Quick Reviews | Every Dead Thing and Gwendy's Button Box

Every Dead Thing is the first book in the Charlie Parker series by John Connolly.

When former New York City detective Charlie Parker is pulled into the search for a missing woman, he finds insight into the murderer responsible for the slayings of his own wife and daughter -- a monster/artist/serial killer who uses the human body as his canvas and takes faces as his prize.

Aided by a beautiful young psychologist and two career killers, Parker becomes the bait in a trap set in the Louisiana bayous and faces a brutal confrontation with the killer known only as the Traveling Man.

Charlie Parker. Every time I come across the Charlie Parker series, I see nothing but high praise for it.

My first introduction to John Connolly was last year when I read his young adult novel The Gates. I was struck by his sense of humor, and I knew I needed to read more of his books.

Every Dead Thing was a great introduction to the series. I didn't find the dark humor I expected after reading The Gates, but I did find a solid thriller. The introduction of the Charlie Parker character took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting such a rough and heavy introduction. I'm taking it as a good sign that this will not be your average series.

I'm looking forward to continuing on with the next book. There are fifteen Charlie Parker books at this point so I may have a long treat in store.

7/10: Recommended Read

Review copy provided by publisher

---

Gwendy's Button Box is a horror novella from Stephen King and Richard Chizmar.

The little town of Castle Rock, Maine has witnessed some strange events and unusual visitors over the years, but there is one story that has never been told... until now.

There are three ways up to Castle View from the town of Castle Rock: Route 117, Pleasant Road, and the Suicide Stairs. Every day in the summer of 1974 twelve-year-old Gwendy Peterson has taken the stairs, which are held by strong (if time-rusted) iron bolts and zig-zag up the cliffside.

At the top of the stairs, Gwendy catches her breath and listens to the shouts of the kids on the playground. From a bit farther away comes the chink of an aluminum bat hitting a baseball as the Senior League kids practice for the Labor Day charity game.

One day, a stranger calls to Gwendy: "Hey, girl. Come on over here for a bit. We ought to palaver, you and me."

On a bench in the shade sits a man in black jeans, a black coat like for a suit, and a white shirt unbuttoned at the top. On his head is a small neat black hat. The time will come when Gwendy has nightmares about that hat...

Journey back to Castle Rock again in this chilling new novella by Stephen King, bestselling author of The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, and Richard Chizmar, award-winning author of A Long December. This book will be a Cemetery Dance Publications exclusive with no other editions currently planned anywhere in the world!

I think I've changed as a reader. They say no two people read the same book. I truly believe that. Back before I had kids, I loved books with kids in peril. I remember the night I started reading Mary Higgins Clark's Where Are The Children? I stayed up all night reading it in one sitting. After devouring Greg Iles' 24 Hours, I passed it around to family members. I remember how mad I was at Stephen King after reading The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. I couldn't wait to read the story of a little girl lost in the woods. It was going to be scary, and King was going to show her no mercy. But it wasn't, and he did, and I became one of the folks who simply wasn't a fan of The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.

Gwendy's Button Box reminds me a lot of The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. Old me probably would have hated Gwendy's Button Box, but current me really enjoyed it. I'm not somehow a better reader, but I'm probably a changed reader. I won't even go near a book with kids in peril now that I have kids of my own.

I'm really curious what other readers thought the buttons would do? I did not expect the buttons to do what the buttons turned out to do. This has me thinking - do the buttons do the same thing for each person who becomes the proprietor of the box? The man with the hat said something along the lines of "you already know what they do". If Gwendy believed the buttons made it rain, would it have rained when she pushed the button?

I've read way too many magic treehouse books so you can probably guess what my buttons would do. My buttons would be far less sinister than Gwendy's buttons, but my responsibility as a button proprietor would also pale in comparison to what Gwendy had to face.

So Gwendy's Button Box has left me pondering quite a bit which is a great thing. Stephen King is an amazing writer. This book is worth reading just for the touch King puts on everything he writes. This is possibly my first Richard Chizmar story.

