, only for physical descriptions to be added later. I did that once in a story and I was glad that someone called me out on it.
Still, despite the few things that kept me from loving this collection, I liked the experience of reading it and will likely read it again. There is some mature content in this collection, though nothing that I feel warrants a strict warning; however, it’s definitely for adult or mature young adult readers (with parent permission).
Recommended to fans of short fiction, romance, and stories from the OBX region of Virginia and North Carolina.
Murder at the Marina (A Mollie McGhie Cozy Sailing Mystery #1)
Rating 5.0
I started this series in the middle and am playing catch-up with this book. I really enjoyed going back to see Mollie’s first murder, even if it wasn’t her first mystery (I kinda read the prequel before this one, oops.)
This is a fun story. Mollie and Scooter are so cute together as they eat copious amounts of chocolate and bump heads over whether a sailboat has a place in their life, especially when people keep showing up dead around them.
The description of the book sets the scene perfectly, but it does leave out some of the funnier “red-head” comments and dramatic texts with Mollie’s mom.
I liked officially meeting the members of cocoanut cove, though I’d already encountered them in other books in the series. Still, it’s always nice to know more about characters, especially when you already like them.
I think the one thing I appreciated more than any other, with this book, was that I didn’t figure out who the killer was too early. Jacobson really got me on this one.
Highly recommended to fans of cozy mysteries, humor, and this series.
So, did you read any good books in January? What did you think of the ones I read? Until next time, I hope you love books as much as #carnieluvsboox.
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