TsalagiWriter
Review
3 Stars
Dark Memories Wandering Souls: True Haunted Accounts in the Amish Heartland by Donna M. Miller
Dark Memories Wandering Souls - Donna Miller

Dark Memories Wandering Souls is the author's true story of paranormal experiences throughout her life. The book begins with her childhood and the trauma she endured due to her grandfather. She then shares the experiences she has had in her adult and the paranormal investigating activities she does with her sisters.

I liked the book, but it needed some editing. There were spelling errors and misused words. It also kind of jumped around. It would go from telling one to another right away and sometimes I needed to reread to see the author was telling about different experiences.

It is by no means a bad book. I liked it and I know it how it hard it must have been hard to share her traumatic experiences in such a public form. I think all it needed was some editing to really make it shine.

It is a good book and I liked reading about the author's paranormal experiences.

Review
3 Stars
The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings
The Dark Horse Book Of Hauntings - Paul Chadwick, P. Craig Russell, Mike Mignola

The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings has eight stories by various authors. I found this while browsing my library's catalog online. And it was a happy surprise find a Hellboy story in here! It is one of my favorite stories in this graphic novel. Some of the stories were okay, others I really enjoyed.

I liked the interview with medium Larry Dreller. And I found the final story in this graphic novel to be very original. I didn't find it scary, but I really enjoyed it. I don't want to spoil it for anyone.

This was an enjoyable graphic novel.

Review
4 Stars
Tomes of Terror: Haunted Bookstores and Libraries by Mark Leslie
Tomes of Terror: Haunted Bookstores and Libraries - Mark Leslie

One night, while I was browsing the online catalog for my library, I came across this book. It combines three things I love: bookstores, libraries and the paranormal. I just needed to read this book.

The book has three sections: Canada, United States of America and International. All three sections have plenty of spooky stories about ghosts haunting bookstores or libraries.

From reading Tomes of Terror, I found some places I'd love to visit. The Willard Library located in Evansville, Indiana is one thing. The cool thing about them is that they have ghost cams -which I now know thanks to this book - and with a quick search on Google, you can find them and watch them for a chance to see some paranormal activity.

The Haunted Bookshop in Melbourne, Australia is a bookstore I'd love to visit one day. Apparently, they have lots and lots of paranormal books and a ghost tour.

A few of the stories I really enjoyed were the one about the man who bought a military book and its former owner came home with him. And also, the one about R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike books ending up in piles on the floor.

Overall, it was a really great book of true ghost stories.

Review
4 Stars
Crossing Bok Chitto by Tim Tingle
Crossing Bok Chitto - Jeanne Rorex Bridges, Tim Tingle

Martha Tom knows she's not supposed to cross Bok Chitto, but she does one day in search of blackberries. Martha Tom hides behind a bush when she hears someone and soon she is discovered by a tall slave. He instructs his son, Little Mo, to help Martha Tom get home. A friendship begins between Martha Tom, Little Mo and his family.

A unique and wonderful story about friendship and freedom. It is based on Choctaw lore and I thought it was a great story with good illustrations.

Review
4 Stars
Saltypie by Tim Tingle
Saltypie: A Choctaw Journey from Darkness into Light - Karen Clarkson, Tim Tingle

A six-year-old boy gets stung by a bee and goes to his grandmother, who calls his hurt "saltypie". It brings back a memory from when she was younger and first moved into her home. A boy had thrown a rock at her which caused her to blood. Her two-year-old saw the red on her facing, thinking it was something else, tasted it and called it saltypie.

This is a great picture book that helps to teach about modern Indians and some of the bad treatment was/is experienced.

Review
3.5 Stars
Halloween Night by Arden Druce
Halloween Night by Arden Druce (2001-07-01) - Arden Druce

This is a Halloween themed guess book and it is a lot of fun. The rhymes are quite good. I really enjoyed this book.

Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews
Flowers in the Attic - V.C. Andrews
The Dollanganger children had perfect lives. A nice home and loving parents. But, when their father dies in an accident, their lives change drastically.

