Book a Week 2016 - BW41: my first stephen king novel

[Chrysalis Academy]

I forgot I opened this thread to post about a book I finished.  Red Harvest, Dashiel Hammett's first novel.  You may know him as the author of The Maltese Falcon, which was actually his third book. He had been a detective, and then he started writing short stories, then he wrote 5 novels that were credited with creating the hard-boiled detective genre, inspiring contemporaries like Chandler and Ross MacDonald. The movie versions of these books also spawned the whole film noir genre.  So it was interesting to read this first novel of Hammett's, kind of witnessing the birth of a whole literary and film movement.  As a novel, it is flawed - its serial roots are showing, not unlike some Dickens novels. There are just too many minor characters to keep track of, and they are flat, stand-ins for types - the corrupt cop, the bootlegger, the mobster, the hitman, etc.  But his few fully drawn characters are really well done, and the picture he paints of a small town riddled with corruption is quite good, too.  You can see in the Continental Op the beginnings of other famous detective protagonists - Sam Spade, Philip Marlowe, etc. A flawed character with an unusual, but unswerving moral code.  This book is written in the first person, like Chandler's Marlowe books. I actually like the 3rd person used for Sam Spade better, I think - part of what makes these stories work is that you don't know exactly what is going on in the heads of these detectives, there is ambiguity, moral and otherwise, and this works better when you aren't getting the story from their first person POV.  Looking forward to reading the next Hammett novel.

Edited October 10, 2016 by Chrysalis Academy

[Woodland Mist Academy]

I used to loooove Daphne DuMaurier books. I read them all, multiple times. Most of them were quite thrilling to me. Then suddenly, about ten years ago, I outgrew them.

 

 

This is one reason I'm afraid to reread my du Maurier favorites. I read a du Maurier book a while back that had been taken from bookshelf to bookshelf since college, but had not yet been read. It was good, but not a favorite. It was OK not to love it - it didn't crush me. Rereading an old favorite and not loving it might do serious harm to my psyche...  :zombie:

 

I still have a few du Maurier books I'm reading for the first time, but I don't know that I'll ever revisit Manderley - except in my dreams, of course.

 

Last night....

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Bonus points and bonbons to the one who finishes the sentence!

[fastweedpuller]

If I look at the publication dates of Stephen King's novels, my consumption of such starts and ends with middle and high school...mom and I were fans, so we read them when they came out.  Christine, then, was the last...with It happening maybe over a couple days during a college winter break.  Then, well, nada unless On Writing is counted.  I think what appealed to me then, other than late-night scare-yourself reading to which we're all admitting, was the quotidian.  Reading a description of a box of MY cornflakes on the kitchen table of a story was BIG for me...and made it that more scary.  But I remember reading a lot of his short stories too, so maybe some compilations came out during that time. 

 

Yesterday I had to defend myself against the book club people because I refused to read more than a third of The Royal We (waving at you, mumto2).  SIGH.  I tried to say that, unless a relationship is unraveling, I simply find love-and-marriage stories unreadable.  There are so very few that are well done, I can rattle them off on one hand (Pride and Prejudice being the benchmark). 

 

I am, however, in the midst of a marriage-to-divorce story I find fairly palatable, mainly because the author is forcibly clever:  it's Here I Am by Jonathan Safran Foer.  Likewise in the midst of a few other enjoyable romps, like Elsa Morante's History (she was cited as an influence of Elena Ferrante/Anita Raja...) which is a doorstopper but a really gripping one; the biography How to Live:  A Life of Montaigne by Sarah Bakewell which is likewise really enjoyable in a daydreamy/what-if kind of way; and a long book on the biochemical beginnings of life called The Vital Question.  And rounding out the pack is a nonfiction study called $2.00 A Day:  Living on Almost Nothing in America, which I suppose is an ongoing field of interest for me.  Maybe I will finish one of these this week yet.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Bonus points and bonbons to the one who finishes the sentence!

 

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again . . ."   Drat. She took the book with her to bed, so I can't look up the rest of the sentence!

[aggieamy]

This is one reason I'm afraid to reread my du Maurier favorites. I read a du Maurier book a while back that had been taken from bookshelf to bookshelf since college, but had not yet been read. It was good, but not a favorite. It was OK not to love it - it didn't crush me. Rereading an old favorite and not loving it might do serious harm to my psyche...  :zombie:

 

I still have a few du Maurier books I'm reading for the first time, but I don't know that I'll ever revisit Manderley - except in my dreams, of course.

 

Last night....

 

 

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again . . ."   Drat. She took the book with her to bed, so I can't look up the rest of the sentence!

 

:)

 

What a great first line!

 

 

I'm about halfway done with four books right now.  I'm hoping nothing important comes up with work today and I can sit and read for an hour or two when John takes his nap.  Right now he just walked past me with a screwdriver and a determined air.  Uh oh.  That guy needs eyes on him at all times. 

[Woodland Mist Academy]

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again . . ."   Drat. She took the book with her to bed, so I can't look up the rest of the sentence!

