Off Season by Jack Ketchum (CBR-III #44)

Cannonball Read III: Book #44/52
Published: 1980
Pages: 308 (17,669 total pages so far)
Genre: Horror

Carla rents a cabin up in the woods of Maine to work on her novel in peace. She decides to invite her sister and some friends up for a visit. Then things get ugly. Apparently a clan of cave-dwelling cannibals live nearby and target the cabin that our group is staying in. It's a pretty basic horror plot, but it's very effective here.

The story opens up with a bunch of kids chasing a terrified woman and hitting her with sticks while laughing. It's disturbing and really sets the tone for the rest of the novel. Not only are there crazy mountain men and women out there, these kids are vicious.

The one problem I had was that the main characters weren't very fleshed out. It found it hard to tell them apart and didn't really care about them. It's hard to root for someone to live when you barely know their name. Also, a few things really dated the novel such as one character reminiscing about fighting in Vietnam, but that's sort of expected since it was published in 1980.

Overall, this book was a good, quick read. It's a classic horror tale with plenty of blood and guts thrown in.

Cruise Confidential by Brian David Bruns (CBR-III #43)

Cannonball Read III: Book #43/52
Published: 2008
Pages: 384 (17,361 total pages so far)
Genre: Nonfiction/Memoir

I love cruises. So when I saw this Kindle book for $2.99, I figured it would be worth a read. Plus I spent Thanksgiving in Florida with family, so I wanted something light and easy to read by the pool. Well, it was definitely light reading, but not really what I was expecting.

The full title of this book is "Cruise Confidential: A Hit Below the Waterling: Where the Crew Lives, Eats, Wars, and Parties. One Crazy Year Working on Cruise Ships." Uh...yeah. Longest title ever. Basically, Brian fell in love with a gorgeous Romanian who works on a cruise ship. Naturally, he decides to follow her and get a job with Carnival Cruises. The only problem is that no American has ever lasted a full contract in the dining room of a Carnival ship. The book follows Brian's quest to become the first.

I always wondered why Americans never work on cruise shops. Now I know. It's HARD - long hours, tiny living quarters, weird roommates - just to name a few. Americans don't exactly have the highest work ethic in the world, hence mostly foreigners working on cruise ships. I found that aspect of the book interesting. I like seeing what the living quarters were like, what they thought of the passengers, and stuff like that. Unfortunately, those parts are few and far between.

Most of the book is a platform for Brian to brag about how many hot women he has to beat off with a stick and to rate every women her meets by her physical attributes. It gets annoying really fast. You know how everyone in their 20s has that one friend who constantly stories about crazy times when they're drunk and it's not really interesting unless you were there an/or also drunk? Yeah, this is that friend if they wrote a book. It's page after page of drunk exploits that you probably had to be there to enjoy. A few stories would have been okay, but most of the book was this crap.

Overall, I didn't really like it. I really wanted to read more about crazy guest stories and things like that. I also didn't like how it just abruptly ended. Brian does finish his contract with Carnival (the first American ever!) though. He starts working towards a job as an art auctioneer with Carnival, but the book just sort of ends there. We don't really find out what happens between him and his girlfriend either, with is what a good chunk of the book is about!

Church of Lies by Flora Jessop (CBR-III #42)

Cannonball Read III: Book #42/52
Published: 2009
Pages: 320 (16,977 total pages so far)
Genre: Nonfiction

This is one of several books I've read about the FLDS (a fundamentalist Mormon sect) but it's by far the most horrifying. Not only are most of these women married off at a very young age to be one of multiple wives, but apparently abuse runs rampant in these communities. Flora Jessop tells her story about how she was raped and abused as a child before she had enough and ran away as a teen.

The abuse in this book is so horrific, you almost feel like you're reading fiction. Flora was strong enough to realize that she needed to get out, but unfortunately a lot of women don't realize that there are other options. There's also not a lot of help. When she told the police about her father molesting her, they sent her back home. Realizing that the law wasn't going to help her, now Flora spends her life trying to help other girls and women to escape.

The FLDS compounds are scary. I can't even imagine being born into a community like that and it being all you've ever known. They are taught that the outside world is evil, so most women are even more afraid of leaving than staying. I think it's brave of these women to write their stories when they're losing their entire families by leaving the religion and going public. Hopefully their bravery can save more women from this lifestyle.

Overall, the book was good. It wasn't the most well written book, but Flora Jessop isn't a professional writer. She tells her story effectively and leaves an impact on the reader. I would definitely recommend this book if you're interested in polygamy and the FLDS.