Overbooked Reader

I'm torn about my review for  Mr. Mercedes . On one hand, it's a thrilling mystery read. On the other hand, it's a thrilling mystery read. I love Stephen King stories because they are full of horror, the paranormal and the supernatural. They are scary. Haunting. The stuff of nightmares. Even daymares! (Yes, it's a real word. I checked the dictionary.) Mr. Mercedes is disturbing in a psychological kind of way. But I've seen plenty of that on my favorite crime television series like Criminal Minds and Law and Order . I won't go so far as saying that King's book is just a text version of a TV crime drama--it's much better than that. It's just that the novel wasn't what I wanted or expected from the king of horror. Goodreads members, however, loved the novel. They voted Mr. Mercedes  as the best mystery and thriller book, in the Goodreads Choice Awards 2014 . King's book won over The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (a.k.a. J.K R...

Many of my close friends know that "Carrie" is my favorite Stephen King novel. I always talk about how that was the book that got me into reading and writing. However, I don't often mention that "The Shining" is my second favorite novel by Stephen King. "The Shining" tells the story of recovering alcoholic Jack Torrance, his wife Wendy, and his son Danny. When Jack finds a job as caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, the whole family drives up to the hotel for the winter. The former caretaker succumbed to cabin fever, and killed his entire family. Obviously, a foreshadowing of things to come, and Jack's family soon finds out why. Everything is fine at first. Jack even finds time to work on his long overlooked play. Then, Danny begins seeing visions. Danny has 'The Shining,' a telepathic ability that allows him to have premonitions, read minds, and perhaps more dangerous things. Unfortunately, his ability inadvertent...

Author: Stephen King Title: Doctor Sleep Place Published: New York, USA Publisher: Scribner, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Year Published: 2013 No. of Pages: 531 Price: Php 1,199.00 (Hardcover) Place Bought: Fully Booked Rockwell The Shining is one of my favorite Stephen King books, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of its sequel  Doctor Sleep . The new novel follows the story of Danny Torrance, who grows up following in the footsteps of his dad. Struggling with alcoholism, he travels from town to town in search of menial jobs, until he reaches a certain New Hampshire town. There, under the guidance of his new employer, he joins Alcoholics Anonymous in an attempt to overcome his addiction. As Dan recovers, so does his Shining . He finds a job at a hospice where he uses his powers to provide dying patients some comfort. This is when he is contacted by Abra, a young girl with the strongest Shining Dan's ever known. Meanwhile, a group of qu...

Author: Stephen King Title: Under the Dome  Place Published: New York, USA Publisher: Gallery Books, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Year Published: 2009 No. of Pages: 1072 Price: Php 546 Place Bought: Fully Booked Rockwell Synopsis Never before reading Under the Dome by Stephen King would I have believed that a used car salesman named Big Jim Rennie would make a good antagonist for a science-fiction, horror novel. He wasn't selling supernaturally monstrous vehicles or anything like that. He was just a terrifying human being with extraordinary ambitions for power and affluence. It's just another day in a small American town called Chester's Mill in Maine when an invisible barrier descended and separated the town from the rest of the world. The dome's appearance caused several death's in Chester's Mill, driving the remaining inhabitants into fear and chaos. Claudette Sanders, wife of the town's first selectman Andy Sanders, was t...

Carrie , Stephen King's first published novel, means a lot to me. It was the first non-required school reading I bought and read myself. It was thoroughly traumatizing and enjoyable in equal measures. And so began my love for reading, and eventually, writing. Official Poster for Carrie by Atlantis Productions (click to enlarge) I was delighted to find out  through Facebook (if memory serves me right) that Altantis Productions was staging a local version of Carrie the Musical . Previously not knowing a Carrie musical even existed, I did some research and read about how it was a flop the first time it was staged so on. Still, I'm a big fan. I invited one of my reader friends and bought us two tickets to see the play at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium in RCBC Plaza, Makati. Moerover, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo's playing Carrie's mother was also a major factor in my decision to watch. I saw her as Diana in Atlantis Production's 2011 re-staging of Next to Normal , ...