 

That is the whole first sentence! You did it! 

 

(Which puts me in an awkward position...don't I still owe you chocolate from a pop quiz regarding The Forsaken Inn several months ago??? Oops!  :lol:

[ErinE]

 I haven't really gotten Shannon interested in them yet, but I suspect the time is almost right.  I always attributed my strong vocabulary on high scores on the verbal SAT to a steady diet of GH in my youth.  ;)  :D

 

You mentioned your daughter was interested in writing stories. I've read a *ridiculous* amount on writing craft, but recently I've begun working my way through The Fantasy Fiction Formula by Deborah Chester, which I've found to be an interesting analytical view on writing genre fiction well. I chose it, because the reviews were so positive.

 

Chester was Jim Butcher's writing instructor. After taking her class a few times and disagreeing with her teaching, he decided to show her how wrong she was by following every one of her instructions. He ended up writing the first book of the Dresden Files, and he says he's used her principles ever since.

 

I know not everyone likes Butcher, but I've found Chester's book to be a helpful, step-by-step approach to creating a genre novel. There's exercises, geared towards completing a novel, scattered throughout the book. She provides examples of bad and good writing, plus samples of how to shift writing depending upon character, plot, setting, or point of view. 

 

And she dislikes second person POV as much as I do.

 

Highly recommend her book if you're interested in the craft of writing.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

I checked - June 2015!  :laugh:  

 

 

 

(Which puts me in an awkward position...don't I still owe you chocolate from a pop quiz regarding The Forsaken Inn several months ago??? Oops!   :lol: 

 

 

 

Edited October 10, 2016 by Woodland Mist Academy

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Speaking of the writing craft and spooky books... here's a little seasonal serendipity...

 

Ray Bradbury discusses his writing journey, which started when he was twelve, in an essay titled  "May I Die Before My Voices".  

 

It is the forward to The October Country. 

 

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

That is the whole first sentence! You did it! 

 

(Which puts me in an awkward position...don't I still owe you chocolate from a pop quiz regarding The Forsaken Inn several months ago??? Oops!  :lol:

 

Yes, I thought of that immediately when you promised bonbons again!  :toetap05:   :lol:

[Chrysalis Academy]

You mentioned your daughter was interested in writing stories. I've read a *ridiculous* amount on writing craft, but recently I've begun working my way through The Fantasy Fiction Formula by Deborah Chester, which I've found to be an interesting analytical view on writing genre fiction well. I chose it, because the reviews were so positive.

 

Chester was Jim Butcher's writing instructor. After taking her class a few times and disagreeing with her teaching, he decided to show her how wrong she was by following every one of her instructions. He ended up writing the first book of the Dresden Files, and he says he's used her principles ever since.

 

I know not everyone likes Butcher, but I've found Chester's book to be a helpful, step-by-step approach to creating a genre novel. There's exercises, geared towards completing a novel, scattered throughout the book. She provides examples of bad and good writing, plus samples of how to shift writing depending upon character, plot, setting, or point of view. 

 

And she dislikes second person POV as much as I do.

 

Highly recommend her book if you're interested in the craft of writing.

 

Thank you for the suggestion! It sounds perfect for her, and the birthday is only 3 weeks away!

[Butter]

#100: The Old Testament.

#101: The Old Testament Verse by Verse.

 

I finally finished reading the Old Testament yesterday from cover to cover for the first time.  I've read the rest of the scriptures straight through multiple times, but this was a first for the OT.  All over 1,000 pages of it.  It was daunting.

[Ethel Mertz]

How about graphic novels/graphic nonfiction? Those tend to be very fast reads. I'd recommend:

 

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll (spooky short stories, fabulous art)

 

Howl by Allen Ginsberg and Eric Drooker (Honestly, nothing special about the art, imo, In fact, I think one of the reviewers mentions that they are stills from an animation, but maybe a nice way to read/re-read the poem.)

 

An Iranian Metamorphosis by Mana Neyestani

 

Everything by Marjane Satrapi, but especially Persepolis 1 and 2, if you haven't read them.

 

The Buddha series by Osamu Tezuka

 

I also have Daytripper by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba sitting here. I haven't read it yet, but it was recommended to me, and I'll just pass that recommendation on.

 

 

You could also check out the novellas in Melville House's Art of the Novella series.

 

Thanks for the recommendations!

 

  And rounding out the pack is a nonfiction study called $2.00 A Day:  Living on Almost Nothing in America, which I suppose is an ongoing field of interest for me.  Maybe I will finish one of these this week 

$2.00 a day was quite eye-opening!

[Tress]

There is a brand new Du Maurier biography, which gets very good reviews in the Netherlands.

 

It will be available to you......April 2017..... :svengo:

It's available in Dutch and French now.

(I don't understand a thing about book publishing!)

 

 

 

[Robin M]

Morning, dolls! Just realized we haven't heard anything from Jane! Hoping she wasn't affected by the hurricane. Stacia, have you talked to her?

