I Am Alive

I was busy last week with my other blogs. I posted some lighthearted pop songs at 2 Lazy 4 Video and lots of stuff at Big Blog Directory. BBD has been busy all week and I have another submission to process.

I managed to see Pan's Labyrinth and really enjoyed it. It has great characters, an interesting story, and awesome special effects. I was going to review it but this review at the media nook mirrors many of my impressions.

By the end of the week I was feeling tired out and weak. I didn't go to my volunteer job and spent most of the last few days sleeping or reading. I finished the first two books of Jack L Chalkers "Well World" series. I had read them before - the first one several times. I'll add them to my Booklist 2007 when I set it up.

Well, I don't feel sick anymore but I am still tired. Thanks, Comyn, for checking up on me.

Book Reviews

I love to read and I like to promote literacy. Scattered throughout my blog are book reviews that range in size from one sentence up a full post several paragraphs long. I am applying the "books" label to any blog post that discusses books. Check the link to find the book reviews.

I have also created "Book Lists" which list all the books I have read in a given year. These lists are incomplete but can be useful for anyone looking for something to read.

Book Lists

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007 - coming soon.

Four Books

I have read four novels since Christmas. I was reading Anansi Boys but took a break from it and went looking for a haunted house story. None of the others are classic stories of hauntings but they all have elements of that theme.

Creepers by David Morrell

"Creepers" are urban explorers that investigate abandoned buildings. In the story a group of creepers check out an old hotel and find that they are not alone. Soon after that the killing starts.

This is more of a thriller than a horror novel but it is creepy to read. Morrell creates an interesting setting and intriguing characters with individual agendas. The novel is full of plot twists and tension. The characters must contend with mutated animals, killers, and a rotting building that is almost a character itself.

I read this book in two days of marathon reading. Morrell has created a very tense readable book. David Morrell is the creator of Rambo.

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

Fat Charlie finds out that his recently deceased father was a god. When he meets his brother for the first time things get complicated.

I started this novel in November and found that I had trouble getting into it sometimes. The story would be appealing and then seem to drag. I left it alone for a while and finished it early this year. The last quarter of the novel is good.

Shelter by L.H. Maynard and M.P.N Sims

Laura Craig wants to start a new life after an abusive relationship. She decides to restore an old house that is full of dark secrets. Something is living in an old well and it wants revenge. Laura's crew accidentally sets it free.

The book is very readable and the pacing is good. The characters are interesting and believable. There are a number of gruesome scenes but this isn't really a scary book. It uses tension and horror to build terror rather than fright tactics. It does keep the reader on edge and interested.

Death Instinct by Bentley Little

On a street with a history of murder and old secrets something new has arrived. Hideously tortured bodies begin turning up in the neighbourhood. A young woman, a boy, and a police officer must confront their own demons and try not to become victims themselves.

This novel is a very good read. It is scary in places and funny in others. It is easy to read and the pacing is good. I bought this yesterday afternoon and finished it this afternoon. Once I started reading I was hooked.

The characters are interesting and real. Each has a history and a life we can identify with. We learn to care about them.

The horror elements are well done. The plot moves forward at a fast pace but I never feel like pieces of the story were missing. As the story reached it's climax and revealed it's secrets I didn't feel cheated. I just wanted to make it to the end and find out what happened.

Conclusion

I recommend all of the books based on the idea that I finished all of them. Anansi Boys is the weakest of the lot. Creepers and Death Instinct tie for being the best.

Reading List

I added a 'Reading List' to my sidebar. I borrowed the idea from Billy.

When I finish another of the books listed I will write up some book reviews. I am not sure how detailed they will be yet.

I may keep the section in my sidebar permanently and add books I plan to read and then delete them from the list after I finish them (and possibly review them).

I might start a "Book List" for 2007 but I am not sure. The "books" label may be all that my readers need to find my reviews. I do like the idea of having all the books read in a given year listed on one page. I also like the quick impression my +/- system provides.

I will be editing my sidebar "Contents" section in the near future and may rework the way I handle books and book reviews.

Reading Frenzy

I feel like a shark in a sea of books.

I have read several novels recently and can't seem to get enough of them. I am half way through the final book (#7) in Stephen King's Dark Tower series.

All this reading is making my imagination quite active. I wonder where that will lead to.

