Under The Dome by Stephen King

According to the author’s note at the end of Under The Dome, Stephen King explains, ‘I tried to write a book that would keep the pedal consistently to the metal.’ He certainly wasn’t joking. 

Photo source: Google

Under the Dome was published in 2009. King first attempted to tell this story in 1976 but he only managed about 75 pages in a couple of weeks. He explains, ‘I crept away from it with my tail between my legs.’ King didn’t abandon the story because of the enormous cast of characters, but due to the technical problems the story presented. He tackled it again in 2007, with the help of Russ Dorr as head of research. Russ had previously helped him on The Stand and several other books. 

Under the Dome is set in a small town in Maine (as are several of King’s books). Chester’s Mill is an average town, going about its business as usual when an invisible barrier descends over it. The residents aren’t completely cut off from the outside world, but nobody can leave or enter the town. This situation brings out the best and worst in certain townspeople and pinpoints what some individuals will do when total power is obtained and threat of punishment is no longer an issue. 

A battle for power between good and evil ensues. The good guys are led by former Army Captain Dale ‘Barbie’ Barbara who was intending to leave town on the day of the dome’s appearance. His main ally is Julia Shumway, editor of the local paper. Barbie reluctantly takes on the role of government liaison to Colonel James Cox. Cox is trying to keep the town under control from outside the dome. Barbie is also given authority over the township by The President. 

‘Big Jim’ Rennie has other ideas. Rennie is a used car salesman and the Second Selectman of the town. After the First Selectman dies, Big Jim sees an opportunity to take over the town for himself.  Consequently, he appoints his son and his son’s friends as police and uses them to help him control the residents of Chester’s Mill. 

As this battle between the two continues, the rest of the townspeople begin to take sides. Unfortunately, due to the stress of the situation and dwindling resources, the majority of residents go along with what is happening out of blind fear. Meanwhile, something strange is happening to the children of Chester’s Mill. 

Under the Dome is an epic page-turner. It’s not the usual Stephen King horror story, the horror here isn’t in the gory details, but in how far regular people will go in order to survive and protect what they believe in.     

Book Review: Burnt Offerings by Laurell K. Hamilton

Burnt Offerings is the seventh in the Anita Blake series of books by Laurell K. Hamilton.

Anita Blake is a vampire hunter. She takes us into the world of vampires and other monsters. I would describe this story as a mix of horror, thriller, fantasy and erotica. There were some scenes which left me feeling rather uncomfortable, but I enjoyed the character of the leading lady so much that I wanted to read more. 

I didn’t realise Burnt Offerings was a book from a series until after I began reading it. I was able to follow the plot without reading the previous books, but I’m really looking forward to reading the series from the beginning. 

That's all from me today.

Love KB

x

Book review: Survival of the Fittest, by Jonathan Kellerman

Survival of the Fittest is a fast-paced, suspense-filled thriller. In this twelfth instalment of the Alex Delaware series, Jonathan Kellerman takes us on a chilling journey.

The story begins with a cold blooded murder in the Santa Monica Mountains. A young, slightly retarded school girl dies while attending a school field trip. There are no signs of a struggle or sexual assault. Her father is a diplomat, which leads the police to believe the death could be politically motivated but, the father doesn’t accept this.

Alex Delaware is a psychologist, as is the writer of his character. Dr Delaware is asked by his close friend Milo Sturgis, to assist him with the case. The unlikely pairing of Dr Delaware and the rather large, gay detective is once again rather amusing. One of the reasons I enjoy the Delaware series so much, is because of the close friendship and banter between these two characters. They remind me of an old married couple.

The victim’s father tries to control where the investigation is leading, which suggests to Alex and Milo that he may be trying to hide something. After another murder is discovered, Inspector Daniel Sharavi assists in the investigation. Daniel is an excellent Israeli police detective who was first introduced to us in an earlier book of Kellerman’s - The Butcher’s Theatre.

As the investigation progresses and the horrific reasons behind the killings begin to unfold, Alex must go undercover to expose a conspiracy and the people behind it. 

