Cycle of the Werewolf Readalong

 

I'm a bit behind, but I'm catching up!  My awesome friend, Midnyte Reader, is hosting Cycle of the Werewolf readalong (and seriously if you're trying hard to meet that Goodreads challenge, then this is perfect, fast read... which I know isn't usually associated with  Stephen King books, but trust me on this one!).  These are the halfway questions and my answers!

Questions:

1. If you have the version that is illustrated, what do you think of it?  Do you think it enhances or detracts from the story?

I do have the illustrated version (although mine is the paperback version, not the awesome limited hardcover one).  I love the pictures, and I really think they help bring Tarker's Mill to life. 

2. What do you think of using the calender year and its full moons as the platform for the story?
Again, I think it works really well.  This could have easily been a long, bloated book, but I think the break up of the months is clever for a werewolf story.  Plus, the first several months, the attacks on the townspeople really helps to introduce the reader to Tarker's Mill and the type of people that live there. 

3. "Love is like dying."  This is the last sentence in February when Stella Randolph is faced with the werewolf.  What are your thoughts on these metaphors? (Love, death, werewolves.)
I don't know.  I'm so used to the vampire metaphor, but I've rarely found werewolves attractive.  Usually in the debate between the two, I'll take the vampire 9 out of 10 times.  Unless I can get them both in one person, like Michael in Underworld, the perfect werewolf-vampire hybrid, and played by hottie Scott Speedman.   I do think love gets overly romanticized, and if you've ever read a romance novel you know that dying for love is a big theme.  Maybe werewolves are the more violent and physical kind of longing for love?  

4. King again uses Tarker's Mills as a kind of character.  Thoughts?

King likes his small towns!  I think there's lots of reasons to use a town like a character- partly because a small town is isolated, increasing the fear, but also because most of us can recognize the types of people that live there.  There are plenty of books that I read that could be set anywhere, the towns are so generic- a lot of times I can't even tell where they're set- and I prefer books that have a strong sense of place. 

5. What do you think of King's use of character portrayal? Too much, too little?
Okay, I cannot be unbiased when it comes to Stephen King.  Whatever he wants to write is usually pretty alright with me.  I tend to have blind loyalty when it comes to my favorite things- be they authors, friends or my Starbucks order.

6. What do you think of the Reverand's dream?

This is a hard one to answer, mostly because I've already read the book.  Although, some times a nightmare is just the result of eating too much before bedtime... which also causes weight gain.  So, don't eat before bedtime to avoid fat and werewolf nightmares.  That is all. 

 

Misery Read-A-Long

Sorry this post is going up so late- but it's been a busy month!  For the month of November we'll be reading Misery by Stephen King and Midnyte Reader is hosting a read-a-long of Cycle of the Werewolf over on her blog.  I'm participating in both and I hope you do too!

Thanks to Kim from On The Wings of Books for the amazing graphics!

Sign up below to join in on the Misery Readalong!  Here's the dates for the official discussions:

November 17th- discuss the first two parts of the book: Annie and Misery (it's not quite the half way mark, but I thought it would be the best way to break it up, plus this is starting fairly late).

November 30th- discuss the last two parts of the book: Paul and Goddess

I've already started, and I can tell you, Misery is an intense read!

Carrie Readalong: Part 3 and Final Thoughts

We're at the end!  I've had a wonderful time re-reading this book, and I'm really looking forward to our next Stephen King Read-a-long of Salems' Lot (the starting post and sign up will be up tomorrow mid-morning). 

So let's Discuss Part 3 of Carrie: Wreckage

 Here's some questions thought up by me and my co-host, Midnyte Reader:

1. If you've seen the movie, how did the book compare?
2. Carrie: Victim or Villain?
3. If you had TK powers what would you do with them?

4. The Wreckage talks about the demise of the town.  I've noticed the theme of SK's setting as a character in other works.  What are your thoughts on this?

5. Does anybody think they know what line from Bob Dylan was written in Carrie's notebook?

 

and finally, what are your final thoughts/review of Carrie by Stephen King?

Here are my answers:

1. I actually thought the original movie was fairly faithful to the book.  Obviously it's set up differently and the ending has one of those gotcha! moments, but I think it does a really good job of showing how Carrie went from the butt of everyone's joke, to a girl blossoming into a woman, and finally into a vengeful, blood soaked killer.

2. Honestly, she's both.  But I don't think she'd ever have become a murderer if she hadn't been picked on so heinously.  What Carrie endured, both at home and at school, went beyond the typical bullying probably most of us experienced.  It was almost relentless.  She's a villain in the the sense that she killed innocent people, but her status of victim drove her to it.  Maybe she's an anti-hero?  Because, I kind of found myself rooting for her when she confronted her mom, and Billy and Chris.  That just might make me twisted though...

3. House work!  Oh, my God!  I'd be Mary Poppinsing the crap out of my house.  Think of the ease with which you could use your TK powers to rearrange your bookshelves, or carry all those  books around at BEA!  Ah... Seriously though, I'd probably try to keep it quiet, because if there is one lesson I've learned from Stephen King, it's that if you have special powers and the government finds out, they will kill your parents and keep you prisoner.  No thank you!  I'll stick to using my powers to clean the house and shelf my books.