I don't know what else to compare a King story to other than another King story. (Who else compares?) There was an 11/22/63 feel to Gwendy's Button Box, but it's obviously a much, much smaller tale in scope. I feel like Captain Obvious when I recommend a Stephen King book, but fans shouldn't miss out on this one.

8/10: Great Read

Book Review | The Long Walk by Richard Bachman (Stephen King)

The Long Walk is a dystopian novel by Stephen King published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.

On the first day of May, 100 teenage boys meet for a race known as "The Long Walk." If you break the rules, you get three warnings. If you exceed your limit, what happens is absolutely terrifying.

I've been asked on many occasions if I've read this book, and I never stopped to wonder why. Of course I see now why this book has been recommended to me throughout the years. It's like asking someone who's afraid of clowns if they've read IT. The Long Walk is a perfect fit for me. I wish I had read it sooner! I wish I had read The Long Walk prior to the upteen billion dystopians I've already experienced in recent years. It kept reminding me of The Hunger Games instead of vice versa as it bloody well should have been.

I listened to The Long Walk on audio which was a great experience. Grab it off Overdrive if you have yet to read this one. There's an amazing introduction by Stephen King included with the audio. I have the "Bachman Books" on my shelf so I pulled it down to read the introduction again only to find a completely different introduction! If you've already read the Bachman Books, you might be interested in reading the second introduction King wrote for it.

I've put off reading Bachman over the years. Up until now I think I've only read The Regulators (right after reading Desperation) and Thinner (right after watching the movie). I've had some deluded idea in my mind that I wouldn't enjoy them like I enjoy a King novel. I can't speak for the rest of the Bachman Books, but you don't get more Stephen King than The Long Walk. He really, really thought no one would know Richard Bachman was Stephen King?! No one writes like Stephen King. In my opinion, no one even comes close to writing like Stephen King. So now I have some more reading to do!

The Long Walk was a great way to end a not-so-remarkable reading year. It serves as a good reminder of how important it is to pull down the back titles throughout the year and enjoy some gems I've been missing out on.

8/10: Great Read

Book Review | The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams is the latest horror collection from Stephen King.

A master storyteller at his best—the O. Henry Prize winner Stephen King delivers a generous collection of stories, several of them brand-new, featuring revelatory autobiographical comments on when, why, and how he came to write (or rewrite) each story.

Since his first collection, Nightshift, published thirty-five years ago, Stephen King has dazzled readers with his genius as a writer of short fiction. In this new collection he assembles, for the first time, recent stories that have never been published in a book. He introduces each with a passage about its origins or his motivations for writing it.

There are thrilling connections between stories; themes of morality, the afterlife, guilt, what we would do differently if we could see into the future or correct the mistakes of the past. “Afterlife” is about a man who died of colon cancer and keeps reliving the same life, repeating his mistakes over and over again. Several stories feature characters at the end of life, revisiting their crimes and misdemeanors. Other stories address what happens when someone discovers that he has supernatural powers—the columnist who kills people by writing their obituaries in “Obits;” the old judge in “The Dune” who, as a boy, canoed to a deserted island and saw names written in the sand, the names of people who then died in freak accidents. In “Morality,” King looks at how a marriage and two lives fall apart after the wife and husband enter into what seems, at first, a devil’s pact they can win.

Magnificent, eerie, utterly compelling, these stories comprise one of King’s finest gifts to his constant reader—“I made them especially for you,” says King. “Feel free to examine them, but please be careful. The best of them have teeth.”

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams is a mix of previously published stories and new stories. Most of the stories were new to me, though. While The Bazaar of Bad Dreams didn't turn out to be a favorite of mine, it's still a really solid collection.

The little introductions to each story are such a perfect gift to Constant Reader. I loved them.

Stephen King and I are basically having the same thought right now:

Something else I want you to know: how glad I am, Constant Reader, that we’re both still here. Cool, isn’t it?

Yes. I hope my life is filled with many more Stephen King collections.

7/10: Recommended Read

Book Review | Revival by Stephen King

Revival is the latest horror novel from Stephen King.

A dark and electrifying novel about addiction, fanaticism, and what might exist on the other side of life.

