Monday, March 26, 2012

Books I Love ~ 3/26

This week's choice goes to the darker side of reading.  I've always loved a story that could keep me up long past my bedtime, afraid to get up and go to the bathroom or to even stick my foot outside the covers.  Really, I'm very hard to frighten, and there aren't many stories that do this for me.  But Stephen King finally managed it.  After years of reading his work, mostly being impressed with it (though at times I do find things a little bit slow and have a tendency to skip pages) he never really managed to have something that terrified me.

This book did.  It is fabulous!  I literally could not put Duma Key down.  The only thing I stopped for was to go to work, and even that I begrudged.  This book is definitely on my re-read list!  The chilling images, the intricately-woven plot... I would easily say this is King's best book, and possibly the best horror/thriller novel I've ever read.

Here's the synopsis from StephenKing.com:  After a construction accident in which he loses his right arm and his divorce, Edgar Freemantle moves from Minnesota to Florida to begin what his psychiatrist described as a "geographic cure." He rediscovers his love of painting and finds that he is good at it but his paintings seem to have something "more" to them. On Duma Key he also finds a new friendship with Wireman, a kindred spirit seeking refuge there as a caretaker for Elizabeth Eastlake. Elizabeth's past also contains painful memories that have been reawakened bringing all of them together to face an evil entity named Perse.


Perhaps there's a better description out there... that synopsis doesn't speak of the greatness of this novel.  Really a terrific read!  Five stars from me and highly recommended!  He has some other great books too, though this is the best.  I also enjoyed Pet Sematary, Rose Madder, It, and Misery, giving them all four stars.  My second-favorite book of his gets four-and-a-half stars (it's a ghost story--those of you who know me know how much I love that stuff!!) - Bag of Bones.

What are you reading?  Have a great week!

4 comments:

  1. Thanks for the book share. I really like that you added this to your Mondays. I am a reader, so I can use your input to add to my To-Read list. :) Have you used goodreads.com yet? If so, find me!

    I just finished Jennifer Crusie's Bet Me. I love love loved it! I especially like that her MC is not the perfect size 2 (haha) but what she calls "chubby" and it makes it more real.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Melinda! I'm glad it is useful. I'm also getting a lot of good use out of it with the suggestions you all are making. I just need more hours in my day now! :-)

      I am on goodreads, but honestly haven't done much with it besides follow a few blogs there. On my to-do list. When I get more active over there, I will find you.

      Delete
  2. Hi Chantel!

    I like this blog feature you added. Gosh, I haven't read Stephen King in ages - except his fantastic book 'On Writing', but I have a fantastic memory of reading 'The Shining' in a cabin in out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere Moosehead Lake, Maine, when I was a kid and my family left to buy groceries. I was jumping every few minutes when I heard noises in the woods, but I refused to put the scary book down. Talk about constant shivers down my spine!

    Right now I'm reading a fantastic short story collection by UK author Helen Simpson - 'In-Flight Entertainment'. She writes beautifully and I always love reading her stories.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere sounds like a very creepy setting to attempt a Stephen King book, Kimberly!

      I haven't often read short stories. I'll have to put her on my list and check her out. Thanks for stopping by and for the suggestion!

      Delete

I love hearing your comments! If you enjoy what you read, have a question, or just want to tell me off ;-), please say it all here!

I did have to restrict anonymous users because there was way too much spam. Sorry about that! If you can't post here and need to reach me, check out my "About" page and contact me through one of those methods. Have a great day!