I kind of think that all of King's books should be released as serials. I love King's writing. In fact, at this point I don't think I've come across a book of his that I don't like. However, I have to admit that I haven't read a lot of them. They are so long that they look daunting. I would have read The Stand years ago if it had been a serial novel!
So, I read this in the six separate books (uping my book count for the year) but chose to review them as one large book.
Paul Edgecomb is old. He's really, really old. He's living in a home that his grandchildren have put him in and he is nagged by the memory of 1932, the year he was a supervisor on a death row block and a miracle occurred. A man accused of murdering two girls is sent to walk the green mile but John Coffey turns out to be nothing like he seems.
I really liked this book. I don't want to say too much because this set up lends itself to giving a lot away. It feels like every book has a climax and every climax is pertinent to the plot. I think that this is another pretty smart novel from King though, bringing to light racial issues and revolving around the theme of good and evil. I hope to watch the movie soon, which I've only seen parts of. Rest assured, the book was completely worth the time.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Aimee by Mary Beth Miller
One thing that I've really enjoyed about reading this year is that I have forced myself to take out books that have been on my "To Be Read List" since as early as 2000. Out of the few that I've read (four or five, I think), only one has been kind of crappy and then the rest have been gems like this.
Our main character (MC), we don't know her name until about 20 pages from the end, is telling the story through a journal. She is required to keep a journal by her psychologist, who she calls Marge because she looks like a Marge even if that isn't her name.
MC is lonely and living with a terrible guilt. Her best friend, Aimee, killed herself and MC has been accused of having some hand in it, causing the news papers to call her JK for Jack Kevorkian. Through little blips of back story, we learn that MC was part of a tight knit group of friends. They were always together and they were always helping each other. The reader may see Aimee's warning signs early. She exhibits reckless behavior that at first seems typical for a teenager but somehow has a darkness to it.
I enjoyed a lot about this book. I felt so close to the MC because of how it was told. It also felt like a mystery. We don't know why Aimee is upset until late in the book and we don't hear about how she died until nearly the end. This was a fast read, engrossing and well written.
Our main character (MC), we don't know her name until about 20 pages from the end, is telling the story through a journal. She is required to keep a journal by her psychologist, who she calls Marge because she looks like a Marge even if that isn't her name.
MC is lonely and living with a terrible guilt. Her best friend, Aimee, killed herself and MC has been accused of having some hand in it, causing the news papers to call her JK for Jack Kevorkian. Through little blips of back story, we learn that MC was part of a tight knit group of friends. They were always together and they were always helping each other. The reader may see Aimee's warning signs early. She exhibits reckless behavior that at first seems typical for a teenager but somehow has a darkness to it.
I enjoyed a lot about this book. I felt so close to the MC because of how it was told. It also felt like a mystery. We don't know why Aimee is upset until late in the book and we don't hear about how she died until nearly the end. This was a fast read, engrossing and well written.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block
Did you know that I have declared this the summer of Francesca Lia Block (FLB)? I realized that it had been a long time since I read some of my favorite books by my favorite young adult author and also that there were some books I never even attempted to read. I got caught under my rock, in other words. I found a list on Lists of Bests and started at the top.
Weetzie Bat is a cult classic in the YA world. It's filled with magical characters and beautiful descriptions. This is the story of Weetzie Bat, daughter of Brandi-Lynn and Charlie Bat who are separated. Weetzie thinks that everyone she goes to school with is blind because they cannot see how beautiful LA is. Then she meets Dirk. They are fast friends and together they decide to find a My Secret Agent Lover Man for Weetzie and a Duck for Dirk. With the help of a genie, they find just that!
Don't let the names throw you off. One of my friends had a hard time reading this because of names like My Secret Agent Lover Man and Witch Baby but the story is so beautiful that you'll want to wear dresses with poetry written on them in glitter.
Weetzie Bat is a cult classic in the YA world. It's filled with magical characters and beautiful descriptions. This is the story of Weetzie Bat, daughter of Brandi-Lynn and Charlie Bat who are separated. Weetzie thinks that everyone she goes to school with is blind because they cannot see how beautiful LA is. Then she meets Dirk. They are fast friends and together they decide to find a My Secret Agent Lover Man for Weetzie and a Duck for Dirk. With the help of a genie, they find just that!
Don't let the names throw you off. One of my friends had a hard time reading this because of names like My Secret Agent Lover Man and Witch Baby but the story is so beautiful that you'll want to wear dresses with poetry written on them in glitter.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Brains for Lunch by K. A. Holt
I discovered this book on a list of books written in verse for young adults. (This is a shameless attempt to make 100 books this year but I have very little pride and you can't judge me. lol) As a fan of the Misfits, the title struck a chord with me. ("Brains for dinner. Brains for lunch. Brains for breakfast. Brains for brunch!") It was described as a novel about zombies told completely in haiku. How could I not be excited for this book?
