Needful Things - Book Review

     A new shop called 'Needful Things' is opened up in the small town of Castle Rock by Leland Gaunt.  His store is stocked with the perfect item for any customer that walks through his door for a deceivingly low price.  The only catch is for paying so low you are required to do a deed for Mr. Gaunt, and these deeds are designed to turn everyone in the town against each other.
     I could not put this book down, I loved it.  The story, descriptions, and human drama will have you enthralled in this richly detailed tale.  Needful Things is a great novel that I would recommend to anyone, Stephen King fan or not.

Misery - Book Review

     Misery was not only the first Stephen King novel I read, it was also the first novel I ever read.  I was grounded to my room, so I went to my High Schools library and found this gem on the paperback rack.  I was instantly hooked and became a King fan for life.
     The story of Misery revolves around the character, novelist Paul Sheldon.  Paul writes romance novels centering around the character Misery Chastain but, he wants to write novels of more substance and is delivering his final novel in the Misery Chastain series to his publisher in which he kills off his character, freeing him to pursue other interests.  
     On the way, however, he has a terrible car accident and is rescued by his number one fan, Annie Wilkes, who nurses Paul back to health at her home.  But, when Annie finds Paul's latest manuscript, and discovers Paul's plans to kill off her favorite character, she demands he writes a new book that brings her beloved Misery back to life.
     This novel is, in my opinion, a masterpiece of psychological horror, and a classic.  Stephen King brings the characters of Paul and Annie to life in a way that has you reading at a frantic pace, captivated by the drama, and the horrors that Paul experiences while under Annie's care.  I could not put this book down, and have re-read it many times.  It is a great novel that everyone should read at least once.