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Benjamin Netanyahu's three decades of political ups and downs
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is 73 years old. A former Mossad agent, he ran an unsuccessful campaign for prime minister in 1996. He was the leader of the ruling Likud party for…
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Can anyone watch more than five hours of television a day?
Watching has become a pastime, a hobby, the habit of today's youngest citizens – but is watching taking it too far? Nine-year-old Noah Batallion watched animated children's TV programmes last weekend, his "vomit face"…
Categories world Tags research, showtime, sports, tennis
Biden calls on CDC to step up fight against Ebola
President Biden is upping pressure on the government to focus on battling Ebola outbreaks as the campaign for his re-election heats up in a race that has now tightened to a dead heat with…
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Lagos shooting raises more questions
Image copyright AFP Image caption Residents here said they heard about the shooting in the late afternoon More questions have been raised about the shooting of a teenage boy in Lagos. BBC World Service…
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CNN's Tom Kludt sat down with Alec Baldwin for an exclusive interview for his new political documentary "Andre's List," and Baldwin gave some of the most candid and honest answers he's given about any…
Categories world Tags celebrity, influenza, politics, research, science and technology
Written by By Natasha Schuster, CNN Ditching the style of songs like "Love Me Like You Mean It" and "Unapologetically," "blessed" is a collection of poems by a country-pop singer who's built a huge…
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Chinese rights activist slams troubled tennis star Peng Shuai's sentencing
Last night, a court sentenced Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai to two years in prison after convicting her of fraud. Speaking to a reporter from Agence France-Presse (AFP), human rights activist Peter Dahlin describes…
Categories world Tags boxing, business, influenza, nobel prizes, science and technology, showtime
Kanye West's 'yeezy' line may be on the way out after this Instagram announcement
Announced over Instagram at 12:37 am, the musician Q-Tip posted a list of names which included: "@michellemayer, @mrgeorgehedge, @chantelneal, @gblay, @lecinero and the other I want to but can't include in the post, Virgil…
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Fans of Zhang Yimou's 'Aurora Borealis' call for boycott
Written by By Jenna Prendergast, CNN With auditions in China going on this weekend for Zhang Yimou's big-budget film "Aurora Borealis," fans in Beijing made sure to stay up to date on the news….
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Slow Grind Fever, Melbourne's only slow dance party, is moving to Bar Open for the launch of volume #5 in our series of Slow Grind Fever LPs on Stag-O-Lee records!
smoke and dim red light. It's a good time.
and the United States, and we are most pleased to bring her back to Melbourne to play for us.
We'll have limited copies of the Slow Grind Fever Vol #5 LP for sale at the door (you can put your name on them and collect as you leave), so get there early to snap one up and save on postage from Europe!


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Q: How install B2B Suite in Shopware 6? Is it possible to install B2B Suite in Shopware 6 with Composer?
My approach so far has been
composer require shopware/b2b

php bin/console plugin:install SwagB2bPlatform

But this leads to an error when I try to install the plugin

The class "SwagB2bPlatform\SwagB2bPlatform" is not found. Probably an class loader error. Check your plugin composer.json

Does anyone have any experience with this? Do I have to run any scripts to make sure the plugin has all the necessary resources?

A: Shopware has no way to simple way to require proprietary plugins. You should not use SwagB2bPlatform as composer repository via vcs as all needed assets get packed before the release.
You can setup packages.friendsofshopware.com for your projects. This is a community driven project which provides a repository of all plugins in the community story. You are limited to plugins that you bought in the community store. Using this repository needs an extra entry in the repositories in your composer.json. After that you can just require any plugin that is assigned to your project. In the search you can find the plugin you look out for: https://packages.friendsofshopware.com/?producers=shopware%20AG&term=b2b

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Blindschakt är vid gruvdrift ett schakt som ej når upp till marknivån, utan blott drivits mellan olika nivåer under jord.

Källor
GeoNord, Geologiska och mineralogiska termförklaringar, läst 2008-12-23

Gruvdrift

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Being Canadian I just had to buy a shoe from this collection! Aldo is a Canadian company for those who didn't realize. I chose these Merida Oxfords and the Jackie Ballet Flats in the color navy since Target has BOGO 1/2 off until the 26th. They aren't the most comfortable pair of shoes I've owned and since they aren't leather, they don't stretch, but they are hella cute! :D I get the Jackie ones today, we'll see how those fit.


Maxim Healthcare Services (MGS) is currently seeking Registered Nurses, Physical Therapists, and Occupational Therapists (RN, PT, OT) for direct placement opportunities to provide care management services. The caregiver will facilitate and coordinate the optimal Discharge Plan and serve as the communication link between the patient and their interdisciplinary health care team on their journey to well-being.
The caregiver will complete weekly LiveSafe assessments and engage the patient's interdisciplinary care team providing them with the Outcomes Prediction Tool (OPT) to align expectations for discharge planning. He/She will engage the patient and family to share information and facilitate informed decision by serving as the link between patients and the appropriate health care personnel, ensuring efficient, smooth, and prompt transitions of care.
Collaborate effectively with the patient's health care team to establish an optimal discharge plan. The health care team includes physicians, referral coordinators, discharge planners, social workers, physical therapist, etc.
Ability to sit for an extended period of time periods (1‐2) hours.
For further information and/or to apply to this opportunity, please contact Christopher May at (410) 910- 9072 or email your resume to !


Tarayana Rural Crafts (TRC) is an initiative of the Tarayana Foundation, established to support rural artisans in product development and marketing of craft products. The enterprise was born out of the Foundation's livelihood interventions in the most remote villages of Bhutan, as a means of sustainable & fair income generation options for the rural poor.
The TRC has been providing services to the artisans & Self Help Groups (SHGs) through skills development training, financial literacy, product enhancement through improved techniques and marketing of products.
More than 60 SHGs and 100 artisans from all over the country are engaged in organized production of about 8 different product categories with more than 30 distinct product lines.
To generate awareness and recognition of the work of the rural artisans.
Our products can also be obtained at the Lungta Handicrafts at Changlam, and the Termalinca Resort & Spa.


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You are here:Home>>Strategic Research & Analysis>>Mali:France intervention and Africa's Lesson in Self-Reliance
Mali:France intervention and Africa's Lesson in Self-Reliance
Written by Sammy Kum Buo
Mali citizen in Ansongo on January 29, 2013 cheers the anticipated arrival of troops from Niger.
The ongoing French military intervention in Mali has not only saved the defenseless West African nation from almost certain complete occupation by marauding foreign terrorists and jihadists, it has also rekindled a debate on the risks and costs of Africa's dependence on international charity for survival.
With many developed countries facing both biting economic difficulties and growing donor fatigue of their electorates, and with African countries by and large still mired in destabilizing vulnerabilities, it is not premature to begin to ponder the consequences of another Mali-type crisis elsewhere in the region.
Would France return or would someone else come to the rescue? Moreover, should any outside nation step in to prop up African states that many believe have no one to blame but themselves for their poverty, weakness and instability?
Many Africans agree with former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan who says in his recently published memoir, "Interventions: A Life in War and Peace," written with Nader Mousavizadeh, that internal African politics and leadership, not colonialism or other outside factors, are largely responsible for the continent's malaise. He enjoins both Africans and non-Africans to "grow up" and focus on finding solutions that work — not on who provides them.
At the same time, however, many Africans have had good reasons for coming to rely on foreigners for help.
In recent years the "responsibility to protect" doctrine, which calls on outside forces to intervene when a nation's civilians are threatened with slaughter, has gained currency, perhaps luring some African countries into a false expectation that should they become victims of nefarious forces, other members of the international community would swiftly respond with assistance. Meanwhile, globalization has made the world smaller, giving some Africans a false sense of security, a feeling that their global "neighbors" could always come to the rescue.
In Mali's case, a poor democratic country that devoted its meager resources to improving the quality of life of its people instead of building a large military establishment was the victim of a powerful terrorist invasion that brought Islamist fighters to within striking distance of the capital, Bamako, before French troops stopped the invaders. Yet Mali had been left to suffer alone for almost a year, an eye-opening experience at odds with the hype of a new and fairer international order of oneness promoted by advocates of globalization.
In the end, Mali was lucky. The political stars aligned, and a new French president had his reasons for wanting to intervene. But not every African nation will be so fortunate next time.
It is the fickle nature of the Mali saga that provides a lesson for the rest of the continent: Only self-reliance and preparation for the grim realities of an international order that is still riven by familiar divisions, inequalities and contradictions will save Africans. Even counting on the continent's traditional multinational partners, including the African Union and the United Nations, can lead to deadly consequences in the event of a major crisis, as the former lacks the means and the latter must, before it acts, secure the backing of the Security Council permanent members, who may be guided by their own national interests and priorities.
Ultimately, African countries bear primary responsibility both for the continent's problems and for its eventual and, yes, inevitable renaissance. Other nations, in particular the major powers, can assist by refraining from sending mixed messages to the continent and instead assisting in cementing the emerging but still fragile momentum for reformist change that is gradually taking hold.
To that end, the international community should consider facilitating adequate representation for Africa in the U.N. Security Council and helping the continent fight corruption, arguably the most corrosive factor that contributes to the region's poverty, instability and dependence on charity.
As African crises continue to dominate the work of the Security Council, the inclusion of an African permanent member would enable the continent to assume the driver's seat in the quest for homegrown and internationally backed initiatives to prevent or resolve African conflicts. Since no single African country is as powerful or rich as the Council's current permanent members, collective representation could be considered for Africa, perhaps through the granting of permanent membership to the African Union Commission. Such a bold and innovative step would help end Africa's knee-jerk pattern of blaming outsiders for its problems and force it to step up and work with others to find sustainable solutions.