I was sadly disappointed.
I was expecting this to be cool. I wanted it to be funny and a little gruesome and aimed at high schoolers, not middle schoolers. The story was too cute. The humor was too cute. The ending was too neat and happy.
It only took me about a half hour to read so if you're curious go for it but I wouldn't waste my time.
I was sadly disappointed.
I was expecting this to be cool. I wanted it to be funny and a little gruesome and aimed at high schoolers, not middle schoolers. The story was too cute. The humor was too cute. The ending was too neat and happy.
It only took me about a half hour to read so if you're curious go for it but I wouldn't waste my time.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Debt-Free by 30 by Jason Anthony
I think that one of the reasons I like personal finance books is because they make me feel smart. First, I feel smart because I am actually reading them. Second, the case stories are always so extreme that any financial trouble I've gotten myself into seems itty bitty, teeny weeny. This was kind of one of those books. There were even tests that I aced most of the time. I have a great relationship with money, apparently.
I'm still not sure how I feel about this book. I finished it about a week ago. There were things that I really liked about it. It was easy to read and understand, key in dealing with a bunch of 20-somethings. Some of the advice was pretty sound, too. I really liked the chapter on insurance. It broke down what you REALLY need. For instance, they suggest only buying comprehensive if a car is under 8 years old, advice that sounds great but that I had never heard before.
Then, there was the crap. Because this book is aimed at 20-somethings, the authors pepper it with humor that sometimes falls flat and other times is just obnoxious. There are a lot of pop culture references that dated the book. Also, one of the tips for paying off debt is to credit card surf. Take out a card with a low introductory rate, use it to pay off an account, and transfer the balance to a new low intro rate card when the intro period is done. Basically, they are suggesting that a bunch of 20-somethings open a bunch of cards and either keep them open, thus allowing for temptation, or close them, thus harming their credit score.
Like I said, I'm just not sure about this one. It was a nice refresher and I felt a little better motivated after reading it but I'd rather stick with Dave Ramsey.
I'm still not sure how I feel about this book. I finished it about a week ago. There were things that I really liked about it. It was easy to read and understand, key in dealing with a bunch of 20-somethings. Some of the advice was pretty sound, too. I really liked the chapter on insurance. It broke down what you REALLY need. For instance, they suggest only buying comprehensive if a car is under 8 years old, advice that sounds great but that I had never heard before.
Then, there was the crap. Because this book is aimed at 20-somethings, the authors pepper it with humor that sometimes falls flat and other times is just obnoxious. There are a lot of pop culture references that dated the book. Also, one of the tips for paying off debt is to credit card surf. Take out a card with a low introductory rate, use it to pay off an account, and transfer the balance to a new low intro rate card when the intro period is done. Basically, they are suggesting that a bunch of 20-somethings open a bunch of cards and either keep them open, thus allowing for temptation, or close them, thus harming their credit score.
Like I said, I'm just not sure about this one. It was a nice refresher and I felt a little better motivated after reading it but I'd rather stick with Dave Ramsey.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
May 2011: The Stand
Books Read:
Coffey's Hands by Stephen King
Tender as Hellfire by Joe Meno
The Bad Death of Eduard deLacroix by Stephen King
The Stand by Stephen King
I only want to talk about The Stand this month as it took up the last two and a half weeks at least and I have a lot to say about it.
My copy is a used paperback with a great little reaction jotted on the inside cover. I love it. However, I did not realize that there was an extended edition until I had already started and it wasn't available at my library so I would have had to wait for a copy to come in and I was mostly ready to get going and take on the beast, if you will. At the start, 817 pages seemed like a daunting task and I didn't want to tackle the 1153 page uncut edition. I wonder if I will beat myself up over this choice forever and eventually give in and read the uncut edition.
I loved this book. King writes in such a way that 10 pages can feel like 40 but sometimes 40 can feel like 10. The first week was kind of rough. The book looked so big that I handled it much how I handle other tasks that seem daunting... Every time I caught sight of the book and thought that I should read a couple of pages I loaded up Facebook. It made the first week pretty slow but after that it seemed to stick.
The best part of this book is definitely the characters. King produces such a wide array of characters and they are all very well developed for their purpose. A lot of the bad guys seem more two dimensional than 3-D but it works for them. My boyfriend kept trying to convince me to watch the movie and at one point let it slip that Molly Ringwald plays Frannie. I never would have guessed that and it messed with my idea of Frannie for the rest of the book. However, I looked up the pictures of Harold Lauder and they were pretty right on.
