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Book Review - Hidden Pictures (2022), by Jason Rekulak

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  As a fan of the paranormal and ghost stories, I found such delight in reading this book. It was a smooth and fast-paced read; exactly how I like it to be. The writing style is simple and reminded me of Stephen King’s. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not comparing, but I really loved Jason’s way of putting simple words on paper and coming up with a magnificent plot and narrative. The book tells the story of Mallory, a 21-year-old young woman recovering from her drug addiction, who decides to take on a job as a nanny with a nice family; she makes the acquaintance of Teddy, a sweet 5-year-old boy with a talent for drawing and who she gets along with. Mallory is relieved to have found a safe job with good pay to secure her future. However, as she becomes more involved with the family, she uncovers a dark secret. Teddy’s drawings reveal that he has an imaginary friend who he calls “Anya”. The parents assure Mallory that Anya is just a non-existent playmate that Teddy will soon forget about wh
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Audiobook: A Hunger Artist, Franz Kafka (Narrated by me)

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Dachra (2018) | Horror Movie Synopsis

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  Dachra is a chilling Tunisian horror film that plunges viewers into a heart-pounding journey of terror and suspense. The story begins with three journalism students, Yasmine, Bilel, and Walid who get together to work on a school project. They decide to come up with an original idea for the project and begin an expedition looking for answers about a mystery incident that received little attention in the media. Their research begins and they visit a psychiatric facility where a woman called Mongia is confined due to her mental state or involvement in the ritualistic murder case. As the students tried to find answers to why Mongia was discovered mutilated on the side of the freeway 20 years ago, the hospital supervisor refused to provide them with answers about the case under the pretext that there was no patient with that name in the facility. The students then decide to take matters into their own hands and dig deeper into their research. They decide to follow the barely-there cl
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Book Review - Crime and Punishment (1866), by Fyodor Dostoevsky

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While I write this, I am carefully going to choose my words to suitably articulate my thoughts about this book. This is my first Dostoevsky book (yes, yes), and before I can say more, let me tell you that Dostoevsky isn’t extraordinary, he is way more than that. No such thorough description and basis in Literature was attempted in the late 19th Century as in this one. Neurologists like  Sigmund Freud  had a deep appreciation for the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky as a writer whose impeccable approach to the mental analysis of abnormal people under unusual circumstances, was the basis for his research. Freud hailed Dostoevsky’s ability to understand human psychology and portray complicated psychological states and inner conflicts and many more dark aspects of human nature. What follows is not a critical evaluation, but rather a record of a thoroughly personal experience. So, what's the book about? The novel is designed around Dostoevsky’s view of his culture’s ideas about crime and ment
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Book Review - The Institute (2019), by Stephen King

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  So, I started the year with another unsurprisingly outstanding Stephen King book. The Institute (2019), is a thriller novel that traces the stories of kids with extraordinary abilities (Telekinesis, Telepathy) who are taken into custody ( so to speak) to a mysterious institution where they are subjected to horrible experiments and undergo various challenges. The Institute can be emotionally overwhelming especially when describing the struggles of the main young characters. It explores different themes, mainly power and abuse. The way King dives into the psychological aspects of his characters makes us, readers, share their feelings and experience their pain. I felt a little disinterested and bored (this is the very first time I  get this feeling while reading a King book) in the novel's early chapters, which may have been purposefully slow-paced while the author sets the stage and introduces the characters one by one. It’s a classic storytelling technique used to provide th
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Book Review - Letter to His Father (1919), by Franz Kafka

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  Franz Kafka  (1883-1924) This sorrowful piece stands as the most melancholic I have held in my hand. Kafka’s writing deeply touches us for it originates from a more personal and authentic point of view. What makes him different from other novelists is that his works are based on existentialism and carry a passionate and depressing tone. In this letter, Kafka shares his feelings of inferiority and inadequacy, the impact of his complex father-son relationship on his personality and his life, and his deeply rooted psychological struggles. I felt mixed emotions stirring within me while reading this letter; curiosity, downheartedness, obscurity, oblivion, sympathy, and many more I cannot identify. For some reason, while reading this, it reflected my own thoughts and I could relate to him in many aspects. I am unable to phrase it in a way that conveys my personal experience and connection to his own, but this is one of the effects his writings have on me. It confuses me each time. How much
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Book Review - Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818), by Mary Shelley

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Frankenstein  was one of those rare reads that completely took me by surprise.  Mary Shelley’s timeless narrative weaved a gripping mix of scientific ambition, ethical dilemma, and the tragic outcomes of the insane pursuit of knowledge. This story created a long-lasting impact upon me making me contemplate different aspects of life and wonder, what is it that truly matters in this world? I was affected by different feelings of sadness, joy, sympathy, astonishment, fear, and even horror. “ Night also closed around; and when I could hardly see the dark mountains, I felt still more gloomily. The picture appeared a vast and dim scene of evil, and I foresaw obscurely that I was destined to become the most wretched of human beings .” Victor Frankenstein’s woe and distress are vividly portrayed in this sentence. His sense of gloom and hopelessness intensifies as the darkness of the night obscures his surroundings and seems to amplify his emotional disarray, making him feel more wretched and l
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