Misery by Stephen King

Author:  Stephen King

Genre:  Horror, Fiction, Thriller

Reading Experience:  9/10

Story:  8.5/10

Writing:  8/10

My Verdict:  8.5/10

I respect a writer when he or she makes the book come alive.  When a book evokes the same feeling the main character is feeling, or makes the entire atmosphere swallow you whole, then that writer has earned my respect.  Of course, it has to be Stephen King!

The story is simple:Paul Sheldon is a bestselling novelist, famous for his Misery Chastain series.  But his life changes when he was driving through the snow and crashes his car, hurting himself very, very badly.  It's a good thing Annie Wilkes was there!  She has become his nurse since the moment she found him in the wreck.  She takes care of him, nursing him back to health.  And she is also his biggest fan...and his captor.

11/22/63 by Stephen King

Author:  Stephen King

Genre:  Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, 

Suspense, Thriller

Reading Experience:  7/10

Story:  8/10

Writing:  7/10

My Verdict:  7.5/10

We all know what happened that 22nd of November in 1963.  The world stood still and fell silent, to mourn John Fitzgerald Kennedy, as he was assassinated while strolling down the street of Dealy Plaza in Dallas, Texas, in his motorcade.  It shook not only the United States to its core, but also the world.  Every human held their breath, as they watched in horror the development of this tragedy.

Theories and conspiracies began to surface about the man that shot JFK.  Why did he do it?  Was he hired?  Who hired him?  Was it an inside job?  Was he working alone or someone from the government hired him?  They kept coming; more questions and less answers.  But it all lead to the man that pulled the trigger: Lee Harvey Oswald.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

“Stories are wild creatures, the monster said. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?”

- A Monster Calls

Author:  Patrick Ness 

(originally conceived by Siobhan Dowd) 

Genre:  Fantasy, Young Adult, Horror, Contemporary

Reading Experience: 7.5/10

Story:  8/10

Writing:  7.5/10

My Verdict:  8/10

This is a sad story, with an even sadder background.  This is one of those books, one of those stories, that stick with you far beyond the last sentence.  It evokes something very sad and very dark since the first chapter, and it holds you until you read the last one.  Never have I once cried for a book as much as I did with this one, not even the Fault in Our Stars or any of the sort.  No, this book strung many strings in my heart, and it's a personal treasure, a favorite almost.

The story is simple: a boy named Conor and a monster that stalks him every night at midnight.  Conor is coping with his mother's cancer, school and many other things that will hit home and make you reminisce about the obstacles and frustrations of being a teen.

This monster visits him every midnight, demanding only one thing from Conor, the single thing Conor will never, ever give anyone: the truth.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Author:  Shirley Jackson

Genre:  Horror, Paranormal, Supernatural, Gothic

Target Audience:  Adults

Reading Experience:  7.5/10

Story:  7.5/10

Writing:  7.5/10

My Verdict:  8/10

Nothing like a good, old-fashion, haunted house story that makes you question not only the character's sanity in all of the story, but yours as well.  This book is purely psychological; it messes with the character's head, as well as yours.  It leaves you wondering... how much of it was actually real?  

Paper Towns by John Green

Author:  John Green

Genre:  Adventure, Mystery

Target Audience:  Young Adult

Reading Experience:  8/10

Story:  8.5/10

Writing:  8/10

My Verdict:  8.5/10

In contrast to my review of Colleen Hoover's November 9, I thought I might add one of my favorite Young Adult novels.  

Paper Towns, by John Green, is the story of Quentin "Q" Jacobsen.  Q has loved his neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman  all of his life, since the moment she moved next door.  But from afar.  He never dared to tell her.  They had one moment together as children that marked their relationship forever.  Now as teenagers, Q and Margo rarely speak; they are strangers.  She's an enigma to Q, but he still loves her.  Everything is fine and normal until one night Margo climbs through his bedroom window on the second floor, like a ninja with a special mission.  She embarks Q on one of the most memorable nights of his life.  But when that adventure ends, and a new day dawns, Margo disappears.  And Q starts to believe that she left clues for him, so that he could find her.  Q embarks on his own mission to find her, following the clues she left behind.

I won't say more, 'cause I'll spoil it.  But if you thought the Fault in Our Starts was good, this one takes the cake, in my opinion.

November 9 by Colleen Hoover

Author:  Colleen Hoover

Genre:  Romance, Contemporary

Target Audience:  New Adults, Adults

Reading Experience:  4.5/10

Story:  5.5/10

Writing:  6/10

My Verdict:  6/10

As I stated in past posts, I'm not a fan of romance.  I'm more into action, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, thriller and horror.  If it's sprinkled with romance and comedy, I wouldn't mind - as long as it's done right.  Books that are made entirely of comedy and romance?  No, thank you.  Books with YA or NA in their labels?  I'll pass.

I read this for two reasons: 

• I was somewhat curious about the story and book, given that it was really popular among Colleen Hoover fans.  So I had a "hunch" that I might actually like this book, even though it was a romance novel.
• My sister insisted that I read this book.  Like, every single DAY.  I was still reading Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard when she was already pushing the book towards me.  It was only fair, since she read one I recommended her (which she loved it!).