To help increase Africa's financial resources, the international community should assist African reformers by fighting transnational corruption and helping to return stolen funds to the African countries of origin. Since the lion's share of the hundreds of billions of dollars illegally diverted from African treasuries by African elites is transferred abroad, the international community has a vital role to play. Africa needs a leak-proof plan that prevents the transfer of stolen funds from the continent into other nations abroad.
No doubt there is growing recognition throughout Africa that predictable and lasting security can best be provided through internal good governance, good neighborly relations and national means.
In the meantime, as Africans continue to face growing terrorist threats, the international community should send an unmistakable signal that the French intervention in Mali was not an exception but a precedent — and a warning to other groups of terrorists contemplating similar adventures in Mali or elsewhere on the continent.
Sammy Kum Buo, a Cameroon national, was director for West, Central and North Africa in the U.N. Department of Political Affairs in New York from 2007 to 2012.
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text:
Jonathan Stephen Mbwambo
Ministry of Education and Vocational Training
Agricultural Engineer
gender research, conservation of natural resources
Mbwambo, J. 2007. Agro-biodiversity and food security among smallholder farmers in Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania. Doctoral thesis at a Univesity in Tanzania. Download [PDF]
Chingonikaya E.E. and J.S. Mbwambo. 2004. Perspectives of the adoption of agroforestry practices and their contribution to poverty reduction among rural households in lake zone. Sponsored by REPOA.
Mbwambo J. S. 2004. Strategies for equal participation of women in the conservation and management of natural resources in Uluguru Mountains. Sponsored by WCST/DOF.
Mbwambo J.S. 2004. The Role of Local Knowledge in Determining the Biological Values of Protected Areas: A case Study of Udzungwa Mountains Forest Reserves (2001). Sponsored by DANIDA/MEMA.
Mbwambo J.S. 2004. Strategies for equal gender involvement in the decision-making process on the use of natural resources in Uluguru Mountains. Consultancy report submitted to the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania and the Uluguru Mountains Bi.
Mbwambo, J.S. 2004. Analysis of nature and impact human wildlife conflicts in wildlife corrodors and migration routes in lake Manyara and Tarangire National Parks. Journal of Management and Development. Mzumbe Univiversity, .
Mbwambo, J.S. 2004. Farming systems and policy options for food security in uluguru mountains, Tanzania. Paper submitted for publication by the biannual Journal of The Institute of Rural Development Planning, Dodoma Tanzania.
Mbwambo, J.S. and E.E. Chingonikaya. 2004. Adoption of agroforestry practices and their contribution to poverty reduction among rural households: A case study of to maize and woody biomass yields and income in Musoma Rural District, Mara Region Tanzania.
Mbwambo J.S. 2003. Socioeconomic and baseline information for Mlali Division, Mvomero District. Consultancy report submitted to the Uluguru Mountains Agricultural Development Program (UMADEP) of Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro Tanzania.
Mbwambo, J.S. 2000. The Role Of Local Knowledge and Organizations on Sustainable Conservation of Biodiversity: A Case Study of Udzungwa Mountains National Park. Research carried out as a requirement for partial fulfilment for M.Sc Degree in Management Of Natural Resources at
Growth, inequality and poverty
1.PERSONAL HISTORY
1.1 Full Name	Jonathan Stephen Mbwambo
1.2 Sex Male
1.3	Nationality	Tanzanian
1.4	Marital Status Married
1.5	Mailing Address	Sokoine University of Agriculture,
Development Studies Institute,
Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro Tannzania.
BMZ via DAAD & GTZ
ZEF C: Department of Ecology and Natural Resources Management
mbwambojs(at)suanet.ac.tz


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Start by marking "My Best Friend's Exorcism" as Want to Read:
We'd love your help. Let us know what's wrong with this preview of My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix.
Preview — My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
Grady Hendrix (Goodreads Author)
3.96 · Rating details · 29,041 ratings · 5,073 reviews
1988. Charleston, South Carolina. High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fourth grade. . But after an evening of skinny-dipping goes disastrously wrong, Gretchen begins to act… different. She's moody. She's irritable. And bizarre incidents keep happening whenever she's nearby.
Abby's investigation leads her to some startling discoveries - and 1988. Charleston, South Carolina. High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fourth grade. . But after an evening of skinny-dipping goes disastrously wrong, Gretchen begins to act… different. She's moody. She's irritable. And bizarre incidents keep happening whenever she's nearby.
Abby's investigation leads her to some startling discoveries - and by the time their story reaches its terrifying conclusion, the fate of Abby and Gretchen will be determined by a single question: Is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?
Like an unholy hybrid of Beaches and The Exorcist, My best Friend's Exorcism blends teen angst, adolescent drama, unspeakable horrors, and a mix of '80s pop songs into a pulse-pounding supernatural thriller. ...more
Published May 17th 2016 by Quirk Books
Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Horror (2016)
Other Editions (27)
Featured Notes & Highlights
Grady Hendrix - author
13 notes & 13 highlights
To ask other readers questions about My Best Friend's Exorcism, please sign up.
Can anyone tell me how exactly Gretchen got possessed? I read it some and listened to it on Audible some. I don't know if I missed something but i never thought that was explained. Was it at camp or on her friend's property in the woods?
See all 4 answers
This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)[ The phone number Gretchen has written down as Andy's is off by two digits and when Abby tracks him down, he says he never heard from Gretchen after ca…more The phone number Gretchen has written down as Andy's is off by two digits and when Abby tracks him down, he says he never heard from Gretchen after camp. So I'm thinking, that the "Andy" that Gretchen thought she was talking to was Andras priming her up for when he came to possess her the night of the infamous skinny dip.
The phone number is also key to finding Gretchen (or her voice at least), when Andras takes over her body.
In my humble opinion, the deepest and most important moral and lesson of this story (besides friendship being strong enough to conquer evil...) is, that when you meet a cute boy over summer, double check his digits!(less) (hide spoiler)]
So, I work in a bookstore--read this and loved it, and would like to stock it. But I'm having a really hard time deciding if it's YA or general lit. The price point of the hardback suggests YA. Also, obviously, it's about high schoolers. But our supplier (Ingram) lists it as general fiction. Also, it just doesn't quite *read* like YA to me. Just curious what others think. General fiction, or YA?
Bambi Quim I agree. I also adored this novel, but it feels more like "general lit" than "YA lit." While the protagonists are primarily teens for the majority of …moreI agree. I also adored this novel, but it feels more like "general lit" than "YA lit." While the protagonists are primarily teens for the majority of the novel, the subject matter feels like it is aimed more for an older audience, anyway. This book feels like '80s nostalgia, which reaches for an older audience and/or a younger audience that really likes to watch old '80s movies (which was definitely me in high school, but I'm not sure if that was normal even then, let alone now).(less)
See all 12 questions about My Best Friend's Exorcism…
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Start your review of My Best Friend's Exorcism
Apr 28, 2018 Wil Wheaton rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: horror
It's very very very good, but falls just short of being great and I can't say exactly why.
I loved the characters and the metaphor of possession (which is not just a metaphor in this story). I loved the references to 1988, and how seamlessly they were dropped into the narrative.
It's a supernatural horror story, and the third act drives that home without mercy, but at its core, this is a story about friendship, and I'm glad I read it. I think it would make a great 6 episode series. It's very very very good, but falls just short of being great and I can't say exactly why.
It's a supernatural horror story, and the third act drives that home without mercy, but at its core, this is a story about friendship, and I'm glad I read it. I think it would make a great 6 episode series. ...more
Aug 12, 2017 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it really liked it
Shelves: own, horror-etc
Well hell, the end of this book made me cry a little bit! I didn't see that coming!
I loved the front and back pages of this book. I took a couple of pictures so you guys could see. It's awesome, like a yearbook =)
I loved Abby and Gretchen's friendship. It lasted the test of time.
I think something in the book might have went over my head but I'm just going to pretend it didn't.
I loved, loved, loved the 80's music references and other stuff. It makes me think of the good ole days. Well, mostly Well hell, the end of this book made me cry a little bit! I didn't see that coming!
I loved, loved, loved the 80's music references and other stuff. It makes me think of the good ole days. Well, mostly good ole days.
This book is about high school, friends and weirdos, demonic stuff, exorcisms ish, troubled families and kids, and probably several more things that I have forgotten.
I enjoyed this coming of age story - not your typical coming of age story - but I still enjoyed it. And like I said, the end was both sweet and sad =(
Enoy!
