I had watched a Dateline or 20/20 (or maybe both) on Alex Murdaugh and what happened with his family. It was a quick summary of all the insanity that I had watched a Dateline or 20/20 (or maybe both) on Alex Murdaugh and what happened with his family. It was a quick summary of all the insanity that surrounded the case of his wife and son getting murdered. It would talk about him getting shot in the head on the side of the road, but was that real or fake? It would go into a boat crash his teenage son had caused that led to the death of a teenage girl. There were millions of dollars that were stolen from families that thought their lawyer had their best interests' at heart, but instead he was stealing their money while they lost their houses, cars, and even their own hospital care. On top of all of that, there was an opioid addiction. There was a lot! I remember being a bit confused at one of the episodes about everything that was circling this man.
This book puts everything in perspective. It really lays out everything that happened in this man's life, his immediate family's life, the people they interacted with, his family legacy, and how his family name held so much sway and power over the entire county. It goes in depth with his family history and how they amassed so much power in the community as lawyers and how everything would always go their way so after a while, they thought they were above the law. Isn't that how it always goes?
I listened to the audio book, which might make it seem difficult to keep it all straight, especially when there are so many Murdaugh men named Randolph Murdaugh and a few of the Randolphs went by Buster, but not just one! The author did a great job of giving background, but also not being so confusing about who she was talking about and what they did. Fantastic job....more
The main mystery of this book was pretty dark. It involved a zealot religious organization and a dead teenage girl. I actually liked that the series wThe main mystery of this book was pretty dark. It involved a zealot religious organization and a dead teenage girl. I actually liked that the series was pretty dark and how she had some serious conversations with various town people. The climatic ending was quite exciting and there were some surprises that I didn't see coming.
My main issues was being angry at the main character. It was set up that she was going to leave and go back to a big city, which I knew wouldn't happen since this is a series and I didn't see her moving to the big city being part of her adventures. This whole series is set up for her to live in this small town. I felt like I had to waste my time reading about her getting ready to leave, finding a replacement at the library, and someone else to live in her friend's house she had been watching, while I waited for her to make the obvious realization that she didn't want to leave. Also by the end of this book (and spoiler for the beginning of the next book), there is no mention about what happened to the people she had arranged to stay at her friend's house. Did she just kick some people out to the curb? Let's just ignore that little detail.
She had based her decision on her not-even-a-romance with Johnny. The will they/won't they is very annoying to read about, the same way it is on tv shows. When there is some sexual tension starting to brew between two people is one thing, but when they know they like each other, have no other attachments, and are not getting together for no particular reason even though they want to, it makes me angry. Make a decision! Not fun to read that stuff, so I hope that storyline moves forward in future installments.
I also meant to finish up this book in August and finally be on track for reading these in the correct month, but then look at me pausing on this book for a month and finishing it in October. Dear lord, I need to get my shit together!...more
The third book in this series was pretty similar to the last one in terms of a cozy mystery. Sure, someone might have gotten hurt or maybe died, but aThe third book in this series was pretty similar to the last one in terms of a cozy mystery. Sure, someone might have gotten hurt or maybe died, but also where is the big, missing town statue? That's what everyone is wondering about. Mira will find out since she is the new Jessica Fletcher in this town.
Even though the mysteries themselves are silly and the people that are dead are either minor characters or people visiting in town, it is breezy enough to quickly read. I do really like all the small town people, even the annoying ones. I've come to like some of them with their weird quirks.
There is also a romance subplot, but it is so minor that sometimes I forget it is even part of the book. It almost feels like the author was told to add some romance to it so it is crammed in there a bit, but not too much. It ends on a bit of a romance cliffhanger so off to the next one to find out what happens. ...more
I would rate this one a 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 stars. I gave the first book in this series three stars as well, but that one I did like more. This I would rate this one a 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 stars. I gave the first book in this series three stars as well, but that one I did like more. This one felt even more slight, but I did enjoy getting to know a bit more about Mira and the people of the town. It makes me feel like I'm watching a cozy television series where wacky things keep happening to Mira!
