The Drawing of the Three
by Stephen King - Published in 1987
The direction that the story takes from the preceding Dark Tower book, The Gunslinger, is pretty much impossible to foresee. The first book in the series is a set the scene scenario. A foundation to build upon. The epitome of a warm-up. Where The Drawing of the Three goes no one knows. It’s a trip to say the least and where that trip heads isn’t in anyone’s power. Hold onto your hats folks.
King has quickly become my most-read and favourite author. The minds eye that it takes to write this stuff is immense.
“We all die in time,” the gunslinger said. “It’s not just the world that moves on.”
The Gunslinger
by Stephen King - Published in 1982
The King journey continues at The Dark Tower series gets tackled head on. The Gunslinger traverses barren land in pursuit of the evasive Man in Black, no relation to the Men in Black. It’s a bit of a campfire affair. Lots of shooting the shit. Most definitely the beginning of a long story. King is in no rush. The Dark Tower is omnipresent and awaits…..
I began with the later King works (The Outsider and The Institute) and must say that I greatly prefer his style of writing on this. I can’t wait to dig into the following books in the series.
“where the world ends is where you must begin”
Of Mice And Men
by John Steinbeck - Published in 1937
Lennie and George, the dynamic duo. Lennie Smalls, the child-like man and George Milton, the hard-nosed mans man travel in search of the perfect job to save up enough money and leave the godforsaken rat race once and for all. Living off the ‘fatta the lan’’ seems an enticing prospect but it proves to be a more difficult venture than expected. John Steinbeck’s tougher than leather characters withstand the test of time as Of Mice And Men snapshots a moment in United States history, The Great Depression.
“Ain’t many guys travel around together,” he mused. “I don’t know why. Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.”
The Beekeeper of Aleppo
by Christy Lefteri - Published in 2019
The Beekeeper of Aleppo gives readers insights into the events and periods of time people and their families, in this case the Ibrahim family, must endure to hopefully find peace and prosperity in foreign land. It's the kind of eye-opening book that lets the reader peep into the world of something which many wont experience in their lifetime. Anyone with a sense of the patriotic 'this is my country wah wah wah' entitlement should give this a gander.
“The sound of birdsong never changes.”
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
by Neil Gaiman - Published in 2013
Neil Gaiman, a name that has been recommended to me numerous times over the last few months finally indented my mind with ‘Ocean at the End of the Lane’. His straight forward writing style means that this book is open to children and adults alike. On the surface it’s a bedtime story book but it delves into the importance of childhood in a way that only someone older could appreciate, the experience of life unlocking the true powers of this short journey. The book’s as vivid as it gets. Your past never leaves you, it’s still playing out in your day to day life in fact.
“Oh, monsters are scared," said Lettie. "That's why they're monsters.”
Meditations
by Marcus Aurelius
2000-year-old bite-sized knowledge bombs. This Marcus fella had a way with words. The ability to capture, in essence, the fundamental core of human existence in such a precise manner is hard to come by. If you were able to sit down and shoot the shit with someone dead or alive who would it be?
“Death is relief from reaction to the senses, from the puppet-strings of impulse,from the analytical mind, and from service to the flesh“
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
by Yuval Noah Harari - Published in 2014
The title of the book says it all really. This is a look into how we arrived where we are with explanations and reasons as to how and when these events occurred. I can’t really speak on how accurate the information is because at the end of the day no one really knows. It all pieces together smoothly enough to be believable and it seems relatively solid a thesis. Sapiens breaks down human history into four distinct periods: The Cognitive Revolution, The Agricultural Revolution, The Unification of Humankind and finally The Scientific Revolution. It makes for quite interesting reading. Well worth digging into.
“We did not domesticate wheat. It domesticated us.”
Where the Crawdads Sing
by Delia Owens - Published in 2018
This is the debut novel from Delia Owens. An ode to nature and all its splendour. It took a while to come around to this book but I stuck with it. It’s one of those things that takes its time but once the cards are down it’s hard to step away from. A slow-burner if there ever was one. The book lends itself to the background of Owens, being a wildlife scientist it helps with getting the beauty of the outdoors across. A very vivid telling of the natural world and the hierarchies that we all find ourselves existing within. A coming of age, love story and mystery all rolled into one.
“The marsh did not confine them but defined them and, like any sacred ground, kept their secrets deep.”
The Institute
by Stephen King - Published in 2019
The inevitable step into the world of Stephen King took place midway through 2020. The Institute was recommended by a trusted source and it turned out to be the perfect welcome. King’s writing isn’t too complex or a least as complex as expected. He has a way of getting the characters and story across without tiring out ideas or stretching things to fit. The majority of the book is pretty straight forward and this most likely is why he has a history of his works being interpreted into film and TV. Further digging will confirm this I’m certain. This book lays the foundations for an excellent TV series believe it or not! A great read for someone looking for an entry into the world of fiction. A supernatural affair.
“Great events turn on small hinges.”
A Fine Balance
by Rohinton Mistry - Published in 1995
Roughly three weeks of the initial Covid lockdown were dedicated to this book. Two to three hours a day to be precise. Up to that stage no other book had gripped me quite like it. The stories of each character intertwined meticulously and the language R. Mistry used is nothing short of exceptional. Many a quotable can be found within the confines of the first and very last page. It’s a book that I can safely say is my favorite. I can’t picture any other coming close any time soon. A book that deserves every accolade and set of eyes that it receives. It’s a true work of art. Mind-blowing is an understatement.
“You have to maintain a fine balance between hope and despair."
The Catcher in the Rye
by J.D. Salinger - Published in 1951
A coming of age tale in which the protagonist is clearly still figuring things out within the confines of his own head. Spend two days inside the mind of a rather depressed teenager. Witness the thought patterns and cycles of Holden Caulfield as he battles teenage angst, existential dread and the ‘phonies’ in which inhabit the world surrounding him.
“If a body meet a body coming through the rye"