Dune Messiah / Frank Herbert / 256 p.

Dune Messiah is the 2nd novel in the Dune Chronicles series.  The first novel left the reader feeling that the Atreides were perhaps the only family with morality or basic decency in the entire empire.  This book immediately calls that belief into question.  The dreaded jihad has begun and hundreds of thousands have been killed in the name of Muad'Dib - the name Paul Atreides chose for himself when he meets the Fremen in Dune.


Dune Messiah focuses on the feelings of Paul as he is caught up in his own legend and forces beyond his control.  As the empire aligns against him, can he forge a path for himself and Chani that enables them to live peaceful lives and raise children?

Dune / Frank Herbert / 412 p.

This sci-fi epic novel includes treachery and politics, love and loss, novel inventions and familiar motivations.  Having seen the 1984 movie several times, I found this novel comfortingly familiar.  The harsh desert planet of Aracus is all-encompassing, ever-present, and water always in the thoughts of its people.  The members of the House of Atreides seem to be the only honorable people in the entire universe created in Herbert's novel.  The Harkenons are a scheming people only after power and willing to do anything to get it.  The emperor plots to have any dissenters killed.  Meanwhile Duke Leto, Lady Jessica, and their son Paul have loving relationships and the respect of their people.  Unfortunately the schemes of the larger court are determined to unseat them from the newly acquired fief of Aracus.  Has Jessica's teachings prepared her son for the challenges that await him?  Will they be able to hold this fief and give its people the paradise so long prayed for? 




Dune is the first in the Dune Chronicles series.  The next book in the series is Dune Messiah.

The Dead House / Dawn Kurtagich / 448 pages

This book is disturbing.  The book is a collection of evidence - diary entries, transcripts of video clips, interviews with students and a psychologist - surrounding a fire at Elmsbridge school.  The only suspect is a girl with Dissociative Identity Disorder (multiple personalities) who also died in the fire.  While the book keeps counting down to "The Incident," there are many traumatic incidents that happen before the beginning of the book and during the countdown.  The main character's (Carly/Kaitlyn Johnson) parents died before the beginning of the book.  The main character is checked into a mental hospital of some sort and then sent to Elmsbridge boarding school.  A student goes missing, several students die, the misery is nonstop.  This is reminiscent of Shutter Island in that you can't trust the information from the main character as she devolves into psychosis - or demon possession, depending on the interpretation you prefer.


Amazon states this book is YA.  I personally wouldn't let a child under the age of sixteen read the version I listened to on audiobook. There is apparently an alternate paperback edition for grades 8 and up.  Parents will want to preview this before giving to a child - language, disturbing themes, occult/magic/demon possession, sexual situations, violence.


There is a companion novella The Dead House: Naida.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children / Ransom Riggs / 382 pages

This is a wonderful young adult novel and series.  The vintage photographs are amazing and the way they are worked into the story is fantastic - though Riggs gets better at this as the novel goes on.  The first few pictures have a very obvious indication in the text that you are supposed to look for the picture and it's not always on the facing page.  This doesn't work as well for an audiobook, because you will want to look at the pictures as you read along.


16-year-old Jacob lead a normal, ordinary life.  His family is moderately wealthy.  He is taken care of, though a bit neglected - but he doesn't have a closest under the stairs for a room or anything like that. Then he gets a phone call to check on his grandfather, and finds his grandfather on the verge of death in the woods behind his home.  Jacob is the only one to hear his grandfather's cryptic last words and decides to try to find the magical island and the children's home his grandfather had always told him stories about.


The book is a little different from the movie.  Emma and Olive trade powers for the movie, but Jacob is still attracted to Emma.  The ending of the movie is so different from the book, that I get the feeling that the director stopped reading halfway through and just created his own ending.  Both the book and movie are very good, but they should not necessarily be compared to each other.

EverTrue / Brodi Ashton / 368 pages

This is the third and final novel of the Everneath trilogy.  Nikki has rescued Jack, and now she just wants to graduate high school, but soon finds her energy drained.  Cole had tricked her into feeding on him in the Everneath, so now she is in the process of becoming an everliving.  She and Jack decide to fight for her life with everything they have.  Unfortunately, if Nikki doesn't feed on Cole every night, she dies.  Many awkward situations arise.


Nikki wants to find a way to sever her connection to the Everneath, but she has attracted the attention of the Queen, and the Queen has a reputation for killing any rival for her throne.  Can she escape with her life once and for all?