Harold is a character that I want to talk a bit about. He reminded me of my ex who spent a lot of time feeling angry about things that had happened to him in high school. If he got off on a rant, he would grit his teeth and growl, "They'll pay! They'll all pay!" This was something that contributed to our eventual split. I was teased in school and instead of being angry and a little demented about the whole thing, I'm actually pretty thankful. I am who I am because of where I have been. I would totally end up on Mother Abigail's side.
I really think that King can be an actual literary author. This didn't feel like a novel of terror to me. Sure, there were some grisly parts (read: awesome but no decapitation) but this was about good vs. evil. Randall Flagg makes his appearance. Did you know he is in like 8 King books, and that doesn't include movies like Perfect Storm. Randall Flagg is ultimate evil. He is Legion, which is worth looking into when reading these deep Stephen King books.
My ruling on this one is that it was a great, if long, read. I loved the characters. (How is it that I wrote a whole blog without mentioning Nick or Stu or Ralph or Larry? I LOVED Larry!) There's even a cheat sheet to help you keep the characters straight online. I loved how the characters drove the plot. I loved imagining whether or not I could live in this world.
What a great way to spend 817 pages!
Coffey's Hands by Stephen King
Tender as Hellfire by Joe Meno
The Bad Death of Eduard deLacroix by Stephen King
The Stand by Stephen King
I only want to talk about The Stand this month as it took up the last two and a half weeks at least and I have a lot to say about it.
My copy is a used paperback with a great little reaction jotted on the inside cover. I love it. However, I did not realize that there was an extended edition until I had already started and it wasn't available at my library so I would have had to wait for a copy to come in and I was mostly ready to get going and take on the beast, if you will. At the start, 817 pages seemed like a daunting task and I didn't want to tackle the 1153 page uncut edition. I wonder if I will beat myself up over this choice forever and eventually give in and read the uncut edition.
I loved this book. King writes in such a way that 10 pages can feel like 40 but sometimes 40 can feel like 10. The first week was kind of rough. The book looked so big that I handled it much how I handle other tasks that seem daunting... Every time I caught sight of the book and thought that I should read a couple of pages I loaded up Facebook. It made the first week pretty slow but after that it seemed to stick.
The best part of this book is definitely the characters. King produces such a wide array of characters and they are all very well developed for their purpose. A lot of the bad guys seem more two dimensional than 3-D but it works for them. My boyfriend kept trying to convince me to watch the movie and at one point let it slip that Molly Ringwald plays Frannie. I never would have guessed that and it messed with my idea of Frannie for the rest of the book. However, I looked up the pictures of Harold Lauder and they were pretty right on.
Harold is a character that I want to talk a bit about. He reminded me of my ex who spent a lot of time feeling angry about things that had happened to him in high school. If he got off on a rant, he would grit his teeth and growl, "They'll pay! They'll all pay!" This was something that contributed to our eventual split. I was teased in school and instead of being angry and a little demented about the whole thing, I'm actually pretty thankful. I am who I am because of where I have been. I would totally end up on Mother Abigail's side.
I really think that King can be an actual literary author. This didn't feel like a novel of terror to me. Sure, there were some grisly parts (read: awesome but no decapitation) but this was about good vs. evil. Randall Flagg makes his appearance. Did you know he is in like 8 King books, and that doesn't include movies like Perfect Storm. Randall Flagg is ultimate evil. He is Legion, which is worth looking into when reading these deep Stephen King books.
My ruling on this one is that it was a great, if long, read. I loved the characters. (How is it that I wrote a whole blog without mentioning Nick or Stu or Ralph or Larry? I LOVED Larry!) There's even a cheat sheet to help you keep the characters straight online. I loved how the characters drove the plot. I loved imagining whether or not I could live in this world.
What a great way to spend 817 pages!
Monday, May 9, 2011
April 2011
BOOKS READ:
-American Vampire, vol. 1 by Stephen King
-Petite Suzanne by Marguerite de Angeli
-Labyrinth of Desire by Rosemary Sullivan
-Other People's Love Letters by Bill Shapiro
-Smashed by Koren Zalickas
-Peace and Plenty by Sarah Ban Breathnach
-Two Dead Girls by Stephen King
-My Fair Lazy by Jen Lancaster
-The Mouse on the Mile by Stephen King
-Orchids on Your Budget by Marjorie Hillis
10 books! 10 books in one month! Anyone would consider that impressive.
Okay, you busted me. I've been reading Stephen King's The Green Mile in its original form, the series. I started this purely because I wanted to up my book count and that is probably cheating but I've decided that every Stephen King novel needs to be made into a mini-series. I love Stephen King but so many of his books are large enough to be downright daunting. Proof? The Stand has been in my stack of books to read for nearly a year. I just keep moving it instead of reading it. If it were in handy installments it would be done by now. American Vampire is an graphic novel co-written by King that takes place in the old west and in Hollywood. I liked it but it was pretty standard.
