"Misery" By Stephen King

Title: Misery
Author: Stephen King
Published Year: 1987
Pages: 338

I saw the screen adaptation of this book before I ever even realized there was a book by the same name. I knew Stephen King had written books, but I also thought that he just had some stand alone movies at the same time. Thank goodness I am learning my mistake and I am taking the time to read his works that I have not gotten to yet. One of the best things about watching the movie first in this case for me is that while reading it, I kept visioning Kathy Bates saying the lines of her character from the movie. It made the book move quicker and more enjoyable for me. Now I want to go back and find my own copy of "Misery" on dvd and watch it for a little bit of comparison work.

I just also have to say that I love King when he writes a book from the point of view of a writer, it is what he knows best about after all. In Misery he doesn't rely on supernatural elements to terrify the reader. He relies on the psychotic tenancies of an overzealous fan that needs to be checking into a mental hospital. This overzealous fan in this book takes hostage a writer that she swears she is his absolute number one fan of. When she gets a hold of the latest edition of the book series that stars her favorite character and the ending of the book does not as she wanted to, she holds the author hostage. Misery is his tale of living in her prison where any one move could be the wrong one and could end his life.

"Most Talkative" By Andy Cohen

Title: Most Talkative
Author: Andy Cohen
Published Year: 2012
Pages: 273
Genre: Memoir

Enlightening and humorous all in one, Cohen knows how to pack a punch. This is his story of how he went through life which started out a closeted gay Jewish boy. I have watched Andy on Bravo many times which he is an executive of that network and have felt intrigued with him each time I watched him. I am still fascinated by the man and after reading this memoir of his, I continue to be fascinated by him.

Nothing is out of bounds in this book from him telling his nearest and dearest he was gay, travels through Europe during college and how he came to where he is in the entertainment world it is all here. I have watched the Housewives he mentions throughout the book only a few times, but after reading this I am a bit more curious about them.

His light hearted way of writing about the various things that have happened in his life make me want to go back and review some of these and look at them from his perspective which he shares in this memoir.

Witty and fun, it is worth the read and I am so glad I have fallen in love with Bravo and Andy.

"Don't Call Them Ghosts" By Kathleen McConnell

Title: Don't Call Them Ghosts
Author: Kathleen McConnell
Published Year: 2004
Pages: 255


I now understand why I started this book and then put it down. I only recently picked it up and drove myself to finishing it. I was hoping for a good ghost story, but what I ended up with is more of the author telling their personal life story with some unusual events happening during it.

Strange things seem to happen in McConnell's house that she and her family move into. When these strange things start happening, she then decides to try and investigate what is actually going on in her home and who these spirit children may actually be.

There are more things that I didn't like about this book then things I actually did like about this book. McConnell has a tendency to start down one path, then lose focus and end up on a completely different path. At times there were instances where I was wondering where I had been taken and why since the path I started on never got to its destination.

Disorganized and random thoughts is the best way for me to describe this book.

"Mortician Diaries" By June Knights Nadle

Title: Mortician Diaries
Author: June Knights Nadle
Published Year: 2006
Pages: 135

I now have a completely different look on death and how the planning of what to do with a person's remains after they die can affect their whole family and friends. This book is a real eye opener about making sure you get the things done in life that you want to and that you let the people in your life know how you really feel about them. They could be gone tomorrow and you'll never have the chance to make amends if that is what you want to do.

The author grew up on a small farm in Idaho and death was nothing out of place there. When she got older she decided to go into mortuary services school since there weren't many other options for women at that time period. She has worked in many funeral homes, both small and large ones. This book is a collection of stories that she encountered along the way. There are stories of people that plan their own funerals, to ones that the deceased parents didn't realize until it was too late that they needed to make amends with their own children.

It is very moving and touching and at times I wanted to cry, but luckily I was able to hold back. I did have to put the book down a couple times to think about the section of the book that I had just read. Don't worry about there being anything really gory in it, the worst part of that is at times there are discussions of what a body looked like after death, nothing obscene.

"When the Wind Blows" By John Saul

Title: When the Wind Blows
Author: John Saul
Published Year: 1981
Pages: 348

I'm finding a recurring theme in this Saul book and the last one I read about letting the past stay the past. In each one a closed down business is being looked into reopening it (both industrial) and each had a horrid history. Some people say its better to leave it to the past while others are looking forward to the business reopening to help out a struggling town.

