Book Reccomendation: Murder Most Rare: The Female Serial Killer

     I am recommending the book Murder Most Rare: The Female Serial Killer by Michael D. Kelleher and C.L. Kelleher.

     When we think of the term 'serial killer' many of us would assume we're speaking of a male, the rest of us are probably thinking of a homicidal Captain Crunch. Unfortunately, even in today's day and age some people still find it incredibly hard to believe that women have violent tendencies and have the capability to murder (see Jody Arias). I think this book sheds a lot of light on that topic. 

     This book talks about various female serial killers. I like how this book puts a lot of emphasis on the "why" of their crimes. It really give a lot of insight to what they were actually thinking.

     This book was very informative overall and definatly had some high points as far as entertainment goes. My only critique would be that the stories occaisionally got rather mundane and uninteresting.

     I would definitely recommend this book to crime fans (CSI nerds unite!) and maybe even those interested in the hardcore horror/mystery genre (think real life Clue!). Although I wouldn't reccomend this book to someone that finds themselves becoming bored with long mysteries, this book would please the most in-depth crime fighters!

Analysis: Pretty Bad Things

     The book I will be analyzing is Pretty Bad Things by C.J. Skuse. This book is about a set of twins, Beau and Paisley, that try to find their ex-con dad by robbing stores and trying to get famous. They do this so their dad will know they're looking for him.

ANALYSIS

 

     The quote I'm analyzing is "I had to get on that road. I had to stop going where I was going. I had to jump off the truck." (Skuse 217).

 

     This says that Beau realizes what he needs to do to survive. This is a pretty big leap for him (no pun intended) because he has always been the one who played by the rules and always listened to what everyone else told him to do. He has always felt that he needed to look out for other people. Now that he is in a potentially life or death situation he has to start thinking for himself and doing what increases his chance of survival.

 

     I infer that Beau will jump off the truck (bet you didn't see that one coming). After this event I think Beau will develop more as an individual. He will start thinking for himself more and not letting people step on him. Before he never had much control over his life but now I think he will start taking that control back.

Theme and Summary: House at the End of the Steet

     The book I read was House at the End of the Street. This book is about Ellisa, a rebellious teenager who falls in love with the mysterious boy next door. Little does she know there are far more twisted secrets hidden behind that door than she could ever imagine.

      Summary of Chapter 1:

 



     Four years after the brutal double murder down the street Ellisa and her single mother prepare to move into their new home in an upscale neighborhood. After the divorce of her parents, the relationship between Ellisa and her mother, Sarah, has been very strained. Moving from a small, ratty apartment outside Chicago, her mother thought the move to a nice suburb in Seattle would bring them closer. Unfortunately, the price of the house they're moving into would be far too expensive if it weren't for the gruesome history of the neighbors in the woods behind their house.

 





     The story is (supposedly), in the middle of the night the mentally ill daughter of two parents awoke in the middle of the night and murdered them both with a hammer. The son (Ryan Jacobensen) of the dead couple (who was staying with the aunt at this time) still lives alone in the house. It's rumored the girl drowned in the dam but her body was never found, some believe she lives in the woods.

    
     The idea of living so close to where a disturbing homicide was committed creeps out both Ellisa and Sarah but they try to ignore it. At dinner, tensions bubble between Ellisa and Sarah when the mother trash talks the divorced father that hasn't made any form of communication with Ellisa in over a year. She begins to wonder if the new house could really change anything for them.

    
     That night Ellisa ventures out to the woods out of curiosity where the neighbor's house stands. She is overcome by her paranoia of stories of the deranged girl in the woods and decides to turn back.
 

     Theme:

     The theme of this book is assuming who someone is based on first impressions and inferences can lead to one's downfall and that of others.

    
      In the beginning of the book Ellisa only knows the rumors surrounding the son that lives in the same house his parents were murdered in. Even though Ellisa knows that the other neighbors have slanted views on Ryan Jacobensen because his house brings down the values of the other houses and even they don't know him well, but she and her mother have a hard time shaking the feeling that there's something wrong with him.

 
       When she first meets him she realizes that even though he's shy and quiet he's very normal and she realizes she has romantic feelings for him. When she gets to know him better she realizes he is far darker than she ever imagined and she and her mother face life threatening consequences.

    
    Another example of theme is when Ellisa meets Tyler, a resident of a nicer part of the neighborhood, she assumes he is just another snobby rich kid. When Tyler invites her over to a party/ "meeting" for a school club, the events that take place change her views of him drastically. 

