An Annual Event
It’s September, and that means it’s time for one of my favorite reading events, R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril, hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings.
The event runs from September 1st through October 31st. There are multiple levels of peril to choose from, even a one book option for the time challenged.
There are only two simple goals for R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril:
1. Have fun reading.
2. Share that fun with others.
Reading categories to choose from are:
Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Dark Fantasy, Gothic, Horror, and Supernatural — Something for everyone!
I tend to avoid challenges because I usually fail at them, plus they add a level of stress I don’t need. But RIP books are from genres I enjoy, so for me it’s become an annual event.
I’m Choosing Peril the First:
Read four books, any length, that you feel fit (the very broad definitions) of R.I.P. literature. It could be King or Conan Doyle, Penny or Poe, Chandler or Collins, Lovecraft or Leroux…or anyone in between.
Other challenges to choose from are Peril the Movie, Peril the Short Story and Peril the Group Read. For anyone new to R.I.P., you do not have to be a blogger to participate.
Some Book Choices
My intentions are to read four or more of the following books. This doesn’t mean that a new release or scary recommendation won’t sneak to the top of the heap.
✓ Robogenesis by Daniel H. Wilson (Apocalyptic Thriller Horror)
Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix (Horror)
✓ A Good Marriage by Stephen King (Horror)
The Three by Sarah Lotz (Horror)
The Lost by Sarah Beth Durst (Fantasy)
✓ Personal (Jack Reacher #19) by Lee Child (Thriller)
✓ Dear Daughter by Elizabeth Little (Mystery)
✓ Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta (Thriller)
✓ You by Caroline Kepnes (Thriller)
✓ In the Blood by Lisa Unger (Thriller)
Are you joining the fun?
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© 2014 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Mr. Mercedes
by Stephen King
Narrated by Will Patton
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio | June 2014
Format: Audio CD | 14½ hours | Rating: 4 stars
Audio Listening Level: Easy – Intermediate
Rating: 4 of 5
From the Publisher:
In a mega-stakes, high-suspense race against time, three of the most unlikely and winning heroes Stephen King has ever created try to stop a lone killer from blowing up thousands.
My Thoughts:
Bill Hodges, a recently retired police detective, is sinking into depression. He spends his boring days consuming alcohol, watching TV, and occasionally looking into the barrel of a revolver. Then, out of nowhere, he receives a taunting letter from someone claiming to be “The Mercedes Killer”, the ‘perp’ from a case he was unable to solve before he retired. Given a new purpose in life, Bill sets out to solve the case, whatever it takes.
This is a departure from Stephen King’s traditional style of ghosts, vampires, and other supernatural elements. Instead, he has written a creepy crime thriller. There were a few plot points that were a little unbelievable (the computer hacking and the unrealistic romance), but the story was fast-paced and suspenseful, and the writing was enjoyable. King’s pop-culture references and references to his own previous novels add a little lightness and humor to the mix.
While all the characters were fairly well-developed, Mr. Mercedes was the most interesting: a very warped, socially mal-adjusted killer with no morals. We are allowed into the mind of the killer, and that was horror enough for me. And, as usual, pets and children are always in danger in a Stephen King novel.
Fast-paced and suspenseful, I always find King’s writing enjoyable in whatever genre he chooses.
Audio Production:
Will Patton did a fantastic job with the narration. His voice for Mr. Mercedes was compellingly creepy and had me looking over my shoulder wondering how many disturbed people we unknowingly pass by everyday. Each of his character’s voices was well-defined, and his tone became more urgent and suspenseful as the story progressed. A winning audio performance!
Sample:
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Source: Review copy provided by Simon & Schuster Audio
© 2014 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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Almost wordless: The Red Geranium was a favorite addition to my garden this year.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2014 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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Welcome to Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia of To Be Continued, a place where readers share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.
After several years of being on tour with different blogs as the monthly host, the Mailbox Monday Blog is now the permanent home for the meme.
Another busy week for me, which meant another slow week on the blog. I did find a few things in my mailbox. A couple of new print books and an audiobook.
New Arrivals
How We Got to Now by Steven Johnson from Riverhead.
