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Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated Misery in Books

Mar 15, 2018  
Misery
Misery
Stephen King | 1987 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror, Thriller
10
8.7 (86 Ratings)
Book Rating
Also read my review here: http://bookbum.weebly.com/book-reviews/misery-by-stephen-king

<b><i>”Annie Annie oh Annie please please no please don’t Annie I swear to you I’ll be good I swear to God I’ll be good please give me a chance to be good OH ANNIE PLEASE LET ME BE GOOD -”
“Just a little pain. Then this nasty business will be behind us for good Paul.”</b></i>

Well hot fucking damn. Is this the best book I’ve read all year? <b>I think it might be.</b> I am officially a Stephen King fan. A “Stephen King convert” as my mother is calling me. Misery is a goddamn masterpiece. It’s <i>so</i> tense. I don’t know how anyone can write so well that I’m actually squirming. <b>LEGIT SQUIRMING AS I READ.</b>

Misery is about a bestselling author, Paul Sheldon, who, after celebrating his completion of his next (and best) book, drinks a little too much champagne and gets himself into a nasty car accident in the middle of nowhere. He wakes to find his legs shattered but splintered (splinted???) in a mysterious house. Luckily, or unluckily, he’s found himself saved and in the capable hands of his number one fan and ex-nurse, Annie Wilkes.

I put off reading Misery for, oh I don’t know, maybe 5 years? I watched the film, of course, because disliking a film can be down to a number of variables, the wrong director, actors you dislike, bad script etc, but not liking a book, <i>a Stephen King book</i>, is down to one and one thing only, the author. And I was <i>so</i> terrified I wouldn’t like Stephen King! Honestly, terrified is this right word for it. I didn’t want to turn around in a house, no, a society, that claims Stephen King is a modern day Charles Dickens, of sorts, and say “nah, not that into him myself”. But lo and behold, I ended up liking both the film and the book, thank Christ. The book more so than the film, but isn’t that usually the case? Although the actors for both Paul and Annie in the film version were <i>spot on.</i>

I don’t think I’ve ever been so vocal whilst reading a book. Misery had me yelping and oohing and arring and laughing and yucking all the way through. King’s writing is so vivid you <i>are</i> Paul Sheldon for the duration of the book. You’re Paul, rolling around in his wheelchair, holding your breath and crying and sweating, hoping that car you hear isn’t Annie’s. Hoping she’s holding those Godsent Novril tablets every few hours to subdue your pain. Wondering how the hell you’re ever going to be able to escape. You completely immerse yourself in the nail biting story, page by page. This is a perfect novel from start to finish, that’s all I have left to say.

If you’ve never read Stephen King before, start with Misery. <b>I double donkey dare you.</b>
  
Child&#039;s Play (2019)
Child's Play (2019)
2019 | Horror
Mark Hammill (0 more)
Took liberties with the original film series' canon. (0 more)
A good modernization of the cult classic killer doll film.
As a man in my 30s, I grew up on the original Child's Play and the sequels that followed. So, I was half excited and half worried when this reboot/remake was announced. So many attempts by Hollywood to bring back beloved and cult classics have failed miserably and ruined the magic of the originals. Through the first 20 or so minutes of this one, I was worried this one would fall into this category. And while I wasn't completely thrilled with the film's liberties taken with the doll's origin story, it was easy to set aside due to some decent storytelling. You get to know Chucky in these scenes and a basis for his later acts is laid. You feel for him, and you laugh (a thing done often in the Child's Play canon.) Then, the 2nd and 3rd acts of the film ramp up and continue to build in an understandable, graphic gorefest with a horror plot to keep you riveted. Although I am a purist and would have preferred they stick closer to the original, I thoroughly enjoyed this modernization of the killer doll tale. (But I'll never forget Charles Lee Ray or the chant of dooey de dim bella, give me the power I beg of you!)
  
Charlie Thorne and the Lost City
Charlie Thorne and the Lost City
Stuart Gibbs | 2021 | Children, Mystery
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Tracking Darwin Through the Amazon
It's been a few months since Charlotte “Charlie” Thorne has gone missing. While she was initially presumed dead, she took advantage of the confusion of the situation to slip away. She’s currently hiding out in the Galapagos Islands, which turns out to be very fortunate. One day, she is approached by Esmerelda, a researcher from the Darwin Institute who thinks she’s found a message left behind by Charles Darwin almost 200 years ago. Unfortunately, it’s in code, and Esmerelda needs Charlie to help her figure it out. Suddenly, Charlie finds herself on another wild ride that will take her deep into the heart of the Amazon pursued by people out to get the treasure first. But what did Darwin leave behind?
 
When I realized that Charles Darwin was going to be the featured scientist in this book, I was worried. As expected, there are some jabs taken at people like me, Christians who believe in microevolution (which Darwin clearly observed) but not the theory of macroevolution. I realize that will only be an issue for some readers. The rest will be thrilled with the action, danger, and twists that Charlie finds herself caught up in once again. I do struggle a bit with Charlie’s characters since she comes across as too perfect, but there are others in the book who are more realistic. I appreciated the rising tension we got while traveling through the Amazon as well as the humor that helped lighten the mood at times. There are some great seeds planted, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they pay off in future books. Fans of Stuart Gibbs will certainly enjoy this book.