I was hoping this book would build a bit more on the whole mystery angle, but this also seems to be a story that is doing a lot of groundwork to set up where Mira lives now and who she is surrounded by. I just wanted a bit more from it. It is short though and I'm already reading the next one.
It was also a stretch to call it June Bug since june bugs don't really play into the story at all (one mention of one but it isn't related to the plot), but that's a minor quibble....more
I’d watched the original Indiana Jones movie. I knew the basics of archaeology. This should be a piece of cake.
I was intrigued by the Murder-by-MoI’d watched the original Indiana Jones movie. I knew the basics of archaeology. This should be a piece of cake.
I was intrigued by the Murder-by-Month mystery concept so I thought I would give this book a shot. I'm not usually into cozy mysteries or romances, and more into darker thrillers, but I was in the mood for something a bit light. I'm glad I took a shot with this.
Mira tried to move away from her small town to the big city, mostly to escape all the talk about her dead father that kept following her around. She wasn't really getting what she needed out of city life, so she decided to take her friend who lived in Battle Lake, Minnesota (a different small town than the one she grew up in) up on her offer to house sit while she went off to Alaska for the summer with the latest love of her life. Mira finds a great guy who is visiting Battle Lake almost immediately but then he turns of dead. oops!
This book was funnier than I was expecting. The Indiana Jones quote up above was an example of things that made me smile while reading it. Mira knows she is in over her head while she is snooping around, but if she wasn't doing it, we wouldn't have a book. I did like that she didn't want to drink as much as she used to due to her father but did slip back into it and then out of it. I did like that when she thought she was being clever, it was sometimes thrown back into her face. Things did not always go perfectly for Mira.
On the other hand, there were a lot of very convenient things happening to Mira to help her get an idea of what was going on in the town. Someone would give her some cryptic clue, but would also give her a lead on who to talk to next. This happened so many times that I decided to just go with it. I kept thinking of Murder, She Wrote and how there were a lot of convenient things that happened to Jessica Fletcher too when she solved her cozy murder mysteries. I was also put off a bit by shameful thoughts of a young woman worrying about if anyone would think she was a slut because she slept with a guy she had started to date. I had to check the year the book was written. Such antiquated thinking, but that was a minor quibble since it was mostly passing thoughts here and there.
I didn't realize this was the first book the author wrote and I think that helps explain some of the issues I had with it. I think there were enough good things in this that I would like to read more of the series to see what else happens with Mira and if the storylines improve. ...more
I thought I knew about Bundy. I had heard the stories where he would fake having a broken arm or something and would ask some woman for help and that I thought I knew about Bundy. I had heard the stories where he would fake having a broken arm or something and would ask some woman for help and that's how he would take them. I didn't realize the extent of what he did and how that was only a small way of him luring his victims. It was chilling to read how many women he killed and abandoned their bodies in various parts of five different states.
He was doing this at a time where DNA wasn't a thing. Police departments weren't talking to each other across jurisdictions. There was no central database in the country yet. He got away with so much due to those reasons and because he looked normal. He was a pleasant, charming man so no one expected it from him. He wasn't the weirdo that makes you wary to be near him. People thought you could tell if someone was a monster, but he very much proved that you cannot tell. It could be anyone.
He even had women love him, even though he didn't really love them back. He might have loved his first girlfriend, Stephanie, that Rule seems to point out was the catalyst for this killing spree, except that it probably started even before he knew Stephanie. I don't know if he ever loved her or if he was obsessed with her accepting him since he was so damn insecure about being an illegitimate child.
He was lazy. He loved to talk a big game and was smart, but not a genius. He talked his way into so many law schools and college programs to either fail or almost fail out of them because he didn't put in the work. When he was on the run, he couldn't even be bothered to get a job. He wanted to skate by on his looks while also asking women for money constantly. It was always women. He had no male friends. He only had relationships with women since he wanted to control them and discard them when he was done.
