Remember,
#WritingWednesday is an EASY, STRESS-FREE, weekly writing challenge.
Read the
writing prompt below,
Spend 5
minutes writing (in your own voice or the voice of a character you’re writing) whatever
comes to mind,
DON’T
EDIT what you write! IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT!
The goal
is 5 minutes of creativity.
Today I am writing in the voice of my turtle, Elle.
Today’s writing prompt:
Look around you and choose an object in the room. Now write
something from the point of view of that object.
There she is, the one who feeds me. My human. I don’t know
what to call her, she hasn’t told me her name yet, but she calls me Elle, or
Elle-belly which I really like. Especially when she sings to me. I may not know
her name, but I do know how to make her smile. She likes it when I swim laps. I
start at the soft tentacle covered plant that sticks out of the side of my cozy
little room. Then, I climb onto my sunbathing rock and run across it to dive
into the water. From there, I spin around and shoot myself through the water,
as fast as I can, until I end up back at the plant. I could do it over and over
for hours and she would just giggle and smile the whole time. I like making her
happy.
Alright, now it’s your turn. I’d love to see what today’s writing prompt inspires you. So, if you are willing, go to the comment section below and start typing. Take 5 minutes and let’s see what you come up with!
Look around you and choose an object in the room. Now write something from the point of view of that object.
What books have made your November
reading list? Comment below and let me know! Then, click on the links below to
check out the November 2019 New York Times Top Ten Lists and see which books
you’d like to add to your reading list!
Would you prefer to watch the video review, instead of reading it? Click on the video below!
I love receiving review requests. So, when a request to review The Shining came in, I jumped on it. Did I really need a reason to re-watch The Shining? No, but I’ll take it. 🙂
Jack
Torrance, a writer and former teacher, signs a contract to spend the winter,
with his family taking care of an old hotel with a violent past. Secluded in
the Colorado mountains for 5 months, Jack, who is recently sober, slowly gets
more violent and angry. His son, Danny, tries to use a special talent, the
“Shining”, to inform the people outside about what is going on in the
hotel.
MY 2 CENTS:
The
Shining has always been one of my favorite horror films. It is perfect in just
about every way. When The Shinning was first released, in 1980, it received
mixed reviews. People didn’t really know what to make of it.
The
fact that it was nominated for a Razzie award – honoring the worst of cinematic
under-achievements – just blows me away. In my opinion, it is pretty
perfect! Much like Citizen Kane or Schindler’s List, I can’t think of anything
wrong with this film.
Sure,
it’s metaphorical and it leaves the audience wondering what they just watched.
What is wrong with that?
Writing/Story: ★★★★★
I
loved the novel. It was one of the first books I ever read that truly scared
me. And the film, although very different than the novel, had the same effect.
I have read that Stephen King hated the movie and recently read the following
quote:
“The
book is hot, and the movie is cold; the book ends in fire, and the movie in
ice. In the book, there’s an actual arc where you see this guy, Jack Torrance,
trying to be good, and little by little he moves over to this place where he’s
crazy. And as far as I was concerned, when I saw the movie, Jack was crazy from
the first scene. I had to keep my mouth shut at the time. It was a screening,
and Nicholson was there. But I’m thinking to myself the minute he’s on the
screen, ‘Oh, I know this guy. I’ve seen him in five motorcycle movies, where
Jack Nicholson played the same part.’ And it’s so misogynistic. I mean, Wendy
Torrance is just presented as this sort of screaming dishrag. But that’s just
me, that’s the way I am.” ~ Stephen King, on The Shining
In my opinion, yes, the book and the film are very
different. However, just because I love the book doesn’t mean I can’t
appreciate the movie for what it is. The Shining is a classic horror film that
will, until I die, send chills up and down my spine and nightmares into my sleeping
mind.
Cinematography ★★★★★
This film has some of the best cinematography I’ve
ever seen and to say that about a horror film is pretty amazing. Most horror
films, especially these days, are all about the jump out at you scares, the blood
and gore, and less about the visual aspects of the film.
The opening scene, where he is driving up the mountain,
is stunning.
Fun fact… Although the inspiration for the fictional
hotel came from Colorado’s Stanley Hotel, Kubrick ended up using Oregon’s
Timberline Lodge for the exterior shots of The Shining’s Overlook Hotel and all
of the interior scenes were filmed in England.
The entire film, from the opening until the closing
credits, visually draws you in and leaves you on the edge of your seat in anticipation
and fear.
