favorite authors

Review: Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson

~ megs14malloy ~ Leave a comment

Blood in the WaterBlood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

💙🧡💙🧡💙🧡💙🧡💙🧡💙🧡💙

In Tiffany D. Jackson’s Middle Grade Debut we follow 12-year old, Kaylani, a Brooklyn girl headed to Martha’s Vineyard for the summer to stay with some family friends. A trip she’s not exactly excited about.

The family in question, the Watsons, are extremely wealthy and powerful. In fact, Kaylani’s Dad used to be close with them and worked for them, prior to his incarceration for financial crimes Kaylani is positive he didn’t commit.

She doesn’t have time to go to the stuffy ole’ Vineyard, when all she wants to do is study the law and try to figure out a way to free her Dad.

In spite of her hesitations though, both Kaylani’s parents insist she go. She needs to have fun, be a kid and let loose. She’s been so worried about her Dad, and focused on his case, she’s sort of put her life on hold.

Even on the ferry to the island though, Kaylani knows it’s going to be a rough summer. The Watson’s granddaughters, London and Cassie, are also on the ferry and London instantly makes Kaylani feel uncomfortable and judged.

In spite of this, once on the island. Kaylani does start to settle in. It’s beautiful and there are lots of other kids. Maybe it won’t be a completely terrible summer. Sometimes, she and London even get on a little, or at least find ways they can be mutually-beneficial to each other.

The day after the girls attend their first beach party, they’re shocked to learn that one of the other kids from party, a boy named Chadwick, has been found dead.

The circumstances are mysterious, and rumors fly as to whether it was a drowning, a shark attack, or even worse, murder. Chadwick happens to be Cassie Watson’s ex-boyfriend, and suspicion falls onto her.

Kaylani’s innate curiosities are triggered and she’s determined to get to the bottom of it. She’s confident Chadwick’s death was no accident, but how can she prove it?

Blood in the Water was really fun and so cute, with a great MC. Kaylani is a character you can connect to instantly. She’s smart, determined, she loves her family and she’s just an all-around good kid. She’s someone you want to see succeed.

I love the setting on the Vineyard. I live on the neighboring island of Nantucket, and appreciated all the true-to-life details that Jackson brought to the story. It made it feel extra special for me and helped me picture everything perfectly.

I also loved having a true murder mystery where the majority of our main players were kids and teens. Kaylani getting her sleuthing on, and making friends to help along the way, was such a delight. Additionally, I loved Kaylani’s relationship with both of her parents, but her Dad especially.

My only complaint was that I wish it had been like 30 to 40-pages longer. I wanted to know even more about the characters, and to get more details on Kaylani’s stay on the island. Overall though, a great MG debut for Jackson.

Jackson is such a talented writer, definitely one of my all time faves and I loved seeing what she could do in this new age-range. Thank you so much to the publisher, Scholastic, for providing me with a copy to read and review!

View all my reviews

Rereading A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie

~ megs14malloy

A Murder Is Announced (Miss Marple, #4)A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was my 2nd-time reading A Murder Is Announced, arguably one of Christie’s most beloved mysteries. I actually picked it up for a book club solve-along this time around and had a fantastic time revisiting the mystery and discussing it with a fun group of friends.

I’ve decided to give it the same rating this time around; a 4.5-star rounded up. I love this one. The village vibes and quirky cast of characters are standouts for me.

I highly recommend it for Readers maybe wanting to try out Christie’s work for the 1st-time, but also, of course, to already established Christie stans as well.

See my full thoughts below!

Original:

**4.5-stars rounded up**

As some of you may know, one of my 2023-Reading Goals is to read all of the full-length novels in the Miss Marple series in order.

A Murder is Announced is the third novel in the series and generally considered one of the best. I had been greatly anticipating this one and had so much fun with it.

Christie’s stories are complete nostalgia for me. They’re comfort reads and this one, the classic set-up, it felt completely her.

This one is set in the village of Chipping Cleghorn and follows the events that occur after the local Gazette runs an advertisement stating, A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6.30 p.m.

