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So this is one of Stephen King’s short stories. Just around 80 pages long, so it’s a short read.
It’s classic King, it really is. Lots of language, gore and characterization all set in New England.
It’s a super short read, but I would recommend it, although it’s gorey. But when you read King, you know what you’re getting into.
4 stars and recommend.
I read these books off of a recommendation and the fact that their Kindle price was pretty cheap (hey, I’m on a budget!)
I feel kind of mixed about these books, even though I really liked them. They are overtly in the Christian genre, which to be honest, I don’t normally like. However, I got into these books. They have a way more “fantasy” feel than normal Christian books do, although their “analogies” were pretty obvious. Like Tersius is Jesus, just say it already! 🙂
If you like the fantasy genre with magic and warlocks and such, but are looking for a bit tamer version, then I would definitely recommend these to you.
I liked them and you get the feel good feeling of good triumphing over evil. But it’s not all roses as the protagonist goes through the fire similar to Job! But I think it just makes you love him even more.
When you read the summary you’ll probably be like me and like “ehhh”, but give it a shot! Plus if you have a Kindle, book 1 is free, can’t beat that!
Anyways, totally recommend with 4 stars.
Summary of book 1:
Hancock’s intriguing Arena [BKL Ap 15 02] drew a great deal of praise for the originality and starkness of its alternative universe. In The Light of Eidon, she begins a fantasy series called Legends of the Guardian King that is more clearly a Christian allegory but is so crisscrossed with subplots and deceit that exactly where the light of Eidon shines may baffle the reader. It certainly baffles young Abramm Kalladorne, Hancock’s hero. He is the little-valued fifth son of the king of Kiriath, a vivid kingdom that seems a bit like medieval England, with a bit of ancient Rome. Abramm is drawn to the religious life, but after eight years as a novitiate, he discovers that his spiritual leader is a fraud and that the true path to Eidon’s light lies elsewhere. But upon leaving the monastery, he finds himself in the middle of court intrigues, and his brothers sell him into slavery in a faraway, barbarous land. For a while, Hancock’s novel seems like a gladitorial epic, but then Eidon, or Jesus, makes his truths known. A great battle ensues, but victory is not complete and many questions remain. Readers will certainly return for the second installment.
Paperback: 432 pages Publisher: Bethany House (July 1, 2003) Language: English ISBN-10: 0764227947
I read this book because I was going to join in on a book club while I was in Texas. This didn’t happen, but I still read the book.
Sheesh, it was sad! It was one of those books where you really delved into the characters and the overall sadness they were experiencing. Each person involved in the knitting circle has a deep tragedy they are dealing with and knitting helps them get through it somehow. Or really, having each other to lean on does.
Anyways, it’s a good book though pretty sad and dark at times. I’m still glad I read it and I recommend it with 4 stars.
Summary:
While mourning the death of her daughter, Hood (An Ornithologist’s Guide to Life) learned to knit. In her comeback novel, Mary Baxter, living in Hood’s own Providence, R.I., loses her five-year-old daughter to meningitis. Mary and her husband, Dylan, struggle to preserve their marriage, but the memories are too painful, and the healing too difficult. Mary can’t focus on her job as a writer for a local newspaper, and she bitterly resents her emotionally and geographically distant mother, who relocated to Mexico years earlier. Still, it’s at her mother’s urging that Mary joins a knitting circle and discovers that knitting soothes without distracting. The structure of the story quickly becomes obvious: each knitter has a tragedy that she’ll reveal to Mary, and if there’s pleasure to be had in reading a novel about grief, it’s in guessing what each woman’s misfortune is and in what order it will be exposed. The strength of the writing is in the painfully realistic portrayal of the stages of mourning, and though there’s a lot of knitting, both actual and metaphorical, the terminology’s simple enough for nonknitters to follow and doesn’t distract from the quick pace of the narrative.
Paperback: 352 pages Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1st Norton Pbk. Ed edition (January 17, 2008) Language: English ISBN-10: 0393330443
This was the first time I’ve ever read “Steampunk” genre book. Well, I guess Clockwork Prince is sort of a Steampunk book, but this was a lot more true to the genre.
I liked it. Sort of a alternate history, League of Extroidinary Gentlemen type feel to it. I think she’s making this into a series and I’ll for sure read the rest of them.
I recommend and give 4 stars.
Summary:
In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one…except the “thing” inside her.
When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch….
Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she’s special, says she’s one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.
Griffin’s investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help—and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.
But The Machinist wants to tear Griff’s little company of strays apart, and it isn’t long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she’s on—even if it seems no one believes her.
Reading level: Young Adult Hardcover: 480 pages Publisher: Harlequin; Original edition (May 24, 2011) Language: English ISBN-10: 0373210337
I read this book because I’m a big fan of the Percy Jackson series. Like totally love the series even though they are written for Middle Grade.
What did I think about this one? Way too elementary for an adult, but a great read for actual elementary school age kids. I’m definitely keeping this book for something Lyric can read when she gets older, but I won’t be finishing the series. It was good, don’t get me wrong, just too “young” for me.
recommend (for kids) and 4 stars (for kids)
Summary: Fourteen-year-old Max Murphy is looking forward to a family vacation. But his parents, both archaeologists and Maya experts, announce a change in plan. They must leave immediately for a dig in the tiny Central American country of San Xavier. Max will go to summer camp. Max is furious. When he’s mysteriously summoned to San Xavier, he thinks they’ve had a change of heart. Upon his arrival, Max’s wild adventure in the tropical rainforests of San Xavier begins. During his journey, he will unlock ancient secrets and meet strangers who are connected to him in ways he could never have imagined. For fate has delivered a challenge of epic proportions to this pampered teenager. Can Max rescue his parents from the Maya Underworld and save the world from the Lords of Death, who now control the power of the Jaguar Stones in their villainous hands? The scene is set for a roller-coaster ride of suspense and terror, as the good guys and the bad guys face off against a background of haunted temples, zombie armies, and even human sacrifice!
Reading level: Ages 9-12 Paperback: 416 pages Publisher: EgmontUSA; Revised edition (April 27, 2010) Language: English ISBN-10: 1606840711
Destiny Cole 