Stephen King "Top-Tier" & From A Buick 8

I categorize Stephen King books into three tiers:

1. Top Tier = OMG that was so good I can't stop thinking about it, how does anyone write as well as he does!!!!
2. Mid-Tier = That was highly enjoyable, I would totally recommend this book!
3. Crap = Why did I waste my time, OMG this was a brutal experience! 

I also tend to group his writings into time periods when each were written:

1. Old School SK = Novels written before he was hugely famous. They seem to be highly edited (e.g. Carrie, Salem's Lot, even Pet Semetary).
2. Mid 80's - Mid 90's SK = Novels where he was given more reign, less editing by the publisher, longer and even "epic" (e.g. It, The Stand, Shining, Delores Claiborne)
3. Cocaine-fueled SK = Novels that were so "out there" and didn't seem to have a focus - these didn't seem to be edited at all - perhaps he was such a best selling author the publishers didn't even touch the final draft and assumed it would sell well based on his name alone (e.g. Tommyknockers, Dark Tower I)
4. Post-Accident SK = Novels written after the accident that almost killed him in 1999. These seem to be more thoughtful and edited just enough (e.g. From a Buick 8, Colorado Kid, Revival, 11/11/63) 

Now, I realize some of the books may have been written long before they were published, especially during the period he wasn't writing after his accident - but these are only my general observations. I read a tonne of Stephen King over a 1.5-2 year period and I consciously decided to read an early one then a later one, early then later. This was so I didn't get tired of similar techniques and I didn't want to stumble on patterns. It seems to work for a long while. I didn't need an SK break for about 2 years.

This review is about From a Buick 8.  If you've never read SK before and want to know where I recommend stating, read my previous article here.

From A Buick 8

WOW - I really liked this one. It surprised me because I wasn't expecting much. The character development is amazing - in fact it's almost ALL character development. It's a story told to a young man by three or four people who have lived with the odd Buick 8 for 20-30 years. It bounces back and forth between present and past, but it's never distracting, due most part from the fact that the "past" is told mainly by one person (Sandy) in chronological order. The other characters jump in towards the end and continue the story sometimes in the middle of a sentence - no need for recapping from a different perspective.

The climax of the book felt super exciting, possibly because the build was so long. I literally gasped out loud at parts and had to keep my hand over my mouth so I wouldn't wake my husband (sleeping next to me at 1am!). I haven't read a book that kept me up like that in years.

The Teenage Brain: A Guide to understanding what we've forgotten

This was such a great book.  It’s not so much a “parenting” book as it is a reference guide for parents or anyone who works with kids age 11-25.  A reference to what?  To the brain of an adolescent.  Honestly, it should be called "The Teenage Brain: Why They Seem Like Idiots"

First of all - I had no idea the adolescent brain started at age 11 and ended at age 25.  This explains SO much about some of the people we hire at work right out of school!  If you have a child entering the pre-teen years, in their teens, early twenties, or if you work with people in their early twenties, I highly recommend you give this a go.

Let's face it - we all remember thinking we knew more than our parents.  We know there are hormones and risk taking behaviours that come with the teenage years, it's a time when you become your own person, separate from your parents, etc.  But as a parent, on the other side of the adolescent relationship - I feel completely blindsided everyday, over and over again.  This book helps me keep perspective - it's not him, it's his biology, his frontal cortex is not developed yet.  It will pass.

There are parts of the book that are heavy on the science-based research side, but I found the explanations really helpful to maintain a calm perspective with my 13 year old. Knowing things like the the melatonin levels of teenagers shift from 8pm to 11pm (or even 1am) helped my husband and I to come to an understanding with our son about sleep schedules. Lots of helpful info, especially if you are an analytical thinker who likes to understand the “why”.

I also like that each chapter focuses on a different "challenge".  I skipped the Tabacco and the Hard-Core Drugs chapters as these aren't relevant to us (at least not at the present time).  I found the chapters on Sleep, Learning, Stress and Gender quite interesting.  As you can see from the pictures, I've dog-eared, underlined and highlighted quite a few pages.