No one knows what it means, but the village is a titter about it. Many locals decide there is only one way to find out, thus arriving at the stated destination at the appointed time.

As they gather in the residence, without warning the lights are extinguished and a gun is fired. As the lights come back on, a gruesome scene awaits them.

Who is the victim? Who is the killer and why?

As with the previous novels, Miss Marple wasn’t in the house at the time of the crime, but gets consulted after due to her expertise in such affairs.

This had a big cast of quirky characters and it was fun trying to work out all the connections and varied relationships. There is also talk of an inheritance of sorts and I always love that trope.

I wasn’t necessarily trying to figure out the whodunit whilst reading this, but I will say, the reveal did surprise me. I feel like Christie succeeded in pulling the wool over my eyes; a misdirection, if you will.

Overall, I loved it. It was such a great mystery, with intriguing twists that did ultimately surprise me.

Also, I feel like we got more face time with Miss Marple in this one and she was in more danger than ever before. It was tense and intriguing. Well done!

View all my reviews

Review: Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher

~ megs14malloy

Hemlock & SilverHemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I read…a dark reimagining of “Snow White” steeped in poison, intrigue, and treason of the most magical kind, in the Publisher’s synopsis for this book, I felt like all my dreams were coming true.

Kingfisher gracing us with a Snow White reimagining, you know it’s bound to be amazing. Spoiler Alert: IT WAS!!!

This story features, Anja, a healer who specializes in poisons. Anja receives a summons from the King to assist with his daughter, Snow, who appears to be dying and they can’t figure out why.

Nothing seems to be helping. Anja is smart, creative and experiments frequently to create different antidotes. If anyone can save the young princess from some unknown threat, it’s gonna be her.

This is just the basic set-up for this story, because I don’t want to risk giving anything away. As with most of Kingfisher’s work, Anja ends up surrounding herself with an endearing cast of side characters, including a brooding guard and opinionated cat.

I can’t tell you how much I loved Anja. From the very start, she felt like someone I could relate to. I know this sounds silly, since this is a Fantasy story, but her narrative voice, the way she thought and related to the world around her, it’s so similar to myself.

I’ve actually felt that way about many of Kingfisher’s main characters, so perhaps the two of us just have very similar senses of humor.

Anja was also delivering solid intrepid scholar vibes, which was so fun and interesting to follow. She definitely is a bit out of her comfort zone traveling to the kingdom to help the king, but stays strong even though it’s intimidating and does what needs to be done.

The mystery behind what was happening to Snow was super compelling as well. As that unfolds, I loved how dark Kingfisher took it, and some of the imagery that was created was so darkly-beautiful.

The guard, Javier, when they started investigating Snow’s illness together, OMG, there were so many funny moments. The stellar narration of the audio def brought life to that humorous banter. I could picture it all like a movie.

Another thing worth mentioning is how well Kingfisher writes animals and animal companions. This is a common thread I’ve found in her works. They all have so much personality, like all of our real life animal companions.

You can tell she is an animal lover. I never worry about animals being killed or abused in her stories. Taking that worry away makes it a much cozier read for me.

Overall, I felt this was brilliant. Anja made this story special for me, and memorable. She’s easily my favorite protagonist of the year so far. I would lay down my life for her.

I’m such a huge Kingfisher stan, so I was expecting to love this, but I was actually surprised how swept up in the story I became. The audiobook had me hooked.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor and Macmillan Audio, for providing me a copy to read and review. I’m so happy to have another novel to add to my Favorites Shelf!!

View all my reviews

Review: Evil Under the Sun (Hercule Poirot #24) by Agatha Christie

~ megs14malloy

Evil Under the SunEvil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another fun Hercule Poirot story. Poirot may go on holiday, but he never takes a rest from solving murder.

This one was super fun to try to solve. There were so many suspects, in a gorgeous isolated-island setting. It was wildly-entertaining with red herrings galore.

I feel like Christie brought her true cleverness to these pages. I thought I had it solved, but she fooled me again, and again, and again. So many clues, so little time…

I’ve never heard much buzz about this one, and upon reading it, I’m actually surprised. Mostly, that it wasn’t made into a film when the other big ones were recently redone. I feel like this could translate so well to the screen.