MEL ♥ ...more
May 18, 2016 karen rated it really liked it
Shelves: october-is-spooky
a reverse-mullet review: GIF-party in the front, long tendrils of ruminating "business" in the back.
in short, this book is
"DBNQ," and largely because "we got the beat" is used as a plot point in this book and "heaven is a place on earth" is used in that episode,
so it's six degrees of belinda carlisle
and then you throw in some
i need to use the rest of this space to untangle some thoughts and reactions i have about this book. you can come with me or you can go on your merry way to read
i need to use the rest of this space to untangle some thoughts and reactions i have about this book. you can come with me or you can go on your merry way to read a more review-shaped review, but you cannot bitch at me for not writing a review in whatever manner you find most useful or appropriate, because i'm telling you right now - if you are the kind of person who has bullet points for how goodreads reviews "should" be, this ain't your review.
i'd intended to only read horror books for october, despite the temptation of several non-horror books side-eyeing me wantonly from the stacks. and yet i feel like i have already inadvertently failed in this goal by reading this one, because i wouldn't really classify it as "horror." unless you are extraordinarily spooked out by teengirl squabbles. which is probably a legit phobia with a fancy name, but i don't know what it is.
and i'm okay with this not slotting neatly into the horror category. i like genre blends, i like ambiguity and metafiction (when it is purposeful and not just gimmicky), and i like it very much when the reader is invited to take a step back and examine a situation through a slightly different lens before returning them to the narrative a little off-balance; out of alignment with their former expectations or beliefs or even comfort level.
this book both does and doesn't do these things. see, i can be ambiguous, too!
this is a possession novel that offers several different "outs" along the way before committing to a stance on the "demon or no demon?" question. the problem is, i've already read a perfectly-done example of this: A Head Full of Ghosts, which sustains its ambiguity throughout, essentially presenting two books at the same time; one in which the possession is real, one in which it is not. this one kinda bats around the idea of that ambiguity in a half-hearted way, but it's more a case of "presenting logical alternatives" than "maintaining two possible storylines simultaneously." which is less ambitious and less fun, but it certainly does its due diligence in checklisting all of the possible explanations for erratic teen behavior that aren't demon-based, with especial focus on two of the big baddy blamealots of the 80's: satanic cults and drugs. it's all part of that "just say no," medical misinformation, satanic panic zeitgeist of the 80's where urban legends are presented as factual, where teenage characters fully believe that subterranean tunnels under preschools host molestation parties, AIDS is a weapon in a psychopath's arsenal, and that any family moving out of town is really covering up the satanically-motivated dismemberment-murder of one of their peers.
but as far as the
parade of alternate explanations go, it's actually an interesting experiment to see how long you can make a possession novel read like a teen-problem novel - how long you can hold off before you must choose. because there is a lot of overlap in how they present to the outside world, and in this book, the potential problem/excuse for gretchen changing itself changes with breathtaking frequency, depending on who's diagnosing her, but they are all valid; textually supported and confidently asserted:
page 128 - blamed on drugs and life stress (boys, school, parents)
"I don't know what's going on with Gretchen…But if you care about your friend, you need to get her off whatever she's on."
"What?" Abby asked.
"What?" Mr. Barlow mimicked. "I'm not an idiot. I know what drugs are. If you're really her friend, get her to stop."
Abby realized that no one was going to do anything. For five years, Gretchen had been the perfect Albermarle student, and the faculty still saw what they were used to seeing - not what was really happening. Maybe they chalked it up to PSAT stress or problems at home. Maybe they figured that tenth grade was a tough transition. Maybe they were caught up in their own divorces and career dramas and problem kids, and if she still wasn't turning things around on Monday they'd say something. Or maybe the following Monday. Or the Monday after that.
Something was changing inside Gretchen. Maybe it was the acid, maybe it was Andy, maybe it was her parents, maybe it was something worse. Whatever it was, Abby had to keep trying. She couldn't abandon her friend because soon Gretchen would be ready to talk. Any minute now she'd look up from her daybook and say, "I have to tell you something serious."
pages 138-9 - blamed on rape, trauma manifesting in cutting
So it was true. Someone had been in the woods and attacked Gretchen, and now she was hurting herself again and again as she relived the trauma, punishing herself just like Seventeen said. It all made so much sense that, insanely, Abby felt proud for having figured it out.
144 - blamed on unspecified adolescent psychology
"What Gretchen is going through is very scary, and I don't blame you for backing off from your friendship a little. But we've talked to doctors and they tell us that what's happening is an unfortunate sickness of the mind and spirit that happens sometimes as girls grow up."
"It's terrible when a young person hurts herself. But it can be a reaction to a lot of things. We've found someone in the church who Gretchen can speak to, and that's how she's going to start getting better.
and the biggest opportunity for an "out" from a supernatural explanation comes from a source who should be above reproach:
"Abby," Father Morgan said, "I know how it is to be a young person. There are all these reports of satanic cults everywhere, sacrificing babies. Geraldo Rivera's doing a two-hour special on them next week. Of course you feel these things deeply, and they upset and influence you. But they're not real."
"Then what are they?" Abby asked.
"They're…" Father Morgan waved one hand around in the air. "…metaphors. Ways of dealing with information and emotions. Adolescence is a complicated time, and some really bright people think that when the adult emerges, it's like you're being taken over by a different person. Almost like being possessed. Sometimes parents, or friends, get hurt when a loved one changes. They look around for something to blame. Music, movies, satanism."
He leaned back and flashed a smile.
"So you think Gretchen is possessed?" Abby asked. "Like she has a demon inside of her?"
His smile flicked off.
"What?" he said. "No, it's a metaphor."
oh, where was this authoritative voice of reason in the wayback? or was tipper gore just so loud in castigating ozzy osbourne, cyndi lauper and jello biafra that no one could hear? or is it, as poor father morgan later tries to explain to the very stubborn abby, that society needs a scapegoat to explain the bad things that happen, we need someone to be sick so we don't have to address ourselves, and a media circus is a wonderful distraction.
so, that was all a lot of words going nowhere, i know - but again - this is pretty much just for me to figure some shit out. and here's more of that.
hand in hand with the panoply of reasonable natural-world explanations in terms of how it serves the author and manipulates the reader is what i'm calling the stepback. usually, this happens in a first-person narrative, when you have gone along with the narrator for the bulk of the story, and whether or not you agree with/approve of their choices and actions, you are nonetheless firmly lodged in that perspective and then suddenly the book takes a giant step back into third person, showing you the scene in a more objective way, and it's all "hey now!" the two i can think of right now are American Psycho and And the Ass Saw the Angel, but i know there are more.
this one has two stepbacks, of a sort, where the choice easily could have been made to move away from the demonic angle and go down an equally creepy but more real-world path. OR to kinda juggle both. they both revolve the exorcist character, and again - A Head Full of Ghosts does a wicked thorough job examining the problematic, gendered and highly sexualized nature of exorcism rituals, but this book seems to be satisfied with setting up and calling attention to a sinister possibility without taking it any further.
abby and the exorcist meet at the mall, and after a candid and unvarnished discussion about ghb as a means of knocking out and then kidnapping her best friend, for her own good, of course - praise jesus, this enormous bodybuilder of a man, no more than a stranger to abby, says: "Come on…I want to show you something in my car."
abby's no dummy, and she's cautious enough to work out an escape route as she follows him to his white van (natch), where he triumphantly shows off his nylon straps, handcuffs, a straitjacket, duct tape, ball gags, chains, collars, a leash and muzzle, a leather hood, shackles followed by this not at all indicative of a crazy person scene:
"It's for our safety, of course," he said. And then he laughed and clapped his hands. "Hot darn, I'm excited," he said, hopping from one foot to the other."
in a different book, this goes a different way, right? and i kind of wanted to read that book - a sharp twist away from my expectations, rattling reader-me from my ridealong absorption of abby's belief in demonic possession back onto firmer ground with a turn of events equally "earned" by events thus far. the second stepback, or opportunity to switch gears, comes during the ritual itself, as it should during any physical torture of a teenage girl "for her own good." you should take a moment - preferably before you administer the ghb, just to entertain the possibility that you're reading the signs wrong. just half a mo.
i'm not sure what i'm trying to understand by identifying these moments, other than reiterating that this is barely a horror novel, that it goes 3/4 of the way before it is any different from a contemporary YA problem novel, and that i think that's interesting. you may not. "you" are probably just an echo of me right now, because i doubt anyone has come this far down the babble spiral with me, but i'm okay with that. and now i will babble some positive responses.
i liked so many things in this book - it gets a hundred stars for design. i love the cover of the paperback, but unfortunately it does not include all the yearbook signatures of the hardcover, of which i particularly like abby's, whose P.S. means one thing before you read the book and one much more specific thing after, and is the part that made me get as close to emotional as i can when reading.
and although the 80s music references i was promised were of the #notMY80s variety - all pop music instead of new wave, i have to admit i thoroughly enjoyed the girls' new lyrics to "against all odds" and "we got the beat."
and i especially-especially enjoyed the code of the south - that genteel looking away from the inelegant shames of others:
In Charleston, the day you become an adult is the day you learn to ignore your neighbor's drunk driving and focus instead on whether he submitted a paint-color change proposal to the Board of Architectural Review. The day you become an adult is the day you learn that in Charleston, the worse something is, the less attention it receives.
this is, by the way, the complete opposite of how we do in new england, which is pretty much exactly like The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible.
that ending, tho.
completely unexpected and yet absolutely perfect.
3.5 rounded up for ending. word-thoughts to come.
come to my blog! ...more
Mar 23, 2018 Sadie Hartmann rated it it was amazing
Updating review on 9/20/19
I read a one-star review basically calling the author out for "queerbaiting" in this book by using the phrase "Love ya dearly but not queerly." I have to say that the 1980s were so homophobic and ignorant. Especially with language and phrases. It has taken a long time for me to stop saying, "That's gay" for something I think is lame and it doesn't have anything to do with me being homophobic and everything to do with the culture I grew up in. We also said "retarded" syn Updating review on 9/20/19
I read a one-star review basically calling the author out for "queerbaiting" in this book by using the phrase "Love ya dearly but not queerly." I have to say that the 1980s were so homophobic and ignorant. Especially with language and phrases. It has taken a long time for me to stop saying, "That's gay" for something I think is lame and it doesn't have anything to do with me being homophobic and everything to do with the culture I grew up in. We also said "retarded" synonymously for "lame" which is also not OK. But if an author writes a book set in 1980s, it's relevant to reflect this ignorant attitude, in my humble opinion. It's the way it was. Anyways...feel free to debate this in the comments.
I'm not really sure why anyone would rate this book anything lower than five stars, unless of course, they didn't understand the premise of the book. I think it helps that I was born in 1976, so I'm the target audience and I buddy read it with a friend who was also in middle school in the late 80s-high school in the 90s, so you know--the E.T. themed birthday party at the roller skating rink? Yeah. Nailed it.
