From reading other people’s comments about it, it doesn’t seem to be generally considered among Campbell’s best, but to me it sums up all the reasons I keep reading him, and it draws me back to itself, being one of those rare books that gets better, and gives more, on each reading. I remember reading The Influence over a period of about three days, that first time, totally gripped by the closely intertwining narratives and subtly cliffhanging chapter endings. But The Influence, which may well have been the second Ramsey Campbell book I ever read ( The Hungry Moon was first), is, I think, my absolute favourite (though Nazareth Hill really is so very close). The House on Nazareth Hill is another favourite, read several times. There’s the (relatively) recent Grin of the Dark, which I reviewed in a previous Mewsings, though I’ve only read that one once (it’s on my long list of want-to-re-reads). Ramsey Campbell has three books in my personal selection of all-time favourite novels. The Influence by Ramsey Campbell (Legend 1989)
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How can such a tiny thing be their salvation? And yet, his Susan’s softness is disturbingly addictive while hiding a surprising resilience. The Seer must have been mistaken when she insisted that, for the sake of the people, he take a mate from the stars. With everything going on, the last thing Olix needs is a mate, especially a squishy, scaleless, off-worlder with strange ways, and an obsession with farming. She just never expected to be paired to a grumpy, massive lizardman, and above all not to grow so fond of his scales and quirky ways. Her only way out is to settle for an arranged marriage through the PMA – the Prime Mating Agency. With her twenty-fifth birthday approaching, and no suitors even remotely sniffing in her general direction, Susan will be forced to leave the family lands to work as an indentured servant in the capital city. A pretty face, top-notch skills, and hard work mean nothing if your dowry doesn’t include fertile lands. As a third daughter on the farming colony of Meterion, Susan’s future prospects aren’t too promising. I should’ve known it would end up this way. But looking back at the choices I made, it’s not so strange that people think I’m a killer. Never in my life did I think I would be the prime suspect in my husband’s murder. One randomly drawn commenter will receive a $25 Amazon/BN Gift Card. Turn the fan to oscillate and join us for this steamy, groundbreaking bundle of summer tales that are hot hot hot. Especially when we’re writing about gritty alphas, angsty bad boys, sizzling attraction, and unrequited passion. Rivers, Nicole BlanchardĢ1 ALL NEW Contemporary Romance stories by NY Times, USA Today, and National Bestselling authors. Wilder, Victoria Danann, Kym Grosso, Cat Miller, Mimi Barbour, Clarissa Wild, Teresa Gabelman, Linda Barlow, Helen Scott Taylor, Victoria James, Mona Risk, Patrice Wilton, Joan Reeves, Danielle Jamie, Terri Marie, Lorhainne Eckhart, Brandy L. The metaphor for war and past atrocities is non-too-subtle, but then it isn’t required to be, not in a compulsive page-turner where Paige plays politics with resistance efforts and battles her own inner demons and trauma alongside fighting to stay alive and out of the hands of a coterie of villains and turncoats, all with their own agendas. She’s no longer the intimidating Underqueen, nor the awe-inducing Black Moth – instead she’s a woman thought lost and dead to the world, forced to watch as countries fall under the wake of Scion, the terrifying global power that seeks to dominate and control, dropping bombs on innocent civilian populations even as it offers peace. The Mask Falling picks up in the raw aftermath of previous instalment The Song Rising – dream-traversing lead Paige Mahoney is traumatised and healing from her torture at the hands of her enemies. Fresh from penning one of 2019’s most audacious, imaginative, and well-realised fantasy epics (here’s looking at you The Priory of the Orange Tree), Samantha Shannon is back with the latest instalment in her hugely-popular The Bone Season series, which follows a determined, clairvoyant heroine in a dystopian world ruled by factions of psychics in a shady criminal underworld and a totalitarian regime that seeks to stamp these groups out to ‘protect’ the general populace. Nearly impossible not to binge-watch, her 15-episode journey is a welcome addition to the teen TV canon. Rae also isn't perfect - as viewers root for her to succeed on her journey to well-being, she makes a lot of cringe-worthy missteps but always moves forward. Very few shows deal with mental health and body issues as well as My Mad Fat Diary in one poignant scene, Rae "unzips" herself and steps out to reveal a smaller body, an image that many teens dealing with the pressure to be thin can relate to. A soundtrack of mid-'90s Brit-Pop hits (think Oasis) grounds the series in a particular time and place, though the issues addressed are pretty much timeless. Its 1989 and Rae Earl is a fat, boy-mad 17-year-old girl, living in Stamford, Lincolnshire with her mum and their deaf white cat in a council house with a mint green. Pitch-perfectly played by Rooney, Rae's outlook on life is both hilarious and devastating, and viewers of any age will find themselves sucked into the roller coaster of teenage angst and triumph (most notably, her budding romance with Finn is