Edward Lorn's Blog, page 77

Horror writers are specialists in the worst-case scenario...

Horror writers are specialists in the worst-case scenario.

~ Richard Laymon

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edwardlorn.booklikes.com/post/1156038/post

I went out in public today…

The Fam and I went to the park today. We had crazy fun. Got some sun. Chris broke his fear of heights and played on the slides. Autumn ran around until she was various shades of red and pink. I only took two pictures because, you know, I actually wanted to enjoy my day out instead of hiding behind my phone.

 

If you haven’t been out in the real world in a while, I highly recommend it. There’s all kinds of nature and stuff, and it can be pretty.

 

 

And I call this one HOWARD!!!

 

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edwardlorn.booklikes.com/post/1155949/i-went-out-in-public-today

Bag of Bones Review

Review:

Had you asked me a month ago what I thought of Bag of Bones I might have chuckled and shook my head. I might have told you it is one of the worst Stephen King books there is, that it is easily in my bottom five King reads, down there with such piles of Kingly excrement as Dreamcatcher, Wizard and Glass, The Eyes of the Dragon, and From a Buick 8, the latter being the pinnacle of Uncle Stevie’s fecal production. In other words, friends and neighbors, I hated this book.

But that was then and this is now. What happened over the course of 17 years, the timespan between my first read and this one? Well, I stopped doing Class-A narcotics for entertainment purposes, became a husband and a father of two, grew up a little, and all-around dug my head out of my ass. My change of heart could have something to do with one of those things or all of them. I don’t know. But this is a gorgeous book. A little heavy in the rear, but absolutely beautiful.

My only complaint this time around is how long the book goes on after the denouement. It’s not annoyingly long, but I feel a few questions could have been edited out in the beginning half of the book so that we didn’t have to sit around for twenty pages reading about two men chatting over whiskey about what happened in the past 710 pages. I only say this editing could have been done because it is one of the things the made-for-tv movie gets right.

One of the toughest topics this book tackles is the subject of male lust, how immediate and destructive a force it can be. It took a heavy sack on King’s part to speak honestly about something every man deals with yet most cannot explain. King does not condone or make excuses here. He explains. This is how it is, and there are men that find their own thoughts reprehensible. Yes, we all lust. Yes, we all imagine how wonderful it would be for our partners to say “Do what you want”, but not all of us prefer that over love and tenderness.

Okay, here’s where you take responsibility. By clicking on “view spoiler” you agree that you’ve read King’s entire catalogue and will not hold me responsible for things being ruined because you’re too damn inquisitive. Trust me, the shit hidden here is only interesting if you have read all of King’s books.

��

[spoiler]

Obvious Tie-ins:

Thad Beaumont (The Dark Half), oddly enough this is the novel wherein we learn of Thad’s suicide. He’s mentioned as having had a divorce in Needful Things, but this is where we learn of his death.

William (Big Bill) Denbrough is too. (It)

Ralph Roberts (Insomnia) has a pretty big role for a walk-on character from another book. Usually we’re only given mentions of people, but here, Ralph sits down to coffee with Mike and chats for a while.

Alan Pangborn, Polly Chalmers, and Norris Ridgewick (Needful Things). Alan and Polly are only mentioned, but Norris has a walk-on role as the sheriff of Castle County.

Nehemiah Bannerman is obviously the gradfather of the ill-fated sheriff George Bannerman, who makes his first appearance in The Dead Zone only to meet his end inCujo.

The storm of the century in (you guessed it) Storm of the Century is briefly mentioned as��the stawm of the century.

Ring Around the Tower:

Bag of Bones takes place in the same world as Insomnia.

In the final two DT novels, King’s vacation home Cara Laughs is mentioned. Noonan’s vacation home is Sara Laughs.

And yeah, the recurrence of the number 19 in this book is kinda obnoxious. It’s fucking everywhere.

[/spoiler]

In summation: Some books are better the second time around. What is sad is that I never would have reread this one had I not taken on this massive challenge. I feel that this entire journey has been worth it if only because I have a new favorite King book. Bag of Bones is a powerful novel that doesn’t get the credit it deserves from King fans. I cannot recommend a first read, but I highly recommend a reread.

Final Judgment: Sometimes it’s the reader and not the book.

Original post:

edwardlorn.booklikes.com/post/1155871/bag-of-bones-review

Reading progress update: I’ve read 35%.

For an erotic thriller, this is really fucking boring. I will finish it, but everything on display is overused. The bad guy is stolen directly from an episode of Dexter. Rich guy who just got out of jail for violent crimes is able to restart violent crimes because he’s a rich guy. We’re literally counting down the days until he’s off house arrest.