What you're signing up for when you read this book is the general plot of The Exorcist paired with Carrie vibes but lightened up with Hendrix's unique brand of iconic cultural identification/nostalgia that looks a lot like a blender smoothie of Stranger Things, My So Called Life and every 80s sitcom I ever watched---that's what this book *feels* like when you're reading it.
If you were born after 1985, you're probably going to miss out on reliving stuff like the scene where Abby and Gretchen get in trouble for singing the lyrics to Like a Virgin and wearing Gretchen's mom's cross necklaces. That was a scene from my own life--I mean, I *am* the MTV generation. I was scandalized by Madonna. I Stayed up late with my parents to watch the premiere video for Micheal Jackson's Thriller when it was an event on network television, I crimped my hair, had a Swatch Watch, wore Esprit Jeans and sprayed myself with Exclamation perfume every morning of eighth grade. But you'll get the basic idea of it if you swap Madonna with Britney Spears or something.
So of course, Grady Hendrix was speaking my language this entire book-not one pop culture reference was wasted on me. I especially loved the song title chapter headings and the songs would immediately get locked in my head,
"How can we dance when our earth is turning
How do we sleep while our beds are burning
How can we dance when our earth is turning
How do we sleep while our beds are burning"
I had no clue what these lyrics by Midnight Oil was even about when I was a kid, but I knew every, single word and it was a treasure to recall that when I got to this chapter-and the way the lyrics actually fit so well with what was happening in the story? I mean, it's genius level storytelling in my opinion. However, I don't think this book will alienate any of the younger generation of readers because 80s pop culture is super celebrated and people who can't relate on a personal level, will at least get it on the same level that they get what's going on in Stranger Things, which is wildly popular for all ages, you know? Sure, my 12 year old isn't going to feel it like my husband and I do, but he relates as a kid--kids don't change. All the characters in this book were well developed and easy to relate to for anyone who remembers what it is like to be a pre-teen/teenager.
The humor and horror seem in perfect balance. Yes, there are some cringe-worthy moments and yes, they are less scary because of the humor that's blended through out, but for me, that didn't make it any less entertaining. I enjoyed every moment--stand out moments being the climax towards the end and the exorcism stuff--there were some laugh out loud moments (love the Phil Collins mentions in that scene) Ha!
Overall, I recommend this book for anyone--not just fans of 80s pop culture (although they would love this!) and not just fans of horror books, but everyone who likes a good story with witty dialog, great characters and a well crafted horror plot, with few laughs. How does that *not* sound like a good time? ...more
Aug 27, 2020 Gabby rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: young-adult, favorites, liked-it, reviewed, read-in-one-day, own, read-in-2020, 4-star-books, horror
This book was so much fun. This is my second book from Grady Hendrix and I just love his writing so much. This book screams 80's horror movie vibes and I love that about it. We follow this young teenage girl and her best friend begins acting super strange, and then we find out her best friend is possessed. This book is strange and gory and it has one of the most disturbing scenes I've read in a book since The Troop which is pretty surprising and hardcore for a YA book. There's also a Spotify pla This book was so much fun. This is my second book from Grady Hendrix and I just love his writing so much. This book screams 80's horror movie vibes and I love that about it. We follow this young teenage girl and her best friend begins acting super strange, and then we find out her best friend is possessed. This book is strange and gory and it has one of the most disturbing scenes I've read in a book since The Troop which is pretty surprising and hardcore for a YA book. There's also a Spotify playlist for this book that is absolutely incredible and enhances the reading experience x1000000.
I also read it for Summerween, you can see my reactions to this book here: https://youtu.be/FO2wJTXJIYA ...more
Nov 07, 2020 Matthew rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: gr_awards_2016, 2020, horror, humor, audio, audible, supernatural
Part 80s nostalgia
Part tongue-in-cheek comedy
Part gory demonic horror story
Are you a fan of the darker 80s comedy movies? (i.e. Heathers) Is one of your favorite parts of Stranger Things the 80s references? Do you enjoy that part in The Exorcist when her head spins around and she spits pea soup? Well, then look no further - your next read is here!
I enjoyed this one a lot for the bit of escapism it gave me. I didn't find it laugh out loud funny or skin crawling-ly scary. But, there were enough ch Part 80s nostalgia
I enjoyed this one a lot for the bit of escapism it gave me. I didn't find it laugh out loud funny or skin crawling-ly scary. But, there were enough chuckles and minor shocks that, at the end of the day, I was satisfied.
This is my second Grady Hendrix and I have found them so far to be the perfect palate cleansers. So, the next time I finish a heavy book and need a break, a Hendrix title I shall choose! ...more
Mar 26, 2018 Dan Schwent rated it really liked it
Shelves: 2018-books, 2018
Abby and Gretchen were best friends until they dropped acid at a party. Now, Gretchen's been acting strangely, letting her appearance going to shit, and Abby's worried. But Gretchen will soon give her something to really worry about...
After the nirvana that was Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction, I had to give Grady Hendrix's fiction a shot.
Set during the satanic panic of the 1980s, My Best Friend's Exorcism is the story of the friendship between two girls Abby and Gretchen were best friends until they dropped acid at a party. Now, Gretchen's been acting strangely, letting her appearance going to shit, and Abby's worried. But Gretchen will soon give her something to really worry about...
Set during the satanic panic of the 1980s, My Best Friend's Exorcism is the story of the friendship between two girls and the possessing demon that drove a wedge between them. I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't precisely this. It feels more like a Megan Abbott book, a window into the lives of teenage girls than a horror novel.
While it's set in the 80s, My Best Friend's Exorcism doesn't beat you over the head with nostalgia. There are musical references but the culture of the time is the main 80s feature imported into the novel. Satanists are everywhere and they'll stop at nothing to take over the world!
The inter-girl politics between Abby, Gretchen, and their friends was very well done and believable. I was never at a moment when I thought "There's clearly a dude writing this." The book is compulsively readable. I wolfed it down in four sittings. I would have gotten it in two but people kept wanting to talk to me during my lunch breaks. Fuckers.
It felt more like a suspense novel a lot of the time but there were still some horrific moments that I won't go into here. I was telling my wife about one particular incident and she was pretty impressed.
It wasn't perfect, however. The editing was a little sloppy. I noticed one character called the wrong name and one instance of someone's wrists and ankles tied to a bed post but with her hands at her sides. Did she suddenly have four arms?
Anyway, those minor quibbles aside, I enjoyed My Best Friend's Exorcism quite a bit. I'll be reading more of Grady Hendrix's fiction. Four out of five stars. ...more
Dec 08, 2016 Lyn rated it liked it
I'll admit that I first picked up Grady Hendrix' 2016 novel My Best Friend's Exorcism because of the title and the cover art, but his personable writing and fresh ideas kept me reading until the end.
This is about what you would think: a snarky and fun pseudo spoof of an exorcist themed horror / black comedy. BUT – author Hendrix makes this work because he tells the story with personality and better than average characterization and dialogue. The reader gets to know characters like Abby and Gretc I'll admit that I first picked up Grady Hendrix' 2016 novel My Best Friend's Exorcism because of the title and the cover art, but his personable writing and fresh ideas kept me reading until the end.
This is about what you would think: a snarky and fun pseudo spoof of an exorcist themed horror / black comedy. BUT – author Hendrix makes this work because he tells the story with personality and better than average characterization and dialogue. The reader gets to know characters like Abby and Gretchen and we can understand their unique relationship (even when you consider the demon possession and subsequent exorcism).
His horror themed speculative fiction is also quite good. Hendrix fills in the gaps with some good backstory and demonology. Devilishly mean HS girls and cliques are elements that most of us can relate to and the "faith and fitness" show was classic.
Also fun is the 80s theme. Yes, I graduated HS in 1987 and so this 1989 graduation story was nostalgic good times. Like Ernest Clines' brilliant Ready Player One, we can also kick back with some 80s trivia as all of the chapter headings are 80s songs.
Better than I expected, this was a lot of fun.
Jan 17, 2018 Char rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: buddy-read, dark-fiction
Steeped in 80's nostalgia, I thought this book was a blast!
It was never really scary, and I'm not sure that it was meant to be. My instincts tell me this book was written as an homage to the 80's and the silly fun that the horror genre provided at that time. Sure, there were crazy Satanism scares, Geraldo and diet fads but there were also great music videos, Blockbuster stores and a horror book boom to beat all booms. A lot of them were just like this...about young people, influenced by culture Steeped in 80's nostalgia, I thought this book was a blast!
It was never really scary, and I'm not sure that it was meant to be. My instincts tell me this book was written as an homage to the 80's and the silly fun that the horror genre provided at that time. Sure, there were crazy Satanism scares, Geraldo and diet fads but there were also great music videos, Blockbuster stores and a horror book boom to beat all booms. A lot of them were just like this...about young people, influenced by culture and cliques, just trying to fit in. Carrie, Audrina, and all those kids from the covers of John Saul novels know what I'm talking about it.
If YOU know what I'm talking about and if you're smiling at those memories as I am, then I recommend this book. It was made for you!
*I bought MY BEST FRIEND'S EXORCISM with my own hard earned money. It's the enhanced version and it's a lot fun, especially those flies crawling on the cover!* ...more
Mar 15, 2019 Ginger rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: 2019
4.5 STARS!!
My Best Friend's Exorcism was great! This was a wonderful tale about friendship and staying connected through it all, even involving demon possession.
Does it seem like a hokey idea, maybe? But it wasn't because it's written so well by Grady Hendrix that it just works. The creepy moments with the demon were well done. The book had moments of grossness that was fantastic. I was never terrified while reading this but I was definitely entertained!
The transformation of Gretchen made me fee 4.5 STARS!!
