meg reads and reads

Title: The Wind Through the Keyhole Author: Stephen King A story inside a story inside another story sounds like it should be a mess, but somehow The Wind Through the Keyhole isn't. Stephen King's return to the Dark Tower universe--set between the fourth and fifth books--is surprisingly tight and ended up being one of the most enjoyable trips I've taken through Mid-World. The book starts with Roland and his ka-tet taking shelter from a brutal freezing storm. While they wait it out, Roland tells them about a mission from his youth, when his father sent him and Jamie DeCurry to a small town to investigate a series of murders committed by a shape-shifting creature. Roland would have preferred to take Cuthbert or Alain, but his father chose Jamie instead. We've spent plenty of time with young Roland before, but I enjoyed seeing him dropped in what is essentially a murder mystery. Tracking the creature requires more than being quick with a gun, and the investigation fits sur...

Title: 11/22/63 Author: Stephen King 11/22/63 is more than 800 pages long, which sounds like a commitment until you're several hundred pages in and wondering how you got there so quickly. Jake Epping is a high school English teacher whose friend Al introduces him to a portal hidden in the back of his diner. It leads to the same moment in 1958 every time, and Al has spent years thinking about what could be done with it. His answer is ambitious: stop Lee Harvey Oswald from assassinating JFK. There are rules. Every trip begins at the same point, only two minutes pass in the present no matter how long you're gone, and going back again resets whatever you changed the last time. Al also warns Jake that the past is obdurate. It resists being changed. Jake makes one test run before committing himself to the much larger task ahead. One of his first stops on the main trip is Derry, Maine, not long after the events of It . Richie and Beverly turn up briefly, and Derry is about as welcomin...

Title: Under the Dome Author: Stephen King I spent the first few decades of my life actively avoiding Stephen King. While other teenagers were devouring his paperbacks in the school library, I was perfectly content staying in my lane with less "messed up" literature. However, about eleven years ago, I finally decided to see what the fuss was about. This late-blooming curiosity eventually landed me at Under the Dome , a 1,072-page beast that is the literary equivalent of a massive bag of theater popcorn--you know it's not exactly high-brow nutrition, but it's addictive, and you're sure as can be not stopping until you hit the bottom. The setup is delightfully simple: the town of Chester's Mill is suddenly encased in an impenetrable, transparent dome. One minute you're driving to the next town for groceries, the next you're hitting an invisible wall like a confused sparrow. While the government spends 1,000 pages scratching its head on the outside, the t...

Title: Duma Key Author: Stephen King Duma Key isn't one of King's more popular novels, and while the length and unconventional rhythm might explain that, I loved it. The scenery is so visceral that I will forever hear the grinding of the shells whenever I think of this story. From the beachfront setting to the sci-fi and paranormal elements, the plot remained completely unpredictable. The standout element of the book was the way King described the act of creation. He captures how art and talent actually feel when they unfold--that burning itch deep down when the muse starts to stir. He nails the way you can lose yourself for hours in the "flow," ending up ravenous, exhausted, or even a little mad. The writing in these scenes was executed extremely well and felt entirely authentic to the creative experience. The story is elevated by flawed characters and a friendship that feels entirely believable. Even when the plot takes its darker turns, the emotional core stays gro...

Title: Cell Author: Stephen King Stephen King. The name conjures images of masterful storytelling, chilling suspense, and characters that burrow their way into your soul. He's crafted some of the best stories ever written, tales that have shaped the landscape of modern horror. And then there's Cell. About halfway through this book, I remember thinking, "Wow, this must be what diarrhea reads like." And no, I'm not being intentionally crude for shock value. That's genuinely the most apt description I can muster for the experience of reading this book. It's a messy, unpleasant, and ultimately unsatisfying slog. The premise--a cell phone signal turns people into homicidal maniacs--had potential. King is a master of taking the mundane and twisting it into something terrifying. But in Cell, the execution falls spectacularly flat. The characters are largely forgettable, the plot meanders aimlessly, and the violence feels gratuitous rather than genuinely scary. It...

Title: Desperation Author: Stephen King On my journey through Stephen King, this is the first book that can solidly be placed in the horror genre since Needful Things. That said, only the first half of the book is truly scary. Collie Entragian is freaking terrifying, and the creepy animals also messed me up pretty bad. In the second half of the book, it starts to get pretty religious. I don't mind the Bible references, but they are objectively pretty heavy-handed and overtake the story. I breezed through the first half, but the second half was a chore to get through, not because of the religious aspect, but just because the plot suddenly slows way down, and I could not focus on it at all. My attention span hasn't been great lately (hence the gaps between posting reviews), and the slow pace definitely did not help. Anyway, the first half was awesome, and that's what saves this book. I give it three out of five stars. ---------------------------------------- QUOTES: "Dol...

