Julie's Updates en-US Thu, 24 Apr 2025 18:32:29 -0700 60 Julie's Updates 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Friend1421012560 Thu, 24 Apr 2025 18:32:29 -0700 <![CDATA[<Friend user_id=1143969 friend_user_id=131744104 top_friend=false>]]> ReadStatus9338565958 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 06:15:36 -0700 <![CDATA[Julie wants to read 'The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home']]> /review/show/7509145876 The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home by Joseph Fink Julie wants to read The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home by Joseph Fink
]]> ReadStatus9338564993 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 06:15:17 -0700 <![CDATA[Julie wants to read 'It Devours!']]> /review/show/7509145100 It Devours! by Joseph Fink Julie wants to read It Devours! by Joseph Fink
]]> Review7483927020 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 05:55:27 -0700 <![CDATA[Julie added 'Tales from the Gas Station']]> /review/show/7483927020 Tales from the Gas Station by Jack Townsend Julie gave 3 stars to Tales from the Gas Station (Tales from the Gas Station, #1) by Jack Townsend
bookshelves: audiobook, horror-and-terror, recced
The gas station had already cut so many corners on safety that it was practically a circle.


I avoided this for a while mistakenly thinking it was just a creepypasta anthology or episodic podcast or something, until it was heavily recced and comped to Welcome to Night Vale. Which is a really good comparison, actually, between the eerie unexplained phenomena happening in an isolated location, an unfazed main character, and the fact that despite being a standard novel, this is still best experienced as an audiobook imo.

I've tried to piece together the history of this series and from what I gather, it was originally online blog posts and /r/NoSleep stories that then became full-sized novels with overarching plot; the latter interests me way more, so I'll keep listening to these audiobooks.

Mr Creepypasta's narration, for being a Youtuber horror storyteller(??), is surprisingly good and bumped up the whole thing; make sure you get his version instead of the 'theatrical' version with Jon Grilz. He starts off a little shaky and unpolished but then finds his stride with it; he especially does a good job with different voices for the scattering of characters here, some normal and some utterly bizarre, and even quickfire banter between them. Quippy humour which could've been cringe-inducing or aggravating in text was endearing instead with his delivery, and there were a few laugh-out-loud moments where the next line truly caught me off-guard. His deadpan wisecracking really embodies the character.

All of which is why I recommend it in audio form, because even looking over the text quotes on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ, I just didn't think it worked as well as hearing it aloud.

Otherwise: this book is about Jack Townsend, gas station attendant at a weird gas station where weird shit happens and he takes it all in stride � until things start vastly escalating with a Dark God, a murdercult, and a dead body in a trunk.

It's tongue-in-cheek and jokey throughout and the humour will probably be very hit-or-miss for folks. Although despite the wink-wink nudge-nudge tone, it can also be surprisingly serious and dramatic and poignant sometimes, when the tone turns serious and somber and weighty even amongst all the silly wackiness; and I'm hoping for more of that in the next books. Definitely if you liked WTNV, I think you might like this. ]]> Review21729439 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 05:26:43 -0700 <![CDATA[Julie added 'The Encounter']]> /review/show/21729439 The Encounter by K.A. Applegate Julie gave 4 stars to The Encounter (Animorphs, #3) by K.A. Applegate
bookshelves: childrens-lit, rereads, applegrant
(Read in March 2015, January 2020, and April 2025.)

FIRST REVIEW / MAR 5, 2015
Tobias book! Cheer up, emo bird. I was really into him in the show (who wasn’t?), and of course I was deeply into the OTP � it gets gutting later, and there are already hints of it right here at the start, I forgot how early they set it up � but he was never actually my favourite character.

I love that in these early books � their first-ever POV books � they’re all sorting through their issues and discovering/deciding on their reasons for fighting this war. Because you need a motivation, you need that personal anchor. The big picture isn’t enough; it’s the personal stories that really drive home the point.

For Jake, it’s his brother. Rachel, it’s realising the personal impact of loved ones becoming Controllers. Tobias, it’s realising that all hosts are trapped just like he is. (Marco’s comes later, in his own book.)

Their adventure in this book goes terribly; these early ones are so jarring because their schemes are shambolic messes, always a hair’s breadth away from utter failure and death. I’m not so into the plot of this one, but it’s a necessary step towards Tobias� character development and coming to terms with his new life. I also love these early explorations into Rachel’s characterisation, the fact that she gets off on adrenaline, that she’s partially drawn to the danger & violence.

(I’m also terribly ashamed of myself because now that I’m rereading the series, I’m weirdly into Marco/Rachel??? Probably because boys being dumb & pester-y pigtail-pulling dynamics are some of my favourite tropes ugghhh. ALSO APPARENTLY THEY DATED IN AN ALTERNATE TIMELINE, SO I’M NOT TOTALLY CRAZY. I’m restraining myself from reading the plot summary for that AU though, because I can barely remember what happens in the later books.)