In a small New England town, over half a century ago, a shadow falls over a small boy playing with his toy soldiers. Jamie Morton looks up to see a striking man, the new minister. Charles Jacobs, along with his beautiful wife, will transform the local church. The men and boys are all a bit in love with Mrs. Jacobs; the women and girls feel the same about Reverend Jacobs -- including Jamie's mother and beloved sister, Claire. With Jamie, the Reverend shares a deeper bond based on a secret obsession. When tragedy strikes the Jacobs family, this charismatic preacher curses God, mocks all religious belief, and is banished from the shocked town.

Jamie has demons of his own. Wed to his guitar from the age of thirteen, he plays in bands across the country, living the nomadic lifestyle of bar-band rock and roll while fleeing from his family's horrific loss. In his mid-thirties -- addicted to heroin, stranded, desperate -- Jamie meets Charles Jacobs again, with profound consequences for both men. Their bond becomes a pact beyond even the Devil's devising, and Jamie discovers that revival has many meanings.

This rich and disturbing novel spans five decades on its way to the most terrifying conclusion Stephen King has ever written. It's a masterpiece from King, in the great American tradition of Frank Norris, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe.

Revival was book molasses for me. It took me forever to get through it. It was a good read, but mostly because it was written by Stephen King. There is something about his writing that just feels so darn right. It's a place I love to be.

Unfortunately, my expectations stemmed entirely from this blurb:

This rich and disturbing novel spans five decades on its way to the most terrifying conclusion Stephen King has ever written.

I spent the entire book longing for the end which is never a good sign no matter how you look at it.

But like I said, it was a good read overall. There were some great moments, and I did enjoy the ending once I finally got there. Revival was a better read than Mr. Mercedes, too, so there's that if you were wondering.

If you are behind on your Stephen King catalog, this probably isn't one you need to pick up right away, but I think any Stephen King fan will read this for the obvious reason.

6/10: Good Read

What are your thoughts on Revival? Have you read it? Are you a Stephen King or a horror fan? I think I would have been better off not having read the blurb on this one.

Get to Know Stephen King's Family | NY Times Article

The New York Times posted a huge article (9 pages) about Stephen King's family earlier this week. Did you read it?

It's a really great read. It gives us a personal look at Stephen King, his wife, his three kids, and his daughter-in-law. It's full of family stories, and I loved getting to know his daughter-in-law, too.

It now makes sense why I had no idea Joe Hill was Stephen King's son when I bought Heart-Shaped Box. It was probably years later when I saw a random comment on Goodreads that they were related. It was truly a what the fuck moment for me, but it makes sense now. It was probably another couple of years after that that I finally read it. That's how it goes with my bookshelves.

I have nothing else to add to article, I just thought it was an excellent read and I wanted to pass it along.

Stephen King’s Family Business - NY Times

Joyland by Stephen King | Book Review

I was planning to read Joyland right after NOS4A2, but NOS4A2 felt so much like a Stephen King book, I decided to read a couple of unrelated books first. I couldn't hold off any longer than that, though, because I do love me some Stephen King.

Book Description

"I love crime, I love mysteries, and I love ghosts," says Stephen King, who has combined these elements into a wonderful new story. Joyland is a whodunit noir crime novel and a haunting ghost story set in the world of an amusement park.

It tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a 'carny' in small-town North Carolina and has to confront the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the way both will change his life forever. It is also a wonderful coming-of-age novel about friendship, loss, and your first heartbreak. Who dares enter the funhouse of fear?

Review

Devin Jones is the main character and narrator of Joyland. He is now in his 60s, and he's looking back on the end of his first love and the summer he spent working for the Joyland amusement park in North Carolina. That is also the summer he encountered the ghost of a young girl and helped solve her murder. I loved the beach-side setting and the relationships between the characters. Stephen King excels at nostalgia. I love how he can evoke that feeling of longing. He also enjoys breaking my heart. I'm not always a fan of that, but I am a fan of Joyland.

The cover is a bit misleading with the "Who Dares Enter the Funhouse of Fear?". Joyland has a suspenseful climax, but there's not a whole lot of fear going on in Joyland. If you've been too afraid to pick up a Stephen King novel, this is a great one to try especially if you like mysteries or coming of age stories.

