Stephen King - Joyland

Joyland - Stephen King

College studen Devin Jones took the summer job at Joyland hoping to forget the girl who broke his heart. But he wound up facing something far more terrible: the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and dark thruths about life - and what comes after - that would change his world forever.

I really liked the premise of this book - a murder in an amusement park, at least that’s what I thought it was about. It was more about Jonesy (that’s what the ‘carnies’ call him) and how he found his place among the Joyland people and what happens after the summer business is over.

What kept me reading was not necessarily the story itself, but I really, really liked the setting and the atmosphere that Stephen King created with this book. The main character was thrown into all that stuff and what was going on beyond the neon lights of the amusement park and I really liked those insights that I got. I also liked the characters, they were well-created and well-described. I just didn’t care for them as much as I did with other characters in other boooks - for example I didn’t cry at the end.

As for the murdered girl - the story didn’t really much revolve around her as I’d thought it would. She was more of a seldom-mentioned character that didn’t necessarily have a great part in the story. Even when her storyline ended (that’s about all I can say without spoilering anything) it wasn’t that big of a deal. Just gone.

Joyland had aspects of a crime/mystery book, I guess, because in the end - you can guess - they found the killer (which isn’t very surprising in a crime novel). And that’s all there was to it.
I’m not sure if I’d read this book again, but if so, I’d read it just for the atmosphere. And for the humour that was brought across. Stephen King did a very good job at this one. All in all, I thought it was a little slow-paced and long at times, but then again I’m not really sure. Let’s just go with this:
Many, many Stephen King tropes (main character from Maine, psychic kid, creepy and wise old men… you get it), but nevertheless it was an original story, although some of the characters had a familiar touch to them.

Jonathan Kellerman - The Murderer's Daughter

Jonathan Kellerman - The Murderer’s Daughter [Uk Paperback, I think]

Grace leads a two-sided life. At night, she’s the super-sexy woman incognito that makes every man’s heart melt. During the day, she’s a successful psychotherapist in LA. When she finds out that her recent encounter turns up inside her office and is killed just one day after - Grace just has to know why he had been killed and why her life is at stake, too.

This is more of a criminal story than an actual thriller. It had some action in it, for sure, but for the most part it was about Grace’s life and just her story and how it is all connected somehow. What I found remarkable, actually, were the psychological aspects that Jonathan Kellerman brought into his novel. I think I’ve read that he’s a psychologist, too - and you can follow Grace’s logic brilliantly. Although some of the clues don’t make sense at first, it all becomes clear later on.

I liked the style of writing and I loved the stories from Grace’s childhood, but sometimes it got a bit too slow for me and there were so many facts and clues one had to memorize to keep track of the whole story (and I get distracted very fast), but even if I hadn’t read in a few weeks’ time, I was able to get back into the story very quickly. I liked that about the book.

What I didn’t like was the ending. Without wanting to spoil anything - Grace talks to a police officer the day after the murder of her client and that police officer is characterized so carefully and the author really made her seem an important character in the story, but then that was her very last appearance in the whole novel. The story missed kind of a frame, if you get what I’m trying to say, and I think the appearance of the police officer would have been a nice frame to conclude the story. Also note that this is a stand-alone.

I would give the book a 3.5 out of 5 stars, because it was interesting and full of tension despite the lack of action - but the style of writing was great and also Grace was characterised perfectly.

(originally posted February 2016)

Neil Gaiman - The Ocean at the End of the Lane

The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman

I have to admit, this is the first book I ever read by Neil Gaiman. And I loved it.
It’s about an unnamed man that goes back to a pond (in his childhood he and his friend used to call it The Ocean) to remember his childhood. It’s about fears and friendship and adulthood itself. This is not a children’s book, though, I’d say!

I loved this book SO much, I had such a bad reading slump afterwards, it was awful. It’s hard to talk about this book without spoiling anything, but I’d like to classify it as a mixture between contemporary and fiction - and I love it. Did I already mention that?!

It taught me so much about adulthood - nobody is ever an adult. We’re all just children grown up on the outside. And I love Neil Gaiman for his words.

(originally posted September 2015)

Ray Celestin - The Axeman's Jazz

Ray Celestin - The Axeman’s Jazz [UK paperback Version]

Hello there! Last week I was at my boyfriend’s and didn’t really have time to read as much as I normally do. I haven’t yet finished this book, but still I wanted to give you my review on this one, because I can’t wait anymore!

The story is set in 1919 in New Orleans. The mysterious Axeman keeps killing people and three people, the policeman Michael Talbot, a private detector (who is accompanied by Lewis Armstrong, which I find amazing!) and a former detective who has just been released from prison investigate in the murders, each approaching the solution from a different angle. The solution, however, is entirely fictional. The actual Axeman was never caught.

I really, really loved the style of writing in the first place. Secondly, I love how the reader himself gets to solve the case with all those background information provided by three different people who solve the case piece by piece, but each hast different witnesses and different ways towards the conclusion.

I also loved how music is involved in this novel. I really like Jazz, and most of the time I’ve been reading I’ve been listening to Jazz simultaneously. I really felt dragged into the first decade of the 20th century. I loved it!
If you like detective novels and historic events - this is the book for you!

(originally posted August 2015)