Blodeuedd's Monday Review: Alone in the Wild by Kelley Armstrong

368 pages, Paperback

Series: Rockton/Casey Duncan (#5)

Published: February 11, 2020 by Doubleday Canada

Crime/thriller/own

Book 5 already! This place just gets worse. But at least here we get to understand why the Hostiles are like they are.

Oh and there are more creeps in the woods. I¨d rather take the bear.

Casey finds a baby in the woods and she and Dalton sets out to find whose baby it is and who killed the mother. And that is why we learn more about these freaks in the woods.

A thrilling chase as always. I had no idea what was going on. Everybody lies. But Casey never backs down

Such good books. Horrid place to be ;)

Every season in Rockton seems to bring a new challenge. At least that's what Detective Casey Duncan has felt since she decided to call this place home. Between all the secretive residents, the sometimes-hostile settlers outside, and the surrounding wilderness, there's always something to worry about.

While on a much needed camping vacation with her boyfriend, Sheriff Eric Dalton, Casey hears a baby crying in the woods. The sound leads them to a tragic scene: a woman buried under the snow, murdered, a baby still alive in her arms.

A town that doesn’t let anyone in under the age of eighteen, Rockton must take care of its youngest resident yet while solving another murder and finding out where the baby came from - and whether she's better off where she is.

Book/Play Review: King Lear by William Shakespeare

Author: William Shakespeare

Title: King Lear

Genre: Classic, Fiction, Play, Tragedy

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 339

Published: 1605

Where I Got It: My shelf (my big bad book of William Shakespeare collection)

Summary: 

Shakespeare’s King Lear challenges us with the magnitude, intensity, and sheer duration of the pain that it represents. Its figures harden their hearts, engage in violence, or try to alleviate the suffering of others. Lear himself rages until his sanity cracks. What, then, keeps bringing us back to King Lear? For all the force of its language, King Lear is almost equally powerful when translated, suggesting that it is the story, in large part, that draws us to the play.

The play tells us about families struggling between greed and cruelty, on the one hand, and support and consolation, on the other. Emotions are extreme, magnified to gigantic proportions. We also see old age portrayed in all its vulnerability, pride, and, perhaps, wisdom—one reason this most devastating of Shakespeare’s tragedies is also perhaps his most moving.

Review:

My goal was to read one of these a year, but I do not think I read a Willie Shake last year. So I'll be reading two this year.

I've never read 'King Lear' before but I know the story well. 

The play tells us a story about families struggling between greed and cruelty or support and consolation. King Lear, an elderly king, decides to divide his kingdom between his three daughters. He promises to give the largest share to the daughter who proves to love him the most. From there drama ensues when he is blinded by his ego. 

This is extremely tragic, but infuriating all at the same time. You want to shake King Lear and...to be fair....everyone. All the drama can be avoided if people JUST talk and chill. But we wouldn't have the story and the lessons that come from it. 

People claim this is one of William Shakespeare's greatest works, but I found it...good. I honestly still love 'Othello' the best though. I still have a few plays to finally read but I can safely say my favorite still sits firmly on top at the moment. However, this was pretty entertaining. 

The poetry and the drama is addicting. You won't want to set it down. I finished this in just a couple of sittings. 

The ending is tragic and sad. It was done very well. You don't have to be a literature master to understand what lessons are being taught here. It was done loud and proud, but WS has a way of not telling you, but showing you. I find he is the King of this. 

My favorite aspect of this play is that EVERYONE is complex and so very human. Sure you can point at a person or two and say they are the baddies, but they aren't evil (at least from my viewpoint). Yes, bad things happen and dumb things occur, but everyone is just so human. If you know me.....I love a complex set of characters. 

All-in-all, this is a must-read classic. Not my fave by the ol' Shakeyspeare, but it's in the top 5. It's entertaining and addicting. Lots of dumb people doing dumb things, but it is teaching a lesson or two. You can't help but feel bad for these characters. They all are complex and so very human. I'll give this 5 stars. 

(You know me...changing things up...and I'm reviving this!)

- Favorite Charater(s): Cordelia

- Least Favorite Character(s): Lear's other two daughters and (let's be honest) Lear.

2025 Reading Challenges

Let's get reading for 2025! I have a lot of challenges on my plate but let's give it a try! Weeeee!

Goodreads -  Read 140 books 

Romance Reading Bingo - Supreme Ruler of Bingo level! Full sheet baby! 

2025 Library Love Challenge - This is year is being done a little different! I plan on reading 12 library books per semester (which is the minimum).

➜ Winter Semester: Jan. 1st, 2025 – April 30th, 2025

➜ Summer Semester: May 1st, 2025 – Aug. 31st, 2025

➜ Autumn Semester: Sept. 1st, 2025 – Dec. 31st, 2025

2025 #Audiobook Challenge - Doing the Over-Achiever level. 75+ books. 

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge - Gonna go light this year since I'm adding a challenge....detective level for me so 16-25 books. 

2025 #TBRChallenge - This is a new one to me! I'm going to try and do the prompt each month! That is 12 books. 

Best of the Year

Welcome to the BC Awards!!! We will be showcasing our favorites from the year!

Best Movie:

Blodeuedd's pick......Dune (2024)

"Epic!"

Carole's pick.......1917 (2019)

"Awe-inspiring!"

Top 3 Binged TV Shows (no order):

Carole's pick............Fallout, Tacoma FD, & The Rookie

"Fallout! So good. You can't stop. Tacoma FD was a hoot. Ooooo The Rookie is so bingeful!"

Blodeuedd's pick............Monk, Our Flag Means Death, & Love is Blind

"I think tv series of the year goes to Monk cos we binged it all. I binged both seasons of Our flag means Death and way too many LiB seasons

Best Book Cover:

Blodeuedd's pick.....
"Best cover because it is really simple and it still makes you look."

Carole's pick......

"There is something mystical and beautiful about this one. You can't look away."

Best Audiobook:

Blodeuedd's pick...........Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis

"Best audio was hard too chose. But it goes to Dreadful."

Carole's pick.......Never Been Witched by Molly Harper

"Best audio? TOUGH competition this year. It all came down to the narrators for me to make this decision. These two worked some serious magic and came out ahead." 

Best Physical Book (ebook, paperback, hardcover): 

Carole's pick.....Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews

"Another tough pick....but this was so epic so it won."

Blodeuedd's pick........The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennet

"It was amazing."

Notable Mentions: 

Carole's pick......

"This nearly won best book. It was captivating and a must-read."

Blodeuedd's pick......

"I got hooked on Kelley Armstrong's books."

And that is the end of the BC Awards. We are pumped to see what 2025 has in store for us!!