This wasn't a spectacular novel. I'm not clamoring to get this book into everyone's hands, but I really loved reading it. If you are a fan of Stephen King, it's a must read, but I also recommend it to anyone looking for a great summer read.

8/10: Great Read

Waiting on Wednesday | Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

This post is being shared as part of Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday.

Yesterday I posted my top ten wishlist books being released in the spring. I'm going to skip out to September today and show some love and anticipation for another upcoming Stephen King release. The Shining has a very special place in my heart. It was the first King book I read in my childhood, and I read it many times. It will always be one of my favorite books of all time. I should be nervous about a sequel, but I'm not. I'm excited! I absolutely cannot wait for Doctor Sleep!

Doctor Sleep (The Shining #2)
by Stephen King
September 24th 2013 by Scribner

Stephen King returns to the characters and territory of one of his most popular novels ever, The Shining, in this instantly riveting novel about the now middle-aged Dan Torrance (the boy protagonist of The Shining) and the very special twelve-year-old girl he must save from a tribe of murderous paranormals.On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless—mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky twelve-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the “steam” that children with the “shining” produce when they are slowly tortured to death.

Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father’s legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant “shining” power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes “Doctor Sleep.”

Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan’s own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra’s soul and survival. This is an epic war between good and evil, a gory, glorious story that will thrill the millions of devoted readers of The Shining and satisfy anyone new to the territory of this icon in the King canon.

That cover! I love that cover. Who is on that cover? I ordered my copy of Doctor Sleep... now I just need September to get here!

Discussion:
Have you read The Shining? Will you be reading Doctor Sleep? What books are you anxious for this week? Let me know in the comments or leave me a link!

Waiting on Wednesday | Joyland by Stephen King

This post is being shared as part of Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday.

I am waiting for Joyland by Stephen King so hard core. First of all, crime fiction + Stephen King = made of awesome. To top that off, we get ghosts and an amusement park. Can.not.wait.

Joyland by Stephen King
June 4th 2013

Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever.

"I love crime, I love mysteries, and I love ghosts. That combo made Hard Case Crime the perfect venue for this book, which is one of my favorites. I also loved the paperbacks I grew up with as a kid, and for that reason, we’re going to hold off on e-publishing this one for the time being. Joyland will be coming out in paperback, and folks who want to read it will have to buy the actual book." – Stephen King

It doesn't come out until June, but I have mine pre-ordered already in hopes it will help with the waiting!

Discussion:
Are you a Stephen King fan? Will you be reading Joyland? Are you dying to read any books that aren't out yet? What books are you pining for this week? Let me know in the comments (or leave me a link!).

September Readalong | Carrie by Stephen King

Fun news! Midnight Book Girl and Midnyte Reader are hosting Stephen King readalongs through Fall. I can't resist a King readalong and these girls are awesome so I'm excited to join in.

The readalong choice for September is Carrie. I think Carrie might be the last King book I re-read, but I'm in for reading it again. Want to join me?

The book discussion schedule will happen as follows:

Part One: Blood Sports- Discussion post on 9.12.12, Twitter chat from 9pm EST- 11pm EST #CarrieBS

Part Two: Prom Night- Discussion post on 9.23.12, Twitter chat from 7pm EST- 9pm EST #CarrieProm

Part Three: Wreckage- Discussion post on 9.30.12, Twitter chat from 8pm EST- 10pm EST #CarrieEnd

(Twitter chats!)

We will also be reading Salem's Lot in October and Misery and/or Cycle of the Werewolf in November.

There is a sign up linky on Midnight Book Girl and Midnyte Reader's blogs or you can jump in with comments during the discussion posts.

Help | I Need Dark Tower Advice: The Wind Through the Keyhole

As some of you may know, I've been slowly making my way through Stephen King's The Dark Tower series. The last Dark Tower book I read was book #4 Wizard and Glass.

Earlier this week I was browsing Goodreads, and I noticed this after the title of The Wind Through the Keyhole:

(The Dark Tower #4.5)

Wait... what?