My hunch was wrong, and so was my sister.  Sorry, Sis.  But this was not... enjoyable.  At all.  This is coming from someone that read ALL the Twilight books, most of John Green's (which were actually good) and even Fifty Shades of Grey.  I mean, I've read good romances and really bad ones.  This wasn't horrible, but it was cringe-worthy. 

I know I will be lynched by my sister and all die-hard Colleen Hoover fans, but I have to write about my experience when reading the book, and it was not pleasant.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Author:  Victoria Aveyard

Genre:  Young Adult, Dystopia, Fantasy, Romance

Target Audience:  Young Adults, Adults

Reading Experience:  7/10

Story:  8/10

Writing:  7/10

My Verdict:  7.5/10

I have to say it: I am not a big fan of Young Adults novels, and being a dystopian novel is even more of a deal breaker.  I feel like I've outgrown that genre (I'm 23), and that the genre has nothing new or fresh to offer anymore.  I feel like YA/dystopian novels will never have something new to offer.  To me, it's like an inflexible genre, that doesn't allow much originality other than the story, which become "slightly" different from other novels.  The writing is sometimes the same, the themes and even the love triangles.  Only the story changes, but its development is almost the same.  But I think I may have to reconsider my views on YA now that I read Red Queen.  I think there might be good YA novels out there.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Author:  Gillian Flynn

Genre:  Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Crime, Fiction, Suspense

Target Audience:  Adults

Reading Experience:  8.5/10

Story:  8.5/10

Writing:  8/10

My Verdict:  8.5/10

This should only be categorized as horror.  Pure, raw horror.  I felt like Carrie from Stephen King's novel of the same name, when they poured all that blood on her.  Instead of getting mad, losing my mind and going murderous on everybody present, I was shocked beyond all reason.  Like, literally shocked.  And scared!  I finished the book without any breath left.  I stared at it, in awe of its genius story but horrified of all the things I will never be able to forget after reading it.  Nothing can be unread.  NOTHING.  Once again, Gillian Flynn shows her brilliance in narrative and story-making, and, of course, the unexpected, brilliant, jaw-dropping ending.

Gillian Flynn, you are simply brilliant.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Author:  Gillian Flynn

Genre:  Mystery, Crime, Thriller, Psychological thriller

Target Audience:  Adults

Reading Experience:  8.5/10

Story:  8/10

Writing:  8/10

My Verdict:  8.5/10

Well, I think that after you finish this book, your view of marriage will be forever changed.  Gillian Flynn manages to take you into the mind of a seemingly perfect couple, deep into their psyche, as their marriage goes from the "perfect" union to a harmful one.  It deteriorates, withers and eventually turns into something wicked and downright horrifying.  I won't say anymore because I'll spoil it.  But rest assured, it's jaw-dropping, breathtaking and thrilling (in my opinion).   Makes you think about the fact that people like this actually exist.  Makes you think that things like this can actually happen.  It's a scary thing, my fellow Bookworms.  Very, very scary.

A Work in Progress by Connor Franta

Author:  Connor Franta

Genre:  Memoir, Non-Fiction, Autobography

Reading Experience:  8.5/10

Writing: 8/10

My Verdict:  9/10

You probably have heard of him.  Probably haven't.  If you're a fan of YouTube, like myself, you've probably heard of him and his generation of YouTubers.  There are hundreds and hundreds of YouTubers out there, some in the spotlight, some in the dark, some "getting there".  Connor Franta is one of them.  Still don't know him?  This is him:

Yes, Please by Amy Poehler

Author:  Amy Poehler

Genre:  Memoir, Comedy, Autobiography, Non-fiction

Reading Experience:  7.5/10

Writing:  7/10

My Verdict:  8/10

I thought I might change the rating system for this particular, to make it more appropriate for a memoir.  There's no actual story to rate; it's their life, the way it happened.  no villain (unless you count Life as a villain), there's no conflict between the hero and th villain (again, Life vs. You is a hell of a fight, don't you think?), there are no characters to "develop and there is no plot.  The book of life is already written, and you have no freaking idea what comes next.  So I'll skip the "Story" part of the rating.

Okay!  Let us begin!

The Minority Report by Philip K. Dick

Author:  Philip K. Dick

Genre:  Science Fiction, Short Story, Mystery, Thriller

Target Audience:  Adults

Reading Experience:  9/10

Story:  8.5/10

Writing:  8/10

My Verdict:  8.5/10

I'll be brief with this review since this book is actually only around 100 pages long and I don't want to spoil it for you.  This book is directed mostly towards Sci-Fi lovers, and mystery/thriller lovers.  And it's actually not complete novel, it's a short story.  This story is written by Philip K. Dick, who is often considered a revolutionary mind of futuristic stories and novels (he wrote the Man in the High Castle... 'nuff said).

