A group of friends investigates the mystery of a strange staircase in the woods.

While on a camping trip, five high-schoolers bound by an oath to always protect one another discover something in the middle of the forest: a mysterious staircase to nowhere. One friend climbs up but does not come back down. Then the staircase disappears. Twenty years later it reappears, and the friends return to find the lost boy—and what lies beyond the staircase.

While it’s a really creepy story, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I have some of Wendig’s other books. Maybe because, while I found the story compelling and unputdownable, I think the fact that I didn’t care all that much for the characters sort of ruined things. Not terribly, just enough for me to wish that at least one character had been written more likably.

Yet, at the same time, I’m not sure that would have worked. The four remaining characters are all pretty flawed, with some major issues. In that, it worked that the one character who was basically a nice guy is the one who goes missing, because a lot of the what was going on dealt with those issues. Unfortunately, that’s what made the characters not so likable.

It also seemed that none of them had grown much. One would think that, pushing forty, the characters would have more sense. I had a hard time seeing them as adults, their actions often being that of a teenager.

Having said all that, I still enjoyed the story, because it is a good story. And what was happening really tended to outweigh who it was happening to.

Hearts in Atlantis, King's newest fiction, is composed of five interconnected, sequential narratives, set in the years from 1960 to 1999. Each story is deeply rooted in the sixties, and each is haunted by the Vietnam War.

In Part One, "Low Men in Yellow Coats," eleven-year-old Bobby Garfield discovers a world of predatory malice in his own neighborhood. He also discovers that adults are sometimes not rescuers but at the heart of the terror.

In the title story, a bunch of college kids get hooked on a card game, discover the possibility of protest...and confront their own collective heart of darkness, where laughter may be no more than the thinly disguised cry of the beast.

In "Blind Willie" and "Why We're in Vietnam," two men who grew up with Bobby in suburban Connecticut try to fill the emptiness of the post-Vietnam era in an America which sometimes seems as hollow -- and as haunted -- as their own lives.

And in "Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling," this remarkable book's denouement, Bobby returns to his hometown where one final secret, the hope of redemption, and his heart's desire may await him.

Full of danger, full of suspense, most of all full of heart, Stephen King's new book will take some readers to a place they have never been...and others to a place they have never been able to completely leave.

Like many other readers Low Men in Yellow Coats was my favorite story. I loved the relationship between Bobby and Ted, the older man who moves into the building where Bobby and his mother live, and the slightly supernatural element that plays a huge part in both their lives.

Bobby’s relationship with Carol, his friend, or “girlfriend,” also adds much to the story. It’s their first love, both lovely and heartbreaking.

I enjoyed the book, but I know I would have enjoyed it more if the focus had remained on Bobby Garfield, Carol Gerber, and Ted Brautigan. Instead, three of the stories focus on other people; Hearts in Atlantis, in fact, focuses on people they mostly didn’t know (Carol has a small part in it, but doesn’t really do much.) I never did get what was going on. It was hard to imagine so many boys throwing away their college scholarships over a card game.

Both Blind Willie and Why We’re in Vietnam brings things closer to home, but still don’t have the magic of the first story. Even Heavenly Shades… isn’t all I would have hoped for.

So, basically, the four stars are because of the first story, which would have earned five if it had been a stand-alone. I would have loved more about Bobby, Ted, and Carol; what their lives were, and what they would become.




( Mount TBR 2025 Book Links 1-20 )

21. We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
22. America First: Roosevelt vs. Lindbergh in the Shadow of War by H.W. Brands
23. American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham
24. The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
25. A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen
26. Lost and Found by Marilyn Harris
27. Strange Weather: Four Short Novels by Joe Hill
28. Three Wild Dogs by Markus Zusak
29. Full Throttle by Joe Hill
30. Lost in a Good Book (Thursday Next #2) by Jasper Fforde
31. Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky
32. Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King










Katsu, Ketchum, King, or Koontz
1. You Like It Darker by Stephen King
2. Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King




JUN- “No Biz Like Show Biz”: Read a book in which the character(s) is involved in some aspect of the entertainment industry OR read a book that has been turned into a tv show or movie.

Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King

Hearts In Atlantis: 2001
Director: Scott Hicks
Writers: Stephen King, William Goldman
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Anton Yelchin, Hope Davis

I know it’s been nine months, but I’ve finally managed to put together a report of sorts on my trip to England. Things did not go as planned.

Sept 4, 2024

My flight from Grand Rapids to O’Hare was probably the best part of my trip over. I got there around 10am and then spent almost a full day at O’Hare, waiting for my flight. Once I was finally seated my seat mate sneezed and hacked her way across the Atlantic. Unfortunately, the plane was full so I couldn’t be moved. Or she couldn’t. Anyway, I hoped for the best.

It had been agreed that Anne would pick me up and that we’d head for her brother’s house. I had worn a mask during the trip over and kept it on in the car. I’d met Neil and his wife, Andrea, during a previous trip, and was eager to spend time with them again.

Sept 5, 2024

It was a lovely day, so we decided to do some sightseeing.

Our first stop was the Middle Littleton Tithe Barn, one of the largest and most notable tithe barns in England. It’s rumored that Richard and his men camped in the barn on their way to Bosworth, but there’s no historical evidence to confirm it.




From there we drove to Pershore Abbey. Its main claim to fame is its age. Its foundation is alluded to in a charter of King Ethelred of Mercia (675-704 AD.) Fires, storms and an earthquake battered the Abbey, but Henry VIII came the closest to destroying it during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Most of the Abbey was demolished, with only the tower, choir and south transept remaining.




From there we drove back to Worcester, where we made time to visit its cathedral.

While some form of the Cathedral has been in place since 680AD, the present building was begun in 1084. It’s a magnificent building, whose major claims to fame are the tombs of King John, and Prince Arthur Tudor, Henry VII’s eldest son who died at the age of sixteen at Ludlow Castle.




The River Severn runs behind the cathedral, which stands on a cliff on the left bank. It’s a lovely spot. Lots of swans!




Sept 6, 2024

Left for Middleham. It was evening by the time we got there, so we checked in at the Priory and then walked over for a creme tea at the Middleham cafe.

The next day it rained all day, so we stayed in. Mostly watched tv, until dinner time when we went down the street to the Richard III Inn. Their food is usually excellent, but my appetite wasn’t what it normally is. By the time we got back to the Priory I was feeling a bit under the weather.

Felt pretty good when I woke up, so we went down for breakfast. That’s when it hit. I barely made it back to the room, where I collapsed on the bed. The proprietress had a covid test kit, which she kindly gave to us. It was positive. Luckily, Anne had had covid just a few months before, so was still immune. I slept most of the day and that night.


Sept 9, 2024

I was still feeling low, not bad, just not great. So no visiting Middleham Castle or York; no heading up to Hexham and Hadrian’s Wall. Instead we decided to drive back to London.

Apparently, having had the covid vaccine, I had a mild case of it. For the next week I either slept or we watched movies. It wasn’t a terrible time; Anne is always fun to hang out with. And we both love horror movies, so there was A Knock at the Cabin, and all three Quiet Place movies. A little different was Wicked Little Letters. I loved it, though certainly wasn’t what I’d had in mind!

Sept 17, 2024

I tested negative! And since I was feeling pretty good, we decided to try for a short day out. I’m not what you’d call a Tudor fan, but I’d always wanted to see Hever Castle, where Anne Boleyn grew up. We met up with Chris, another good friend, and spent a few hours roaming the grounds and the castle.






It’s not as big as I thought it would be, but the grounds are spectacular. I bought an Anne Boleyn bear, but not an Henry VIII.




Sept 18, 2024

We headed into town, stopping first at the Jewel Tower. THere’s not much left of it, but it was still interesting. At one time or another it’s been a Tudor storeroom, a House of Lords record archive, and the National Weights and Measures office.



I’d been to Westminster Cathedral before, but it’s so huge, there’s always something to see. So many outstanding people are buried there that have nothing to do with royalty.



Of course, there are those, too.