a delight to watch unfold). The funny, sad and compelling diary kept by an overweight teenage girl that became the basis for the British television sensation of the same name available to stream on HULU. This outstanding series is a must-watch journey into the teen mind. The burgeoning cartoonist received a thrill in 1937, when his drawing of the family dog, Spike, was published in Robert Ripley’s popular Believe It or Not! feature. Segar’s Thimble Theatre (which featured Popeye), Percy Crosby’s Skippy and Al Capp’s L’il Abner. He sat down with his dad to read the Sunday funny papers every week, becoming a fan of E.C. Schulz realized at an early age that he wanted to become a cartoonist. The only child of dad Carl, a German immigrant and barber, and mom Dena, a waitress turned homemaker, Schulz spent most of his childhood in the Twin Cities, outside of a two-year stint in Needles, California, after the onset of the Great Depression. Early LifeĬharles Monroe Schulz was born on November 26, 1922, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Peanuts also expanded into TV specials like the Emmy-winning A Charlie Brown Christmas, as well as books and a huge merchandise collection. Featuring hero Charlie Brown, over the years the strip would run in more than 2,000 newspapers and in many languages. Charles Schulz launched his comic strip Peanuts in 1950. Meredith Dickey, a young mother who works as a doula, supporting women through labor, receives a series of anonymous, threatening text messages. Set in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, the story is told nonchronologically from multiple points of view. Her other suspense thrillers include: Local Woman Missing, When the Lights Go Out, Just the Nicest Couple, The Good Girl, The Other Mrs., Every Last Lie, Pretty Baby, Don’t You Cry, and Nothing As It Seems.Ĭontent Warning: This guide mentions neglect and abuse of children, as well as violent death and apparent death by suicide. Kubica is a New York Times bestselling author. Citations in this guide correspond with the Park Row Books edition of the text. The novel details the fallout when several people go missing in quick succession, exploring themes such as suburban malaise, trauma, and individualism. Local Woman Missing is a 2021 domestic thriller by Mary Kubica. No cheating, and an ultra-sweet HEA guaranteed! The guys have been teaching me how to get a boyfriend, and now it’s time I put their lessons to the test.įaking With Benefits is a sizzling fake dating romance featuring multiple love interests, tons of molten fake relationship heat, and a whole lot of heart. It’s not long before I realise that their friendship isn’t enough for me anymore. Every butterfly-inducing touch lingers a little too long, and every molten kiss ends in fireworks. Easy.īut as my lessons become more and more intense, we soon find ourselves getting in too deep. In return, I just have to make an appearance on their relationship advice podcast once a week. Together, they agree to be my ‘practice boyfriends’, and come up with a lesson plan packed with fake dates, make out sessions, and classes on flirty texting. Josh, the boy-next-door with the sculpted jaw and calculating stare.Īnd Luke, the silver-haired divorcee… who also happens to be my old professor.Īfter a bad date leaves me crying on their shoulders, the three men are determined to help me find a guy. There’s Zack, the huge rugby player with the cheeky grin and rippling biceps. Lucky for me, I have three overprotective best friends who are all-too-eager to help hone my dating skills. And with my thirties rapidly approaching, I’m starting to lose patience. I’m twenty-eight and I’ve never had a boyfriend. My name is Layla Thompson, and I am undateable. Must be tall, ripped - and willing to teach me how to kiss. Thanks to a DNA test, Avery knows that she’s not a Hawthorne by blood, but clues pile up hinting at a deeper connection to the family than she had ever imagined. The Inheritance Games ended with a bombshell, and now heiress Avery Grambs has to pick up the pieces and find the man who might hold the answers to all of her questions – including why Tobias Hawthorne left his entire fortune to Avery, a virtual stranger, rather than to his own daughters or grandsons. Intrigue, riches, and romance abound in this thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Inheritance Games perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson. The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes This tour is being hosted by TBR and Beyond Tours. Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. The excitement began with four stowaways (one of them the cat's-meat-man!) then came the Doctor's discovery of the key to the language of the shellfish, through his meeting with a Fidgit. They decided where to go by opening the atlas with their eyes shut and touching the page with a pencil.Īll in all it was perhaps the most amazing voyage that has ever been heard of. One day he got acquainted with Doctor Dolittle, and after that his dreams began to come true for that kindly little man promised to teach him all he knew about animals and their languages, and to take him along on his next voyage of discovery. Tommy Stubbins was a little boy who wanted to be a naturalist when he grew up. It is Tommy Stubbins, the cobbler's son, who tells this story of Doctor Dolittle's wonderful voyage to Spidermonkey Island. |