Stacy Kingsley
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Book Review - SAINT ODD by Dean Koontz

1/25/2015

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If you haven't read any of the ODD THOMAS books I suggest you don't read this blog post because while I try not to post spoilers, there may be a moment when I can't help myself.

SAINT ODD is the 8th and final book in the series. After reading all of the books, wanting to give up when I got to ODD INTERLUDE, and then hoping that I could finish the series, I am glad I did.

Growing with the main character, Odd, for all seven books I was curious but not surprised at how the series ended. I would have actually like it better if it hadn't been so obvious what was going to happen in the last book.

This book finds Odd back in his hometown of Pico De Mundo, a small town he saved from disaster in the very first book in the series, ODD THOMAS. He returns home to once again save it from disaster. Followed by a group of cultists that want to kill him and set the world on fire, Odd finds that he has friends he can always depend on, but he also has people who will always want to kill him. Throughout the book I felt that I was reading one disaster after another and one murder after another. Not a lot was described and there wasn't really a lot of movement in the book. When I got halfway through I wondered what was really going on because the book really seemed to be going no where.

The ending of the book was absolutely predictable and expected, especially if one has read the other seven books. I really wish it hadn't been so predictable, and I also wish this last book had a little more substance. The cultists weren't really explored in this book, they were just random killers running amok through the book until they try killing the next person. The other characters weren't really that interesting or developed either, not like previous books in the series. The returning characters were mostly background noise. In the end it didn't make much sense except to lead to the ending that I already knew was coming.

I can't say I recommend this book, but I don't want to deter anyone from reading the rest of the series when the first 3, maybe 4 books, were really pretty good. In my view this book didn't add anything to the story, it felt a little rushed, and the only thing that came out of it was the ending, which wasn't a surprise either.

I was disappointed, but I would have still read it.
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Movie Review - HER

1/24/2015

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Joaquin Phoenix plays Theo, a man who writes letters for other people for a living. He lives in a society where everyone is connected, and they use their OS machines to run their lives. One day Theo decides to update his OS and then he meets Samantha, the woman, or machine of his dreams.

Theo is a man going through a tough time. He is on his way to divorce, all he has to do is sign the papers. He doesn't have much of a dating life, and when he does try to date he is considered something of an odd duck, making his dates not as successful as he would like. His best friend is a young woman named Amy, played by Amy Adams, who is herself in a difficult and interesting relationship. Theo realizes that with his OS, Samantha, he can be who he wants and who he is, and really she makes him a better man.

The relationship is of course complicated, he's a human and she's a computer. In the end the question is where do they go and how do they get there?

This movie was a really good movie. It was quiet and funny and sad and beautiful. There were moments when I wondered how it would end and where they could go, but then when the movie reached the end I saw that it couldn't have ended any other way. I did wonder how much we rely on technology, and how many people out there might already be in love with their computers. It would be so easy to fall in love with someone who wasn't there, a long distance relationship might work better than living with someone, but is the relationship real.

I recommend this movie to everyone. It is a sci-fi romantic comedy and it should have received more hype than it did. This is really a movie for anyone, except those who only like horror and death, those of you who like that won't get much out of this movie.
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Ramblings

1/22/2015

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So I've been sick with some sort of head cold/sinus infection/sore throat thing for about a month. With moving and being sick and finding someone to take care of my property in Southern California it has been a whirlwind of a ride. Now that I have been in Alabama for a week I am starting to think about the future, after I get healthy, and after I find a good coffee shop to write in (it is surprisingly difficult to find one here!), I want to get back to work on my last novel, which has been waiting in the wings staring at me.

Writing is a tough thing. All you authors out there know. The time it takes to create and get to know a character, the time it takes to sit and think about the plot and what you want to happen, the realization that you won't be getting what you want from either your story or your characters, it's all rough. So I am trying to find my bearings. I am a writer and I can be a creature of habit, but I now need to come out of my shell and get to it.

Yeah, I might be rambling a little bit in this blog post, but sometimes that's how we roll. Humans I mean, not writers. We all ramble a little bit.