But, I'm not reviewing Ted Bundy here. I'm reviewing the book about him. Ann Rule does a great job laying out the facts and also sharing how she had to grapple with the realization that her friend was the same serial killer that had been haunting so many states for so long. It was an interesting twist on a true crime book. I was worried about the length but it flew by. She has a way of making it all very readable and not dry, like some non-fiction can be.
I knew he was a bad guy before I read this book, but the details of what he did and the analysis of his friendship with Rule and how he was friends with her only when it was advantageous to him made me sick. I am not a fan of the death penalty, but I'm glad he got it. Good riddance....more
Stephen King wrote a fantasy book. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
At first, I wasn't sure what to think when I started listening to the Audible of it. BronStephen King wrote a fantasy book. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
At first, I wasn't sure what to think when I started listening to the Audible of it. Bronson Pinchot narrates it and he does a fantastic job, but the setup for the story was very by the book. You have a castle with a king and some sons. You have a saintly mother who dies young. One son, Peter, is very obviously going to be a good king after his father, while the younger one, Thomas, just floats on by not really giving anything much effort.
Then, there is Randall Flagg. He's an interesting character and gives the story a bit of flair. He puts all the events into motion with his greed and general evilness. That's when the story picks up, but not for long. Peter is accused of murder and locked away. While he deals with that, the story slows way down, which is so odd for a book that isn't very long by King standards. After that last lull though, it picks up the pace for the rest of the story.
I did enjoy the characters and the overall story. It was a bit of a departure for King, but there are so many King elements in this book that appear in his other stories, that it still felt like him. It falls under fantasy for the setting with kings, castles, and dragons, but this felt similar to The Talisman and other books like that. I wouldn't mind seeing him tackle this genre again....more
Listened to the audiobook of this one, which was a lot of fun, but really made it feel like an extension of the podcast. They told a little bit more oListened to the audiobook of this one, which was a lot of fun, but really made it feel like an extension of the podcast. They told a little bit more of their stories than they usually share, but sometimes they have gotten close to that in their various episodes so it wasn't too far off. While I enjoyed the stories, it did go by pretty quickly and then the book was over. It felt a little slight. I did laugh when Paul Giamatti showed up as one the voice actors....more
This Stephen King classic started out great. I loved getting to know the kids of the Losers Club, even when I cringed at the voices that Richie did thThis Stephen King classic started out great. I loved getting to know the kids of the Losers Club, even when I cringed at the voices that Richie did that were such horribly racist stereotypes. Previous King stories, his racist tendencies were there but they were getting less frequent as he got older, and as I'm reading through his works in order of publication, but tons come through in these voices. It was distracting and turned me off a lot.
I tried to ignore it and get into the story of the kids. I loved Ben and I liked Beverly. Even though Bill appears to be the main kid, I didn't connect with him much. I couldn't tell you much about Eddie besides he had asthma. That seemed to be his personality. Mike was interesting, but he was missing for so much of the book. I'm not sure why Stan was even there. When he was around, he could have doubled as a lamp post or something.
Anyway, this story is supposed to be about these kids and I did get into learning about them, what scares them, how It was terrorizing them and the town of Derry. While reading it, I didn't mind when it went back and forth between when they were kids and when they returned as adults. It worked. Then in the climatic ending, going back and forth in time killed any momentum happening in the other time. I would get into what was happening and then it would jump back or forward and I would have to start all over again. Once again, it was distracting.
And then finally, there is that ONE SCENE. I had been warned about it. I dreaded it. When I got to it, it was so unnecessary. Why was it there? Pointless. That really kills me loving this book like many other people do.
I loved the concept of the book and 85% of the execution was great, but this is not close to one of my favorite King stories. ...more
This was a reread for me. I first read it as a teenager (many, many years ago). I thought I would remember more of it, but it was like reading it for This was a reread for me. I first read it as a teenager (many, many years ago). I thought I would remember more of it, but it was like reading it for the first time. I really only remembered The Mist and Mrs. Todd's Shortcut, which makes sense since those might be my two favorite stories in this collection.