Sadly, I’m thinking the first book was a one-trick pony.

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edwardlorn.booklikes.com/post/1155516/reading-progress-update-i-ve-read-35

Reading progress update: I’ve read 733 out of 738 pages.

Final notes before my review tomorrow:

Alan Pangborn
Polly Chalmers
Norris Ridgewick
Nehemiah Bannerman
Storm of the Century

Side note: It’s fucking creepy how the end of this book discusses a writer retiring, and then King almost dies the year after its release.

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edwardlorn.booklikes.com/post/1155464/reading-progress-update-i-ve-read-733-out-of-738-pages

Changes based on Lora’s input.

Thoughts?

 

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edwardlorn.booklikes.com/post/1155334/changes-based-on-lora-s-input

Wanna Help Me Decide?

I can’t decide on the color palette��for the revamped��cover for��my first short story collection��What the Dark Brings. I thought I would ask you guys. Please vote for��#1��or��#2��in the comment section.

#1.

or…

#2.

Original post: edwardlorn.booklikes.com/post/1155249/wanna-help-me-decide

Psycho Review

Review:

Other than Norman being a Tubby Trooper in the book instead of the Starved Stanchion he is in the movie and television series, I found no glaring differences between the Hitchcock film and the book. I can’t even say that the book is better than the movie. They are completely equal in my eyes. Now the sequels? I haven’t a clue. I have not seen the later movies, nor have I read the follow-up novels Bloch published (Psycho 2 and Psycho House). Now that I’ve tackled the first book, I feel comfortable moving on. Just wanted to make sure there weren’t any differences.

Paul Michael Garcia does a terrific job with the Blackstone Audiobook. I don’t know if there are other versions out there, but I enjoyed PMG’s performance. This one comes in at 5:22 hours, so it’s a little less than 3 hours if you bump up the speed. Worth a try.

In summation: A classic. The big reveal gave me chills even though I knew it was coming. Recommended whether you’ve seen the movie or not.

Final Judgment: A perfect argument for poor hygiene.

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edwardlorn.booklikes.com/post/1154913/psycho-review

Othello Review

Review:

This is part of the 17 Books for People Who Hate People ritual… I mean challenge.

Billy Shakes does racism and love and tragedy in Othello. This is no Taming of the Shrew or Titus Andronicus (two of the most bestest of his bestest works), but it’ll do in a pinch.

Moorover (See what I did there? No? Well, fuckah you then…), it’s short. If you wanna cut your teeth on Shakespeare, give Othello a try.

Requirements for reading: high school drama classes and an affinity for grandiloquent speech.

In summation: It’s motherfuckin’ William Shakespeare. You either love him or hate him or don’t give a screwed-pooch about him. It’s whatever. Seriously. Totes not bestseller material. Like… for sure.

(Sweet baby Tom Cruise, anyone who comes across this review and doesn’t know me will think I’m a fucking moron. They’d be right, but perception is nine-tenths of Newton’s Theory of Apples… or something. FUGGOFF!)

Final Judgment: Verily, a grand scrotum he doth have to giveth Shakespeare three stars!

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edwardlorn.booklikes.com/post/1154615/othello-review

Of Mice and Men Review

Review:

Gary Sinise’s performance of Of Mice and Men is one of the best audiobooks I’ve had the pleasure of listening to. Even if you have read this book, I highly recommend listening to it. It’s three hours long, and only an hour and a half if you crank up the speed of the narration. That’s shorter than most movies. But make sure you grab Gary Sinise’s narration. There are several versions on Audible, so make sure you sang the right one. The Sinise/Malkovich version of the film adaptation is my pick, as well, you know, if you prefer the cinematic experience.

Of Mice and Men was the first unhappy ending I ever experienced in literature. I’ve been a fan of stories about flawed characters and bleak finales ever since. I know how dark this sounds, but happy endings bore me. They’re always so… expected, I guess is the proper word. I go into every story–whether it’s movies, video games, or books–assuming that everyone will live happily ever after, because it’s marketable and that’s what the vast majority of people want. Not I. The darker the better. I dig bleak, man, what more can I say.

In summation: You don’t get much more tragic than Of Mice and Men. If you’re a fan of flawed characters who are forced into tough, heart-breaking decisions, look no further.

Final Judgment: I will name him George, and I will hug him and pet him and squeeze him.

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edwardlorn.booklikes.com/post/1154053/of-mice-and-men-review