So I read the description for The Wind Through the Keyhole:

From Stephen King's Official Site

Dear Constant Readers,

At some point, while worrying over the copyedited manuscript of the next book (11/22/63, out November 8th), I started thinking—and dreaming—about Mid-World again. The major story of Roland and his ka-tet was told, but I realized there was at least one hole in the narrative progression: what happened to Roland, Jake, Eddie, Susannah, and Oy between the time they leave the Emerald City (the end of Wizard and Glass) and the time we pick them up again, on the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis (the beginning of Wolves of the Calla)?

There was a storm, I decided. One of sudden and vicious intensity. The kind to which billy-bumblers like Oy are particularly susceptible. Little by little, a story began to take shape. I saw a line of riders, one of them Roland’s old mate, Jamie DeCurry, emerging from clouds of alkali dust thrown by a high wind. I saw a severed head on a fencepost. I saw a swamp full of dangers and terrors. I saw just enough to want to see the rest. Long story short, I went back to visit an-tet with my friends for awhile. The result is a novel called The Wind Through the Keyhole. It’s finished, and I expect it will be published next year.

It won’t tell you much that’s new about Roland and his friends, but there’s a lot none of us knew about Mid-World, both past and present. The novel is shorter than DT 2-7, but quite a bit longer than the first volume—call this one DT-4.5. It’s not going to change anybody’s life, but God, I had fun.

-- Steve King

You can guess my question right? Which one should I read next?

I've been under the impression (aka my own assumption) that I was to read The Wind Through the Keyhole once I reached the end of the series. If The Wind Through the Keyhole is considered #4.5, should I read The Wind Through the Keyhole next instead of The Wolves of the Calla?

What would you do if you were me?

Read-along | 11/22/63 by Stephen King [Parts 4-6]

Oh, man. My final thoughts on 11/22/63. I think I've finally recovered from my grief over finishing this book. It's so rare for me to get physically depressed when I finish a story! I love it, though!! It's one of the few rare finds I cherish when reading.

If you haven't read 11/22/63, I highly recommend you check it out. You should also wait until you've read it to read the rest of this post because it will contain lots of spoilers. Do feel free to read my spoiler free review of 11/22/63 here, but I can give you the short version. "I loved it."

If you have read 11/22/63, I'd love to read your thoughts in the comments!

Spoiler thoughts on the first half of 11/22/63 can be found here.

Spoiler Thoughts 11/22/63 Parts 4-6

I have a question for you guys! After Jake was beaten at his home in Dallas, his neighbor - the lady in the pink nightgown - got help for him. Is it my imagination or did Sadie not find her and buy her flowers?

"the walker-lady (Alberta Hitchinson; Sadie sought her out and brought her a bouquet of flowers) stood over me on the sidewalk and hollered until a neighbor came out, saw the situation, and called the ambulance that took me to Parkland."

Why did we have a billion chapters (slight exaggeration) after that with Jake and Sadie trying to remember where he lived?! Um.. he lived by the walker-lady in the pink nightgown! What am I missing here? I'm hoping someone can tell me where my misunderstanding lies.

Jake's recovery was the only part of the book I didn't love. I know it was a necessary evil to bring us to 11/22/63, and the past is obdurate, but it was the one area of the book that hung for me.

Other than that, I hope you guys loved this book as much as I did! I'm not a romance reader but I fell in love with Jake and Sadie. When she asked Jake if he was from the future - I absolutely loved that! It was completely perfect that he didn't even have to tell her! As heart wrenching as it was at the end, I loved that part of Sadie remembered Jake. After learning more about the yellow card man (whoa!), I thought Jake and Sadie's last meeting was perfect.

What did you guys think about the natural world and possibly reality being affected so greatly by Al and Jake's travels? I'd still love to know more about the yellow card men! I can't help but wonder if the doors in The Dark Tower work like the portal in Al's Diner since the yellow card man said there were other portals like Al's.

I look forward to making the rounds today and hearing all of your thoughts!

Book Review | 11/22/63 by Stephen King

11/22/63 is an epic time travel/historical fiction novel from Stephen King.

Book Description

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.