We only stayed a couple of hours. Though I felt fine, I still tired easily. So back to Anne’s for another movie. Later I packed up for my trip home.

Sept 19, 2024

It’s lucky that I hadn’t had a worse case of covid, because getting home was a nightmare. They changed my seat on the plane (from aisle to a middle seat,) which wasn’t terrible, but I’d payed for the aisle seat (I was later able to get a refund.) The flight was okay, but O’Hare was a mess.

Customs was its usually trial. I think it took over an hour to get through (as opposed to at Heathrow where it took 10 minutes.) Then I had to get my bags, go through security again, then take a bus from the terminal where we landed to where my gate for home was. AThe line for that was another half hour, at least. Of course the bus dropped us off on the other end of the terminal, so I had to hoof it all the way to my gate. I managed to get there with twenty minutes to spare.

I’m hoping to go back next year. Of course that all depends on what’s going on with the Orange tyrant and his minions. By then they may be pulling citizens aside and not allowing them back in. I don’t know, maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing as long as BA flew me back to England.

A little door that opens to a world of fairy tale wonders becomes the blood-drenched stomping ground for a gang of hunters in “Faun.” A grief-stricken librarian climbs behind the wheel of an antique Bookmobile to deliver fresh reads to the dead in “Late Returns.” In “By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain,” two young friends stumble on the corpse of a plesiosaur at the water’s edge, a discovery that forces them to confront the inescapable truth of their own mortality . . . and other horrors that lurk in the water’s shivery depths. And tension shimmers in the sweltering heat of the Nevada desert as a faceless trucker finds himself caught in a sinister dance with a tribe of motorcycle outlaws in “Throttle,” co-written with Stephen King.

I’m not normally one for short stories, but I do so enjoy Hill’s writing. And there were some in this collection that I enjoyed immensely. Throttle, which is the only story that doesn’t have a supernatural or sci-fi slant, is really quite good, but I enjoyed the stories that did wander off into strange avenues. Dark Carousel, Faun, and especially Late Return are favorites when it came to the supernatural, but it was the sci-fi story,You Are Released, that was my favorite.

Of course there were those that I didn’t care for, some not at all, mostly those whose endings were a bit too dark for me; YMMV on that.

Still, I felt the book leaned enough into the worth reading column. Maybe because many of the stories are quite long, sort of pushing out into novella territory, that I was able to overlook the stories that I wasn’t all that crazy about.




( Mount TBR 2025 Book Links 1-20 )

21. We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
22. America First: Roosevelt vs. Lindbergh in the Shadow of War by H.W. Brands
23. American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham
24. The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
25. A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen
26. Lost and Found by Marilyn Harris
27. Strange Weather: Four Short Novels by Joe Hill
28. Three Wild Dogs by Markus Zusak
29. Full Throttle by Joe Hill

A collection of four chilling novels, ingeniously wrought gems of terror from the brilliantly imaginative, Joe Hill

Snapshot is the disturbing story of a Silicon Valley adolescent who finds himself threatened by “The Phoenician,” a tattooed thug who possesses a Polaroid Instant Camera that erases memories, snap by snap.

A young man takes to the skies to experience his first parachute jump. . . and winds up a castaway on an impossibly solid cloud, a Prospero’s island of roiling vapor that seems animated by a mind of its own in Aloft.

On a seemingly ordinary day in Boulder, Colorado, the clouds open up in a downpour of nails—splinters of bright crystal that shred the skin of anyone not safely under cover. Rain explores this escalating apocalyptic event, as the deluge of nails spreads out across the country and around the world.

In Loaded, a mall security guard in a coastal Florida town courageously stops a mass shooting and becomes a hero to the modern gun rights movement. But under the glare of the spotlights, his story begins to unravel, taking his sanity with it. When an out-of-control summer blaze approaches the town, he will reach for the gun again and embark on one last day of reckoning.

I’m loving Joe Hill’s work almost as much as his father’s (which he probably hates hearing.) I’ll read anything he writes. Haven’t been disappointed yet. Certainly not with this collection. I especially like that they’re more novellas than short stories. And while they tend to veer more toward science fiction, they all have touches of horror.

