Book Review #789 - Family Don't End With Blood: Cast and Fans on how Supernatural has Changed Lives by Lynn Zubernis

How a Show, and the Support of Its Fandom, Changed—and Saved—Lives

May 2017 marks the end of the twelfth season of the CW hit Supernatural, a television show about two demon-hunting brothers (and an angel) that is at the center of a fan community as tight-knit as family—a virtual support system that spans the globe. The three-time People’s Choice Award winner for Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show and Tumblr’s 2015 Most Reblogged “Live Action TV” show has made a name for itself by supporting and encouraging its fans to “always keep fighting,” a main theme echoed in the show, and demonstrating the inspiring truth to a memorable line from early in the show’s run: “Family don’t end with blood.”

In twenty powerful chapters written by Supernatural’s actors and fans, including series lead Jared Padalecki, Family Don’t End with Blood: How Supernatural Has Changed Lives examines the far reach of the show’s impact over the last eleven years. Supernatural has encouraged fans to change their lives, from getting “sober for Sam” to escaping a cult to pursuing lifelong dreams. But fans aren’t the only ones who have been changed. The actors who bring the show to life have also found, in the show and its community, inspiration, courage, and the strength to keep going when life seemed too hard.

In keeping with the show’s message to “always keep fighting,” and to support the important work of combatting stigma and encouraging those who are struggling to speak out, a portion of the proceeds from the book will be donated to charity Attitudes in Reverse, whose mission is to educate young people about mental health and suicide prevention.

Contributors from Supernatural’s cast include:

Jared Padelecki (“Sam Winchester”)

Jim Beaver (“Bobby Singer”)

Ruth Connell (“Rowena MacLeod”)

Osric Chau (“Kevin Tran”)

Rob Benedict (“Chuck Shurley aka God”)

Kim Rhodes (“Sheriff Jody Mills”)

Briana Buckmaster (“Sheriff Donna Hanscum”)

Matt Cohen (“Young John Winchester”)

Gil McKinney (“Henry Winchester”)

Rachel Miner (“Meg Masters”)

My Rating: 4/5

This book deals with the Supernatural TV show and the impact the show and its conventions have had on not only fans of the show but the cast as well.

The majority of the shows cast wrote stories in here from Jensen Ackles' page to Jared Padalecki's short story and many other in between. It really demonstrated that there is no other TV show out there that cares about its fans more than Supernatural.

There was just so much love for what is my favourite TV show in this book that it made me want to go back and rewatch the show (again). I even spoke to my mum so much about this book that she has started reading it (she is also a fan of the show). 

I loved all the fan stories as well and not just how the show saved them but how they originally found the show. I just found that part really interesting because the reason was different for each person.

January 2019 Wrap-Up

With the help of participating in the Biannual Bibliothon I managed to read a total of 15 books this month. 

My yearly goal is to read 100 books and this time last year I had only read 2 books. In total in 2018 I read 125 books so I am way ahead of my annual target. 

The books I read are: 

1. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare - this was a re-read and part of my goal to read/re-read all of Clare's books in 2019;

2. I'll be There For You by Kelsey Miller - This was my non-fiction read for January;

3. Twilight Graphic Novel Volume 2 - I read this for the Biannual Bibliothon challenge of combining a fav genre (fantasy) with a least fav format (graphic novels);

4. Lucky in Love by Kasie West - I read this for the Biannual Bibliothon challenge of reading a book by an author that is new to me;

5. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - I read this for the Biannual Bibliothon challenge of reading one of the hosts' 5 star reads;

6.  The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman - I read this for the Biannual Bibliothon challenge of reading an adult book; 

7. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray - I read this for the Biannual Bibliothon challenge of reading a book with an ugly cover;

8. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling - I read this for the Biannual Bibliothon challenge of re-reading a book that got me into reading;

9. Sadie by Courtney Summers - This was a book I was gifted at my book club's Christmas party and I took no time getting into it; 

10. John Lennon: A Restless Life by Ray Connolly - My hold of this book finally came in at the library so I was able to read it finally; 

11. Vicious by V.E. Schwab - This was my book club's book of the month; 

12. Voyager by Diana Gabaldon - I started re-reading this book in December but finally managed to finish it this month;

13. Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar - I read this as part of my goal to read one book from this series per month because they take up a whole shelf on my TBR;

14.  The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barberry - This was my January read for the 1001 Books challenge;

15. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand - This is one of the oldest books on my TBR

--MY READING IN JANUARY IN STATS--

Books Read: 15

TBR: 10

Library: 1

Re-reads: 4

Pages Read: 5,640

Books bought: 33

And my favourite read of the month was.........