4. I think King is very intrigued with the idea of small towns and their particular ways.  It's often easy to think of evil and murder as being a city problem, but often small towns hide dark secrets of their own (which I've also learned from watching City Confidential on A&E).  It's a way of telling a large scale story on a small stage, whereas a few hundred or thousand people represent society as a whole.  When I think of my favorite King books, almost all of them deal with small towns- even The Stand, in a way, since most of humanity is wiped out and the two opposing forces are drawn to Boulder, CO and Las Vegas, NV.  In It, which I'm re-reading right now, you have the town of Derry, which isn't as small as Castle Rock, but still not a large city.  It's big enough for something monstrous to feed off of, but small enough to keep the horror contained.  You can tell King has a love for small towns, even as he shows their seedy underbellies.  I lived in a small town in Pennsylvania during my teen years, and whenever I read King's small town stories, I can easily relate.  

5. I thought the song was the Just Like a Woman song?  Right? Or was there another one mentioned that I missed? The lyrics are: "Nobody has to guess/That Baby can't be blessed/Till she finally sees that she's like all the rest."  Which I felt showed how isolated Carrie was, and how much she longed to be part of the crowd.  She just wanted to be normal.  Out of everything that happened, I'm glad Carrie got to have a few truly happy moments at Prom, how different things might have been if her school life could have been like that all along!

My Review:

Carrie is a great novel to start your Stephen King experience with (my own personal one was with Fire-Starter), because it's not a horror novel per se, although I don't think many of King's books are horror books, but rather a look at teenage girls. In fact, King started Carrie after someone said that he couldn't write a true female character. In the book both Carrie and Sue, and even Chris, are very real feeling.  I knew girls like them growing up- well minus the TK powers.  The butt of the jokes, the golden girl who was popular simply because she was both nice and pretty, and the mean girl who's popular because people are scared of her.  King gives these girls dimension, and puts you in their shoes.  Even Chris, who is so easy to dislike, was easy to relate to, and even to feel sorry for.  She got in over her head, as one does.  Chris is full of anger that has no particular direction, she's gotten everything far too easily in life and she's bored.  Carrie is the perfect target.  

Carrie's mom is probably the most scary character of all, because isn't she real too?  Don't we all know that one person, just a little bit too far off the rails?  People like Mrs. White are who give religion a bad name, and she's twisted the words of the Bible to fit her own tormented mind.  Most likely Mrs, White is mentally ill, but she's functional.  Having her raise a daughter with Carrie's gift is like having a dictator baby-sit a nuclear bomb- it's only a matter of time before the thing is going to go off.

I loved the way the book was written, with first hand accounts, news articles, passages from books, etch.  Carrie was the very first book I ever read written in that style, although I've since seen it since then (and I may have even attempted to tell a story like that once myself).  I found it a great way to get all the information the reader needs to understand the story, but also a great way to entertain.  Teasing the final ending, but then going back and explaining: This is how we got here.    I think it adds to the story, rather than taking away anything.

Finally, Carrie is a story of what it's like for high school misfits. Maybe for girls like Sue it's rainbow and kittens, but for nerds, geeks, and loners, it can be a form of torture.  Carrie endures far more than the average kid bullied, but the things Carrie goes through happens to teens.  Stephen King was writing about the problems with bullying long before our current anti-bullying movement happened.  

 

Okay, that's it for now!

 

So tell me what you thought!

 

And I'll see you on Twitter tonight around 8pm EST under the hashtag #CarrieEnd!

 

 

 

Carrie Readalong, Part One: Blood Sports Discussion

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Carrie Read-a-Long Discussion Post: Part One: Blood Sports 

Congratulations, you are now almost half way through Carrie!  According to my Kindle we are about 47% through. Tonight I'll host a Twitter discussion (starting at 9pm EST, under the hashtag #CarrieBS). I thought this would be a good place to pause and discuss what we've read so far.  Stop and see what my co-host Midnyte Reader is thinking so far. Here's some questions to consider:

1. Is this your first Stephen King book?

2. What do you think of the style Carrie is written in?

3.  Do you think the bullying/attack on Carrie that occurs in the late 1970's in the book could happen today? 

4.  What are your thoughts on Carrie's mother?

5.  Young Carrie brings the rain of rocks down on her house at the tender age of three, but then there are no major events for years. Why do you think her powers remained fairly quiet until now?  What role does her mother play in Carrie's use of her power?

6. Do you believe that telekinesis exists?

7. What is your favorite moment so far?

8. What do you think of Sue's plan to have Tommy take Carrie to the prom?

9. Any predictions (um, only if you haven't read this before or seen the movie! ;)

10.  Just how crazy is Mrs. White?!

Please leave the link to your answers in the comment or you can just answer in the comments area, whichever works for you.  Stop by Midnyte Reader for her take on Carrie so far!

Here are my answers:

1. No, this is not my first Stephen King novel, and it's not even my first time (or second) that I'm reading Carrie.  It's not the first book I ever read of King, that'd be Fire-starter, and it actually took me a long while to get to.  I think because I'd seen the movie so many times when I was a kid I just has assumed I'd read Carrie before, but the first time I was about 22.  Ugh, so long ago!

2. I love the style it's written in, but I can tell it's an earlier King novel.  But I like the  jump in between characters, and the excerpts from official books, reports and newspapers.  I think that King could do an even better job now... but then Carrie would be 1100 pages long. ;)  I could do without the word Popular being capitalized though...

3. I think the constant bullying of Carrie definitely could still take place.  I don't know that the shower attack would still happen, I'd like to believe that there would be enough kids aware of how cruel it was, but I think it could take place on a smaller scale.  Bullying has been around as soon as there was more than three kids on the face of the planet.  What happened to Carrie in the showers was extreme, but I think when you add someone like Chris, who is popular and mean, to the mix, some people would follow her lead simply because she's the one doing the bullying. 

