How well do you know the people around you? As well as you think you do? Might one of them…be a killer? Take a dive into Prom House, by Chelsea Mueller!
Prom Night. You’ve rented a house, with several other of your friends. It’s got a pool, and *you’ve* got a teeny new bikini and a brand-new boyfriend. Nice and secluded so the neighbors can’t complain about the music – or anything else. It ALSO means – they can’t hear you scream.
When people begin disappearing – and then turning up dead – it becomes a race against time and the elements to stay alive. If you’re locked in a house with your best friends and a killer? The question becomes whether your friends are who you’ve always thought they were.
It’s not horribly gory – more suspense than blood, which is personally how I prefer things. My 14 year old does as well, so I’m looking forward to her reading this and letting me know if she guesses who the killer is. 😉
With some definite “Scream” vibes coming off the pages, this was a fun, quick read *perfect* for the pool or the beach. While it’s YA, it wouldn’t be amiss to think of more advanced 7-8 grade kids reading it either.
TW: There is some discussion of teen partner, alcohol, and drug abuse. It’s definitely *not* out of the bounds of reality, and it’s perfectly accurate for a YA title, but just a head’s up for those who may struggle with those topics.
It never ceases to amaze me how judgemental we can be as a species. To ourselves, and to others. For example, I cannot *tell* you how many people disparage audiobooks as forms of reading. I hear it a lot at the store, people saying with an embarrassed laugh, “Oh, I just listened to it.” (emphasis mine). Or talking about how their “friend” told them audiobooks aren’t REAL books. I see it a lot on book pages I belong to as well – every six months or so, like clockwork, someone will ask or post a poll about whether or not listening to audiobooks is “real” reading.
If a blind person reads with braille, does that make what they’re reading any less legit? Does it make that book any less “real”? Or does it simply mean that the reader is utilizing a tool available to him or her in order to maximize enjoyment of a title?
Think about that for a sec. I’ll wait.
Jeopardy theme song commencing NOW.
That’s the beauty of the technology we have available today. There are options for literally ANYONE who loves to read. Eyesight starting to dim with age? Kindles and Nooks can adjust the font for you. Super busy with kids and sports and job and school? Audiobooks to share with your family. A lot of time commuting for work? Again – audiobooks in the car or on the mass transit system. Time to relax at home with a cuppa? ANY OPTION YOU CHOOSE.
People need to lay off and let go. We are all different, and we all have preferences in life – and chances are, those preferences are not going to make a life or death difference to much of anything. All that matters is that people are reading! I work at a bookstore – but I listen to audiobooks on my way to my train, and I travel with a Kindle so I’m not packing 30 books for a 3-day stay. I *als0* LOVE regular books – the feel in the hand, the turning of the pages…it all just depends on what I need and/or want at any particular moment in time.
So be more understanding of others, and be more kind to yourself. If you have a preferred way to read, ROCK ON WITH YOUR BAD SELF. Announce it proudly, because frankly, you’re doing better just by reading than a significant portion of the populace. How you *do* that reading really doesn’t matter, and anyone telling you it does needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror at why they are so insistent on bashing other’s choices. And then, go pick up a book.
Still More Words 