The entire collection was strong in the first half compared to the second half. Other stories that I really liked were The Jaunt, The Raft, Word Processor of the Gods, and Survivor Type. There were quite a few duds here that made the collection drag on. It could be why Night Shift is my favorite out of the two short story collections I have read.
Below is my breakdown of each story:
The Mist This is the first thing I ever remember reading by Stephen King. I read Night Shift shortly after this collection of short stories. I think it really prepared me for how King could quickly create characters, but also loved open endings. He did a great job creating a spooky atmosphere with the fog and how everyone dealt with the problems it created. He did have some great characters with David, Ollie, Mrs. Carmody, and even Mrs. Reppler. There were some other characters that really seemed unnecessary, like Amanda. I rolled my eyes while listening to any scene that involved David and her. Beyond that though, I thought it was a really solid story and it is the main story that I have remembered from this collection over the years.
Here There Be Tygers Well, this one was over before it started. So many questions, but no answers. I didn't hate it, but it made me think, "Wait, what? Is it over? Okay then." If there was a bit more to it, I could have liked it. It is right there in the middle.
The Monkey I remembered nothing about this story, which surprised me since the monkey is on the cover. Then while listening to it, I can see why I didn't remember it. It's another possessed inanimate object, but I didn't find anything scary about it. I was more amused listening to Matthew Broderick reading it and the way he said "horror" and "terror" as "horrah" and "terrah." I also thought I had finally made it past the point in King's story where he feels the need to throw in the N word for no reason, but since this story was written earlier in his career and collected in this book, he still thought it was necessary. It is not.
Cain Rose Up Disappointing. It's similar to Rage, but there's no reasoning behind what is happening or any reason to care about anyone. I also wondered how this still exists and Rage was taken out of print. Rage is so much better than this story.
Mrs. Todd's Shortcut This is the other story from this collection that stuck with me through the years. I loved that she was always trying to find the quickest way and how she said she could fold the map to find a faster route. I think that is my love of road trips and maps that made that connection with me. I had forgotten most of the story beyond those little bits, so I was glad that I really enjoyed it all this time around too.
The Jaunt I thought I would have remembered this story since I love the idea of teleportation, but it was all new to me. It quickly painted a picture of how it was discovered and how it all works before the terrifying ending.
The Wedding Gig I don't feel like I really got this one. It also seemed like the most interesting part of the story would have been the part that was summed up quickly at the end. I wish it would have been more about that.
Paranoid: A Chant It's short and sweet and lives up to its name.
The Raft Overall, I loved the intensity and suspense of this story. I would have loved it more if the two young women in it weren't portrayed as useless, whiny, and vindictive.
Word Processor of the Gods Fun, twisted story. I wasn't a big fan of the protagonist and thought he might get his due by the end, but he didn't. I still liked it. It told a lot of story in a few pages.
The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands The old guys at the club that also showed up in The Breathing Method are telling more stories. I could guess what the twist was almost immediately so it took a bit of wonder out of the story for me. I wanted it to be over a lot sooner than it was.
Beachworld Very creepy and I think this would make a good sci-fi movie, or maybe a corny one, but it would be an entertaining movie.
The Reaper's Image This was the start of something that could have been a lot scarier, but it was too short. If it would have had time to build up some suspense and misdirection, I think it would have been more effective.
Nona It was a solid story. I really liked the twist at the end, but didn't like the whole rat angle. He does seem a bit obsessed with rats and I don't understand it. I did like this had references to "The Body" with Ace Merrill and Vern Tessio.
For Owen Why? It's a short poem for his son, but I don't feel like it belongs here.
Survivor Type Classic horror scenario. Hints at the grossness of sacrifice. This would be even scarier if it was part of a horror anthology on television.
Uncle Otto's Truck Isn't King tired of writing about possessed inanimate objects? Guess not. I am though.