Character(s)/Acting: ★★★★★
Jack
Nicholson is absolutely fantastic in this film. When you first watch him, he is
oddly and uncomfortably comical. His is so light hearted in some of the scenes,
especially the terrifying ones. However, as you watch his insanity settle in,
you realize it is a great performance. One of the scariest scenes is when Jack
is stalking his wife up the stairs. He is telling her, with a crazy smile on his
face, “Wendy? Darling? Light, of my life. I’m not gonna hurt ya. You didn’t let
me finish my sentence. I said, I’m not gonna hurt ya. I’m just going to bash
your brains in. …”
Shelley
Duvall appears to be on edge and devastated throughout this entire film. I’ve
heard that Stanley Kubrick treated
Shelley very poorly throughout filming. Some people say he did it in order to
get this devastated performance, and although I don’t agree with his methods, I
have to admit it worked. Watching her, you truly do believe she is afraid… devastated…
and just completely lost.
Danny Lloyd is amazing and, in my opinion, gives us one of the all-time best child actor performances. He is natural and completely believable. I find it hard to believe that his film credits pretty much start and end with this film. However, he does make an appearance in the film Doctor Sleep, the sequel to The Shining. But, I was disappointed to find out he is playing just a spectator and not reprising his role as Danny.
FUN FACT:
There
is a photograph at the ends of the film, that shows Jack Torrancce, Jack
Nicholson’s character, smiling at the 1921 July 4th Ball at the
Overlook Hotel. It leaves the audience on edge, because it leaves you questioning
reality. Has he been there the whole time? Was he there before? The worst part
is that the questions are never answered.
When asked what the photograph
means, Stanley Kubrick said, “The ballroom photograph at the very end suggests
the reincarnation of Jack.” That would mean that Jack Torrance is the
reincarnation of a guest or someone on staff at the Overlook in 1921.
MY FAVORITE QUOTES:
“Some places are like people: some shine and some don’t.”
“I like you, Lloyd. I always liked you. You were always the best of them. Best goddamned bartender from Timbuktu to Portland, Maine. Or Portland, Oregon, for that matter.”
This
quote makes me wonder… ‘I always like you.’ Is he referring to the fact that he
knew him before, from time spent at the hotel? Plus, the mention of Portland,
Oregon… is that a nod to the fact that the exterior hotel shots were filmed in
Oregon? Just food for thought.
TO SUM IT UP:
This
film is a terrifying glimpse into the declining mental state of a man on the
edge. It’s a horror film where the lead character – a drunk on the wagon – is an
abusive husband and father. Sure, it is an extreme situation but the fact that
this type of thing can, and has, happened makes it all the more disturbing.
This
movie came out in 1980, so you’ve probably already seen it, but if not, I
highly recommend it. Especially if you
plan to see Doctor Sleep while its still in the theatres… watch The Shining
first, even if just to reacquaint yourself.
Have
you seen The Shining? If you have, let me know your thoughts, in the comments
below. If not, I recommend seeing it for yourself and forming your own opinion.
Check out my YouTube channel and the video
review below… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video.
As an avid reader (and an author who one day hopes to make the list) I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE checking out the New York Times Best Seller list. So, here it is… The independently ranked top 10 Young Adult selections for November 2019!
If you’ve read any of the TOP 10 selections and recommend them, please comment below and let me know. If you see something you like and plan to pick up a copy, you can do so by clicking on the title, the cover image, or the [BUY IT HERE] button.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
…A gun. That’s what fifteen-year-old Will has shoved in the back waistband of his jeans. See, his brother Shawn was just murdered. And Will knows the rules. No crying. No snitching. Revenge.
Justyce McAllister is a good kid, an honor student, and always there to help a friend—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. Despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, he can’t escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates.
Berlin, 1942: When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move to a new house far, far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people in the distance.
Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not move out of their parents’ house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family.
Aza Holmes never intended to pursuethe disappearance of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate.
This fall, six new students are joining the junior class at the elite Darkwood Academy. But they aren’t your regular over-achieving teens. They’re DNA duplicates, and these “similars” are joining the class alongside their originals.
Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.
When you purchase a book using a link on this site, I earn an affiliate commission.All commission earnings go back into funding my books; editing, cover design, etc.
In this New York Times bestselling thriller from the author of Lock Every Door and Final Girls, a young woman returns to her childhood summer camp to uncover the truth about a tragedy that happened there fifteen years ago.
Two Truths and a Lie. The girls played it all the time in their cabin at Camp Nightingale. Vivian, Natalie, Allison, and first-time camper Emma Davis, the youngest of the group. But the games ended the night Emma sleepily watched the others sneak out of the cabin into the darkness. The last she–or anyone–saw of them was Vivian closing the cabin door behind her, hushing Emma with a finger pressed to her lips.
Now a rising star in the New York art scene, Emma turns her past into paintings–massive canvases filled with dark leaves and gnarled branches that cover ghostly shapes in white dresses. When the paintings catch the attention of Francesca Harris-White, the wealthy owner of Camp Nightingale, she implores Emma to return to the newly reopened camp as a painting instructor. Seeing an opportunity to find out what really happened to her friends all those years ago, Emma agrees.
