Weave

Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King ~ Started: 29.07.11 ~ Finished: 01.08.11 Synopsis ~ 'I believe there is another man inside every man, a stranger...' writes Wilfred Leland James in the early pages of the riveting confession that makes up '1922', the first in this pitch-black quartet of mesmerising tales from Stephen King, linked by the theme of retribution. For James, that stranger is awakened when his wife Arlette proposes selling off the family homestead and moving to Omaha, setting in motion a gruesome train of murder and madness. In 'Big Driver', a cozy-mystery writer named Tess encounters the stranger is along a back road in Massachusetts when she takes a shortcut home after a book-club engagement. Violated and left for dead, Tess plots a revenge that will bring her face to face with another stranger: the one inside herself. 'Fair Extension', the shortest of these tales, is perhaps the nastiest and certainly the funniest. Making a deal with the devil not only saves Harry Streeter from a fatal cancer but provides rich recompense for a lifetime of resentment. When her husband of more than twenty years is away on one of his business trips, Darcy Anderson looks for batteries in the garage. Her toe knocks up against a box under a worktable and she discovers the stranger inside her husband. It's a horrifying discovery, rendered with bristling intensity, and it definitively ends 'A Good Marriage'. The Story ~ 'Full Dark, No Stars' is the latest collection of novellas by Stephen King which deal with retribution. '1922': '1922' is narrated by Wilfred James, a farmer in Hemingford Home, Nebraska who lives with his wife Arlette and his son Henry (Hank). Wilfred has always taken pride in working his land and when his wife inherits the adjoining 100 acres from her father, Wilfred want to add it to his own current 80 acres much to Arlette's chagrin, she wants to sells her father's land to a livestock company and leave the farm behind and move to Omaha, this is definitely not what Wilfred wants, he begins to manipulate Henry into believing that if he moves to Omaha, he will be an outcast. In June 1922, Wilfred kills Arlette and Henry helps to move the body into the well beside their barn. Wilfred and Henry's lives slowly become worse, Wilfred is being tormented by rats (which the well was infested with) and Henry is living with the guilt and begins to hate his father, which leads him into trouble and for both of them, a slow descent into madness. 'Big Driver': 'Big Driver' is the story of Tess, author (a cozy mystery writer) of the Willow Grove Knitting Group series (12 book so far) who is invited to a speaking engagement at a library in Chicopee, Massachusetts. Following the advisement of the head librarian, Ramona Norville, Tess takes a shortcut to get home faster, she sets off on her journey when her tire is punctured by smashed shards of wood with nails in them left in the middle of a isolated road, with only a deserted ESSO station Tess is stranded, no signal on her mobile phone and no other traffic to help. Eventually a man appears, an enormous man offering to help her change her tire which Tess gratefully accepts until the situation changes and Tess's life changes forever and she is no longer the woman she was, she wants revenge. 'Fair Extension': 'Fair Extension' is the story of Dave Streeter diagnosed with a illness with low odds of being cured. One evening as Dave is passing by the airport, he sees a man at a stall (the area is famous for road~side sellers) who sells extensions and his name is David Elvid and what he is offering Dave, is a extension of his life for a small fee and to transfer the 'weight' of his misfortune on to someone he knows, Dave does, he passes his misfortune to his best friend, Tom Goodhugh. Dave's health quickly improves whilst Tom's becomes worse and bad luck descends on his family. What does this mean for Dave and Tom's friendship? 'A Good Marriage': 'A Good Marriage' is the story of Darcy Anderson, happily married to Bob, an accountant and a numismatist (a collector of coins) for 27 years. Darcy and Bob have 'a good marriage' and Darcy takes pride in the fact that there is no secrets between them but everything changes for Darcy when she finds something in garage, which shocks and scares her, maybe Bob isn't the man she thought he was, could Bob be the serial killer 'Beadie'? Bonus story~Hodder and Stoughton Edition 'Under the Weather': 'Under the Weather' is the story of Brad and Ellen, a happily married couple who are unable to have children. Brad who works in advertisement leaves his wife in bed as she is still recovering from a bout of bronchitis. Brad goes to work and has a typical day until he gets a telephone call from his building manager about the smell in the apartment next door to him, what is causing the smell? What I thought 'Full Dark, No Stars' ~ I have always been a fan of Stephen King but over the last few years I have not read any of his books (I think the last book I read was 'Cell') as much as I love his novels, I enjoy his novellas more and I loved 'Full Dark, No Stars', the story were very dark (and some parts were hard to read) but they are all brilliantly written, every story is about a normal person dealing with the dark side of life and that is one of the main things I like about Stephen King's, the people he writes about are normal people, who for whatever reason do something totally unexpected, its the last thing you expect and that for me is excellent writing. Highly recommended (but be warned there is shocks in store). Rating: 10/10