4. Mrs. White is straight up CRAZY!!  Seriously, I would love to know more of this woman's past to have shaped her into such a crazy mess.  The book talks about the TK gene, but even if it's passive in Mrs. White, I'd be willing to bet she's got some dominant mental illness genes at work- definitely more than one.  But... I think she truly believes in her own version of God, and that makes her dangerous.  I really think Carrie's powers are the one thing that has prevented her mother from killing her.  If Carrie had just been a normal, powerless kid, then no doubt she wouldn't have the strength to fight off an attack from her religiously skewed mama.

5. I think maybe the rock incident was so traumatic that Carrie buried the incident deep in her mind.  So while other things occur during times of deep emotional stress, she doesn't necessarily make the connection until the day of the shower attack.  In a way, Carrie has begun to unravel.  Years of torment at the hands of her classmates has worn her down, and has allowed her tap into her powers again.  Couple that with her mom's violent religious beliefs, and you have Carrie suddenly wide awake to her powers.  If Carrie's upbringing had been more stable and loving, her powers might have never really been an issue.  Strange things might have happened still, during early childhood and puberty, but I really doubt that it'd be something she'd be so aware of.

6. Hmm, yes, I guess I believe that it's possible.  To the extent of Carrie's powers?  Probably not.  But I do think there is so much about our brains and abilities that we don't know.  But, I'm skeptical.  I would definitely have to see it to believe it.

7. My favorite moment, BY FAR, was when Chris's dad and the Principal face off.  Sadly, his "my precious daughter" routine is all to familiar in this day and age when kids can do no wrong, and his sue-happy threats were nicely smacked down by Principal Grayle.  I was literally cheering!  I hope in the new Carrie re-make that that scene makes it in the movie.  I don't think until this re-read that I caught that Principal Grayle was not the same Assistant Principal that Desjardin takes Carrie to see after the shower incident.

8. I actually get why some people questioned Sue's motives after the fact, but I am surprised that so many people just assumed that it was nasty on her part.  But I think that Sue and Tommy were a bit more evolved than some of their classmates, and that Sue was really trying to atone.  Tommy loved Sue enough to want to help her, and I think he genuinely didn't mind taking Carrie.  Tommy is that rare person that people love and like not just because he's Popular (with a capital P!) but because he's got that magnetism that draws people to him.  Because of it, he's able to just be himself.  Unlike Sue, who is tormented by who she wants to be compared to who she is, Tommy is completely at home in his own skin.  He's not perfect, but he's also not so freaking concerned about what everyone is going to think of him.  Ugh, how I wish I'd been like that as a teen!  I'd settle for being like that now, but I'm much more of a Sue.  I'm a people-pleaser in the extreme, and I always over analyze things.  But I think Sue had good intentions, even if I think it was more for herself than for Carrie.  She should have known that Carrie going to the prom, especially after Chris is denied her tickets, would be a bad thing.

9. None here, because I already know!

10. She is so crazy!!!  Seriously, there are few characters in books that I have disliked as much as I dislike Mrs. White.  She's the type of person who would drown a sack full of black kittens because she believes them to be evil.  And she's such a hypocrite!  How much better for Carrie if her bikini clad neighbor had taken her away that day!  Or if one of those rocks had killed Mrs. White.  Sadly, that didn't happen, and whatever chance kids have in the beginning of life to have a normal kid experience was ruined when Mrs. White squeezed Carrie out.  I mean, I get that she's all super religious, but her belief system is so messed up that it bares little resemblance to any actual biblical teachings. I'm just going to say it, Mrs. White is one crazy bitch.  There.  I said it.


So, don't forget to read Part Two: Prom Night by the 23rd!  And I'll see ya'll on Twitter tonight!

Losing John Coffey Again...

Image from Hollywood Gossip

 There are no authors I love quite like Stephen King, and there are few of his books that rip your heart out like The Green Mile does.  And even rarer- a Stephen King movie that gets the character completely, wondrously right. I cared about the gentle giant, John Coffey, before his story came to the big screen, but Michael Clarke Duncan brought the character to life in a way that's so rare for us book lovers.  It's like King's words shaped the actor on the screen, when actually it was Duncan's skill that made it magical.

Michael Clarke Duncan passed away yesterday, and it brought back the overwhelming sadness that John Coffey's death brought to The Green Mile.  I kept hoping it was a hoax, or that there'd be a last minute re-write to bring him back to life.  Sadly, a great actor has gone, but for me Duncan will live on forever as one of my favorite characters.  You see, I just can't separate the actor from the role, and John Coffey will live on forever in pages and on the screen. Rest in peace, Michael Clarke Duncan, I wish you safe passage.

“We each owe a death, there are no exceptions, I know that, but sometimes, oh God, the Green Mile is so long.”

― Stephen King, The Green Mile, Part 6: Coffey on the Mile

Feature and Follow #95

I must be feeling particularly social this week, maybe because it's only a month until I'll be in NYC for BEA, but I'm doing Alison Can Read and Parajunkee's Feature and Follow.

Q. What is one thing you wish you could tell your favorite author?

A. I'm not really a stalker, Mr. King.

It's true, I'm not a stalker.  I am far too lazy to stalk people.  Although, I have a feeling I'd probably have to explain to several of my favorite authors that I'm not a stalker because I fear I give off that Annie Wilkes vibe (but that's preposterous because I can't stand the sound of breaking bones... or even cracking knuckles).

