The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King

The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King
Series: The Dark Tower #2
Genre: Fantasy/Horror
Age Group: Adults
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Published: 2003
First Published: 1987
Format: Paperback
Pages: 454
Source: Book Depository
Buy: $9 with free delivery
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 



IMPORTANT: do not read the following book description if you have not read the first book in the series, The Gunslinger. However, my review will not contain any series spoilers.

After his confrontation with the man in black at the end of The Gunslinger, Roland awakes to find three doors on the beach of Mid-World's Western Sea--each leading to New York City but at three different moments in time. Through these doors, Roland must "draw" three figures crucial to his quest for the Dark Tower. In 1987, he finds Eddie Dean, The Prisoner, a heroin addict. In 1964, he meets Odetta Holmes, the Lady of Shadows, a young African-American heiress who lost her lower legs in a subway accident and gained a second personality that rages within her. And in 1977, he encounters Jack mort, Death, a pusher responsible for cruelties beyond imagining. Has Roland found new companions to form the ka-tet of his quest? Or has he unleashed something else entirely? - Book Depository

It was almost two years ago since I read the first book in this series. I was so put off by it because it didn't seem like something I would enjoy from the first book. As a crazy King fanatic, I decided to give this another shot since I found my copy of it recently which I bought about two years ago, also. I was not disappointed by this one. It really picked up the pace from the previous book and it was way more King-ish.

It took a little while to get stuck into this book, about 50 or so pages. But once the pace picks up, it never lags from there on. Though, I found it a little bit of a struggle to get through the last 50 pages. I guess it was because there was a lot of action going on and I'm not a fan of action. But the pages in the middle were definitely far from boring.

My favourite character in this would have to be The Prisoner, Eddie Dean. He was just so lovable. There was also a few more side characters, The Lady of Shadows, Odetta Holmes/Detta Walker and The Pusher, Jack Mort. I don't want to spoil the first book so let's just say there was a great deal of character development throughout the book. Also, the 'drawing' concept was genius!

The writing style is easy to get into. It all flows well and there's nothing complex about it. It's very straightforward which I love about King's writing. He doesn't use flowery descriptions or pages upon pages of describing the setting. Though, he does have some good metaphors and descriptions here, don't get me wrong, but it's not overpowering. The plot is very much King's main focus in writing this.

Overall this book was awesome. There is still a lot of unanswered questions I have so I'm looking forward to the next books in the series to see how everything turns out.

1st to Die by James Patterson

1st to Die by James Patterson
Series: Woman's Murder Club #1
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Age Group: Adults
Publisher: Headline
Published: 2001
Format: Paperback
Pages: 453
Source: Used book store
Buy: $8 with free delivery
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Four women--four friends--share a determination to stop a killer who has been stalking newlyweds in San Francisco. Each one holds a piece of the puzzle: Lindsay Boxer is a homicide inspector in the San Francisco Police Department, Claire Washburn is a medical examiner, Jill Bernhardt is an assistant D.A., and Cindy Thomas just started working the crime desk of the San Francisco Chronicle. But the usual procedures aren't bringing them any closer to stopping the killings. So these women form a Women's Murder Club to collaborate outside the box and pursue the case by sidestepping their bosses and giving each other a hand. The four women develop intense bonds as they pursue a killer whose crimes have stunned an entire city. Working together, they track down the most terrifying and unexpected killer they have ever encountered--before a shocking conclusion in which everything they knew turns out to be devastatingly wrong. Full of the breathtaking drama and unforgettable emotions for which James Patterson is famous, 1st to Die is the start of a blazingly fast-paced and sensationally entertaining series of crime thrillers. - Book Depository

It starts out with a simple murder scene of a couple on their honeymoon in their hotel suite. A person whom we believe to be called 'Philip Campbell' has murdered these newlyweds. This is the part in third person. It then switches to first person from Lindsay's POV and from there on, with the help of her partner Raleigh, they try to solve this murder. Soon enough, there is a murder of another two newlywed couples and they attempt to track down the killer of the connected three murders.

Aside from the main plot there is a lot of character development. There is a little romance which I wasn't too sure about, it seemed to sudden. I also love how the main character had a suddenly diagnosed terminal illness at the beginning. It added more to Lindsay's character. Patterson definitely succeeded in adding some real life drama into this too, it wasn't just about the murders.

The last 100 or so pages were great! It was filled with so many twists. I thought I had the whole thing figured out until something else happened, and then something else, and something else! It ended and I was satisfied with the ending but I saw there was an epilogue. I read that (which was set about 6 months ahead) and there was an even bigger twist! It was amazing. It kept you guessing throughout.

My only critique with this book was the writing was a little too simple and help back. Nothing really impressed me with the writing but that's not too big of a deal.

If you like a good murder mystery, read this. This book is what I would call a page-turner! I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Summer 2012 Reading Plans

So, I have quite a few summer 'goals' and I thought I'd share them with you.