As in other Saul books this also introduces superstitions of the local natives that have graced the area for longer than any other human being. In this one the legend that plays a major role is the idea of "water babies". The local Indian population would take their stillborn children and lay them to rest in a cave hidden in the area in order for them to wait until they can be reborn again.

Strange things happen in the small town that this legend is based in, and an old mine is planning on being reopened by the richest family in town. The problem? There are family secrets hidden there as well.

In a story where nothing is as it really seems, Saul takes the reader on a journey full of mystery and intrigue. There are parts that can make your stomach turn due to the actions of the characters, but like with his other books it is hard to put down once you get rolling through the pages.

"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" By Mark Haddon

Title: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Author: Mark Haddon
Published Year: 2003
Pages: 226

A captivating and quick read and its not just about a dog either. Haddon's book takes on the view point of an autistic teenage boy. I have personally worked with autistic children, teenagers and adults and I have to say what he showcases here brought many memories of those people flooding back.

Christopher the lead character is autistic and he finds the body of his neighbor's dog dead with a garden fork through it body. Of course he wants to know what happens and decides to investigate. The investigation leads to other findings of lies he has been told in his life.

Haddon is amazing as he takes real life events that many of us struggle with and puts them in the perspective of an autistic teenager where these life events are even harder to comprehend and deal with. At times I found my self wanting to cry and Haddon tugged on my heart multiple times throughout the book. I wanted so badly to smack the people in young Christopher's life that didn't help him and were seeming to give up on him.

If you think you have it rough, read this book, it puts things into a whole new perspective.

"The Hunger Games" By Suzanne Collins

Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Published Year: 2008
Pages: 374

This falls under the category of "I read it because a lot of people told me it would be good". However despite all the hype I did not get all the hype. It is the first of three books in a series and since it leaves unfinished without reading the next one I will continue to read the series. I have read other books with the same type of situation that are far better works. Some people may say this is because it is a young adult book, but I have read numerous other young adult fiction and enjoy them.

The Hunger Games takes place in post apopolycptic America. The country has been split into 12 different sections each one has its own product they produce for the rest of the country. There was a time in the past when the people revolted against the people in the capital, the capital of course came out the victor and then created the Hunger Games which happen once a year. Each section is required to send one boy and one girl to compete in them. These games were created to show the people of the nation that the capital is in control. At these games the children sent there must fight to the death to have one victor. In this book a girl saves her younger sister by offering herself for the games. She goes to the games and the book is her story of what happens.

I personally do not have anything else to say about this book except it was a struggle for me to get through the book. It took longer for me to read it than it should have. Like I mentioned earlier I will continue the series since I was left with unanswered questions. I guess in that respect the author succeeded.

"Into the Dark" By Peter Abrahams

Title: Into the Dark: Echo Falls Mystery #3
Author: Peter Abrahams
Published Year: 2008
Pages: 328

Into the Dark is classified as a young adult fiction read. I do have to agree with that classification. Just because its a young adult fiction novel doesn't mean you cannot enjoy it. It is also the third in a series of mysteries. I had not read the previous two mysteries in the series and still have not read them, let me just tell you that you do not need to read them in order to pick up on the series in this installment. There are a few mentions of previous mysteries during the book but nothing that will leave you completely off guard.

If you are an adult, you may find the story proceeded a tad bit slow in parts, but then at other times the speed ramps up and you are surprised at the next turn. In this book a man is killed and the girl who is the main character of the book seeks to find out who really killed the man. Her grandfather has been accused and she full heartily believes he is innocent. Of course in the normal lives of teenagers, other family issues and conflicts arise and those also must be dealt with during the course of the mystery.

After reading this one, I can see why Stephen King has recommended his works. That was the real reason I decided to pick up this author and try him out. His name was on a list of recommended authors by Stephen King and this title is the first one that popped up when I did a search on Amazon for him. I bought this one first and now want to read the rest of the series. I just hope my daughter will too when she is old enough.

"Nathaniel" By John Saul

Title: Nathaniel
Author: John Saul
Published Year: 1984
Pages: 343

Yes another Saul book that I have recently finished. Guess I am kind of on a Saul kick. He has so many awesome books out there. I didn't realize until I joined Goodreads online how many books he has actually written. Also the fact that he lives in the Seattle area is a bonus since I'm in the same area. And of course I was not disappointed in this book of his. I had read some not so great reviews of this book, and there is only one thing I didn't like about it which is it was not as captivating as some of his other books. Don't get me wrong, I still absolutely loved the book just some parts of the book were slow going compared to other parts of the book.

