[I received a copy of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

This book is somewhat of an oddball: part essay, part horror story, part reflection about the writer’s craft and what bringing a story into the world involves.

The book the author-protagonist talks about is Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”, but it’s also his own, his best-seller book, and the one about which he harbours the most doubts. It’s about disliking a story so much that you can’t help think about it; about the meaning of one’s writing, and how it completely escapes us from the moment it’s out in the world; about searching one’s soul and having to come to terms with our truths. Not an easy read, though it’s fairly short, and I admit I wasn’t entirely sold on it at first, but then it grew on me.

It’s also about monsters, of course, but not necessarily the kind we think at first.

Not my favourite book by Marcus Sedgwick, though, as parts of it are rather confusing and left me with a somewhat “off” feeling that I couldn’t place. Not to mention that if you’ve studied “Frankenstein” at least a little, most of the reflections outlined in it, as well as the “big reveal”, are kind of… super obvious?

2.5 stars. Interesting as a curiosity, I’d say.

Hard to go wrong with Max Lucado...I've always found his books uplifting, inspirational, and very easy to relate to. This one mixes humor, real-life stories, and numerous examples of Biblical references to the power of God's grace, and how we can make the gift of grace work in our lives. We've followed this book in Sunday school the past two months and have really enjoyed it.

That's a lot of angry tags for such a short book. (Just Necessary Women as a stand alone audiobook.) 

Damn train wrecky accident. I accidentally hit the "borrow" button when I was looking at this book instead of adding it to my list so I could look into it later. So, because it took up one of my borrow slots for the month I listened to it. It's 20 minutes, what's the worst that could happen? 

Welp.

Graphic enough incest, cannibalism, and an unsurprisingly fucked in the head little girl. 

Enough said.

Seriously, fuck everything. I need to take another shower. 

I'm almost sad that I've already finished You Deserve a Drink (although my fellow commuters are probably glad they won't have to witness my random gigglesnorts). It's exactly what it advertises. If you're looking for a quick read that is alternately hilarious, disgusting, and borderline unbelievable then you're on the right track with Mamrie's debut novel. She shares stories of her childhood up to the present day which almost entirely revolve around her unique talent of getting herself into unusual predicaments (mostly due to alcohol). Forewarning: Alcohol, illicit substances, sexual escapades, and naughty language abound in You Deserve a Drink. Did I just hear you all run for the nearest bookstore?