1. Read and watch the Harry Potter series again. I'm going to watch the series in one week, so a movie every night starting from tonight (2nd June). I should be finished by Friday 9th June as there is 2 movies for the last book. I am not going to read the entire series because it's a lot more time consuming than watching the movies but I'm going to be reading my favourites which are Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I will be waiting a couple of weeks after watching the movies before reading the books because I don't want it too fresh in my mind or I won't enjoy it. But I do want to be able to make direct comparisons between the books and movies which I haven't been able to do because there has always been too much of a gap between watching and reading the Harry Potter series so I end up forgetting things.
2. Read all seven of the Stephen King books currently shelved on my TBR. I have UR, The Drawing of the Three, Under the Dome, Needful Things, Bag of Bones, Cell and 'Salem's Lot. I have had 'Salem's Lot, The Drawing of the Three and Under the Dome for so long. I got UR on my Kindle yesterday and I got the other three only recently in a second hand bookshop.
3. Read as many new authors as possible. My specific goal would be to read at least five new authors this summer. I tend to stick the same authors for quite some time and then move on to something else but I think I'll try and vary it as much as I can this summer.
4. Read as far as The Wind Through the Keyhole in the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. This book is book 4.5 in the Dark Tower series which was released in April this year. It will hopefully still be available in hardcover by the time I get around to buying it which is why I want to read as far as that this summer. I started the series about two years ago and read only the first book. I don't know why I didn't continue. I have the second book on my TBR shelf, linked above so I will read that soon.

Have you any goals for the summer? Let me know in the comments.

A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton

A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton
Genre: Crime Mystery
Age Group: Adults
Publisher: Pan
Year: 1993
Format: Paperback
Pages: 253
Source: Used bookshop
Buy It: $5 with free delivery
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 

A tough-talking former cop, private investigator Kinsey Millhone has set up a modest detective agency in a quiet corner of Santa Teresa, California. A twice-divorced loner with few personal possessions and fewer personal attachments, she's got a soft spot for underdogs and lost causes. A IS FOR ACCUSED That's why she draws desperate clients like Nikki Fife. Eight years ago, she was convicted of killing her philandering husband. Now she's out on parole and needs Kinsey's help to find the real killer. But after all this time, clearing Nikki's bad name won't be easy. "A IS FOR ALIBI" If there's one thing that makes Kinsey Millhone feel alive, it's playing on the edge. When her investigation turns up a second corpse, more suspects, and a new reason to kill, Kinsey discovers that the edge is closer--and sharper--than she imagined. - Book Depository

This is my second time reading a murder mystery (first time being a couple of Agatha Christie books) and I loved it! It was first published in 1985 so I wasn't sure how enjoyable Grafton's writing style would be but it was amazing. If it wasn't for the great writing I probably wouldn't have liked it as much as I did. There was quite a few curse words but nothing major, which I thought was good as it helped create an image for Kinsey Millhone and helped me, as a reader depict what kind of character she was.

The "mystery" for this book is who murdered Laurence Fife? Eight years previous, Nikki Fife (Laurence's wife) was put in jail for his murder. She is out on parole now and needs Kinsey's help to find the real killer and get rid of her label as a murderer. I thought there was great suspense throughout and I never suspected one person out of all the people being interviewed in this book. Kinsey ends up being led to other connected murders whilst trying to solve this one. This added even for suspense. There was quite a big plot twist at the end which I loved! I did not see it coming--I didn't see anything coming in this book. It was not predictable in the slightest. I also loved how the it opened and ended with Kinsey confessing to a murder (the same murder).

The character development was great. I really loved Kinsey as a character. She was strong and witty which I loved. There was a great cast of other characters throughout this book too and they were not forgotten about--everyone in this book had very well developed characters and each had their own distinct personality. Trust me on this one, you will not forget the majority of characters in this book--especially not Kinsey.

If you're a fan of mystery/suspense/crime/thriller books, then read this. You won't be disappointed. I'm looking forward to getting the rest of the Alphabet Series.

*Just to let you know, the copy I have of this book is not pictured here as I bought it in a used book shop and I can't find my copy online anywhere to get a picture. I think it's out of print.

TBR Pile

So, I went through my books I haven't read yet and I was surprised to find as many as I did. Usually I'm good at keeping on top of reading the books I buy but... I'm not as good as I thought!

In total I have 27 books. 7 are my Jane Austen collection which I bought recently. 6 books are books that I bought very recently and the remaining 14 are ones that I have had for 3 months to 2 years.

Here is a list of the books I've had for 3-24 months:

1.  The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue (I bought this when it first came out in October 2011).
2. An Autobiography by Agatha Christie (I bought this in a Book Depository 24 hour sale in February).
3. The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King (I bought this in 2010 which was... FOREVER AGO!! I fail as King fan).
4. The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien (I bought this last Christmas Eve...still have not read it).
5. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (I bought this in December shortly after Christmas with a book voucher along with the first one. I still have not read it... Don't kill me!)
6. Mercy by Jodi Picoult (I bought this around last September in a used book shop).
7. Under the Dome by Stephen King (I bought this sometime in early 2011 I think... Again, I fail as a King fan).
8. Game of Thrones by George R.R Martin (I bought this along with the first two in The Hunger Games trilogy after Christmas, read around 100 pages and stopped. I don't know why. I'll have to try it again).
9. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (I bought this in February... I should read it soon).
10. The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Steig Larsson (I bought this last August/September. I kind of lost interest in this trilogy...)
11. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (I began collecting the Agatha Christie magazines with a free first edition book in every issue and stopped after issue 2 because I realised I wasn't going to be able to afford €10 every fortnight. This was in issue 1).
12. Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie (I bought this last summer without thinking it was a Christmas book so I planned on reading it last Christmas and I forgot. I'll have to wait until next Christmas again!!)
13. Broken Flower by Virginia Andrews (I got this in a used book shop last year sometime)
14. 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King (This was the first King book I bought in summer 2010 and still haven't read it...)

I am hoping to have read all these by the end of this year. Do you have a TBR pile this big or even bigger? Do you find yourself with many unread books you bought months and sometimes even years ago? Leave a comment!