Chilling. Disturbing. A new monster from Stephen King invaded my dreams when I read this month’s 2019 Hail to the King reading challenge title: The Outsider
Continue reading Weird Whodunnit: The Outsider by Stephen King
I picked several short stories collections for the 2019 Hail to the King Reading Challenge because I plan to write quite a few stories this year. I wanted to study stories by the master of the short story. I’ve read Night Shift several times over the years and I continue to revisiting this classic collection that has tapped into so many fears and inspired so many movies (of varying quality).
Continue reading Collecting Fears: Night Shift by Stephen King
This is my favorite book of the challenge so far. It’s also only the second book, third if I count The Tommyknockers that I read before the challenge officially started. Duma Key came out at the start of 2008 and that’s probably the first and last time that I read the book.
Continue reading Ouuu, you nasty man. Rereading Duma Key for the Hail to the King 2019 Reading Challenge
Three weeks of gray boys, SSDD, alien fungal infection, friendship, and so much more. Dreamcatcher kicks off the 2019 Hail to the King Reading Challenge with all of its 620 pages. I read this one in hardcover and it was a weighty book to haul around in my bag. Could I have read it on the Kindle? Sure. I didn’t. I own most of Mr. King’s books in print and I do like to take them down sometimes and read the actual book.
Continue reading Dreamcatcher: Hail to the King Reading Challenge 2019
My Freewrite arrived today along with the set of blank keycaps I had ordered. There was a question about whether the Freewrite would arrive today. The UPS shipping was originally going to deliver to the Post Office for them to deliver. I paid to upgrade the shipping because they said it would arrive a day earlier. But this morning the tracking still showed “In Transit” though it had a scheduled delivery date of today.
Continue reading Freedom From Distractions With Freewrite
I’ve been working out my plans for 2019 over the past few days, starting to drill down on specifics. My brain wants to do everything—even when it doesn’t make sense. I’ll get a new idea and immediately want to jump on it. That’s set me back at times. I think I’ve finally settled on four priorities within my control.
Continue reading 2019 Planning Post
I decided to reread Stephen King’s The Tommyknockers in December as an appetizer for the 2019 Hail to the King reading challenge. And what an appetizer it is! Fortunately, I got through it with all of my teeth intact. Yes, fair warning, if teeth falling out is a trigger for you, this might not be the book to read. Otherwise, read on.
Continue reading Rereading Tommyknockers by Stephen King
Today, December 16th, is the birthday of both Arthur C. Clarke and Jane Austen, two literary greats.
Clarke’s work had the greatest impact on my own. I discovered Clarke through his short stories and novels at an early age. Rendezvous With Rama, 2001, and his other works shaped my interests in science fiction. For the longest time 2001 and the sequels were the future. I remember how strange it was when I found myself living in 2001,then 2010, and it wasn’t—of course—the future that Clarke described. I was born near the end of the Apollo missions and was a child in the Mojave desert when the Space Shuttle started flying. Clarke’s work (and that of other science fiction writers) led me to believe we’d be back to the Moon and beyond. By 2010 that seemed much less likely but my enthusiasm around space exploration hasn’t dimmed. I was so excited when Huygen's Probe finally showed us the surface of Titan or New Horizons revealed Pluto and Charon—and soon Ultima Thule (in 15 days!)
Continue reading Happy Birthday Mr. Clarke and Ms. Austen
Here's something just for fun: You're invited to join me in a chilling reading challenge for 2019—Hail to the King 2019.
The challenge itself is simple: Read a Stephen King book each month in 2019 and share your thoughts on the book. Whether that's on your blog, social media, Goodreads, or Amazon reviews—share your thoughts. I'll be posting my thoughts here on the blog and I hope you'll join me with comments and discussion on each post.
I've created a free PDF with the titles selected for each month. Pop your name into the box below to join my Reader's group, Readinary and download the PDF. You're welcome to unsubscribe at any time, but I hope you'll stick around.
You ever have one of those days where something just delights you, unexpectedly transforming your whole day? It might be that the cute human you like flirted with you when you bought your favorite caffeinated beverage. Or it could be that you discovered a hilarious way to indulge your inner 80's slasher. No? That hasn't happened to you? Which one? Continue reading 200+ Ways to Have Fun Slashing Your Day With Slayaway Camp