Title: The Green Mile Author: Stephen King ,  I would first like to say that typing this review is quite laborious, as I have a broken right hand. Please forgive typos. I try to fix them as I catch them. The Green Mile is Stephen King at his finest. He doesn't rely heavily on the supernatural (though it does exist to a certain extent). The characters are well-rounded and fleshed-out, from Paul Edgecomb, a prison guard, to John Coffey, a death row inmate who is innocent of his crime. The antagonist, Percy Wetmore, is despicable, and King does a great job making the reader hate him.  Mostly, this is a story of tragedy with a tinge of hope. Tears are likely shed by most readers (but not me--I don't cry much). I haven't seen the Tom Hanks movie, but I really would like to see it now. For the casual reader, I would recommend this as a good first introduction to Stephen King. He occasionally hits a home run, and he really did so with this one. Five out of five stars from me! ----...

Title: Rose Madder Author: Stephen King I have complicated feelings about this one. I was a little disappointed after a couple of really awesome King novels, and this one ended up falling flat in a lot of ways. I think this is mostly because parts of it just seemed to drag out. I have seen other reviews of this book that thought it was good minus the fantasy element, and while the actual way the fantasy element enters the story a bit far-fetched, it's no more far-fetched than any other books or movies with the collision between "reality" and "fantasy." I honestly thought the fantasy portions were smart and are largely what ended up saving the story for me. The book centers around Rose, who has been married to Norman for about 14 years, and he is horribly abusive. Some of the descriptions of the abuse are graphic, including the description of when he caused her to have a miscarriage through one of his beatings. She finally gets up the nerve to leave him...

Title: Insomnia Author: Stephen King Insomnia  tells the story of an elderly man, Ralph, who lives in the town of Derry, Maine (yes, the Derry, Maine, of IT) . After the death of his wife, he begins to have issues with, you guessed it, insomnia. As time goes by, it gets worse and worse, and he starts to notice that he is able to see a world of "auras." He eventually discovers that his friend Lois is having the same problems and is seeing the same things he is seeing. The world of auras is absolutely bonkers, in the best way possible. I love King's descriptions of what is going on there and the abilities that Ralph and Lois discover they have. The character development is stellar, the basic plot is good, the elderly romance story is absolutely adorable, but it's the length of the book that gets me. This is an issue that I have with many of King's novels. I have no problem with a book being long if it needs to be long, but there are just way too many extrane...

Title: Dolores Claiborne Author: Stephen King This is the second Stephen King book in a row that I've just absolutely adored. It's completely different than anything else I've read by him, and I found the story to be unwaveringly interesting and the main character to be sympathetic and likable. I really enjoyed the tie-ins to Gerald's Game , as well. The story is complex with several key players, and there are a couple of twists that really caught me off guard. Just like with Gerald's Game, I was not expecting to like this book at all, but it really took me by surprise. I give it five out of five stars. --------------------------------- QUOTE "Sometimes being a b**** is all a woman's got to hold on to." --------------------------------- READING PROGRESS Ammey McKeaf by Jane Shoup: 14% The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*** by Mark Manson: 57% In the Heart of the Fire by Dean Koontz: 46% Insomnia  by Stephen King: NOW STARTING

Title: Gerald's Game Author: Stephen King I have not really and truly completely enjoyed a Stephen King novel in a long time, but this was a surprising gem. I went in to this book feeling like it was going to be a chore, and it was completely riveting. From everything going on in Jessie's head to finding out she's not actually physically alone, I was hooked. This is the first book that actually scared me in a long time, probably because it just felt so real. Stephen King does such a good job in this book at putting you right into the main character's head. I really can't talk too much about this book without completely giving it away, but I can't even adequately say how much I enjoyed this one. Five out of five stars. ----------------------- QUOTES "If anyone ever asks you what panic is, now you can tell them: an emotional blank spot that leaves you feeling as you've been sucking on a mouthful of pennies." "Some memories battened...

