Review: The Shining by Stephen King (3-stars)

Not a bad book, but not as good as Carrie, in my opinion. The first four parts of the book were great, but the last part got a little too silly for my tastes. It seemed to me that the story was going in the direction of a man who was simply going insane and [...]

More thoughts on the Kindle

Now that I have read about half a dozen books on my Kindle, I thought I’d offer a few more thoughts on the device and the experience: I often read while I am eating my lunch.  With a traditional book, this has always been somewhat of a problem for me.  I am very careful with my books, even paperbacks, where [...]

Review: Carrie by Stephen King (3-stars)

Enjoyed this book, perhaps in part because there was an attempt at a scientific explanation for the paranormal activities taking place. (I have a hard time suspending my disbelief for traditional horror, but I think this helped.) I liked the way the story was told–through interviews, excerpts from books and newspapers, letters (the “works within [...]

Review: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (2-stars)

While the book is a page-turner, I found the plot hard to swallow. Furthermore, I noticed just how awkward of a writer Dan Brown seems to be. He uses many phrases that one would almost expect to find in pulp fiction. Characters are flat, and where they are developed, I was distracted by the writing [...]

Review: On Writing by Stephen King

This was the 3rd Stephen King book I’ve read, and the first that’s non-fiction. I found it to be remarkably well-written, and enjoyable. He has down-to-earth, common-sense advice that come from experience, and doesn’t pull any punches. As a relatively new published author, I found the advice and anecdotes very useful. Originally published at Jamie’s [...]