I highly recommend this book.  My doctor has read it and quotes it every time I take my son in for something, the Youth Counsellor and Heath Department nurse at our local high school has read it and gave a workshop on it - it seems to be everywhere lately. 

Reading Rocks: Read Paper Girls if you Liked Stranger Things

Brian K. Vaughan you have done it again!  This story will appeal to those that like the Netflix series Stranger Things (as well as any BKV fan).  The art feels like a classic comic book, it has an 80's pop culture feel (yellows, purples, pinks and blues), but is gritty and real.


The 80's nostalgia, the 4 young friends trying to figure out what the hell's
going on, and the sci-fi twists that will have you going "What The F- - - -?" - it all works so well.  If you enjoyed Netflix Stranger Things, you'll probably enjoy these books.

I LOVE the fact that the main characters are girls and that they take care of each other from page one - these are tough young teens who take no shit and stand up for themselves.


In true Brian K. Vaughan fashion the last issue ends with a jaw-dropping surprise cliff-hanger panel.  Very exciting - but also a reason to wait until the graphic novel comes out (Vol 1 is a collection of issues 1-5) so you aren't waiting a week for the next issue.  

I love his pace and his ability to hook a reader from page one.  If you haven't read any of his other books, I highly recommend "Y The Last Man".

Reading Rocks - Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

My overall impression: "What's the big deal?  Why is this all over every must-read list?".

It's a book about a man who gets kidnapped and thrust into a world that looks and feels like his own, but that is not his own.  A parallel universe, multiple parallel universes - the "Multiverse" is a concept that's been done before. Jet Li's movie: The One is probably the closest main-stream movie version to this book that I can think of and the show Sliders , but DC has literally been writing about the "multiverse" and the implications of traveling between them for years.

Was this version of the Multiverse concept worth the read? Yeah, I think so (at least it was worth listening to the audiobook at 1.5 speed). The Crouch doesn't get into too much of the science behind the theory - which is good.  He focuses on the emotional connections the characters have with each other and that is what I think makes the book work.

There was one point that I think was suppose to be a HUGE realization for the main character, but as the reader/observer, I had figured it out - like at the beginning.  In that one scene I felt that the author hadn't given his main character enough credit to have figured it out earlier.  That being said, I did find the climax of the book tense and intriguing (I believe my literal verbal exclamation was "oh cool!"), even if the very end of the book was a bit of a fizz-out.

On the whole, the story was done well, with lots of thought given to the ramifications of the choices we make and the directions they lead us.  Do our choices lead us to the person we become, or do we make our choices because of the person we are?  This would be a great book for a book club.  I felt like the intention of the book was to really make me think long and hard about the choices I've made in my life, but since this wasn't a huge mind-blowing experience for me, I was left more with "meh, whatever".

I give it a 2/5 stars based on Goodreads' rating system (2 = "It was ok")

Here is the Goodreads plot book description:
From the author of the bestselling WAYWARD PINES trilogy, a brilliantly mind-bending science-fiction thriller in which an ordinary man is kidnapped, knocked unconscious—and awakens in a world inexplicably different from the reality he thought he knew.

Jason Dessen is walking home through the chilly Chicago streets one night, looking forward to a quiet evening in front of the fireplace with his wife, Daniela, and their son, Charlie—when his reality shatters.

It starts with a man in a mask kidnapping him at gunpoint, for reasons Jason can’t begin to fathom—what would anyone want with an ordinary physics professor?—and grows even more terrifying from there, as Jason’s abductor injects him with some unknown drug and watches while he loses consciousness.

When Jason awakes, he’s in a lab, strapped to a gurney—and a man he’s never seen before is cheerily telling him “welcome back!”

Jason soon learns that in this world he’s woken up to, his house is not his house. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born.

And someone is hunting him.

Is the life Jason remembers just some crazed dream? And can he survive long enough to discover the answers he needs?

Reading Rocks: Top 4 Stephen King Books to Read First

How did I not read Stephen King until I was 37 years old?!?!?  It's awesome when you discover a new author that you love - AND it's AWESOME-ER when said author has a crap-load of books published to binge-read.  Case-in-point:  Stephen King.

