I was so excited about Whalefall by Daniel Kraus. I couldn’t get more than 50 or 75 pages into it. The choppiness of the writing and sentence structure, switching back-and-forth between modern day (told in present tense) and past memories, “chapters” being only a few pages or in some case only a few sentences long…the premise sounded amazing but the writing style was horrible.
I’m currently on my 105th book this year. I normally average 60, but I started a blog project reviewing both horror novels and YA novels. So I’ve been reading a lot of short, easy books this year, and deliberately setting aside time to read them so I can write up my reviews. My reading speed is about a page a minute, so if I set aside time I can finish a 300 page novel in a day.
I also count graphic novels as books, so if I binge a series that could be 10 books I read in a few days.
I have no kids and no social life and I don’t watch TV, so I’m usually reading instead.
In elementary school I read Sideways Stories From Wayside School by Louis Sachar. It’s a goofy, silly book in which each chapter focuses on a student in a wacky classroom. One chapter is about a boy named DJ who comes to school one day with a huge smile on his face, which causes the other students to spend the entire chapter trying to guess why he’s so happy. He doesn’t answer. At the end, he explains: “You need a reason to be sad. You don’t need a reason to be happy.”
That blew my mind. Later, that experience factored into how I discovered that I had depression as a child.
As an adult, Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich made me change my view of economics and social status.
King is hit-or-miss for me. He’s written some of my all-time favorites (It, Misery, Pet Sematary, The Shining) and some absolute stinkers (The Green Mile, Needful Things, 11/22/63).
I feel like I’m in a parallel universe when I see the latter so highly praised - I couldn’t stand 11/22/63 for a lot of specific reasons and consider it one of his worst. I also couldn’t get into the Dark Tower series at all, though and I tried multiple times because of how much I saw it praised. I also snoozed through Salem’s Lot, it was so boring. But I loved Duma Key, which a lot of fans seem to hate.
The thing with King is that he’s so prolific you’re likely to come across something of his that you like, even if it’s a short story. (His short stories can be hit-or-miss too - some bored me and others still haunted me in a good way 25 years after I first read them.) His writing style has also changed dramatically over the decades, which is probably why some people love his later works and some prefer the early stuff.
Sometimes I have multiple editions because I can’t decide which cover art I like best.
Sometimes I buy a special edition hardback and then keep a paperback as a reading copy.
Sometimes I wind up with multiple copies because I forgot I already owned the book.
This is why I almost solely buy secondhand books from thrift stores, library sales, used bookstores, etc. I can satisfy my book-buying addiction for only a dollar or two.
Twice a year the library sale has Ten Cent Day and I have to bring an extra box for it all.
This is why I almost solely buy secondhand books from thrift stores, library sales, used bookstores, etc. I can satisfy my book-buying addiction for only a dollar or two.
Twice a year the library sale has Ten Cent Day and I have to bring an extra box for it all.
It’s pretty good. He was a storytelling songwriter, so expanding that into short stories and novels isn’t too much of a stretch. Some of his fiction is based on characters from his songs, as well as adventures from his own life.
It’s pretty good. He was a storytelling songwriter, so expanding that into short stories and novels isn’t too much of a stretch. Some of his fiction is based on characters from his songs, as well as adventures from his own life.
Wow, I thought I was the only one who remembered Remember WENN!
Wow, I thought I was the only one who remembered Remember WENN!
People in a life-threatening situation suddenly decide to have sex.
Female characters who orgasm their first time having sex.
Female characters who examine their bodies naked in the mirror and critique their breasts and belly and butt and legs according to the standards of the male gaze. The only time I ever scrutinize my naked body in the mirror is to check for ticks or a weird mole.
A young unmarried teen girl or woman is troubled and worried about something she doesn’t want to talk about. I immediately know she’s pregnant.
Playing an instrument, studying nature and anatomy, being an artist or craftsman.
In reality I’m a woman so my options would have been very limited back then. I’d probably disguise myself and live as a man just to have opportunities to do things.
Quentin Tarantino wrote a novelization of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood which was pretty good and slightly different from the film.
I’ve also seen one for the 2016 Ghostbusters.
My favorites from the 80s are the Indiana Jones trilogy, Poltergeist, and The Abyss.