I know it has been adapted before, but I think it’s time for a reboot. The setting alone, the isolated, tranquil resort island, would be worth the price of admission.

I thought Poirot’s personality showed quite a bit in this one as well, which was fun to see. He was witty and engaging with the other guests, all whilst taking it all in. As he does.

I would definitely recommend this to any Christie fan, if you’ve yet to read it. It’s also a perfect Summer read, as a lot of the scenes are set at the beach, giving it a warm summertime feel.

I’m glad I made time for this one, and am looking forward to my next Agatha Christie read!

View all my reviews

Review: With a Vengeance by Riley Sager

~ megs14malloy

With a VengeanceWith a Vengeance by Riley Sager
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

While this is my lowest rated Riley Sager novel to date, I did still find it quite entertaining. I can’t lie about that. With a Vengeance takes us on a cross-country train journey with a handful of questionable characters.

The full set of individuals was lured onto the trip by a young woman named Anna, who is hoping over the course of the journey from Philadelphia to Chicago, she can get them all to confess their crimes, and the ways they’ve wronged her.

Anna finds out that even the simplest plans can go awry though, when one of the passengers is killed. There’s no stopping now, they’re on a non-stop express to Chicago, trapped with a killer.

What progresses from there is a fairly classic Locked Room Murder Mystery, with a few twists, as well as many revelations involving the various characters.

I listened to the audiobook for this one and did enjoy it in that format. I felt like it kept it moving and helped it to play out in my mind like a movie.

I find this with all of Sager’s writing. The delivery always makes it easy for me to picture everything that’s happening. I also feel like his writing has a touch of a film noir quality to it that I adore.

For this one in particular, I think maybe because of the time period, I couldn’t help but think of Hitchcock, and it perhaps being shown in black and white. The way the characters interacted and their dramatic motivations gave it an air of a classic film.

Overall, this might not be a new favorite for me, but I still had a fun time reading it, and as always, I look forward to whatever Sager is going to grace us with next!!

Earlier:

Denied again for an ARC. Riley, your people hate me.

It makes me so sad. I received the first six of his books early, I believe, but the last two, no way. I used to love getting them early and screaming how much I love them from the rooftops. Sadly, those days are gone.

Problems of a bookworm…

Original:

❤️🖤💙❤️🖤💙❤️🖤💙❤️

Pack your bags. Sager’s taking us on a train journey!

View all my reviews

Review: Night Shift by Stephen King

~ megs14malloy

Night ShiftNight Shift by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Night Shift was Stephen King’s 1st-published short story collection. It was originally published in 1978. Most of the stories had been previously released in various magazines, but a few had never been seen before, including the 1st-story in the collection, Jerusalem’s Lot.

I read this collection as a kid, but I’m not sure how much I really understood of the nuance of it all. Thinking back on it, I really only remembered one story well, The Lawnmower Man, which I think had more to do with the fact that it contained a naked man than anything else.

As a kid, that seems to be memorable content. Reading it now, 30+years later, it’s one of the least impactful stories of the bunch, but still memorable.

Let’s get into the stories, shall we? While reading, I made brief comments after each one. I don’t feel any contain spoilers, but will more give you a general idea about what sorts of topics you’ll find explored within this collection.

#1: Jerusalem’s Lot — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love that King chose to make this story epistolary. It feels a perfect nod to Dracula. I also love the historical vibes and history of the place. Certain scenes gave me chills. I would love to see him dive deeper into exploring this time period in the Lot.

#2: Graveyard Shift — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 King brought out the rats early and often. They remaining a staple in his work. This has such a good ending. Terrifying 🐀

#3: Night Surf — ((unrated)) Very short, Maine Coast, The Stand connection. Brutal start, pensive ending. Didn’t leave much of an impact.

#4: I Am the Doorway — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Holy shit, I loved this. I need a full length novel for this idea. It gave clarification to the cover of my favorite edition Signet paperback, as well. Light Duma Key vibes, I believe because of the location.

