While Eric is out one freezing cold afternoon, he comes across an ill-dressed young girl named, Hannah, walking along the road. Hannah lives across the way from the Nyland's with a man who basically "inherited" her when her mother died. When Eric insists on driving her home so she doesn't get frostbit, he walks her inside her house and realizes quickly that she is in a terrible situation. Bare cupboards, a drunk of a caretaker, and ratty clothing barely scratch the surface of Hannah's living conditions.
Eric goes to his friend, Betty, in social services to help with the situation, and it being only days before Christmas, he winds up agreeing to take Hannah in over the course of a few days until they can place Hannah in a foster home.
 

Someone Like Me
by M. R. Carey

Meet Liz. She's a single mother of 2 and a survivor of domestic abuse. After divorcing her abusive husband, she struggles to make ends meet but is overall is doing okay. Until one night, she gets into an argument with her ex-husband and things get... violent.

 

Meet Fran. She's a teenager who struggles with PTSD, hallucinations and depression related to when she was kidnapped as a young child. Protected by her imaginary friend Jinx the warrior fox, she's just trying to get through her teen years as normally as possible.

Things happen, paths cross. Lines are drawn, then blurred, as the characters face their own inner struggles. I don't want to say too much more because I think the less you know, the better this book will be.

But I will say, this is a story about identity and coping mechanisms and mental illness and violence and notions of identity. It's about what it really means to be "you" and how the things we go through - and how we deal with them - can change who we are and who we become. And I will say this book defies genre, and I would categorize this as "speculative fiction / dark fantasy / psychology / horror." Or something like that. I will also say that this book is likely to appeal to fans of The Girl With All the Gifts as well as readers of Dean Koontz and Stephen King. 

 

Taylor

Scott Carey, Castle Rock resident and divorced web-site designer, has a problem. For no conceivable reason, he is exponentially losing weight every day and there seems no end to the unexplainable process. While dealing with this metaphysical transformation, Carey begins to confront difficult neighbors, a towns deeply held prejudices, and his own inner shortcomings eventually hoping to come to peace with the man he’s become.

 

Set in the now famous town of Castle Rock, Stephen King’s latest novel, though its so short it probably more of a novella, steers away from the darker tendencies of his fiction, specifically his earlier 2018 publication, The Outsider. Instead, Elevation remains fairly lighthearted even as it comes face to face with some more difficult topics like mortality, loss, and prejudice. Though there are supernatural elements, the novel is almost entirely character driven, honing in on a few short months in these people’s lives. Ultimately, even in its more sombre moments, the well-written characters of King’s latest, and consequently the reader, feel very much like the title describes--elevated. The small story ends on a final image of joy and celebration of a life lived, and establishes itself as a solid entry in the Stephen King canon. Elevation is, of course, perfect for any King fan but even as someone who’s read only a few of the horror master’s works I still found this small, uplifting read a pleasant experience and well worth the short time it took to finish.

 

Josiah

Dark Sacred Night
by Michael Connelly

Michael Connelly is a NYT bestselling author. Dark Sacred Night is the second book in his new series staring female detective Renee Ballard. Ballard works the late shift and one night she finds a man rifling through old files. She soon discovers the the man is former detective Harry Bosch. Bosch is looking for anything containing information on a cold case he is working. Ballard stops him in his tracks and asks him to leave. She decides to look into the case herself. Not being able to let things go, she and Bosch decide to join forces and solve the unsolved murder of a young runaway girl. As I've stated before, I’m a huge Connelly fan and I was beyond thrilled when I found out that he put my favorite character, Bosch, in this book. Dark Sacred Night was well written and a great read. I’m crossing my fingers that Ballard and Bosch team up again.

 

Shannon

Eli and Charlie Sisters are both assassins for the infamous man known as the Commodore. However, these two brothers could not be any more different. Eli is a simple man who never really wanted to become an assassin and is beginning to question his life of crime, and Charlie wants everything he can get his hands on and is ready to become as notorious as his employer. Yet despite their differences each brother still looks out for the other. Therefore, when they are given another assassination, the brothers will have to decide if they will kill Hermann Warm like they have all the other men before him, or if the notorious Sisters Brothers will change their stripes.