Morning Deliveries (Milkman #1) What an odd little story. It was boring at the beginning, but I was waiting for it to turn. Then, the twist happened and it was over. I was thinking WTF but saw the next story was connected some how.
Big Wheels: A Tale of the Laundry Game (Milkman #2) I liked this story, but mostly because of the narrator on the audio that I was listening to. He did a great job acting like a drunk. I found it much more entertaining that I might have otherwise. I liked these two weird little stories.
Gramma A super creepy story about how grandparents can be terrifying to little children. This one is even creepier.
The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet A writer thinks all his good ideas come from a goblin that lives in his typewriter. I thought this story had potential, but the premise dragged on for far too long before it got to the good stuff at the end. You could see the end coming a mile away since it took so long to get there.
The Reach I wanted to like this story, but I didn't really get any connection to the character to care about what was going to happen. I knew what was going to happen immediately too. It was pleasant enough....more
I would give this 3.5 stars. I thought the book started off pretty simple, became a bit more complicated, then became hateful when I thought I knew whI would give this 3.5 stars. I thought the book started off pretty simple, became a bit more complicated, then became hateful when I thought I knew where it was going, before it had a twisted ending that I loved.
Billy Halleck is an overweight lawyer who runs over a gypsy woman due to distracted driving that his wife has a part in. The woman's father puts a curse on him that makes him lose weight, no matter how much he eats. For the first third of the book, I was wondering where it was going since it focused so much on his weight loss and not much else. Well, besides a doctor that seems to not know the concept of doctor-patient confidentiality.
At this point, I thought I would give it 3 stars.
Then, it became a bit more complicated. Other people became involved. I was more interested. I would have liked to have that part of the plot expanded on more, but only a brief time was spent with these other affected people before it shifted again.
I was giving the story a solid 4 stars at this point.
By the time that Billy goes in search of the gypsy man, I really did not like his character. There isn't much depth to his character. At one point, I was wondering if Billy should be a guy I would be rooting for, but he hadn't done anything to really show he was a good guy. He seemed to get along okay with his wife, even though he didn't like her smoking. His daughter liked him, but neither one of those characters were really three dimensional either. Billy hadn't cheated on his wife, but he had thought about it. There really wasn't much too him. Was he good in the absence of being bad? I really didn't think so, but I wish there had been more character development overall.
As Billy suffers more and more from the curse, he decides that he needs to blame everyone else but himself. I had a hard time agreeing with his motivation because there hadn't been any indication previously that he didn't like to accept responsibilities or consequences for his actions. Maybe if that had been there, I could have bought it more. I only saw him blaming others, and mostly, blaming his wife. Besides her being worried, and not believing he is cursed (could you blame someone for not believing you are cursed?), I didn't see what his problem was with her. He went from loving her at the beginning of the book to wanting her to suffer along with him. This made me hate Billy.
Also, there was so much prejudice against the Romani people the entire story, that I really felt more sympathy for them than Billy. They are wandering around, trying to make a living, while Billy was busy running over people. No wonder I didn't like him.
The last third of the book was a bit odd since it is mostly told as a story to someone else of what had happened. I think I would have liked it better if the story switched the point of view of the character telling the story so I could learn about it as it was happening. I think what happened would have been more exciting, but it was a bit removed.
Finally, when the book was almost over, I had a good idea of how I thought it was going to end. I did not like or agree with what was going to happen. I was ready to give this book 2 stars because I was hating Billy and hating what he planned to do and all the pettiness involved. Then, the ending came and it was beautifully twisted. It made me quite happy and raised that final grade up to 3.5 stars.
