Joyland by Stephen King

I received this book from my good friend, John, over at Rant n' Rave.  He's an excellent writer, who is working on many things at the moment, including a script that will change the 'inspirational disabled' troupe that he and I have gripe over since forever. He knew how much I enjoyed 11.22.63, so he recommended a book like it. 

I dutifully took it to jury duty, and with the slow day and no interruptions, I got through half of it. It was an easy read and King does what he does so well, which write a story where it's not full out horror, but a story based on suspense and creepiness.

You know that feeling you get when you see something move out of the corner of your eye, but when you turn to focus on it, it's no longer there? Or when the hair on the back of you neck stands up? Joyland gives me that same sensation, just like 11.22.63.

Joyland is about a young man named Devin, who takes a job at an independent amusement park for the summer after getting his heart broken by his college sweetheart. Devin is concerned about losing his virginity, replays what went wrong with his relationship, and befriends Tom and Erin, who become a couple by summer's end. He learns the ins and outs of an Amusement Park, makes a lot of friends, and slowly comes into his own with a few bumps along the way. 

Tom and Erin learns that Joyland was the setting of a murder years back, and those who work there state that some could see her ghost. As well, Devin is confronted by the park's fortune teller, who tells him that he'll meet a boy with a dog and a girl in the hat.

The reviews about this book are all over the place. Some loved it, and others hated it for various reasons. There was a rather long review about how King didn't do any research on the Amusement Park life and his lingo and set up were all wrong.

I personally enjoyed the novel simply because I don't know much about that Amusement Park life. King took me on a roller coaster (pun intended) where the end of the book had me weeping hysterically at 11pm on a Sunday night.

Josh woke up alarmed and wondered what the heck was wrong with me.  I blubbered that it was because of the ending of the book and he held me bewilderingly, not understanding a word I just said.
Even though the book was a supernatural mystery, the overarching theme was the importance of life, and that life is fleeting; take advantage of it now.

Also, be nice to sick kids, cause there is a chance they have the ability to talk to ghosts and help you out one day.

In all seriousness, I enjoyed the novel, even though I bawled my eyes out at the end. It's sad, but it's still a King creepy-mystery, which also makes it a good read.

So, thanks John. I liked the book and I cried a lot. 

Violin by Anne Rice

So if you followed me on twitter, tumblr, facebook or goodreads, you know how I already feel about this book. I got this book a few years ago at the Book Fair in Baltimore, and only now have I gotten to it. Reviews on goodreads were brutal and I went into it with very, very low expectations.

It did not disappoint. It provided me with troll gold as I dubbed Triana "Brann Brice" and her ghost, Stephan, "Mestat." Now, before I get into my review of the book, it's always interesting to think about the state of the author's mind or what the media has covered about their lives as they wrote this book. Ann Rice is notorious for being in the public eye and her views publicized. She notoriously declared that she wasn't going to write any more Lestat books and that her books were going to be strictly Christian. is As I read her books, (a project that inevitably started this blog), it's very easy to tell when she became more committed to Catholicism and when she decided to chill out with said Catholicism. Rice is one of those authors that use her real life to inspire her books and it's very obvious.

When I started reading Violin, I assumed it was when her husband died, and needed to write a book about her feelings and emotional turmoil about the loss in her life. It's cool, I get it and it allowed me to dub the main character Brann Brice, cause... come on. However, as I read the back flap of the cover, it also revealed that at the time, her husband was alive at the time. Nevertheless, after some wikipedia-ing, I found out that like the main character, her daughter died when she was very young of cancer. Incredibly sad, and excellent source material.

But... regardless, this is an awful book. The main female character, a definitely reflection of Anne, mourns over the loss of her husband (who btw, was sick when they married and restored her house and left her a shit ton of money in his will) and runs into a violin playing ghost, who for some reason, puts up with Brann, I mean, Triana's abusive nature. Now, I wish this was the synopsis of the book, but it's literally the entire book. I just spoiled it for you. She goes on and on about how she's so depressed (again, which I get), but then steals Mestat, I mean, Stephan's violin  and pretends to be a great violin player.

Oh, there is side plot for 20 pages about Stephan's journey and how he come to be dead with his violin, but then it's tossed to the side for Triana... and they end up in Vienna, which I don't understand why or even how, truly, and I love far fetched fantasy and time travel, and she's now a renown violin player and everyone is rushing hear her play...

It became such hot garbage that it was then I decided to stop reading. I don't known the end of the book and honestly, I don't care.

Rice will continue to be one of my favorite authors but her writing is so inconsistent. Someone should have vetoed this book. Eventually, I will read Prince Lestat and her The Wolf Gift Chronicles, someday... when I have forgiven Anne for tricking me (YES TRICKING ME) into reading this book.

What are your opinions of Rice's books? Love them? Hate them?