In this book a woman finds out her husband secretly went and visited his home town. The way she finds out is that when he goes there he dies while he is there (don't worry that is not a spoiler, its the whole premise for her to go to this small town). So she up and leaves New York for this tiny farm community where her husband grew up and fled as fast as he could. Since she has no where to go, she decides the best thing for she and her son is to settle down in the small town. His family he fled lives there and she is curious about what drove him to leave. A legend by the name of Nathaniel surrounds the town and scares all the generations living there.

There are personal mysteries to be solved as well as whether this Nathaniel really exists and why he haunts the small town. Mystery abounds in this book and it is worth every second to get to the conclusion.

"Hellfire" By John Saul

Title: Hellfire
Author: John Saul
Published Year: 1986
Pages: 344


Saul does not disappoint in this book. As with many of his other books, the pace is quickly set and the need to put the book down doesn't come. Instead, I found myself reading faster and faster in order to try and finish what I could before I absolutely had to put the book down. This book is captivating and a quick read, at least for me.

Do the sins of our previous generations actually harm the lives of the current generations when it comes to families? Hellfire takes a look at this scenario along with many current life themes. Divorce, remarriage and the struggle of becoming a complete family also play a role and add to the conflict besides the normal supernatural conflicts that Saul writes about.

The characters are so well written than at times when I was reading I wanted to reach into the book and smack the hell out of a couple of the characters due to the way they were treating others that were trying hard to please them.

The best thing about Saul is he puts in believable story lines that could happen right here in present day America with the addition of supernatural issues that arise. In this specific novel, the ghosts of murdered children try and seek their revenge on those who murdered them. Just because those that murdered them are no longer living doesn't mean they cannot go after their ancestors.

"Strangers" By Dean Koontz

Title: Strangers
Author: Dean Koontz
Published Year: 1986
Pages: 689

At first I struggled with getting into this book. I am a fan of Koontz and didn't want to miss out on any of his books. I am still trying to read every single book he has written and I now can say I finished this one as well. In order to actually get this book read I had to set up a deadline for me to finish it by. I am beginning to realize how important this is for me to do to read certain books I have struggled with. Anyways now on to the book.

The reason why I had such a hard time getting into this book is that it seemed slow going at first. There are many characters and each one has its own story which leads up to the climax of the book. Getting through each individual story and how they were all tied in together was the hurdle I eventually overcame. These individuals soon get their stories to come together, some come together faster than others. Each character is having something distinct and different going on in their lives. They all do not know of each other or so they think. Soon there are small clues coming to each one and the pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place.

A little hotel near Elko, Nevada called the Tranquility Motel seems to be the center of all the confusion. As the characters migrate back to this motel that seems to be out in the middle of nowhere, they begin to realize how they know each other and there is something behind the seemingly strange events that have been going on in their live.

A cover-up of some sort is going on, but who did the cover-up and why is the question each one has.

"The Haunting of America" By William J. Birnes & Joel Martin

Title: The Haunting of America
Authors: William J Birnes & Joel Martin
Published Year: 2009
Pages: 497

This isn't your normal everyday ghost story book that holds just ghost stories. Instead what you'll find is a more textbook like book that looks into different parts of our American history that deal with the paranormal realm of ghosts and explains how those events helped shape our history here in America. So in other words it is a cultural study of how paranormal events have played a role in how our country has become what it is today and what effects those events have had on our country here in the United States of America (I say our because I write this blog from the U.S.A. and that is just where my mental picture is formed).

The book includes such events as the Salem Witch Trials, our founding fathers and the relevance of certain things they used in designing some of our most basic everyday items, the rise of spiritualism and the use of mediums as well as the influence of Houdini on our culture. Some of these you may have already looked into and researched, and so have I. However, there seemed a difference here to me in the way the authors presented all the cases. I have read a lot of negative views on this book, but if you are interested in the paranormal even a little bit it will do you good to at least browse through it and see if you can find something you have not come across in the past.

Since it is presented similar to a textbook some of the entries can get drawn out and seem like they are taking forever to get through. My advice is to work your way through the book and that if you feel like you've hit a brick wall in your reading, stop take a break and read something else for awhile; you can always come back and pick up where you left off if you are feeling overwhelmed.

