Friday, September 23, 2022

[Review]—"The Infernal Machine" is a Flawed Yet Gripping Thriller

Today marks the Paramount+ streaming premiere of the R-rated, 111-minute film The Infernal Machine starring Guy Pearce, based on the podcast "The Hilly Earth Society," created by Jonathan Mitchell and Louis Kornfeld. Andrew Hunt wrote and helmed the movie (his feature film directorial debut). The supporting cast includes Alice Eve, Jeremy Davies, and Alex Pettyfer.

[Book Blogger Hop]—Do You Reread Books?

Billy Burgess book blogger hop ,

Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop!

To plan the post for next week in advance, go here for upcoming prompts. You must complete this form to submit a prompt.

There is now a Facebook group for the Book Blogger Hop! Please join the community to connect with other book bloggers and receive the most recent Book Blogger Hop information.

What To Do

1. Post your response to the question.

Have you ever reread a book? If so, why did you decide to reread it?

Submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer.

2. In the linky list widget, enter your name or nickname @ Blog Name and the direct URL to your post answering this week's question. Here's an example: Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer

3. Please go to the other blogs on the list and comment on their BBH post.

{The Friday 56}—R.L. Stine's "Slappy, Beware" (Goosebumps Special Edition)

Billy Burgess The Friday 56 ,

Rules

Pick up any book.
Open your Reader to page 56 or 56%.
Look up any sentence (or more). Simply don't ruin it.
Share it.
Visit www.fredasvoice.com and add your post URL to the Linky.

[Review]—In "Barnabas Collins and Quentin's Demon," Things Get a Little Hairy

Billy Burgess books , Dark Shadows

It's another Thursday, so it's time for another Dark Shadows review. Don't I sound ecstatic? I lost track of how many of these Dark Shadows I've read, and, after a time, they started to blur together. Today we're looking at Barnabas Collins and Quentin's Demon, the fourteenth installment authored by Daniel "Dan" Ross under the pen name Marilyn Ross (his wife's name). What a split second, what happened to Barnabas Collins and the Mysterious Ghost, book thirteen? It's not accessible as an eBook on Kindle for reasons unbeknownst to me, so I had no alternative but to skip it and move on to the next.

[Review]—"Blowback" by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois is a Boring Presidential Thriller

Billy Burgess books ,

Every new James Patterson book claims to be the author's "best thriller in years," although depending on the coauthor, his works seldom rise above average. In case you didn't know, James Patterson doesn't write his co-authored books. According to his memoir, James Patterson by James Patterson, he constructs the plot and characters, creates a detailed outline of 70–80 pages, and then hands it on to his coauthor to write. Blowback, his latest thriller, is co-written with frequent collaborator Brendan DuBois (The Summer House, The First Lady, and so on), and the cover slogan is "An American President Goes Insane." That one sentence alone suggests that the novel's fictional president is probably inspired by the 45th President of the United States.

[Review]—James Patterson and Richard DiLallo's "The Ninth Month" Is a Yawner of a Thriller

Billy Burgess books ,

Is it just me, or does the cover of James Patterson's The Ninth Month resemble Rosemary's Baby? "What wouldn't a mother do to save her unborn child?" Even the tagline alone shouts "Rosemary's Baby!" I assumed there might be some type of supernatural element to the story based only on the cover, but sadly, that was not the case at all. Instead, what we get is a dramatic thriller devoid of any exciting moments.

{Sunday Post}—Fairy Tales Do Come True!

Billy Burgess Sunday Post ,

The Caffeinated Book Reviewer's Kimberly hosts a weekly meme called "The Sunday Post"!

Hello, fellow bloggers!

It appears that my creative juices only begin to flow after midnight, so I guess I'm back to being a night owl.

Thank goodness there are just three more Dark Shadows reviews to write. I enjoy the series, but reading the same old Barnabas tales is becoming tedious.

The Kansas City Chiefs are 2-0 after one week of the 2022 NFL season.

On Saturday, the Kansas City Royals defeated the Boston Red Sox 9-0. The Royals are still bad. They have a 58-88 record and are 21.5 games behind in the ALC.

What Am I Currently Reading?

I'm alternately reading Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences and James Patterson's Blowback. I'm almost done with Stephen King's biography and 16% through Blowback.

Recent Reviews

Margaux
★✰✰✰✰

Girl, Forgotten
★★★★★

The Peril of Barnabas Collins
★★½✰✰

What is New on the Shelf?

I finally found a copy of Stephen King's Fairy Tale. I've just taken a quick look at it, but it looks like a great read. The question is when I will have time to read it because I have so many other books to read first.