For Stephen King fans, this will probably be redundant, but did you know that the movie, Stand By Me, was based on a book called The Body by Stephen King? I sure didn’t. 🙂
So one of my life’s goals was to finish a Stephen King book and (fingers crossed) like it! I find his writing style to be dry and long-winded so I haven’t gotten along with too many of his books.
But! I DID IT! I read The Body and it was great. It was actually quite like reading the movie, which I watched at a tender age and feel all the feels about. So 5/5 stars, highly recommend.
Another book I finished was The Violently Departed. Loved the concept, but just “fine” on the execution. 3/5 stars. This is a debut novel for a small publishing house and in those circumstances, the book was fine. I appreciated that the pairing of the protagonists was platonic and not romantic, and I always appreciate a story about outsiders taking on the powerful. I read this for the r/Fantasy Bingo challenge.
I also read Wombat Waiting, and it was emotional and lovely, just like all of Katherine Applegate’s books. 4/5 stars. Initially I thought the book was going to be about Wombats and had to stifle a bit of disappointment that it was, instead, about a dog named Wombat. But it was sweet and like all of her books, I recommend.
And finally, I read The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America. 4/5 stars. Amusing and entertaining, especially for a bird nerd. There were some descriptions I identified more with than others, but I enjoyed the reading experience.