"Coyote's Kiss" By Christa Faust

Title: Coyote's Kiss
Author: Christa Faust
Published Year: 2011
Pages: 348


Based on the hit television show, this book is one of many that follow the Winchester boys through trials and tribulations that weave in and out of episodes. They are stories that fall between the cracks of the television show episodes and make neat ties making the series of books a must read for any fan of the show. Each book isn't always written by the same author, which brings in an even more interesting twist to the books. I love reading different authors, and taking a series of the same type and having different authors write the books for the series brings more fun and enjoyment in my personal opinion. Just like the television series that these books are based on, you'll never know what to expect from the next author especially if you have not read anything else that they have written.

In this installment, the Winchester boys find out about some sort of creature that is killing people in the American southwest. They travel to that part of the country to find out what is going on and what kind of supernatural creature could be killing the people. As they move along in their investigation, they find that a certain group of border patrol agents are being targeted and nothing will stop the creature from killing them. They also find other hunters and journey into Mexico in order to stop an even bigger problem. I won't spoil what that bigger problem is, but there is nothing held back in this book.

If you're anything like me, you'll get hooked and won't want to put the book down. I hope you enjoy it just as much as I have. Now I just need to find some time to grab the next one and get that one read.

"The Cellar" By Richard Laymon

Title: The Cellar
Author: Richard Laymon
Published Year: 1980
Pages: 309

Richard Laymon is not an author for people that cannot handle gore and so-called taboo topics. He does not hold back in his writings and intertwins tales of the paranormal world with those of the worst of human kind.

In The Cellar he takes us on the journey of a mother who is running away from her husband who has just been released from prison. The husband was in prison for raping their young daughter. He has promised he will come after the pair once they get out of prison.

While on the run, they end up wrecking their car and end up in a small town that is home to the famous Beast House. The famous Beast House is home to a beast that has killed many people who have lived in the home and others that have broken in after dark.

Blending the two storylines brings a reality and fear and clashes it directly into a paranormal mystery. It brings a real feeling to the otherwise not normal mainstream issues in life.

"The Haunted" By Bentley Little

Title: The Haunted
Author: Bentley Little
Published Year: 2012
Pages: 389

The Haunted is Little's latest work and if you are a fan of any of his other books you won't be disappointed. Gruesome and gritty, Little keeps the horror action going throughout the whole book. He is one author that I have read every single book he has published. There is not a Bentley Little book out there that I have not read, that's how addicted I am to his books.

For this book, the reader follows the story of a family that moves into a home. At first everything seems fine, but then weird occurrences begin to happen in the house and the neighbors are really standoffish towards them. The events escalate during the book and the peak that happened, I wasn't even expecting despite having read other books of Little's.

Lots of carnage, twisted plots, and bizarre history are all included here, so if that's something you cannot handle then don't even try reading this book, you'll be offended. Little does have a knack for offending some people and that could easily happen in this book.

The really good thing about Little's book is that it does stress the importance of family. This is relevant in other books of his as well.

"The God Project" By John Saul

Title: The God Project
Author: John Saul
Published Year: 1982
Pages: 340

I am so happy that I rediscovered how awesome John Saul is. I am going to have to put him in my favorite author list along with Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Bentley Little and Laurell K. Hamilton. Just that little list alone should give you a little insight into what my favorite types of books are. If you've read my blog before though, you'll know that I read pretty much anything I can get my hands on.

In The God Project Saul focuses on a little New England town where children are dying in their sleep of SIDs while others there and across the nation are disappearing or turning up dead too. At first it doesn't seem like these kids could have any connection at all until the story really gets rolling. Genetics and the Department of Defense all have a role to play and its still shocking all the way til the end of the book.

Saul writes a futuristic tale for the time that this was written, and it is fast paced and hard to put down. Just when you think you have it all figured out, he pulls another card out and plays a fast one on you. Things keep getting interesting and it left me wondering all the way til the end.

"Bobby Singer's Guide to Hunting" By David Reed

Title: Supernatural: Bobby Singer's Guide to Hunting
Author: David Reed
Published Year: 2011
Pages: 260 pages
Genre: Fiction/Movie Tie In

If you have read some of my other blog postings, you may have come across another review of s "Supernatual" related book. And if this is the case, then you may remember that I am absolutely in love with the show. This of course led me to this book. The more things I discover about the paranormal, the more interested and curious about the topic I become.

