The Summer I Died, by Ryan C. Thomas

[Andy]

Andrew
Traci L.
Addy
Josie
Jon Recluse
Traci L.

All Welcome!

Let's all read at our own paces. Please hide spoilers.

I'll be reading the "author's preferred edition" on Kindle. Those who own an actual copy of the book might be reading the original version. Maybe this will lead to some interesting comparisons.

[Andy]

I will plan on starting in the next day or two.

[Addy]

I've got Kindle version as well. I've already read the sample and am liking the two main characters quite a bit.

[Mixofsunandcloud]

I may or may not join you. I picked it up for free on kindle, but at the moment I've got some kindle loans which take precedence.

[Josie]

I got a recommendation for this and was looking for a copy and was pleasantly surprised to find it not only available on Kindle, but for free. I have the author's edition as well, and am always looking for a truly scary experience, so I'm in.

I'll try not to let my newb show, but I haven't participated in a Buddy Read before, so let me know if I'm doing it wrong.

[Andy]

Welcome, Josie! No rules except to hide spoilers in your posts. Here is a link with instructions to hide spoilers:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/9...

[Addy]

(view spoiler)[Everytime I think of Tooth, I think of him making the eggs with the nasty fruit roll up in it...it just cracked me up! I'm really dreading the taking apart of these two characters. (hide spoiler)]

[Justin]

Addy wrote: "[spoilers removed]"

have they been to the party store for beer yet? i still chuckle when thinking about that part. if i wasn't busy with some other reads i would reread this with everyone but i am happy to follow along in the thread to see what everyone thinks anyway.

[Addy]

(view spoiler)[ Yes, elephantitis of the ankles or something like that had me laughing as well. I can't believe he stuffed alcohol in his socks and didn't get caught! (hide spoiler)]

[Andy]

...and we're off! OK, I'm starting tomorrow morning.

[Jon Recluse]

Count me in.

[Kat]

Kindle for free? Where at? Legally? I've been wanting to read this for some time, and Amazon.com doesn't have it at all for Kindle....

[Bill]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D...

[Robby]

Bill wrote: "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D..."

Thanks Bill, your a Wizard.

[Bill]

You're welcome, Robby!

[Kat]

darn. not a prime member. weird it doesn't show up on the reg book page for it under the kindle area

[Kate]

Kat, I can loan it to you if you want? :)

[Josie]

I'm not a prime member, I just searched for the title in the Kindle store, it popped up and said it was free. I don't know about the main amazon site, but its def for free if you search in the kindle store from the kindle.

[Scott]

I can lend it as well. It was free to non-prime members a few days ago.

[Andy]

It seems the price has returned to 3.99 (sale offering was only 1-2 days).

[Andy]

...I am going to start reading....
...
...
...
...


NOW!!

[Bill]

Sorry everybody. It was free when I posted the link last night. I triple checked before posting, but now it is back to 3.99. Still a good deal.

[Justin]

I noticed that it no longer says authors preferred edition either. so it went back to the original when the price went up. I wonder if the authors preferred edition will be available again or if this is in fact the preferred edition but they just dropped it from the title.

[Andy]

According to the authors preface at the beginning of the 'preferred' edition, the only difference is that "blasphemous" lines that were removed at the original publishers request have been re-added. It sounds like there is no major difference in plot.

[Kat]

No problem. I'm going to put it on my watch list on the site that emails you when things go free. http://www.ereaderiq.com/ for those that are curious.

Thank you for the heads up though, I had it in my wishlist as a reg. book not an ebook. I'd say ok to the lending, but I wouldn't get to read it in time LOL. Currently reading two, I just happened to see this thread and see the free bit :)

[Andy]

16%. It's really good so far. Kind of draws you in with an easy going style. Reminds me of Jack Ketchum. Some really funny and creative one liners.

[[deleted user]]

I'll be starting sometime tonight.

I bought it a few weeks ago before it was free. :(
Lol. I hate when that happens.

[Andy]

Everybody has either has a friend like Tooth or is like Tooth.

[[deleted user]]

Read up to 12%. It's surprising me so far. I was expecting a quick slasher type novel. But it's taking its time and establishing the characters first. Which I like. Too many of these books start with the terror too quickly in my opinion. For me the true horror is when bad things happen to characters you care about and identify with. That's why King is so popular.

I can honestly say I am not or that I have ever been friends with a "Tooth". Lol. But I like him more than I probably should.

[[deleted user]]

25% and I honestly have no idea where this is going...

[[deleted user]]

Oh, and I almost forgot. About Tooth California Dreaming? We're in the middle of the summer, I'm about ten minutes from the beach, and it looks like rain. ;)

[Scott]

I'll probably start in on this book early next week and join the discussion.

