Christine by Stephen King

TITLE:  Christine

AUTHOR:  King, Stephen
GENRE:  Horror

DATES READ:  9/18/2016 - 10/9/2016

MY RATING:  3/5

First book I'm reading for a brand new Stephen King Book Club! Excited to get to know everybody.

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A classic tale of a young boy Arnie, and his first car. It's just like first love. But Christine is a special car. And she can get a little jealous and angry if you cross her...

Didn't finish this one in time for book club, but I finished it while camping with my family. Definitely really scary!

As always, sometimes my favorite scary scenes from King's works are the character's moments of clarity within the insanity (Arnie).

And I adored the car going back in time and healing itself. Terrifying! It was slow at times, but overall, I really enjoyed the characters/story. I like that even King's narrators aren't safe from the action.

Will read and write soon!

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In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

TITLE:  In the Time of Butterflies

AUTHOR:  Alvarez, Julia
GENRE:  Historical Fiction

DATES READ:  9/4/2016 - 9/18/2016

MY RATING:  3/5

A gift from my Mama 💖! And a need to mix it up with something new/different.

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This tale of three sisters, Las Mariposas or "The Butterflies", spans decades. From the Dominican Republic, these sisters live under the rule of Trujillo and survive his dictatorship with courage and love. The official state newspaper reported their deaths as an accident, but their legacy lives on In the Time of the Butterflies.

This book had its uplifting moments but it was overall a bit of downer. The telling was interesting, switching back and forth between the sisters (and the present).

It was a more passive representation of a revolution, and gave a perspective of average daily life under a totalitarian rule. Very interesting, but not gripping.

Difficult to get into, but I think historical fiction buffs could get into it. Read like it was based off a true story, and appreciated it.

Will read and write soon!

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Finders Keepers by Stephen King

TITLE:  Finders Keepers (Bill Hodges Trilogy #2)

AUTHOR:  King, Stephen
GENRE:  Thriller/Crime

DATES READ:  8/27/2016 - 9/4/2016

MY RATING:  4/5

Second book in the Bill Hodges Trilogy.  I know it's been a while since I've read Mr. Mercedes, but I can't wait to get started.

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Morris Bellamy is furious with the author of his favorite books for halting writing, and for making his idol main character a "sell out".  And Bellamy will go to amazing and horrifying lengths to see the author's new material.  Including waiting patiently behind bars for years in order to read it.  But what if someone else finds it first?

Overall, I really loved this story.  I know some people haven't taken to this more crime/thriller side of Stephen King, but I love it!!

Morris Bellamy definitely has an Annie Wilkes vibe to him.  For me, this novel went exactly as I expected, but I enjoyed all of the allusions to Mr. Mercedes.  Also, I loved the depiction of the insanity of a true book lover and the lengths he'll go to for revenge!

Will read and write soon!

***Photo by B. Bumble***

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

TITLE:  Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1)

AUTHOR:  Meyer, Marissa
GENRE:  Young Adult/Science Fiction

DATES READ:  8/13/2016 - 8/27/2016

MY RATING:  3/5

My sister-in-law gave me this to read.  Her and her mom both loved it, so let's see how it goes.  SciFi isn't always my favorite, but I love fairy tales flipped around.

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Cinder is a cyborg mechanic in New Beijing, when a deadly plague is killing off the population.  There's a race called the Lunar who live up on the moon with their terrifying queen, and handsome prince named Kai with secrets up his sleeve.  Will Cinder make it to the ball?

I loved the overall idea of a futuristic cyborg Cinderella story.  I just kept waiting for more to happen, but I understand this is also the first book of a series of many.

The writing, characters, and setting are fun and innovative.

Will read and write soon!

***Photo by B. Bumble***

Abandoned by Dan Foley

TITLE:  Abandoned

AUTHOR:  Foley, Dan
GENRE:  Horror

DATES READ:  8/12/2016 - 8/13/2016

MY RATING:  3/5

This is for a bookstore author event.  It's a short horror story, so I should be able to breeze through.

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This book was a quick read about a young man with severe abandonment issues.  It all starts when he finds a pair of glasses, and the glasses begin to speak to him.  They feel abandoned too... and they won't rest until they're reunited with the eyes they were made for.

It definitely had the creep factor.  The only gripe I had is that lipstick you bought yourself and someone else refuses is not really abandoned.  But I guess it just goes to show how crazy the main character really is.  Creepy!