On a side note, I listen to all these King books in audio form. The narration of this book was fine. It was done by Joe Mantegna and I thought he did a decent job. For some reason, whoever made this recording did not have him read the chapter numbers or titles, but instead there was screeching music that played at the end of the chapters and the beginning of chapters. Sometimes it was played over the narration so it was hard to hear. I have no idea why this was done, but it was very distracting and horrible. I would not recommend the audio version of this book for that reason. ...more
I really enjoyed this book overall. I have noticed that King really loves road trips, from The Stand to the Dark Tower series. He also loves preteen bI really enjoyed this book overall. I have noticed that King really loves road trips, from The Stand to the Dark Tower series. He also loves preteen boys going on long journeys together from "The Body" in Different Seasons to The Long Walk. I know he wrote The Talisman with Straub, but I am not familiar with his writing. I noticed King's writing all over this so I am not sure how it worked out with them writing together.
I have seen comparisons with Jack Sawyer to Jake in the Dark Tower series. Since I am going through King's work in order, I don't have much of a comparison there. I have only read The Gunslinger so far. I have also read about how this is very reminiscent of The Dark Tower series so maybe this helped shape his view on how to write the rest of that series.
Jack Sawyer is a 12-year-old boy who sets off on a cross-country adventure to save his dying mother. He has to figure out how to make it across the country on his own. During this trip, he flips over to a parallel universe that is similar but still different. I found this amazing for a young kid to do, but then King has written about this age group before. I felt he did a great job of showing that he was able to do some problem solving, but also had the innocence and impatience of a young kid. Even after saying that, I felt the same impatience with Wolf when he was first introduced, but grew to love his character around the time that Jack did.
I did really love the Territories. I found that world building quite interesting and wished a bit more time had been spent there. I did find some time spent in certain areas like Oatley and Sunshine Gardnener's could have been shortened and nothing would have been lost, but overall, I really liked the journey....more
"Maybe she’ll learn something about what death really is, which is where the pain stops and the good memories begin. Not the end of life but the end o
"Maybe she’ll learn something about what death really is, which is where the pain stops and the good memories begin. Not the end of life but the end of pain."
I saw the movie adaptation of Pet Sematary when it first came out. I was in high school. I found it super creepy and it has been years since I have seen it. The only memories I have of it are Gage walking with the scalpel with such an evil look on his face and of Zelda. Dear God, Zelda. That was the most terrifying part of the movie for me. When I rewatch it, I am wondering if I will still find Zelda horrifying.
While reading this book, I still found the descriptions of poor Rachel as a child dealing with Zelda the scariest part, especially her nightmares surrounding her sister. I feel like other parts of the book would have been scarier to me if I hadn't seen the movie before. I knew what was coming so that scare factor might have been diminished with the surprise was gone.
I did enjoy getting to know the family as they moved into their new house and how they got close to the Crandall's across the street. I loved Jud. He was a great character. I liked the time that Louis and Jud hung out chatting on Jud's porch. Even though it could have seemed boring to spend so much time setting up the family getting settled, Louis adjusting to his new job and Ellie adjusting to her new school, it felt like a really interesting piece of literature about a family. Then, the supernatural part about Victor Pascow took place, and that took me out of that regular old story feeling. I really enjoyed that part since it was creepy. Then after that subsided, I settled back into the family story again before tragedy struck.
King covers grief very well. He shows so many different ways that people deal with grief and how others expect someone to act while they are grieving, wanting people to be strong for other people while not acknowledging that they are also feeling the same kind of pain. A good portion of the book stays in this dark place, but I found it very realistic.
From this darkness, the final part of the book takes a turn. You know it has to go there, but half wish it won't. Let everyone move on. Don't make those choices. They won't end well. It all comes crashing down. Everything is a mess.
I found this final part outstanding. There is no Hollywood ending on this one. Sometimes, I feel like King doesn't stick the landing on his book endings, but this was one of the best ones. After getting through the epilogue, I clapped my hands and said "That's how you end this story. Perfect!"...more
I did not have high expectations going into this book. I haven't ever been a big fan of King's story where some evil inhabits inanimate objects. I nevI did not have high expectations going into this book. I haven't ever been a big fan of King's story where some evil inhabits inanimate objects. I never find it scary, even though sometimes the stories can be amusing. This was much better than I expected, but mostly because of the story itself. I still was not scared about anything evil taking over a car. There were parts that were supposed to be truly scary, but they didn't frighten me at all. I was scared by reading The Shining and even parts of 'Salem's Lot. This was good storytelling, but not really horror, which is funny since going into this book, I thought it would be a straight up horror novel.