Book Review #788 - The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts.

There are dangers and adventures for Bod in the graveyard. But it is in the land of the living that real danger lurks for it is there that the man Jack lives and he has already killed Bod's family.

My Rating: 3/5

I picked this book up in 2017 and DNF'd it not far into it which I am glad I did because reading it for the 2018 Spookathon was the perfect time to read a book like this.

This is my second Neil Gaiman book - the first being Coraline and I have so many of his others on my TBR so it definitely will not be my last.

This book is primarily set in a very old cemetery where a toddler finds himself after a man murdered his whole family. He is then brought up by his adopted ghost parents.

There were also famous ghosts present such as Victor Hugo and Harry Truman which along with all the other non-famous ghosts acted as a family for Nobody Owens (Bod). 

Book Review #787 - Night Film by Marisha Pessl

On a damp October night, 24-year-old Ashley Cordova is found dead in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan. Though her death is ruled a suicide, veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise. As he probes the strange circumstances surrounding Ashley's life and death, McGrath comes face-to-face with the legacy of her father: the legendary, reclusive cult-horror film director Stanislaus Cordova--a man who hasn't been seen in public for more than thirty years. 

For McGrath, another death connected to this seemingly cursed family dynasty seems more than just a coincidence. Though much has been written about Cordova's dark and unsettling films, very little is known about the man himself. 

Driven by revenge, curiosity, and a need for the truth, McGrath, with the aid of two strangers, is drawn deeper and deeper into Cordova's eerie, hypnotic world. The last time he got close to exposing the director, McGrath lost his marriage and his career. This time he might lose even more. 

My Rating: 3/5

I have heard nothing but positive things about this book for years and having added it to my TBR in June I finally decided to read it in October for the Spookathon reading challenge.

This book started out so well. I was captivated by the mystery, the pictures, the unique layout, the characters and then at some point I just got bored and it never recaptured my attention completely.

I definitely think that the book could have been shorter in length. This would have helped me love the book more as it just felt drawn out at times.

I loved that the story is essentially set around a fandom for an underground horror film director and the role the fansite played in helping solve the mystery.

An added mystery was the identity of the director as he liked to remain anonymous throughout his entire career. I was massively underwhelmed by how this mystery ended.

January 2019 Book Haul

I am returning to posting my monthly book hauls to my blog as I love being able to see how long books sit on my TBR for before I read them. So here are all the books I acquired in January. 

This first stack are books that are brand new, full priced books, although my local Kmart does not stock a lot of books meaning they have a quick turnover of them resulting in me buying them relatively cheap (The Gryffindor book is actually supposed to be Hufflepuff as I have had the Gryffindor version for months I just accidentally grabbed the wrong one for the photo).

These books were all bought at the same book sale. A second-hand book shop that I frequent has a monthly sale where all their books are 50% off which means that I got all of these ridiculously cheap.

If you have read any of these, let me know which ones I should try and read right away!

Book Review #786 - The Handmaid's Tale (The Handmaid's Tale #1) by Margaret Atwood

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now...

My Rating: 3/5

I first attempted reading this book for the first time in 2017 but gave up on it only after the first few chapters as I just found it too confusing.

I picked it up again in 2018 for the Spookathon reading challenge and even though I still found it overly confusing, I persisted in finishing it.

The main issue I had with this book was the lack of world building at the beginning. As the novel begins you are just thrown into what becomes obvious a dystopian world but it was like you were expected to already understand the terms, settings etc and this is what I found confusing.

As I have now finished the book and know all these things now I will most likely have to reread it at some point in the future to enjoy it without all the confusion.

There is so much happening in this book and even more that could be developed deeper. For this reason, I am interested in reading the sequel.

I liked Offred as the protagonist as even though the situations she was in were so far removed from anything anyone would endure in the real world, she seemed really relateable. 

Book Review #785 - Joyland by Stephen King

Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever. 

My Rating: 3.5/5

I read this book for the Spookathon readathon and it is my fifth Stephen King novel.

This book was a lot different to the previous King books I've read in that it was more of a mystery novel than horror. Not that this was a bad thing, it just wasn't what I had been expecting.

This book follows Devin as he nostalgically looks back to his youth when he worked at an amusement park called Joyland following his girlfriend breaking up with him.

As this book was predominately a mystery it didn't really feel like a Stephen King book at times. Of course, it had King's hallmarks though like a child with special abilities and the ability to breath so much life and personality into every character (no matter how relevant to the story) with minimal words.