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If you want to start reading Stephen King - I suggest The Shining and Dr. Sleep.  Many people are of the opinion that King's masterpiece is either IT or The Stand.  I argue that his pièce de résistance is the 2-part story of Danny Torrance:  The Shining and Doctor Sleep.

The Shining was the first full Stephen King book I ever got through. I've tried to read his books published in the 90's but for some reason I couldn't get into any. The Shining was beautifully written, the imagery and descriptions memorable. I would have thought it much scarier if I hadn't seen the movie and mini-series, but none the less I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

It's considered a modern classic. I suppose I would agree, but I haven't read many other "modern classics" to compare or group it with. I love that large portions were told from the perspective of a 5 year old - made many of the scenes more creepy. There were parts that I couldn't read at night or in the house by myself - the ambiance created at The Overlook is so rich it's visceral.  I understand why Joey keeps it in the freezer.

Sequel to The Shining

Unfortunately for me, I couldn't stop visualizing the tv mini-series while reading. Although it was WAY better and much closer to the book then the Kubrick movie of the 1970's, I would have loved to have read the book without having seen either first.

(The Shining pt 2)  I flew through Doctor Sleep.  I read it in 2 sittings (during a week vacation) I even held it up to my face as I walked to the washroom.  SO enjoyable! Dan Torrance is a hugely relate-able character. The pace and story in this 500+ pg book never falters. It's smart, exciting, and unforgettable.

Although you technically don't need to read the Shining before this one, you will get a whole lot more out of it if you do.

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I give 22/11/63 4 out of 5 stars only because i believe that if I had physically read the book (as opposed to listening to the audiobook), I would have slowed or stopped in the middle. As it turned out, I ended up physically reading the last 50 pages or so because I couldn't wait for a time where I had a full hour to finish the audiobook - it was SO GOOD.

As a whole the story and the pace is perfect.  The characters were strong and memorable, and the ending was not a "sell-out crowd please-er", but I think it stayed true to its intention.  The Mini-series had enough of the same story and characters that it was not disappointing.  It did however change some aspects of the book's story.  I read later that SK did this intentionally with the screenplay in order to allow readers of the book a new experience in the show.

Overall it's a great concept and a cool, interesting approach to time travel.

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I enjoyed Revival as much as 11/22/63 and The Stand. The pace was perfect, given that it spans 50 years of one man's life. I found myself only once questioning if all of the details were relevant - by 3/4 of the way though I realized that yes, as always King ties them all in and includes nothing that won't eventually become relevant.

The description on the book cover is misleading - it is not about the preacher, but about his "white whale" told from the journal-ing perspective of someone who has been able to watch the man over the full span of his obsession.

Revival has elements of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, HP Lovecraft and most obviously, Herman Melville's Moby Dick.

Definitely a story that will stick with you and make you think. I really enjoyed it.

Ready Player One: The Book is 10x better then the movie!

I have read a lot of books in my life.  When asked what my favorite book is, I've never been able to pick one - until now.

How can I do this book justice with a mere review? It had me in the first chapter.  Less then six minutes into the audiobook and the author quotes 1984's Ghostbusters - I was hooked. I listened to the entire book with a big, stupid grin on my face because it made me feel like a kid again!







If you played, enjoyed (or liked watching people play or enjoy) any of the following in the 1980's:

- home video games
- arcade games
- movies
- Dungeons & Dragons
- tv shows
- music

If you were born in the 1970's you will love this book.

I have only ever read a book twice in my life (and that was because I read it for school the first time and couldn't remember most of the book 20 years later). I finished the audiobook at 9:00am on my way into work and at 5:05pm I started it again from the beginning.  In 2018 I read the book to my 10 year old - After every chapter he said "why wasn't THAT in the movie?  That was SO mcuh better then the movie!"

The premise:  In 2044 society has wrecked the planet.  A virtual reality game called The Oasis has replaced internet, school, games, socializing - many people live more in The Oasis then in real life (think Matrix but with people fully aware they are in a VR).  The creator of the Oasis dies and wills his vast fortune and company to whoever can find an ester egg he has hidden in the game.  To do this one must first find 3 keys that open 3 gates.  It's a treasure hunt with a race to the end; good vs. evil set in a VR reality where knowing the pop-culture of the 1980's will help you get ahead of everyone.