Title: Needful Things Author: Stephen King This book definitely had some really high moments, but overall it was a slow and uninteresting read. The main problem with this book is that there are just way too many main characters. I feel like we could have gotten glimpses of some characters--such as Sally, Lester, Frank Jewett, George Nelson, Rev. Rose, Father Brigham, and many more--without having to go too deeply into their personal stories. Their separate plot lines felt superfluous and made the book much longer than it needed to be. That said, this has one of the more gruesome scenes I've read in a Stephen King book thus far, the fight between Wilma and Nettie. The final showdown between Mr. Gaunt and Alan is pretty neat, though it is so outlandish that it takes a little of the spark out of it. All in all, it was decent, and I give it three out of five stars. ------------------------- QUOTE: "'Not everybody believes in ghosts, but I do. Do you know what they ...

Title: The Waste Lands Author: Stephen King The Dark Tower series continues to get better. Book III has been the best thus far. Eddie and Susannah are such a pleasure to read, and it's nice to have Jake back in the mix. Roland is loosening up, so he's more fun to read, too. There are a wealth of new characters to enjoy, among which include the Tick-Tock Man and Blaine the Mono. They continue on their journey toward the Dark Tower with a number of hitches in their plans. I am eager to continue this series. Five out of five stars. ------------ READING PROGRESS: Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon: 76% Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: 32% Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin: 68% The Dark Bones by Loreth Anne White: 60% Needful Things by Stephen King: NOW STARTING

Title: The Dark Half Author: Stephen King For me, this was an extremely slow, painfully boring read. The concept was a stretch at best, and though I feel like it may have had some sort of personal significance to Stephen King, as a reader, it was not pleasant. I found it to be uninteresting, kind of gross, and all around a waste of time. I do not recommend this at all. Two out of five stars. ----------- READING PROGRESS: Let's Dance, Snoopy by Charles M. Schulz: 87% The Killer Collective by Barry Eisler: 50% Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon: 3% The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands by Stephen King: NOW STARTING

Title: The Tommyknockers Author: Stephen King This is something I probably have not discussed in this blog before, but I am a huge science-fiction fan. It's by far my favorite genre. So here we are with Stephen King's first real jump into the realm of science-fiction. King is indisputably a fantastic author, one of the all-time greats, even. All of that said, I did not enjoy reading this book. The biggest issue I had was that there were too many characters who were unnecessary to the plot. It was a lot to remember for no reason. That begs the question...who were the important characters? Gard was the most important, obviously. Bobbi was a close second. The only other storylines we really needed were the David/Hilly storyline and Ruth's storyline (and the aftermath). There were so many side characters that it was overwhelming, and it took me way too long to read this book. I will say that what King did very, very well was create an absolutely terrifying atmospher...

Title: Misery Author: Stephen King If you like the movie, you'll love  this book. It's fun to picture James Caan and Kathy Bates as you read this, and as great a job as Kathy Bates does in the movie, the character in the book is a completely different level of crazy. I guess it's hard to fit all of this stuff into a two hour movie, but the things that she does to him...whew! It was gruesome but not so gruesome that I couldn't read it. I have a notoriously weak stomach. It was very suspenseful, though, and if you're looking for a good October read, I highly recommend this one. Five out of five stars, no question.

Title: The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three Author: Stephen King In case you were wondering, I have spent the past several years reading the works of Stephen King in order. As I'm usually reading three or four books at a time, the process has been somewhat slow. That said, at some point in the past year or two, I read the first Dark Tower book. I hated it. I absolutely detested it. I felt like I was missing something, because almost everyone I know who reads the works of Stephen King loves The Dark Tower.  I hated the characters, I hated the plot...I just couldn't find much redeeming about the story. The best comparison I can think of is watching Mad Max: Fury Road. People were raving about that movie, and I just didn't get it. I could appreciate that the visual effects were stunning, but what was the point of the movie? In like manner, I could appreciate the fact that Stephen King is a brilliant writer...but what was the point of the first Dark Tower  book?...

Title: The Eyes of the Dragon Author: Stephen King This isn't even close to being one of my favorite books by him, but it's still good. My favorite part about it is that the villain--Flagg--seems to be the same person as the villain in The Stand  (which is hands down my favorite by Stephen King). Flagg is also apparently in The Dark Tower  series. I have only read the first book in that series, but I'm getting ready to start the second. I did not care for the first Dark Tower  book, though. I know, I know. I'm sorry. It's just not my thing. My opinions on the other works of Stephen King aside, The Eyes of the Dragon  was a fun read. It is not Stephen King's typical writing style, which I both liked and didn't like. It was nice to have a different style of writing after spending the last three years reading the works of Stephen King, but at the same time, it wasn't really what I was wanting from a Stephen King novel. The characters were well-writt...