As I see them:

Snapshot: Creepy and horrifying, yet bittersweet, too, as the protagonist finds love in the most unexpected place. I was hoping for a different ending, but things don’t always work out the way we want. No matter my feelings about it, it made sense.


Loaded: Watching as, step by step, the inevitable happens. Terrifying how likely something like this could happen. Actually, may have already happened. I hated the ending, though.


Aloft: A unique story, more sci-fi than horror. I loved how the young man works out as to what’s going on, and how to deal with it.


Rain: Another more sci-fi than horror, though horrifying enough. I loved the main protagonist; she could definitely take care of herself, though a little help is always welcome. Didn’t see the ending to this one coming. I think it was my favorite story of the four.




( Mount TBR 2025 Book Links 1-20 )

21. We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
22. America First: Roosevelt vs. Lindbergh in the Shadow of War by H.W. Brands
23. American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham
24. The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
25. A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen
26. Lost and Found by Marilyn Harris
27. Strange Weather: Four Short Novels by Joe Hill

How do you start over after the end of the world?

Six years after a global pandemic wiped out most of the planet’s population, the survivors are rebuilding the country, split between self-governing cities, hippie communes and wasteland gangs.

In post-apocalyptic San Francisco, former pop star Moira has created a new identity to finally escape her past—until her domineering father launches a sweeping public search to track her down. Desperate for a fresh start herself, jaded event planner Krista navigates the world on behalf of those too traumatized to go outside, determined to help everyone move on—even if they don’t want to. Rob survived the catastrophe with his daughter, Sunny, but lost his wife. When strict government rules threaten to separate parent and child, Rob needs to prove himself worthy in the city’s eyes by connecting with people again.

Krista, Moira, Rob and Sunny are brought together by circumstance, and their lives begin to twine together. But when reports of another outbreak throw the fragile society into panic, the friends are forced to finally face everything that came before—and everything they still stand to lose.

Because sometimes having one person is enough to keep the world going.

This is a truly different take on what goes on after a global pandemic; probably not since Alas, Babylon, has a book focused so much on, not how people got there, but where do they go from here. Yes, the pandemic is important, since it set the stage for what was to come. But people lives must go on.

All four characters are well drawn, though Sunny probably not as much as the grownups, since there is less history to draw from. Yet, at the same time, she is very much in the center of what is going on with the three people within her orbit. So while Sunny’s character changes very little, Krista’s, Moira’s, and Rob’s certainly do. All three must face the mistakes of their pasts, and deal with them within the difficult surroundings of a world vastly changed. How they do so shows their growth as individuals. Even more importantly, it shows that, just maybe, there will still be a future for them.




( Mount TBR 2025 Book Links 1-20 )

21. We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
22. America First: Roosevelt vs. Lindbergh in the Shadow of War by H.W. Brands
23. American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham
24. The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
25. A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen

A young woman wins the role of a lifetime in a film about a legendary heroine — but the real drama is behind the scenes in this sumptuous historical epic from the author of Mexican Gothic.

1950s Hollywood: Every actress wants to play Salome, the star-making role in a big-budget movie about the legendary woman whose story has inspired artists since ancient times.

So when the film’s mercurial director casts Vera Larios, an unknown Mexican ingenue, in the lead role, she quickly becomes the talk of the town. Vera also becomes an object of envy for Nancy Hartley, a bit player whose career has stalled and who will do anything to win the fame she believes she richly deserves.

Two actresses, both determined to make it to the top in Golden Age Hollywood—a city overflowing with gossip, scandal, and intrigue—make for a sizzling combination.

But this is the tale of three women, for it is also the story of the princess Salome herself, consumed with desire for the fiery prophet who foretells the doom of her stepfather, Herod: a woman torn between the decree of duty and the yearning of her heart.

Before the curtain comes down, there will be tears and tragedy aplenty in this sexy Technicolor saga.

