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Wednesday, September 29, 2021

NOIR






noir
/nwär/
noun
a genre of crime film or fiction characterized by cynicism, fatalism, and moral ambiguity.
"his film proved that a Brit could do noir as darkly as any American"

a film or novel in the noir genre.
plural noun: noirs
"he says he's making a noir"

"As the United States slid into the Great Depression, organized criminals like Al Capone and the so-called'Midwestern Outlaws' (like John Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd) were afforded an enormous amount of press in which--if they were not lauded outright--the attention and interest indicated a public that sympathized the shunning of the bounds of law and a State which had proved to a failure in maintaining order and stability.
Out of this massive social rupture emerged Chester Gould's Dick Tracy, a daily newspaper comic that (among other things) re-inserted a narrative in American popular culture that could encompass both the regenerative violence of the Western and the more modern problems of urban disorder."-Dick Tracy: The Ethics of Violence and the Legacy of an American Comic Strip
 
On October 4th, 1931 "Dick Tracy first appears; published only in the Detroit Sunday Mirror." Originally, Chester "Chet" Gould, named his private investigator "Plainclothes Tracy" but Captain Joseph Medill Patterson, co-founder, and director of the New York Daily News and the editorial powerhouse behind Little Orphan Annie, suggested to use the slang for a P.I. and thus Dick Tracy was born. (https://www.encyclopedia.com/media/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/dick-tracy). The violence in Dick Tracy was something new to comics and was influential on future comics, particularly Batman. (How did we get Modern Comic Book Characters? The Story of Dick Tracy and the Shadow).


The 1990 technicolor gloriousness of composition and makeup, Dick Tracy starring Warren Beatty is classified as "Pulp Noir" which is defined as "a subgenre influenced by various "noir" genres, as well as pulp fiction genres, particularly the hard-boiled genre. Pulp noir is marked by its use of classic noir techniques, but with urban influences. Whereas film-noir directly involves characters living bleak existences to accomplish a goal with odds against them, pulp noir often portrays a grittier, one-man army. Typically, the main character has no distinguishing abilities but can hold ground against seemingly impossible odds. Pulp noir locations are often seedy, run-down, and degraded urban landscapes, where the lack of law, morals and even the proliferation of crime and drugs are common themes." -https://www.goodreads.com/genres/pulp-noir


Noir: a novel by Moore, Christopher

"From repeat New York Times bestselling author Christopher Moore comes a brand new standalone novel set on the mean streets of San Francisco in the aftermath of World War II. Absurdly outrageous, sarcastically satiric, always entertaining--Christopher Moore is back!"-- Provided by publisher.

 
Good Neighbors : a novel by Langan, Sarah

"From three-time Bram Stoker-Award-winning novelist Sarah Langan comes a propulsive literary suburban noir set in near-future America during the hottest summer on record. Maple Street has a neighborly cul-de-sac, where a terrible secret tears a rift between two misfit moms who were once best friends. When innocent Shelly Schroeder falls down a sinkhole, it's one mom's word against the other's, in a court of public opinion that can end only in blood. Think Big Little Lies-if re-imagined by Shirley Jackson"-- Provided by publisher.
 
 
Velvet was the Night by Moreno-Garcia, Silvia

"From the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic comes a riveting noir about a daydreaming secretary, a lonesome thug, and the mystery of the missing woman that brings them together. 1970s Mexico City. Maite is a secretary who lives for one thing: the latest issue of Secret Romance. While student protests and political unrest consume the city, Maite escapes into stories of passion and danger. Her next-door neighbor, Leonora, a beautiful art student, seems to live a life of intrigue and romance that Maite envies. When Leonora disappears under suspicious circumstances, Maite finds herself searching for the missing woman--and journeying deeper into Leonora's secret life of student radicals and dissidents. Meanwhile, someone else is also looking for Leonora at the behest of his boss, a shadowy figure who commands goon squads dedicated to squashing political activists. Elvis is an eccentric thug who longs to escape his own life: He loathes violence and loves old movies and rock 'n' roll. But as Elvis searches for the missing woman, he comes to observe Maite from a distance--and grows more and more obsessed with this woman who shares his love of music, and the unspoken loneliness of his heart. Now as Maite and Elvis come closer to discovering the secrets behind Leonora's disappearance, they can no longer escape the danger that threatens to consume their lives, with hitmen, government agents, and Russian spies aiming to protect Leonora's secrets--at gunpoint"--. Provided by publisher.
 



