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As a Stephen King fan, I was surprised to find I had never read his 1980 novella The Mist. Then again, it was published four years before I was born. I read it over a couple of days while visiting my parents, and I spent a few nights reading into the wee hours trying to finish this terrifying tale.

The novella starts innocently enough with a thunderstorm on a lake in Maine. After the storm, the residents discover the power has been knocked out, several trees have fallen, and there’s a thick mist moving in over the lake. David Drayton and his son set out to pick up some groceries and they let their neighbor Brent Norton tag along despite their heated disagreements in the past.

The store is very crowded, as one might expect, and everyone gets set on edge when a man comes running through the parking lot shouting that there are things in the mist and they attacked someone out there. His nose is bloodied and he insists they shut the doors of the store. The people do so, as the thick mist settles around the store. Shortly after there’s a loud event, like an earthquake, that shakes the store and furthers the feelings of unease in the store.

This being a supernatural thriller, the creatures in the mist start to show themselves quickly. The creatures are quite terrifying, especially since there are so many different kinds of them. There’s the tentacle creature that grabs Norm right at the beginning. Plus huge bug-type things, huge bird-type things, and a monster whose size would put a blue whale to shame.

The novella hits on interesting territory by not only relying on the supernatural to scare the reader and the characters. The element of mob mentality is brought into the story through the character of Mrs. Carmody. Mrs. Carmody is known about town as a little bit of a crazy, and when the creatures begin appearing through the mist she starts to preach about the wrath of God. She tells the people that the creatures are a sign of end-times and that they must repent for their sins. Her crazy-babble starts to draw more people to her as the days pass and more people die. Her little mob shows just how far people will go when confined and helpless.

The Mist was a quick read, but a scary one. The paranoia and constant on-edgeness I felt while reading it was seriously intense. As someone who is prone to nightmares (I know, I probably shouldn’t read Stephen King before bed), this novella had me on edge waiting to see what would happen to David and his young son. I highly recommend the novella to fans of supernatural horror. I also recommend reading it before checking out the recent movie adaptation starring Thomas Jane. The movie is mostly faithful to the novella and actually complements it quite nicely.

You can get it for your Kindle or in paperback.

I had been meaning to read the Dexter books since I first started seeing commercials for the “Dexter” TV show in 2006. There always seemed like there was something else on my reading to-do list, until I got the Kindle. I ordered Darkly Dreaming Dexter right from the built-in Kindle store and had started reading in just a few seconds (Take that, procrastination!).

The opening scene has us following Dexter while he stalks a victim. The victim turns out to be a priest who was murdering kids. How can you not root for a killer that kills child murderers? Especially one whose day job is working in a crime lab putting away criminals.

I liked the character of Dexter right away, despite his coldness. He was amusing, in a very dark kind of way. He reminded me a bit of a character in a teen novel series I used to read called Fearless. It featured a girl named Gaia who was born without the gene that causes fear. In the same way, Dexter seems to have been born without any human personality genes. He fakes it pretty well, but he doesn’t feel love or shame or guilt like most people do.

The only almost-human interactions he has are with his sister Debra, who also happens to be a police detective. He actually cares about her and wants to protect her.

The first novel in the Dexter series follows a strange crime spree where the killer drains all the blood from the victims and then stacks the cut-up body parts neatly in plastic for the police to find. Debra desperately wants to catch this guy to improve her career, and she asks Dexter for his help since he has a strange “knack” for knowing what a killer might do next. Unfortunately, Dexter has been having some strange dreams and some even stranger experiences that makes it very hard for him to help his sister.

The book is interesting. It wasn’t my favorite crime novel of all time, but I’ll definitely read the others in the series. I really enjoyed the characters and the story. One thing that really, really bugged me was the author’s heavy use of alliteration (ie: darkly dreaming Dexter). He uses it constantly and it’s really annoying. The book is, however, fast-paced and has a great mystery, so I can overlook the arbitrary use of alliteration.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys crime thrillers, watches any version of CSI, or who wants to watch the show (I always recommend reading the book before watching the show or seeing the movie).

Get yours for the Kindle or buy it in paperback.

I first read The Talisman when I was about 12 or 13-years old, about the same age as Jack Sawyer, the protagonist in the novel. The book fascinated me in ways that kids couldn’t imagine before Harry Potter. It had fantasy, danger, and an added element that I always loved in books as a kid – a young protagonist facing the world on his/her own. Books like The Talisman and A Wrinkle In Time made reading my number one childhood activity.

I decided to finally re-read The Talisman after I found a sequel while browsing the Kindle store. Naturally, I wanted to refresh my memory before diving back into Jack Sawyer’s story. The Talisman is a tale of a young man, a child really, on a dangerous mission. He sets out to find the talisman, a mysterious object on the opposite coast of the country. He travels in both the real world, and an alternate reality he calls The Territories. The Territories are an idyllic place – clean air, no cars, simple clothing and homes. The physical description of The Territories most resembles medieval times.

Jack’s mission is to get the talisman to heal both his mother (who is dying from cancer on the east coast) and Queen Laura, the ruler of The Territories (who is dying from some unknown Territories disease). We are with Jack every step of the way. He has help along the way from a handyman named Speedy, a wolf named Wolf, and others.

I absolutely love this book. I loved it as a child (reading Stephen King novels far too early for my age) and I loved it while reading it for a second time. It flawlessly moves from “the American Territories” to “The Territories” (as Jack calls them) and back. The imagery is so powerful that you almost start to believe in The Territories yourself. The length of the book isn’t a problem, and in fact once you near the end, you don’t want it to end. (Luckily there’s a sequel titled Black House.) I would absolutely read it again, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy/mystery novel. You can grab the paperback on Amazon, or get it for your Kindle at the Kindle store.

On Writing was a wonderful read for me as both a Stephen King fan and a writer. The book is divided into three sections. The first covers King’s early years up through when he sold Carrie. The middle section has tips and advice on how to improve your own writing. The last section deals with King’s accident and how the recovery affected his writing.

It’s a book with true personality. For fans of King’s writing style, you almost feel as though you’re having a conversation with the man. Much as his Entertainment Weekly columns give you a glance into the real Stephen King (behind all the monsters and ghoulies), On Writing feels like a very personal piece.

Parts I and III are fascinating glimpses into King’s personal life. We learn all about his childhood, how he met his wife, and, most importantly, how he started writing professionally. It’s almost a mini-autobiography.

Part II gives practical advice on how to improve your own writing. Rule #1 is, of course, to read more. Coming from a man who reads at Red Sox games (I’ve seen him on TV reading books in the stands.), this is a suggestion every writer should take to heart.

I wholeheartedly recommend On Writing to any writer or Stephen King fan. It’s a great read, and one that I’m happy to keep around for future re-reads.

You can buy On Writing at the Kindle Store or pick up the paperback.