Stuff You Should Know About Stuff: How to Properly Behave in Certain Situations (Tripp Crosby, Tyler Stanton)

Release Date: November 4th 2014 

Synopsis:
Do you know how to properly conduct yourself in a public restroom? What about while in the midst of a profoundly awkward silence? Have you perfected how to get out of helping your friend move?
If you answered no to those questions, then you need Stuff You Should Know About Stuff, the book that future anthropologists will no doubt call "the Rosetta Stone of handling trivial life situations."
From the guys who created the viral videos “Sh*t Nobody Says” and “Things You Can't Do When You’re Not in a Pool," Tripp and Tyler bring you the written word in Stuff You Should Know About Stuff, a guide instructing you how to navigate the treacherous waters of life’s extremely trivial situations.
There are even photos and illustrations for people who enjoy photos and illustrations and stuff like that. You can read it from cover to cover or you can choose to educate yourself only in conjunction with your bowel movements. Totally your call there.
Stuff You Should Know About Stuff places the priority on the trivial experiences of life, because that's where we spend most of our time; trying to recover from going for the fist bump when a casual acquaintance wanted a high five.

Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review. 
Who says life doesn't come with instructions? We all know how we should behave at a funeral or a wedding (maybe), but what about choosing a picture for your Facebook profile or when it is inappropriate to say 'That's what she said' (spoiler alert: never)? These guys asked the perfect questions and came up with a manual for the trivial moments in life when we find ourselves wondering what to do, and they did in the funniest way possible.
I would say I related to about 90% of this book (the urinal part is not my forte) and that really helped to read through it in a sitting. I can't remember a single moment when I wasn't smiling or laughing hysterically or nodding in agreement.
On the other side, I kind of felt sorry for poor Neil in the examples and conversations used in this, but then a funny comic would appear to illustrate the point and I would be laughing so hard I forgot all about him.
The references in this were spot on and made this something incredibly special.
All this said, this is a pretty honest and useful book, an I can think of a great deal of people who could really do with a bit of these glorious tips...
I have since then researched more into the authors and I surrendered to their youtube channel. What a great time! Some of the parts in this book are from videos they made and I found the 'You're Doing Twitter Wrong' one just perfect!
I don't think everyone would enjoy this or find it funny, but I would seriously recommend this to anyone with a good sense of humour and that understands level 56 sarcasm.

Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night (Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery)

Release Date: December 2nd 2014 

Synopsis:
Volume 4 of the award-winning series returns with a high seas tale of pirate battles, vengeance, and lost love.
Hamlet, Juliet, Othello, and Shakespeare become pawns in a deadly game of survival between the legendary masked pirate Captain Cessario, his first mate Viola, and the new terror on the water, Titus Andronicus’ forbidding war ship The Lavinia.

Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review. 
Shakespeare and pirates. Who wouldn't want to read that?
I hadn't read the previous volumes, so it started quite confusing and abruptly for me, but I got hold of the story pretty quickly from then onward.
The illustrations were as they usually are: amazingly powerful and put us immediately in the right atmosphere that is necessary to a storyline like this. They were also vert graphic and violent. Very violent. I would not recommend this to everyone.
As for the story itself, I thought it was original, rude and badass. I felt like I was in a parallel universe where Shakespeare's characters were badass pirates and Juliet was in love with Hamlet and Viola was the bravest, most awesome pirate captain I have ever seen, yet they all talked in Shakespearean style!
With an explosive ending (in every sense of the word), I will get my hands on the previous volumes as soon as possible.
A retelling/adaptation well done, in my opinion.

The Boy in the Cemetery (Sebastian Gregory)

Release Date: October 29th 2014 

Synopsis: 
This is the story of a girl who didn’t want to live…
Carrie Anne is desperately unhappy. Tangled in a web of abuse, she seeks solace in the cemetery that backs onto her garden. But something creeps between the gravestones. Carrie Anne is not alone… 
…and a boy who cannot die.
The cemetery is home to a boy. He has guarded these forgotten bones since meeting a gruesome end two hundred years ago. Neither dead nor alive, he has been watching for a long time. And now, he finally has the visitor he’s been waiting for…

Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review. 
Going into this book I was expecting a funny, light hearted story about the friendship of a girl and boy who happens to live in a cemetery. Nothing like that!
This actually surprised me positively. From the first page I knew it was going to be more than I first thought it would, and that got me excited.First of all, the characters were fascinating, but that is not the same thing as likable. I found both the boy's and the girl's fathers to be detestable, but most of all, I hated Carrie Anne's mother. She knew what her husband was doing, yet she did nothing. Carrie Anne almost got killed on the first day of school and she got abused by her father, and yet her parents just kept asking where she had gone wrong, what was wrong with her. I really felt sorry for her.
And even though we only got to read one chapter of the boy's story, I felt really attached to him, especially when he makes his appearance in Carrie Anne's life.
From that moment on, this book took a turn. It became a really eerie, creepy, dark, sinister, odd, cute and sad at the same time. And that was alright, it worked really well with the way the story progressed.
The ending caught me off guard. I reckon it ended in the perfect place, making this such an incredible tale. It touched serious matters and made the situation of the people living them very understandable to someone who doesn't know them. In fact, I believe this book was quite the allegory!
I recommend this one hundred per cent, and I really hope to read more by this author in the future.