You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend. - Paul Sweeney

It's been a long time since I've grieved this hard over finishing a book. 900 pages and I wasn't ready to leave. I finished reading 11/22/63 last night, and when I woke up this morning, I still wanted to cry.

11/22/63 brought me through an entire range of emotions: happiness, fear, sadness, nostalgia, goosebumps, laughter... I made friends, and I lost friends.

According to Goodreads, I've now read 43 Stephen King books. 11/22/63 is ranked as one of my favorites. If you're a fan of Stephen King, you can't not read this one.

Whether you're a King fan or not, 11/22/63 gets my highest recommendation. Be sure to let me know when you do read 11/22/63. I'd love to hear your thoughts. It will hold me over until I read it again.

10/10: Awesome

Are you a King fan? Have you read 11/22/63?

This post is being shared as part of The Stephen King Project.

Read-along | 11/22/63 by Stephen King [Parts 1-3]

Grace over at Feeding My Book Addiction is hosting a read-along of Stephen King's 11/22/63 through this month. If you haven't read it, please be aware this post will contain major spoilers. I will say to you now this book is awesome. You should go grab a copy and join us. If you have read it, feel free to jump in the comments with your thoughts!

Other read-along participant posts:
Grace at Feeding My Book Addiction
Brittany at Self-styled bibliophile
Alice at Tales of an Intrepid Pantser
Rachelkiwi at she is too fond of books 

Spoiler Thoughts 11/22/63 Parts 1-3 (pp. 1 - 350)

This book is fantastic. I really thought I was going to read this throughout the rest of the month along with my other reads but I'm so hooked you couldn't make me stop reading it. This is actually the kind of book you want to call in sick to keep reading.

I was surprised by how fast the time travel stuff came into play. I love when a book jumps straight into it. At first it seemed a lot like Groundhog Day with Al explaining how the past reset each time, but then... I still get goosebumps thinking about it. The Kennedy plan, the way Al tried saving that girl but it got reset, the way he did save that girl (happy ending!), then what?... wait... why is that girl in a wheelchair?... Jake got a rootbeer!!

I have no idea what to think of the yellow, orange, black card man. He really gave me the creeps from the beginning. I wanted Jake to follow Al's advice to a tee. He scared me. Then the whole black card throat slit thing... I wonder if Jake could even return to the past if he wanted to? It makes me feel like this is his only shot at it.

I'm also a little worried about him finding the steps to go home!

I really should have written this post when I finished Part 3. I'm on page 694 and all of my thoughts of the first half and the second half are running together. I will say I love that the past is obdurate. It's helping make this one hell of a story!

Are you guys loving it? What do you think of the yellow card man?

Stephen King Challenges and a Readalong

11/22/63 READALONG

First off I want to point out a readalong for 11/22/63 over at Feeding My Book Addiction. It will take place this month (January), so if you are like me and you have Stephen King's latest tome sitting on the shelf, join us! There will be two posts:

Post One: Saturday 1/14/12 Covering Parts 1-3 (approximately 350 pages in the hardcover edition)

Post Two: Tuesday 1/31/12 Covering Parts 4-6 (approximately 500 pages in the hardcover edition)

You can get all the details and sign up here.


THE STEPHEN KING PROJECT

Natalie over at Coffee and a Book Chick has recently become a fan of Stephen King. As you can imagine, she now wants to get her hands on more of his books. She has joined up with Kathleen from Boarding in My Forties to host The Stephen King Project.

Stephen King movie adaptations count as well, but you should post more book reviews than movie reviews.

I'll be joining in with my review of 11/22/63, and any success that may come from The Dark Tower Reading Challenge I will detail below this one.

You can find all of the details regarding The Stephen King Project here.


THE DARK TOWER READING CHALLENGE

Leighanne's Lit is hosting The Dark Tower Reading Challenge. Some of you may remember I was making my way through The Dark Tower series at the beginning of last year. I'm currently stuck somewhere within The Wolves of the Calla.

I've been pretty open about my struggles with The Dark Tower. I did enjoy The Drawing of the Three, but my journey for The Dark Tower has not been an easy one.

According to Goodreads I have read 42 Stephen King books. Reading The Dark Tower is more of a Stephen King completist goal for me.

