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.