The transformation of Gretchen made me feel vile and sad. The moments in high school during the 80s took me down memory lane. The nasty rich kids made me realize why I'm glad I'm not in high school anymore. All the 80s references were just excellent!! I really loved this part of the book.
This is the first book that I've read of Grady Hendrix and it won't be the last. I loved his writing, storytelling and characterization of Abby & Gretchen. Even the secondary characters in My Best Friend's Exorcism are well done.
The exorcism scene was a bit cheesy in the beginning with Brother Lemon, but the ending of it with Abby saved it. The ending of the book was just fantastic!
Do you think you would like this?
Well, do you like the 80s or books set up during this time?
How about awesome tales about everlasting friendship?
Do you like creepy books that have you binge reading past your bedtime?
Look no further then checking out My Best Friend's Exorcism!! I think you'll love it! ...more
Jul 15, 2020 Larry rated it liked it
Solid story, a quick read - didn't care for the exorcism portion of the story, but that was really my only quarrel with the book. Knew all of the cultural references, brought back some memories. Overall, enjoyed it.
Sep 04, 2017 Johann (jobis89) rated it really liked it · review of another edition
"She and Gretchen spent hours ranking their friendships, trying to determine who was a best friend and who was an everyday friend, debating whether anyone could have two best friends at the same time."
Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fifth grade, but things change when they start high school. After getting lost and spending a night in the woods, Gretchen becomes slightly... different. Abby knows that something is wrong, coming to the conclusion that her best friend must be possesse "She and Gretchen spent hours ranking their friendships, trying to determine who was a best friend and who was an everyday friend, debating whether anyone could have two best friends at the same time."
Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fifth grade, but things change when they start high school. After getting lost and spending a night in the woods, Gretchen becomes slightly... different. Abby knows that something is wrong, coming to the conclusion that her best friend must be possessed. Nothing will stand in her way as Abby tries to save her friend from the devil, but will their friendship be strong enough to overcome such forces of evil?
When I started this book, I honestly didn't know what to expect. A throwback to the 80s? A horror spoof? A young adult book disguised as horror? Thankfully, it was a pleasant surprise. Yes, it feels spoofy at times and has its own sense of humour, but overall it's a really wonderfully touching book. I signed up for an exorcism, but what I really got and loved most about this book was the friendship between Gretchen and Abby. Not only do you get nostalgic for the 80s (an era that I didn't live in - 1989 baby here - and yet I still feel nostalgic for - explain that!), but mostly I felt nostalgic for those childhood friendships you form. There's really nothing like it. They're so pure and honest and you honestly feel like you're gonna be best friends forever.
The usual themes and tropes of possession stories are all accounted for and present in this book, but I still feel like Hendrix brings something different and unique to the story. It's a demon possession story, but with heart. I loved that each chapter was named after a song from the 80s, I loved all the cultural references, I loved that Gretchen went through a stage of crimping her hair... we've all been there, even growing up in the 90s - I've been there. There isn't much in terms of horror - some parts are squeamish and unsettling, but it's not going to keep you up at night. But that's not the point of this book.
It's a fun read ultimately, but also really sweet. It's heartwarming to see the lengths that Abby will go to in order to save her best friend - she's admirable, courageous, brave, resilient. And I cried at the end. I was not expecting tears, but they came anyway! Throughout the entirety of this book, I was thinking to myself "Yeah, this is a solid 4 stars" but that ending... I gotta give the book 4.5 stars out of 5. I loved this one, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, quick read with a lot of heart (and demonic possession)! ...more
Oct 30, 2017 Cece (ProblemsOfaBookNerd) rated it it was ok
This was... not good.
Oct 30, 2017 Kelly (and the Book Boar) rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: it-s-all-in-the-name, liburrrrrry-book, becoming-groweds-up, nutters, pretty-on-the-outside, read-in-2017, teenie-bopper-books, ya-for-grown-ups
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Abby and Gretchen have been friends ever since Abby's 10th birthday party. Let's just talk about that party for a minute. Who in their right mind would (1) plan their party after someone has already sent out invitations for another party? Margaret, that's who . . . .
And (2) who would attend some lame ass horse party when they could do this instead . . . .
Apparently everyone #sadface. But seriously, what was with the stereotyp Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Apparently everyone #sadface. But seriously, what was with the stereotype all girls loving all things horsey back in the '80s???
(Countdown to girl from elementary school who was obsessed with horses discovering this review and trolling me for life in 3, 2, . . . . )
Anyway, poor little Abby. It didn't even matter that Gretchen brought a stupid children's bible as a gift, they were BFFs as soon as they skated under the sparkling lights of the disco ball on that roller rink.
Fastforward to high school and two girls who really only argue about one thing . . . . .
That is until a seriously strange acid trip that leaves Gretchen a little different than before . . . .
Now Abby will have to do whatever it takes to save her . . . . .
I picked this up because . . . well, duh, it's almost Halloween, but mainly because of the cover. Look at the majesty which is the cheesy VHS horror rental at your local Blockbuster (#ripblockbuster). It was exactly what I was looking for while I counted down the seconds until the premier of the new season of the best 1980s deliciousness since the actual 1980s . . . .
If you are actually looking for "unspeakable horrors" like the blurb states, you need to look somewhere else. On the other hand, if you want to feel a little nostalgic in the form of chapter titles that are also well-known '80s hits, references to Chi-Chi's fried ice cream, The Thorn Birds, Flowers in the Attic, puka shell necklaces, and on and on while you experience some campy good times, this one might be a winner. The story does drag a bit when it comes to the teen angst and nonsense in lieu of the barfing of pea soup, but eventually readers do get the scene they've been waiting the whole book for . . . .
This also appears to be marketed as general fiction. Maybe because it's set in the olde days of yore??? Be forewarned that this is NOT going to scare you and should probably have been cross-marketed for both teens and geezers. ...more
Oct 29, 2020 Larry H rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Grady Hendrix's My Best Friend's Exorcism might just be what you expect looking at the book: it's campy, crazy, and chock full of 80s references!
Can a friendship be powerful enough to beat the devil?
Abby and Gretchen have been inseparable best friends since 4th grade. They have private jokes and countless memories together, and they've remained close through high school.
But one boring night, after some warm beer and some drugs, the girls and their friends decide to go skinny-dipping. Somethi Grady Hendrix's My Best Friend's Exorcism might just be what you expect looking at the book: it's campy, crazy, and chock full of 80s references!
But one boring night, after some warm beer and some drugs, the girls and their friends decide to go skinny-dipping. Something strange happens, though, something inexplicable, and it changes Gretchen drastically.
Suddenly Gretchen is acting erratically, complaining of being touched by invisible beings, her personal hygiene deteriorates, and strange and troubling things happen and appear when she's around. But while others give up on her, Abby is determined to figure out what happened to her friend, and save her at any cost—even though there are great risks to her own future. And she's not even sure if anyone takes her seriously, or if they think she's on drugs like they suspect Gretchen is.
As you might imagine, this book is a little silly, a little scary (at least for cowards like me who usually steer clear of books like this), and more than a little bit gross at times. But that being said, it has some surprising emotional heft I didn't see coming given the subject matter.
If you're a child of the 80s like me, you'll love the pop culture references sprinkled throughout and this nostalgic cover design. There is a bunch of gore—blood and guts and some mentions of animal harm and animal death—so be forewarned if those trouble you. They're easily skimmed over.
Hendrix really is quite the storyteller. Exorcism and friends...they go together?
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/. ...more
Jan 13, 2016 Carole (Carole's Random Life in Books) rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: net-galley, 2016, reviewed, horror
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life
I had really high hopes for this book. Like really high. I was a bit disappointed in the end. I wasn't a bad story but it didn't even come close to living up to my expectations. When I first saw this book, I knew that I would have to read it. Demonic possession with heavy dose of 80's references were enough to really grab the attention of this old lady. Unfortunately, despite the wonderful premise I found the book rather underwhelming.
Abby and This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life
Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since grade school. Things go wrong at a high school party when the girls were doing a few drugs. Gretchen gets lost in the woods and is gone for a night and her personality starts to changes. She becomes very mean especially to her friend, Abby. Abby knows that something is wrong but she can't seem to get anyone to listen to her in order to get her friend the help that she needs.
I love the 80's. I was a teen in the late 80's and I really was looking forward to a story set in this time period. Unfortunately, the 80's references in this book became a little too much for me. It felt a little forced in some ways and I think it actually ended up being a bit distracting.
The characters felt a little flat to me. I never felt any kind of connection to Abby or Gretchen. I also thought that the story dragged at points. There were some really exciting moments but nothing truly scary as I had hoped to find. In the end, this story just never really grabbed me and was just okay. I do think that a lot of readers will enjoy this one a lot. This is the first book by Grady Hendrix that I have read and I would be willing to read his work again in the future.
I received an advance reader edition of this book from Quirk Books via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review.
Initial Thoughts
This book wasn't quite what I thought it would be. I really enjoyed all the 80's references as the book got started but eventually it became a little too much...even for someone who loves to walk down memory lane like myself. The story was okay and it did have its exciting moments but there was nothing here that blew me away. I need to think about this one for bit before I decide on a rating but right now it is sitting at about 3 stars. ...more
Oct 17, 2020 Scott rated it really liked it
"Stop!" Gretchen cried over the wind. "Abby, he won't stop until you stop. Please!"
"The power of Christ compels you, Andras!" Abby shouted. "Leave this girl alone!"
-- on page 305
Excuse me - what the hell did I just read? I suppose ask that aloud for an easy (or is it just groan-worthy?) laugh, but part of the success of Hendrix's My Best Friend's Exorcism is that it stubbornly refuses to lock itself into one distinct genre or idea. Ostensibly a horror novel - which I like read as the Halloween s "Stop!" Gretchen cried over the wind. "Abby, he won't stop until you stop. Please!"