If The Dark Tower has eluded you and you want to take up the journey with me, you can find all of the details for The Dark Tower Reading Challenge here.

Book Review | Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King

I love how Stephen King can make me squirm, shiver, and laugh out loud all at the same time.

Book Description

"I believe there is another man inside every man, a stranger . . ." writes Wilfred Leland James in the early pages of the riveting confession that makes up "1922," the first in this pitch-black quartet of mesmerizing tales from Stephen King. For James, that stranger is awakened when his wife, Arlette, proposes selling off the family homestead and moving to Omaha, setting in motion a gruesome train of murder and madness.

In "Big Driver," a cozy-mystery writer named Tess encounters the stranger along a back road in Massachusetts when she takes a shortcut home after a book-club engagement. Violated and left for dead, Tess plots a revenge that will bring her face-to-face with another stranger: the one inside herself.

"Fair Extension," the shortest of these tales, is perhaps the nastiest and certainly the funniest. Making a deal with the devil not only saves Dave Streeter from a fatal cancer but provides rich recompense for a lifetime of resentment.

When her husband of more than twenty years is away on one of his business trips, Darcy Anderson looks for batteries in the garage. Her toe knocks up against a box under a worktable and she discovers the stranger inside her husband. It’s a horrifying discovery, rendered with bristling intensity, and it definitively ends a good marriage.

Like Different Seasons and Four Past Midnight, which generated such enduring films as The Shawshank Redemption and Stand by Me, Full Dark, No Stars proves Stephen King a master of the long story form.

1922 was my favorite of all four stories.  It was dark, it was gross, and it was highly entertaining.  King paints a vivid picture you don't want to see, but can't take your eyes off of.

All of the stories in Full Dark, No Stars are human horrors.  Big Driver delves into the human emotion of rape, and it was definitely the most uncomfortable tale for me.  I had a harder time letting myself enjoy this one.

Fair Extension explores making a deal with the devil.  What would be darker than making a deal with the devil?  Making a deal and actually enjoying the consequences.  I enjoyed the unexpected on this one.

I listened in on an interview Stephen King did regarding Full Dark, No Stars, and he mentioned there being a screenplay for A Good Marriage.  That would be fantastic.  I loved this story.  As a devoted wife I could relate to the trust the main character had in her husband, but at the same time there was this voice "You have to go through that box.  You can't just let it go.  It will eat at you.  Somethings not right here!"  This tale made my heart race.

I really enjoyed this collection.  Humans are down right scary.

⭐⭐⭐⭐★
4/5 stars

Are you a King fan?  Have you read any of Full Dark, No Stars?

Additional Topics of Interest
Other Stephen King Reviews at Book Den

Book Review | Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower #4) by Stephen King

I'm making my way through Stephen King's The Dark Tower series.

Wizard and Glass is the fourth book in the series.

Book Description

The end is near.
Start at the beginning.

The Dark Tower saga builds to an explosive climax...

Wizard and Glass picks up where The Waste Lands leaves you hanging - in the clutches of Blaine the Mono. The action of the speeding train soon turns to a love story as we flashback to Roland's first love. I didn't realize what was missing from the first three books until I found it in the fourth - Stephen King makes me squirm. Rhea the witch makes me squirm.

I'm happy to be reading this series. I feel pretty certain I won't recommend it to someone who isn't already a Stephen King fan, but I do feel it is a must read for fans who haven't yet experienced the quest for The Dark Tower. I'm looking forward to continuing on with Wolves of the Calla.

⭐⭐⭐★★
3/5 Stars

Have you given The Dark Tower series a try yet?

Additional topics of interest:
Book Review: The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
Book Review: The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower #2) by Stephen King
Book Review: The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower #3) by Stephen King

Book Review | The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower #3) by Stephen King

The Waste Lands is the third book in Stephen King's The Dark Tower series.

Book Description:

Roland the Gunfighter and his two companions continue the quest for the tower at the portal of all the worlds...in this third volume in the epic that continues to dominate the bestseller lists.

