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"77 Shadow Street" by Dean Koontz

3/30/2014

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Title: 77 Shadow Street
Author: Dean Koontz
Genre: Horror, science fiction, thriller
# pages: 451
Date published: December 27, 2011
5-star rating: 4.5 stars
Would you recommend it? Yes



I have been reading Dean Koontz’s books for over eight years.  As I walked through the aisles of the used bookstore near my hometown, I picked up 77 Shadow Street because it was one of Koontz’s latest novels that I had yet to read. Once I began reading, I finished the book in less than one week – this is the sort of book you just can’t put down.

77 Shadow Street is the address of the former Belle Vista mansion, constructed in the 1880s by tycoon Andrew Pendleton and later transformed into a luxury condominium complex named the Pendleton.  The building saw the abduction of Pendleton’s wife and children, the murder of the Ostock family by the butler, and the disappearance of a construction worker during the transformation to condos. The chapters switch points of view between the residents and employees of the Pendleton, a constant change that keeps the reader interested.  You do not get too much of the same story line or viewpoint, which keeps the story moving, and each character has a different opinion of the bizarre happenings at the condominiums. Mysterious plants, people, and creatures appear and disappear for seconds to minutes to hours at a time.

Eventually the residents realize that they have been transported to the Pendleton in the year 2049 and have less than a few hours to live or find a way to survive the ominous “One.”  This time crunch creates a fast-paced read, the chapters going by more and more quickly as time winds down and the perspective switches from character to character and from condominium to condominium.

Anyone who enjoys horror would like this book.  Dean Koontz is a mix of James Patterson and Stephen King, telling dark tales of murder with supernatural elements that nonetheless seem believable, and his writing never fails to give me goosebumps, especially at night. 77 Shadow Street transports the reader away from his or her reality into the Pendleton with its residents and employees as they fight to stay alive.



Review by Liz Handler, A&S '15

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"On Writing" by Stephen King

11/18/2013

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Title: On Writing
Author: Stephen King
# of pages: 291
Date published: 2000
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars 


Stephen King is arguably one of the most successful and popular writers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, best known for his horror/science-fiction/fantasy novels and short stories. But people often forget that in order to land his books on the bestseller list, he knows quite a lot about writing itself. In his book On Writing, King remarks that at talks and signings, although people ask about the stories and the characters and his success, they rarely ask about the language, the writing, the craft.

On Writing is part memoir, part instruction, and part book list, all coming together to create a solid, entertaining, and ultimately very useful book about writing. King opens with a brief story of his life, from childhood to adulthood, and everything that made him the writer he is today. He makes sure to detail his struggles, which encourages us that even the most successful writers received rejection once, or more accurately, multiple times. The storytelling is engaging and funny, then seamlessly transitions into the instructional section. King breaks down different aspects of writing, focusing on writing fiction, his forte (although based on this book, one could argue that his non-fiction skills are just as impressive). King also discusses dialogue, description, back story, symbolism, and countless other writing techniques, in sections full of advice, humor, and encouragement.

Every aspiring writer, as well as those simply hoping to improve their grades in a creative writing class, should read On Writing. In addition to being helpful and inspiring, the book is, like so much of King’s fiction, well written, funny, and most importantly, a good story.



Review by Caitlin Mason, A&S '16

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"In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

12/9/2012

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Title: In Cold Blood
Author: Truman Capote
Genre(s): Crime
# pages: 343
Date published: January 1966
Rating out of 5: 5
Suggested tags: Non-fiction, Thriller
Would you recommend it? Yes