Wil Weaton did a an ok job reading the audiobook, I wouldn't go looking for other books read by him, but he didn't take away from the story.  I listened to it at 1.25 speed because I found his narration a bit on the slow side, and because it was such an amazing story I was compelled to take it in as quickly as possible! Knowing how much of a geek he is for D&D makes me wonder if he requested to read the book or if the producer approached him.

In 2018 the movie adaptation was released. It did not hold a candle to the book.  The only way the movie could be considered good is if you do not read the book first.  I repeat:  the movie does not follow the book.  BUT - Do yourself a HUGE favor and read the book.  You won't be disappointed.

Muse, a novel by Mary Novik

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This is not my usual genre.  The last 3 books I read prior to this were World War Z, The Ocean At The End Of The Lane and The Killing Floor.  Why did I read this novel?  It was given to me for a book club discussion.  Reading the cover, and knowing what little time I had to barrel through a book in two weeks, I was skeptical that I could finish it on time for the meeting.  To my joyful surprise I flew through it!   I can honestly say I was blown away by the beauty and poetry of the author's prose. 

The synopsis on the book's jacket really does not do the story justice.  Understandably, I can see how difficult it must be to describe such an epic tale in less than 100 words.  At it's heart, Muse is a story about strength, love and survival.

Birthing a female character into the first half of the 14th century strikes me as a terrifying decision.  What rights would she have, what voice, what influence?   These questions plagued me throughout the book, and yet Mary Novik created numerous strong, honest and relate-able female characters - relate-able even today. 

The story, characters and writing are equally rich and colorful - at times Shakespearean.  I must admit, I required my Dictionary.com app to define (and sound out) a handful of the early French Renaissance phrases and words.  However, I found this just added to the scope and depth of the writing.  

The ending was brilliant, real, and satisfying.  As her story unfolded, Solange inspired me to risk loving deeper, to hold my head high, and perhaps to write more often. 

To Mary Novik:  you have insipred me to write this review at 11pm, on a school night after I had been at my office job for 12 hours.   Is it you or Solange that is the true Muse?

Information about Mary Novik and her books can be found on her website: MaryNovik.com 

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Book Review - World War Z, by Max Brooks

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By far one of the most enjoyable productions I've experienced - each chapter is a story from a different person, and each person was played beautifully by a different actor. I love that Max Brooks (the author) is the interviewer/narrator. 

Very unique perspective on how societies (specifically different cultures within societies all over the world) would react to, deal with, and finally continue life after the zombie apocalypse.

It's smart, unique and powerful. Some stories are gripping, others are just accounts. What I found most interesting was the author's ability to write from so many perspectives - and believably so.  More than once I found myself marveling at the amount of research and thought that went into this creation.

Max Brooks delves into SO many details and aspects that have (to my knowledge) never been considered in other zombie movies/books - e.g. what happens to the undead when they fall into the ocean? What about someone who is agoraphobic? How would Japan handle the infection? Russia? Cuba? What happens in different climates? or 12 years after the outbreak?  

Written far before Walking Dead, this book asks a lot of the same questions the writers of the graphic novel & show must ask themselves when considering issues the survivors have to handle.

It's not a traditional "follow a character beginning to end" story.  At no point does the author make you think that it will be - infact Mr. Brooks is very clear right from the start that it is an oral history of individual experiences from around the world. It's an interviewer traveling the world asking people about specific moments in the (now) history of the zombie war. You don't even read about the narrator's travels - the characters have nothing to do with each other.  Essentially it's a bunch of short monologue-type stories put in chronological order.

4/5 stars - Great book, fabulous audio rendition - nothing to do with the movie.

(Nathan Fillion plays the voice of the Canadian soldier!  - yay! get your geek on!)  