I flew through the first part of this book, and even though I knew where it was going, it was still entertaining to listen to (I listened to the audiobook which had a fantastic narrator). The middle part switched narrators and actually slowed down a little for me. It was sad to know what Arnie was going through instead of only seeing it from his best friend Dennis' point of view, but I liked it when Dennis was the narrator more.
My big complaint would be the character of Leigh. At the end, I wanted her to play more of a part, but she was pushed to the sidelines as the girlfriend that needs saving and at one point was described as being hysterical. I believe King changes his treatment of women in later works, so it could have been that this was written in the late 1970s, but I was dismayed that the girl did not know how to drive a stick shift. Most of the cars then were stick shifts. I found it ridiculous.
Endings are not King's strong suit, but I really felt he nailed it with this one. It didn't peter out, but lead up to an exciting conclusion. The epilogue also wrapped it all up nicely, or did it? It did have a bit of a horror movie ending, which fit....more
I first read this book as a teenager and loved it, even though I had started reading King because I was enraptured by horror at the time. Even though,I first read this book as a teenager and loved it, even though I had started reading King because I was enraptured by horror at the time. Even though, these stories are not horror-based in a supernatural way (besides a tiny bit with "The Breathing Method"), there are still some human-based horrors, which I felt King hinted at with The Shining.
I'll go through each story with what I remember thinking about it 25 years ago and what I thought about it this time.
"Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" - I remember finding this story a bit boring when I read it as a teenager. Maybe men in prison bored me and I didn't really want to pay attention to how the human condition needs to adapt to be in that environment for a long period of time. I have only ever seen the movie once and don't remember much about it, so I did go into this with only the vague notion of how it ended but remembering not much else. I enjoyed it so much more this time. I liked the friendship between the two main characters and got a kick out of the ending so much.
"Apt Pupil" - I remember hating this story, but could not remember why. While going through it again, I am wondering if I hated the part with violence towards some stray cats. This time, I was fascinated with the horror that humans can inflict on one another. Todd's character was so creepy. Would he have ended up as he did, if he hadn't have ever met Denker? I feel in some way, he was destined to go down that path, but I wonder if he ended up worse for meeting him. Also, reflecting back on this story for this review, makes me realize why I did not like The Dinner, which I have recently read because King does such a fantastic job with similar themes. Even though his story is shorter than Herman Koch's novel, I feel like so much was skimmed over in The Dinner that King accomplished with so few words.
"The Body" - This one will always be my favorite. I had seen Stand By Me before I had ever read this as a teenager. I loved that movie so much. I remember being worried that I was reading a story that I already knew what happened, but I still enjoyed going through it and getting so much more backstory to the four boys, especially Gordie and Chris. Going through it again this time was still such a thrill, even though I was quite alarmed to see so many kids beating the crap out of each other and adults looking at it all as "boys will be boys." I hope we have moved past that thinking as a society.
"The Breathing Method" - I remember really liking this story a lot, and have learned over the years that this was the least favorite of many in this collection. I did not remember anything about it going into so not sure what I was so fond of before. I still enjoyed it and went through it quickly. I liked the creepiness of the "Club" where there was a hint of supernaturalness to its existence, especially Stevens. Then, there is the story itself. Maybe I was startled by the ending more when I read it as a kid so I loved it, but now I might have read too much horror since my reaction to the ending was "Of course that's what happened."
Overall, I still really enjoyed these stories. In a few of King's novels, he might meander a bit or lose a storyline midway through and never quite capture it again. With these four stories, they all had great beginnings, middles, and ends. ...more
I found this to be pretty decent, but I also didn't have a great connection to the main character.