Excuse me - what the hell did I just read? I suppose ask that aloud for an easy (or is it just groan-worthy?) laugh, but part of the success of Hendrix's My Best Friend's Exorcism is that it stubbornly refuses to lock itself into one distinct genre or idea. Ostensibly a horror novel - which I like read as the Halloween season fast approaches - the story is also a period piece (set firmly in the summer / autumn of '88 - meaning more big hair , Top 40 pop music, and TCBYs than you'd like to remember), a coming-of-age story, a cautionary tale (with such topics as drug use and moral panic uproars), and an observation on class differences. Even with that laundry list I think I still missed something.
Anyway, we follow two lifelong BFFs - average teenagers Abby Rivers and Gretchen Lang - as Lang apparently descends into demonic possession after a murky night in the woods under her first acid trip. Not everything was explained very well or thoroughly, but it really didn't need to be - the reader is placed right alongside a confused but concerned Abby as she witnesses her best pal ride a virtual hellacious rollercoaster of experiences while apparently under the influence of old Beelzebub. And that is what I'll best remember about the book - it is a story about a strong friendship, and how its bonds are tested by all sorts of outside factors (whether otherworldly or not) during certain years. ...more
Oct 07, 2019 Gary rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Shelves: modern-horror
I saw this book on the list by Goodreads for new authors. I thought "Why not?" I was at a point in my reading career where I was choosing authors that were familiar for lack of willingness to take a risk with my time, and I hadn't had the best of luck getting outside the box. I'm glad I picked this up.
The beginning of the book was a long introduction to the characters, and if not for the author's wit, it would've made me sleepy. It did give me a clear picture of the characters, rounding them nic I saw this book on the list by Goodreads for new authors. I thought "Why not?" I was at a point in my reading career where I was choosing authors that were familiar for lack of willingness to take a risk with my time, and I hadn't had the best of luck getting outside the box. I'm glad I picked this up.
The beginning of the book was a long introduction to the characters, and if not for the author's wit, it would've made me sleepy. It did give me a clear picture of the characters, rounding them nicely and making them seem like actual people. For a long time, this book left me wondering if it was a story about mental illness or whether there would be an exorcism, and even if there was one would this still be a story about mental illness? It was a slow build with a purpose. It ended in a satisfying manner, leaving me feel sad that the characters were gone. There haven't been many books that made me miss the characters, but Abby and Gretchen were two of I will remember for a long time.
I think there should be a name coined for the emerging genre of kid-horror (maybe there is and I have missed it), which contains horror that pits kids against evil. King's It and the Netflix Stranger Things are stand out examples.
5 stars because I really like these characters. ...more
Jul 03, 2016 Trudi rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: 2016, horror, friendship-women, girls-behaving-badly
"What an excellent day for an exorcism."
~The Exorcist (1973)
This is an okay book. Fair. Acceptable. But it takes too long to really get humming (I'm all in for foreplay, but Hendrix really pushes the limits to impatience here). More than three-quarters of the novel is essentially an angsty teen, coming-of-age high school drama about a group of girls and their growing pains with each other and with the world around them. It could very well be Gossip Girl or One Tree Hill -- except that one
This is an okay book. Fair. Acceptable. But it takes too long to really get humming (I'm all in for foreplay, but Hendrix really pushes the limits to impatience here). More than three-quarters of the novel is essentially an angsty teen, coming-of-age high school drama about a group of girls and their growing pains with each other and with the world around them. It could very well be Gossip Girl or One Tree Hill -- except that one of the main characters might be demonically possessed (instead of merely being a catty bitch). Sometimes it's nigh on impossible to tell the difference.
Here's the thing -- this book suffers by comparison to a lot of other things. Nobody writes the mysterious, dark and turbulent interior lives of teenage girls better than Megan Abbott. Seeing Hendrix attempt to do the same thing here as he explores the iron bonds of friendship forged by Abby and Gretchen when they were children pales in execution and gravitas to Ms. Abbott's vast talents with her mighty quill.
The demonic possession and exorcism angle is adequately covered -- but again suffers by comparison to 2015's Bram Stoker Award winning A Head Full of Ghosts. And no matter who you are, if you're writing about this subject, your book is always going to be compared to Blatty's classic horror novel The Exorcist and Friedkin's enduring film adaptation of the same name.
Hendrix might have thought he was doing something new and clever here by mashing-up a coming-of-age teen drama with the horror tropes of demonic possession stories, but he doesn't quite make it. Some scenes are definitely creepy and unsettling, there just weren't enough of them (too few of them coming too late in the story) to sustain any kind of coiled tension and impending sense of doom in the reader. And boy, is it really hard to write an exorcism scene that chills, rather than have it feel like a spoof out of a Scary Movie sequel, or a daytime soap opera.
Who's old enough to remember Marlena Evans? Me!
Jan 02, 2019 Janie C. rated it really liked it
While I enjoyed the way this story pulled me in for a good portion of the book, I was disappointed by the lack of clarity in the parts that involved the supernatural. The majority of the narrative was about the strength of a friendship, though it was a one-sided relationship for a painful amount of the time. Youthful naivety, social status and hurtful betrayals kept the story flowing. When the horror elements first appeared, they were enticing and creepy. However, by the end, I was disappointed While I enjoyed the way this story pulled me in for a good portion of the book, I was disappointed by the lack of clarity in the parts that involved the supernatural. The majority of the narrative was about the strength of a friendship, though it was a one-sided relationship for a painful amount of the time. Youthful naivety, social status and hurtful betrayals kept the story flowing. When the horror elements first appeared, they were enticing and creepy. However, by the end, I was disappointed by the lack of explanation regarding the possession. I craved more background. While the ending was apt for a story of friendship, it left me wanting more in the horror department.
3.5 squirmy worms ...more
Oct 19, 2020 Sarah rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Packed to the brim with '80s nostalgia, each chapter is even titled as a different song from that era, I can only describe this as "666teen Candles".
"My Best Friend's Exorcism" is very reminiscent of those '80s chick-flicks, but with a dose of possession and creepiness thrown in. It also highlights how that time was a lot less PC with language and phrases used, and how they are really not okay to use today, but it was a reflection of the time.
It's quoted as being like "if Tina Fey had written T Packed to the brim with '80s nostalgia, each chapter is even titled as a different song from that era, I can only describe this as "666teen Candles".
It's quoted as being like "if Tina Fey had written The Exorcist" and that is honestly an apt description.
It takes a darker turn around the half-way mark and really picks up the pace.
The story follows two best friends - Abby and Gretchen and the first half is really setting out the story of their friendship, until Gretchen starts to not act like her normal self. *cue exorcism*
There isn't really that many full out horror moments, it didn't really scare me, but Hendrix is good at being very descriptive of the more "gross out" parts.
This is one book that I would absolutely LOVE to have a movie adaptation. It would definitely have the same aesthetic and vibes as "Stranger Things." a teen drama with horror/supernatural elements.
It's overall a really good tale of a powerful friendship, that can overcome the most literal of demons. As Gretchen says to Abby; "You're my best friend, and my mirror, and my reflection, and you are me, and you are everything I love and everything I hate, and I will never give up on you."
The ending is quite emotional and made my eyes well up slightly.
I look forward to reading more of Grady Hendrix's work in the future! This was a great introduction to his writing and I can't wait for more.
4.5 Stars - rounded down to a 4 overall. ...more
Sep 08, 2020 Lucy Langford rated it liked it · review of another edition
3.5***
This was campy and 80's and fun. This also had a great exploration of going to the ends of the earth for female friendship and the importance/value of it.
This definitely read like an 80's cheesy horror movie which was great! I am however, usually put off books with a high school setting (which this had) and I do prefer my horror reads to be chilling, disturbing and unnerving- which this wasn't (and doesn't aim to be).
Nov 28, 2016 Maria (Big City Bookworm) rated it really liked it
Shelves: 2016-new-releases, audiobook, read-2016
"I love you, Gretchen Lang. You are my reflection and my shadow and I will not let you go. We are bound together forever and ever! Until Halley's Comet comes around again. I love you dearly and I love you queerly and no demon is bigger than this!"
The moment I saw My Best Friend's Exorcism in the flesh, I knew I wanted it. It's formatted to look like a high school yearbook, which is honestly such a cool concept. The bright colours on top of the 80s feel of the photographs really sets the tone fo
The moment I saw My Best Friend's Exorcism in the flesh, I knew I wanted it. It's formatted to look like a high school yearbook, which is honestly such a cool concept. The bright colours on top of the 80s feel of the photographs really sets the tone for this novel. If you are familiar with the work of Grady Hendrix, you know that his earlier novel, Horrorstör, is formatted to look like an IKEA catalog. Awesome right? I'm so glad I picked this one up as it was the perfect book to get me out of my recent mini reading slump.
What I Liked
The chapter titles. I mean, I don't know about you, but 80s music is the best music. Am I right? Each chapter title within this novel was the title of a song from the 80s and I absolutely loved that. Not only were they great song choices, but they were perfect descriptors for the chapter you were about to read.
The friendship. Gretchen and Abby have an amazing friendship. They were always there for one another from the beginning to the end. Abby knew something was wrong with Gretchen, only a best friend would, and she always searched for a solution to bring her best friend back to normal. Even when everyone doubted her and started to believe she was insane, she never gave up. That's true friendship is you ask me.
The descriptive visuals. Oh man, there were scenes in this novel that were described so well that they provided the most intense visuals. Honestly, there were certain moments in this novel that would be absolutely PERFECT for a film adaptation. This could easily be adapted into a film with the same vibes as Jennifer's Body or something along those lines. It definitely has some comedic moments (um, the Lemon brothers?) mixed in with some seriously creepy scenes.
