Happy Birthday Stephen King!

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Birthdays, Literary Quotes, Stephen King

Amazingly Stephen King is 69 years young today! There are many writers who have earned the title “Master of Horror”, but since his first book, Carrie, which he wrote when he was twenty-six, and after more than forty years of writing there is only one “King”! There are so many wonderful quotes to choose from to illustrate what an amazing writer he is, but this one from Salem’s Lot particularly appeals to me.

But when fall comes, kicking summer out on its treacherous ass as it always does one day sometime after the midpoint of September, it stays awhile like an old friend that you have missed. It settles in the way an old friend will settle into your favorite chair and take out his pipe and light it and then fill the afternoon with stories of places he has been and things he has done since he last saw you.

Seas (Wendy Darling #2) ~ By Colleen Oakes – 4.5 Stars

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Adventure, Fantasy, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Sparkpress for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

288 Pages

Synopsis: Wendy Darling: Seas finds Wendy and Michael aboard the dreaded Sudden Night, a dangerous behemoth sailed by the infamous Captain Hook and his blood-thirsty crew. In this exotic world of mermaids, spies and pirate-feuds, Wendy finds herself struggling to keep her family above the waves. Hunted by the twisted boy who once stole her heart and struggling to survive in the whimsical Neverland sea, returning home to London now seems like a distant dream–and the betrayals have just begun.

Will Wendy find shelter with Peter’s greatest enemy, or is she a pawn in a much darker game, one that could forever alter not only her family’s future, but also the soul of Neverland itself?

Hmm. I guess I am in a Peter Pan frame of mind! Anyway, last October I read/reviewed the first book in this series, Stars, and wound up only giving it 3 stars because I had a lot of issues with the characters, namely Peter. However, the ending was really good and it was enough to make me want to check out the sequel, and I’m so glad I did, because Seas wound up being quite enjoyable. To be honest, I think this was partly because the psychopathic Peter wasn’t really in it until near the end. Wendy also became much fiercer this time around which was a welcome sight, as in the previous book she was a bit of a doormat. She still has many of the same fears, but now she courageously fights through them and becomes a force to be reckoned with. Hook and his pirates are much more likable than Peter and his Lost Boys. While Hook has his flaws, he’s nowhere near the villain readers of Peter Pan have become familiar with. His and Peter’s relationship is thoroughly explored and shows an unexpected side to Hook which had me loving him by the end of the book. The ending is even more surprising than the first’s and as it’s a cliffhanger, I’m quite excited for the third book, Shadow,  which comes out next year. Overall, Seas is rollicking good fun with plenty of action and phenomenal world-building. Colleen Oakes breathes new life into Neverland and readers will feel as though they’re right there in the thick of things. 

Whimsical Wednesday ~ Neverland Edition

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"Lost Boys", Neverland, Ruth B., Whimsical Wednesday

Last week my friend Jonathan from http://husbandandhusband.net told me about this song called Lost Boys, by Ruth B. Its haunting lyrics and beautiful melody have been stuck in my head since then (thanks ever so much Jonathan!), and since I still haven’t figured out how to link to a video, I thought I’d share a few lines from the song. 

There was a time when I was alone

Nowhere to go and no place to call home

My only friend was the man in the moon

And even sometimes he would go away, too.

Then one night, as I closed my eyes,

I saw a shadow flying high

He came to me with the sweetest smile

Told me he wanted to talk for awhile

He said, “Peter Pan. That’s what they call me.

I promise that you’ll never be lonely.”

And ever since that day…

I am a lost boy  from Neverland

Usually hanging out with Peter Pan

And when we’re bored we play in the woods

Always on the run from Captain Hook

“Run, run, lost boy” they say to me

“Away from all of reality.”

Neverland is home to lost boys like me

And lost boys like me are free.