#5: The Mangler — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved it!!! It’s the perfect example of how in the right hands, anything, person, place or thing, can be made terrifying, horrifying and ghastly. 😳😲🙌

#6: The Boogeyman — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Unsettling! Fun ending! Left off with a chill – loved it!

#7: Grey Matter — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ OMG! I loved that! That’s good ole’ fashioned Horror right there!! 😲

#8: Battleground — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a fun one. It’s straight out of a child’s worst imaginings. Bro needs to pick better weapons though, for real. 😝🤣

#9: Trucks — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ As the daughter of a truck driver, I can recognize how horrifying this story is. Having one of these beasts parked in your driveway, is admittedly a little intimidating if you let your imagination run wild!

#10: Sometimes They Come Back — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was an absolute nightmare of a story. I’d say it’s not over for Jim either, but just the beginning…

#11: Strawberry Spring — ((unrated) Hahaha, fantastic conclusion 👏 wow! Got me in the end!!

#12: The Ledge — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ As someone with a fear of heights, this definitely got my pulse racing!! I can’t even imagine being the protagonist in this story. No way!!

#13: The Lawnmower Man — ((unrated)) The one I have been waiting for… This is the only story I remember from when I read this collection as a kid. Reading it now, I’m not quite sure why it had such an impact? It’s the shortest of the stories so far. Maybe the indecent exposure? LOL

#14: Quitter’s, Inc. — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Ahh, this was so good. I could picture being in this guy’s shoes, how terrifying that would be, to live in fear like that. He def handed over the power in his life to a new entity. And that ending!? That was so fun 😁

#15: I Know What You Need — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 I loved this. It’s so eerie, so creepy and it completely immersed me in Elizabeth’s story. Also, it has a touch of early ‘Good For Her’ Horror, which I love!

#16: Children of the Corn — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This could explain my almost life-long fear of cornfields and men named Malachi.

#17: The Last Rung on the Ladder — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ So that’s what it feels like to have your heartbroken in under 30-pages. 😢

#18: The Man Who Loved Flowers — ((unrated)) There’s no beating around the bush with this story. It strikes quickly, and hard! This one probably petrified me as a kid…

#19: One For the Road – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Unsurprisingly, King made the 19th-story connected. IYKYK. It’s a tale of the Lot, and a helluva good one!

#20: The Woman in the Room — ((unrated)) 😢 This one makes me so sad to think about. I get it, I definitely do, but yeah, sort of sucks the wind of of my sails a bit by how sadly realistic it is.

Overall, this is a STUNNING collection. There is so much fantastic Horror and Speculative content in this. An absolute icon, and so ahead of his time. King was breaking ground. No matter what you may think of King’s work, you have to be able to doff your cap to what he did for the genre.

No doubt about it, I’ll definitely be revisiting this collection someday. I highly recommend this to any Horror Reader who enjoys short stories.

What King was able to accomplish with these tales is truly incredible. Proving, fewer pages doesn’t necessarily equate to lesser impact.

View all my reviews

Review: Senseless by Ronald Malfi

~ megs14malloy

SenselessSenseless by Ronald Malfi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Senseless. I didn’t read the synopsis before starting this book. There’s no need for me to do so. If I see Ronald Malfi’s name on a cover, I am going to be reading it. It really makes no difference to me what it’s actually about.

I was delighted to discover this novel is a captivating blend of Crime Fiction, Horror and Suspense. This is a combination Malfi is so successful with, and brought to mind my favorite previous novel of his, Bone White.

This story is told via three perspectives: Detective Bill Renney, author Maureen Park, and the self-proclaimed human fly, Toby Kampen.

My favorite of these was Detective Renney. He reminded me a lot of another of another one of my fictional favorites, Detective Bill Hodges. Renney is flawed, but also incredibly compelling and endearing.

At the start of this novel, the corpse of a heavily-mutilated woman is found in the desert outside of L.A. Called in on the case, Renney can’t help but see glaring connections to a case he thought had been put to bed a year ago.