 

    
     A quote from the book that supports this is "Whatever first impressions she'd had of him- that he was a little bit of a goody-goody, that he was entitled, that he was a snob- so much better than what she thought of him now. She'd never been so repulsed by someone in her entire life." (Blake 39).

    
     This proves the theme because it shows that her initial impressions of Tyler were wrong. If she had known him better than her first impressions of him were then she probably would not have put herself into any kind of unstable situation with him.

    

 

    

 

Fun Fact:

The House at the End of the Street is a novel by Lily Blake based on a screenplay by David Loucka from a story by Jonathon Mostow. Now a major motion picture!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Reading Skills: Misery

     The book I've been reading is Misery by Stephen King. This book is about a well known author, Paul Sheldon, who is help captive by his crazed "Number One Fan", Annie Wilkes, after she breaks both his legs with her car. Wilkes soon gets Sheldon addicted to powerful pain medications and uses this as power over him.

     Predictions: I believe that throughout the course of the book the conflict between Sheldon and Wilkes will escalate violently. Sheldon will attempt to stop taking the medication even though he is hooked on them because of the power it gives Wilkes. The relationship between Sheldon and Wilkes will  develop into a dog-eat-dog one. I predict the book will end with one of them dying.

     Questions: Why does Wilkes have such a fixation with Sheldon? What did Wilkes do before? Is Wilkes mentally ill? Will Sheldon escape? Will someone report Sheldon missing? Will Wilkes allow Sheldon to leave? Was Wilkes stalking Sheldon? Will one of them end up dead? Is Sheldon being held for ransom?

     Text to world connections: In the news we often hear stories about celebrities being harassed and threatened by fans. After witnessing what I have titled "The One Direction Craze of 2012-2013", the events of Misery seem extremely plausible. As a society, we are all absolutely obsessed with celebrities. I believe Wilkes may have celebrity worship syndrome because of how much she knows about Sheldon (celebrity worship syndrome is characterized by obsessing over the details of a celebrity's life). This causes me to believe that she may have other forms of mental diseases and should be recieving medical care.

     Text to Text connections: In an episode of CSI: New York, the son of a well known wealthy business man is kidnapped and held hostage for ransom. He was targeted because of the wealth his family has. I believe this could also be a factor in Sheldon's kidnapping.

     Text to self connections: I relate to Sheldon in the fact he is almost completely helpless and has no control over the situation he's in. He has to rely on Wilkes for survival and the pain medication he is addicted to. This is part of the reason why he cannot escape. I can relate to this because I am not old enough to live by my self and I do not have a job so I have to rely on my parents in most aspects of my life. I relate to Wilkes because she enjoys having complete control over Sheldon and the entire situation. She uses his injuries and addiction to pain medication to ensure this. I can relate to this because since I do not have much control in my life, I enjoy the occasions where I have control over other people.

Characters: Liar

The main character in the book Liar by Justine Larbalestier is a compulsive liar named Micah. She has always been able to get away with her lies and cover her tracks. This changes when she becomes a suspect in her boyfriend's brutal murder. Micah often lies to other characters in the book. She is rarely truthful to anyone, even those she is closest to. Occasionally she becomes hostile to anyone who tries to expose her lies. Throughout the book her lies become harder and harder to follow. She realizes she has a problem and tries unravel her own lies in an attempt to clear her name even if coming forward with the truth may mean losing the people she cares about most. This helps develop the theme because it shows that your lies can catch up with you and the consequences of those lies can be worse than you thought. This helps advance the plot because as she unravels her lies she is uncovering what could lead her to who really killed her boyfriend.

Book recommendations: Bossypants

     The book I would like to recommend is Bossypants. This book is an autobiography giving more depth to several comical trials of the personal and professional life of the hilarious Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock actress we know as Tina Fey.

     Fey describes her experiences with personal image, growing up, family, show biz, and other quirky adventures. This would definitely classify this as one the best books in the history of forever because it is not only a deep and inspirational autobiography of an icon but it is also knee-slappin' funny!

     This book also goes very in depth with Fey's personal issues. This link is sends you to an excerpt of Bossypants where Fey talks about how she got her scar. I appreciate the fact that she can discus a serious personal issue while maintaining her humorous touch.

     This book was very relatable for me and I believe would be for many other people of all genders and nearly all age groups (not recommended for anyone under age 12). I would absolutely recommend this to anyone looking for an entertaining book they will never forget.