Familiar faces, unchanged cabins, and the same dark lake haunt Nightingale, even though the camp is opening its doors for the first time since the disappearances. Emma is even assigned to the same cabin she slept in as a teenager, but soon discovers a security camera–the only one on the property–pointed directly at its door. Then cryptic clues that Vivian left behind about the camp’s twisted origins begin surfacing. As she digs deeper, Emma finds herself sorting through lies from the past while facing mysterious threats in the present. And the closer she gets to the truth about Camp Nightingale and what really happened to those girls, the more she realizes that closure could come at a deadly price.
You probably
recognize the author’s name, Riley Sager. I recently reviewed his book Final
Girls, which I loved. It was the first book in a while that I actually gave a 5
out of 5-star review. Well, he did it again with The Last Time I Lied. It was
amazing.
STORY (★★★★★): This story follows Emma, who at the age
of 13 goes to summer camp at Camp Nightingale and bunks with three other girls
who end up going missing and the camp is shutdown. This book takes place 15
years after that event and Emma is now an accomplished artist in New York City who
secretly paints the three missing girls into all of her paintings, hidden under
layers of paint. Basically, she suffers
from anxiety because of this tragic event that happened during her childhood
and she uses her art as a form of therapy.
During
her art show, at the gallery, Franny the owner of the camp shows up and asks
her to return to camp for the camps re-opening. She wants her to come and be an
art instructor at the camp. Emma eventually decides to go hoping for closer,
and also hoping to maybe do a little investigating and find out what happened
to the three girls.
WRITING (★★★★★): The pace of this story is great.
It’s a very fast read, I think I finished it in just a few days.
The structure is
interesting, it jumps back
and forth between the past and present a lot. This allows us to not under
understand what Emma is going through today but also what she experienced 15
years prior and how that colored her world as she grew up.
This
book was so much fun to read. Sager is great at putting suspicion on so many of
the characters making it hard for the reader to trust anyone. Usually I can figure
out ‘who done it’, but with this one I didn’t know the end until the twist
happened and the answers are given.
I
really like how Riley Sager writes and I love his vivid settings and
descriptions. He uses a lot of similes in his comparisons that just paint a
wonderful picture for the reader. I love his plot twists and the big reveals –
like in Final Girls, the reveal in this one really surprised me.
I
love how Riley Sager is able to tie up all the loose endings by the end of the
book. It makes for a very clean story with no plot holes, which I like when it
comes to single story books as opposed to series. In a series, I want to be
left with a cliffhanger until the last book.
CHARACTERS (★★★★★): There are so many characters that I wanted
to trust, but couldn’t. You even find out things about the lead character,
Emma, that make you question whether or not she is the “good guy” or the “bad guy”.
Since this book is told from the perspective
of a female character, there are a number of scenes where the author, being a
man, could have really messed up. However, Sager is really good at writing from
the female perspective and capturing the emotions that come along with the
events that happen throughout the story both in the past as well as present day.
APPEARANCE (★★★★): The cover, designed
by Alex Merto with photograph by Aaron Smith, is beautiful and haunting,
although the photo doesn’t look like the character of Emma.
FAVORITE
QUOTES:
“Sometimes the only way out is through.”
“My future is quite literally a blank canvas,
waiting for me to fill it.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Riley Sager is the pseudonym of a former journalist, editor and graphic designer. Now a full-time author, Riley’s first thriller, FINAL GIRLS, became a national and international bestseller and was called “the first great thriller of 2017” by Stephen King. Translation rights have been sold in more than two dozen countries. His second book, THE LAST TIME I LIED, was a New York Times bestseller. His latest novel, LOCK EVERY DOOR, which is currently on my TO READ LIST, was an instant New York Times, Publishers Weekly and USA Today bestseller. A television adaptation is being developed by Paramount TV and Anonymous Content.
A native of Pennsylvania, Riley now lives in Princeton, New Jersey. When he’s not working on his next novel, he enjoys reading, cooking and going to the movies as much as possible. His favorite film is “Rear Window.” Or maybe “Jaws.” But probably, if he’s being honest, “Mary Poppins.”
Check out my YouTube channel and the video
review below… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video.
Disclosure: When you purchase a book using a link on this site, I earn an affiliate commission.All commission earnings go back into funding my books; editing, cover design, marketing, author events, etc.
As an avid reader of fiction (and an author who one day hopes to make the list) I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE checking out the New York Times Best Seller list. So, here it is… The independently ranked top 10 Fiction selections for November 2019!
row of books and a cup of coffee
If you’ve read any of the TOP 10 selections and recommend them, please comment below and let me know. If you see something you like and plan to pick up a copy, you can do so by clicking on the title, the cover image, or the [BUY IT HERE] button.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Years after the events of “Call Me by Your Name,” Elio has become a classically trained pianist in Paris while Oliver is a New England college professor with a family.