Is this some sort of a copy-cat killing? But how could that be? This level of details, as far as the specifics of the woman’s body, was never reported to the public.

Bill is disturbed by this and it ends up reopening some doors from the past he would rather have stayed closed.

Then we get Maureen’s and Toby’s perspectives. Besides living in and around the same area of the crime, how are these people connected? It’s not immediately clear.

You shouldn’t concern yourself too much with all of that though. Just sit back and let the magic happen. Through Malfi’s skill, all will become clear in the end.

Upon first completing Senseless, I was absolutely gobsmacked by how well-crafted it is. It gave me so many different themes to ponder, and reflect upon, both in the story, and just about life and human behavior in general.

It’s such a nuanced story, with many threads interwoven into a perfect blend of Crime Fiction, Thriller and Horror. The examination of grief and guilt is also expertly-explored, which is one of my favorite topics in Horror; just beautiful.

There were so many different threads of story here that had to be woven in and out, and placed at just the right time for the Reader to get maximum impact. I absolutely LOVED how Malfi pulled that off.

Each character brought their own unique circumstances and personalities to the table, as we all do in life, and it was just so fascinating to see it all come together.

There were some deep moments of intensity, particularly for me surrounding Maureen’s perspective, and some scenes in particular that horrified me and definitely got under my skin. I was so on edge for her. It was powerful.

While I don’t think this book will necessarily be for everyone, I think for the Readers who are able to connect with it, as I did, it’s a memorable one indeed.

Thank you to the publisher, Titan Books and Tantor Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. Ronald Malfi is one of my absolute favorite authors, and I always look forward to his new releases.

IMO, he’s one of the most talented voices in Horror Fiction today. There’s such a classic feel to his writing. I find them to have a nostalgic feel, even though they’re brand new.

View all my reviews

Review: The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

~ megs14malloy

The Buffalo Hunter HunterThe Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

THE BEST HISTORICAL HORROR NOVEL I’VE EVER READ!

MY TOP CONTENDER FOR MY FAVORITE BOOK OF 2025!!

THE MOST THOUGHTFUL VAMPIRE NOVEL I’VE EVER READ, AND PROBABLY EVER WILL!!!

AN EXCEPTIONAL AUDIOBOOK PRODUCTION — GET YOUR HANDS ON IT IF YOU CAN!!!!

I CRIED REAL GROWN-LADY TEARS AT THE END!!!!!

I’m not sure I need to say too much else about this. I’m sure from the stunning declarations above, you get the picture of my thoughts and feelings on The Buffalo Hunter Hunter.

I would also say though, as far as the content of the story goes, the Publisher’s synopsis really does a good job of telling you everything you would want to know going in. The book is best served if you just take your time with it, and let it reveal itself to you in the way SGJ would want.

Trust him. He knows what he’s doing.

If you follow my reviews at all, you probably already know that Stephen Graham Jones is one of my favorite authors; bested only by Stephen King in my rankings.

I always look forward to his new releases and I feel like every time I finish one, I end up saying, this is his best work yet!!

I know I said that last year upon completing my favorite book of 2024, I Was a Teenage Slasher, and I’m about to get repetitive, because THIS IS his best work yet.

When I tell you I was engrossed in this story, I mean it. Every fiber of my being was invested. The way it was told, it was like I was there. Each aspect of the narrative was blended seamlessly together for maximum impact.

I couldn’t stop once I started. I needed to know the truth behind this story; the everything behind this story.

The audiobook production was a master class in bringing a story to life; in transporting the Reader to another place and making them a part of the action.

Particularly, in the final act. OMG, I cannot express how good it is. If you have the opportunity to get your hands on the audio, in addition to the hard copy, I would 1,000,000x recommend that.

At the end of the day, Stephen Graham Jones is such a talent. His edgy-style brings a distinct voice to all of his stories. You can tell that he pours his entire soul into his work. It shows. Every book is a journey that I don’t want to end.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Saga Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Finally, a sincere thank you to the author, Stephen Graham Jones, for continuing to hone your craft. Your ability to stay creative and keep pushing boundaries always astounds me. You are so appreciated. I can’t wait to discover what’s next!!!