I may try another Dan Foley book soon, as this was interesting.

Will read and write soon!

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The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King

TITLE:  The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

AUTHOR:  King, Stephen
GENRE:  Fiction/Thriller?

DATES READ:  8/7/2016 - 8/12/2016

MY RATING:  3/5

Reading this one for our Stephen King book club at the end of the month!  Seems part-thrilled, partly baseball oriented.

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A young girl, 9-years-old, gets separated from her family, and decides to take a shortcut.  Now, she's alone... with only the crackles of the distant Red Sox baseball game in her walkman headphones.  Alone with the hope of rescue, and the dream of Red Sox player, Tom Gordon.

It was okay plot-wise, but it was actually pretty thin (and not just in length).  More psychologically and survival based scares than the classic horror expected from King.  Being alone in the woods for weeks, exposure, starvation, animals, etc.

I just felt like the "villain" wasn't anything to write home about.  If anything, the real villain of this story was the actual state of being lost in the woods.  Of course, there's little mysterious King-isms toward the end of the book.  What's real, and what isn't?  Who knows?

There were some creepy moments.  But definitely less horror/terror, and more about the isolation, and bad decision making.  I had to keep reminding myself that this poor girl is only 9.  And lost all alone in the woods.

Will read and write as soon as I can!

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Hospital Hill by Katherine Anderson

TITLE:  Hospital Hill

AUTHOR:  Anderson, Katherine
GENRE:  Historical Fiction/Mystery

DATES READ:  8/4/2016 - 8/6/2016

MY RATING:  4/5

There was a book discussion at a local bookstore, and my mom and I procured a signed copy of Hospital Hill from Katherine Anderson!  I also purchased one for my boyfriend's sister.  I think she's going to love it!!

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The book is a mystery based out of the wards of Northampton State Hospital for the Insane.  It involved a soon-to-be retired nurse returning to the old abandoned building, and perhaps discovering more than she bargained for...

This was an excellent read!  I enjoyed all of the twists, turns, and the murder mystery weaved in throughout the history.  What really sold me about this book was the author's passion for the topic at hand.  You can tell the devotion and research that comes through in her writing.

I can't wait to read the next book because I stayed up late finishing this one!  Recommended for history buffs who love a good mystery.

Will read and write as soon as I can!

***Photo by B. Bumble***

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling et al.

TITLE:  Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (HP #8)   <---Debatable

AUTHOR:  Rowling, J.K.; Tiffany, John; Thorne, Jack
GENRE:  Screenplay

DATES READ:  8/3/2016 - 8/4/2016

MY RATING:  4/5

This is the rehearsal screenplay of Harry Potter #8!!!  I got it at the midnight release party at the Bookclub Bookstore & More in Westfield, MA.

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It only took me a day to read this, and I'm a little disheartened by most of the reviews I've been reading online.

It was a screenplay!  I don't think it's comparable to the books, nor should it be.  That's why I put that it's a debatable Harry Potter #8.  This story may follow the previous #7, but it's a script/screenplay.  And a script/screenplay is intended to be a performance on stage, with music and effects.  The plot itself is interesting, and it's truly a breeze to read, even in the different format.  It was nice to see the brief epilogue extended.

I'm all for more Harry Potter, no matter the format, time, flavor, relevance, etc.  I enjoyed reading through the script, and would love to see it performed on stage someday!

Will read and write as soon as I can!

***Photo by B. Bumble***

The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker

TITLE:  The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic

AUTHOR:  Barker, Emily Croy
GENRE:  Fiction/Fantasy

DATES READ:  7/13/2016 - 8/3/2016

MY RATING:  3/5

I actually picked up this book on vacation in SC with my brother and sister-in-law.  It said it was "mind candy" for people who grew up loving Harry Potter.  Enough said!!!

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Nora Fischer finds herself bored and desperately alone at a friend's wedding.  She wanders into the woods to sit down and read, and enjoy a breath of fresh; and instead finds herself in a magical realm with wizards, magic, and fairy like creatures.

Definitely worth reading, if you like this sort of thing.  I readily devoured it, intrigued by the crass and cranky Aruendiel.  But, at times, I just couldn't get behind this so-called "thinking woman".  Even though she's in graduate school, she seems to lose all of her superior intellect (all critical thinking in general, really) when being inserted in this new world.