[Violet Crown]

#100: The Old Testament.

#101: The Old Testament Verse by Verse.

 

I finally finished reading the Old Testament yesterday from cover to cover for the first time. I've read the rest of the scriptures straight through multiple times, but this was a first for the OT. All over 1,000 pages of it. It was daunting.

Well done! I keep thinking I need to do that, just read through, instead of just re-re-re-reading the Gospels and Psalms.

 

Hasn't there been a Bible-in-a-year thread on the Chat Board in the past? I was thinking of joining if there's one for 2017.

Edited October 10, 2016 by Violet Crown

[JennW in SoCal]

Goodness but I'm never quite sure how to join in these lively conversations once they've built up a head of steam. Do I report on my books first? Multi-quote and comment?  I kept checking in when I had a few moments yesterday, then when I actually had some free time, made the mistake of watching the debate  :ack2:  instead of doing the more sensible thing of hanging out with y'all!

 

The only Stephen King I've ever read were the columns he wrote about 10 years back in Entertainment Weekly. They were fun essays about pop culture, and I enjoyed his writing, but know I'm too much of a wimp to try any of his horror books. I'm even leery of trying his fantasy series.

 

The stories of y'all sharing books with your moms are bittersweet to me. My parents were both avid readers, but they never shared books with me when I was growing up. My mother was too much of a judgmental snob to read Mary Stewart or Victoria Holt, so when I borrowed a few of those from friends I had to hide them. I love that I have learned through my BaW friends to embrace my enjoyment of a bit of flufferton now and again!  

 

I finished my historical epic (with a touch of fantasy) Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay. The first third was evocative and poetic: 

 

Here in the mountains, alone in hard, clear air by the waters of Kuala Nor, far to the west of the imperial city, beyond the borders of the empire, eve, Tai was in a narrow bed by darkfall, under the first brilliant stars, and awake at sunrise.

 

In the spring and summer the birds woke him. This was a place where thousands upon thousands nested noisily: fishhawks and cormorants, wild geese and cranes. The geese made him think of friends far away. Wild geese were a symbol of absence: in poetry, in life. Cranes were fidelity, another matter.

 

In winter the cold was savage, it could take the breath away. The north wind when it blew was an assault, outdoors, and even through the cabin walls. He slept under layers of fur and sheepskin, and no birds woke him at dawn from the icebound nesting grounds on the far side of the lake.

 

The ghosts were outside in all seasons, moonlight nights and dark, as ason as the sun went down.

 

Tai knew some of their voices now, the angry ones and the lost ones, and those in whose thin, stretch crying there was only pain.

 

This main character, Tai, is out there alone acting to honor his late father by burying the bones of a 1000 dead soldiers from a bloody battle some 20 years early.  The whole book is set in a fictional Tang Dynasty China, and, having majored in Chinese studies in college, I loved how he perfectly captured the poetry, politics and culture. But the author didn't know where to go after that brilliant first section of the book. The second third of the book is more straightforward with lots of political maneuvering which was nicely and lightly handled. But it all starts crumpling towards the last third which is has rushed, abbreviated action that leads to a long tidying up of character arcs. It was as if the author couldn't decide whether to do a total fantasy or whether to stay true to Tang history, so he tried to do both in one book.

 

There -- an epic description of my epic book! 

 

And Robin, Jane had promised to check in when she could. She may not have internet access. I've been thinking about her, too! 

Edited October 10, 2016 by JennW in SoCal

[Lady Florida.]

 

 

 

I can't believe nobody has taken me up on my audible offer.  Seriously people!  I can give you a book if you have an audible account and I WANT to give books to my friends.  :p

 

I don't have any of those books but I will link a few that you might like and you can pick one if you'd like.  If I'm being too pushy then just ignore me ... sometimes I don't understand social nuances very well. 

 

 

Most of the Brother Cadfael books

 

 

I will take you up on it and would love the first Brother Cadfael book A Morbid Taste for Bones, if you have it. I've been meaning to try the series and even started reading it a few times. I liked it well enough but other books took priority and I never got very far. Since it was a library book it kept going back. I listened to the sample of the audio book and the narrator almost sounds like Derek Jacobi, who played him in the tv series.

 

How does it work? I've loaned and borrowed Kindle books but haven't tried the share feature with Audible. 

 

I'll go through my library later and list books I have in case anyone is interested. Maybe Robin or someone can think of a way to have a list of people interested. Perhaps we could do something like the postcard list.

Edited October 10, 2016 by Lady Florida.

[6packofun]

I just read Jamaica Inn by DuMaurier.  That one has all the gothic elements too:  isolated inn in the middle of the moors, a cruel and violent man who runs a smuggling empire, lots of frightening strangers the heroine doesn't know if she can trust.  Very atmospheric and intense.

 

I thought it was really good!  I was a little "meh" on the relationship aspect, if you can call it that, but I thought it was pretty intense, too!

[Lady Florida.]

Nothing new on the book front. I'm listening to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire for the umpteenth time, while I decide how to spend my Audible credit.