 

The Sisters Brothers was the first Western I have ever read, so although I have no other Western to compare it to, this book still exceeded my expectations on every level. Not only did it contain many of the classic Western tropes that I wanted to read about such as shootouts and outlaws, but Eli’s narration contained a wry dark humor that I felt fit perfectly within the novel. So if you are a fan of dark humor, Westerns, or both, don’t let this one pass you by. If you’re anything like me, it will not disappoint.

 

Seth

Before He Finds Her
by Michael Kardos

In September of 1991, Ramsey Miller decides to throw a block party for his neighbors in Silver Bay, New Jersey. The night of the block party, he kills his wife, Allie, and his daughter, Meg, and disappears from Silver Bay. What nobody knows is that Meg did not die that night. Meg, now known as Melanie Denison, has been in the Witness Protection Program since she was three years old, and currently resides in West Virginia with her Uncle Wayne and Aunt Kendra. Melanie is tired of constantly having to look over her shoulder and just wants to live a normal life. She has secretly been dating a teacher from the local school and finds herself pregnant. Melanie is determined to find her father before he finds her because she does not want her child living in fear as she has done her whole life. Before He Finds Her is about a young woman searching for the truth about her past; however, what she finds is more than she bargained for.

The cover blurb by Jeffrey Deaver is spot on: "Read the first page and kiss the next twenty-four hours goodbye." Before He Finds Her is an intriguing thriller that I found hard to put down. I enjoyed the alternating timeline and various character viewpoints. This fast-paced thriller with totally unexpected twists and a jaw-dropping ending took me on a wild ride. I am convinced the term 'nail-biter' was invented because of Michael Kardos. Before He Finds Her is a Must Read for fans of psychological thrillers!

 

Brandi

Joseph

What could possibly be better than a Elvis wannabe store clerk getting transported back in time to battle demons and return the medieval world to its proper place? What if that individual, played by Bruce Campbell and simply named Ash, only had one hand (his other hand having been chopped off during his last demonic encounter, see Evil Dead II) and often replace his other hand with a weaponized chainsaw, which he would regularly use to slay zombies, witches, and reanimated skeletons?

Directed by Sam Raimi, the director of the original Spider-Man, 1992’s Army of Darkness is technically the third in a trilogy starring Bruce Campbell’s Ash and his demonic battles, but it honestly could be watched just on its own as a example of brilliant B-movie horror. A sequel to Evil Dead II (1987), this third film in the series has traded some of the more horror elements of the previous entries to lean more heavily on the comedic, and it works perfectly. Campbell’s macho and self-centered yet heroic presence clashes hysterically with the cartoonishly rendered Middle Ages characters and his confrontations with the demons and ghouls are equally funny. This is far from a serious horror film. It would also be a mistake to go into the film with expectations of cutting edge special effects. This is, after all, a B-movie. Despite that, it’s never boring or uninteresting to look at, instead leaning into its cheesy monster makeup and stilty stop motion animation to create a truly cohesive, enjoyable, and hilarious viewing experience--great for anyone who loves old horror or action comedies.

 

Josiah

Christmas with the Kranks is a delightful holiday film starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis. Luther and Nora Kranks’ (Allen and Curtis) only child, Blair, is going away for Christmas, leaving them to celebrate alone. Tired of spending so much money, Luther decides to boycott Christmas and take his wife on a 10 day cruise. When their holiday loving neighbors got wind that they have decided to skip Christmas, they make their lives miserable. Christmas with the Kranks is a funny and heartwarming film that the whole family will enjoy this holiday season.

 

Shannon

It was a little over a decade after World War II and the Jewish people were still reeling from the mass genocide of their people in the Holocaust. To make matters worse the Israeli government learned that Adolf Eichmann, one of the key engineers behind the massacre of their people, was still at large and living as a free man in Argentina. To bring to justice one of the men responsible for the countless deaths of their countrymen, a group of Israeli intelligence agents make a daring decision. They will go to Argentina, kidnap Adolf Eichmann, and bring him back to Israel to stand trial for his war crimes before the very nation he wreaked devastation on.