More connections to Persephone and other underworld myths arise.  Much more action than the previous two novels.  Friendships are strained and enemies are trusted.  A fitting end to the series.

EverBound / Brodi Ashton / 384 pages

This is the second novel of the Everneath series.  Nikki Beckett escaped the tunnels, but only because her boyfriend, Jack, took her place.  Now she embarks on a journey to save Jack and find a way for them both to live out normal, human lives.  Unfortunately, she has to depend on Cole - the life-sucking everliving who took her to the Everneath - to help her save the love of her life.  Nikki continues to trust Cole even when she knows she shouldn't.  Will he be the friend she hopes for or betray her yet again?


The mythological elements are a little stronger than in the first novel, more mention of the Persephone myth, and readers might also recognize elements of Dante's Inferno. 

Everneath / Brodi Ashton / 400 pages

This is the first book of the Everneath trilogy.  16-year-old Nikki Beckett returns home after a 6-month absence.  Everyone assumes she was on drugs or in rehab, but the truth is much darker.  She had been fed on in the Everneath, and barely escaped.  Can she repair the relationships she left behind and forgive her own weakness that led to her disappearance?  Can she find a way to say goodbye again before the tunnels claim her in six months?


Readers of Twilight will appreciate this book, though there are no sparkling vampires.  This author would have been on Team Jacob.  There are elements of the supernatural and romance.  There are also ties to ancient mythologies.

Interview with the Vampire / Anne Rice / 368 pages / November Challenge (horror)

This first novel of Rice's Vampire Chronicles presents the vampire Louis telling his story to the skeptical human reporter Daniel.  The tale winds its way through New Orleans and Europe, from Louis's vampire birth in 1791 until the early 20th century.  The book hints at many sexual themes, but none of the relationships are explicitly described.  Louis tells of attractions to two older male vampires, a human female, and even a 5-year-old turned vampire by his maker, Lestat.  The novel primarily chronicles events in Louis's vampiric life and his feelings about those events.  He begins as a young man (he is 25 when he is turned) grieving for his brother.  He is excited by the new perceptions he gains as a vampire and seeks out all the beauty of humanity, taking in music and art and literature.  As he finds it necessary to kill humans rather than animals, he becomes more and more disturbed by his vampiric nature and begins to believe he is forever damned.  The novel inspired the 1994 film, Interview with the Vampire, starring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise.  It can be surmised that Stephenie Meyer has drawn on Vampire Chronicles for her Twilight series; many of the descriptions of vampires' skin and perceptions and the theme of guilt in some vampires over taking human life are similar.  The next book in the series is The Vampire Lestat.

Sanctum / Madeleine Roux / 343 pages / November Challenge (horror)

This second novel in Roux's YA horror series is a wonderful sequel to Asylum.  Dan, Abby, and Jordan have begun their senior year at separate high schools.  They stay in touch through texting and social media until they discover that they are all still plagued by nightmares about their stay in Brookline Asylum for a college prep summer program.  After each of them receive a postcard with a creepy carnival picture and a combined message of "You're not finished," they finally decide to go back to Brookline to confront their fears, and hopefully put the summer firmly behind them.  Once at the campus, things once again seem weird to them.  College students wander around with glazed eyes - and they can't quite believe that it's all due to drugs and alcohol.  Documents are missing from the campus library, and the trio discovers more mysteries after breaking into abandoned houses all over town.  The clues and discoveries will have readers staying up late to finish this book in one sitting.  The final book in the series is Catacomb.

Double Dexter / Jeffry P. Lindsay / 337 pages / November challenge (Horror)

This 6th novel follows much the same formula as previous novels in this series.  Watching the friendly neighborhood serial killer try to balance family, work, and very illegal playtime is humorous, but perhaps the author has spun out the formula a few too many times to make it feel fresh and new.  Dexter's lovely (and increasingly neurotic) wife plays a larger role than in previous novels.  She never quite gets enough development to feel like a real person, but that may be the author's clever way of showing how Dexter views her.  She seems to only be foremost in his mind when she's not in the kitchen cooking.  He then sets about figuring out how to get her back into the kitchen.  Dexter's monstrous step-children seek out new brushes with death and destruction as Dexter tries to hold them in check.  While I've mostly enjoyed this series, I will also be glad to see it come to an end with the next novel, Dexter's Final Cut.

