Novellas, Series, the Classics, Oh My! (What We're Reading - Part 4 of 5)

  I got two new books for Christmas and I just recently finished the first - Stephen King's Full Dark, No Stars. I generally enjoy Stephen King's books quite a bit. I own just about all of them and wouldn't think of not reading something he's written. This particular book is comprised of four novellas much like his Different Seasons from 20-odd years back. For some reason, I don't usually enjoy novellas. It's like a short story that needs some editing, or a novel that's not quite long enough. After finishing the first story in this book I confirmed my suspicions about how I feel about novellas. It was a good story, but I kept flipping through the pages to see how much was left to read. It seemed to ramble on too long in parts and I kept looking for the cohesive thread that tied it all together. Judging from the reviews I've seen I'm in the minority on this one.

But things picked up with the other 3 stories. The second one was enjoyable, the third was as well, but the main character wasn't likeable at all and that made it not quite as fun to read. And the last one was good. Overall, I enjoyed it, but it certainly isn't a favorite.

And up next is the final installment in the 'Keys to the Kingdom' series by Garth Nix. I really enjoyed this series and am anxious to read the last book in the series. However, I stopped at the library and ended up with a stack of books, including a kettlebell book, that I now need to hurry up and read before they are due back, so Garth Nix will have to wait a month or two.

And, thanks to Snickers and Doodlebug, I'm now planning on reading Jane Yolen's Devil's Arithmetic and Charles Dicken's Oliver Twist (I haven't decided yet if I'll read a full, original version, or if I'll stick to Doodlebug's edited, kid-friendly, cliff-notes version. :)


Quack!