The mother not able to support herself or her children begins to write letters to her millionaire parents. Eventually, they write back and soon the children are swept off to Foxworth home where their mother had grown up.

The children were taken to a room which would be locked. Only for a night until their grandfather forgave their mother. A night turned into few, then into days, weeks, months and years. Four once perfect children imprisoned in a room with a mother who was no longer loving towards them or visited them. And no one, besides the mother and grandmother, knew they existed. Somehow, they had to escape.

I had watched the original movie many years ago and last year I watched all the movies Lifetime made of theDollanganger series. I had gotten the book as a gift from a friend Christmas 2014.

I had never read this book before or any others by V.C. Andrews. The first thing that stuck out to me was the author's writing. Andrews had a very nice writing style that was all her own.

The characters were well-developed and I felt the children's anxieties as if I were right there imprisoned with them. Such cruel grandparents. And a cruel mother, for that matter. How could the mother go from being so loving to heartless? Was being a loving mother just an act? Did she think that was how her husband, Christopher, wanted her to be? I don't know. But as soon as she agreed to lock her children in a room, I didn't like her.

I felt bad for the all the children and liked them all as characters. There were times I didn't like Chris as he wasn't always very nice to Cathy and some of his actions were worrying.

I very much liked the book. It was well-written and I couldn't put it down.
 
 

 

Review
3 Stars
Normally, This Would be Cause for Concern: Tales of Calamity and Unrelenting Awkwardness by Danielle Fishel
Normally, This Would be Cause for Concern: Tales of Calamity and Unrelenting Awkwardness - Danielle Fishel

Danielle Fishel is an actress known for role as Topanga inBoy Meets World, a role she has since reprised in Girl Meets World. I grew up watching Boy Meets World and so when I found out that Danielle Fishel had written a book, I had to read it.

This memoir is not in chronological order. There is actually quite a bit of jumping around from chapter to chapter and even within chapters. It's not something I'm used to when reading biographies of celebrities, but it didn't necessarily make this memoir bad, just very different. And if you think you'll find scandalous stories in here, you won't. Danielle Fishel is pretty much just a normal person. And that's okay. I don't need celebrities to do anything scandalous in order for me to read their biographies.

What you will find in here is a lot of cute and funny stories. I feel that this memoir is written in a way that keeps the reader at a distance - you never really feel you've gotten to know Danielle through the stories she shares. She just tells them as they happen, but there is really no sharing of her feelings of events that happened.

It's not a bad memoir. It's honestly a lot of fun and I laughed out loud a few times. I enjoyed reading this and I think fans of Danielle will enjoy it also.

Review
4 Stars
Princeless Vol. 2 by Jeremy Whitley
Princeless Volume 2 #1 (Princeless Volume 2: 1) - Jeremy Whitley, Emily Martin

King Ashe believes his daughter, Adrienne, was murdered by mysterious Knight that rides a dragon. He's gathered some of the best Knights to find this Knight.

And Adrienne continues on her journey. This time to save her sister Angelica, who is the most beautiful princess in all the land.

I enjoyed this just as much as volume one. I really love Adrienne and Bedelia. They are such great characters. I can't wait to read volume three.

Review
2.5 Stars
Everything Breaks by Vicki Grove
Everything Breaks - Vicki Grove
Innocent Wonder, that's what his friends call him. But one summer night, Tucker decides to not be so innocent. Although he was supposed to be the designated driver, he drinks too much and gets sick.

Trey took the wheel as Tucker was by the side of the road, feeling not so well. He told his friends he'd see them down the road and it was the last time he saw them alive.

This book had a lot of interesting ideas, but it was often confusing and not until the last few chapters I saw where the story was even going. The main characters were good, relatable. I liked the ending the best, but overall, I didn't really enjoy the book.
 

 

Review
4.5 Stars
Wish, Vol. 4 by Clamp
Wish, Vol. 04 - CLAMP

This is the final volume in the Wish series. Once I got to the second, I just sped through this series. I loved the characters, the story and I just really wanted to know what would happen next.