Winter Counts : a novel by Weiden, David Heska Wanbli

Virgil Wounded Horse is the local enforcer on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. When justice is denied by the American legal system or the tribal council, Virgil is hired to deliver his own punishment, the kind that's hard to forget. But when heroin makes its way into the reservation and finds Virgil's nephew, his vigilantism suddenly becomes personal. He enlists the help of his ex-girlfriend and sets out to learn where the drugs are coming from, and how to make them stop. They follow a lead to Denver and find that drug cartels are rapidly expanding and forming new and terrifying alliances. And back on the reservation, a new tribal council initiative raises uncomfortable questions about money and power. As Virgil starts to link the pieces together, he must face his own demons and reclaim his Native identity. He realizes that being a Native American in the twenty-first century comes at an incredible cost.


Blacktop Wasteland: a novel by Cosby, S. A.

"A gritty, voice-driven thriller about a former getaway driver who thought he had escaped the criminal life who is pulled back in by race, poverty, and his own former life of crime. Beauregard "Bug" Montage is a man with many different titles: husband, father, friend, honest car mechanic. But before he gave it up, Bug used to be known from the hills of North Carolina to the beaches of Florida as the best Wheel Man on the East Coast. After a series of financial calamities, Bug feels he has no choice but to take one final job as the getaway driver for a daring diamond heist that could solve all his money troubles and allow him to go straight once and for all. Like "Ocean's Eleven" meets "Drive" (but with a mostly black cast of characters), Blacktop Wasteland is a searing, operatic story of sons living up (or down) to their fathers; of a heist gone sideways; of a man ground down by economic desperation; of fast cars and daring chases and identity and love"-- Provided by publisher.


Lives Laid Away by Jones, Stephen Mack

"When the body of an anonymous young Hispanic woman dressed as Queen Marie Antoinette is dredged from the Detroit River, the Detroit Police Department wants the case closed out fast. Wayne County Coroner Dr. Bobby Falconi gives the woman's photo to his old pal August Snow, insisting August show it around his native Mexicantown to see if anyone recognizes her. August's good friend Elena, a prominent advocate for undocumented immigrants, recognizes the woman immediately. Her story is one the authorities don't want getting around--and she's not the only young woman to have disappeared during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid, only to turn up dead a few weeks later. Preyed upon by the law itself, the people of Mexicantown have no one to turn to. August Snow, ex-police detective, will not sit by and watch his neighbors suffer in silence. In a guns-blazing wild ride across Detroit, from its neo-Nazi biker hole-ups to its hip-hop recording studios, its swanky social clubs to its seedy nightclubs, August puts his own life on the line to protect the community he loves"-- Provided by publisher.






"When the beautiful young videographer offered to join his campaign, Senator Lee Rogers should've known better. But saying no would have taken a stronger man than Rogers, with his ailing wife and his robust libido. Enter Barton Brock, the senator's fixer. He's already gotten rid of one troublesome young woman -- how hard could this new one turn out to be? Pursued from Washington D.C. to the streets of Paris, 18-year-old Fanny Cours knows her reputation and budding career are on the line. But what she doesn't realize is that her life might be as well..."--Amazon.