---------------------------------

SECOND REVIEW / JAN 15, 2020
Other details that I’m thinking about now:
� How very, very early the seeds of the relationships are planted: Rachel and Tobias� connection, Jake and Cassie’s even subtler fondness for each other, Marco’s crush on Rachel. It’s all there but never takes a forefront, and ~*~romance~*~ isn’t really a focus of these books.

� How very bleak this book is. Tobias literally tries to kill himself!! His identity issues wind up a bit too worn-out by the end of the series, but they’re handled so delicately right here at the start: him finding a new way to live, him accepting both sides of himself.

� When failing their mission, Rachel and the other Animorphs refuse to be captured alive and tell Tobias to find a way to kill them!! This is the THIRD BOOK. GUYS.

� Marco’s continuing reluctance, but how he’s still there for everyone when the chips are down, and his frustration with them for not thinking as coldly and tactically as he can. I love him. My old fave!!

� Jake and Rachel are still so wonderfully similar. The two of them all gung-ho and “YEAH!!� about their batshit infiltration plan in this book, my god.

� I love erryone in this bar. � 3.5 stars, very very nearly rounded up.

Favourite quotes moved !

---------------------------------

THIRD REVIEW / APR 18, 2025
There’s not much I can add to my existing reviews for this one, except that this time I’m rounding it up because Tobias� journey in this book is just so heavy and heartbreaking. ]]> Rating849875377 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 05:22:27 -0700 <![CDATA[Julie J liked a review]]> /
Julie liked Misty Marie Harms's review of Tales from the Gas Station: Volume One (Tales from the Gas Station, #1):
Tales from the Gas Station by Jack Townsend
"Every town has one. That creepy, out of the way gas station with the weird customers. Jack just happens to be working at the one in this story. All kinds of characters swing by the gas station. Monsters, supernatural forces, shoplifting raccoons, and garden gnomes. Then his best friend reveals the body of a local politician hidden in the trunk of a car, and all hell breaks loose. This book is horror, supernatural, comedy, and drama. Decent read."
]]> Review21729439 Sat, 19 Apr 2025 09:36:40 -0700 <![CDATA[Julie added 'The Encounter']]> /review/show/21729439 The Encounter by K.A. Applegate Julie gave 4 stars to The Encounter (Animorphs, #3) by K.A. Applegate
bookshelves: childrens-lit, rereads, applegrant
(Read in March 2015, January 2020, and April 2025.)

FIRST REVIEW / MAR 5, 2015
Tobias book! Cheer up, emo bird. I was really into him in the show (who wasn’t?), and of course I was deeply into the OTP � it gets gutting later, and there are already hints of it right here at the start, I forgot how early they set it up � but he was never actually my favourite character.

I love that in these early books � their first-ever POV books � they’re all sorting through their issues and discovering/deciding on their reasons for fighting this war. Because you need a motivation, you need that personal anchor. The big picture isn’t enough; it’s the personal stories that really drive home the point.

For Jake, it’s his brother. Rachel, it’s realising the personal impact of loved ones becoming Controllers. Tobias, it’s realising that all hosts are trapped just like he is. (Marco’s comes later, in his own book.)

Their adventure in this book goes terribly; these early ones are so jarring because their schemes are shambolic messes, always a hair’s breadth away from utter failure and death. I’m not so into the plot of this one, but it’s a necessary step towards Tobias� character development and coming to terms with his new life. I also love these early explorations into Rachel’s characterisation, the fact that she gets off on adrenaline, that she’s partially drawn to the danger & violence.

(I’m also terribly ashamed of myself because now that I’m rereading the series, I’m weirdly into Marco/Rachel??? Probably because boys being dumb & pester-y pigtail-pulling dynamics are some of my favourite tropes ugghhh. ALSO APPARENTLY THEY DATED IN AN ALTERNATE TIMELINE, SO I’M NOT TOTALLY CRAZY. I’m restraining myself from reading the plot summary for that AU though, because I can barely remember what happens in the later books.)

---------------------------------

SECOND REVIEW / JAN 15, 2020
Other details that I’m thinking about now:
� How very, very early the seeds of the relationships are planted: Rachel and Tobias� connection, Jake and Cassie’s even subtler fondness for each other, Marco’s crush on Rachel. It’s all there but never takes a forefront, and ~*~romance~*~ isn’t really a focus of these books.

� How very bleak this book is. Tobias literally tries to kill himself!! His identity issues wind up a bit too worn-out by the end of the series, but they’re handled so delicately right here at the start: him finding a new way to live, him accepting both sides of himself.

