Tag Archives: horror

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill: It’s been a while since I last read a good old fashioned ghost story. Here, aging heavy metal rock star Judas Coin purchases a dead man’s suit, purported to be haunted, just for laughs. Unfortunately, it turns out to be indeed haunted by the spirit of the stepfather of an old flame of Jude’s. The writing was deliciously spooky, the rock star angle was refreshingly different, and the ending was satisfying without feeling too tidy. I’ll have to keep Hill in mind next time I’m in the mood for a scary good time.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: Forget all the Frankenstein stereotypes you know. Forget Igor, grave robbing, neck bolts, electricity, and mobs of angry villagers carrying torches. Victor Frankenstein is a student of natural philosophy (what science was evidently called back then) who plays with chemicals in order to create life from dead tissue. The monster, which remains nameless throughout the story, so frightens Victor that he runs away and tries to forget about it. The monster, initially gentle but driven to cruelty by the repeated condemnation by mankind, vows to ruin Victor’s life in return for creating his misery. It’s an interesting story, one that touches less obviously on the ethics of scientific experimentation, but says quite a lot about the unfortunate importance of beauty in society. Victor is more naive and pitiful than evil or mad. Definitely one worth reading, but don’t go in expecting anything like those famous old movies.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Thinner by Stephen King

Thinner by Stephen King: It’s a painfully simple concept for a story: overweight man runs down gypsy, man’s judge friend gets him off, gypsy’s father curses man, man begins to lose weight at a horrifying rate, man hunts down gypsy’s father to get curse removed. Considering all the stuff up to and including the man getting cursed happens before the book even begins, there is definitely not enough story here to fill 300+ pages. It all feels like padding – the altercation with the doctor, the stories of the judge and police chief, even the lengthy bit of tracking down the gypsy caravan. It would have been much better as a short story. I hear the movie is good, which makes sense – this is something that could easily be condensed into a 90-minute film without losing anything. (Though I hear the ending is different, which is a shame since that was one of the few parts of the book that didn’t drag on endlessly.)

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The Stand by Stephen King

The Stand by Stephen King: I would not exactly classify this as an “epic terror to chill your dreams,” as proclaimed by the back of the book, but I may just be desensitized. Even without an obvious horror aspect, the plot was pretty good. The many characters were mostly distinct and believable. By and large, however, the whole thing was just too danged long. A story about a superflu that wipes out 99% of the world’s population is interesting enough; was the supernatural element really necessary? I’m also surprised to learn that there is an “expanded edition” now available, which apparently contains more prose than the unabridged original version I just finished. This one was already pretty wordy and chock full of random asides that had little or nothing to do with the main plot. It wasn’t a bad book, mind, just one that could have used a bit of trimming.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Assorted Book Reviews

I am totally behind on my book reviews, so here are a whole bunch at once.

The Hindi-Bindi Club by Monica Pradhan: A little like a lighter version of The Joy Luck Club, except with Indian women instead of Chinese, this is the story of three women who immigrated to America from India and their relationships with their American-born daughters. Nothing too heavy here, but I liked the characters, there was quite a bit of Indian history I’d never learned before, and the pace was nice and quick. At the end of each chapter there are recipes for Indian dishes, both traditional and Americanized. I did not prepare any of them, but it’s a clever way of drawing the reader further into the story. Good beach read.

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse (unabridged audiobook read by Firdous Bamji): Usually I can’t bring myself to be interested in others’ quests for enlightenment, but this is surprisingly good. The excellent reader is of course a big part of that, but the story itself left me with quite a bit of food for thought. While Siddhartha himself finds the Right Path eventually, the reader is left to find his own way. After all, without trying many paths in life, Siddhartha would not have reached his goal. I can imagine one getting different things out of this book depending on where in life they are. I may have to pick it up again in a decade or two.

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (unabridged audiobook read by Flo Gibson): I had a lot of trouble with this one. The language was difficult, Gibson read way too quickly, and for most of it I had no idea what was going on. Perhaps if I’d read a paper copy I’d have enjoyed it more.

Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer: A beautifully tragic account of young Chris McCandless’s journey (and subsequent death) in the wilds of Alaska. Using diary entries, interviews with people who knew McCandless, and some similar historical endeavors, Krakauer attempts to uncover the motivations and thought processes behind the urge to experience nature in unbelievably dangerous situations. I have never had such an urge in my life, so the description of such an alien frame of mind enthralled me. I have mixed feelings about McCandless himself; I think he mistreated a lot of people who cared about him, but it sounded like he was on the brink of turning his life around there at the end. This story would not have worked as a novel – the premise is just too unbelievable and the timeline far too jumpy – but knowing it was true kept me turning pages until the very end. I agree with the review in the Washington Post, printed on the back cover: “Anyone who ever fancied wandering off to face nature on its own harsh terms should give a look.”

Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner (unabridged audiobook read by Johanna Parker): Kate Klein is a bored housewife in a boring suburb full of SuperMommy neighbors who look down their noses at her. When the least despicable of them is murdered and the police have no suspects, Kate starts investigating on her own. However, this isn’t really a mystery novel. Like Weiner’s other novels, it’s more about relationships and motherhood – two subjects she tackles expertly and very humorously. The ending is surprisingly satisfying, though not especially tidy. Parker, who also read Little Earthquakes, was a great choice for this story as well. One of these days I’ll stop feeling embarrassed for liking Weiner novels. They really are very enjoyable.

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