I have to say, this volume really made me tear up. It's so sad sometimes, but also a really sweet manga series.

I enjoyed this series very much. Volume 4 is my favorite.

Review
4 Stars
Wish Vol. 3 by Clamp
Wish, Vol. 03 - CLAMP

Shuichiro rescued Kohaku, an angel and she wanted to grant him a wish. The problem was, Shuichiro couldn't think of anything to wish for. So she moved in until he could think of something. Kohaku and Shuichiro have become pretty close, but God wants Kohaku back in Heaven.

Kohaku goes back to Heaven and can't understand why she feel so sad. She wonders, is it because of Shuichiro?

I'm really loving this series. In each volume, I find out more about the characters and I can't wait to find out what happens next.

Review
4 Stars
Wish Vol. 2 by Clamp
Wish, Vol. 2 - Clamp

Kohaku is an angel who was saved by human while searching for another angel on Earth. To repay his kindness, she wants to grant him a wish. He says there is nothing he needs. She has been with him for a while and she thinks finally she found a one to repay him for saving her.

I liked the first volume of this series, but it only got really good after about half way through. I decided to continue with this series and I am glad I did. I really enjoyed this volume. It is cute and very sweet at times. And a bit weird at other times. But, when you've got beings not of Earth hanging out with humans, what else can you expect?

It also has an interesting story that makes me want to keep reading. I think this volume was definitely better than the first.

Mankiller: A Chief and Her People by Wilma Mankiller
Mankiller: A Chief and Her People - Wilma Mankiller, Michael Wallis

Wilma Mankiller was the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation for 10 years. She was also the first female to be Principal Chief and so far, the only one.

While the book is mostly the autobiography of Wilma Mankiller, she explains that it is not just her story she's sharing, but also the story of the Cherokee.

And because of this, the book is filled with Cherokee history. I greatly enjoyed reading those parts, but even more, I enjoyed reading about this amazing woman's life. She did accomplish a lot and seems to have done a lot of good, but she also had many health problems.

While I did not agree with everything Wilma Mankiller said, I really liked this book and I do think she was very wise. If you want to learn about Wilma Mankiller, then this is the book for you. And you'll also learn a lot about the Cherokee as well.

Wilma Mankiller passed away in 2010. May she rest in peace.

Review
3.5 Stars
Wish Vol. 1 by Clamp
Wish, Vol. 01 - CLAMP

One night Shuichiro finds and saves an angel. To repay him, the angel wants to grant him a wish. But Shuichiro can't think of anything he wants. So, the angel moves in with him until he can think of a wish.

And Shuichiro soon learns angels aren't the only beings around.

I've read most of the Card Captor manga, which I love. I decided to check out what other series Clamp has. I figured I'd give this one a try.

At first, it was just okay. But I think the first volume gets much better as it goes on and now I can't wait to read the next volume to see what happens next. I like the characters and the story. I am definitely going to continue this series. 3 and a half stars for this volume.

Review
5 Stars
The Disaster Artist by Greg Sestero
The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made - Greg Sestero, Tom Bissell

The Room is a low-budget film released in 2003 and is considered one of the worst movies ever made. I watched the movie once, back when Adult Swim aired it the first time for their annual April Fools prank. And that once was enough for me. I'm not a fan of the movie, so that's not why I read this book.

I was interested in the behind the scenes of the movie. In all honesty, I was just wondering how the movie even got made.

It was interesting to read about and frustrating at the same time. I have to give respect to Greg and everyone else who worked on the movie. It seems, Tommy was extremely difficult to work with. And I'm really not sure what to think of Tommy Wiseau. There were at times from Greg recounting different memories that Tommy didn't seem so bad. He was very odd but kind and supportive.

Later, though, it seems Tommy got weirder and to me, very creepy. And whether the story he told Greg about his life is true, he is still a very strange person.

I know I won't watch the movie again, but this book was very good. It was an interesting look into Greg's life as well as Tommy's and how The Room was made.