� When failing their mission, Rachel and the other Animorphs refuse to be captured alive and tell Tobias to find a way to kill them!! This is the THIRD BOOK. GUYS.

� Marco’s continuing reluctance, but how he’s still there for everyone when the chips are down, and his frustration with them for not thinking as coldly and tactically as he can. I love him. My old fave!!

� Jake and Rachel are still so wonderfully similar. The two of them all gung-ho and “YEAH!!� about their batshit infiltration plan in this book, my god.

� I love erryone in this bar. � 3.5 stars, very very nearly rounded up.

Favourite quotes moved !

---------------------------------

THIRD REVIEW / APR 18, 2025
There’s not much I can add to my existing reviews for this one, except that this time I’m rounding it up because Tobias� journey in this book is just so heavy and heartbreaking. ]]> ReadStatus9302128863 Sat, 12 Apr 2025 18:52:54 -0700 <![CDATA[Julie is currently reading 'Tales from the Gas Station']]> /review/show/7483927020 Tales from the Gas Station by Jack Townsend Julie is currently reading Tales from the Gas Station by Jack Townsend
]]> ReadStatus9290932880 Wed, 09 Apr 2025 15:28:11 -0700 <![CDATA[Julie wants to read 'The House in the Cerulean Sea']]> /review/show/7476222613 The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune Julie wants to read The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
]]> Review21729424 Sun, 06 Apr 2025 00:21:02 -0700 <![CDATA[Julie added 'The Visitor']]> /review/show/21729424 The Visitor by K.A. Applegate Julie gave 4 stars to The Visitor (Animorphs, #2) by K.A. Applegate
bookshelves: rereads, childrens-lit, applegrant
(Read in March 2015, January 2020, and April 2025.)

FIRST REVIEW / MAR 5, 2015
Rachel book! The Chapmans are heartbreaking, as this starts to delve into the human cost of the invasion, the small picture rather than the big picture � also the start of getting to know Rachel’s bravery and recklessness. I still love how they’re all just floundering around at the start like this. And I love, love, love how hilariously into cats Visser Three is. HE IS SO CHARMED BY THEM. OF COURSE THE SUPERVILLAIN WOULD LOVE CATS.

---------------------------------

SECOND REVIEW / JAN 6, 2020
This time around, I can discuss this book in a bit more detail. Each of these first few books is establishing each Animorph’s motivation for joining the fight, and Rachel’s is touching and painful and awful. Yeerk infestation is like Capgras syndrome made real, and seeing the cost from the ground-up like this is devastating:
Next time Marco asked why we were fighting the Yeerks, I knew I would have a whole new answer. Because they destroy the love of parents for their daughter. Because they made Melissa Chapman cry in her bed with no one to comfort her but a cat.

It was a small answer, I guess. I mean, it wasn’t some high-sounding answer about the entire human race. It was just about this one girl. My friend. Whose heart was broken because her parents were no longer really her parents.

We’re also continuing to get acquainted with the characters� personalities, this delicate balance of their five characterisations and their push-and-pull with each other, and even little touches of foreshadowing for the series endgame ([spoilers removed]). One of the things I’m appreciating most is how this is only the second book, and yet Jake is already so good at the logical plan and manipulating his loved ones to get them to do what he needs them to do, for the sake of the fight:
“If there were some way for us to get close to Chapman…� Jake let the words hang in the air. He carefully didn’t look at me. But I knew what he meant. He’d obviously been thinking about this for a while.

“Melissa?� I asked.

He nodded. “It’s a possibility.�

°Ú…]

I felt a bitter taste in my mouth. Jake was right, of course. Chapman was the logical lead to follow. And Melissa was our way to get close. It made sense. It made sense for me to betray an old friend.

It also made me feel like dirt.

And yet I still love the cousins� dynamic and how it’s already playing out: seeing the places where they’re similar, their bravery and big hearts and competitiveness and how much they care about each other: ‘Yeah, right. Like I was going to abandon you.� � � �

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but this middle-grade/YA remains so much darker and more touching than it had any right to be. Continues to pay off on rereads.

All my other favourite quotes .

---------------------------------

SECOND REVIEW / APR 6, 2025
My heart aches; the Chapmans remain so devastating, and Rachel’s ferocious heart is so huge. Similarly, I love that despite being the stereotypically pretty blonde who likes shopping and gymnastics, she also gets the biggest bird morph as the bald eagle, and the biggest battle morph as the elephant and there’s no dainty prettiness about that form when she wades into the fight.

And the toll of the war is already painful to follow: several of the Animorphs are already waking up screaming and vomiting from trauma nightmares, and this is only the second book. ]]>