This book is described as fiction, and it is rightfully called so. It brings in a character from the show and brings a story that has happened due to the outcome of one of the "hunts" that the characters from the show go on. Bobby Singer is the go-to man for the Winchester boys when they need to find out what they are hunting and how to kill it. On one of these hunts that takes place in the book  Bobby gets back to his house without knowing how he got there. The premise of this book is for him to try and recall how he made it back to his house and since he thinks he is losing his memory, he begins frantically writing down every known creature and hunt he has encountered, at least the ones he can still remember.

Despite the way that this book kind of wanders from story to story with no real correlation, it is meant to be that way and as you read it it makes complete sense. When reading this book you need to keep in mind that the view point that you are reading comes from a character who is rapidly losing their memory and is writing his life story accordingly.

"Sleep Walk" By John Saul

Title: Sleep Walk
Author: John Saul
Published Year: 1990
Pages: 449 pages

Saul has a way of grabbing the reader's attention in just the first few pages and keeping that attention throughout his entire novels. Each one of his books brings a new story of some of humankind's greatest fears and Sleep Walk is no exception. He is also able to introduce new fears into a world that is already full of them. I wish I could only know where he comes up with the fantastic tales of terror and horror that he is able to weave into a perfect story.

Sleep Walk takes place in a small town in the desert of America. Strange things have been happening as they always seem to do in stories that thrill and terrify the reader. A former resident comes back to the small town to teach in the school she grew up in. Not much has changed since she left and has come back, and the longer she stays in the town, this starts to change. Kids that have normally been trouble makers are suddenly complacent and follow orders no matter the order given to them. Other members of the town start dying and have medical issues that there is no pre-warning for. To top it all off a big oil company comes in and buys out the smaller one that hosts the majority of the jobs in the small town and things get even weirder than that.

Saul's books are ones that I need to read more of. I find them easy to get into and they keep me reading page after page until the book is finished or my eyes are drooping. Just when you think you have the plot and the ending figured out, he likes to throw another curve ball at you.

"Strange Highways" By Dean Koontz

Title: Strange Highways
Author: Dean Koontz
Published Year: 1995
Pages: 614

Instead of a novel, Koontz presents us with short stories and novellas in this edition of his work. I have never read anything of his that wasn't a full length novel and had no idea of what I was picking up when I grabbed this to read. I like to kind of walk into books without knowing too much about them so I can discover them with no pre-conceived notions, as long as they are from an author I have read before. Since I have read numerous other Koontz books, I thought I knew what I was getting into. I do have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by what I found and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire book.

Koontz doesn't stick to just one genre in this collections, nor does he stick to one type of story. Each story is vast and different from the others preceding it and following it. There are tales of mutants, creative children and time warps just to name a few. Science fiction and horror are the majority of the short stories you'll find here, but some of the cunning stories do not really have a niche that they fit into in my opinion.

For those of you that are looking for a specific story of his, here is the entire list of what is present in this book:

• Strange Highways
• The Black Pumpkin
• Miss Attila the Hun
• Down in the Darkness
• Ollie's Hands
• Snatcher
• Trapped
• Bruno
• We Three
• Hardshell
• Kittens
• The Night of the Storm
• Twilight of the Dawn
• Chase

"The Last Vampire" By Christopher Pike

Title: The Last Vampire
Author: Christopher Pike
Published Year: 1994
Pages: 193

I love Christopher Pike books, and I can still remember the first of his I read Chain Letter. I was hooked on his works from there on. There is one problem though, I sort of feel let down with this book of his. Usually his books grip me from the beginning and leave me wanting for more. I know they are considered Young Adult fiction, but that doesn't mean they cannot be entertaining. Of course on goodreads, I did give it five stars for my rating just because I love his stuff and want to find more than what I have already read. I picked this one of his because of a recommendation on that website.

In this tale from Pike, we encounter a vampire who thinks she is the last of her kind. Much of the book is of her telling of some of her history and how she came to be as well as in reality what a vampire is like compared to common legend. I found it slow and burdensome due to the history and the tone of the character just did not seem right. I felt something was missing the whole time I was reading the book.

I will continue to read Pike's works and will continue the rest of the series based on this character. Since I have been able to muddle my way through this book, I should make it through the rest of the series, plus like any other series I want to know what is going to happen to the characters involved.