Sigh, I am really going to have to practice a non-crazy yet still admiring smile for BEA.  A smile that says, yes, I love your books, but no, I'm not going to kidnap you and chain you to my guest bed until you write a novel just for me.  So far, mirror results have shown little progress.  I'll keep working at it, because the only thing worse than giving a creepy smile to authors is not smiling at all and looking scary/intense.

Ugh, why can't the BEA be a masked ball?  I look good in masks.

So, if my answer hasn't scared you away and you've decided to give me a follow, just let me know and I'll return it!  

Spring Into Horror Readathon has Sprung!

I am so glad I signed up for this challenge!  So far I've finished Meet Your Match, Cupid Delaney (of course the only way that's scary is for teen girls freaking out that prom got cancelled) and Anna Dressed in Blood.  Anna is awesome, by the way, and if I die and become a ghost I kind of hope I get to be all kick ass like Anna... only I don't want to die all violent, but the ripping people in half thing could come in handy...

I'm also currently re-reading The Night Circus (for book club) and Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour.  I hope to start Envy today too, since I spreading The Night Circus out a bit.  I have today off, so things look promising BUT our house is getting a new roof... which is loud, very loud.  I will be leaving the house some today, for sure!

Onto the mini-challenges!  This one is being hosted by Oh, For the Hook of a Book!

Be prepared to be amazed by all the Stephen King books I own!  Just saying, peeps.  It's impressive.  Although I will be surprised if I win this challenge, since there's so many other Stephen King loving bloggers participating and some of mine are duplicates.

Okay, let's start in the living room and then move into the office, shall we? 

1. Black House*
2. Just After Sunset*
3. The Talisman (graphic novel #1)*
4. Everything's Eventual*
5. The Green Mile (hardback)*
6. Under the Dome*
7. Cycle of the Werewolf*
8. Wizard and Glass*
9. Song of Susannah*

10. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (pop-up book)*
11. The Bachman Books*
12. The Talisman*
13. Danse Macabre*
14. Eyes of the Dragon*
15. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (paperback)*
16. Nightmares & Dreamscapes*
17. Needful Things*
18.The Wastelands*
19. The Green Mile*
20. The Drawing of the Three*
21. Dreamcatcher*
22. Bag of Bones*
23. Thinner*
24. Four Past Midnight*
25. Needful Things (hardback)*
26. Nightmares & Dreamscapes (hardback)*
27. The Stand **
28. The Dark Tower*
29. The Regulators*
30. Lisey's Story*
31. From a Buick 8*
32. Duma Key*
33. Eyes of the Dragon (Hardcover) **
34. Wolves of the Calla*
35. Cell*

36. Four Past Midnight (hardback)*
37. Stephen King Collection (The Shining, 'Salem's Lot, Night Shift and Carrie)*
38. It (hardback) **
39. Desperation*
40. The Drawing of the Three (another paperback copy)*
41. The Gunslinger*
42. Storm of the Century*
43. Blaze*
44. Insomnia*
45. On Writing*
46. Stephen King Three Novels (Carrie, 'Salems Lot and The Shining)

On My Kindle
47. The Colorado Kid*
48. Full Dark, No Stars*
49. Mile 81*
50. Blockade Billy*
51. The Stand*
52. Cujo*
53. Under the Dome*
54. UR*
55. 11/22/63 *(I had the hardback version too, but it's been stolen by my family ;)

On Audio:
56. The Dark Half*
57. The Gingerbread Girl*
58. It*
59. The Mist*

At one time or another I've owned almost every Stephen King book, but between multiple moves across state and one house fire, this is what I'm left with.  I think other than his book on baseball and Stephen King Goes to the Movies, I've read every book he's come out with. I'm surprised I don't have a copy of Dolores Claiborne though, that's one of my favorites.  Time to start buying SK books again!

Computer Stand and Plans

So I recently moved.  I'm still in the major unpacking stage, and while we moved from a large apartment to a slightly larger house, my mom now shares the space with us.  Fitting in the things we used to have was difficult.  The Hubs sacrificed his mammoth corner desk, but appropriated my simple small desk.  We really don't have room for another desk unless I squeeze it into the bedroom, but I don't like to be shut off from the world when I'm online, which is often. 

My mom spent a lot of time in the hospital and rehab, so I got inspired by all the nurses and doctors that use computer stands.  After searching on Amazon I found one that fits my needs and it came today (thank you Amazon Prime!).  So here it is:

It's super mobile and I can use it anywhere!  I'm particularly looking forward to the next Readathon in April, so I can sit on the couch or bed and blog/tweet whilst reading without moving a muscle.  It doesn't show up well in the picture (taken on my phone and artfully set so you can't see all the boxes cluttering up the new place), but the desk is dark cherry wood, not black like it looks in this light. 

And don't be impressed by all the shelf space you see behind the new desk, I'm still unpacking my thousands of boxes of books and the shelves in the living room will be color coordinated again once I'm done. 

I am proud to say that I've culled my books somewhat, donating several boxes of books to Goodwill so far, with another full box ready to go.  Four large bookshelves and two small ones should really be enough even for this book hoarder, especially since I own both a Kindle and a Nook (although the Hubs has taken over ownership of the Nook Color, which he will rectify come May when he buys me the Kindle Fire for my birthday :). 

