My top 5 Stephen King novels

Oops, missed another Sunday. I spent most of yesterday at work and had to open this morning so when I got home last night all I could think about was bed. But hopefully this makes up for it.

I am a huge Stephen King fan, I love horror novels and think that he's just an amazing writer in general. And fortunately for me Stephen King has written so many books that I can make a list of them. Be warned though, these books made it into my top 5 by being gruesome and gory, for the most part.

The first on my list is The Shining. This was one of the first Stephen King books that I read and it has remained a firm favourite through the years. The novel isn't too gory but it has its moments, mainly it's just a good supernatural read. It focuses on a very young boy who frequently experiences visions and his abusive father. The family spends the winter taking care of an isolated and very haunted hotel where the father is slowly taken over by the spirits who reside there.

The next book is Misery which must truly be every writers worst nightmare. Novelist Paul Sheldon finds himself in a car accident and is found and taken in by a nurse. A very psychopathic nurse who happens to be his number one fan and is very disappointed that he killed her favourite character. This I found to be a truly gruesome book for beginning to end but a fantastic read. Definitely one for the hardcore Stephen King fans out there.

Third on my list is Desperation. This is a deeply creepy and bloody tale about several people who find themselves stranded in the desert with a cop turned psychopath. Unfortunately for them there is so much more going on then a crazed cop.  Recommended for those with strong stomachs. 

Ok, next in line is The Green Mile. This is not a particularly gory novel but it is creepy none the less. It is narrated by an old death row warden and tells the story of three death row prisoners and their wardens. I think that it questions our ideals of innocence and guilt particularly well and shows that not all evil can be seen right away. This was originally  released as a serial novel and even though I have it bound as one novel I can see how brilliantly he built suspense. I wish I had been able to collect each instalment as they came out but I was only one when they started.

Last on my list is Gerald's Game. This one is not recommended for everyone because it is not only gruesome but very deeply disturbing. A woman and her husband drive out to their summer home to spend the weekend together, her husband fond of power games while she's very much over them. When he doesn't listen she kicks him away, he hits his head and dies. Leaving her chained to the bed. At first I was dubious, I didn't quite know how 300 pages of a woman stranded on a bed in the middle of nowhere would be but yet again, Stephen King was brilliant. Once again, disturbing and a very creepy ending. Not for the faint of heart but if you read Stephen King I'm guessing that you're not.

Well that's my list. I kept it quite short because I have only read a limited number of his books. That being said to put them in a list was very hard. I had to become quite choosy and forced myself to give reasons to the books being here other then 'but i loved it'. So now it's your turn, are you a Stephen King fan and if so what's your favourite novel? Until next time,

Catherine

My favourite Melbourne bookstores

Hey everyone, over here in Melbourne it is very, very cold but I did find the motivation to go all the way into the city for this post (the life of a blogger is so hard). I had wanted to do a post like this for a couple of weeks now because I love reading them. It will of course mainly be for Melbournians but it will make a good read for any bookworms coming to Melbourne or someone who just likes lists.

Now I did visit a new store hoping to put it on this list but unfortunately Kay Craddock's fine and rare books did not make the cut. It is a very beautiful store found on Collins Street with a huge selection of beautiful books but the service was not great. I went in to get one of my books looked at, not to be valued but so I could get a bit more of a history on it. I had found it in an opportunity shop but couldn't even find a published date on it. When the staff found out I wasn't in there to buy anything they were a bit dismissive, I was willing to pay for the research but didn't have to, mainly because there was none done. Kay herself had a quick glance, gave me a published date around the 1940's and pretty much sent me off, the other information she gave me could be found in the book itself. Beautiful store but unless you're going to buy something don't bother. A shame, I really wanted to give this store a good review.

Now on with the good ones. My first is the Hill of Content bookstore, I go there because my grandmother gives me gift cards that can be redeemed there and it's the closest place I can use them. It can be found on the corner of Exhibition and Bourke street. It's a large store with a very big selection. With most of their books they will only have one or two copies (like most stores I suppose) so they can be tricky to find if you're not to familiar with their layout. That being said the staff are wonderful and always very helpful, not always busy like in some stores. The books are typically priced, you won't find any big discounts but its a lovely store in its own right.

My second store to mention is Dymocks. Now Dymocks does have two stores in Melbourne but the one I go to is located on Collins Street, on the ground floor of Boutique Place. It's a huge store and I love Dymocks anyway. I've always found them to have great customer service, they order in books not matter where the come from, reserve books and the have a wonderful rewards program. Now some other book stores offer good service too but I like Dymocks. They can tend to be cheaper then other book stores and if you are a member you can be privy to some fantastic discounts and rewards.