Sadie Keller is determined to find out how her brother died, even if no one else thinks it's worth investigating. Untimely deaths are all too common in rural Blackwater, Kansas, where crime and overdoses are on the rise, and the small-town police force is consumed with the recent discovery of a child's skull in the woods. Sadie is on her own, delving into the dark corners of a life her brother kept hidden and unearthing more questions than answers. Eighteen-year-old Henley Pettit knows more than she'd like to about the seedy side of Blackwater, and she's desperate to escape before she's irreparably entangled in her family's crimes. She dreams of disappearing and leaving her old life behind, but shedding the past is never easy, and getting out of town will be far more dangerous than she ever imagined. As more bones are found in the woods, time is running out for Sadie to uncover the truth and for Henley to make her escape. Both women are torn between family loyalties and the weight of the secrets they carry, knowing full well that while some secrets are hard to live with, others will get you killed.-- Publisher's description.






When a case of blackmail involving the daughter of a California millionaire leads to murder, the inimitable Philip Marlowe is stirred into action as he becomes embroiled in a troublesome case of extortion complicated by kidnapping, pornography, seduction, and murder.






Matt Scudder wields his own brand of guerilla justice against kidnappers who have taken a drug dealer's wife.





"A detective novel set in 1945, about two female private investigators trying to solve the locked-room murder of a society widow"-- Provided by publisher.





The new collection contains 20 stories, including classics of the genre and rare, little-known gems such as the title story, Bradbury's first published mystery. A number of the stories were adapted by the author for his popular TV series, The Ray Bradbury Theater, and fans of Bradbury's work will recognize his touch with crime stories about circus sideshow performers and ventriloquists' dummies, sunken cathedrals, time travelers, and robots that look just like people. But they will also discover plenty that is startling and unfamiliar, such as the original short story that inspired a portion of Bradbury's famous novel Dandelion Wine, as well as that story's dark and psychologically disturbing sequel, written at the prompting of no less a figure in the mystery field than Ellery Queen. No one ever wrote like Bradbury. And as this lavish collection demonstrates, when he turned his hand to this genre, he produced some of the most unforgettable crime stories ever told.--Publisher.



DVD:
 



Monday, September 27, 2021

Keep Kids Creative Week




Created by Bruce Van Patter, Keep Kids Creative Week was started in hopes to get kids to think "outside the box"; he is quoted as saying that he hopes "to encourage people to develop opportunities for children to be creative and reduce distractions from a creative lifestyle."

One of my favorite school activities, my kids had last year, as we valiantly blustered our way through virtual learning, was Friday morning art. Which generally featured a youtube video from Art for Kids Hub which is a wonderful channel full of easy-to-follow tutorials. And the drawings are just adorable. And there is no reason to just let the kids have fun with it, check out my masterpiece drawing of a book and pencil here ↓



How To Draw A Book And Pencil 📖 ✏️


According to pbs.org "One of the most important types of creative activity for young children is creative play. Creative play is expressed when children use familiar materials in a new or unusual way, and when children engage in role-playing and imaginative play." This makes me think of Legos. Creativity with legos was never my strong point. I made a lot of boxes and called them houses. When my oldest child was in preschool, however, he called me into the living room to see his creation. He made a miniature Jurassic Park using legos, lincoln logs, and a vast array of plastic dinosaurs. His creation stretched from the coffee table to a side table. I was in awe; 12 years later I'm still in awe.
https://gameofbricks.eu/blogs/news/how-lego-affects-creativity




The Art of LEGO Design: Creative Ways to Build Amazing Models by Schwartz, Jordan

"The Art of LEGO Design explores LEGO as an artistic medium, revealing rarely-known and creative ways to build impressive models with LEGO"-- Provided by publisher.
From legos, my kids all have ventured forth into to the world of Minecraft, I have not. Every time I look at the screen I feel the need to blink because I find it hard to focus. Therefore the fact that my kids can play this game and all of them, from 16 down to the 5-year-old, can to create homes let alone worlds is just beyond me.




Minecraft: Guide to Creative by Jelley, Craig

Introduces such creative mode elements as functional and aesthetic decor, and provides directions for building a remote outpost, ocean observatory, and steampunk airship.