House / Frank Peretti / 386 pages / October Challenge

This redemption tale features 4 of the most unlikable characters you will ever meet.  Jack and Stephanie are on their way to a marriage counselor.  Jack feels that Stephanie blames him for every little thing wrong in her life.  Stephanie seems to feel defensive and guilty, but we don't find out until much later what she feels guilty about.  They spend the car ride arguing and muttering under their breath until they run over a spike strip in the road and have to walk to the nearest shelter.  By the time Jack and Stephanie reached the House, I was hoping a monster would put a quick end to them.  Instead they meet Randy and Lesley, two even more unlikable characters who had been stranded after running over a spike strip several miles on the other side of the house.  The House is set up to be a bed and breakfast, but the owners can't be found.  The four of them rummage around the house looking for flashlights and other supplies until they find the owner in the pantry.  She and her sons are even worse than the four who have been stranded and are called the "inbreeds" for the rest of the book.


This book is reminiscent of a slew of "living house" movies (House on Haunted Hill, for example).  There is some originality to the quirks of the house, but many of the features are found in other books and movies.  It wasn't until about chapter 25 when the Christian themes began emerging that I started to like the book. 


The novel is the basis for the 2008 movie House.

Asylum / Madeleine Roux / 313 pages / October Challenge

This YA book features 3 high school juniors at a summer college prep academy in New Hampshire that happens to be held in the same building that housed Brookline Mental Asylum many years ago.  Dan, Abbie, and Jordan become best friends the first day of the academy, but forces beyond their control are driving wedges between them.  Dan suspects he may be related to the former director of the asylum and Abbie discovers her aunt may have been a patient.  Jordan has arrived without the knowledge of his parents who think he is at a "pray the gay away" camp in California.  Although parts of the plot remain unresolved, this is a good read.  It reminded me most of Shutter Island.  The themes may be a bit dark for younger readers, but ages 15+ will enjoy the fast-paced action and mystery surrounding New Hampshire College and Brookline.


This is the first book of a series that includes Sanctum and Catacomb.

Possessed / Thomas B. Allen / 333 pages / October Challenge

This book is based on the same case as The Exorcist playing in theaters in 1973, which was based on William Blatty's 1971 book of the same title.  The movie was fictionalized; this book is what really happened.  The author presents the information from various sources to reconstruct what happened to "Robbie Mannheim" in 1949.  Several priests became convinced that he was a victim of demonic possession and began the exorcism rites for him.  Many seemingly supernatural things happened before and during the exorcism.  This book tells all.  The diary from one of the priests involved is printed in the back of the book - but the story itself is so heavily drawn from the diary that reading it is rather repetitive.  A careful reader may notice a difference in emphasis on various parts of the story, but there is no real departure from the diary itself.  Possessed was first published in 1993, 44 years after the case actually happened. 


This is a challenging book to read if you have any question at all about whether demonic possession could be real.  The author himself questions the possession in his afterword.  The beginning is a bit slow, but once all the background information has been established, the action picks up considerably.  Readers who saw the original movie, or the Showtime movie Possessed will certainly enjoy this book.  Anyone who has questioned Christianity or the existence of demons will also appreciate the straight-forward presentation and ability to make up their own mind after the evidence is presented.

Animal Farm / George Orwell / 113 pages

Animal Farm is a political satire, but comparisons to others are hard to make.  Orwell is even more critical of human nature than Jonathan Swift in Gulliver's Travels, where the weary Gulliver comes home to find he much prefers the company of horses to that of people.  While the work was originally meant to criticize Stalinism, lessons can be applied to almost any human civilization.  Foremost is the pigs' use of "the enemy" to strengthen their status as leaders of the farm.  While a short book, it has many deeper themes that take time to digest.  This is a book meant to challenge the way a person sees the world and it is successful if you are not already cynical about government.

In Bed with a Highlander / Maya Banks / 359 pages

The title and cover of this book are far more scandalous than anything actually contained in the pages.  This is a typical historical romance featuring Marin, an unrealistically innocent young woman who has spent the last ten years in a monastery hiding from those who would force her into marriage for her dowry.  Little is said about Marin's mother, but her father is brother to the king of Scotland.  Marin is their illegitimate child.  Marin is portrayed as fiercely protective and having a young teen's expectations of love and marriage.  Having been taught the ways of the world by a nun at the abbey, she is scandalized by her husband's actions on their wedding night.  She is even more shocked when seeking advice from women in the clan who suggest that "anything decent in loving isn't much fun."  It's an enjoyable read though not particularly well-written.  Kirsten Potter's narration is beautifully done.  Her accent make the story enjoyable to listen to.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire / J.K. Rowling / 734 pages

Harry Potter's adventures take a darker turn in this 4th book of the series.  The imagery and magical violence conjured in the text may be too strong for young readers.  The teenage angst common in young adult books is very present in this volume.  Harry finds friends who turn out to be enemies and enemies who turn out to be friends.  He seems unable to decide who to trust.  To make things worse, Ron gets angry with Harry (over Harry's fame and fortune) and ignores him for weeks.