My future blog plans:
~Catching up on reviews, but Partials by Dan Well should be up this weekend.
~Posting a giveaway of a signed copy of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (once I unpack that box, although thankfully the box is clearly marked).
~ Thinking about hosting a Stephen King read-a-long because for Valentines Day the Hubs got me this:

 So I thought maybe I'd do a read-along of these three books, since they'd also qualify (at least for me) for my Baby Read Me, 1 More Time challenge.
~Right now, I'm going to curl up and watch this:

 Found this at our beach house over the summer, while the movie was still in the theaters.  I assumed it was in Spanish, so whilst I snagged it I never bothered to check it until the other night.  Loved the book, and I'm finally ready to give the movie a try.  So wine, Valentine's chocolate (also given to me by the Hubs, along with a beautiful vase of roses and a pretty purple flower that I don't know the name of.  And a balloon.  The balloon is important.  I love balloons and wish people would give them more often.  No, I don't have a helium addiction.)

So what are your immediate plans (blog or otherwise)?  Let me know if the Stephen King Read-A-Long interests any of you.

11/22/63 Review

11/22/63
By Stephen King
From Goodreads:

 On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? Stephen King's heart-stoppingly dramatic new novel is about a man who travels back in time to prevent the JFK assassination-a thousand page tour de force.

Following his massively successful novel Under the Dome, King sweeps readers back in time to another moment-a real life moment-when everything went wrong: the JFK assassination. And he introduces readers to a character who has the power to change the course of history.

Jake Epping is a thirty-five-year-old high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching adults in the GED program. He receives an essay from one of the students-a gruesome, harrowing first person story about the night 50 years ago when Harry Dunning's father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a hammer. Harry escaped with a smashed leg, as evidenced by his crooked walk.

Not much later, Jake's friend Al, who runs the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to 1958. He enlists Jake on an insane-and insanely possible-mission to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination. So begins Jake's new life as George Amberson and his new world of Elvis and JFK, of big American cars and sock hops, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake's life-a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time.

A tribute to a simpler era and a devastating exercise in escalating suspense, 11/22/63 is Stephen King at his epic best.

My Thoughts: Is there any topic, any era that Stephen King can't bring to life? I don't think so either. I loved how he brought the late 50's and early 60's to life- yes, certain aspects of life back then were simpler, but King also reminds us that 10 cent gallons of milk come with racism, sexism and choking cigarette smoke. Sure you could leave your doors unlock, but you also stayed with your husband after he beat you. Yes, you could pick up hitchhikers without getting your throat slashed, but it was best not to be caught talking about equal rights for women. I recently watched a 1964 movie called "Kisses For My President" about the first female president having to handle her husband's pride while also trying to be the leader of the free world. Then she gets pregnant and, of course, steps down as president, and her husband tells her "You know, darling, it took 40 million women to get you in the White House but only one man to get you out." It's supposed to be a chuckle moment, and indeed the wife, former Madame President, just smiles instead of decking him. Because that's how it was in the Land of Ago- as Stephen King calls it. Of course a communist would have had a better chance of getting elected as President in 1964 than a woman, but the movie is a comedy.

Back to the book: I am astounded by the thought and research this book required of King and his helpers. He first came up with the idea in the 70's but I'm glad he waited. The idea that changing one big act in the past could change the course of our future is thrilling. Because while I don't buy into the whole Kennedy fairytale, I do think his assassination ended whatever innocence our country still had back then. And the idea that if Kennedy hadn't died then maybe Martin Luther King, Jr and Bobby Kennedy would have lived too, that maybe John Lennon would have been somewhere else, that Vietnam wouldn't have happened... life is based on so many chances and decisions that it just boggles the mind.

But in King's time travel tale, the past isn't that easy to change, because it doesn't want to be changed. It's not as simple as walking up to Lee Harvey Oswald and slipping some arsenic in his soda. And the main character, Jake, wants to make sure that Oswald really is the killer. I have always believed that he was the lone shooter, but there have been so many conspiracy theories it's hard not to have some doubts. Would you want to go back in time to shoot a man that might not even be guilty and still have Kennedy assassinated by some shadowy group? And if you are able to change the past, what kind of future are you going back to?

11/22/63 is a brilliant novel, it's not quite The Stand or It for me, but it's still a thrilling read. I am thankful to whatever muse is wielding the whip to keep King writing, because I don't know if I want to live in a world that isn't graced with his imagination.

I often say that I'd love to live inside Stephen King's mind, but that's not exactly true.  I just want to be able to visit once and awhile.  Although there's lots to like about 11/22/63, the best part of me was seeing Bev and Richie from It.  They make a quick cameo as Jake heads to 1958's Derry to stop a brutal murder.  I've been blessed with amazing friends, but part of me will always feel a part of the Loser's Club with Stuttering Bill, Bev, Beep-beep Richie, Stan, Ben, Mike and Eddie ("This is battery acid, you slime!").   I wish there was a Stephen King amusement park, where you could explore the sewers of Derry, take the Cujo car ride, a dance at Carrie's prom- just be sure to leave before she's crowned Prom Queen!  Seriously, how is this not already in production?

Quotes:

“I had been hobbled, perhaps even crippled by a pervasive internet society I had come to depend on and take for granted... hit enter and let Google, that twenty-first century Big Brother, take care of the rest.

In the Derry of 1958, the most up-to-date computers were the size of small housing developments, and the local paper was no help. What did that leave? I remembered a sociology prof I’d had in college - a sarcastic old bastard - who used to say, When all else fails, give up and go to the library.”