The book is slow to start, as we’re introduced to the main characters. There’s Vera, who has lucked into a prime role. Nancy, who probably isn’t as talented as she thinks she is. And then there’s Salome, whose story is intertwined with that of the actress who’s portraying her. There’s also the men in their lives, who don’t come across as strongly as the women do. Their roles are very much second string.

This is definitely a step away from Moreno-Garcia’s usual work; there’s not a touch of the mystical, and the only horror is the way some of the characters are willing to do anything in order to get ahead. I have to say, I missed the unworldliness that usually permeates her books.

It wasn’t until near the end that the pace picks up; enough to make up for the rest of the book. The tragedy of their lives comes full circle with Salome’s. No one walks away unscathed.




( Mount TBR 2025 Book Links 1-20 )

21. We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
22. America First: Roosevelt vs. Lindbergh in the Shadow of War by H.W. Brands
23. American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham
24. The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia







MAY: “Virtual Book Club” - Read a book from a celebrity/influencer book club list, an organization’s book club list, your library’s book club lists, or a book club you’re a part of.

Good Morning America Book Club
The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Still on the comedy concert kick, though I did manage to watch some excellent (and one really bad,) movies, though none in April. There are a lot more movies I'd like to see, and maybe will get to them this month. Until then, it's good to be able to laugh about something.

MOVIES WATCHED IN MARCH

Jim Gaffigan: The Skinny (2024)
Jim Gaffigan weighs in on everything from raising teenagers to appetite suppressants-but he's never light on laughs.
Director: Jim Gaffigan
Star: Jim Gaffigan

Another very funny comedian. If you like your comedy clean, he’s the one for you.

Mar 4 - Jim Gaffigan: Cinco (2017)
The king of clean comedy returns for his fifth hour long comedy special.
Director: Jeannie Gaffigan
Stars: Jim Gaffigan, Marre Gaffigan, Katie Gaffigan

Another enjoyable Gaffigan comedy special.

Mar 5 - Craig Ferguson: I’m So Happy (2024)
Ferguson returns to the spotlight and despite life's setbacks - his recent bout with an unknown calcified infection that plagued his eyeball, a nasty UTI, long covid, his fear of millennials, and having to tiptoe his comedy around foreign accents and his wife - Craig Ferguson is still so happy.
Director: Edwin Licona
Star: Craig Ferguson

We used to watch Ferguson’s late night show. God, the man was hilarious. So we decided to give this one a shot. Glad we did. I think he’s my favorite comedian now. I could watch his specials over and over again.

Mar 7 - The Substance (2024)
A fading celebrity takes a black-market drug: a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself.
Director: Coralie Fargeat
Stars: Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid

This is about the weirdest, dumbest movie I’ve seen in a long time. It made absolutely no sense. Plus, it’s super gross. How it garnered any Academy nominations is beyond me.

Mar 12 - Paddington in Peru (2024)
Paddington returns to Peru to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears. With the Brown family in tow, a thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey.
Director: Dougal Wilson
Stars: Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Ben Whishaw

I hadn’t seen any Paddington movies; never read any of the books. But I really didn’t have to to enjoy this movie. It’s cute, funny and heartwarming.

Mar 13 - Last Breath (2025)
A true story that follows seasoned deep-sea divers as they battle the raging elements to rescue their crew mate trapped hundreds of feet below the ocean's surface.
Director: Alex Parkinson
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, Finn Cole

An intense and compelling story, made all the more intriguing because it’s true. Harrelson is the only actor I recognized, but they all did a great job. Highly recommended.

Mar 14 - I Am Somebody’s Child: The Regina Louise Story (2019)
Regina Louise, an abandoned black child, is placed in a home where she demonstrates anger issues. Jeanne Kerr, a white counselor, empathizes with her and they form a bond which leads to a petition for adoption. The home's director, a black woman, informs her that she will fight the petition, believing that a black child could not be raised by a white woman; the judge agrees. Regina is sent to a private institution and Jeanne's attempts to communicate with her are hindered. When Regina comes of age the institution releases her, with no financial or other support; however, they turn over all of Jeanne's letters which had been withheld from her. Regina pursues an education and begins a search for the woman she always thought of as her mother.
Director: Janice Cooke
Stars: Ginnifer Goodwin, Angela Fairley, Sherri Saum

Very much a Lifetime movie. Clichéd, and a bit sappy. Why my cousin was so enthralled by it is beyond me, but I have to blame him for me watching it.