[Addy]

"And that's when we heard the scream." I think it's going down now, better brace myself...lol.

[11811 (Eleven)]

Addy wrote: ""And that's when we heard the scream." I think it's going down now, better brace myself...lol."

Brace yourself.

[Addy]

Ah man, now you're scaring me...:) I take it you've read this already?

[11811 (Eleven)]

It's probably in my top 5. I read it last year and plan to re-read it this year. There aren't many novels I've read that I can make the same claim about.

So, yeah, brace yourself and enjoy the ride :)

[[deleted user]]

50% and all I'm a going to say is... Good Lord!

Honestly. I'm new to the torture/terror genre but this is definitely one of the best/worst I've read so far.

[Josie]

I completely planned to comment here throughout my reading, only problem is I couldn't tear myself away long enough! I read it in one incredibly disturbing sitting and while I didn't enjoy the nausea it brought on, I definitely loved the book. Since its jumbled in my head, I'm gonna say spoilers for the whole thing...(view spoiler)[ so many holy shit moments! First thing, I loved the ease of the first 25ish percent, I knew the shit was going to hit the fan, but I was lulled into security by the snappy writing of the back-story info and character introduction. This is cliché, I'm sure, but the characters were real and believable, which made their complete emotional, mental and physical destruction even more gruesome and horrible. I know plenty of people like Tooth and Roger and Jaime(none like the Skinny Man though, THANK JEEBUS!). When that sick mofo brought Jaime in, that was horrifying. Tooth's reaction when he heard her voice was even more emotional for me than Roger's. Tooth's eunuch-fication was also and upsetting and horrible. I have no idea why, or what it says about me as a person, but the part that really made me sick was when Roger asked for water and was given a mix of blood/shit/skin/semen/dog slobber and whatever the hell else was on that floor. I guess that just was the nasty icing on the torture cake for me. I thought the end was really, really well done and also relatable and heart breaking. Roger, the everyman good guy loses his shit and goes all out with his salvation axe. All in all I was disturbed, disgusted, horrified and pretty impressed. Now I need to find the sequel...anyone read it? (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

61% - :0

I mean seriously...

(view spoiler)[I imagine this is as hard for male readers as The Girl Next Door was to female readers. This is just as disturbing.
And there is something seriously wrong that Butch is being fed the body parts. (hide spoiler)]

This book went in a completely different direction than I thought. I'll probably be finishing tonight too. It's hard to stop a book like this.

[[deleted user]]

Finished! Now I need a book about cute little fluffy bunnies... or something.

Mostly this was a solid book and I have no complaints.

[Andy]

45%. Ouch. Cringe. Barf.

[Addy]

55% and wow! Wasn't expecting the twist that nearly made my jaw drop!

[Addy]

I'm about 65%, but I'm getting tired. Will finish tomorrow. The suspense is just agonizing!

[Andy]

This is definitely in my top 3 most difficult books to get through. I'll finish tomorrow as well.

[[deleted user]]

It was very difficult. I had to read it quickly. Like ripping off a band aid.

[Andy]

Finished. I don't know if I want to puke, cry, or read the sequel. Time for a palate cleanser book.

[[deleted user]]

There's a sequel?

I felt like crying. Definitely. I liked the end though. (view spoiler)[ Even after all the horror and the torture the author ended on a hopeful note. I won't say a good or happy because it wasn't.
The two parts that hit me the most was Tooth's torture and eventual death and when it was revealed what had happened to the sister.
I'm not sure what I thought of it. Like I said I have no real complaints. But I'm not really into the whole torture horror genre. This one was different though. It was more about the survivor than the victims. Of course the survivor was a victim too... But in a different way. I don't know. I'm still thinking about it though. (hide spoiler)]

[Andy]

Traci L. wrote: "There's a sequel?

I felt like crying. Definitely. I liked the end though. Even after all the horror and the torture the author ended on a hopeful note. I won't say a good or happy because it wasn..."

Yeah, it's called . I think I need a few months to recover first.

[[deleted user]]

Might read it. Probably won't. This just isn't the kind of book I read for enjoyment. I am curious about some of the things I felt was unresolved in this one. (view spoiler)[ The parents being a big one for me. One child was horribly tortured and killed while the other one got off free. Physically speaking. (hide spoiler)]
The reviews seem to be less favorable to the sequel as well...

[Scott]

I've got the last 10% to read, so I'm avoiding spoilers. Like Traci said. tried to read it fast like ripping off a band aid. Unfortunately had to put it down. I don't know how I'll rate it. It's just not my genre, but that said, I could not put it down!