Beyond Understanding

Many moons ago (i.e., when I was in high school), Koontz was one of my top three favorite authors. The top two spots were reserved for Stephen King and John Saul. Much like Saul (and King, to a degree), Koontz's latest novels are less horrific and more suspenseful (think thriller/mystery versus horror).

Unfortunately, I typically figure out the ending before I'm halfway through the book. That kind of sucks, but I am persistent and finish the book anyway (though by that time, the enjoyment that reading a good book brings me has completely vanished).

I'm a tad disappointed, as Koontz's earlier novels were rather amazing and his more recent Odd Thomas series is rather amazing. An okay read, but far from my favorite.

(3/6)

Book Description

From the #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense comes a riveting thriller that probes the deepest terrors of the human psyche—and the ineffable mystery of what truly makes us who we are. Here a brilliant young man finds himself fighting for his very existence in a battle that starts with the most frightening words of all… At thirty-four, Internet entrepreneur Ryan Perry seemed to have the world in his pocket—until the first troubling symptoms appeared out of nowhere. Within days, he’s diagnosed with incurable cardiomyopathy and finds himself on the waiting list for a heart transplant; it’s his only hope, and it’s dwindling fast. Ryan is about to lose it all…his health, his girlfriend Samantha, and his life.


One year later, Ryan has never felt better. Business is good and he hopes to renew his relationship with Samantha. Then the unmarked gifts begin to appear—a box of Valentine candy hearts, a heart pendant. Most disturbing of all, a graphic heart surgery video and the chilling message: Your heart belongs to me. In a heartbeat, the medical miracle that gave Ryan a second chance at life is about to become a curse worse than death. For Ryan is being stalked by a mysterious woman who feels entitled to everything he has. She’s the spitting image of the twenty-six-year-old donor of the heart beating steadily in Ryan’s own chest. And she’s come to take it back.

Yes, another Golden book. And, yes, another rather good read. While not the best of the horrific books he's written, Wildwood Road — just like his other novels — held my attention, and I read it rather quickly in two days (mind you, I do work and sleep, too).

Golden is now, perhaps, one of my favorite genre-specific authors. I'm excited I have more of his books on my "to read" shelf.

(4/6)

From Publishers Weekly
Anxieties over marriage, home and work amplify the eeriness of Golden's engrossing suburban horror novel. Michael and Jillian Dansky are heading home from a Halloween party when they give a young girl on the road a lift to a strange old mansion. She leaves them with the injunction to "come find me," and suddenly their lives are no longer the same. Michael, art director at an advertising firm, begins to incorporate the girl's features into his illustrations. When he tries to locate the house and its road, he can't. Then a coven of grotesque, wraithlike women attack him and Jillian, who's transformed into a brittle and bitchy harridan. Michael realizes his survival depends on retracing his steps on that fateful night and finding the elusive girl. Golden (The Boys Are Back in Town, etc.) knows how to craft suspense, but the bizarre incidents create expectations that the climax only partly satisfies, and the horror, once explained, has a preachy, politically correct edge. Still, this above-average stab at Stephen King–style horror draws the reader irresistibly into its mystery.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.

Another book that's been sitting on my "to read" shelf for many moons. And another that took me only a few hours to read. Gaiman has taken to writing books for children and adolescents recently, and his attempts do not disappoint. Much like the Graveyard Book, Coraline pulls you in and is reluctant to let you go until you've finished. An excellent book with slightly disturbing pictures (thanks Dave McKean). Now I can see the movie version. (I always read the book before seeing the film adaptation).

(5.5/6)

From Publishers Weekly [edited]
British novelist Gaiman and his long-time accomplice McKean spin an electrifyingly creepy tale likely to haunt young readers for many moons. After Coraline and her parents move into an old house, Coraline asks her mother about a mysterious locked door. Her mother unlocks it to reveal that it leads nowhere: "When they turned the house into flats, they simply bricked it up," her mother explains. But something about the door attracts the girl, and when she later unlocks it herself, the bricks have disappeared. Through the door, she travels a dark corridor (which smells "like something very old and very slow") into a world that eerily mimics her own, but with sinister differences. "I'm your other mother," announces a woman who looks like Coraline's mother, except "her eyes were big black buttons." Coraline eventually makes it back to her real home only to find that her parents are missing–they're trapped in the shadowy other world, of course, and it's up to their scrappy daughter to save them. Gaiman twines his taut tale with a menacing tone and crisp prose fraught with memorable imagery ("Her other mother's hand scuttled off Coraline's shoulder like a frightened spider"), yet keeps the narrative just this side of terrifying. The imagery adds layers of psychological complexity (the button eyes of the characters in the other world vs. the heroine's increasing ability to distinguish between what is real and what is not; elements of Coraline's dreams that inform her waking decisions). McKean's scratchy, angular drawings, reminiscent of Victorian etchings, add an ominous edge that helps ensure this book will be a real bedtime-buster. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Okay. I've combined two books into one post because, well, I read the last half of City of Ashes and the complete volume  City of Glass in one sitting. (Yes, I know that's extremely nerdy).

Both volumes are part of the Mortal Instruments trilogy started with City of Bones which I read many, many months ago (I've included all three covers with this post). The last two volumes have been sitting on my "to read" shelf for quite a while.

Yes, the series was written for young adults, but I'm a fan of that genre — mostly because I read quite a bit for that age group when I taught them years ago, but also due to the fact that many books written for that age group are simply well-written and, honestly, appropriate for adults as well. I'm glad to have discovered Clare is working on a prequel trilogy; I can only hope a "sequel" trilogy will follow.

Why did I read 1.5 books in one sitting? They were good enough that they "drew me in". To the point I ignored my phone and almost forgot to eat dinner. (And almost to the point where I wanted to drive to the nearest tattoo parlor for decorative tattoos up and down my arms — doubtful that will ever happen; that can get rather pricey!)

(5/6)

Product Description
To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters — never mind that enter-ing the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadow-hunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadow-hunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City — whatever the cost?

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the final installment of the New York Times bestselling trilogy The Mortal Instruments.