Want to Boost Creativity? Try playing Minecraft

"All children are artists, and it is an indictment of our culture that so many of them lose their creativity, their unfettered imagination, as they grow older." -Madeleine L'Engle



Recycle and Remake

Discusses the importance of recycling and reusing materials while providing instructions for craft projects, including a party piñata, a bee hotel, and a cardboard castle.


Craft Lab for Kids: 52 DIY Projects to Inspire, Excite, and Empower Kids to Create Useful, Beautiful Handmade Goods by Corfee, Stephanie

The popular Lab for Kids series features a growing list of books that share hands-on activities and projects on a wide host of topics, including art, astronomy, clay, geology, math, and even how to create your own circus--all authored by established experts in their fields. Each lab contains a complete materials list, clear step-by-step photographs of the process, as well as finished samples. The labs can be used as singular projects or as part of a yearlong curriculum of experiential learning. The activities are open-ended, designed to be explored over and over, often with different results. Geared toward being taught or guided by adults, they are enriching for a range of ages and skill levels. Gain firsthand knowledge on your favorite topic with Lab for Kids.



Karina Garcia's Must-Try DIYs: 20 Crafts & Life Hacks. by García C., Karina

Unleash your creativity with these 20 easy do-it-yourself projects from YouTube sensation Karina Garcia. In this follow-up to her bestseller, Karina Garcia's DIY Slime, Karina provides step-by-step instructions for her favorite crafts and hacks including ten never-before-seen projects and the latest craze, fidget spinners! Plus, Karina reveals the keys to keeping her fun-loving and positive outlook through behind-the-scenes peeks and personal stories that are sure to inspire. Perfect for birthdays, rainy days, and fun days, this is a must-have title for Karina Garcia's over 7 million fans and all crafters ages 10 and up.



Flights of Fancy: Creative Inspiration from Ten Award-Winning Authors and Illustrators


Ten children's book greats share stories, poems, pictures, tips, and prompts meant to inspire young readers to create works of their own.




How to Write a Story by Messner, Kate

Accomplished storytellers Kate Messner and Mark Siegel playfully chronicle the process of becoming a writer in this fun follow-up to How to Read a Story, guiding young storytellers through the joys and challenges of the writing process. From choosing an idea, to creating a problem for their character to resolve, to coming to The End, this empowering picture book breaks down the writing process in a dynamic and accessible way, encouraging kids to explore their own creativity--and share their stories with others!




I Have an Idea! by Tullet, Hervé

The author meditates on the search for an idea, and the wonderful feeling when the right idea comes along, unleashing the creative process.


 
The Book of Mistakes by Luyken, Corinna

"As an artist creatively incorporates her slipups into a drawing, readers see the ways in which 'mistakes' can provide inspiration and opportunity, and reveal that both the art and artist are works-in-progress"-- Provided by publisher.








20 Ways to Draw a Tulip and 44 Other Fabulous Flowers : A Sketchbook for Artists, Designers, and Doodlers by Congdon, Lisa

"This inspiring sketchbook is part of the new 20 Ways series from Quarry Books, designed to offer artists, designers, and doodlers a fun and sophisticated collection of illustration fun. Each spread features 20 inspiring illustrated examples of 45 themes? tulips, roses, dahlias, and much, much more?over 900 drawings, with blank space for you to draw your take on 20 Ways to Draw a Tulip. This is not a step-by-step technique book--rather, the stylized flowers, snap dragons, and zinnias, are simplified, modernized, and reduced to the most basic elements, showing you how simple abstract shapes and forms meld to create the building blocks of any item that you want to draw. Each of the 20 interpretations provides a different, interesting approach to drawing a single item, providing loads of inspiration for your own drawing. Presented in the author?s uniquely creative style, this engaging and motivational practice book provides a new take on the world of sketching, doodling, and designing. Get out your favorite drawing tool, and remember, there are not just 20 Ways to Draw a Tulip!"--Amazon.



