Books, Books, Etc.

The Innocent by Harlan Coben

2008-05-19T22:03:00.003-05:00

I just finished listening to Deal Breaker and with mixed feelings I write this. There is an old adage that I will get wrong.....those who cant do teach and those who cant teach become critics. No offense to the many wonderful teachers of my kids and my friends and I may someday become a teacher myself but as the adage goes...I cant write or teach but I cant be a critic either! Overall a pretty decent book but it had to many words even for an audio book. Sorry Mr. Coben but you could have really cut out a bit of the book and it would have improved. Overall like the other Coben book Deal Breaker - lots of plots great twists up until the end. Lots of fast paced action and an overall great read. I would recommend this to anyone I just wish Mr. Coben would have cut out a few word.

Another Discovery

2008-04-30T22:33:00.004-05:00

Although I prefer horror, weird tales, and most science fiction I also enjoy good sarcastic comedy mystery type of books. One of the masters of this type of writing is Carl Hiassen but I have just found another author in the same vein. Well written, plenty of great comedy, good action, nice plot, good writing in Harlan Coben. I am almost finished with Deal Breaker and would highly recommend it to anyone. The Hero, Myron, somtime sports agent, sometime black bag FBI operations and his friend Wynn remind me of John D McDonald's work. Wynn and Myron kick and punch there way through the porn world all the while trying to get the fresh new quarterback signed to his first pro contract. If you have read any of Mr. Coben's books give it a try - they are a great break from horror and the like.

To keep on the Stephen King vein, I would highly recommend Bev Vincent's book "The Road To The Dark Tower" as a companion read while you are reading the Dark Tower series. If you have not read this series of 7 books I highly recommend them. They firmly establish the King multiverse and connect many of his others works. It becomes great fun to ponder the connection of King's work into the dark tower world.

Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill

2008-04-21T22:41:00.003-05:00

I just finished Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill and it was a great read. Mr. Hill combined horror with good writing to make for a fast paced non-stop action read. I liked how Mr. Hill developed the characters through out the story rather than taking the first 50 or so pages to set everyone up. This made for a nice thread through out the story. Many plots in one all at the same time. Overall, its a great read and is highly recommended for all horror fans. I think there is enough of a draw for non-horror fans as well.

Ultimate BSG

2008-04-20T20:16:00.001-05:00

Nature Girl by Carl Hiassen

2008-04-18T21:57:00.002-05:00

Nature Girl is a hilarious read. Carl does it again! Carl Hiassen manages again to have many plots running at the same time intertwined in a fast paced and truly hilarious fashion. Honey gets mad at a telemarketer and convinces him to come to Florida so she can tell him off and it just goes from there. Honey's ex-husband, son, and a cast of others romp through south Florida on a comical adventure. A recommended read to all.

Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen

2008-04-05T21:36:00.003-05:00

This is truly a great read! Chaz throws his wife Joey overboard and he just cant seem to do that or anything else right in the book. His wife Joey is rescued by Stranahan and the book takes off from there. Its funny, fun and exciting read all the way through. There are many laugh out loud moments and I recommend any of Mr. Hiaasen's books.

Stephen King As a Science Fiction Writer

2008-03-23T23:45:00.000-05:00

To the avid readers of Stephen King, what about King as a science fiction writer?? I say yes and I am currently trying to find some academic work on this subject. If in doubt I would recommend reading The Long Walk, The Running Man and the short story The Jaunt. I would also recommend the 7 volume Gunslinger series and this is most definately a western science fiction western horror cyberpunk set of books. If anyone sees this let me know your thoughts.

Running Man

2008-03-23T22:57:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading Running Man by Richard Bachman, a.k.a. Stephen King, and it was a great story. Interesting more science fiction than horror. I am not an authority on science fiction genres but I would almost classify this as cyberpunk/biopunk sub-genre of science fiction. In the story the main character Ben Richards in an effort to raise money to get his daughter medical care in the totalitarian society controlled by big government and mega corporations.

Stephen King has a couple of these science fiction stories most notably The Long Walk and the Jaunt (a short story in the Skeleton Crew compilation) and all are very good. I have not seen any real writing on Mr. King's science fiction stories but will continue to scour at least the web for these.

The Running Man is a good read, fast paced, and an overall well written book. I would highly recommend this to all and especially King fans.

A New Discovery

2008-03-22T23:13:00.000-05:00

Since Thanksgiving 2007 I have discovered a great new mystery writer. Mr. Carl Hiaasen who writes about the underbelly of Florida life in a humorous and attention getting way. His books are entertaining and very humorous. If you have never read anything by Mr. Hiaasen give him a try. Even the great Stephen King gave Mr. Hiaasen a honorable mention in his recent book Duma Key.

His humor and story telling remind me Neil Gaiman's books.

Duma Key Part 2

2008-03-21T16:29:00.000-05:00

Just finished Duma Key and what a great book it was. Stephen King did not disappoint with this new novel. Amidst the great story telling ability of King was quite a good little horror story yarn in true King fashion. Mixture of horror and Lovecraftian weird tales what a book it was.

I am not much of a critic in the purist sense but King makes you really care about the characters. This has been a prevelent theme through all of his works. Freemantle's and Wireman's friendship with their sidekick Jack really takes us through the book. Ms. Eastlake rounds out the cast of characters in the book. The horror hook as well as the character development keep this book fast paced and exciting.

Definitely a must read for King fans and a should read for all. The book does have its weird parts but it also is a masterful story told by the master himself.

Running Man

2008-03-16T00:26:00.000-05:00

About half way through Running Man and it is a serious departure from the movie. It certainly is a little darker than the movie and when you read the book you realize the movie adaptation had to be done that way to move the plot along. All in all a great read so far.

Duma Key

2008-03-13T22:20:00.001-05:00

About half way through Duma Key and so far its a great story. King doesnt often write about areas outside of Maine but he has caputered Florida very well. Having been to south Florida and read to much Carl Hiassen, Mr. King has captured that flavor of the Florida coast well. Combine with great story telling Mr. King has worked in a great thread of weird tales. So far so good.

Dance of Death

2008-03-10T23:37:00.000-05:00

Dance of Death is a very good book, lots of action and a good fast paced story. I call this fast paced even though it takes place in the "stuffy" world of the New York Museum of Natural History. This story has A. Pendergast, V. D'Agosta and Constance Greene facing off with the villain Diogenes Pendergast. The story revolves around the opening of an egyptian tomb in a history museum by somehow Preston and Childs make it intersting with details and action. All in all a recommended read.

This is the last in a series of three books and I have the first two on my stack to read. Unfortunately that stack keeps growing larger by the minute.

The Mist

2008-03-10T23:11:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading the short story The Mist by Stephen King and what a story it was. Drama, horror, weird tale, it had everything. The thing I like about Stephen King is that not everything works out peaches and cream for the characters. In The Mist the main characters are left at a Howard Johnson (HoJo) heading for what may be the last bastian on the eastern seaboard. Not like the movies where the hero gets the girl and rides off into the sunset.

All in all a very good story, good drama and good supporting cast. I have not yet seen the movie but hope to rent it soon. The Mist as well as the rest of the collection in the collection Skeleton Key are some of Mr. Kings best short fiction, although I am a fan of Night Shift stories as well.