View all my reviews

Review: Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man (Vera Wong #2) by Jesse Q. Sutanto

~ megs14malloy

Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man (Vera Wong, #2)Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man by Jesse Q. Sutanto
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man is the 2nd-book in the Vera Wong series. I absolutely adored the 1st-book when I read it in 2023.

At that time, I was expecting it to be a standalone novel, so was giddy when I discovered we would be getting more with the indomitable-Vera Wong and friends.

This novel involves a new mystery for Vera to investigate, as well as a whole new set of side characters. We still get appearances from all her old friends, but she does make some great new ones here.

The mystery involves the death of an up-and-coming influencer. Online, Xander, was the type social influencer people love to follow. His feed generally featured things like enviable travels on private jets, stays at luxury resorts, and all the newest fashion trends, but who was he really?

Xander’s story is at the heart of this investigation, and what Vera uncovers is sure to tug at your heartstrings. I know it did mine. My emotions were an absolute roller coaster over the course of this novel.

The moment I was reunited with Vera, I had a smile on my face. She is a sharp-witted 61-year old, who loves to act like she’s ancient. It’s hilarious. She is so far from that.

Vera Wong has been one of my absolute favorite characters written within the last few years, and she’s def one of my favorite amateur sleuths ever.

While I wouldn’t say I connected with the cast of side characters in this one as much as I did in the 1st-book, I still loved all of their interactions with Vera, as well as the value brought by their personal stories.

Again it was easy to see how Vera was touching their lives in different ways and it filled my heart to read. We all need a Vera in our life. Better yet, be a Vera in someone else’s life. It could make all the difference in the world!

In addition to the character work, I also appreciated so much the topics Sutanto explored in this one, and her note at the end describing her real life inspiration was touching and brought more insight into this story.

I highly recommend reading that Author’s Note at the end.

Thank you to Berkley for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m such a fan and certainly hope we get more installments to the Vera Wong series.

I think these books hold an emotional depth that would be surprising for a lot of Readers. If you haven’t checked this series out, I definitely recommend that you do.

View all my reviews

Re-Reading The Shining for the 5th-Time!!!

~ megs14malloy

The ShiningThe Shining by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

And just like that, another journey into the heart of The Overlook Hotel has come to an end…

Words can’t express how much this story means to me, but I’ve tried over the years to capture some of my thoughts on it. I’m quite proud of a few of those reviews I’ve written before, so I will leave those up below if you’re interested.

Each time I reread this story, I pick up finer details and begin to care more and more deeply for this cast of fantastically-developed characters.

This time around, I had recently watched the movie with my Book Club. That might sound strange to some, but we do quite a few Watch-Alongs. I hadn’t watched the movie in years, and even though it’s quite different, I’ve always had an appreciation for what it is.

However, the act of rereading this shortly after that rewatch did help me to see a lot of the possible reasons why Stephen King may have hated the movie. I mean, it’s common knowledge at this point that King wasn’t happy with Kubrick’s interpretation.

The reasons I considered are too numerous to list, but I will say, this seems like it was probably a very personal story for King. When you look at the similarities between Jack’s position in life and King’s, they’re quite similar.

They’re both writers, they both have addiction issues, they were both teachers when they probably wished they hadn’t been, and they both had young families they were trying to support, while also trying to make it as an author; a difficult task. It’s a lot of pressure for a young man in the 1970s.

For example, Joe Hill, King’s son, was born in 1972. The Shining was published in 1977, the year Joe turned 5-years old. Danny Torrance is 5-years old in The Shining.

Kubrick, IMHO, did a horrendous job translating these characters, and the heart of this story, to the screen. Please understand, this doesn’t detract at all from the amazing performances given by Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duval, or Scatman Crothers; who were all amazing in the film.

I’m sure they were all doing exactly as directed and man, did they pull it off. It’s just vastly different from the book, and I feel like, if this was as personal a story for King as I am guessing, particularly in regards to Jack’s character, he could have been, well, angry about it.

