I am thrilled to share with you some amazing books in My Goodreads Reviews Part 42. Horror, suspense, thriller, LGBTQ coming-of-age and romance are dominant genres in this collection of literary pearls. Dive into them and have a fantastic reading experience!
The Stand, More Happy Than Not (Deluxe Edition), The Big Dark Sky, Swimming in the Dark, The Adventures of Kushman and Savage: Saving the Senate One Puff at a Time
This is the second time I’ve read this novel. First time as an eBook. It took me two months and fifteen days to finish reading it. Not because The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition was boring and I couldn’t push myself through it fast enough, but because I wanted this grandiose and capital novel of 1,348 pages to last as long as possible.
The Stand is still one of my favorite books by Stephen King. It’s a masterpiece which I enjoyed both reading and watching. And I wouldn’t mind doing it all over again.
If you’ve read my review of More Happy Than Not from December 2, 2018, you would know how much I loved that book.
In its Deluxe Edition, Adam Silvera didn’t want to leave his main character, Aaron Soto, broken and in a dark and hopeless place. This edition has much more happy than not ending. Do I like it better? I love calmness, hope, and the promise of a happier life for Aaron in an added chapter, but I also empathized with him in the original version when I cried with him in his dark place of memory loss.
Both versions have their qualities, and it depends on you whether you prefer happy endings over “tragedies.” All I can say is that I relived the whole story one more time, that there were tears in my throat again. Except, this time, there were happy tears too.
In case you didn’t read it, this is my original review. It is also available on my website.
Savagely beautiful and painfully moving. Silvera shows little mercy to his characters and his readers while he guides them on this sad quest for happiness.
How can so much love shed so many tears?
The best debut possible!
I won’t forget you.
Beautiful, lyrical descriptions. Stunning nature. Interesting and strong characters. Creepy, chilling, and dark atmosphere. The Big Dark Sky is a suspenseful page-turner with a clear save our world message. It’s brand-new Koontz’s success that needs to be read with deeper understanding and seriously considered if we don’t want our lives to go through a similar scenario.
I’m breathless and speechless. I am trying to remember so powerful and deep book I’ve read since Call Me by Your Name. And I can’t. My apologies to everyone I ignored while reading this book. But its pull was too strong, and I had to finish it first. It’s a dive into literary perfection.
The Adventures of Kushman and Savage: Saving the Senate One Puff at a Time by Christopher Henry Thomas
I was skeptical when I accepted the ARC of this debut novel, The Adventures of Kushman and Savage: Saving the Senate One Puff at a Time. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the suspense and action thriller under such an unusual, if not funny, title. Already after the first pages, I realized that the title makes sense. It breathes and radiates humor, just like this unconventional thriller in its entirety, from the first to the last page.
Yes, I like this book, even though it is out of my usual reads. But I wanted to give it a chance because I am a fan of variety, not only in reading but also in writing. And I have no regrets, no, sir. I like its oddness, its humor, its crazy characters, and suspense that fed my curiosity to read it faster and more attentively. But what I liked best about it is the writing itself, the knowledge and insightfulness of the author who paid so much attention to the details that make this book believable.
I congratulate Christopher Henry Thomas for writing this story and for bringing it to us. On his website, we learn his life was difficult, sometimes even critical. He holds nothing back, and this deserves our respect. Out of misery, he rose like a phoenix and called us to read his story. Beside interesting information about his book and him as the young man and author, on christopherhenrythomas.com there is a blog with his poetry that captures our attention. Unlike The Adventures of Kushman and Savage, it plays at different strings of our emotions, and I recommend everyone to read at least a few of his poems.
Christopher Henry Thomas may be a new author with his debut released a month ago (August 6, 2022) but his words carry the depth and finesse of a mature, skilled author.
I thank the author for sending me an advance review copy of his book at no cost and with no obligations, and for allowing me to enjoy his story.
Happy reading,
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