Ben Richards has had a rough life and tried to makeI found this to be pretty decent, but I also didn't have a great connection to the main character.
Ben Richards has had a rough life and tried to make the best of it. His society doesn't sound too much different than the direction the world seems to be headed in so I would think I would have more sympathy for him, but I wasn't feeling it while reading it. I actually was more interested in some of the people he met along the way moreso than him.
I did not see a good ending for him at all with how the story was set up, but I did enjoy the way it all ended. Parts of it were unexpected while other parts made more sense for his character. ...more
Cujo is a straight up horror story, but without any supernatural elements. There are a few hinted around about the town of Castle Rock and what had haCujo is a straight up horror story, but without any supernatural elements. There are a few hinted around about the town of Castle Rock and what had happened there previously and possibly a way of explaining bad things that happen there, but it pretty much people dealing with a rabid dog.
Even though I hadn't read it before, I knew it was about that but wondered how that could be sustained over an entire book. It does take a while to set up the people in the town and the family that owns Cujo, and even the dog himself. I could see that some people might find all the set up dragging everything out until characters are trapped with a rabid dog trying to bite them, but I liked it.
I really liked Donna and Vic Trenton, even though they had their marital problems. I liked Charity Cambers and really wished for a better life for her and her boy, since I really hated her husband. I was rooting, early on, for something horrible to happen to him.
The tension in this book was through the roof. So many things had to happen in a certain way to get the characters into the circumstances they were in. Sometimes when I am listening to an audio book, my mind might start to wander and I have to go back to listen to parts of it again. I did not have that happen starting about halfway through the book. I wanted to know so badly what would happen next but also was dreading whatever might be happening next.
On a side note, I learned after I was done listening to the book that the narrator is the gypsy lady from Drag Me to Hell. I really liked her. One male character she gave a goofy voice to differentiate him from others, but he was a minor character (Roger) and she sounded just like a little boy when she was giving voice to Vic and Donna's four-year-old son, Tad. I thought she did a really good job....more
I wasn't looking forward to reading this one. It sounded boring to me. It started out that way, but then it pulled me in. It's essentially about a manI wasn't looking forward to reading this one. It sounded boring to me. It started out that way, but then it pulled me in. It's essentially about a man who gets really fed up about things that he can't control going wrong for him in his life and his inability to deal with it in a rational way.
The main character isn't really likable but I had no issue with that. I tried to understand his motivation even though other characters in the book were constantly asking him why he was making all the poor choices he was making and he never had a reason for it. It was like he never wanted to admit the real reason to himself so he gave himself one way out, which was a pretty stupid one. I even thought it at one point right before another character voiced the same thought to him. At least we were all on the same page!
I think the parts of the book I enjoyed the most was when it veered off into really weird territory with a hitchhiker and a mescaline trip at a party. They really didn't have much to do with the overall story, but they were highly entertaining to read.
On a side note, I would not recommend listening to the audio version of this since the voice actor did a horrible job with women's voices. It's the worst I have heard. Every woman sounded shrill, whiny, and naggy. Ugh!...more
I loved the idea of this book. The setup was intriguing where the government was experimenting on humans to try to create superpowers. The beginning oI loved the idea of this book. The setup was intriguing where the government was experimenting on humans to try to create superpowers. The beginning of the book was exciting since it was essentially a long chase scene. Then the second half slowed to a halt. I almost felt that what was happening in the second half of the book would have gone along more with the setup that could have led to an escape and ended with a chase that took place in the beginning.
I liked the character of Charlie. I also liked her relationship with her father, Andy. Most of the government people melded together to me, with the exception of creepy Rainbird and his obsessive "love" towards Charlie. Ick!
I felt like there could have been a bit more to the ending. I know where it wanted us to go, but it still left me wanting some questions answered, even though at that point I was getting a bit bored with the story overall. It makes me wonder if this started out as a short story (the first half) and then stretched out into a novel and it would have been better if it focused on the intense, exciting parts....more
Loading...