For me, in the movie, Jack is in the role of villain. In the book, I don’t see it that way. In the movie, Jack is constantly annoyed with Wendy, and frequently, even with Danny.

Yet in the book, you can feel how much he loves them. It’s something he struggles with as the powers of The Overlook begin to take hold. It’s a back and forth, a real inner turmoil that he is under as a character.

It’s also a beautiful exploration of addiction, and through Jack, a complete journey of an addict.

While that is touched upon in the film, I don’t believe with the same care and grace that King gave it in the novel; perhaps due to his own journey through addiction.

Maybe seeing Jack’s character turned into such a horrible villain in the film, felt a bit like a personal attack to King, even if subconsciously.

This is all speculation of course, just some thoughts I had reading it this time around. And yeah, this was my 5th-time reading it. It’s one of my favorite books of all time and I’ll definitely be reading it again!!

Previously:

This was my 4th-time reading The Shining.

You read that correctly, the 4th-time. I’m aware rereading isn’t for everyone, but I am a huge supporter and fan of rereading, especially tried and true favorites.

I know a lot of people feel it is a waste of time, but for me, when a story is special enough to you, each time with it is like a whole new experience. That’s exactly how I feel every time I open the pages of this book.

Additionally, I feel like where I am at in my life plays a huge role in what I take out of a reading experience.

For example, the first time I read this, I was in high school. You better believe that 14-year old Meg walked away from this having picked up on different things than 44-year old Meg does, reading it now.

My experiences have shown me that rereading allows me to focus on different areas of any particular story. This time around, for me, I felt myself really drawn to the private thoughts and emotions of this cast of characters.

Jack’s experience, in particular, as he struggles with the position he finds himself in, his loitering addiction and the love for his family, hit me hard this time. Instead of seeing his horrible aspects front and center, I thought more about what was going on with him internally.

There were moments of clarity for him, when he could see beyond the fog of the hotel’s power, moments where he cherished his son and wife, but they would slip away like mist. It made my heart ache for the whole family.

This experience also reiterated for me how much I love Wendy and Hallorann. They got played dirty in the movie adaptation and we all know it. Not by the actors, the acting was fantastic, but yeah, they feel like completely different people in the book, IMO.

Again, I was beyond impressed with some of the scenes in this still having the ability to scare the shit out of me, even after all these years. The perfect example would be the first time Jack tries to trim the topiary.

That freaking scene gets my pulse racing every time!

I also felt like I paid more attention to the history of The Overlook this time through; like when Jack is looking into it. I really felt focused in those sections and loved being reminded of its intensely lurid history.

Finally, I would just give all the stars in the universe, yet again, to King’s sense of place with this one. His ability to transform a hotel into an actual character in the story is just a masterpiece. It’s basically the standard to which I compare atmosphere in all other stories.

I’m so glad I took the time to reread this. It was exactly what I needed to re-energize my reading. You better believe, this won’t be the last time either!

Earlier

Here’s the thing, July hasn’t been the best reading month for me. I’ve had a lot of 2-to-3-star books. I’m frustrated. I’m getting disgruntled and burnt out on it honestly.

I have never been in a reading slump before, but I definitely feel myself drifting into that territory…

I feel like in an effort to keep that from happening, I am going to reread one of my top-3 favorite books of all-time. If anyone can shake me out of this funk, it’s Jack Torrance.

I hear the fourth times a charm!!!

Original:

Hi. Hello!

It’s me again, with another book you should consider picking up, if you haven’t read it yet.

The Shining is my second favorite book of all time.

A true classic of Horror literature. I have read it a few times and it gets me EVERY. DAMN. TIME.

This is one of the most atmospheric books I have ever read, with The Overlook Hotel, ultimately becoming a character in its own right.

There are so many chilling moments from crazed topiary animals, to haunted elevators, and evil playground equipment.

Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it?

Read it.
Read it now!

Meg’s Advice:

The Shining is best read on a cold, windy night, when you are home alone and there is the slight possibility that you may lose electricity. Candles burning are a must for this one!

View all my reviews