 “On that gray street, with the smell of industrial smokes in the air and the afternoon bleeding away to evening, downtown Derry looked only marginally more charming than a dead hooker in a church pew.”
 
“Like all sweet dreams, it will be brief, but brevity makes sweetness, doesn't it?”

 “The past is obdurate.” 

 11/22/63 gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

Because, really, if King can't give me a Midnight Read than who can?  Happy readings!

Pre-Readathon Fun!

Tomorrow's the big day!!!  I am so super excited about Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon that it's a bit ridiculous.  And I'm okay with that, having embraced my spastic inner nerd long ago.  I'll be off to shop for Readathon snacks this morning, so expect another post soon.

Saw this on Facebook and it cracked me up:

Now I'm a fan of Twilight, and even though I'd already read the Harry Potter books, Twilight was the book that finally made me feel that it was okay for me to read YA even though my own young adult days are gone.  So I'm not Twilight bashing, but that said, this quote is totally true.  Twilight is literary candy, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Last night the Hubs took me to see Paranormal Activity 3 and it was super creepy and I screamed lots and once again wondered why the hell I keep insisting on going to see movies that I know will scare the crap out of me.  But ignoring my mental issues for a moment, we got to see the trailer for Daniel Radcliffe's new horror movie The Woman in Black:

Bet you wish you hadn't tossed that Elder wand, eh Daniel?

And I have to say, he's actually looking pretty handsome here, it actually took a few moments for me to recognize him.  

Tonight I'm off to an Octoberfest where I get to volunteer with the kid's soccer corner and turn down all that free beer that will be flowing from the free beer steins in order to be all sober and non hung over for tomorrow's Readathon.  Oh, the sacrifices to fun (and most often, dignity) that my inner nerd requires!  But I'm not only reading and obsessively twittering tomorrow, I'm cheering AND hosting a mini-challenge at Hour 9 and honestly my mini-challenge will be AWESOME.

Okay, now that I've started to go all caps on this blog, it's probably best to end this before I hit the caps lock for good.

Snacks to be posted later!

And I want to see your Readathon piles and snacks, and twitter names so that if I don't already follow you I can for tomorrow's big event! If you don't have Twitter or you never use it, trust me, Readathom is so much more fun with Twitter.  Just save the search for #readathon and we'll all be connected and my inner nerd will totally recognize your inner nerd.

Book Blogger Hop 10.14-10.17

It's been a long time since I hopped!  I'm trying really hard to comment everyday on blogs (at least 10 comments per day), and of course the Hop is perfect for connecting with other bloggers and finding even more great book blogs to add to my overstuffed Google Reader! ;) Hop along at Crazy For Books

This week's question:

“What is your favorite spooky book (i.e. mystery/suspense, thriller, ghost story, etc.)?”

This should be an easy question, but not for me!  So I'm going to cheat a bit and give a couple of different answers:

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
What don't I love about the Odd one?  He's become one of my all time favorite literary characters.  He see's dead people, but by gosh, he does something about it!  Although I love the series, the very first book is just magic.  Odd's voice, his personality, his sense of right and wrong, everything just drags me in.  His friends and family are wonderfully unique as he is.  I've lost count all the times I've talked about Odd Thomas on my blog, but there's a reason.  While Koontz is a hit or miss author for me, he won me as a fan for life when he breathed life into Odd.



It by Stephen King
I read It for the first time in while I was in the sixth grade and it wasn't even the first King book I'd read.  I have always fancied myself a fan of horror/scary stories, but It was really the first book that scared the crap out of me.  I wanted to be part of the Loser's Club, and when they descended into the sewers of Derry, I really was there with them.  I think King gets a lot of attention as a great horror writer, but he's just an incredibly great writer, period. It's not all about scariness or gore, he writes people so well.  I particularly love how he writes kids, he's just got an amazing talent. There are lots of King books that hold a special place in my heart, and maybe even a few like The Stand that I love more than It.  But It was my first real experience in getting lost completely in a book, and when the mini-series came out a few years later, I got to see it brought to life.  Subsequent re-reads (of which there has been many) always feature Tim Curry as Pennywise and Jonathan Bradis (RIP, Mr. Brandis) as Stuttering Bill.  "He thrusts his fists against the post and still insists he sees the ghost."  The moment Bill's little brother loses his paper boat to a storm drain and meets Pennywise, I dare you not to be terrified.

The best part of October for me is listening to scary stories while driving.  Here's a few of my favorites:

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson (currently I'm still listening to this one, but it's fantastic, although it holds a lot of humor!)

And of course, the first time I read Odd Thomas was in audio book format, and the narrator is perfect!

Vacation Post #2

Hit the beach early this morning and managed to finish my first official vacation read, Dog On It by Spencer Quinn.

It was a great beach read, full of mystery and told from the viewpoint of Chet the dog, faithful canine partner to Bernie, his PI owner.  I read this as part of my Stephen King Summer Reading List Self-Challenge, and once again I was rewarded with a good read.  There's an awesome dog narrator (again, it can't be said enough, it's totally Bunnicula for the over 30 club), there's a young girl who may or may not be a runaway, several suspicious Russians, and lots of food mentioned.  Even a little tiny hint of romance- for Bernie, not Chet.

Dog On It gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

Started today: World War Z  by Max Brooks

I doubt there will be much reading done tonight because my nieces are here and there are  already screams and giggles.  Although that may be the ideal background noise while reading a zombie book...