Children with special talents are abducted and sequestered in an institution where the sinister staff seeks to extract their gifts through harsh methods.
When you purchase a book using a link on this site, I earn an affiliate commission.All commission earnings go back into funding my books; editing, cover design, etc.
Soon to be an HBO limited series starring Ben Mendelsohn!
Evil has
many faces…maybe even yours in this #1 New York Times bestseller from
master storyteller Stephen King.
An eleven-year-old boy’s violated corpse is
discovered in a town park (WARNING – IT IS VERY GRAPHIC). Eyewitnesses and
fingerprints point unmistakably to one of Flint City’s most popular
citizens—Terry Maitland, Little League coach, English teacher, husband, and
father of two girls. Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son Maitland once coached,
orders a quick and very public arrest. Maitland has an alibi, but Anderson and
the district attorney soon have DNA evidence to go with the fingerprints and
witnesses. Their case seems iron-clad.
As the investigation expands and horrifying
details begin to emerge, King’s story kicks into high gear, generating strong
tension and almost unbearable suspense. Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy,
but is he wearing another face? When the answer comes, it will shock you as
only Stephen King can.
* Disclosure: Some links within this post are affiliate links, which means I’ll get a small commission if you purchase. I only recommend products/books/tools I use and love!
MY 2 CENTS / THE
CRITICAL POINTS:
There has been so
much talk about and praise giving to this book that I just had to read it and
see if it lived up to the hype. In my opinion, yes… YES it does. I’m a huge King
fan, but I’ll be the first to admit that some of his recent work, I’m talking
in the last few years, hasn’t really been my favorite. This one however, I
really loved this book. It is a classic good vs. evil story and yet it is still
completely original and has the natural clearly Stephen King feel.
WRITING (★★★★★): Stephen King can weave words
together like a spider weaves a web. His words are beautiful, haunting, freakishly
terrifying, and they trap the reader like an unsuspecting fly never letting go
until the spider is done with him.
The Outsider has an
uneasy realness quality about it. It’s the same feeling you get when reading
the Mr. Mercedes novels. Its less about the things that go bump in the night
and more about the unexplainable murder mystery and wondering just how much of
it could really happen. It isn’t until late in the novel that King introduces his
signature supernatural twist. I won’t lie, I was waiting for it. I even
predicted who the killer really was. I’ve read enough Stephen King to know
there is always more to his stories than just the reality we live in and if you’re
looking for them, he leaves breadcrumbs – or clues – along the way.
STORY (★★★★): The Outsider is a crime novel with a classic Stephen King supernatural twist. Because it comes in at just 560 pages, this one is rather easy, quick to read. It is well paced and definitely one I would recommend to anyone who loves crime thrillers.
Stephen
King is great at making you relate to his stories. In The Outsider, he
pulls you in right from the beginning with the introduction of a horrific crime
that has been committed against an eleven year old boy. Immediately it
activates the readers sense of sympathy and compassion for the family involved
and the town in which the boy lived. It makes you biased against the man they
have in custody before you even know if he is guilty or innocent. King makes
you feel like the world he has created could be your own.
Like
most King novels, there were no weak elements in this story.
CHARACTERS (★★★★★): King has put together a great cast of characters
in this one. Like other books, many of his characters are just normal people
experiencing the horrific crime that has taken place and King allows us to
watch through their eyes. There is even a character from the Mr. Mercedes
trilogy that makes an appearance, to help with the investigation. That was
really cool. I love when he ties his novels together showing us exactly what
world or King universe, they are playing in.
APPEARANCE (★★★★): I love the cover! It
is stunning.
FAVORITE
QUOTES:
“People had the mistaken idea that Poe wrote
fantastic stories about the supernatural, when in fact he wrote realistic
stories about abnormal psychology.”
“Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever
remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”
“Dreams are the way we touch the unseen world,
that’s what I believe. They are a special gift.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His first crime thriller featuring Bill Hodges, MR MERCEDES, won the Edgar Award for best novel and was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award. Both MR MERCEDES and END OF WATCH received the Goodreads Choice Award for the Best Mystery and Thriller of 2014 and 2016 respectively.
King co-wrote the bestselling novel Sleeping Beauties with his son Owen King, and many of King’s books have been turned into celebrated films and television series including The Shawshank Redemption, Gerald’s Game The Shining, It, and the list goes on.
King was the recipient of America’s prestigious 2014 National Medal of Arts and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for distinguished contribution to American Letters. In 2007 he also won the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. He lives with his wife Tabitha King in Maine.
Check out my YouTube channel and the video
review below… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video.
Also by Stephen King…
I can’t list them all, but below are a few of my favorites. Just click on the cover photo to read the description and order your copy!
Disclosure: Some links within this post are affiliate links, which means I’ll get a small commission if you purchase. I only recommend products/books/tools I use and love!
Nina Soden 