September Reads

Ben White on Unsplash

Desperation by Stephen King

The Dark Half by Stephen King

Different Seasons by Stephen King

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

Desperation, from the library, was a new read for me. I was going to set it down at 100 pages. Then I was going to set it down at 200 pages. Then I finished it and then I set it down. Whew. I don’t need to read it again. This one could be classified as horror, but King mixes in such an addictive (to me) melange of characters and supernatural mystery that I just couldn’t stop reading! It did take me longer to get to the stuff that keeps me reading, though. Too much horror at the get-go makes me want to bail. I’m glad I didn’t. But not again! I don’t want my own copy.

On the other hand, I do want a copy of The Dark Half. What a fascinating book about a writer and his alter ego, a pen name he writes under. A dark murder mystery and a psychological thriller, this kept me riveted all the way to the end.

Different Seasons is a collection of four novellas, including “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption,” “Apt Pupil,” “The Body,” and “The Breathing Method.” These are not horror stories. Shawshank and “The Body” were made into films, of course. “The Body” was the iconic Stand By Me. I enjoyed them all with the exception of “Apt Pupil,” a grim story about a young man eager to learn about the atrocities perpetrated in the holocaust. (Yes, I do believe it happened.) I’ve never been able to read about war, especially the activities of the Nazis. Too disturbing. I bailed on that one. I don’t need my own copy.

Doctor Sleep is a sequel to The Shining. I read The Shining when I was a teenager. Never, ever again! I lived in Colorado at the time, which made it even more visceral. I was wary of Doctor Sleep, but it’s not as horrific as The Shining and I really enjoyed it. I don’t need a copy for myself, though. I love King’s child characters; there’s a great young girl in this one, who combines forces with Dan Torrance, the child character in The Shining.

The Hollow Sea by Annie Kirby

This was a recommendation from someone. Maybe

Dr Sharon Blackie

? I don’t remember, but I was intrigued by the title and synopsis, so I bought a used copy. I’m so glad I did. It’s a lyrically beautiful book, a lovely weave of folklore, a hint of magic, and the experience of motherhood and relationship from a female perspective. This one is a keeper. She’s working on another novel; this was her debut.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

The Girl Who Kicked a Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson

I’ve long loved this series. It’s tragic that this wonderful writer died so young. What a talent. I haven’t been interested in the movie adaptations, but the books are marvelous. No matter how many times I read them I’m absolutely riveted. Unforgettable characters in this story set in Sweden. These are very hard to put down.

Audio

Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich (read by Lorelei King)

To the Nines by Janet Evanovich (read by Lorelei King)

Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich (read by Lorelei King)

Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich (read by Lorelei King)

I read a lot in September, mostly because the pool facility where I work shut down for three weeks for painting and maintenance. My team and I were there the week before we reopened, putting things back together and filling, heating, and chemically rebalancing the pools, but I had three amazing weeks at home. I don’t take time off unless I’m sick or injured. Last year I went to Colorado twice to care for my demented and dying mother, but that was hardly a vacation.

I had all kinds of projects I wanted to do around the house and garden, big and small. I think we all have a list of such projects; not priorities or necessary for getting by day-to-day, but things we don’t get to because there never seems to be time and energy when we’re working. One of my projects was painting our new cellar steps. When I’m engaged with activities like that, I often put on an audio book.

What’s interesting about Janet Evanovich is I don’t enjoy reading her. They seem too silly when I read them. Another interesting thing I’ve discovered about audio books is the narrator really matters. This series, starring bounty hunter Stephanie Plum and assorted crazy cohorts, was originally narrated by someone else, and I can’t listen to them and don’t own them. Lorelei King, however, is wonderful. She started narrating at the eighth title, so I started collecting them there. I have to say, as the series goes on, I lose interest again. They start to feel repetitive and don’t seem so amusing to me. However, these few in the middle are hilarious. Outrageous, ridiculous, improbable, and absolutely hilarious.

I’m a serious person and don’t laugh a lot, so when I find something that tickles me I hang on to it and pull it out when I’m in a funk. I wouldn’t like to guess how many times I’ve listened to these over the years. So, I painted and giggled. I worked in the kitchen, cooking massive amounts of food, filling all my containers, labeling them, and stowing them in the freezer, and giggled. I deep cleaned, sorted through linens and clothes, and organized the cellar (after the steps had dried, of course) and giggled. When I went back to work, I was finished with them and tucked them away for some future time when I need a lift or have a project to do and want entertainment.

Substack

EJ Trask

at Age of Aquarius is a new find for me. I read her serial, Claire White at the End of the World, and enjoyed it. Dark stories, my favorite! I found her in

S.E. Reid

’s Talestack News.

Another new writer to me is Rebecca Hooper at

between two seas

. I’ve long been fascinated with the Orkney Islands and have a collection of wonderful oral tales from there. I love reading about her experience and growing love and appreciation for this small corner of the world.