I'm done now, having said what I need to say, tonight I hope to get a good night's sleep for once, and tomorrow is a new day (that is such a stupid saying, of course tomorrow is a new day, unless I somehow hop in a time machine, every tomorrow is a new day).

Mostly, I just want to let all of you out there in the world of the interwebs that I haven't forgotten about you. Life just got in the way for a moment, more like 5 moments, but I think I'm gonna be good and back on track soon. At least I hope so. Nothing is worse than a writer with extra time on their hand.
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Alabama

1/15/2015

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So far I haven't seen much of my new hometown in Alabama. The problem? Besides unpacking and organizing my stuff so I can find my underwear and pants, the problem has been the bitter cold. Yes, some of you out there might be wondering what the hell I'm talking about since temperatures are somewhere between 30-50, but you have to realize that I come from Southern California, where the temperature today was 70.

I am a Cali girl, I lived there from the age of 8 to 3 days ago, and now I am living in a place where weather happens. I don't know what to do with myself or how to keep my fingertips or ears from falling off. It's cold. And there never seems to be enough warmth, in fact the only time I'm warm is when I am drinking a glass of wine, so I might just have to become a boozer to stay warm.

Another problem is I'm a writer, so I am often an introvert. I don't know anyone personally in Alabama, although I do have some internet friends living near me. It's daunting to make new friends. It's daunting to begin a new life. I really feel like I have no idea what I'm doing.

I have no problem sharing my trials or tribulations. As an author I feel like I should share, just so that you out there know I am a real person, with real person problems, I'm scared, I'm nervous, I'm excited, and I'm sad. Then again besides all of this, I like adventure. I like that there are a ton of abandoned sites I can visit (when it's a little warmer I think, I mean seriously, how long does this fingertip killing cold last, I may run out of Kleenex for my nose before then). I like that I can take a day trip to Nashville and Memphis and a weekend to Atlanta or New Orleans. I like that I am being grown-up enough to move and start a new life and make new friends and just be awesome.

In all honesty I have a hankering for some really good Mexican food. A fatty, lard filled, toasted and overfull bean and cheese burrito with real (not mayonnaise) guacamole and spicy (which I shouldn't eat) salsa.

Here is to new adventures, and hoping I don't freeze my fingers, toes, nose, or ears off in this chilling, horrifying cold!
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Moving

1/12/2015

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So I haven't been writing for the past four months or so because I was thinking about moving, then the husband got a job and we found out we were moving. After he left to start his new job I had almost three months to fix up my rental house and follow him. Packing two cats, myself and a friend in the car on the 9th I finally began my cross country journey. I'll be honest, traveling across country with two cats, one of which won't stop meowing for a 8+ hour car ride, isn't my idea of fun, but I have gotten an idea for a story about ruptured eardrums and evil kittens.

Tomorrow I land in my new home of Alabama, after living in San Diego, California for pretty much most of my life. I am looking forward to seeing my husband again and to finally being free of these small, furry, meowing, pooping, needy beasts, but I will miss the roots I had grown and deepened in California. I'm sure I will find new friends in Alabama, and I look forward to the journey, the million y'alls I'll hear, and the ability to figuring out when "Bless your heart" is a good thing or a bad thing. I look forward to the creepy landscape which I hope will help my horror writing leap off of higher cliffs.

Yet, I keep thinking about all I will miss in Cali. The beaches, the Wild Animal Park, Sea World, the 1 1/2 hour ride to Disneyland, LA (but not LA traffic), the sun, and most of all the really awesome Mexican food! But when I think about what I might be gaining the fried deliciousness, the landscape, the people, and of course the husband, I can't be too sad.

Hopefully, I can start writing again in the next two weeks, I've got to get the last book in my zombie series done so you, out there reading and waiting for my books, can read it and continue to love me!

But for now, the journey to Alabama ends tomorrow, and then the next part begins, the unpacking, the "where the hell did I put my toothbrush" moments, and finding the right coffee shop to sit and write while drinking wonderful caffeinated beverages at.
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    Stacy Kingsley

    Stacy has a lot on her mind, so sharing helps. She also has a great love of movies and books, so she decided to blog about it. Get her reviews here! 

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