Embrace Your Weird: Face Your Fears and Unleash Creativity by Day, Felicia

"New York Times bestselling author, producer, actress, TV writer, and award-winning web series creator, Felicia Day takes you on a journey to find, rekindle, or expand your creative passions. Whether you enjoy writing, baking, painting, podcasting, playing music, or have yet to uncover your favorite creative outlet, Embrace Your Weird will help you unlock the power of self-expression. Get motivated. Get creative. Get weird."-- Publisher's description.



Journal Sparks: Fire Up Your Creativity with Spontaneous Art, Wild Writing, and Inventive Thinking by Neuburger, Emily K.

Using words, drawing, collage, and observation-based list-making, award-winning author Emily K. Neuburger highlights the many paths into journaling. Her 60 interactive writing prompts and art how-tos help you to expand your imagination and stimulate your creativity. Every spread invites a new approach to filling a page, from making a visual map of a day-in-my-life to turning random splotches into quirky characters for a playful story. ? lt's the perfect companion to all those blank books and an ideal launch pad to explore creative self-expression and develop an imaginative voice -- for anyone ages 10 to 100!




Art Starts with a Line: A Creative and Interactive Guide to the Art of Line Drawing by McManness, Erin

Line drawing utilizes both fine and bold lines to create sophisticated artwork that can stand alone or be incorporated into patterns, logos, stationery, branding, journals, scrapbooks, and more. Art Starts with a Line is approachable for artists of any skill level, no prior drawing experience needed! This form of art requires minimal tools, making it both affordable and portable. Following a brief introduction to tools and materials, as well as some easy exercises and techniques for warming up to basic drawing tools, you will explore a variety of subject matter. You'll draw plants and flowers, architecture and cityscapes, animals, and everything in between. These projects aren't restricted to black and white either! You'll find techniques for adding color with colored pencil, marker, pen, even digitally. Art Starts with a Line presents everything you'll need to know to learn how to successfully create line drawings of all types. Whether your goal is to create a custom logo for a client, or to simply decorate your planner, it's all here.--Provided by publisher.




Coding for Kids: Create Your Own Animated Atories with Scratch by Coder Kids

With this fun guide, even children new to coding can learn how to tell their own stories! Starting from simple, two-dimensional drawings, Coding for Kids 2 teaches students how to build animations . . . and gradually make them more complex. Using Scratch 2.0, the free software created by the MIT Media Labs specifically for young people, the book provides step-by-step instructions, projects arranged by difficulty, and a series of challenges for older readers.


Other Links:

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Banned Books Week: Sept. 26- Oct. 2


“Artwork courtesy of the American Library Association, www.ala.org
"I don't think there is such a thing as a bad book for children. It's tosh. It's snobbery and it's foolishness. We need our children to get on the reading ladder: anything that they enjoy reading will move them up, rung by rung, into literacy."
-Neil Gaiman, "Art Matters: Because Your Imagination Can Change The World"

"In 2020, more than 273 books were affected by censorship attempts. Demands to remove books addressing racism and racial justice or those that shared the stories of Black, Indigenous, or people of color grew in number. At the same time, books addressing themes and issues of concern for LGBTQIA+ people continued to dominate the list." https://www.ala.org/news/mediapresscenter/presskits/bbw

“Artwork courtesy of the American Library Association, www.ala.org


What does it mean when we say, ‘Books unite us?’ It means that books are the tethers that connect us culturally. Stories ground us in our humanity; they convince us that we’re not actually that different and that the things that are actually different about us should be celebrated because they are what make up this tapestry of life.”
-Jason Reynolds



"When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she's not a boy. She knows she's a girl. George thinks she'll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte's Web. George really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can't even try out for the part . . . because she's a boy. With the help of her best friend, Kelly, George comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte -- but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all" -- provided by publisher





"The construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power, to create dynamics that separate and silence. Racist ideas are woven into the fabric of this country, and the first step to building an antiracist America is acknowledging America's racist past and present. This book takes you on that journey, showing how racist ideas started and were spread, and how they can be discredited"--Dust jacket flap.
"A history of racist and antiracist ideas in America, from their roots in Europe until today, adapted from the National Book Award winner Stamped from the Beginning"-- Provided by publisher.