I found the title of this book interesting as it gave me an idea of what the content would be about. Survival of the Fittest is a natural process resulting in the evolution of organisms which can adapt best to their environment. However, as I dug deeper into the plot, I discovered how this idea could be misinterpreted to suit an individual’s beliefs.

Survival of the Fittest is a thrilling, thought-provoking, page-turner. I enjoyed the combination of humour, psychology, pure terror and fun. Quite an odd combination, but it works.  Most of all, this book made me consider and question belief systems. I have read several of Jonathan Kellerman’s books and I would say this is one of his better ones. The plot is well thought out and the characters believable. Although Survival of the Fittest is part of a series, it is not necessary to have read the previous instalments to enjoy this book. I believe Alex Delaware fans will not be disappointed.

Love KB
xxx

Book review: Break No Bones, by Kathy Reichs

Break No Bones is the ninth in the series of thrillers by Kathy Reichs, concerning the life and work of forensic anthropologist, Temperance Brennan. 

Dr Brennan (also known as Tempe), travels to Southern California as a replacement for a colleague. Tempe finds herself teaching at an archaeological field school in the ruins of a Native American burial ground, on the shores of Charleston. While she is working there, a decomposing body is found in a shallow grave. The body has been recently buried and is wrapped in rotted fabric.

The local coroner Emma Rousseau, who is an old friend of Tempe, asks her to stick around to help with the investigation. As Tempe follows the evidence, another body is discovered. The examination of the bones shows the victims died in similar ways. As yet another body is found, Tempe comes to a horrifying conclusion concerning the death of the victims.

During this time, Dr Brennan is juggling an extremely complicated personal life. Her boyfriend, Detective Ryan decides to pay her a visit to spend time with her. Her ex-husband is working on a case involving the disappearance of a local woman and is staying in the same house as Dr Brennan. She struggles with her feelings for both of these men.

Break No Bones contains the fascinating forensic details we have come to expect, an intricately wound plot and characters we have come to know and love. Our heroine becomes more relatable and down to earth as this series continues. At times, I found the forensic details difficult to follow and stomach, but I believe they are a necessary part of the story. Fans of Kathy Reichs will not be disappointed with this well written, page-turning thriller.

Kathy Reichs shares the same profession as her leading lady, Dr Brennan. She is a forensic anthropologist for the province of Quebec. Her first novel Deja Dead, was a New York Times bestseller and won the 1997 Ellis Award for Best First Novel.

The popular TV show ‘Bones’ is based on this bestselling series of books. Being a fan of both the show and the books, I’d say they share few similarities; the forensic aspects and the name of the leading character. If you are a fan of the show, prepare yourself for a much different tone in the books. Both the TV show and the books have their own merits, but I find their styles quite different.

Love KB
xxx

Book reviews: Song of Susannah, by Stephen King

Song of Susannah is the sixth book in Stephen King’s, The Dark Tower series. With over 400 pages of a blend of western, science fiction, horror and fantasy, it’s an intriguing read. As with earlier books in this series, it is important to read the previous instalments to fully appreciate this book.

The Dark Tower series centres on the last gunslinger Roland Deschain and his quest to reach the top of The Dark Tower. The tower is the point where the hearts of all worlds join and something or something is trying to destroy it. Roland’s character was inspired by the Man with No Name, which was portrayed by Clint Eastwood and from Robert Browning’s poem, Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came. He begins his journey alone but encounters many friends and enemies along the way.

Song of Susannah continues from where the previous book The Waste Lands ends. Our hero and his travelling companions, a young boy Jake Chambers, his pet Oy, a Catholic priest Father Don Callaghan and Eddie Dean a heroin addict, are on a mission to find the woman of their group. She is pregnant and missing. The party is separated to different times and place Jake, Father Callaghan and Oy arrive in New York of 1999, while Roland and Eddie go back to Maine 1977.

Susannah Dean is on a mission of her own. Since her pregnancy, she has been suffering from split personalities and is mainly under the control of a demon named Mia. It is important to Mia that this baby is born in a certain place and she is determined to reach it.