Mar 15 - Paddington (2014)
A young Peruvian bear travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddington Station, he meets the kindly Brown family, who offer him a temporary haven.
Director: Paul King
Stars: Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Nicole Kidman

I loved learning Paddington’s back story. A lovely start to a lovely movie series.

Mar 15 - Paddington 2 (2017)
Paddington, now happily settled with the Brown family and a popular member of the local community, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy's 100th birthday, only for the gift to be stolen.
Director: Paul King
Stars: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins

Hugh Grant is hilarious in this second Paddington outing. He plays wicked funnily with the best.

Mar 15 - Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
A young couple trying for a baby moves into an aging, ornate apartment building on Central Park West, where they find themselves surrounded by peculiar neighbors.
Director: Roman Polanski
Stars: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Maurice Evans

I always thought this was a strange movie, and seeing it again after so many years didn’t change my mind. A “devil” movie I found not at all frightening.

Mar 16 - Midway (2019)
The story of the Battle of Midway, told by the leaders and the sailors who fought it.
Director: Roland Emmerich
Stars: Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid

Good solid entertainment. Not much into WWII battles, but I may pick up a book about this one.

Mar 18 - Captain from Castile (1947)
The invasion of Mexico by Cortez, as seen by a young Spanish officer fleeing the Inquisition.
Director: Henry King
Stars: Tyrone Power, Jean Peters, Cesar Romero, Lee J. Cobb

An old favorite. Power wasn’t the greatest actor in the world, but he sure was good to look at. Stays pretty close to the book, too.

Mar 19 - Interstellar (2014)
When Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans.
Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Ellen Burstyn,
john Lithgow, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Caine

Picked up information that I missed the first time I saw this movie. It’s interesting, but you do have to pay attention.

Mar 20 - Gladiator II (2024)
After his home is conquered by the tyrannical emperors who now lead Rome, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum and must look to his past to find strength to return the glory of Rome to its people.
Director: Ridley Scott
Stars: Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Derek Jacobi

I don’t think it was as good as the first movie, but, hey, Pedro Pascal. What more could I ask for? *g*

Mar 22 - A Real Pain (2024)
Mismatched cousins reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother, but their old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.
Director: Jesse Eisenberg
Stars: Kieran Culkin, Jesse Eisenberg, Olha Bosova

Quirky, and it takes a while to get going, but well worth watching.

Mar 24 - Flow (2024)
Cat is a solitary animal, but as its home is devastated by a great flood, he finds refuge on a boat populated by various species, and will have to team up with them despite their differences.
Director: Gints Zilbalodis

I absolutely adore this movie! Amazing how they managed to bring the animals truly to life without them saying a word.

Mar 24 - Coco (2017)
Aspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family's ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer.
Directors: Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina
Stars: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Gabriel Iglesias, Edward James Olmos

The “we have to watch” movie whenever I visit home. Never get tired of it.

Mar 24 - The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
A banker convicted of uxoricide forms a friendship over a quarter century with a hardened convict, while maintaining his innocence and trying to remain hopeful through simple compassion.
Director: Frank Darabont
Stars: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, James Whitmore

Probably one of the best movies ever made. Can’t recommend it enough.

Mar 28 - Bill Burr: Drop Dead Years (2025)
In what might be his most personal and introspective one-hour special yet, comedian Bill Burr offers hilarious takes on everything from male sadness to dating advice.
Director: Ben Tishler
Stars: Bill Burr, Club Soda Kenny

Another great comedian. His biting humor is hilarious.

Mar 29 - Lewis Black: Tragically, I Need You (2023)
Lewis Black brings his inimitable insights to the "post"-pandemic state of world. "Tragically, I Need You" picks up where his last special left off.
Director: Ben Brewer
Star: Lewis Black

Not as good as some of his other work, but still enjoyable.


