[I]’m reading Hearts in Atlantis, Stephen King’s collection of 5 related stories of kids who grew up in the 1950s and 1960s. Yesterday I finished the first of the stories, “The Low Men in Yellow Coats.” It is this story upon which the movie Hearts in Atlantis was based. My memories of the movie are sketchy which…
[T]his afternoon I finished reading1 to the audio book version of Stephen King’s Gerald’s Game. It was my second complete audio book, the first being Misery. Both books were read by Lindsay Crouse, and in both cases, I’d describe the reading much close to “voice acting” than a simple reading. Back in the day this might…
[S]tephen King’s official website revealed the cover to the forthcoming Doctor Sleep, King’s sequel to The Shining which comes out this fall, some 35+years since the original novel came out. I’m really looking forward to this one. Fortunately, he has another book, Joyland, coming out in June to ease the gap between now and September. Funny how I’m…
[I]’ve written in the past how most stories and books typically classified as “scary” don’t really scare me. I can count on one hand the number of stories I’ve read that have sent shivers down my spine. There’s Harlan Ellison’s “The Whimper of Whipped Dogs” (and that elevator scene in particular). There’s Ray Bradbury’s “The…
[W]hen I get going, I probably cruise along at an average reading speed. I’ve never tried to measure my reading speed in any scientific way (which, I suppose, is unusual since I measure just about everything else about myself). I read a lot and it might seem to those looking in from outside that I read quickly,…
[I] am now more than halfway through my first complete1 audio book, Stephen King’s Misery. And having now listened to more than 7 hours of the book, here are few thoughts: This is one really good book. I had no idea! I seem to recall seeing bits and pieces of the movie once, a long time ago, but the…
[I]n my February “Science of Wonder” book review column for InterGalactic Medicine Show, I review Impulse by Steven Gould. I remember reading–and loving–Jumper twenty years ago, when the book came out and when I was half my present age. It was delightful to return to that Universe. Head on over to IGMS to check out my entire…
[W]aiting for me on the doorstep when I got home today, Firebrand by Gillian Philip, courtesy of TOR Books. Looks like the book comes out later this month.
[M]y ribs are finally feeling better. Good enough for me to get back to regular cardio workouts, which I began this morning. I was up at 4:55 am and did 25 minutes on the elliptical machine (I would have done more but my knee was bothering me a little and I didn’t want to push…
[I]n my most recent “Science of Wonder” book review column at InterGalactic Medicine Show, I review Bowl of Heaven, a collaboration between science fiction greats, Gregory Benford and Larry Niven. You can head on over to IGMS to read my review.
[T]wo books arrived in the mail today, one of which I was particularly excited about and one of which I’ve received before in a slightly different form. First up is Red Planet Blues by Robert J. Sawyer (Viking) Rob has been incredibly kind and encouraging to me as a writer, ever since I first met him…
[I] was very excited to find this one in the mail today from TOR. I can recall, decades ago, reading Steven Gould’s Jumper while home on a break from school. I think I read the book in a single sitting. It just ate me up and I loved it. So it will be really nice to…