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July 12, 2023

Ben Reviews: Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding

As an American man who got married at the age of 29, I’m not the intended audience for this book. So take the rest of this with a grain of salt, I guess. I understand that it began as a series of semi-autobiographical articles that became so popular that a novel was requested. I think I can understand the appeal...

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July 3, 2023

Ben Reviews: Battle Royale by Koushun Takami

Battle Royale is a gorey horror novel about a junior high school class in an alternate reality fascist Japan. These students are taken to an island and forced to kill each other in a game that would go on to inspire PUBG, Fortnite, Call of Duty Warzone, etc, etc. The book’s political message is paper thin. The real draw of...

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June 3, 2023

Ben Reviews: Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay

Paul Tremblay is a good writer. This novel has a compelling premise. Unfortunately, the theme never quite comes together. The Cabin at the End of the World is essentially about the horror that exists between faith and doubt. A family in a remote cabin is visited by strangers claiming to be messengers of God (more or less), and the family...

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May 21, 2023

Ben Reviews: A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

I initially read this book in 2008. I was 20-years old. I remember liking it when I read it. This is one of the most well-read paperbacks I own from all of the friends I’ve lent it to over the years. I never considered it a perfect book, but I’m really surprised how much my opinion of the book has...

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April 24, 2023

Ben Reviews: One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

One of Us Is Lying is a predictable, trope-laden, YA, American high school crime drama. I absolutely loved it. To be fair, though, I’m a bit of a connoisseur of such things. Karen McManus relies on so many tropes and cliches that it is not an exaggeration to say that once I had read each character’s perspective for the first...

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April 12, 2023

Ben Reviews – Star Wars: Thrawn by Timothy Zahn

This ain’t your grand daddy’s Thrawn. This is a new Thrawn, for a new for a new generation. This is Thrawnlock Holmes. There’s even a Moriarty figure that he has to go up against! In all seriousness, I have had my ups and downs with the Star Wars franchise. Truth be told, I have always enjoyed the Star Wars books...

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April 8, 2023

Ben Reviews – City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

I get the impression that the average reader’s fondness for City of Bones by Cassandra Clare is based at least a little bit on when they came across it in their reading journey. If this was among the first Urban Fantasies that a reader ever came across, then I understand why it might hold a special place in their heart....

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January 30, 2023

Review: How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie

I think Bella Mackie said it best. “Christ, I’m rambling again.” Mackie, Bella. How to Kill Your Family: A Novel (p. 327). The Overlook Press. Kindle Edition. How to Kill Your Family is not really a book about a young woman killing her family. How to Kill Your Family is a book about a young woman moving through classist British...

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January 3, 2023

Book Barbarian: Sketchy Mailing List or Hidden Indie Gem?

The year was 2019. Little did I know how the world was about to change over the next few months. I was going to start a podcast! A few months after that it was 2020 and COVID destroyed all of our lives. At this stage of Words About Books’ development we were still trying to figure out exactly what our...

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December 19, 2022

Should You Read: The Satanic Bible by Anton LaVey

Short answer: No. Long answer: What is Satanism? Anton LaVey founded The Church of Satan on Walpurgisnacht (which we all know is April 30th) 1966. Perhaps the most important thing to note right off the bat is that The Church of Satan does not worship a literal Satan. LaVeyan Satanists are essentially theatrical atheists who have adopted demonic imagery from...

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