"If It Bleeds" by Stephen King

If it Bleeds by Stephen King has three short stories and one long story in it.  The two I enjoyed the most were short:  Mr. Harrigan's Phone and Rat.  The long story, If It Bleeds, was pretty good too.  The other short story, The Life of Chuck, did not impress because I didn't understand it at all.  I give this book 4 stars on the basis of how much I enjoyed the two short stories I liked the most.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"The Institute" by Stephen King (Husband and Wife Both Liked This One!)

The Institute by Stephen King got my attention and kept it throughout the book.  There are no boring parts in this!  I normally do not like Stephen King books; however, this one involving kids peaked my curiosity.  It is horror because of the emotional and physical pain the children endure.  It is about a bunch of kids who were kidnapped for experimentation on developing their special telekinesis and telepathy abilities for the good of the world.  I liked the group dynamics among the kids and how they became friends and worked together to escape the Institute.  It is not all horrific.  There are some funny lines and lots of adventure.  The ending didn't really make sense to me, but I liked the book anyway.  (Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 10/24/19:
The Institute by Stephen King is about children who are really smart and have a special ability to do something are taken and put into a large building.  They are held there and are experimented on and they better behave, or else!  Who is doing this and why?  What about the families of these children?

This is very good!  It flows well and is action packed to be sure!  The ending was amazing!  Good stuff!  (5++ stars) 

Teaser from page 63:  Something began to flutter in his chest, and he took several deep breaths to try and quiet it.  He went to the door and grasped the knob, sure he would find himself locked in.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Sun Dog" by Stephen King

The Sun Dog by Stephen King is vintage King! Kevin gets the birthday present he wanted for his 15th birthday—a camera! The first picture he takes shows something it should not! The more pictures he takes, the thing is still in there and is scares Kevin really bad! The pace of this book is really good and the ending had me turning pages as quick as I could!
(Gerard’s review, 5 stars)

Teaser from page 9:  But it was not practical good Kevin was thinking about.  In fact, he was not thinking at all.  He was feeling . . . and remembering.  

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Elevation" by Stephen King is Very Short!

In Elevation by Stephen King, Scott lives in a small town.  He has a medical issue he wants to keep quiet, but he does confide in one person.  He decides to befriend two working women who sure could use a friend.  This is a very short book--only 146 pages!  It is pretty good though and kept my interest.  I give it 4 stars because it is so short.
(Gerard's review)

Teaser from pg. 13:  "Absolutely not," Scott said.  "I guess I don't have to ask if you've ever seen a similar case, but have you ever read about one?"

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

Loved "End of Watch" by Stephen King

End of Watch by Stephen King is the final book in the series that started with Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers. In this book Brady Hartsfield is in a hospital. He is in a vegetative state, or is he? Turns out that he has special powers now and the two detectives, Bill Hodges and Holly Gibney better watch out or else!

This book was vintage King! I just never knew where this was going to turn. I enjoyed this book as much as the other two—LOVED IT! What a great series!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)


Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

LOVED "Mr. Mercedes" by Stephen King

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King centers on two men—Mr. Mercedes who mowed down people with a car and got away with it and a retired detective, Bill Hodges.  When Bill receives a letter from Mr. Mercedes taunting him for not catching him and vowing to do it again, Bill gets back into the case and wants to catch Mr. Mercedes.  I loved this book which is “vintage King.”  It kept me turning pages saying “Wow, this book is good!” over and over.  What a great book to start 2015 with. 

(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Revival" by Stephen King Gave Me Chills

Revival by Stephen King is about two men—Jamie Morten and Charles Jacobs.  Charles, a preacher and a faith healer, befriended Jamie when he was a small boy.  As Jamie gets older, he has problems and is down on his luck.  He and Charles meet again and this time the consequences for both men are huge.  This is the Stephen King that I enjoyed years ago with great writing and a real page turner.  The ending gave me chills, LOVED it!  

(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Doctor Sleep" by Stephen King

When I started reading Doctor Sleep by Stephen King, the sequel to The Shining, it did not make sense to me.  I picked it up a few days later to give it another go and then I finally caught on.  This is about a little girl who has a special power that some people want to use for evil.  Dad has the same power and fights against the evil trying to save the little girl from harm.

I enjoyed it once I got into it.  There is good action and I especially liked the parts about the little girl.
(Gerard's review, 4.5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Joyland" by Stephen King

Joyland by Stephen King is a story about a young man who signs on to work at an amusement park.  He finds that not only are the rides exciting, but the people who he has contact with are also.  I enjoyed this book very much!  It is a pretty quick read and the action keeps moving.  The ending has a couple of twists and I liked how it all turned out!
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

Stephen King Spooktacular Book Blog Giveaway (This is Over)

Winners Announced here!

We are so excited because this is our first “Grab A Book From Our Stack” giveaway! It being Halloween and all and Stephen King being a favorite in our author poll in our side bar, Gerard is graciously giving away the following three Stephen King books:

The Tommyknockers

  Excerpt from the dust cover (558 pages):

Late last night and the night before,
Tommyknockers, Tommyknockers,
knocking at the door.
I want to go out, don't know if I can,
'cause I'm so afraid
of the Tommyknocker man.

It begins with nothing more frightening than a nursery rhyme; yet in Stephen King's hands it becomes an unforgettable parable of dread, a threat from an unimaginable darkness that drags the practical inhabitants of a New England village into a hell worse than their own most horrible nightmares...and yours.