 

I discovered Stephen King in the early 80s and went on a binge for several years. I read Salem's Lot, Firestarter, The Dead Zone, Carrie, Cujo, The Stand, Christine, and Pet Semetary. Then as quickly as I started I stopped. I suddenly didn't like his books anymore. I don't know why. I was already in my late 20s when I started so I can't say it was maturity. I think I just tired of his writing. He's a prolific writer but not a good writer. I knew that at the time but was enjoying the genre.

 

About 10 years ago someone in my book club (not my current book club) chose Rose Madder. I read it and didn't hate it but it seemed like an odd choice for book club. As it turned out, only 3 of us went to the meeting and one of those 3 was the person who chose the book.

 

I do have two stories related to Stephen King books.

 

One - When the movie Christine came out my roommate and I went to see it. At the time I owned a red 1971 Ford LTD. It looked like this only with a black top instead of white. As we came out of the theater and walked towards my car other people leaving the theater were giving us funny looks and a wide berth. :lol:

 

Two - When ds was 13 he decided he wanted to read horror stories. Although I no longer liked King, I remembered that I once did and thought he probably would like this style of horror. When he asked for my help I suggested Carrie. It had been over 30 years since I read it and almost as long since I re-watched the movie on tv (I never saw it in the theater nor saw the remake). After only a few pages he came to me and said "This is a weird book", but didn't elaborate. I thought I'd look at it to see what he was talking about. I had completely forgotten about the opening scene in the school locker room. I suggested this book to my 13 yo boy! :ohmy: :eek:

 

Goodness but I'm never quite sure how to join in these lively conversations once they've built up a head of steam. Do I report on my books first? Multi-quote and comment? I kept checking in when I had a few moments yesterday, then when I actually had some free time, made the mistake of watching the debate :ack2: instead of doing the more sensible thing of hanging out with y'all!

 

 

I do that more often than I care to admit. Sometimes I'll even multiquote a few posts but decide to just come back later. When I come back I discover the thread has grown tremendously. Edited October 11, 2016 by Lady Florida.

[LostSurprise]

I picked up Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke a couple days ago because it had fallen between my nightstand and my bed--oops!--and it's overdue from the library!  It's very interesting and engaging so far. I think there was a movie and/or tv series about this book?  I haven't seen those. 

 

I read this a few months ago. There were parts of it I liked ok, but I really disliked this book as an ecologist - I disliked the idea that humanity will "outgrow" earth and that the ecosystem and the rest of life is irrelevant, all that matters is human evolution.  I tend to think that's a hard sci fi/physics sci fi worldview, and I think I like more "biological evolution" sci fi.  

 

My SIL, who is 50 something, raves about this book, which she read first as a teenager. It was totally formative for her. It's one of those books that might read differently depending when in your life you first discover it? IDK.

 

I like Childhood's End. It's the idea, more than the execution. 

 

There's a part in Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-aid Acid Test where Ken Kesey, the author, and others have all-night discussions about the cultural changing cultural viewpoints and religious significance of CE and Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. 

 

It's interesting the number of other books and shows that have used the ideas from that novel. 

 

 

Speaking of the writing craft and spooky books... here's a little seasonal serendipity...

 

Ray Bradbury discusses his writing journey, which started when he was twelve, in an essay titled  "May I Die Before My Voices".  

 

It is the forward to The October Country. 

 

 

 

 

 

I loved The October Country. I read that last October. It was great weekend vacation drive reading. 

 

 

I listened to Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands on Librivox. The reader was good. Mary Seacole was a Jamaician woman who went to the Crimean to nurse many of the British soldiers she knew in Jamaica. She also spent time in New Grenada (Panama) and did a lot of work with cholera. I liked her style. She was both feisty and very lady-like. Racial issues. Panama/early-American Gold rush stuff. Difficulty with running a hotel in Crimea. Soldier highjinks. 

 

And I'm doing a chapter of Blood Meridian every morning. Yesterday I realized how much it's like Heart of Darkness mixed a bit with the Flannery O'Connor's The Violent Bear It Away. So much atmosphere. So much creepy gothic hell dream. I have to read slowly because it's not plot or character. It's language, symbol, tone, everything painted in detail. 

[NoseInABook]

I don't remember if it was Carrie or Salem's Lot that was my first Stephen King. Both were read one after another. I'm cracking up, Stacia, I'm pretty sure I've said almost the exact thing about how long he describes every single darn thing. Then goes back to repeat it all. A few times. 

 

Amy, I'm certain you're right about Christopher Pike! But oh man, I loved him at the time. 

 

I finished PenPal by Dathan Auerbach. It was a little disjointed but all in all, I did enjoy it. There were a few parts that sent chills down my spine. 

Edited October 10, 2016 by NoseInABook

[aggieamy]

I will take you up on it and would love the first Brother Cadfael book A Morbid Taste for Bones, if you have it. I've been meaning to try the series and even started reading it a few times. I liked it well enough but other books took priority and I never got very far. Since it was a library book it kept going back. I listened to the sample of the audio book and the narrator almost sounds like Derek Jacobi, who played him in the tv series.

