Outbox: January 7, 2016: Ghosts, Gardens, and Street Riots

Yay! My first real Outbox post of 2016! I did draft one earlier this week to wrap up December, but that hardly counts. In case you don't know and it's not obvious, my Outbox posts are basically summaries of books I have recently finished. You might guess that I tend to do Outbox posts instead of full reviews. If you guessed that, you are right, Dearie. However, I do plan to keep reviewing on a more regular basis.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:
 

SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM MY BOOKWEEK:
Jackaby by William Ritter (whose clever twitter name makes him a hard to find tweeter) was a surprise delight. I have never really gotten into the mystery genre, mostly because I'm too thick to pick up on any clues left behind. So, that this is a mystery and likened to Sherlocke Holmes probably set my REJECTION - mood on high alert. As such, it took me a bit to get into this story. But once I stopped being an asshat, I really liked this book. Jackaby is not Sherlocke, or an occultist, as he'll tell you. The addition of the supernatural beings (really much more my thing) is a plus. I will definitely be picking up the next one and will try to not let the fact there there is a "Mr. Wiggles" in it ruin the fun.

Spook Lights by Eden Royce is a collection of short Southern Gothic Horror stories. Did I mention that I am thick? I really liked some of these stories very much and some of them I just did not get. I was all: WHHATT?! This is why I don't read short stories as a general. I really need more words, which I'm looking forward to from Ms. Royce because I loved her style. I will be reading her Bearing Up story next. Still short, but longer. I expect that it will either make disappointed in or terrified of my own teddy bears. 

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson: Have you seen 50 First Dates? This story is kind of like that. Or at least, that's what you think until you read it. This is now or will be a movie that I won't be seeing. That's not because I didn't like the book but because I cannot tolerate movies based on books I have read. Percy Jackson was the last straw. THE LAST STRAW!! NEVER AGAIN!!