It was a really weird reading month. I can't quite figure out how to tackle this list!
I read two books about love this month, Other People's Love Letters and Labyrinth of Desire. Other People's Love Letters was a collection of love letters (Imagine!) similar to Post Secret. They were sometimes silly, sometimes dirty, sometimes heart wrenching. The whole experience made me wonder if I would someday regret not writing a love letter. Labyrinth of Desire was a study in obsessive love. Sullivan starts her study with a story and then breaks it down into pieces which she analyzes. It was a surprisingly good read and I am not doing it justice.
I read two memoirs this month as well. My Fair Lazy is by our good friend Jen Lancaster. I've read the rest of her memoirs and they were all great. Bright Lights, Big Ass may be my favorite. This could come in second. Jen embarrasses herself at a party and realizes that doing something like that could jeopordize her career as an author. She decides to set about culturing herself up. She takes cooking lessons and goes to the theater and opera and museums and it is ALWAYS a good time. My favorite part was when she went to China Town and was horrified of bringing home a gremlin. Smashed, the second memoir was a good read but ticked me off in a number of ways. Like, the author is constantly talking about how typical her experience with alcohol is but I, for one, have never had my stomach pumped and certainly not at age 16. Mostly, it gave me some great drinking game ideas.
There were two personal finance books this month too, but I'll spare you the details. To sum them up, Peace and Plenty brought me no peace at all while I found 1937's Orchids on Your Budget both entertaining and useful. How could you now with such chapters as "Well, Who isn't Poor?" and "Can You Afford a Husband?"
May is already nearly two weeks gone. (Better late than never!) I can promise that it won't be as productive as April. I am nearly three books into the month and the next book is a doozy! Wish me luck and HAPPY READING!
-American Vampire, vol. 1 by Stephen King
-Petite Suzanne by Marguerite de Angeli
-Labyrinth of Desire by Rosemary Sullivan
-Other People's Love Letters by Bill Shapiro
-Smashed by Koren Zalickas
-Peace and Plenty by Sarah Ban Breathnach
-Two Dead Girls by Stephen King
-My Fair Lazy by Jen Lancaster
-The Mouse on the Mile by Stephen King
-Orchids on Your Budget by Marjorie Hillis
10 books! 10 books in one month! Anyone would consider that impressive.
Okay, you busted me. I've been reading Stephen King's The Green Mile in its original form, the series. I started this purely because I wanted to up my book count and that is probably cheating but I've decided that every Stephen King novel needs to be made into a mini-series. I love Stephen King but so many of his books are large enough to be downright daunting. Proof? The Stand has been in my stack of books to read for nearly a year. I just keep moving it instead of reading it. If it were in handy installments it would be done by now. American Vampire is an graphic novel co-written by King that takes place in the old west and in Hollywood. I liked it but it was pretty standard.
It was a really weird reading month. I can't quite figure out how to tackle this list!
I read two books about love this month, Other People's Love Letters and Labyrinth of Desire. Other People's Love Letters was a collection of love letters (Imagine!) similar to Post Secret. They were sometimes silly, sometimes dirty, sometimes heart wrenching. The whole experience made me wonder if I would someday regret not writing a love letter. Labyrinth of Desire was a study in obsessive love. Sullivan starts her study with a story and then breaks it down into pieces which she analyzes. It was a surprisingly good read and I am not doing it justice.
I read two memoirs this month as well. My Fair Lazy is by our good friend Jen Lancaster. I've read the rest of her memoirs and they were all great. Bright Lights, Big Ass may be my favorite. This could come in second. Jen embarrasses herself at a party and realizes that doing something like that could jeopordize her career as an author. She decides to set about culturing herself up. She takes cooking lessons and goes to the theater and opera and museums and it is ALWAYS a good time. My favorite part was when she went to China Town and was horrified of bringing home a gremlin. Smashed, the second memoir was a good read but ticked me off in a number of ways. Like, the author is constantly talking about how typical her experience with alcohol is but I, for one, have never had my stomach pumped and certainly not at age 16. Mostly, it gave me some great drinking game ideas.
There were two personal finance books this month too, but I'll spare you the details. To sum them up, Peace and Plenty brought me no peace at all while I found 1937's Orchids on Your Budget both entertaining and useful. How could you now with such chapters as "Well, Who isn't Poor?" and "Can You Afford a Husband?"
May is already nearly two weeks gone. (Better late than never!) I can promise that it won't be as productive as April. I am nearly three books into the month and the next book is a doozy! Wish me luck and HAPPY READING!
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