 

How does it work? I've loaned and borrowed Kindle books but haven't tried the share feature with Audible. 

 

I'll go through my library later and list books I have in case anyone is interested. Maybe Robin or someone can think of a way to have a list of people interested. Perhaps we could do something like the postcard list.

 

Yay!  I'm so happy.  Just PM me your email and I'll send it on to you.  I think the email has to be the one associated with your audible account.  It's not a loan ... you just get to keep it.  I really enjoy the narrator and think you will also. 

[Stacia]

I have started The Vampire of New York by Lee Hunt & am enjoying it. Seems like it will be an interesting take on the traditional Dracula story.

 

THE PAST BELONGS TO THE NIGHT.
1863: During a shipwreck in the frigid waters off the coast of North America, one man dies -- and a demon is rechristened. Enoch Bale, once known as Count Draculiya, reaches America's shores. On the eve of the New York Draft Riots, Echo Van Helsing comes to the city to avenge the mysterious murder of her father by a hideous creature out of ancient myth. Instead she is met by conspiracy, unholy terror, and a terrible truth.

THE NIGHT BELONGS TO THE DEAD.
The Present: Archaeologist Carrie Norton makes a startling find in a historic Manhattan site: the mummified corpse of a Civil War-era homicide victim. Cold-case detective Max Slattery sees something more: gruesome, uncanny parallels to a recent series of brutal slayings. Their investigation is about to take them to places neither expected, because while the man responsible may be long dead, he is not long gone....

 

Edited October 11, 2016 by Stacia

[aggieamy]

Goodness but I'm never quite sure how to join in these lively conversations once they've built up a head of steam. Do I report on my books first? Multi-quote and comment?  I kept checking in when I had a few moments yesterday, then when I actually had some free time, made the mistake of watching the debate  :ack2:  instead of doing the more sensible thing of hanging out with y'all!

 

The stories of y'all sharing books with your moms are bittersweet to me. My parents were both avid readers, but they never shared books with me when I was growing up. My mother was too much of a judgmental snob to read Mary Stewart or Victoria Holt, so when I borrowed a few of those from friends I had to hide them. I love that I have learned through my BaW friends to embrace my enjoyment of a bit of flufferton now and again!  

 

 

The only debate I'm interested in is the "I :wub: Stephen King" people vs the "Stephen King = :ack2: " people. 

 

My grandmother, step-mother (the lady who I claim as a mother), and my father all were big readers of different types.  My grandmother loved her British authors and mysteries, my mom loves Russian authors and chunksters, and my dad likes science and how-to books.  There are many books I read now where I wish I could hand it over to my grandmother to read - she was my book soulmate.  She introduced me to The Cat Who books, PG Wodehouse, Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and a million more authors I would list as favorites still today. 

 

I do have fond memories of my dad bringing home books for us kids when he'd travel for work.  Looking back I know he was bringing us books that had won awards since he had no familiarity with any children's authors and just trusted that any book with a shiny seal on it would be appropriate.  It was such a special treat though.  He'd also bring us home CD's - it was hard to beat that special treat when you were twelve years old!   

[mumto2]

I have started The Vampire of New York by Lee Hunt & am enjoying it. Seems like it will be an interesting take on the traditional Dracula story.

This looks really fun. I actually found a copy and will check it out just as soon as I have room in overdrive.

[Lady Florida.]

Yay!  I'm so happy.  Just PM me your email and I'll send it on to you.  I think the email has to be the one associated with your audible account.  It's not a loan ... you just get to keep it.  I really enjoy the narrator and think you will also.

 

Thanks. I just pm'd you. No rush.

[Kareni]

Two historical romances that might appeal to some.  These are currently free to Kindle readers.

 

The Unromantic Lady  by Lucy Gordon

 

 

Courting the Countess  by Anne Stenhouse

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Chrysalis Academy]

I finished The Elementals. I was reading it last night and realized I'd better stop or I'd never fall asleep - it got creepy enough that my heart was pounding. Then insomnia struck, so I got up and finished it this morning. I'm not sure what I think. For goodreads purposes, I kind of just picked 3 stars out of a hat. Things about this book I thought were fantastic - the description of the setting, the characters and the family dynamics. Just amazingly well-written and evocative.  The spooky/suspense part was well done, too.  But the horror/denouement? I didn't like it. But did I not like it because I don't really like gore/horror, and it felt a little to much like a bad horror movie scene? Or was it actually not well done, not right for the story, too much of a break from what came before? There was a bit of a feel of, "Well, I need to end it now" - an abruptness about the ending that felt less skilled than the rest of it. I'm not sure, I'm going to have to let this one sit for awhile. At this point it's a book that I really, really enjoyed, until the end, which I really disliked. But that could be my issue as much as the book's.

 

I'd love to hear from other people who have read it, unless we're holding off discussion? Is anybody else still in the middle of it or planning to read it this month?