Book Review #784 - Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy

Jude Fawley is a rural stone mason with intellectual aspirations. Frustrated by poverty and the indifference of the academic institutions at the University of Christminster, his only chance of fulfilment seems to lie in his relationship with his unconventional cousin, Sue Bridehead. But life as social outcasts proves undermining, and when tragedy occurs, Sue has no resilience and Jude is left in despair.

My Rating: 5/5

I read this book for Victober and it is my third Thomas Hardy novel and like his previous 2 novels I have read (both in 2018) this one did not disappoint.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed my first Hardy novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles and how much I preferred his writing to that of Dickens, Austen, Wilde and the Brontes because they are much more well known.

Now having finished my third book by Hardy I can confidentially say that Hardy is by far my favourite  classics author.

I love Hardy's ability to describe settings in such vivid detail without boring me or slowing the pace and this ability was put on show in this book as the protagonist Jude is constantly moving from town to town.

This book follows Jude who from a young age is set on getting an education but as we follow him over the course of the rest of his life we see the many hurdles he encounters that ultimately prevent him from fulfilling his dreams.

Like with Tess I was amazed by how different their society is from the one today and how easy it is to become shunned from the community based on things that are not even your fault.

I also love how Hardy writes his stories over the course of the protagonist's lifetime because we get to see the development of the character as well as the mistakes and their eventual death. This has been the case for all 3 of the Hardy novels I have read so far.

Biannual Bibliothon TBR

One of my goals for 2019 is to participate in more readathons. The reason for this is because the few that I did in 2018 made me not only read faster than usual but also helped me to read books that had been languishing on my TBR for a while. 

The first readathon I am tackling in 2019 starts tomorrow and it is the Biannual Bibliothon. 

Below is my TBR that I have gathered from my shelves. I have decided not to read the group read though as it is not a book that I own. 

The book I picked for each challenge is: 

Read one the hosts' 5 star reads - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Reread a book that got you into reading - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Read an adult book - The Light Between Oceans

Combine favourite genre with least favourite format - Twilight: The Graphic Novel Volume 2

Read a book with an ugly cover - Beauty Queens

Read a book by an author that is new to you - Lucky in Love

Book Review #783 - Toil and Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft by Various Authors and Edited by Jessica Spotswood and Tess Sharpe

A young adult fiction anthology of 15 stories featuring contemporary, historical, and futuristic stories featuring witchy heroines who are diverse in race, class, sexuality, religion, geography, and era.

This is a collection of short stories that I read for the Spookathon in October. Like with my previous reviews of short story anthologies, I will be giving separate reviews for each story.

1. Starsong by Tehlor Kay Mejia - 3/5

I found this a solid story to start the book. I loved the amount of representation in this story and the use of social media.

2. Afterbirth by Andrea Cremer - 3/5

This one was set in 17th century England where a trial takes place due to the aftermath of a difficult birth and the midwife is thought to be a witch because of her advanced medical knowledge for that era. The addition of the mysterious book added another layer of intrigue into the already intriguing story.

3. The Heart in her Hands by Tess Sharpe - 4/5

I loved the writing style in this one. I found it rather enchanting so this is definitely an author I would read more of. The story itself had good representation and just overall a wonderful feel to it. It dealt with breaking from parents expectations and fighting to be with your soulmate.

4. Death in the Sawtooths by Lindsay Smith - 3/5

This was an interesting story about prejudices people place on a girl. I would have liked it more if it had been a little longer with more room for development. 

5. The Truth about Queenie by Brandy Colbert - 5/5

This was my favourite story in the whole anthology. There is always one story in every anthology I read where I wish the story was a fully fledged novel and in this anthology it was this one.

6. The Moonapple Menagene by Shveta Thakrar - 2/5

This story felt rather rushed. There were too many characters and too much happening for such a short story. Maybe because I read this one as a follow up to my favourite one, but I didn't care for this one.

7. The Legend of Stone Mary by Robin Talley - 4/5

I really enjoyed this one. It was the only genuine horror story in the whole anthology. Whilst the others were mainly contemporary with a witch element, this one fully committed to the horror element and I loved it.

8. The One Who Stayed by Nova Ren Suma - 4/5

This was one of my most anticipated in the anthology as the author is one I have read and loved in the past and she didn't disappoint. This story also would make a quality fully fledged novel.

9. Divine are the Stars by Zoraida Cordova - 3/5

This one dealt with family issues and not much else. I loved the writing style though and the magical realism aspect made it stand out among some of the other stories.

10. Daughters of Baba Yaga by Brenna Yovanoff - 2/5

This one had a lot of cultural issues and not much witchcraft in the story. I think it tried to deal with too much in too little pages. 

