November 2016 Book Report

The Dragon and the Thief (1991) by Gillian Bradshaw

This was from the juvenile section, but I really enjoyed it. I’ve always loved stories dealing with ancient Egypt. Prahotep is a young man who has the worst luck in life. Things change when he happens to break into a dragon’s lair by accident. The dragon is the last of her kind and she and Prahotep join together in seeking a life that both will enjoy.

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Lisey’s Story (2006) by Stephen King

I admit to buying this book in a discount bin strictly for the awesome artwork on the front and back covers under the dust jacket. As with most books I buy for turning into altered art, I wanted to read it first. I was sucked into the book right from the beginning. Very compelling story about the widow of a successful author who had some really bad things in his past. Some of them come after Lisey, and she has to fight for her sanity and resolution dealing with her husband’s death. Good read, but I know I won’t want to read it again, so I have no qualms turning this book into altered art.

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Empire Star (1966) by Samuel R. Delany

This was a real stinkeroo of a sci-fi book. The story was a jumble of events going back and forth through time, which NEVER ends well. You get to the end of the book and realize everything has come full circle as far as the characters go and the whole thing is repeated over and over. And the story wasn’t even that good to begin with.

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The next 3 books were all written by James M. Cain and included in an omnibus of his work. I knew movies had been made from these books, but had never seen them nor read the books. Considering the time period these books were written, they were very frank about sex. They were also pretty depressing.

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934)

A drifter takes a job at a diner in the middle of nowhere because he takes a fancy to the owner’s wife. Together they plot to kill the husband. They succeed, but can’t escape justice.

Serenade (1937)

A washed-up singer who lost his voice after a breakdown goes to Mexico and takes up with a prostitute. He later recovers his voice and the two go back to the US where he regains his popularity. His former gay lover comes back into his life and tries to steal him away from the woman. Very depressing ending.

Mildred Pierce (1941)

Mildred sacrifices everything for her ungrateful daughter, Veda. Even though the book ends with a final stomp on the mother’s heart from Veda, Mildred finally realizes that she herself deserves happiness.