In this illustrated volume, Steven Johnson explores the history of innovation over centuries, tracing facets of modern life (refrigeration, clocks, and eyeglass lenses, to name a few) from their creation by hobbyists, amateurs, and entrepreneurs to their unintended historical consequences.
The Lost by Sarah Beth Durst from Harlequin MIRA.
Lauren finds herself trapped in a town called Lost on the edge of a desert, filled with things abandoned, broken and thrown away. And when she tries to escape, impassable dust storms and something unexplainable lead her back to Lost again and again.
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty from Penguin Audio.
Pirriwee Public’s annual school Trivia Night has ended in a shocking riot. One parent is dead. The school principal is horrified. As police investigate what appears to have been a tragic accident, signs begin to indicate that this devastating death might have been cold-blooded murder.
How was your week?
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© 2014 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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Almost wordless: Wildflower seen on my walk through the prairie a few weeks ago. At first I thought this was Milkweed, but now I’m not so sure.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2014 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Advertisements appearing on this site are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed or approved by me.
Welcome to Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia of To Be Continued, a place where readers share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.
After several years of being on tour with different blogs as the monthly host, the Mailbox Monday Blog is now the permanent home for the meme.
It’s been a slow couple of weeks on the blog because I’ve been busy with a few projects, plus work and life in general sometimes interferes. I’m still reading, or rather listening, but haven’t had much time for writing or commenting. Even Weekend Birding has taken a break, and that rarely happens.
A couple of new additions this week, both non-fiction.
New Arrivals
Dataclysm: Who We Are by Christian Rudder from Crown.
Our personal data has been used to spy on us, hire and fire us, and sell us stuff we don’t need. In Dataclysm, Christian Rudder uses it to show us who we truly are.
In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette by Hampton Sides from Random House Audio.
A white-knuckle tale of polar exploration and survival in the Gilded Age.
How was your week?
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© 2014 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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World of Trouble
by Ben H. Winters
Genre: Pre-apocalyptic Detective/Mystery
Publisher: Quirk Books | July 2014
Format: Paperback | 316 pages
Rating: 4½ of 5
From the Publisher:
The third novel in The Last Policeman trilogy, World of Trouble, presents one final pre-apocalyptic mystery – and Hank Palace confronts questions way beyond whodunit: How far would you go to protect a loved one? And how would you choose to spend your last days on Earth?
My Thoughts:
After scientists announced that asteroid 2011GV1 will slam into the earth within the next six months destroying most of the planet, many people abandoned their responsibilities and went off to pursue their bucket-lists during their remaining days.
In book one, The Last Policeman, we are introduced to Detective Hank Palace, a regular guy still doing his job, fighting crime and living his life while society is breaking down around him. Even if the world may soon end, Hank takes his job seriously, and eventually solves the crime.
In book two, Countdown City, scientists have pinpointed the date of impact with the asteroid and now know most of earth will be destroyed in 74 days. Hank has been laid off from his job in the Crimes Division; no one cares about solving crimes anymore. Except for Hank. Against a backdrop of an increasingly dysfunctional world, Hank agrees to try to find a friend’s husband who has gone missing.
In the final book, World of Trouble, the earth is days away from the asteroid strike. Rather than seek safety, Hank, accompanied by his dog and a grifter/thief he met a few months back, set out to find his sister who has run off with a cult that has a plan to save the world.
The pace picks up with a sense of urgency as Hank becomes more and more desperate to find his sister, and time is running out. The journey is treacherous and approaching people along the way can be deadly. The author has given us a realistic sense of what it would be like in those final days. Food is difficult to come by and technology is non-existent.
The characters are well-developed and the reader will easily become engaged in the story while racing to end for what we expect to be the inevitable conclusion. I’m not going to tell you if the world does end, but I will say there were some unexpected turns along the way that will keep you guessing.
While the first two books can be read as stand alone novels for their mystery/detective story, the final book will be best enjoyed as the culmination of a series, where questions are answered and loose ends are tied up in a satisfying conclusion.
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Source: Review copy from Quirk Books through LibraryThing.
© 2014 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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