11. The Well Witch by Kate Hart - 3/5

I loved that this was a period story being set in 1875. I felt really invested in this story but the ending let it down. This is another story that could have been better an a novel so that the ending could have been properly done.

12. Beware of Girls with Crooked Mouths by Jessica Spotswood - 4/5

This one was the exact kind of story I expected from an anthology about women and witchcraft. I loved the elements about witch sisters and prophecies.

13. Love Spells by Anna-Marie McLemore - 3/5

This one had an unique plot in that the witches help people get over heartache but I didn't like that the main focus was on the protagonist's romance rather than this. 

14. The Gherin Girls by Emery Lord - 4/5

I loved the sisters element in this story. Every story I loved in this anthology seems to have this in common. The sisters bond in this one was stronger though because of the help two of them lend to the third to help her through some issues.

15. Why they Watch us Burn by Elizabeth May - 4/5

This one felt like a dystopian novel and I found it captivating.

2019 Reading Goals

Basic Goals

- Read 100 books;

- Read a minimum of 12 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list;

- Read at least 12 non-fiction books;

- Read and re-read all of Cassandra Clare books; 

Series I want to read/finish or catch up on this year

- The Infernal Devices;

- Throne of Glass;

- Outlander (this will likely carry over into 2020); 

- Bloodlines;

- The Mortal Instruments;

- The Dark Artifices; and

- A Song of Ice and Fire

Book Review #782 - Stuart Little by E.B. White

Stuart Little is no ordinary mouse. Born to a family of humans he lives in New York City with his parents, his older brother George and Snowball the cat. He's an adventurous and heroic little mouse. When his best friend, a beautiful little bird called Margalo disappears from her nest, Stuart is determined to track her down. He ventures away from home for the very first time in his life and finds himself embroiled in one exciting adventure after another, making new friends and meeting old ones along the way.

My Rating: 2.5/5

I read this book for the 2018 Popsugar Reading Challenge to read a book made into a movie you have already seen.

I grew up watching the film adaptation of this book although I have not seen it recently.

This book was more about Stuart's life as a mouse in New York rather than the strong family connections he has that the film focuses on.

I was really disappointed by the ending as I felt like it just stopped mid-story. There was no real resolution.

Book Review #781 - Whisper (Whisper #1) by Lynette Noni

“Lengard is a secret government facility for extraordinary people,” they told me. 

I believed them. That was my mistake.

There isn’t anyone else in the world like me.

I’m different. I’m an anomaly. I’m a monster. 

For two years, six months, fourteen days, eleven hours and sixteen minutes, Subject Six-Eight-Four — ‘Jane Doe’ — has been locked away and experimented on, without uttering a single word.

As Jane’s resolve begins to crack under the influence of her new — and unexpectedly kind — evaluator, she uncovers the truth about Lengard’s mysterious ‘program’, discovering that her own secret is at the heart of a sinister plot … and one wrong move, one wrong word, could change the world.

My Rating: 3/5

I knew very little about this book before diving into it and I think this is the ideal way to approach this book because even the smallest bit of leaked information would be massive spoiler material.

I love Lynette Noni's writing style. It is very engaging and her characters feel really real and relatable. Because of the unusual plot in this book, there is not an awful lot of character development so I am looking forward to that in the next book.

I am not the biggest fan of the science fiction genre and that element was a complete surprise to me because up until that element was introduced the book felt like a contemporary novel. The writing style definitely helped me like it more than what I thought I would.

I also loved the setting. Not just Lengard which was full of mystery but the city that it is set in. I remember being completely surprised when it was revealed where it was set because I didn't expect it and also because I have been to that city multiple times and so it was familiar to me.

January TBR

In 2018 I set myself monthly TBRs consisting of 10 books I would like to read per month. This worked so well for me that I have decided to keep to that method throughout 2019 as well. 

I will be posting them on here as well as my Instagram account which is @reading8daysaweek

These are the books I am hoping to read in January: 

Some of these books I am reading for particular goals I have set myself throughout 2019 which you can find out when I post my 2019 goals next week. 

My Top 10 Reads of 2018

I read a total of 125 books in 2018 and I read a broader range than I had ever read before. 

I discovered a new favourite author in Thomas Hardy, finally managed to finish Wuthering Heights on the 1000th try, read my first Jane Austen novel and then read another one. 

I accomplished so many reading goals in 2018 and read so many amazing books so cutting it down to my top 10 was really hard but I managed to do it, so here it is: 

I have posted reviews for most of these here on my blog. The others will have reviews coming sometime in the next few months.