[TravelingChris]

Two more books to add to my list.  

 

36. No Man's Island- Jessica Mann  - A British Archaeologist investigates murder on a remote Scottish Island.

38. Blood on the Tracks- Barbara Nickles-- This was a free book I got on Amazon Prime and it isn't coming out until Nov.   A former Marine female is now a railroad police officer in Denver.  Hobbos, Iraq War, and Neo Nazi skinheads are just some of the themes in the book.  I think this book may start a series.  

[idnib]

I finished The Elementals. I was reading it last night and realized I'd better stop or I'd never fall asleep - it got creepy enough that my heart was pounding. Then insomnia struck, so I got up and finished it this morning. I'm not sure what I think. For goodreads purposes, I kind of just picked 3 stars out of a hat. Things about this book I thought were fantastic - the description of the setting, the characters and the family dynamics. Just amazingly well-written and evocative.  The spooky/suspense part was well done, too.  But the horror/denouement? I didn't like it. But did I not like it because I don't really like gore/horror, and it felt a little to much like a bad horror movie scene? Or was it actually not well done, not right for the story, too much of a break from what came before? There was a bit of a feel of, "Well, I need to end it now" - an abruptness about the ending that felt less skilled than the rest of it. I'm not sure, I'm going to have to let this one sit for awhile. At this point it's a book that I really, really enjoyed, until the end, which I really disliked. But that could be my issue as much as the book's.

 

I'd love to hear from other people who have read it, unless we're holding off discussion? Is anybody else still in the middle of it or planning to read it this month?

 

 

I'm in complete agreement with you. I loved the characters, loved the setting, and didn't like the ending. I could have read an entire book just about their summer, without the horror. I'm also interested in discussing but am holding off just in case.

Edited October 11, 2016 by idnib

[Stacia]

Rose, I was looking up lists of spooky books & saw a mention of this one that might appeal to you...

 

 

 

Little, Brown

The Collector by John Fowles

In a mega-scary riff on “The Tempest,†Fowles tells the story of an art student, Miranda, who’s captured by a man who’s been following her, and forced to live in a room he’s set up to appeal to her wishes. The man, Frederick Clegg, has won a small fortune from football pools and uses his winnings to try to transcend his social standing. The book is narrated from his point of view first, then Miranda’s, who keeps a diary logging her plans and hopes for escaping. The book may be more metaphorical than any gritty true crime story you’ll find, but that doesn’t take away from Fowles’ artful construction of feelings of suffocation.

 

P.S. Florence & Giles is on its way to you. Should be delivered to you Tuesday, according to the post office.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Thanks, Stacia, that does look both interesting and disturbing!  Hag-Seed is on its way to me from the library, so maybe it's time for a revisit of The Tempest.

 

Paying it forward: If anybody wants The Elementals passed on, let me know. I also discovered that I have a 2nd copy of Georgette Heyer's mystery Behold Here's Poison which I'd be glad to send to someone.

 

I decided my Georgette Heyer books need to find shelf space in the house - otherwise how will I lure my children into reading them??? But there are 40 of them, so space will be tricky . . . 

 

 

Edited October 11, 2016 by Chrysalis Academy

[Stacia]

23 Underrated Horror Books You Have To Read ASAP

 

 

[Stacia]

Rose, I might be interested in The Elementals if it's not tooooo scary. Neither of my library systems carries it.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Rose, I might be interested in The Elementals if it's not tooooo scary. Neither of my library systems carries it.

 

You got it!

 

It was just the right amount of scary. The ending was just . . . weird with a bunch of eww thrown in.

[Lady Florida.]

A big THANK YOU! to aggieamy for sending me an Audible audio book. As promised, here's my list. I'd be happy to send to anyone who wants one. You'll just need to pm me with the title you want and the email address associated with your Audible account.

 

Fiction - 

The Lake House

The Things They Carried (meta fiction?)

Wolf Hall 

Bringing up the Bodies

Ready Player One

The Mistress of Nothing

Her Royal Spyness

Angela's Ashes

All 7 Harry Potter books

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Out Stealing Horses

All the Light We Cannot See

Water for Elephants

 

Non-Fiction including biographies/autobiographies

Bossypants (Tina Fey)

If You Ask Me (Betty White)

The Moral Animal

You're Never Weird on the Internet (Felicia Day)

Charles and Emma

Stories I Only Tell My Friends (Rob Lowe)

As You Wish (making of The Princess Bride read by Westley himself)

 

I also have a number of classics but I didn't list them because they're so cheap that you wouldn't want to waste the freebie on them. Mostly they're some Dickens, some George Eliot and some Scott Fitzgerald. I don't think there's a limit on how many people I can send a book to, but you can only receive one free book as far as I know.

 

 

Edited October 11, 2016 by Lady Florida.

[Mom-ninja.]

I finished a collection of short stories by Pratchett. I've started Something Fresh by Wodehouse. Absolutely doesn't fit the spooky October theme, but Wodehouse always gets a pass to be read any time. 