The Empath (Erica Crouch)

Synopsis:
In a Victorian society fascinated by spiritualists, something wicked sinks its claws in from the other side.
Odessa is a psychic; her mother, the Great Madame Elena, is a fraud. After a séance goes terribly wrong and a woman ends up dead, an evil force slips into the land of the living.
Though Odessa and her mother try to outpace the rumors spreading, they can't escape the danger that has taken residence within Odessa herself. When Odessa is shouldered with the responsibility of the Great Madame Elena’s business, she starts to lose control of the spirit world, and she can’t afford to make another mistake.
Asked to open the door to the other side again, Odessa witnesses a brutal murder that hints at black magic and is faced with a choice: risk her life for freedom from her mother, or go on living a life of servitude. If she goes into a trance again, will she be able to maintain control?

Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review. 
This was such a great opportunity to read a book surrounded by fantasy and occult elements at the time that I did.
It's more of short story, but it didn't feel like it. It was like reading a full novel, with so much action, adventure and misunderstood characters.
The Empath was fast-paced and sad and beautiful and kind of amazing. It puts the reader under a spell, and I can't remember a single time when I felt bored. I honestly couldn't stop reading it until I had finished.
All the eerie, occult and fantasy parts were spot-on. Everything was done perfectly, or almost perfectly.
The only problem I kind of had with it was something I thought I wouldn't see in this story, but that I wasn't surprised to find - romance. I thought the romance as a whole was good, but the way it was handled left something to be desired. It was quite angsty, but I can't really blame anyone for that. I reckon it's something most authors have a problem with, creating realistic situations when there's a cute boy in the room with the female main character. I find authors try to make their conversation quirky and flirthy, even if they don't realise it. It can work, and it can become a really good romance. This one didn't, be it because of the time period it was set in, or because the characters had just met. Now, after all that, I must say, I can't really call this a problem. I was so enthralled by the story and the atmosphere, I didn't even care about the less fortunate part of the deal.
Finally, I think Erica Crouch nailed that ending. It left me there wanting more, and I reckon that, at the end of the day, that is a real win for an author.
Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed this and I will read anything by this author that I can get my hands on.

An Hour in the Darkness (Michael Bailey)

Release Date: October 28th 2014 

Synopsis:
Michael Bailey’s new novel charts the unsettling and powerful story of one young man’s slide into a confused reality.
‘I have been hugely inspired by JD Salinger – The Catcher in the Rye,’ observes Edinburgh author Michael. ‘I enjoy using the first person narrative and this style works well with An Hour in the Darkness.’ Michael’s novel begins when his narrator, Franklin, suffers a bang on his head that jars his grasp on reality. Franklin begins his desperate journey through his home town in his search of love, forgiveness and understanding. He finds comfort in conversations with his young sister Jenny – but as he reveals himself to be a highly unreliable narrator, we must ask if Jenny exists or is merely a figment of his troubled mind?
Franklin is increasingly losing touch with reality when, against the backdrop of a local landmark he meets a man he believes to be God. This stranger tells of his own son who had similar problems and in his increasing confusion Franklin believes the man is likening him to Jesus. As Franklin’s life spirals further out of control his behaviour becomes ever more erratic, culminating in his touching, frightening attempts to win the affections of market-girl Ronnie, who is fascinated and frightened in turn by this strange, funny, ill young man.
Dealing with such universal themes as loss, love, guilt, forgiveness, relationships and mental health, this is an unsettling, but powerful, novel which will appeal to readers of books such as The Shock of the Fall.

Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review. 
I... I don't even know how I can give my opinion on this book. As soon as I read the synopsis on Netgalley, I knew I needed to read this, and thank God I did. For Chrissake, An Hour in the Darkness was just crazy, and emotional, and insane.
It starts of with the main character, Franklin, hitting his head really hard and, from then on, we follow him in his journey through madness and back again.
I must admit, I couldn't put it down. It just pulls you on right from the start. I reckon part of this is due to the dialogue style narrative, in which Franklin talks directly to us. As the book progresses, we get to see his quirky characteristics, as well as his view on life and everything around him.
Franklin, in my opinion, was that rare kind of character that should be a horrible person to be around in real life, but that, seeing the world though his eyes, we can't help but absolutely love and pity. He knows he's not well, and yet he still truly believes he's this type of heartbreaker. I found him to be such a fascinating character. He's just trying to find himself, his own self before he hit his head, forgiveness and love. And although he is a very unreliable narrator, you can't help but want his version of reality to be true.
We also get to meet Jenny, his sister, a man he believes to be God and Ronnie. This was one of the most emotional and heartwarming cast of characters I have read in a good time. And I must admit, a few moments made me cry. I was really upset throughout the latter half of the book, but in a very good way.
It was such a powerful and poignant book and I recommend it to everyone. I will definitely be reading more by this author.