 

Before seeing this movie I would have said that I knew all of the major events surrounding World War II. Operation Finale showed me I was not as aware as I thought I was. Although I had heard of the trial of Adolf Eichmann, I never knew the story behind the famous trial in Israel. The story of Israeli intelligence agents kidnapping Eichmann in Argentina was fascinating to me. It also didn’t hurt that Oscar Isaac and Ben Kingsley put on a superb piece of acting as the angry and embittered Peter Malkin, and the arrogant and sinister Adolf Eichmann. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who like historical movies, or to anyone like myself who had never heard of this amazing true story.

 

Seth

Mile 22

Mile 22 follows an elite CIA paramilitary squad that is tasked with transporting a targeted intelligence asset across a hostile 22 mile stretch to an extraction point in exchange for valuable information regarding chemical weaponry. The 22 mile trip from the US embassy to an airfield 22 miles away turns out to be anything but a joyride. The task force is being hunted by the government who has their own agenda: do not let the asset leave the country. Not only is the entire country gunning for the task force, but they are also being watched by a mysterious Russian Intelligence unit from afar. It's a breathless race against time to see if the team can complete their task.

Peter Berg picked an all star cast with amazing performances by Mark Wahlberg as James Silva, a tightly wound, amusingly tactless leader, and Lauren Cohan, as Alice Kerr, a bad-a@* who just wants to save the world and be Super Mom at the same time. The action in Mile 22 is relentless and the fight scenes are insanely savage. I loved Peter Berg's use of mixing boots on the ground action with eye in the sky support to tell this modern warfare story. Mile 22 is a breathlessly exciting action thriller that offers a genuine adrenaline rush! The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, but this paves way for a sequel that I really hope will happen.

 

Brandi

Mandy is a bold, bloody, and deeply strange cosmic horror movie set in 1983 that features a synth-heavy doom metal soundtrack, a chainsaw fight by firelight, a fictional commercial for a macaroni and cheese dinner called Cheddar Goblin, and a color palette reminiscent of blacklight posters and heavy metal album artwork. If any item in that list appeals to you, watch this movie immediately; if not, proceed with caution.

 

Andrea Riseborough plays the title character Mandy, an artist who lives in an idyllic cabin in the woods with Cage’s Red. Early scenes find them discussing their favorite planets, telling bad jokes, and watching trash TV. After she is kidnapped by possessive cult leader and middling folk musician Jeremiah Sand (Linus Roache) who wants to recruit her for his Mason Family-esque group of creeps and criminals, Mandy punctures his messianic leanings by laughing in his face and at his terrible music. Her laugh sets in motion the bloodbath that follows and Red’s grief-tinged revenge.  

 

The latter half of this movie is filled with visually arresting and unforgettable moments that are alternately epic and patient. The result is atmospheric and nightmarish, punctuated with gory violence and a sense of delight in the weird. Along with Hereditary and The First Purge, this was one of my favorite horror movies of the year; fans of those movies or Twin Peaks: The Return will find much to enjoy here.

 

Joseph

The Bonesetter's Daughter
by Amy Tan

The Bonesetter's Daughter follows Ruth, a first generation American, as she struggles to take care of her aging mother after she is diagnosed with dementia. Ruth discovers a memoir her mother has written about her childhood in China, and finally learns the story about how her mother came to America, even though her mother is no longer able to remember it herself. 

Amy Tan is such a wonderful storyteller. You can't help but feel for her characters, which come to life over the vivid historical backdrops of rural China, San Francisco, and Peking. This is a book about embracing your past, regardless of all the scars it has given you. It's a book about learning to accept your parents the way they are and learning to see who they are people outside of their roles as parents. A touching and sentimental read. The narrator of the audiobook, Chen Joan Tan, was phenomenal as well.

 

Taylor