Book Review: The Sledding Hill

Eddie is having a rough time dealing with the deaths of his father and his best friend. He copes by acting mute and this helps a bit. He thinks he is being haunted by his friend Billy and he gets involved in a censorship dispute at his school. The only person he could have turned to is dead ...isn't he?

Billy is dead but stays around as a spirit to help Eddie. He narrates an interesting story about loss, and friendship, and censorship.

The Sledding Hill by Chris Crutcher is a Young Adult (YA) novel aimed at middle-school students but enjoyable by anyone. At the core of the novel is the dispute about a novel that a church group wants banned from the school because it deals with "controversial" issues.

One of the reasons Chris Crutcher wrote the book was to focus on the issue of censorship in schools. His own books have been banned. He feels that teens should have access to ideas and issues written in the language they use - whether it is considered polite or not. He purposely kept this book "clean" so that would not be an issue with censors. He wanted to see if they would fight the ideas presented in the book.

The book is easy to read and compelling. The characters are interesting too. The author does a good job of weaving the message with the characters and setting to create something believable. Check it out.

Books

I have been busy reading books lately. I will list some of the new books I read and some of the ones I reread when I had no new ones.

New Books

Godless by Pete Hautman, This is a very good YA book about some teens who start a new religion. It will make you think.

Rainbow Boys and Rainbow High: both by Alex Sanchez. These are funny and heartwarming novels about gay high-school students. They are very good.

I read the previous books a few months ago but wanted to mention them now. The following three books I read recently.

So Hard To Say by Alex Sanchez. This YA novel deals with some funny and interesting middle school students. Xio is a loud and friendly Hispanic girl who has a crush on the new boy Frederick. Frederick is getting confused because he seems attracted to other boys. The story is told from the viewpoints of these two characters and the method works well. Sanchez does a good job of presenting his characters as real teens. I found the novel easy to read and the characters likeable.

The Regulators and Desperation are two books written by Stephen King. They are separate stories (and can be read independently of each other), but share some of the same settings and characters.

Both books deal with a group of people facing an evil force. It is slightly different in each novel but has the same source. It is interesting to compare characters and plot-lines in the two novels.

I read Desperation second and was glad I did. I think it is the better novel and has a more convincing plot. It is a good horror story. I would suggest reading both novels to enjoy the odd connections between them.

Books I Re-read

The Gates Of Creation by Philip Jose Farmer. This is one of my standard "TV re-run" type books I can get into when bored. I actually read all of it for the first time in ages.

The following three books were fun to read again. They are YA novels I have reviewed before.

Geography Club and The Order Of The Poison Oak are both by Brent Hartinger.

Target by Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson

Book Lists

I have decided to keep a 'book list' again. This page will be a link to current and previous lists. I have linked to this page from my sidebar.


2003

2004 - things got busy at the end of the year so some books didn't get listed. Many others did.

2005 - I haven't started organizing this one yet.

Note (Jan. 2007): This post has been superceded by "Book Reviews".

Book List 2004

This is a continuation of 'Booklist'. The books are listed under Fiction and Nonfiction and consist of five sets of information. The information consists of:

Title:
Author:
Genre: (for fiction only) e.g. science fiction (SF), horror, etc.
Date Completed:
Comments: usually just (r) if I reread a book I read before, and/or (+) if I really liked the book and/or (-) if I didn't.