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Reading Rocks: 5 Books That Shaped Me

I have read A LOT of books but I don't think I could pin down a "favourite".  Over the years my "favourite" book has changed.  I can't decide if current life circumstances influence one's intake of media, or if media influences one's life circumstances.  Did I read Babysitter's Club because I loved to babysit?  Or did I like babysitting because I read Babysitter's Club?

In either case, today I share the books I feel have played significant roles in my life and why: 

1.  Come Over To My House by Theo LeSing - This is a kid's book I've recommended on my blog in the past.  My Dad read this to me and my brother as a child - he did voices of the kids from different areas of the world (Australian, Russian, Scottish, etc) and we would laugh and beg for him to read it again.  It might have influenced my tolerance for other cultures... I found it on eBay after my boys were born, left it at my parent's home and apparently my Dad reads it with the same silly voices to his Grandkids.  

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2.  Forever by Judy Blume - I can name 3 Judy Blume books that I would consider influential in my life (Are You There God? It's Me Margaret and Tiger Eyes are the other two).  But Forever was the first book I read with sex in it.  Not erotica sex (erotica is usually as fake as porn - although not often as raunchy).  No, this book had real, first-time teenage sex, and a realistic aftermath.  

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3.  Twilight by Stephanie Meyer - this is a book that I am often embarrassed to admit to reading.  Why was it an influence in my life?  It was the first book (series) I picked up after my kids were born.  I remember reading a Dan Brown book the week I was due with my first son (December, 2005).  Until Twilight (June 2008), I hadn't read a single book.  It got me excited to read again, it gave me the "must stay up until 2am to finish" feeling, even though I KNEW I should sleep when the new baby slept.  It also made me realize I could read "fluff" as an adult.

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4.  Phantom by Susan Hay - This was the first adult book I ever read.  I think I was 14 years old.  Before Phantom I was reading Babysitter's Club books (like 2 per week), Fear Street, Christopher Pike and Lois Duncan.  At the time I was obsessed with Phantom of the Opera, I had seen it like 3 times in only a year and a half.  This book is about the life of the man who became the Phantom - essentially it tells how he ended up under the opera house and what/who influenced his life and path to become who he became.  Told from different perspectives starting with his birth, it ends where the musical/movie begins.

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5. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien - I haven't actually finished the book yet (technically that is).  My father told me the story of the Hobbit as a bedtime story when I was a child.  To this day I can trace my love of fantasy and sci-fi back to this book.  After the movie came out in 2012, I picked it up and (finally) started to read it.  

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Reading Rocks: Blast From The Past

"There is more treasure in books than in 

all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island." — Walt Disney

One of the greatest joys is reading books to your kids that were read to you as a child.  My love of fantasy and action stories (and movies) comes from my father.  Before bed he would tell me the story of The Hobbit - no book, but the images created in my mind have stayed with me my whole life.  To this day I collect copies of The Hobbit for my shelf.  

Bedtime was a time of laughter and stories at my house.  Here are three "classics" that have stood the test of time for me (and my kids). 

Come Over To My House 

by: Theo LeSing (aka Dr. Seuss) 

Originally published in 1966, the story follows a little boy who travels the world as he is invited to friends homes in different countries.  Although the countries are hyper-stereotyped (circa 1960's:  e.g. his friend in the arctic lives in an igloo), the message of friendship across the world and regardless (or perhaps because) of culture comes through loud and clear.     

The Big Honey Hunt

by: Stan & Jan Berenstain

Before the cartoon, before the series of paperback books, even before Sister Bear, there was Mama, Papa and Little Bear (later re-named Brother).  This was a book I learned to read by way of an accompanying audio book.  The story follows Little Bear and Papa as they follow a bee to find honey for their honey pot.   The rhyming is fun and I personally love how Mama is ALWAYS right in the end  :)

Fox in Socks
by:  Dr. Suess
If you think you are good at reading tongue twisters out loud - give this a try!  It's one of the most difficult books to read out loud (in the proper rhythm).  My kids beg me to read it to them and laugh when I get the words mixed up.  By the end of the book I'm usually out of breath.  It's super fun, and super memorable.  Check out this You Tube video to see the "proper way" to read it: Fox on Socks amateur video

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