World War Z by Max Brooks

Author:  Max Brooks

Genre:  Zombie, Apocalyptic, Horror

Target Audience:  Adults

Reading Experience:  7.5/10

Story:  7.5/10

Writing:  7/10

My Verdict:  7.5/10

I thought I may review this book, since it was a very interesting read.  I read this book a year or two before the movie came out (in 2013), so even though I don't remember everything in the book, I remember plenty enough to say that the book was really good.  It's not a favorite, but it was a very, very good read.  I liked it, a LOT.

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

Author: Stephen King

Genre: Horror, Thriller, Paranormal

Target Audience: Adults

Reading Experience: 9/10

Story: 8.5/10

Writing: 8/10

My Verdict: 9/10

Okay, I'm going to review my all-time favorite book of Stephen King: Pet Sematary.  Yes, it's spelled like that, and it makes sense when you read the book.  It's actually my highest-rated book so far, and it deserves such a rating.  Anyway, I haven't read many Stephen King books (yet), but to date, it's my favorite.  It was the only book to actually give me chills (that forest scene... man, I still have nightmares with that scene!).

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Author: Jane Austen

Genre:  Romance, Historical Fiction

Target Audience:  From Adults to young readers

Reading Experience:  7.5/10

Story: 7.5/10

Writing: 6/10

My Verdict: 7/10

Okay, so you'll read a LOT of contradictions here, in this review.  So bear with me 'till the end.  I'm not really sure where I stand with this book, but I'll let you decide.

So, Pride and Prejudice.  We've all heard it.  Many of you had to read it in school or for a course in college.  It was, simply put, an obligation to do so.  Since English literature is not in Puerto Rico's curriculum (we had other excruciatingly boring books to read), I wasn't "obligated" to read this book.  English literature was pretty much non-existent in Puerto Rico.  We were too busy reading the same novel over and over; one was about an epileptic girl in a very poor village, another was a collection of poems from a woman that was depressed practically her whole life.  An occasional "decent" book made it to our hands, but the rest was excruciating, a real challenge.  

Zoo by James Patterson

Author: James Patterson

Genre:  Thriller, Science Fiction, Horror, Mystery

Target Audience:  Adults

Reading Experience:  7.5/10

Story:  8/10

Writing:  7/10

My Verdict:  7.5/10

Who hasn't heard of James Patterson?  I mean, the man has books virtually EVERYWHERE.  It scares me whenever I want to find out how many books he has written to date.  Because if I'm ever hooked, I won't be able to keep up.  I'm still trying to cope with the fact that I recently became a Stephen King fan; keeping up with his writings will be a challenge.  And don't get me started on Dean Koontz!

Cell by Stephen King

Give me a second.  Let me put my cellphone away.  I'm just going to hide it in the bottom of the clothes' hamper and put it all in the closet.  I'm going to close the closet doors and sit as far away from it as possible.  Okay... now I'm ready.

Stephen King's Cell.  You know the man, and you know that his name is synonymous to blood, violence, horror and brilliant storytelling.  This book was no exception.  It had all of those and much, much, more.

I love apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic stories.  I've never actually read a book with that theme, so when I came across this book in the internet, knowing it was a zombie-like novel AND knowing it was written by the great Stephen king, I decided to give it a go without a second thought.

The story is simple yet engaging and fascinating in a gory way.  I'll draw a scene for you.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

"Welcome, to Jurassic Park!"

You can hear it, can you?  The fanfare?  You hear it while you picture yourself in the Toyota Land Cruisers, which are painted bright green with stripes.  It's automated and you move through dense vegetation, in a secluded island off the coast of Costa Rica, and you near a large, wooden gate.  As you get closer, the music gets louder, the gates open and you go through it.  You have time to look up and notice how colossal it is.

Then you're inside.  Nature stretches before you and all around you. You have arrived, you're finally there, back in time, eons!

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

I thought I would review one of my favorite thrillers so far (besides Gone Girl).  The Girl on the Train is a fast-paced, engaging thriller that hooks you from the first chapter.  Without giving too much away, the story is about Rachel, a girl stuck in time and routine, lamenting everything she has lost and regretting the person she has become because of it.  Rachel takes the same commuting train every day, twice a day.  The same thing over and over.  The only thing that gets her through the day is watching a couple - who she names Jess and Jason, since she doesn't know them - every time she reaches one of her stops.  She sees their life, how perfect it is.  It is nostalgic to her.  She used to have a life like that, once upon a time. and she enjoys watching Jess and Jason as they have breakfast, as they embrace, as they smile and love each other.  It's all perfect.  She evens creates imaginary lives for them: their families, their personalities and their hobbies.  There is no need to meet them personally.  Beauty can be admired from afar.

The Shining by Stephen King

Ah!  The Shining!  Everybody knows the title and the horror it represents.  Everybody has heard of it at least once.  The first thing that comes to mind is the scene where Jack Torrance tries to bring down a door with an ax while his wife screams helplessly on the other side.  And that's the image people who haven't seen it get upon hearing the name.  Those that have seen it, like myself?  We recall the cascade of blood from the elevators, the ghost in the bathtub, the twins, the creepy hotel... and of course, REDRUM.


What about the book?  The book was WAY better than the movie.  But I will only review the book for now.