MOVIES WATCHED IN APRIL

Apr 1-2 - Craig Ferguson Presents: Hobo Fabulous (2019)
Comedy series featuring a mix of stand-up performances and behind-the-scenes documentary footage of Craig Ferguson's 50-date tour of North America.
Star: Craig Ferguson

And then back to my favorite comedian. I loved the behind-the scenes view.

Apr 3 - Craig Ferguson: Just Being Honest (2015)
In his second comedy special for EPIX, Craig Ferguson puts his sometimes cheeky, always irreverent spin on universal topics from sex and drugs to rock & roll-including his hilarious experiences with Mick Jagger and Kenny G.
Director: Jay Chapman
Star: Craig Ferguson

Still on a Ferguson kick and loving it.

Apr 5 -: Steven Michael Quezada: The New Mexican (2022)
Follow the NEW Mexican ! award winning actor and stand-up comedian Steven Michael Quezada as he reveals his hilariously painful realities of married life, raising three teenage daughters, being a touring comic and Breaking Bad star.
Director: Brian Volk-Weiss
Star: Steven Michael Quezada

Pleasantly funny, but not rolling on the floor hilarious. I didn’t know he was an actor, having never seen him in anything, but my husband watched Breaking Bad, so figured it was worth watching


Apr 6 - Dana Carvey: Straight, White Male, 60 (2016)
Emmy-winning comedy legend Dana Carvey returns to the stage with a routine that blends pitch-perfect impressions of big personalities with so-true-it-hurts stories about being a dad of millennials, the joys of aging, and pharmaceuticals.
Director: Marcus Raboy
Stars: Dana Carvey, Dex Carvey, Thomas Carvey

This was okay, but I expected more from Carvey.

Apr 9 - Craig Ferguson: Tickle Fight (2017)
Cheeky comic Craig Ferguson keeps it casual as he discusses 1970's porn, Japanese toilets and his mildly crime-filled days as a talk show host.
Director: Jay Chapman
Star: Craig Ferguson

So loved hearing about what was going on back stage during his late night show. Still funny as ever.

Apr 11 - Gabriel Iglesias: Stadium Fluffy (2022)
Features Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias as he talks about growing up in Los Angeles, an attempt at extortion towards him, and where he holds the record for receiving the highest fine on stage.
Director: Manny Rodriguez
Stars: Gabriel Iglesias, Martin Moreno, Alfred Robles

Some comedians shouldn’t get too introspective. Iglesias is one of them. While funny, the special wasn’t as funny as I’d come to expect from him.

Apr 25 - Michelle Wolf: So Great to be Here (2023)
Follows comedian Michelle Wolf as she covers a wide range of subjects, including relationships, sexual harassment, racial issues, and adjusting to a new culture.
Star: Michelle Wolf

Wow, this woman doesn’t hold back. But it’s all funny.

Apr 26 - Michelle Wolf: Joke Show (2019)
Comedian Michelle Wolf takes on outrage culture, massages, childbirth, feminism and much more (like otters) in a stand-up special from New York City.
Director: Lance Bangs
Star: Michelle Wolf

Outrageous but extremely funny, though some might find it uncomfortable to listen to.

Apr 29 - Craig Ferguson: Does This Need To Be Said? (2011)
If you only know Craig Ferguson as host of The Late Late Show or as Drew Carey's sitcom boss, you're missing out. The gloriously ribald Scot takes to the stage in this all-new extended and uncensored stand-up special for a night of jokes and storytelling peppered with the kinds of words he's not allowed to say on network TV.
Director: Keith Truesdell
Stars: Craig Ferguson, Jeff Arnold, Chris Saladin

An older concert, but Ferguson was funny even then. Unfortunately, until he does another special, that’s probably all she wrote.

From an author “destined to become a titan of the macabre and unsettling” (Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author), a haunting debut—soon to be a Netflix original movie—about two homeowners whose lives are turned upside down when the house’s previous residents unexpectedly visit.