What I Didn't Like
The how? It really may have been that I missed this tiny important detail, but how exactly did Gretchen become possessed? I'm a little lost on how this whole story came to be. She ended up lost in the woods and then what? Did some random teenagers preform some sort of ritual with her? For some reason this just wasn't very clear for me.
The fast forward. I'm not sure how much I liked the idea of the time jump at the end of this novel. I kind of wish that we stayed in the time period of Gretchen and Abby throughout high school. I'm happy to know that their friendship went on after that, but I do wish it stuck with a single time period.
It's no secret that I really enjoyed My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix. A horror story, mixed with a bit of comic relief that takes place in the 1980s? Count me in. I highly recommend checking out this novel! Before you go, check out my blog post of this review by clicking the banner above, where I have decided to quickly put together a Spotify playlist based on the chapter headings throughout the novel! Enjoy the 80s greatness!
Initial post reading thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book! It was entertaining and I could easily see it being adapted into a horror/comedy in the style of Jennifer's Body or something along those lines. The only thing that bothered me slightly was the way in which Gretchen was possessed. Did I miss something? Or was it never really explained? ...more
Apr 23, 2017 Ashley Daviau rated it it was amazing
I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book, I bought it purely because the title really caught my attention. And I'm so glad it did because I think this may be one of my favourite reads this year! I just loved everything about it, it had me completely sucked in from start to finish!
Some parts were quite funny and actually had me chuckling out loud, something that I definitely wasn't expecting from this book! And then on the other hand, some parts where thoroughly disturbing and raised th I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book, I bought it purely because the title really caught my attention. And I'm so glad it did because I think this may be one of my favourite reads this year! I just loved everything about it, it had me completely sucked in from start to finish!
Some parts were quite funny and actually had me chuckling out loud, something that I definitely wasn't expecting from this book! And then on the other hand, some parts where thoroughly disturbing and raised the hairs on the back of my neck. I think that part with the tapeworm is going to give me nightmares it was so gruesome! And then the exorcism itself was pretty disturbing in some parts too.
I really enjoyed the way possession was portrayed as well, it wasn't over the top and completely cliche. It was almost more sinister because it seemed so innocent and like Gretchen was trying to help those that she was really destroying.
I think my favourite part of the book though would definitely have to be the story of friendship behind it. Abby truly loves Gretchen and does literally everything in her power to save her despite how bad she ends up looking and the consequences it brings about. And the way it ended with just the two of them was just so perfect and beautiful, it actually brought a tear to my eye! ...more
Jun 11, 2019 Jillian rated it really liked it · review of another edition
I really liked this story. It was a bit slow but it was atmospheric. It's about 2 best friends Abby and Gretchen who live In Charleston who at a friends house on Labor Day after being on the creek all day in a boat decide to take acid and Gretchen goes missing that night only to be found naked the next morning and drastically changed . You can guess what happens hence the title . It was a fun throwback in 80s style horror flicks.
Dec 04, 2018 Latasha rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Shelves: favorites, audio-books, tosh-s-picks-2018, books-i-own, re-reads, horror
BEST READS OF 2018 AWARD!!
OMG I LOVED this book! The narrator, Emily Woo Zeller, was so awesome! She nailed it a billion times. The story is great and never dull. The characters and their relationships are realistic and believable. The horror in this book is so much more than a possession. (view spoiler)[ was Gretchen really being raped by her dad? her mom beat her! Abby is left alone A LOT and no one believes her. They try to hush up the rape accusations! Margret's desperation at being skinny, BEST READS OF 2018 AWARD!!
OMG I LOVED this book! The narrator, Emily Woo Zeller, was so awesome! She nailed it a billion times. The story is great and never dull. The characters and their relationships are realistic and believable. The horror in this book is so much more than a possession. (view spoiler)[ was Gretchen really being raped by her dad? her mom beat her! Abby is left alone A LOT and no one believes her. They try to hush up the rape accusations! Margret's desperation at being skinny, and more (hide spoiler)] this is the first thing I've read/listened to by Grady Hendrix but it sure won't be the last.
2nd time listening:
still loving this book, it's still awesome! ...more
Oct 14, 2017 Bentley ★ Bookbastion.net rated it liked it · review of another edition
See this review and more like it on www.bookbastion.net!
This was such a unique blend of 80s movie nostalgia, comedy and horror movie tropes. Grady Hendrix's My Best Friend's Exorcism is nothing if not a wonderful ode to all that made horror of the late 80s and early 90s so great.
From the chapter titles that are all 80s song titles, to the pages rife with pop culture references from the 1980s, this book is a wonderful tribute to all that made that era so memorable. I was unfortunately bor See this review and more like it on www.bookbastion.net!
From the chapter titles that are all 80s song titles, to the pages rife with pop culture references from the 1980s, this book is a wonderful tribute to all that made that era so memorable. I was unfortunately born too late to enjoy that decade myself, but I'm a huge fan of basically all the movies and music from that time period, and San Junipero is my life and street cred.
Back to the book, as a lifelong fan of horror movies, I remember many a night spent as a kid watching my favorite horror movies from that decade again and again. In many ways, this book transported me back to those days where I discovered horror for the first time, and for that I'm incredibly grateful for it.
Not only is Hendrix great at emulating the things that made that era so memorable, he's also a damn funny writer. Make no mistake, this is camp horror at its finest. It's like The Exorcist and the Scary Movie franchise had a baby, and My Best Friend's Exorcism is the resultant child. I found myself laughing way more than I expected, and at humorous jokes that I felt were really well developed and conveyed.
As great as I found the nostalgia and the humor, I was a bit let down by the actual horror. I don't know if I've just become jaded by years spent as a horror fan, but aside from one or two really disturbing scenes I found very little of it truly scary.
There wasn't enough permanence in the horrific moments for me to really call it horror. One of the things about horror movies and moments that are memorable is that they become horrific because they are moments a character can't come back from, or are irrevocably altered by. Here, it seemed like Hendrix was afraid to take that final, necessary step to solidify the scares. It felt a bit like watching a made for TV afternoon special. It works I suppose for YA horror, and is entertaining in a cursory way, but it didn't have compelling enough moments to make it really memorable like other great horror examples from that era.
There also was a question that remained of how exactly Gretchen became possessed in the first place that irked me. Was it drugs that did it, or was it something the character encountered while she was lost in the woods? It's never explained and I think it detracted from the scary. A good possession story needs to have a source, otherwise it just feels like too much convoluted happenstance.
On a more positive note, there is a great thematic arc present here about friendship. New friends, old friends, long-lost friends and the power of best friends to overcome even the seemingly insurmountable.
The beginning chapters and ending chapters of the book were actually my favorite parts, because of how strongly they developed Abby and Gretchen as characters and the power of their friendship. Hendrix took the time to paint both these characters in such vivid shades that I cared about both of them. Their friendship was the highlight of the novel for me.
Fans looking for a dose of nostalgia for Halloween are sure to love this. I'll be keeping an eye out for more offerings from Hendrix in the future!
★★★ = 3 out of 5 stars
image taken from my instagram @bookbastion - follow me for more! ...more
Jan 13, 2020 Krystin Rachel rated it it was amazing
Shelves: standalone-fiction, 5-stars, supernatural-ish, horror-motherfuckers, dark-and-twisty, just-one-more-chapter, action-packed, desert-island-essentials, setting-dopeness, southern-grits
Book Blog | Bookstagram
Opening Hook: Don't take acid in the woods.
Main Character: The power of Christ compels her.
Plot Twisty-ness: E.T. attending an exorcism.
I 👏 FUCKING 👏 LOVED 👏 THIS.
I own Horrorstör by this author, but I haven't read it yet. I only bought it for the cover, and format, without any idea of what the book was about or if I liked the author. And honestly, I wanted to read My Best Friend's Exorcism for the same reason. This is 100% a "#bookstagram made me do it" read. The alternat Book Blog | Bookstagram
I own Horrorstör by this author, but I haven't read it yet. I only bought it for the cover, and format, without any idea of what the book was about or if I liked the author. And honestly, I wanted to read My Best Friend's Exorcism for the same reason. This is 100% a "#bookstagram made me do it" read. The alternate cover is gorgeous VHS 80s goodness. And the yearbook format print that I had was goddamn adorable. I literally read every single message written on the front and back covers with unabashed nerdy glee.
Clearly, Grady Hendrix is killing the book format game and there's nothing that turns me on more than someone who throws cliches out the window and walks a creative path less followed in writing. It's like half the reason I married my husband, who wrote me bizarre poetry on the reg.
But, it turns out Hendrix is also killing the horror writing game because this is one of my most favourite books that I've read in a while. And I'm so bummed it wasn't in my life so much sooner.
I STAN GRADY HENDRIX SO FUCKING HARD.
My Best Friend's Exorcism was like Beaches and The Exorcist were put into a blender and the novel is the resulting concoction (minus tapeworms and Bette Midler.) And let me tell you, it was fucking delicious nostalgic, creepy goodness.
I think this novel will hit hardest for people who grew up around, or in, the 80s. I was born in 1985, so I only have a cursory connection to the decade (I'm very much a 90s baby,) but I was close enough to it that I now have a soft spot for 80s style, the references and the pop culture. The nostalgia of this book's setting – which is so heavy it's basically a secondary character – wasn't lost on me and really only enhanced this reading experience because there's just something about 80s horror that I'm totally in love with.
This book is about Abby and Gretchen, best friends who bond over E.T. and roller skating rinks and the cruelty of parents and other kids. They've grown up together, turning into adopted sisters; they have each other's back through thick and thin. So when Gretchen begins to act very strangely (or does she just have PTSD?) after a botched acid trip, it tests the girls' love in deep, dark and twisted ways.