"The Darkest Evening of the Year" By Dean Koontz

Title: The Darkest Evening of the Year
Author: Dean Koontz
Published Year: 2007
Pages: 354

Haunting, dark and quite the thrill ride, Koontz does not disappoint with The Darkest Evening of the Year. Page after page greets the reader with continued surprises around each corner, all the while letting the characters develop themselves along the way.

A few different stories with different characters are the start of the book and it is hard to tell how each one adds to the overall story. As I was reading this book, it was like I was reading multiple separate stories that change from chapter to chapter. Knowing some of Koontz's previous works and how he has done this in previous books made me want to read it even faster because I knew what was coming, or at least I thought I did. I was just hoping to see how all the characters finally wove together and faced off in the end. Even with reading previous works of Koontz, I was still in for quite a shock as the actual story unravelled through the final pages.

A woman who is fleeing her own past, a seemingly normal everyday guy and a ruthless abusive mother of a down syndrome child all inhabit these pages. Greed, lust, fear and hope all abound throughout this book as well as the passions not only from humans but from animals as well.

This whirlwind of a story will keep you up late turning the pages just waiting to see what will happen next. How they all end up together is the best part of it all. There is hope in our world and it lies within these pages.

"Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang" By Chelsea Handler

Title: Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang
By Chelsea Handler
Published Year: 2010
Pages: 244

Can't handle "tell it like it is" stories? Then don't even think of picking this book of. Just like her previous books, Handler is not afraid to share the funny and shameless stories of her life. From drunken escapades, bad pranks and one night stands its all here.

And to take it one step further than her other books, she even adds some pictures this time! Knowing Handler, the pictures are an added bonus because they show that the wild events that make up Handler's life really do happen.

Her books are what makes me want to write down my crazy escapades in life, even though I wouldn't come even close to the hilarity of her life.

Good for tons of laughs and thoughts of "could this really be true?" I am left wondering how someone thinks the way she does and carries on life how she does, but I will add that I love every minute of it and it keeps life fun for me.

"77 Shadow Street" By Dean Koontz

Title: 77 Shadow Street
Author: Dean Koontz
Published Year: 2011
Pages: 451

Koontz still has the creep factor well alive in his books, and 77 Shadow Street is no exception to this. This is the most recent book from Koontz and I was not disappointed, he still mesmerizes me with yet another novel. Fans of Stephen King's "Rose Red" should love this book as there are similar ideas just different results. Haven't heard of either one? Well they are both about buildings that have had mysterious disappearances in the past and people of the present get tied up into these disappearances. In 77 Shadow Street the people that get tossed into the disappearance mysteries are the tenants of the actual building that shares its location with the title of the book.

Each character has their own story to tell, and each one tells what they see during the events happening at the building. Strange ghosts and horrible creatures abound in this book along with psychotic killers. With each page you don't know what is coming next, so you are bound to run into more than one surprise as you turn the pages.

I didn't want to put this book down and all I wanted to do was continue to read the book. The ending result did startle me as I was not expecting the ending I discovered. Someone more intuitive than myself may guess the ending before they actually get there. I had to get to the end to see the actual end result. Like some of his other novels, Koontz uses this one as a sort of warning to society. Wondering what that warning is? Then pick it up and read it.

"The Woman in Black" By Susan Hill

Title: The Woman in Black
Author: Susan Hill
Published Year: 1983
Pages: 164

Told like a classic ghost story, The Woman in Black is mesmerizing and spellbinding. As I read this novel I was taken back to other older works such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and Wuthering Heights just to name a few. This book may seem slow and drawn out for such a simple tale, but the way Hill writes creates an older time period realistically based on novels I have read that were actually written in the time period that this one is taking place.

The story follows the likes of an elderly gentleman who is celebrating the holidays with his family and his grandchildren make a game up of telling scary tales. They ask their grandfather to tell a story as well, and he replies that he has no tale that he can think of. The truth is that he encountered his own ghost story and lived through it when he was a young man and just starting out. As his grandchildren go to bed, he decides he must write the tale and not share it with anyone, but he must write it to come to terms with what happened those days in which is occurred, and this is the story that is the book of The Woman in Black.

It is not an overly scary book. I have read hundreds of ghost stories both fictional and non-fiction and this is a bare bones type of story. There is more mystery than horror and of course the mystery is solved as the pages fly through your hands.

