Jenn’s Books

Heart-Shaped Box: A Novel
This is the best ghost story I have read in a long, long time. All of the characters are very real and believable. Georgia reminds me a bit of one of my coworkers even. The think that I like is that it isn’t “oh no! We are haunted! Quick let us run for the little old lady in the middle of the swamp ’cause she is a voodoo priestess and she will shake some bones and make it go away.” No, it’s more like “Fuck the ghost. Fuck his family. I am going to take care of this myself. And he is going to regret the day he died.” Joe Hill is Stephen King’s son, but he writes much more like King’s alter ego Richard Bachman. If you liked Thinner, you will love this book. I really hope that Hill continues to write and turn out many more amazing works like this one. A word of warning: the story centers around sexual abuse of many kinds. While I still think that this is a great work, some people may be very offended by it. If you think that you are one of these people, just remember I have warned you.

Title: The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer Author: Ridley Pearson as Joyce Reardon Format: Mass Market

So I am a sucker for Stephen King. As much as I pick his stories to bits, I keep coming back for more. I saw Rose Red one Halloween with friends and couldn’t stop laughing. I saw it as a comedy. The pizza delivery guy can make it to the house and back out again, but no one else can? If the pizza delivery guy is writing the whole story I guess that’s possible. Back at work, everyone starts looking for the new book by the “King of Horror”. Well it’s not over in ‘K’. We had it some place different each week. I finally read it after all of the madness had died down. I did like way it was laid out, very much like a diary from the turn of the century. It almost felt like this woman was talking to me, a very breathy sort of tone. All in all it was a basic ghost story. I am lucky enough to live semi-close to the Winchester Mystery House, and I just kept imagining that I was in that house. Even though it was just a simple ghost story, I thought it was very entertaining.
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Title:Tick Tock Author: Dean Koontz Format: Mass Market

This is one of the most hilarious horror books I have ever read. Most have a dark sense of humor, but this one has a bright, glass-half-full, happy-go-lucky, side kick character. Our hero, Tommie Pham, has just quit his full time job to write detective novels. The book starts with him buying a brand new blue Corvette, the car he has dreamed of since immigrating to America as a boy. Now he has to face his mother, the thing all children dread. The thing I love about this book, is how many authors have the balls to total a Chevy Corvette by the THIRD chapter? I can understand by the two-thirds mark, but three chapters. As the daughter of a mechanic, my heart just broke when I read that, but at the same time I found it so funny. He hooks up with Deliverance Payne, part-time waitress, full-time millionaire. This book reads like a modern day Dick Tracy with a clown car. I fully enjoyed this book and would suggest it to anyone.
If you would like more reviews on this title, please visit the Amazon website.

Title:The Eyes of the Dragon Author: Stephen King Format: Mass Market

When I was twelve, my mom took me to a small independent bookstore for my birthday. She said that I could pick out any one book that I wanted. My mom has never really censored my brother’s nor my reading material. So I went over and picked up Eyes of the Dragon. I felt so grown up that day. I had my very own King novel. I have read that first little mass market into its grave, and had to buy a second copy. This is King’s attempt at fantasy, and I think a pretty good one. Very few authors can break out of their genre. King went for a stroll out of his then came back to horror. While this novel is written in a very classic Stephen King type of voice, it is much different from anything else he has ever written. It is the story of a kingdom, two princes, a evil magician, and murder most foul. I would suggest this to anyone who is firmly stuck in either the mystery or the science fiction genre as an introduction to King’s works. I would also recommend this as a teen’s first King, as it is much milder then any of his other works.
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Title: Superstitious Author: R.L. Stine Format: Mass Market

I found Stine’s one adult novel an interesting premise. What if your family is cursed? The curse only goes from father to son. Once a son is born, the father is released from it. And you must watch your every step to make sure that you don’t break it. For if you do, the people you love will die, with you watching. Your life will be reduced to watching for black cats and avoiding ladders. For if you break a superstition, a demon will be born into this world; little ones at first, just killing insects and small critters. Yet as time goes on, they become bigger, meaner, and more dangerous. And the only way to rid yourself of the curse is to give it to another of your own blood. Personally, I thought the book was well written but could have done without the graphic sex carelessly thrown into the book. I would recommend this title to anyone who doesn’t mind the unnecessary sex and is looking for a unique plot line.
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Title:Cell Author: Stephen King Format: Hardbound

Stephen King’s Cell is a modern retelling of his earlier novel, The Stand. Mass plague spread by some means. This time it is cell phones. If you are looking for standard King, then he has brought you one of his best. A man who was lucky or unlucky enough to not have a cell phone, and thus escaped the insanity that poured over the world on that fateful October day, is in search of his son. His son that lives hundreds of miles away. His son, who he bought a cell phone for. It is his struggle to find his son and stop his mind from taking over and allow just one thought though. That thought? “My boy is worse then dead. He used his cell phone to call me or his mom. He is one of the insane.” It is a new approach to the “we are killing ourselves with our technology.” Overall it was an enjoyable book. I would recommend this to anyone who likes mainstream horror and those that don’t read horror at all.If you would like more reviews of this title, please visit the Amazon website.

Title: I Am Legend Author: Richard Matheson Format: Trade Paperbound

So I love new twists on old tales. If you like or liked CSI: Las Vegas, Stephen King’s The Stand, or any of the old vampire legends, you have found the perfect book. A world wide epidemic hits causing almost all of the inhabitants to turn into vampires. The few remaining live individuals are left to be hunted by loved ones and neighbors. One man makes it his quest to fight for his right to live. He goes back through all of his old books on vampires to find wards against them and then takes them one step further. What is the chemical in garlic that vampires are allergic to? Why are they so afraid of holy images? I have yet to find anything quite like this, and Matheson’s writing style is completely unique. Also, there are rumors of a new movie based on this novel. Will Smith is to play our hero, and Johnny Depp to play the lead male vampire antagonist. With both Smith and Depp showing themselves to be more then capable actors, it should be an interesting film. This book is a beautifully dark take on science and gives a whole new light on the legends of vampires. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys tales with a twist and horror to not leave you with the “brain must be scrubbed with bleach now” feeling. This book will leave you satisfied that the hero may have a chance at winning.

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P.S. I gave a copy of this to my mom who loved it. I also sold a copy to Kate Beckinsale’s mother-in-law for Kate. She sent back a very gleeful “does this man have anything else!?!” Just to let you know who is reading this book.