The events are literally entertaining as AF. Deceptively linear, but entirely different and gory and creepy and funny. The plot feels honest, l like you're watching a friendship you're personally involved in. I cannot say enough about the plot points and the journey the reader is taken on to get from beginning to end. It was truly like watching an 80s horror movie mixed with a love story – eerie and charming, but disturbing. It elicited such genuine emotion from me – do you know how hard that is to do?!
The characters are vibrant and fully-formed. The exorcist dude might have been my favourite part – part meathead, part evangelical asshat, part overconfident teenage boy. But truly all the characters who pop up to bring life to this demonic tale are well-drawn renditions of humans in the 80s... and just humans in general.
The dialogue was canon to the decade, the relationships and experiences felt like what I went through in high school as a teen girl – the teen angst, the desperation to be understood, the adolescent petty drama that feels so important at the time. OMG AND THE CAKED ON MAKEUP.
Beyond that, this novel is about the joy of having a very best friend who you can be yourself with no matter how awkward, weird or difficult your lives are. And how far you'd go to protect that.
I loved this. It's beautiful and it's horror. What more could I fucking ask for?
Grady Hendrix is a new favourite author. It's official.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 5 stars ...more
Nov 10, 2015 Mogsy (MMOGC) rated it liked it
Shelves: review-copy, horror, arcs-and-galleys, edelweiss
3 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2016/06/18/...
Grady Hendrix is an author who first came to my attention a couple years ago when I picked up his book Horrorstör, a fun and creepy and slightly eccentric horror novel about a haunting at a big box furniture store. The book really stuck in my mind, so my interest was immediately piqued when I found out about the humorously titled My Best Friend's Exorcism. Knowing more now than I did before about Hendrix's style though, I 3 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2016/06/18/...
Grady Hendrix is an author who first came to my attention a couple years ago when I picked up his book Horrorstör, a fun and creepy and slightly eccentric horror novel about a haunting at a big box furniture store. The book really stuck in my mind, so my interest was immediately piqued when I found out about the humorously titled My Best Friend's Exorcism. Knowing more now than I did before about Hendrix's style though, I had a sneaking suspicion that it'll be a lot more terrifying than the publisher blurb lets on, and that I'll be getting a lot more than I bargained for.
On at least one account, I think I got it right: there's no doubt that My Best Friend's Exorcism fits squarely in the horror genre, and I also thought it was much creepier and psychologically jarring than the author's previous novel. The story, ostensibly about friendship and exorcism, follows the lives of two besties named Abby and Gretchen, two teenage girls living in the 80's who have been inseparable since the fifth grade. One night while staying over another friend's lake house, the girls experiment with LSD and Gretchen ends up having a bad reaction, running into the nearby forest and disappearing overnight. When Abby finds Gretchen the next morning, she finds her best friend acting different and very strange. Chalking it up to the effects of the drug and the trauma of being lost in the cold and dark, Abby isn't too concerned, thinking that Gretchen just needs some time in order to get better.
But Gretchen doesn't get better. She starts coming to school looking tired and wan. She stops washing and bathing. Then come the mysterious scars up and down her arm. The bizarre behavior only gets worse as Gretchen starts being nasty to everyone at school and at home, manipulating them towards harmful and destructive habits and driving a wedge between Abby and all her friends. Abby knows deep inside that something is very wrong, and will not accept that the real Gretchen is behind all these cruel acts. However, no one seems to be listening to her, and so it is no surprise either when no one believes Abby when she tells them what she really suspects: that Gretchen is possessed by a demon.
It would be accurate to say I had pretty high expectations for this book. The novel's description is a bit sparse, but owing from my experience with Horrorstör, I figured we could be getting another story mixed with humor and horror. In this, I felt like I was a little off the mark. In the end, I didn't really find it to be all that humorous—darkly or otherwise—but it was definitely horrific. If I had a problem though, it wasn't because of that. In fact, I loved the horror elements in this book, but, as it so often the case with "exorcism type" stories like these, I simply found the lead-up to the titular main event to be too long, too drawn-out, and way too monotonous.
To be fair, Abby and Gretchen's friendship is meant to be the theme of this story as much as the actual exorcism itself. I really enjoyed this element of the book, reading about the how the two girls met at a roller skating rink and the way they bonded over a shared love of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, teen magazine quizzes, and Phil Collins songs. The 80's references were plentiful and fun without going overboard, even though most of them probably went over my head. Abby's devotion to her best friend was also touching, the way she never gave up on Gretchen in spite of the awful things that happened.
The bulk of the book, however, felt like it was mostly made up of high school drama. Granted, it's creepy, disturbing high school drama, but at the end of the day…it's still high school drama. It takes a long time for the possibility of demon possession to even come up, and until then we have to sit through a whole inventory of the things that go wrong with Gretchen and how she goes about methodically ruining everyone's lives. For all the good grades she pulls in, Abby can also be a bit dense. No rational person would immediately jump to the conclusion that their best friend who is acting strangely must be possessed, so I don't blame her for not acting sooner. I do, however, blame her for the really dumb mistakes she makes, in some ways bringing about her own downfall even without the help of Gretchen's machinations.
This book also commits a major pet peeve of mine: Stupid grown-ups. While I don't think My Best Friend's Exorcism is really a Young Adult novel (or at the very least, I'd exercise discretion before handing this one to a teen, considering its frightening subject and some of the nauseatingly graphic scenes) it features the trope of painting every single adult figure in this story as an incompetent boob. Parents are either emotionally absent or too conservative and narrow-minded to listen to reason, teachers and school staff are condescending and corrupt, and basically every authority figure who should have been in a position of trust (and responsible for supporting a student in need) are either too obtuse or self-important to do their damn jobs. Aside from being very annoying, this stereotypical approach also made everything feel predictable and unconvincing.
Don't get me wrong, because I did enjoy this book; however, I also couldn't ignore some of the issues that cropped up, and even the final exorcism itself felt a little anti-climactic after all the build-up. It's probably fair to say I liked this one substantially less than Horrorstör. That said though, I certainly wouldn't dissuade anyone from picking this up, especially if you are a fan of horror. For some, the healthy dose of 80's nostalgia would also be a nice bonus, plus the "High School Yearbook" motif was clever and inventive. The best advice I can give to the prospective reader is to just dive in while keeping in mind the kind of elements Exorcist-like stories typically come with, both the positives and the negatives. ...more
Jul 15, 2020 Mrinmayi marked it as to-read · review of another edition
Its spooky season...and my friend Tani is in DESPERATE need for an exorcism!!
Apparently, she thinks it's FUNNY to scare me with creepy gifs!!!
I swear she is possessed !!! And now she wants to feast on my soul!!
Basically, when I see there's a message/comment from Tani
Mrin:
I am gonna perform an exorcism on her the only way I know aka by making memes on her
I hope the ghost gets irritated by my memes & leaves her body xD
Tani will be the scared boy and the boy in a red shirt will be me
I swear to GOD. Its spooky season...and my friend Tani is in DESPERATE need for an exorcism!!
I swear to GOD..I will take her to a haunted house & scare her😂😛
Look at me getting petty Tani!! I am forming my own Ghost Army!!
I will only read this book because many of my close friends need an exorcism....
God knows how I survived so many of them...
BUT I WON'T GIVE UP ON THEM!!
They are my friends after all....🙏🏽🙏🏽
Lord help me dealing with them ...more
Stephen King Fans: My Best Friend's Exorcism 11 55 Dec 15, 2020 07:58AM
잇플릭스【 it-flix com 】¶우리카지노¶샌즈카지노¶오피가이드¶오피스타¶늑대닷컴¶밤토끼¶툰코¶AV쏘걸¶강남야동¶한국야동¶풀싸롱 1 1 Nov 06, 2020 10:57PM
Horror Aficionados : My Best Friend's Exorcism 10/5/20 42 174 Oct 11, 2020 10:29PM
The Open Book: My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix 6 11 Jul 09, 2020 06:50PM
Madison County NC...: My Best Friend's Exorcism 1 2 Jul 09, 2020 09:33AM
My Best Friend's Exorcism (Audiobook Narrator Complaint) 1 14 Jun 10, 2020 04:59PM
Fantasy > Paranormal
Fantasy > Supernatural
About Grady Hendrix
Want a look at my newest book, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires? Then enter now for an ARC giveaway. You could get your blood-soaked paws on one of these books before anyone else on your block!
Grady Hendrix is the author of the novels Horrorstör, about a haunted IKEA, and My Best Friend's Exorcism, which is like Beaches meets The Exorcist, only it's set in the Eighties.
He's also Want a look at my newest book, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires? Then enter now for an ARC giveaway. You could get your blood-soaked paws on one of these books before anyone else on your block!
He's also the jerk behind the Stoker award-winning Paperbacks from Hell, a history of the 70's and 80's horror paperback boom, which contains more information about Nazi leprechauns, killer babies, and evil cats than you probably need.
And he's the screenwriter behind Mohawk, which is probably the only horror movie about the War of 1812 and the upcoming Satanic Panic.
You can listen to free, amazing, and did I mention free podcasts of his fiction on Pseudopod.
If you're not already sick of him, you can learn all his secrets at his website. ...more
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"I love you, Gretchen Lang. You are my reflection and my shadow and I will not let you go. We are bound together forever and ever! Until Halley's Comet comes around again. I love you dearly and I love you queerly and no demon is bigger than this!" — 30 likes
"By the power of Phil Collins, I rebuke you!" she said. "By the power of Phil Collins, who knows that you coming back to me is against all odds, in his name I command you to leave this servant of Genesis alone." — 16 likes