 

Let's see Stephen King. I've watched some of the movies, but the only book I've read is Eyes of the Dragon. It was okay. The person who recommended it raved about it being her favorite book. Eh, not mine. Stephen King just is not Austen, Wodehouse, or Pratchett.  

[Nan in Mass]

Jane is fine. I heard from her yesterday.

 

I,m still just skimming until you all stop chatting about spooky reads.

 

And I just realized that I an reading a super creepy book lol - Miyazaki,s The Art of Spirited Away.

 

Nan

[AmandaVT]

So, speaking of Stephen King: has anyone read his 11/22/63 novel? Is it scary? 

 

I've read it and enjoyed it. It's not scary, more suspenseful. There is some violence and gore (as you might imagine with a King book). 

 

I read The Blue Castle, which was a recommendation I got here a few months back. Of course I can't remember who recommended it, but I really enjoyed it. Thank you!! 

[Lady Florida.]

Jane is fine. I heard from her yesterday.

 

 

 

Thank you for letting us know, Nan. 

[Angelaboord]

Let's see Stephen King. I've watched some of the movies, but the only book I've read is Eyes of the Dragon. It was okay. The person who recommended it raved about it being her favorite book. Eh, not mine. Stephen King just is not Austen, Wodehouse, or Pratchett.

I had totally forgotten about Eyes of the Dragon, but I'm sure I read it as a teenager. I can see the cover, but for the life of me I can't remember what is was about. Doesn't say much, does it?

 

I read a lot of King books in high school, but stopped while I was still in college, except for On Writing. My first book was his collection of short stories that includes "The Mist", and then I read The Shining, Pet Sematary, Cujo, Tommy Knockers, It, The Gunslinger, Misery, and The Stand. My favorites were It and The Stand. I don't really have any desire to read any more King, except maybe the other books in his Dark Tower series.

 

I have to say that the beginning of The Passage reminds me an awful lot of King. I started it on Sunday in the car on the way to my parents, and - oh, I'm going to be that nit picky reader you hate! - but y'all, I live outside Memphis, and Justin Cronin has apparently never been there in his life! So if you are reading this book, just know that there are no frat houses of that variety in Memphis because U of M is a commuter college and we do not have any convents of note and we really, really, really do not have Spanish moss in our oak trees, because we are not far enough south.

 

Blah. Sorry. Once I get past all the little details being wrong I may be able to enjoy the story. [emoji6]

 

I did finish Circling the Sun on the way over, though. I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads, but I think that's "3-ish", as I enjoyed the last third to half of the book more than the first. McLain is a good writer, but the book didn't make me want to read West With the Night. The focus on all the relationships (extramarital and otherwise) seemed to take away from Beryl Marham's achievements for me, which weren't exactly treated like afterthoughts but were probably more peripheral than they should have been. On the other hand, McLain's portrayal of Karen Blixen (Isik Denison) has made me want to read Out of Africa. And The Flame Trees of Thika will probably move closer to the top of my TBR pile, as another read about colonial Kenya.

 

Now I'm reading Still Life by Louise Cooper. It's my first Inspector Gamache novel. I pulled it off my mom's shelves because I recognized the series from this thread. I'm not a big reader of mysteries, but I'm enjoying this one so far. I have no idea where it fits in the series, though!

 

-Angela

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[mumto2]

I had totally forgotten about Eyes of the Dragon, but I'm sure I read it as a teenager. I can see the cover, but for the life of me I can't remember what is was about. Doesn't say much, does it?

 

I read a lot of King books in high school, but stopped while I was still in college, except for On Writing. My first book was his collection of short stories that includes "The Mist", and then I read The Shining, Pet Sematary, Cujo, Tommy Knockers, It, The Gunslinger, Misery, and The Stand. My favorites were It and The Stand. I don't really have any desire to read any more King, except maybe the other books in his Dark Tower series.

 

I have to say that the beginning of The Passage reminds me an awful lot of King. I started it on Sunday in the car on the way to my parents, and - oh, I'm going to be that nit picky reader you hate! - but y'all, I live outside Memphis, and Justin Cronin has apparently never been there in his life! So if you are reading this book, just know that there are no frat houses of that variety in Memphis because U of M is a commuter college and we do not have any convents of note and we really, really, really do not have Spanish moss in our oak trees, because we are not far enough south.

 

Blah. Sorry. Once I get past all the little details being wrong I may be able to enjoy the story. [emoji6]

 

I did finish Circling the Sun on the way over, though. I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads, but I think that's "3-ish", as I enjoyed the last third to half of the book more than the first. McLain is a good writer, but the book didn't make me want to read West With the Night. The focus on all the relationships (extramarital and otherwise) seemed to take away from Beryl Marham's achievements for me, which weren't exactly treated like afterthoughts but were probably more peripheral than they should have been. On the other hand, McLain's portrayal of Karen Blixen (Isik Denison) has made me want to read Out of Africa. And The Flame Trees of Thika will probably move closer to the top of my TBR pile, as another read about colonial Kenya.

