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.

Friday Finds #5

Friday Finds is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading. It showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list… whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren't necessarily books you purchased).

Lisey's Story
Insomnia
Misery
The Running Man 

Kindle:

One Door Away from Heaven
Odd Thomas
Brother Odd
Confessions of an Angry Girl
Heart-Shaped Box
The Passage

Teaser Tuesdays #5

Teaser Tuesdays is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Grab a book you're currently reading and post a teaser (no spoilers) to persuade others to read the book.

He knew from being in Eddie's mind that the languages of the two worlds were similar to begin with. Similar, but not the same. Here a sandwich was a popkin. There to rustle was finding something to eat. So . . . was it not possible that the drug Eddie called cocaine was, in the gunslinger's world, called sugar? - p. 112 The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King.

Musing Mondays #5

Do you set goals for yourself, while reading? For example, “I want to get this book finished this weekend“, or “I will read __ pages today“, etc. Why, or why not?

 Yes! For the last two or three years I have set myself a goal of reading at least 100 pages a day. I usually end up reading 120-150 pages a day now that I have no school but when I was at school it was a struggle to keep up with the 100 pages a day. Since most of the time I could only manage around 80 pages a day at school, I would get up a little earlier the next morning to read the extra 20 pages I missed out on. I have serious OCD with things like that. 

Since I read at least 100 pages a day I always know the day I will finish the book. If the book has just over or just under 500 pages, it will take me 5 days to read it. I usually read a long-ish book starting Sunday or Monday and will have it finished by the weekend so I pick a short book to read over the weekend. I am really weird with all these odd goals. It has become like a chore at this stage (especially if I'm not enjoying a book) to finish it by a certain day and have a certain amount of pages read at the end of this particular day. I get really aggravated if I can't meet my daily goal and I can't think of anything but reading so I've very on edge a lot.

What about you? Do you have any reading goals you set for yourself?

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.