"The Dead Zone" by Stephen King

So I've definitely watched the show (Anthony Michael Hall) and I've seen the movie (Christopher Walken) but this book was like ten times scarier than either of those. And I will say that it is still one of the milder Stephen Kings books, but it is just plain kind of creepy.

For those of you who don't know "The Dead Zone", it's about a man named John Smith (for real) who gets in a really bad accident and after he is in a coma for numerous years and wakes up with a sixth sense - to see into the future when he touches people or sometimes objects.

It doesn't sound terribly terrifying until he meets a man who is running for Congress - and John Smith sees that he will become president who will engage in a very awful war. He begins asking his friends, "If you could go back in time and kill Hitler, would you?"

I think for anyone into politics, this book is extremely terrifying. Because, realistically, the scary thing about this book is not that he can see into the future - but it is often what he can see that is scary, which should make us all wonder about how scared we perhaps should be of the future.

The book is extremely entertaining.

"The Journal of Mortifying Moments" by Robin Harding

Oh gosh, I know, I read another book with a pink cover. Tsk tsk.

Well it was good enough. These books with pink covers weren't around before Sex and the City, I swear. And now they are everywhere. The whole genre of writing about someone who is relatively successful in Manhattan and has man troubles seems to take precedence in our society these days. I suppose I can only read so many murder mysteries before I get sick.

Anywho, this one is about a girl who isn't, surprisingly, perfect. She's a little larger than most, although she is still pretty and has a perfect life despite hating it. She's successful and has a super hot boyfriend, described as better looking than Patrick Dempsey.

I never quite know what to make of any of these books. I think they are all Sex and the City knock-offs - they all have the same basic story, same basic characters, a lot of the same problems. But they aren't Sex and the City! We only have room for one of those and we adore it, and we don't really need more.

I guess I get annoyed at how cutesy and how fairytale all of these turn out to be. In the real world things don't always go bad and then get better - it's often enough the reverse. I don't know, I just feel like all of these chick flick books (what on earth should we call them?) try soooo hard to relate to every last woman on this planet. I don't know.

I will say that I don't mind reading these books, but I guess it's just something that makes me a little sick inside.

"Ties That Bind" by Phillip Margolin

Um, I bought this book because it was like $3 at Sam's Club - but that's not a testament as to how good the book is, that has everything to do with how cheap Sam's Club is.

Anyways, I happen to love thriller / mystery types of books, but I also end up neglecting my life when I read them because I become completely enthralled and don't do anything else. So this one I read when I had an afternoon off. Oh no, actually this one I interrupted by my viewing of the Dark Knight, but whatever.

Still, I love Margolin's books and I think he's one of probably the best thriller writers currently. If you like Harlen Coben or James Patterson you'd probably be into Margolin's.

Well, this one was pretty good - like most mysteries it was about a murder (well, a few) that need a-solving and put the main character in danger. This one was particularly interesting because it involves a crime ring composed of high-profile Americans - senators, judges, etc.

It was pretty great - but don't do it unless you have a few hours or can just put it down. Good luck, mon frere.

"My French Whore" by Gene Wilder

That's right, I had to check out more Gene Wilder stuff. I wasn't quite as into this one, but it was probably wittier than the other Wilder book I read.

This novella revolved around a soldier during WWI who impersonates a famous spy, and meets a girl named Annie, who is basically a whore. They fall in love, get married, whatnot.

It was a pretty cute story, and a quick read. I really, truly admire his work because anything he's ever done on film you can see so much him in it, and I love that his novellas have been the same way.

"The Clapper" by Dito Montiel

Sooo Montiel is the author and director of "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints", which I have only seen and have yet to read, but I was at the library and recognized his name and went ahead and grabbed it and....it was awesome.

The book is about this random guy, Eddie Rumble, who ends up in the "career" of being paid to sit through infomercials and horrible sitcoms for a few bucks. The whole point of his career involves using different disguises so people don't catch onto the fact these people are paid to do this over and over on different shows, so that people watching think the laughs are real or whatever.

Well, Jay Leno's people notice Eddie in multiple audiences, wearing all different stuff, and he quickly becomes known as "the clapper".

That's most of the plot, but the story is amazing, and the humor is too. I'm embarrassed to say I actually laughed out loud this morning at one point, in the office nonetheless.

And after reading this one, I can only hope it too will be made into a film.

"Trading Up" by Candace Bushnell

Same lady again as Sex and the City, and I suppose I didn't publish a post about Lipstick Jungle, but I have also read that one.

I like all of these stories about upbeat Manhattanites, but I'll admit I was pretty anxious reading this one - as in it was so long and I just wanted to put it down and I was getting pretty annoyed with the main character.

This one was about Janey Wilcox, a Victoria's Secret fashion model who settles in marrying someone, for reasons unknown to the reader - she admits she doesn't particularly love him and he's not the richest of the choices she has had. I had a really hard time getting into this character, mostly because she was a brat. I mean she was literally dirt - who was basically just concerned about her image as a status-climber, and would do anything to get there.

I wouldn't really say the book was bad, I would just say that it's hard to really understand what the point to it is - and maybe there isn't one. Don't read it if you don't have forever, it's a long one.

"The Woman Who Wouldn't" by Gene Wilder

That's right - THE Gene Wilder wrote this book. I have to say, for a little ole novella, it was an adorable book, and I feel like there was so much Gene in it. The story is about a concert violinist who just goes off his rocker for no real reason, in the early 1900s, and he's sent to a health institution in Germany.

There he meets a prim and proper lady, who is wonderful. He soon discovers she is there because she has cancer (sound familiar) and they get married, and I just can't tell you the ending. I refuse.

Something about this book was sooo Gene and Gilda. I'm a huge fan of the both, and adoring of the relationship they had. It's almost hurtful to read this book simply because in some ways you feel like Gene is talking about her.

But I would recommend it, it's fabulous.