Waiting on Wednesday 7.27.11

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This should not come as a surprise, by my WoW pick is:

11/22/63
by Stephen King
From Goodreads:

On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas,
President Kennedy died, and the world changed.

If you had the chance to change history, would you?
Would the consequences be worth it?

Jake Epping is a thirty-five-year-old high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching adults in the GED program. He receives an essay from one of the students—a gruesome, harrowing first person story about the night 50 years ago when Harry Dunning’s father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a hammer. Harry escaped with a smashed leg, as evidenced by his crooked walk.

Not much later, Jake’s friend Al, who runs the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to 1958. He enlists Jake on an insane—and insanely possible—mission to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination. So begins Jake’s new life as George Amberson and his new world of Elvis and JFK, of big American cars and sock hops, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake’s life—a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time.

How awesome does this sound?  Now obviously I was not around during the JFK era, but it's hard not to wonder how things would have turned out had he not been assassinated.  Although, if truth be told, if I had the chance to go back in time and stop a Kennedy assassination I'd choose Bobby Kennedy- I think if any Kennedy actually came close to the mythology that's behind the Kennedy name then it's RFK.  There is something so sad about a life cut down by an assassin's bullet- how different would our world be if Martin Luther King, Jr, RFK, JFK, even John Lennon, not been assassinated?  I'm looking forward to King bringing the 60's to life, and I'm wondering how he's going to pull this story off!

Blog Hop and Follow 7.22

It's been awhile, but it's time to Hop!

Hosted by The Crazy Bookworm

Question of the Week: What’s the ONE GENRE that you wish you could get into, but just can’t?

This may sound weird, since I actually follow a LOT of blogs that pretty much specialize in this genre, but Paranormal Romance.  Now, I'm not talking about YA books like Twilight, but the steamy kind of Mermaid meets Sexy Werewolf with a bit of Half-Demon joining in.  I couldn't even handle the Anita Blake series, there was just too much sex and switching up partners for my simple (read prudish) tastes.  I feel like I probably miss out on some great books, but that's part of the reason I follow bloggers who read genres that I don't normally read.

 Hosted by Parajunkee

Question of the Week: Name 3 authors that you would love to sit down and spend an hour or a meal with just talking about either their books or get advice on writing from?

Okay, this is a fairly easy one.  Stephen King, first and foremost.  I don't even care if all he wants to talk about is baseball (a sport I dislike) or his various ache and pains. In fact I could just stop there, but you know I won't.  JK Rowling, because I really want to get all the little tidbits from her head that she didn't put in the books and to ask her if she'd be willing to write a story starring me and Oliver Wood (and if she doesn't agree to do this, then perhaps I can take a page from Stephen King's book Misery and MAKE her write me a story).  Thirdly, Maureen Johnson.  She is hilarious, and I certainly wouldn't have to worry about the awkward silence that may arise as I stare slacked jawed and adoringly at King and Rowling, because Maureen Johnson does not do silence.  And since I do like writing, and if I ever actually finish anything (like my NaNoWriMo project) then it'll be in the YA genre that Johnson writes so wonderfully for and I'm sure after spending an hour with me she'll invite me into her secret writer's club with John Green and Scott Westerfeld, among others.  Right?  

My Stephen King Summer Update #1

Last month I declared my intention to read all 12 books that Stephen King had recommended as summer reads in an article in Entertainment Weekly.  So far it's going great, I've already read 6 of the 12 books, and I'm starting the 7th book now. 

And King's list has not disappointed!  But he's a bit of a trickster.  Obviously Mr. King, knowing of my intense dislike for reading books in a series out of order, and counting on my obsession fondness for him to outweigh my weird, bookish OCD, purposefully included several new books in an established series.  While I'm not the most punctual person in the world, I don't like arriving late to a party.  I am never that last minute movie goer, scrambling around during the previews or opening credits, searching for a primo seat.  In fact, I hate those people.

In June I read Buried Prey and The Fifth Witness, both newest offerings in a series.  The weird thing is, when I read these books, the world did not end, hell probably didn't even get a little chilly.  And I liked both the books even though I wasn't bff's with the main characters yet.  I think I'm ready to let go of my Must Read In Order mentality. 

I even gave myself permission not to follow Stephen King's order- 3 of the books I read in June were indeed June suggestions, but I couldn't get my hands on the 4th book, so I read one from July's list.  I know.  It's scandalous.  But I'm feeling a bit Rhett Butler about it, not giving a damn.    So here's what I read, how I rated it, and what I thought about it:

Buried Prey by John Sandford
From Goodreads:

A house demolition provides an unpleasant surprise for Minneapolis-the bodies of two girls, wrapped in plastic. It looks like they've been there a long time. Lucas Davenport knows exactly how long.

In 1985, Davenport was a young cop with a reputation for recklessness, and the girls' disappearance was a big deal. His bosses ultimately declared the case closed, but he never agreed with that. Now that he has a chance to investigate it all over again, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: It wasn't just the bodies that were buried. It was the truth

My Thoughts-  I wasn't completely sold on Davenport- he's a bit arrogant and his Let Me Do It attitude annoyed me at times, but the story was very exciting.  The flashbacks, the search for justice, the surprise attacks, it was all very edge-of-your-seat reading.  Plus I have a soft spot for re-opened cold cases.  Buried Prey is book #21 in the Lucas Davenport series, so I was way out of my comfort zone here, but I didn't feel lost at any point.  I just wasn't as emotionally invested in Davenport as I usually am in thrillers.  Will definitely be on the lookout for other books in this series (but probably only the ones that sound enticing, I've no wish to go back and read 20 books in order, I mean, have you seen my tbr pile?!).

Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson
From Goodreads:

Daniel H. Wilson, the author of this book, has a doctorate in robotics from prestigious Carnegie Mellon and his writing credits include the nonfiction How to Survive A Robot Uprising and How to Build a Robot Army. That knowledge alone should activate your senses as you enter Robopocalypse, a realm where robots run free and humans flee skittering in many directions. Told with the unfolding menace of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, this novel will keep you up late and your computer

My Thoughts: Okay, that's a bit of a lame summary of this book, because I found Robopocalypse to be AWESOME and I don't even like robots!  Seriously, I will pick zombies and vampires any day over robots or aliens.  But for me, Robopocalypse is everything you don't actually get when watching the Terminator movies- the actually beginning of the war.  Only Wilson's robots are a bit smarter than the ones in the Terminator movies.  They aren't interesting in nuking our planet, but rather ridding it of mankind.  This book is told in many different styles and voices, but that's something I actually really like.  It reminded me a bit of how Carrie by Stephen King is presented.  I plan on jumping on the robot band wagon if Wilson and others keep bringing on the cool robot books. 

The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly
From Goodreads:

Mickey Haller has fallen on tough times. He expands his business into foreclosure defense, only to see one of his clients accused of killing the banker she blames for trying to take away her home.

Mickey puts his team into high gear to exonerate Lisa Trammel, even though the evidence and his own suspicions tell him his client is guilty. Soon after he learns that the victim had black market dealings of his own, Haller is assaulted, too--and he's certain he's on the right trail.

Despite the danger and uncertainty, Haller mounts the best defense of his career in a trial where the last surprise comes after the verdict is in.

 My Thoughts: I'm going to be honest, I really didn't think I was going to like this book.  I was expecting to hate the whole foreclosure storyline to bore me, but it didn't and it's really not the main focus of the book and what is presented is done so in a entertaining way.  I also hate the name Mickey... that hasn't changed.  This book has so many twists and turns, some of which I thought I saw coming only to find out that it was only the tip of the ice burg.  It also helps that even though I haven't seen the movie The Lincoln Lawyer based on the first book of the series, I was able to picture Haller as Matthew McConaughey.  Great courtroom drama, and some really great characters.

The Silent Land by Graham Joyce
From Goodreads:

Award-winning novelist and cult favorite Graham Joyce transports readers to a mysterious world of isolation and fear with a hypnotically dark story about a young couple trapped by an avalanche in the remote French Alps . . . a daring and powerful novel about love, loss, and rebirth. In the French Alps around Chamonix, a young married couple is buried under a flash avalanche while skiing. Miraculously, Jake and Zoe dig their way out from under the snow—only to discover the world they knew has been overtaken by an eerie and absolute silence. Their hotel is devoid of another living soul. Cell phones and land lines are cut off. An evacuation as sudden and thorough as this leaves Jake and Zoe to face a terrifying situation alone. They are trapped by the storm, completely isolated, with another catastrophic avalanche threatening to bury them alive . . . again. And as the couple begin to witness unset­tling events neither one can ignore, they are forced to con­front a frightening truth about the silent land they now inhabit.

My Thoughts: The Silent Land is a fairly short book, and a fast, engrossing read.  Even though I figured out what was going on, I still couldn't put the book down.  Despite the elements of horror, it's a lovely, elegant book.  You really get to know Jake and Zoe and to understand their marriage and relationship.  Despite the fact that I was able to enjoy reading this book while sitting on the porch on a hot day, I suspect this would be an even better read on a cold, snowy day.

That's the books I read in June from King's list.  So far this month I've read The Sentry by Robert Crais and The Cypress House by Michael Koryta.  On deck are The Five and Dog On It.    I'm expecting great things from these reads, and so far I haven't been disappointed.

My Stephen King Summer

Have I mentioned my overwhelming love of all things Stephen King?   To say that I am a huge fan of the writer and all his work, his thoughts, his ideas, his doodles, would be an understatement.  Well, I don't actually know that he doodles, but I'm sure I'd love any doodles he doodled.

So I was excited to see his recent article in EW about summer book reads.  He's posted lists before, and I've read some of the books he's recommended (thanks for the intro to Lee Childs and Peter Abrahams, Mr. King!) but this summer I plan on reading ALL the books he's listed. I greatly respect King as a writer, and I have faith that if there's books out there that interested him, then they'd probably hold my attention too.  I can't find a link to the article online at EW, but below is a list of all the books he mentioned.  I'm going to try to stick to the month order, but it'll just depend on how easily I can get a hold of the books.

June Reads: 

Buried Prey by John Sandford (read in June)
Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson (read in June)
The Five by Robert McCammon (ordered)
The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly (read in June)

July Reads:

The Sentry by Robert Crais (read in July)
The Silent Land by Graham Joyce (read in June)
The Cypress House by Michael Koryta (reading now)
Dog On It by Spencer Quinn

August Reads:

The Accident by Linwood Barclay
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (ordered)
A Test of Wills by Charles Todd
The Terror of Living by Urban Waite

I am sad to say that other than Kate Atkinson, I have not read any of these authors before.  I have recently read Started Early, Took by Dog by Atkinson, and Case Histories is the first book in that series so it's on my list already.

I'm not making an official challenge out of this, but I'd love to know if any of you out there are interested in joining me in my summer reading odyssey!