Hermione takes on a crusade against prejudices of all kinds in this volume.  Fans of the movie may appreciate this deeper look into Hermione's psyche.  Another difference between book and movie is in how distant the teachers seem in the book.  Snape is even worse to Harry in the book than ever in the movies, Dumbledore and McGonagal seem to hardly notice Harry's troubles and rarely help him.  The only teacher seeming to help this year (besides Hagrid of course) turns out to be arranging Harry's death.  (What's a year in Hogwarts without someone trying to kill Harry?)


This book, like all the others in the series, is well worth the read.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban / J.K. Rowling / 435 p.

The 3rd book in the Harry Potter series is wonderfully written as always.  The animosity between Snape and Potter is more apparent than ever.  Harry has a new foe to worry about - the prisoner of Azkaban, who might have gotten out in order to kill him.  Harry remains the intrepid hero and faces all his challenges bravely - finding friends where he thought to only find enemies and learning more about his own past and parents.  Hermione and Ron help as much as they can and are by Harry's side through the worst of his challenges.  Fans of the movies will begin noticing more pronounced differences between text and film in this book and the next.  This series is excellent for reluctant readers or those who need a little magic now and then.

Pines / Blake Crouch / 307 pages

This is the first of Crouch's Wayward Pines trilogy which inspired the TV series.  While the TV series was mostly faithful to the text, careful readers/watchers will notice some differences.  I watched the series first and had many questions about the timeline and how Dr. Pilcher and his minions were seemingly able to move back and forth in the timeline to get people, put them in cryogenic sleep for 2000 years and then wake them up.  After reading the first book, I still have just as many questions.  If anything, the book is even darker than the TV series, with children as young as 7 years old participating in exterminating anyone who breaks Pilcher's rules about accepting life in Wayward Pines.  Ethan comes to Wayward Pines following a run-in with a Mack truck while investigating the disappearance of two secret service agents.  He can't accept the seemingly idyllic life because the residents of Wayward are just too creepy.  He escapes from the hospital where they are trying to brainwash him and defeats a trio of Abbies as he furthers his escape.  Pilcher finally decides to show him "what's really going on" while demonstrating his need to control everything and everyone in Wayward Pines.  This dystopian vision of our future is sure to keep readers up late pondering the possibilities of life inside a mountain with no way out.

Forever Odd / Dean Koontz / 334 pages

This 2nd novel in the Odd Thomas series pitches Odd against a crazy occultist who has becomes obsessed with seeing the supernatural and becoming invincible by capturing the life-essence of the recently departed.  We see another of Odd's eccentric friends in the form of Danny, a young man the same age as Odd (about 20 years old) who suffers from "glass bone" disease.  Odd once again must rely on his supernatural senses of psychic magnetism and seeing the dead to track the occultist who has kidnapped Danny.  Odd seems more vulnerable in this novel than in the first.  He's still contemplating the death of his beloved Stormy (in Odd Thomas) and the meaning of life.  His friends do their best to convince him that he is an important part of their lives and that they want the best for him.  The events of this novel make Odd long for a more peaceful existence that he hopes to find in the next installment Brother Odd.

Brother Odd / Dean Koontz / 364 pages

Odd Thomas is enjoying a peaceful respite from his spirit-filled life at a monastery in the Sierra Nevadas.  Here he has only seen one spirit - that of a brother who committed suicide and likes to ring bells and scare the other monks at all times of day and night.  This particular monastery has quite an interesting cast, including a billionaire physicist who donated all his money to support the monastery's school for severely disabled children and an ex-mobster who turned on his boss in order to (hopefully) save the boss's 6-year-old daughter from a life of crime.  Having been at the monastery several months, Odd begins seeing bodachs gathering near the school.  He must discover what the danger is and who it's coming from before the children can be hurt.  Luckily the monks and nuns at the monastery and willing and able to help take up arms in defense of their charges and Odd leads the way against strange and frightening monsters.  This 3rd book of the Odd Thomas series shows a wonderful depth of character and many surprising twists.