---

Fiction

1. Ghoul / Michael Slade / Horror / January 8 / +


2. Ripper / Michael Slade / Horror / January 11 / +


3. The Birthgrave / Tanith Lee / Fantasy / January 21


4. Evil Eye / Michael Slade / Horror / January 26


5. Primal Scream / Michael Slade / Horror / January 29


6. From A Buick 8 / Stephen King / Horror / January 30 / +


7. Crescent In The Sky / Donald Moffit / SF / February 7 / +


8. Burnt Bones / Michael Slade / Horror / February 13 / +


9. Vazkor, Son Of Vazkor / Tanith Lee / Fantasy / February 26


10. Heart Of The Comet / David Brin and Gregory Benford / SF / March 6 / r / +


11. Mind Changer / James White / SF / March 20 / +


12. On / Adam Roberts / SF / March 25 / + / r


13. To Bury The Dead / Craig Spector / Thriller / April 8 / +


14. Bios / Robert Charles Wilson / SF / April 19


15. Houses Without Doors / Peter Straub / Horror / May 9


16. The Tomb / F. Paul Wilson / Horror / June 4 / +


17. Black Legion Of Callisto / Lin Carter / SF / June 7


18. Out Of The Silent Planet / C.S. Lewis / SF / June 25 / r


19. Pet Sematary / Stephen King / Horror / July 5


20. Dark Silence / Rick Hautala / Horror / July 14


21. Cut Throat / Michael Slade / Horror / Sept 15


22. Ghoul / Michael Slade / Horror / Sept 30 / + / r


23. The Wreck Of The River of Stars / Michael Flynn / SF / Oct 23 / +

---

Nonfiction

1. 'Teach Yourself' Christianity / John Young / January 6 / +


2. Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice To All Creation / Olivia Judson / February 4 / +


3. The Inquisition / Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh / March 8


4. Blogging / Biz Stone / May 10 / +


5. Life Stinks / Armand Eisen / May 28


6. The Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference / Writer's Digest / July 7 / +


7. Oriental Religions In Roman Paganism / Franz Cumont / July 25 / +


8. Mammals / Juliet Clutton-Brock (ed.) / July 27 / +


9. 100 Ways To Improve Your Writing / Gary Provost / July 31 / +


10. Catastrophe / David Keys / August 17 / +

Book List

I have decided to keep a list of books I have read since I started this diary. This will be an interesting way to keep track of my reading habits. The books are listed under Fiction and Nonfiction and consist of five sets of information. The information consists of:

Title:
Author:
Genre: (for fiction only) e.g. science fiction (SF), horror, etc.
Date Completed: (for books read in July, and early August, 2003, just the month will be listed).
Comments: usually just (r) if I reread a book I read before, and/or (+) if I really liked the book and/or (-) if I didn't.

---

Fiction

The Tommyknockers / Stephen King / Horror / July

Tribesmen Of Gor / John Norman / SF / July / r

Tarra Khash: Hrossak / Brian Lumley / Fantasy / July

Hegira / Greg Bear / SF / July

Midnight At The Well Of Souls / Jack L. Chalker / SF / July / r

Exiles At The Well Of Souls / Jack L. Chalker / SF / July

Quest For The Well Of Souls / Jack L. Chalker / SF / August

American Gods / Neil Gaiman / Fantasy / August 10 / +

Stardust / Neil Gaiman / Fantasy / August 25 / +

The Return Of Count Electric / William Browning Spencer / Dark Fantasy - Horror / August 30 / +

Resume With Monsters / William Browning Spencer / Dark Fantasy - Horror / September 6 / r / +

On / Adam Roberts / SF/ September 9 / +

Heart Of Darkness / Joseph Conrad /character study (?) / September 11

The Phantom Of the Opera / Gaston Leroux / Horror / September 13 / +

Frankenstein / Mary Shelley / SF - Horror / September 15 / r / +

Dracula / Bram Stoker / Horror / September 18 / r / +

Great Expectations / Charles Dickens / - / October 7

The Repentant / various / Horror Anthology / October 11

The Years Of Rice And Salt / Kim Stanley Robinson / SF / October 23

The Gunslinger / Stephen King / Fantasy / October 28

The Drawing Of The Three / Stephen King / Fantasy / November 1

The Waste Lands / Stephen King / Fantasy / November 6

Wizard And Glass / Stephen King / Fantasy / November 15

Night Shift / Stephen King / Horror / November 20

The Store / Bentley Little / Horror / November 24

Crossroads Of Twilight / Robert Jordan / Fantasy / December 3

The Thief Of Aways / Clive Barker / Fantasy / December 5

Doctor Jekyll And Mr Hyde (and other stories) / R. L. Stevenson / - / December 6

Fire Time / Poul Anderson / SF / December 12

The Hellbound Heart / Clive Barker / Horror / December 20

The Engines Of God / Jack McDevitt / SF / December 21 / +

Headhunter / Michael Slade / Horror / December 23

1632 / Eric Flint / SF / December 26 / +

1633 / Eric Flint – David Weber / SF / December 31

---

Nonfiction

Editing Canadian English / Various Authors / August 8

India: A History / John Keay / August 24 / +

Look At The Sky / Shawn Haley / September 2

Understanding Dreams / The Diagram Group / September 13

The Gutenberg Revolution / John Man / December 15 / +

---

This list continues with Book List 2004.