Now the Victoria State Library is not a bookstore but they do have one inside. The library is huge and absolutely gorgeous. It's not just a library but also a gallery and they hold exhibitions all the time. Found on Swanson Street across from Melbourne Central Station. And also located right next to my favourite chocolate cafe, San Churro. You can't borrow books from here, for relatively obvious reasons but its well worth a visit and with the store you can still leave with some goodies.

Now for my absolute favourite Melbourne bookstore, The Book Grocer. I adore this bookstore and now I have even more reason to. This is a bookstore that is always changing, they have a consistent penguin classics sections but aside from they you will hardly ever find the same book in there twice. They always have new books in and are always changing the set up around. Last time I went there they had an awesome philosophy section which has been replaced with a history section. You have to go in with money because if you find a book you love, you can almost guarantee that you won't find it again. Most of their books are also quite obscure, not always things that you can find in typical bookstores. For instance I remember going in, completely broke, for a look and finding an awesome hardcover book on etiquette for $15. Never saw it again. On that note, the prices had always been fantastic but when I went in on Thursday I noticed that now, no book is over $10. Yep, that's right, all books $10 and under. Already my favourite book store, now even more so. You can find it near the corner of Bourke and Russell street.

Now being a bookworm with high expectations for my self control I went into the city to investigate and update my notes on my bookstores with the idea that I wouldn't buy anything. Yeah right! All was going well until I got to The Book Grocer and saw the 'all $10 and under' sign. And then I brought three. Which isn't bad but I only escaped with three because I almost ran to the counter so I couldn't see any more books. I ended up buying a book called Heartstone, set in the time of Henry VIII, a book on history's warrior queens and a Jane Austen biography.

Now before I wrap up (almost finished, I swear) I would like to give a special mention to Secondhand Books. This used to be a wonderful second hand book store outside Flinders Street Station. Unfortunately it closed down about 6 months ago but it deserves a mention. All of the books were in good condition and you could even buy some brand new books for secondhand prices. It was one of those little cramped stores with a rickety old bookcase ladder and everything smelt like old books, I adored it.

Well that's everything. I hope you enjoyed reading some of a bookworms favourite resources. Leave your own favourite stores listed down below. Until next week,

Catherine. 

  

     

Replace previous post with this

Ebooks or the real thing??

No, I'm sorry, this has never been a real argument for me. Reading books is an experience combined of many elements that ebooks cannot provide therefore i think that ebooks are great and all but they will never beat real books. So I guess this post is just telling you why. 

Ok, first things first, books smell amazing! If you are a reader, you will know this. If you live with or know a reader watch them around books, they will eventually smell them. And just a little bit of science for you, this smell is not due to dust. A compound in wood called lignin related to vanillin which when made into paper, breaks down over time and causes a smell vaguely like vanilla. I love this smell and when in a second hand bookstore I will subtly smell the books before buying. An ebook just does not provide the scent and short of spraying it with paper passion (the aforementioned book perfume), which is expensive and will probably ruin your electronics, it's just not something you can replace.

Now you can curl up with a book but you can't curl up with an ebook. It's uncomfortable and depending what you're reading on, if you move the screen will swivel and personally I hate having to lie a certain way because my screen may shift. 

In regards to the readers, I am an iPad user and don't have a kindle but I find that after reading on the iPad for a while it really strains my eyes. I can dim the screen but for some reason I can never read on my iPad for any length of time. My friend does have a kindle and I hate the controls on it so I'm not investing in one.

On the other hand, ebooks have some definite advantages. Books are getting more expensive every day but an ebook will generally be at least half the cost and there are so many free versions out there that are not illegal to download. So for an avid reader it will save you so much money. In addition, books take up a lot of room! In a handbag and in a room, you need so much space to keep books. And do you remember going out, finishing a book and having nothing else to read? Well ebooks prevent that problem.

In the end, I am a reader who loves books, i love visiting book stores and smelling old books. Ebooks will never replace this experience for me so I will happily stick to traditional books and continue to build my library. Because at the end of the day a big library is more impressive to me than an electronic.

Until next time,

Catherine

   

Introducing Stephen Laws

You haven't heard of Stephen Laws? I'm not surprised. Despite being a fantastic writer he is not too well known. I have never seen his books in book stores and even when researching him he is not the first result to appear. This being said his lack of fame is quite astounding, he has written quite a range of novels and short stories, all of which have been reviewed quite highly.

Now recently I rediscovered one of his novels on my bookshelf, Spectre, which is an amazing piece of writing. It focuses on an old group of friends who go their separate ways during adulthood and are brought back together to fight a force that started killing them off one by one. It is fantastic, a little bit scary and has a well thought out plot. Laws writes almost as good a horror story as Stephen King.

So go and pick up a copy, I only have one of his novels that I found in a sale at a downsizing library (downsizing, so sad) but I'm planning on buying more. I realise that this is such a short post but I really just wanted to tell your about this magnificent author. So let me know, had you heard of him, and do you have any of his books? Until next time,

Catherine