Finally Friday Fun - Stephen King's N.

I am not sure exactly how I stumbled upon it, but I have found another site that I just HAVE to check daily; the nishere site. If you are a Stephen King fan at all, you really should check it out. It seems he has written a bunch of short stories that will be available in September, and in what can only be described as marketing geneous, he has released one of those stories in a short mini-series comic book video format. You really have to see it to believe it, but it is really well done and actually quite captivating.

For more information on this series, you can check out the Press Release here. The series began on July 28 and will continue to realease at the one per weekday rate until August 29. Be warned, if you like Stephen King, this will be quite addicting.

Book Review - The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

I have had this book on my "to-read" list for over a year now. I first saw the hardcover in the bookstore and thought it sounded interesting. Being a book lover, mystery fan, and a historical fiction fan, I thought I would really enjoy this book, but I am not sure that I did. I will compare this book to others that are like this one to explain why I liked them more.

The first author that came to mind as I was reading The Thirteenth Tale was P.D. James. Most likely it was the setting that brought one of my favorites to mind, but I believe it was the tone also that had me thinking of books like The Murder Room and Cover Her Face. The main difference here is that with a James book I have to make sure I have several hours to spend, as I can't put her books down. I did not have this problem with The Thirteenth Tale. It was not until the very last couple of chapters that I found myself wanting to keep reading, and that was really to be done and able to move on to my next book.

Another book that came to mind was The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, which I really enjoyed. I read a review that said the reviewer hadn't liked a book so well since Zafon's, and I realized that indeed, I liked the latter much better. While the general tone of both books is very similar, I did not guess the ending in The Shadow of the Wind, and I found interesting diversions throughout. That is not to say that The Thirteenth Tale doesn't have its own interesting twists and turns, but most of them can be seen coming.

Finally, another reviewer I read compared this book to The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I would agree that the tones are similar, but Kostova has a genuine purpose for the dark undertones in her book; she is writing about vampires. Both heroines have a strange family life with only a father present, and yet Kostova's book seems to have so much more light and hope. Not to mention the fact that there is true horror in The Historian while in Setterfield's book there is only the suggestion of horror which does not pan out in the end.

In short, I found the book The Thirteenth Tale to be an adaquate diversion. I was not enthralled in the storytelling, the mystery was a bit predictable, and the overall depressed feeling of this book made it drag on for me just a bit. Having said that, if this author does write another book it is very likely that I will read it, as I have a feeling that she will improve greatly in time.

Book Review - Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Wow. . .great book for sci-fi fans! My first taste of the wonders of science-fiction came when I saw Star Wars as a kid. I went to see it when it first came out camped in the back of my parents van at the drive-in. Since those days, I have enjoyed the occasional sci-fi book, television show or movie but don't usually seek them out. I plan to read this entire series.

I actually had this book setting around on a shelf for just as bit, as it came when I was in the middle of about 3 other books. Since I was already reading other books, I recommended this to DS who needed something to read in his 4 hour detention, and he read it all in a day. Not only did he read it in a day, but he immediately asked for the next book in the series.

I would bet that if you enjoyed the Matrix, Star Wars, or either Battlestar Galactica series, you will enjoy this very easy to read book. Ender is one of the youngest heros I have read, but he is interesting and very engaging. I found myself sucked in and invested in the characters and the games they played.

Although it can be read on a very surface level, this is also a very smart book. I found myself really amazed at the depth of deception of the adults in this book and started thinking about all the ways the tactics described in the book may be used on people. And for a sci-fi book, I was amazed at the depth of feeling I experienced while reading. My emotions went from deep sadness over Ender having to leave his family to intense outrage over the war situation.

This is one award winning book (1986 Hugo Award and the 1985 Nebula Award) that I highly recommend to readers young and old.

Book Review - One For the Money

I have been wanting to read one of these books for a long time, I just keep forgetting to pick them up. But I found myself in a long checkout line at the grocery store and they had this book right there, so I dropped it in my bucket. I am glad I did.

I knew as soon as I read the back of the jacket and found out that the heroine, Stephanie Plum, was from Newark, NJ that I was going to like this book. I was not wrong. I knew lots of "Jersey girls" when I lived there, and Stephanie Plum fits the description of all of them. She is so similar to many of my friends that I was picturing them as the lead through most of the book. From the high hair to the biker shorts, Stephanie is as real as they come.

In summary, the characters were believable, even likeable, the plot moved along and the setting was perfect. I really liked this little mystery and am already looking forward to reading Two for the Dough. . .

Book Review - Bag of bones by Stephen King

Bag of Bones is only my second Stephen King novel, my first thriller, and I liked it far more than I expected. The only other King novel I have read is On Writing, which is hardly comparable. However, it is because I loved On Writing so much that I dared to give one of his other novels a chance.

I should start by explaining that I have always been a chicken. Since I was young I have had an almost unnatural fear of the dark, and the only horror movie I have been able to watch with my eyes open has been Jaws. So while I have wanted to read a King book for sometime, I have only found the courage recently to actually dive in and give it a shot. And, while the book did not keep me up at night, I did find that I was listening for strange noises in the silence a bit more than before I read the book.

Overall, I really liked this book and found enough mystery, suspense and "things that go bump in the night" to keep me wondering and turning pages until the very end. I also like that in both books I have read by King he treats the reader like an old college friend. I feel as if I know the author and I trust him enough to hang in even though the number of pages seems like more of an investment than a cheap thrill.

Also, while I really like how King includes lots of references to other works of literature and fiction, I can understand why someone who does not read much may not enjoy a King novel as much as the avid reader. These references, while not critical too understanding the story or main plot, add so much flavor to the writing that it would be a real shame to not understand them.

I am anxious now to add other Stephen King novels to my reading list, so if you have any recommendations about where to start please let me know.