"Micro" By Michael Crichton & Richard Preston

Title: Micro
Author: Michael Crichton & Richard Preston
Published Year: 2011
Pages: 429
Genre: Fiction

Here is another does of Crichton after death. Despite Crichton passing away a few years ago, new novels of his are alive and well. This is the second one that bares his name that has been released after his death. The difference between this one and Pirate Latitudes is that this manuscript was left unfinished at the time of Crichton's death. This is where Richard Preston comes in. Even though I have finished this book, I still do not know who this Richard Preston person is, except that he finished Crichton's unfinished manuscript. I will state one thing, he should have left a good thing alone. I have become a bigger Crichton fan in the last year and this book left me disappointed. If you have ever read Crichton's books before, you will be able to tell within the novel when the shift of authors takes place. If you have never read a Crichton book before and want to, please do not start with this one, it is not a true Crichton book.

In this book, there is yet another high tech company at the center of a questionable disappearance of one of its employees. This employee's younger brother comes to the island of Hawaii to think about joining this same high tech company only to discover that the day of his arrival, his brother mysteriously disappeared while out on his boat. He thinks that there is more going on since he has evidence that his brother knew something was happening at the time his boat hit the rocky shores of Hawaii. Tiny aircrafts and breaking down of molecules also share space in this book.

I do not recommend this book, and for myself, I could anticipate what was going to happen before the events actually took place. I had to summon up my inner strength of not wanting to leave this book unfinished to complete the whole book. Please do not waste your time on this.

"Needful Things" By Stephen King



Title: Needful Things

Author: Stephen King

Pages: 736

Published Year: 1991

Just like the cover of this book suggests, it is the last Castle Rock story that Stephen King has written. It would be kind of fun for him to revive the fictional town where he has spun nightmares, but I am not him and I am not as creative. Luckily for myself, I read Four Past Midnight before this one, and in that collection there were four novellas which one was a story about Castle Rock. While reading Needful Things more things made sense since I had read the story in that previous work of his. I have also seen the movie that was produced about this book, so while reading it, I had an idea of what was coming. I hadn't watched it in awhile though, and like books made into movies, the book in my opinion is usually better.

Now for the plot. A strange new shop opens in Castle Rock and the name of the store is Needful Things. According to the shopkeeper he has something for everyone and can make a deal with you even if you do not have the money to pay the going rate for the items you are buying. Soon people in the town are put up against each other as the shopkeeper offers part of the payment to be done in "harmless pranks". None of these pranks are done against someone that the person playing them already has an issue with so the fights between people escalate throughout the book all the way to the climax.

While started the book it was a little hard to get into at first for me since the action wasn't exactly immediate. Once the action started going, the book picked up and I didn't want to put it down. The words flew across the page and I was surprised at how much I was actually reading. I loved this book by the end and I am ready to read previous works about Castle Rock.

"Stephen King From A to Z" By George Beahm

Title: Stephen King From A to Z

Author: George Beahm

Published Year: 1998

Pages:251

Just by looking at the year that this book was published, you can tell that is it not entirely up-to-date. However, for someone that is curious about King in general, I find it a good starter book. The book is composed like an encyclopedia with various entries based on the author from his works, to his personal life and even his favorite authors.

After reading this I have found new authors to check out and see if I can find the same excitement from them that King does. For those of you that have a simple question or need a quick reference to something in the life of King, this book will help you out. I am personally going to keep it handy for those times where I need a back-up reference to his work.

"Weekend" By Christopher Pike





Title: Weekend

Author: Christopher Pike

Published Year: 1986

Pages: 230

Genre: Young Adult

Back when a Porsche cost $40,000 Pike wrote this book about guilt and accusation. A group of friends go to Mexico to stay in the Carlton Castle which their friend Robin has been living in since she drank poison at a party the year before where all that are going to Mexico were at. The poison caused her kidneys to fail and she has been living in the Carlton Castle which her father owns since she was released from the hospital. The weekend turns into a guessing game of who really poisoned her that fateful night and why that person did it. Each person is a subject as no one can remember exactly who was where and what they were doing at that party. As the story progresses, the group faces other challenges and messy situations that can only be overcome when the guilty party steps up and confesses.

As much as I love Christopher Pike's other books, I was kind of disappointed with the ending of this one. It just seemed to much of a "Happy Ending" and once I knew what was going to happen I had to convince myself to continue reading the rest of the novel. There just weren't enough surprises and shocking turns for me and some things when the book got done just seemed like they were not finished up.