On the night of Nov. 15, 1959, two men entered a farmhouse in Holcomb, Kansas, and murdered the four members of the Clutter family. In this book, considered one of the first and best examples of the non-fiction novel, Capote traces the events leading up to the murders and the eventual resolution of the crime. Whether describing the grisly scene in which the bodies were discovered, taking the reader along on the aimless wanderings of the killers, or depicting the crime’s dastardly effect on a small, Midwestern town, he writes with a clear, poetic prose. This effectively transports the reader to a long-gone America and makes every character multidimensional and sympathetic. Even the killers are given thorough backstories that contextualize their actions. The themes include the loss of innocence, family, small-town America, religion, acceptance, psychology, and the American legal process, but in the end it is a thrilling recounting of an audacious murder and the subsequent hunt for the killers. Though relatively long, In Cold Blood becomes impossible to put down at a certain point about halfway through the book. The slow beginning pays off as it really invests the reader in the plights of the deceased. At the end of the book you will feel shocked at the meaninglessness and callousness of the crime, but also awed at the way Capote weaves pathos, humor, suspense, friendship, love, and family into what is on the surface a report on the deaths of four innocent people more than 50 years ago. I highly recommend In Cold Blood to anyone who loves crime novels, or literature in general.


Review by Andrew Ireland, A&S '14


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"Dark Places" by Gillian Flynn

11/13/2012

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Title: Dark Places
Author: Gillian Flynn
Genre: Thrillers / Suspense
Number of Pages: 368
Date Published: 2010
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I long ago abandoned reading mysteries because it began to seem that they all followed the same overdone formula.  It doesn’t take a Sherlock Holmes to predict the ending of most mysteries, even after reading just a few chapters.  There are always exceptions to the rule, however. My interest in Gillian Flynn was sparked while working at a bookstore this summer. Customer after customer came in asking for the author’s books, so I eventually decided to give her a chance and picked up Dark Places.  I was surprised to find myself so quickly enthralled in the dark, twisted story of the Day family.  The story is told through the eyes of Libby Day, the youngest of four siblings.  When Libby was just seven years old, she became famous for testifying against her brother when the rest of the family was brutally and mysteriously murdered in what comes to be known as the “Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.”  Libby is approached by a strange organization called the Kill Club, whose interests lie, as you may have guessed, in unsolved murders.  Funded by this club, she delves back into her past to discover what really happened to her family and determine whether her brother, who she previously accused of the murder, is truly guilty.  In this process, Libby yet again finds herself in grave danger and must escape the clutches of a murderer.  I loved this book because it was a ridiculously fun but dark read with an interesting premise that didn’t disappoint.  Flynn is a talented writer and deserves the great buzz she has received for her novels Dark Places, Sharp Objects, and her most recent bestseller, Gone Girl.  If you love mysteries and thrillers but want to read something fresh, I highly recommend this book.


Review by Maria Peroni, A&S '16


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"Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs

10/23/2012

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Title:  Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children
Author:
Ransom Riggs
Genre(s):
Thrillers/Suspense, Action
Number of pages:  352
Year published
: 2011
Rating: 
4 Stars (out of 5)
Recommended?
  Yes

When I picked up Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, the vintage photographs interlaced throughout the book immediately caught my attention. Ransom Riggs spent years collecting these old, haunting photographs before he decided to publish them with a book. These photographs add another dimension to make this novel unique and they complement the story perfectly. The images add rich details that help the reader visualize the setting, but still leave room for imagination.

The story kicks off when the grandfather of the main character, Jacob Portman, is mysteriously attacked and dies while going for a walk. Jacob suspects that this is no ordinary wildlife attack – he believes monsters murdered his grandfather. To investigate further, Jacob convinces his parents to let him go to Wales for the summer, where he encounters an orphanage full of children with rare and strange talents and qualities. Jacob is trying to find out what this place had to do with his grandfather when he discovers what he thought was the impossible. The plot is interesting from the prologue on and the action keeps the reader on his toes.

One downside to this novel is the character dynamic. Frankly, they are not as developed as I would have liked.  Jacob is a moderately relatable character who is adventurous, brave, and curious. The people he meets are interesting and different, but throughout the book I always wanted to know more about the grandfather and the children. If the characters were more deeply developed, I think I would have gotten more out of this book.

I would recommend Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children because it’s one of those books that you really can’t put down – I read it in two days. It was a very easy read that is meant for younger readers, but possesses qualities that make it enjoyable for any age. It was suspenseful, mysterious, and thought provoking with a plot that is complex, surprising, and intriguing. Ransom Riggs is actually an old college friend of novelist John Green, so if you are a fan of Green’s novels, definitely check this one out. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is haunting and mysterious – a relevant and quick read for the Halloween season!

Review by Colleen Brady,  A&S '16

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