The Waste Lands continues the ka-tet's journey toward The Dark Tower.  Roland is going a little crazy (as am I the reader) trying to mentally handle the conflicting events between book 1 and book 2.  The mental instability does draw to a close (for all of us involved), however, and our quest continues through Mid-World.

This was not a remarkable book, in my opinion, but a satisfying read in my own journey toward The Dark Tower.  I'm still quite invested in these characters, and this book brings about a wonderous addition to the ka-tet in the form of an intelligent doglike "billy-bumbler" named Oy.

The Waste Lands does end on a cliffhanger, so I would recommend having The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass in a short queue.

⭐⭐★★★
2/5 Stars

Let me hear your thoughts on The Waste Lands and The Dark Tower!

Additional topics of interest:
Book Review: The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
Book Review: The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower #2) by Stephen King
Book Review: Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower #4) by Stephen King

Book Review | The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower #2) by Stephen King

The Drawing of the Three is the second book in Stephen King's The Dark Tower series.

Book Description:

The Man in Black is dead, and Roland is about to be hurled into 20th-century America, occupying the mind of a man running cocaine on the New York/Bermuda shuttle. A brilliant work of dark fantasy inspired by Browning's romantic poem, "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came".

It took about ten years for me to pick up another Dark Tower book after not enjoying The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger.  I'm really glad I gave the series another try.  (See my Gunslinger post for more details.)

The Drawing of the Three is Roland's journey to (and through) three different doorways to another time and place.  I learned in book 1 that you never can guess what's going to happen with this series.  This remains true throughout Drawing of the Three - from Roland's injuries on the beach to the experiences that lie behind each doorway.

In this quest, we meet the unforgettable characters that will accompany Roland on his quest for the Dark Tower.  The ka-tet.

So far this is my favorite of The Dark Tower books.

⭐⭐⭐★★
3/5 Stars

Are you a Dark Tower fan?

Additional topics of interest:
Reading: Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower #4) by Stephen King
Book Review: The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King

Movie Adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand

The Stand is finally coming to the big screen!

Warner Bros. and CBS Films are teaming up to develop and produce the film.  No writer or director has been selected yet.

For full details visit Hollywood Reporter.

On a related note, Hollywood Reporter states "with Universal mounting an ambitious take on The Dark Tower, and now The Stand, King may be getting ready to return to the throne as the novelist the town loves the most."  My deepest desire is that Hollywood will follow up The Stand with an awesome adaptation of Robert McCammon's Swan Song. 

Are you a fan of The Stand?  Are you excited about another adaptation?

Book Chick City: Reading Challenges

I've decided to join a couple of fun challenges over at Book Chick City!

The first challenge I'm joining is the Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge. 

Details Courtesy of Book Chick City

• Timeline: 01 Jan 2011 - 31 Dec 2011

• Rules: To read TWELVE (12) mystery & suspense novels in 2011 (12 is the minimum but you can read more if you wish!)

• You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.

• You can join anytime between now and the later part of next year.

• At the beginning of Jan 2011, you will find a link to specific month to add your reviews. There will be a monthly prize too courtesy of the lovely Simon & Schuster - you must be signed up to the challenge and add the link to your review to be entered into the monthly prize draw.


The second challenge is the 2011 Stephen King Challenge.  I'm so excited about this one.  I'd be reading Stephen King regardless, but I'm excited that so many others will be, too.  Stephen King discussions!  *Bliss*

Details Courtesy of Book Chick City

• Timeline: 01 Jan 2011 - 31 Dec 2011

• Rules - There are two levels: Read either SIX (6) or TWELVE (12) Stephen King novels in 2011 (6 is the minimum but you can read more than 12 if you wish!)

• You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.

• You can join anytime between now and the later part of next year.

• At the beginning of Jan 2011, she will add a link so you can add your reviews.

• You don't have to have a blog to join in - for those without a blog just fill out a form and she will add you to the list - just join the discussion in the comments section to let us know when you've read a book and what you thought of it! :)

• You can also follow each other's progress and chat about the SK books you read on twitter too - just use #SKChallenge :)

If you are participating in either challenge, let me know!

Topics you might be interested in:
Reading: Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower #4) by Stephen King
Book Review: The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King