This book includes the usual revelations and horrors we come to expect from Stephen King. The characters are like family to us now and easy to return to time and again. This book is certainly not my favourite of the series but the suspense kept me turning the pages. The most enjoyable parts for me were the incorporation of Stephen King the writer and Father Callaghan from Salem’s Lot, into Roland’s journey. I imagine there will be mixed reviews from Stephen King fans regarding this book but it is part of the journey which must be taken before the final book in the series can be read.

‘One more turn of the path, and then we reach the clearing. Come along with me, will ya not?’ – Stephen King.

Teaser Tuesdays - 11.22.63 by Stephen King

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Here's how it works...

Grab your latest read, open it up and share two sentences from the page. Easy as that. Don't forget to link back to MizB and share the title and author of your book so others can add to their TBR (to be read) list if they wish.

Here's my teaser...

His essay had been primitive art, but every bit as powerful and true as any painting by Gradma Moses. It was certainly better than the stuff I was currently reading.

11.22.63 by Stephen King


Happy reading
Love KB
xxx

Teaser Tuesdays - Survival of the Fittest by Jonathan Kellerman

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading.

Here's how it works...

Grab your latest read, open it up and share two sentences from the page. Easy as that. Don't forget to link back to MizB and share the title and author of your book so others can add to their TBR (to be read) list if they wish.

Here's my teaser...

"They just gave me another cold one, Alex. I'm not sure I can pay you, though we did get brownie points on the last thing, so maybe."

You can read my review of this book here...Survival of the Fittest by Jonathan Kellerman, Book Review



Happy reading
Love KB
xxx

Teaser Tuesdays - Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by the lovely MizB of Should Be Reading.

Here's how it works...

Grab your latest read, open it up and share two sentences from the page. Easy as that. Don't forget to link back to MizB and share the title and author of your book so others can add to their TBR (to be read) list if they wish.

Here's my teaser...

"They got me covering dead Indains?" No political correctness prize for this guy.





Happy reading
Love KB
xxx

Teaser Tuesdays - Song Of Susannah by Stephen King

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by the lovely MizB of Should Be Reading.

Here's how it works...

Grab your latest read, open it up and share two sentences from the page. Easy as that. Don't forget to link back to MizB and share the title and author of your book so others can add to their TBR (to be read) list if they wish.

Here's my teaser...

'How long will the magic stay?'

At first no one answered Roland's question, and so he asked it again, this time looking across the living room of the rectory to where Henchick of the Manni sat with Cantab, who had married one of Henchick's numerous granddaughters.






Happy reading
Love KB
xxx

No Angel ~ Penny Vincenzi

One of my goals this year is to read more books. You can read my reviews and learn where you can purchase any of the books I've read this year here...KB's Bookshelf.

Here's a bit of the blurb from the back cover....





From the Edwardian era, to the First World War and finally the outrageous glamour of the twenties, No Angel is a powerful story of divided loyalties, family politics and moral dilemas







This is the first book in a series of three. The characters are strong and the plot interesting. I love a girlie book which is set in war time. I find learning more about history through a novel much more interesting than reading a history book on the topic. I'm already over half way through the next book and it's fab.

Are you reading anything interesting besides my blog?

See you soon
Love KB
xxx

Desert Flower - Waris Dirie

One of my goals this year is to read more books. You can read my reviews and learn where you can purchase any of the books I've read this year here...KB's Bookshelf.

Here's a bit of the blurb from the back cover...

Waris ran away from her desert nomad family at the age of 12 when her father arranged her marriage to a sixty-year-old stranger in exchange for five camels. She escaped through the harsh Somalian desert and travelled to London where she was discovered by a fashion photographer. But she bore with her the harsh memory and real pain of an ancient custom: circumcision, administered to her at the tender age of five.

This is a remarkable, true story which brought me to tears a couple of times. The ordinary to Waris seemed extraordinary to me. This book caused me to reflect on my own life and how lucky I am to have a roof over my head, food in the fridge, fresh water to drink and most of all the right to make my own decisions in life. I'm counting my blessing. Thanks Waris.


Are you reading anything interesting besides my blog?

See you soon
Love KB
xxx