As a young, queer couple who flip houses, Charlie and Eve can’t believe the killer deal they’ve just gotten on an old house in a picturesque neighborhood. As they’re working in the house one day, there’s a knock on the door. A man stands there with his family, claiming to have lived there years before and asking if it would be alright if he showed his kids around. People pleaser to a fault, Eve lets them in.

As soon as the strangers enter their home, inexplicable things start happening, including the family’s youngest child going missing and a ghostly presence materializing in the basement. Even more weird, the family can’t seem to take the hint that their visit should be over. And when Charlie suddenly vanishes, Eve slowly loses her grip on reality. Something is terribly wrong with the house and with the visiting family—or is Eve just imagining things?

This unputdownable and spine-tingling novel “is like quicksand: the further you delve into its pages, the more immobilized you become by a spiral of terror. We Used to Live Here will haunt you even after you have finished it” (Agustina Bazterrica, author of Tender Is the Flesh).

Such an eerie, terrifying book. It’s been a long time since a horror story was able to creep me out so much that I was hesitant to turn off the lights. What was real and what wasn’t was so intertwined with things that do happen to people that you could easily start to wonder about your own reality.

The story becomes unsettling almost from the start, but slowly turns to horror for Eve. Because of her past, she does things that most people wouldn’t, and soon she’s caught in a maelstrom of terrifying proportions. I guess the main takeaway is never let strangers into your house.

Unfortunately, there is a downside to the book. A lot of what’s going on is never explained. Maybe the author wanted the reader to decide, but without that missing explanations it’s impossible to do so. And just when you decide that, yes, this is what’s going on, the author throws in another red herring.

I’m not counting on it, but a sequel would really help.




( Mount TBR 2025 Book Links 1-20 )

21. We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer






Adapted as movie/series
1. We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

In the small town of Green Hill, all the children belong to an evil, magical, and entirely secret cult. For generations, every child in Green Hill has belonged to this cult until he reaches puberty. Then all evil, and all memory of evil acts committed, disappears. Only the children know of the ceremonies that take place on moonlit nights and in the caves that lie underneath the town's foundations...

Ben Tompkins has never seen a nicer bunch of people than the ones he met in Green Hill. That’s why he decided to move himself and his son, Jimmy, there when his wife had a horrifying mental breakdown. Ben doesn’t know about the children of Green Hill. But Jimmy is about to discover their terrifying secret…and pay the price for that knowledge.

Maybe not the worst horror story I’ve read, but it comes pretty close. I really could have done without the explicit torture. He especially seemed to have a thing about torturing animals, though the main character goes through so much I don’t really see how he could have survived. I had to skim a lot of that.

All that is too bad, because the premise showed promise. But much of it went unexplained, so the reader is left with some basic questions unanswered. Plus, the characters, the children especially, were pretty two dimensional.

I’ve read other books by this author and enjoyed them. So maybe this being his first novel has something to do with it not being up to par. Fortunately, it’s a fast read.




Mount TBR 2025 Book Links


Links are to more information regarding each book or author, not to the review.

1. The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson
2. The Silence of the Girls (Women of Troy #1) by Pat Barker
3. Withered + Sere (Immemorial Year #1) by T.J. Klune
4. The Traitor's Son by Wendy Johnson
5. All That Heaven Allows: A Biography of Rock Hudson by Mark Griffin
6. You Like It Darker by Stephen King, Thomas Hayman (Illustrations)
7. The Fireman by Joe Hill
8. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
9. Lark Ascending by Silas House
10. Memorials by Richard Chizmar
11. The Russo-Ukrainian War: The Return of History by Serhii Plokhy
12. Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
13. The Border by Robert McCammon
14. The 2084 Report: An Oral History of the Great Warming by James Lawrence Powell
15. Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
16. All Over the Town by R. F. Delderfield
17. The Last Days of Richard III and the Fate of His DNA: The Book That Inspired the Dig by John Ashdown-Hill
18. Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean #2) by T.J. Klune
19. Blood of the Children by Alan Rodgers







Frightening Cover
1. Blood of the Children




APR- “Spring Cleaning”

Read a book that’s been on your TBR (to be read) list for two or more years.

Blood of the Children by Alan Rodgers