 

Now I'm reading Still Life by Louise Cooper. It's my first Inspector Gamache novel. I pulled it off my mom's shelves because I recognized the series from this thread. I'm not a big reader of mysteries, but I'm enjoying this one so far. I have no idea where it fits in the series, though!

 

-Angela

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

I can assure you The Passage takes you all over the place. My favourite place they go is an Outdoor World near Colorado. I loved the description because we lived near one when the dc's were really little and they loved going to that store. It was an outing all by itself! :lol:

 

This is a silly question but I loved John Grisham books back when he first started writing. A couple were set near Memphis I think and I have always wondered if the setting was right. It seemed like a place I would love to live. I have never been to Memphis. Did he do OK?

 

I really hate it when author's get the setting really wrong. It bugs me. Sometimes it drives me a bit nuts especially when the error makes the mystery clues impossible or just too weird. So I know exactly what you mean.

 

Btw Jenn, The newest DCI Banks series just finished airing here. It's one of my favourites each year although I have never read one of his books but did put the first on hold. The tv series is set mainly in Leeds which is close to us so I know it moderately well. Apparently the books are more village centered. I ended up in a conversation with a couple of male bellringers last week who are pretty huge fans of those books. They both live towards Leeds and say the village descriptions are really accurate. The books are considered to be way superior by them. Didn't surprise me the book always is better! What did surprise me is their taste in books. One is such a sci fi type, with tshirts proclaiming it. The other I really expected to be much more the classics type. They are going to try the Rivers of London series on my recommendation. Discussion is jokingly under way to start a Tower book club. :lol:

[Rosie_0801]

1. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Enchanting tale. I read somewhere that the actress Julia Roberts highly recommends it.

 

 

Ooh. I'm down on Paulo Coelho at the moment. :angry:  I was looking for something not too strenuous to read on the train because I was in a grumpy mood. The little shop at the station appeared to have nothing at all between complete trash and classics, then I found his 'Adultery.' Now I don't expect much from a book called 'Adultery,' but I trusted Paulo! And he let me down! It was the same bored woman cheats on her husband book as all other books like that, except he set it in Switzerland and let her have a job. Boring, boring, boring. But at least it lasted the two hour train trip home.

[Rosie_0801]

And I just realized that I an reading a super creepy book lol - Miyazaki,s The Art of Spirited Away.

 

 

That movie gave me the heebie jeebies something chronic. It's like Animal Farm.

[Loesje22000]

There is a brand new Du Maurier biography, which gets very good reviews in the Netherlands.

 

It will be available to you......April 2017..... :svengo:

It's available in Dutch and French now.

(I don't understand a thing about book publishing!)

Can you please PM the Dutch link?

 

Daphne Dumarrier might be a nice 'project' for now,

As I finished Wuthering Heights last night and have finished anything in Dutch about and from the Brontes I am aware of.

 

According Goodreads I'm on book 49 of 52 so I think I can say I will reach my goal this year:)

 

I liked Wuthering Heights more then I expected in advance.

Based on my memories on a dutch retelling for teenagers I expected to dislike the book.

[Mom-ninja.]

I had totally forgotten about Eyes of the Dragon, but I'm sure I read it as a teenager. I can see the cover, but for the life of me I can't remember what is was about. Doesn't say much, does it?

 

 

The rumor is that he wrote it for his teen daughter. So it's not scary. There is a bad guy who likes to arrive and mess around with people to ruin lives/communities and then he moves on. Main plot is rightful king thrown from throne by brother and then what follows. 

 

 

 

 

I set my goal this year at 60. I'm at 63 so I've met my goal already. Cool. I will say that is because I've been listening to a number of audio books. I listen to them each morning while getting ready and each night while undoing what I did to myself in the morning. Bonus: you brush your teeth longer when listening to an audio book. Negative: Sometimes you find yourself running a bit late because you just can't turn it off. 

[Ethel Mertz]

Ooh. I'm down on Paulo Coelho at the moment. :angry:  I was looking for something not too strenuous to read on the train because I was in a grumpy mood. The little shop at the station appeared to have nothing at all between complete trash and classics, then I found his 'Adultery.' Now I don't expect much from a book called 'Adultery,' but I trusted Paulo! And he let me down! It was the same bored woman cheats on her husband book as all other books like that, except he set it in Switzerland and let her have a job. Boring, boring, boring. But at least it lasted the two hour train trip home.

 

Thanks for the warning! 

[Chrysalis Academy]

All reading plans derailed, because Underground Airlines finally came in! I started it last night, and I have to say it is quite serendipitous that I'm reading it in the middle of my hard-boiled detective fiction jag.  It fits right in - the hard-boiled detective who is doing his job, by any means necessary, who has an internal moral code, which might or might not be considered "right" or "good" by a layman, but which is fundamentally pragmatic, but which is challenged by the corrupt world in which he finds himself.  The world that he describes in the novel is both recognizably "ours" and very similar to the 20s/30s world of Hammett and Chandler. Same cynicism for sure. Very interesting.