It begins with Bobbi's discovery of the ship in the earth, a ship buried for millions of years, but still vibrating faintly, still humming with some sort of life...faint...weak...but still better left alone.

The townspeople of Haven are "becoming"--being welded into one organic, homicidal, and fearsomely brilliant entity in fatal thrall to the Tommyknockers.

In this riveting, nightmarish story, Stephen King has given us his tautest, most terrifying novel to date.  And the next time someone raps at your door, you may want to keep the chain on.  It just might be the Tommyknocker Man.

Four Past Midnight

(actually this is a collection of four chilling novellas):  Excerpt from the dust cover (763 pages):

One Past Midnight:  "The Langoliers" takes a red-eye flight from L.A. to Boston into a most unfriendly sky.  Only eleven passengers survive, but landing in an eerily empty world makes them wish they hadn't.


Two Past Midnight:  "Secret Window, Secret Garden" enters the suddenly strange life of writer Mort Rainey, recently divorced, depressed, and alone on the shore of Tashmore Lake.  Alone, that is, until a figure named John Shooter arrives, pointing an accusing finger.

Three Past Midnight:  "The Library Policeman" is set in Junction City, Iowa, an unlikely place for evil to be hiding.  But for small businessman Sam Peebles, who thinks he may be losing his mind, another enemy is hiding there as well--the truth.  If he can find it in time, he might stand a chance.

Four Past Midnight:  The flat surface of a Polaroid photograph becomes for fifteen-year-old Kevin Delevan an invitation to the supernatural.  

The Dark Half

  Excerpt from dust cover (431 pages)

Thad Beaumont is a writer, and for a dozen years he secretly published novels under the name of "George Stark" because he was no longer able to write under his own name.  He even invented a slightly sinister author biography to satisfy the many fans of Stark's violent bestsellers.  But Thad is a healthier and happier man now, the father of infant twins, and starting to write as himself again.  He no longer needs George Stark, and in fact has a good reason to lay Stark to rest.  

When Homer's pick-up truck truck is found, the bloody fingerprints of the perpetrator are all over it.  They match Thad Beaumont's exactly.  Armed with hard evidence, Pangborn [the sheriff] pays the Beaumonts a visit, and suddenly he too is thrust into a dream so bizarre that neither criminal science nor his own sharp mind can make sense of it.

At the center of the nightmare is the devastating figure of George Stark, Thad Beaumont's dark half--impossibly alive and relentlessly on the loose--a killing machine that destroys everyone on the path that leads to the man who created him.

Here is the The Dark Half, a tale of terror so real and fascinating that Stephen King's growing legion of fans will find themselves squirming in the master's heart-stopping, blood-curdling grip--and loving every minute of it.

Anyone in the United States Can Enter! This is open to anyone in the U.S., not just our followers or other bloggers! (We will be having a Follower Appreciation giveaway in November just for our followers as well as another open giveaway on Book Blog Jog Days.)

Easy To Enter:

(1) Just leave a comment here letting us know which book(s) you would like with a way of contacting you should you win (blog URL or email) or send an email to spunkydoodle[at]sbcglobal[dot]net with “Spooktacular Giveaway” in the subject line.

3 Optional Easy Ways To For Additional Entries:

(1) Leave us a comment on any of our other posts on this blog, mentioning the book(s) you would like to win. After all, we would like you to look around our blog a little bit.

(2) Add Grab A Book From Our Stack (www.ourstack.blogspot.com) to your blog roll—let us know you did it in your comment or email.

(3) Twitter (including #bblog in your tweet if you remember) or blog about this giveaway and leave a link to your post or your Twitter ID in your comment or email.

Winners will be announced here Sunday Night, October 31. We will do our best to contact the winners personally on Halloween and give them until November 3rd to email us their address so we can send the book(s). If we do not have an address for them by then, another winner will be chosen instead.

Entries close at 12:30 p.m. EST on Oct. 31. There will be separate drawings for each book on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. EST. Since the Browns have a bye week, this will give me something fun to do! We wish everyone a fun week and a happy and safe Halloween!

I included this post in the Saturday Sampling over at Half Past Kissin' time where you can link the best posts of the week.

"Duma Key" by Stephen King

Duma Key takes awhile to really get going, but once it does, watch out!!  It is about Edgar who gets in a terrible accident which causes him lose his right arm and scrambles his mind.  He is filled with rage and begins rehab and resumes painting, something that once have him pleasure.  It's about loyalty and compassion  Very interesting characters and a good story with paranormal activity.  I've read better by him, but well worth your time.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Just After Sunset" by Stephen King

Just After Sunset by Stephen King is a collection of short stories by the "Master of Short Stories."  Most of these are very good and I wished they were longer.  I found only a couple that I didn't get into; hence 4 instead of 5 stars.  Must read for all King fans!
(Gerard's review 2009)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Blockade Billy by Stephen King

Blockade Billy by Stephen King is a novel about a guy who comes up to be a fill-in catcher for a major league team.  He loves to block home plate in close plays--hence, the name of the book.  I enjoyed it.  Good twist at the end, Stephen King style!

(Gerard's review 6/22/10)

(spoiler alert)
Blockade Billy by Stephen King is a book that I wish I hadn’t wasted my time reading.  The only good thing was that it is short.  It’s about a catcher who really isn’t who he said and who turned out to be a killer.  When the crowd yelled “Kill the umpire,” Blockade Billy took it literally.  I gave this a chance because I like baseball and that’s what it was about but no more Stephen King for me.

(Karen's review 9/25/10)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?