That being said... it was an enjoyable read for fantasy lovers, with an interesting fantastical world.  Reminded me more of Uprooted than of Harry Potter or A Discovery of Witches (which is what the reviews say).  Good, whimsical (mostly) fantasy.

Will read and write as soon as I can!

***Photo by B. Bumble***

Miss Buncle's Book by D. E. Stevenson

TITLE:  Miss Buncle's Book (Miss Buncle #1)

AUTHOR:  Stevenson, D. E. 
GENRE:  Fiction

DATES READ:  7/7/2016 - 7/13/2016

MY RATING:  3.5/5

My boyfriend picked this book out for me!  Bringing it along to SC with hopes of reading.

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This was such a cute concept, and so ahead of its time!  A book within a book, within another book!!!  A how it causes so much turmoil!

I did adore this book about a quaint English village, a heroine named Barbara Buncle, and an antagonist names Ms. Agatha Featherstone-Hogg.  You can't really go wrong there!

The writing took some getting used to.  But it was originally published in the 1930's after all.  A charming tale about misconceptions and how looks (and books) can be deceiving... something the best characters are real people, you know.

Recommended for any book lover.

Will read and write as soon as I can!

***Photo by B. Bumble***

The Traveling Tea Shop by Belinda Jones

TITLE:  The Traveling Tea Shop (Love Travel #11)

AUTHOR:  Jones, Belinda
GENRE:  Fiction/Chick-lot

DATES READ:  7/6/2016 - 7/7/2016

MY RATING:  3/5

This another one my mom and I picked out to bring along for vacation pool-reading. 

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A naive travel agent/blogger, a sad housewife/TV celebrity, a kooky grandma, and a pouty teenager/20 something.  Throw them all into the United States (did I mention they're British? I pip!) on a double-decker bus and get them all to talk about baking/cake.  And there's your chick-lit.

Fun, fluffy (like cake!), and definitely a breezy beachy read that made me hungry by the pool.  Recommended for a lazy read in the sunshine.

Will read and write as soon as I can!

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Raise the Titanic! by Clive Cussler

TITLE:  Raise the Titanic! (Dirk Pitt #3)

AUTHOR:  Cussler, Clive
GENRE:  Fiction

DATES READ:  7/2/2016 - 7/6/2016

MY RATING:  5/5

I've heard about this one for years from both my mom and my brother.  Brought it along for vacation to read down by the pool with a nice cup of coffee. 

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Raise the Titanic! does exactly what it set out to do.  Bring to life a mystery, and bring to the surface perhaps the most famous shipwreck of all time.

LOVED THIS!!! I could picture every single moment in vivid detail!  And doesn't love Dirk Pitt?!

I admit, this probably amounts to my obsession with all thing Titanic.  This book does a good job bringing that fascination to life, with action and adventure.  Definitely recommended to anyone who loves a good Clive Cussler.  This is definitely my favorite Dirk Pitt novel so far!

Will read and write as soon as I can!

***Photo by B. Bumble***

The Stand by Stephen King

TITLE:  The Stand

AUTHOR:  King, Stephen
GENRE:  Horror

DATES READ:  5/3/2016 - 7/2/2016

MY RATING:  4/5

It's been almost 3 months since my last King, so it's about time! 

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The Stand is a post-apocalyptic tale of the good and evil within people.  A contagious virus wipes out the majority of the population, leaving what's left of humanity to succumb to a dark evil, or to take a stand...

I will say, it's been a long time since I've had a book take me almost 2 whole months to finish...  I actually had to drag this 1400+ page monster onto a plane with me to my South Carolina vacation (I brought other books because I was optimistic!).

It is truly an epic story with simple chilling themes.  I pictures all of the characters so vividly (and for the record... Molly Ringwald is not my Fran).  I could see Stu and Nick so clearly in my mind.  Even Harold Lauder (I can't stand him!!!), and the creepy white haired Nadine.  I appreciated the sinister Dark Man, and my personal favorites: Trashcan Man and Tom Cullen!

M-O-O-N.  That spells - I'm finally done with the unabridged version of this well-loved Stephen King masterpiece.  A must read for die-hard King fans.  I would probably stick with the abridged version unless you're up for a long haul...

Will read something different and write soon!

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