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The Dark Tower Graphic Novels-Stephen King Review

 

The Dark Tower Graphic Novels by Stephen King

 

Well as we all know I love Stephen King... I even run a fan group for him on goodreads...  Stephen King Fans .  I have been wanting to read all the graphic novels for a long time.  When the first started coming out I went up to the comic book store every time a new one came out and bought it.  But then it started to get pricey and I got lazy.  Well now they are all out!!  AND even better my library has all of them.  Only problem that I discovered is that the graphic novel hard cover (which consists of all the comics in an arch) doesn't include the really interesting supplemental information that is contained in the back of a comic book.  And as all Stephen King fans know... that is vital information when it comes to the dark tower.  Here is a look at the back of one of the comics:

As you can see it is a ton of reading... and lots of information missed.  I am not sure why it isn't included in the hard covers?  Perhaps to get you to go out and by the comic books?   I would review each book but I thought it would be better (and less boring to those who don't read King) to review the whole series.  For those who have read the Dark Tower series these are a must.  They have soooo much back story to Roland and his Ka-tet!! 

So there are 5 books in the Dark Tower comics... and to my surprise there is now a Gunslinger series too!!!  The library had two of the those but is missing the 3rd one so I requested them to order it.  I am now looking forward to reading King's graphic novels for his books The Stand and the Talisman.  Here is a better look:

Follow Me Friday (#30)

This is the day of the week where we get to know each other better by answering a question devised by our lovely hostesses Parajunkee & Alisoncanread. We also gain new followers by joining each other's sites via GFC, so please let me know if you're a new follower since I automatically follow back. And now for this week's question....

Q. What is the longest book you have read?  What are your favorite 600+ page reads?

A.  Well I first off I can't believe this is Follow Friday #30!! wow!  I love long books.  The longest book I have read I think it The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas .  1243 pages!!!  Then of course I am a big Stephen King fan and lots of his books are over 1000 pages.  My favorite is The Stand ... that book is EPIC! Two long books I read and the quit in the last 100 pages were Freedom by Jonathan Franzen and A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness .  I made it like 500 some pages in both and then had just had it!!  The Count of Monte Cristo is great and if you haven't read it take the time!!

What is the longest book you have read?

Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King-Review

Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King

I love Young Adult books but for those that follow me you know I also love Stephen King!  I read this book because it is the book club read for the month for my Stephen King Fans group.  Here is the goodreads description:

A new collection of four never-before-published stories from Stephen King. 1922 The story opens with the confession of Wilfred James to the murder of his wife, Arlette, following their move to Hemingford, Nebraska onto land willed to Arlette by her father. Big Driver Mystery writer, Tess, has been supplementing her writing income for years by doing speaking engagements with no problems. But following a last-minute invitation to a book club 60 miles away, she takes a shortcut home with dire consequences. Fair Extension Harry Streeter, who is suffering from cancer, decides to make a deal with the devil but, as always, there is a price to pay. A Good Marriage Darcy Anderson learns more about her husband of over twenty years than she would have liked to know when she stumbles literally upon a box under a worktable in their garage.

This was a great short story collection. Very dark. Though I will say that I was a little ticked to find out that the paperback copy has a 5th story that the hardback edition does not have. What a money ploy!!  And King makes enough money to not have to do this.  So I guess I won't be discussing this story in my group.  I love the title of this book too.  So descriptive and enticing. 

The story called A Good Marriage was so suspenseful I had to actually take a break from it one night and finish it the next night and I never do that.  I am not sure about the cover of this book though.  What is going on there?  She almost looks like she is in a bathtub stretching out but that has nothing to do with the story at all!!!  If you love King pick this up.. but be ready for Uncle Steve to take you on a long creepy ride!!

The following image is from the special edition of the book.. there are a few and they are really cool!!  Here is a link to see more of the pictures: Full Dark, No Stars pictures

Young Adult Book Club Pick-time to vote!

Looking for someone to read a book with and discuss?  Stop by my Young Adult Book Club on goodreads!  We usually have a lot of participation and a lot of fun.  And YOU can even be the discussion leader for our book club (something neat and fun to try).  Stop by the page to vote for the book you would want to read!

Poll

What randomly selected book would you like to read in May??

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry Choker by Elizabeth Woods Hearts at Stake by G.L. Giles Sweep, Volume I by Cate Tiernan A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies Mrs. Mike by Benedict Freedman Stay With Me by Garret Freymann-Weyr The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King

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The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter-Review

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

I read this book for my Young Adult Book Club .  And the author Aimee Carter, will be stopping by the group for a Q&A !!  Here is the goodreads description:

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall. Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests. Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

I thought this was an OK book. Not great.. but not bad either. I guess what makes it hard to read is that the mythology in it is so different then the mythology we like and love.  The gods are so nice... not evil really at all.  And the tests are the seven deadly sins.  Which obviously is Christian and has nothing to do with the gods.  I thought the tests were going to be bigger challenges.. but in the end they were simple little tasks.  The romance in the book was good.  In fact I thought this read more as a romance then a paranormal book.

The one thing I liked about the book was the main character Kate.  She is great and independent.  Not too much whining which you find with a lot of these books anymore from the main female character.  One thing I thought was kinda funny in the book was the sex.  First off the word was never said it was always "that".  Like it was some forbidden subject!!  Kinda funny.  Anyways... if you are looking for a light-hearted read and nothing serious about myths then this is a good series.

And if you haven't seen the Disney movie Hercules you really should... it is a totally underrated Disney movie!!

Follow Me Friday (#29)

This is the day of the week where we get to know each other better by answering a question devised by our lovely hostesses Parajunkee & Alisoncanread. We also gain new followers by joining each other's sites via GFC, so please let me know if you're a new follower since I automatically follow back. And now for this week's question....

Q.  Have you ever looked at a book's cover and thought, this is going to be horrible? But was instead pleasantly surprised? Show us the cover and tell us about the book. 

A.  I read the Dark Sword Trilogy by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman which turned out to be a really good fantasy series.  A friend gave them to me and when I looked at the covers that are from like the 70s early 80s I didn't even want to read them!  But since they were from a friend and that friend kept hitting me up if I had read them I finally picked them up. The picture on my About Me page shows me with one of the books!! 

 What book cover do you have that was horrible but a great book?