I'm sorry you didn't like 'Harvesting the Heart' Ooshie

I'm a fan of Studio Ghibli too imma, I can't wait to see The Borrower Arrietty

I hope you enjoy it nursenblack, I can't wait to read what you think of it.

Forever (Wolves of Mercy Falls~Book 3) by Maggie Stiefvater ~ Started: 20.07.11 ~ Finished: 29.07.11 Synopsis ~ “Grace,” I whispered. “This isn't how it ends.” Sam had always loved Grace. As a wolf, he watched her from afar. As a boy he held her in his arms. Now facing the possibility of a life without her, he will do anything to keep her safe. Even if it means facing his demons. Even if it risks everything he has. Anything, as long as their love can survive. The heart~wrenching finale to the best-selling Shiver and Linger. The Story ~ 'Forever' is the third and final book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series. 'Forever' begins following the events in 'Linger' with Sam and Grace's struggle for their relationship to survive continuing. All of the characters lives have changed, Sam is leading his life the best way he can while he waits for Grace to return, Grace waits for the weather to change so she can return to Sam. Cole is trying to find a way to help them find a cure, while Isabel still mourns her brother and lives with the tense relationship between her and her parents whilst fighting her attraction to Cole. Sam is also under scrutiny by the police following the disappearance of Grace and Grace's friend, Olivia, added to this, is the fact that members of the community want rid of the wolves, Sam has to save himself, Grace and Cole before its too late. What I thought of 'Forever' ~ 'Forever' for me was definitely the best of the series, Sam and Grace find themselves again separated which was heartbreaking because you know they are meant to be together but they are made to part by a situation that is out of their control. Sam and Grace both go through changes in 'Forever', Sam faces his past to help him save the wolves, while Grace faces her future. Cole shows his worth throughout the book and it was great to read because Cole is a strong character, as was Isabel, a girl misunderstood because it suits her but you can see the person she really is behind the mask. As with the previous books in the series, it was brilliantly descriptive, you can imagine the sights and sounds of Boundary Woods, a very visual book. The ending is open~ended which I liked because I honestly saw good things happening for Sam and Grace with struggles along the way, which as strong characters they would be able to cope with (and that Grace finally gets her red coffee pot). I hope that one day Maggie Stiefvater will return to Sam and Grace but for the time being, I have her other books waiting to be read. Rating ~ 10/10

You are very welcome Michelle, Kelly says the audio version is good.

Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls ~ Book 1) by Maggie Stiefvater (re~read) ~ Started: 12.07.11 ~ Finished: 17.07.11 Synopsis ~ For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again. Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever. The Story ~ 'Shiver' is the first book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series. Review from December 2009 ~ ‘Shiver’ tells the story of Grace, attacked and bitten by wolves when she was eleven years old, and now six years later still finds herself drawn to the yellowed eyed wolf who watches her all winter, there is a connection between them and as the story progressed you find out how strong the connection is. I enjoyed ‘Shiver’, it was a different take on the werewolf genre and the story was well written. Grace, the main character was a likeable character, I liked that she was sure of herself, how quickly she has grown up. Sam, the other main character, was also a likeable character, the tortured soul who is fighting to keep some fragment of humanity. Parts of the book reminded me of ‘Twilight’, and readers of ‘Twilight’ will know what parts I mean but given that, ‘Shiver’ as a story stands on its own and gains its own merit. A good read, enjoyable and different, looking forward to the sequel ~ ‘Linger’. 2010 ~ I re~read 'Shiver' last year in preparation of 'Linger' being released but I can't find the review. Review ~ July 2011 ~ This is my third time reading 'Shiver' and I still enjoyed reading it just as much. The characters are memorable and you will care about them. I liked the fact that even though it was a YA book it was not condescending with regards to Sam and Grace's relationship, they are teenagers but they are old souls and it shows. As with my previous reviews ~ 10/10 *** Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls ~ Book 2) by Maggie Stiefvater (re~read) ~ Started: 17.07.11 ~ Finished: 20.07.11 Synopsis ~ In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack and Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole. At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget. The Story ~ 'Linger' is the second book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series. Review from July 2010 ~ As many of you know I enjoyed 'Shiver', the story of Grace and Sam and their fight to be together due to Sam's struggle to stop becoming a werewolf forever. Shiver' finished on a positive note with more of Sam and Grace's story to come. I enjoyed 'Linger', it was much more intense than 'Shiver' and with the additional view points of Isabel and the new wolf, Cole added to the mix, it made for great reading, I found Isabel hilarious at times because she was so straight to the point but at the same time so wounded by her recent loss, I felt sad for her. Grace and Sam were as memorable as ever, they are both well written and lovely characters, in 'Linger' they are both going through changes which are difficult for the both of them to cope with, and at the same time showing how much strength of character they both have. Cole, the newest wolf and character I did not warm to initially but my view of him did change as I read. For me, 'Linger' was a lot sadder than 'Shiver' (and I had a lump in my throat at the end of 'Shiver' the second time I read it), so you can imagine what was I like at the end of 'Linger'. A powerful story which I think will appeal to everyone who enjoy a well written story with a difference. I am looking forward to the next and final instalment, 'Forever', which is due for release next year. Review ~ July 2011 ~ This was my second time reading 'Linger' and as with 'Shiver', I enjoyed re~reading it. I love Sam and Grace, they are great characters to read. As mentioned in the review, I found 'Linger' to be a more intense read which made for great reading. As with my previous review ~ 10/10

Michelle, its definitely not like that, its very subtle and builds up nicely, even though the books are about their relationship, its not the main focus, which I found refreshing, you get to know all the characters. The descriptions in the book are beautifully done. I think you would enjoy them.

Great reviews peace (and you are not a slacker!), I felt the exact same away about 'Eve' and it was 'Haunted' that changed my mind about her, its a great read. I am so pleased you enjoyed 'Catching Fire', there is intenseness to it and I agree, its a more emotional read, just wait for 'Mockingjay'

Fantastic review Charm! Did you remind you of the Harper Connelly series?

Great review hen

Happy reading tunn, I am planning on seeing 'Water for Elephants' at some point

Thanks Kell

Good times hen

Oh definitely The Hunger Games, great holiday read.

1) Who was your favourite character? ~ Coker was my favourite character, I liked how he went in action, trying to organise everyone. His actions at times were questionable but in his mind, he believed it was for the greater good. 2) The book has several distinct phases; the collapse of society in London; the search for Josella and life at Shirning, which was your favourite section and why? ~ I enjoyed the collapse of society in London, I liked how it was described so well, a major city effectively plunged into darkness in all sense of the world with people losing their sight and people facing the unknown of what will happen next, I liked the anticipation. 3) The novel is often billed as being a horror story. Did you find the Triffids scary and if so when did you feel they were most effective? ~ I did not find the Triffids as plants scary but I was not about to plant one in my back yard but the fact that they could blind you scared me, They were more effective I thought in the scenes in the city, no one knew where they were but they could watch you from everywhere, that was scary. 4) John Wyndham is big on ideas, but not always as good with his story telling. Do you think this was a case of concept over story? I thought 'The Day of the Triffids' was well written, the concept was solid, humans fighting against Triffids, which they domesticated and used for their own ends, the last thing they expected was the Triffids to fight back on such a large scale.

Great review Claire , I bought my husband 'It Is Just You, Everything's Not S**t' and it appealed to his sense of humour

'Stolen' sounds a great read, brilliant suggestion Chesil

What do you think of it so far YF?

You get your point across, so they are great.

I was the same hen

I liked it, it was watchable the one time I watched it and don't be sorry hen, its your opinion

Good stuff Lucy Looking forward to reading your thoughts on both books hen Thanks Kylie, I will let you know how they are

I am glad you enjoyed it too Sue, such a intricate story wasn't it?

I agree peacefield, I find myself saying a lot 'is this actual news' when you hear more celebrity news. I feel sorry for Amy Winehouse's family but her death was not my main focus whilst reading or watching the news.