When sixteen-year-old Rashad is mistakenly accused of stealing, classmate Quinn witnesses his brutal beating at the hands of a police officer who happens to be the older brother of his best friend. Told through Rashad and Quinn's alternating viewpoints.






"Speak up for yourself--we want to know what you have to say." From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless--an outcast--because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her.



Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.



After discussing the police shooting of a local Black man with their families, Emma and Josh know how to treat a new student who looks and speaks differently than his classmates. -WorldCat



A young girl growing up in an Alabama town in the 1930s learns of injustice and violence when her father, a lawyer, defends a black man accused of raping a white girl.



In Depression-era California, two migrant workers dream of better days on a spread of their own until an act of unintentional violence leads to tragic consequences.



It is the story of eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove -- a black girl in an America whose love for its blond, blue-eyed children can devastate all others -- who prays for her eyes to turn blue: so that she will be beautiful so that people will look at her so that her world will be different. This is the story of the nightmare at the heart of her yearning and the tragedy of its fulfillment.




"Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr does--or does not--say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life." -- Amazon.


Look for ALA’s Top Challenged Books of 2020 list in April 2021!

“Artwork courtesy of the American Library Association, www.ala.org

Monday, September 20, 2021

Stephen King


September 21st marks the 74th birthday for Stephen King. His books have sold over 350 million copies and to ensure that nightmares didn't just end there, his works have become movies, miniseries, television series, and comics. Also, he is my favorite person to follow on Twitter.

His book, On Writing, is also a favorite of mine.
Beginning with King's childhood, he tells us of the beginnings of his writing journey with inspiration from horror comics such as Tales From the Crypt, then takes up through his financial struggles whilst looking for a teaching position after college, and how he submitted short stories to various men's magazines. The book takes us through his career, his tools of trade and tips for writings, and how the 1999 accident that nearly killed him impacted his life.
The first of King's novels to be published was Carrie
the novel that reminds us all how awful high school can be.
stephenking.com provides an A to Z list of King's many works.



"When Billy Summers was twelve years old, He shot and killed his mother's boyfriend after he kicked Billy's sister to death. At 17, he enlisted in the army. At 18, he was a sniper in Iraq and involved in the deadly battle to recapture Fallujah. For nearly twenty years, he's worked as a paid assassin. He's a good guy in a bad job, and he wants out. He takes on a very complicated, very lucrative job that he hopes will be his last. He's got a perfect new identity lined up and a scrupulously orchestrated, flawless escape plan. And then something happens that changes everything for Billy. A stranger needs rescuing, and Billy sacrifices the safety of his own perfectly devised new life to offer her protection. And then the two of them the most compelling and surprising duo in King fiction-set out on one last mission, to rectify the injustices of one extraordinarily evil man"--. Provided by publisher.



Sometimes growing up means facing your demons. The son of a struggling single mother, Jamie Conklin just wants an ordinary childhood. But Jamie is no ordinary child. Born with an unnatural ability his mom urges him to keep secret, Jamie can see what no one else can see and learn what no one else can learn. But the cost of using this ability is higher than Jamie can imagine - as he discovers when an NYPD detective draws him into the pursuit of a killer who has threatened to strike from beyond the grave. LATER is Stephen King at his finest, a terrifying and touching story of innocence lost and the trials that test our sense of right and wrong. With echoes of King's classic novel It, LATER is a powerful, haunting, unforgettable exploration of what it takes to stand up to evil in all the faces it wears.



"Set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine The latest from legendary master storyteller Stephen King, a riveting, extraordinarily eerie, and moving story about a man whose mysterious affliction brings a small town together--a timely, upbeat tale about finding common ground despite deep-rooted differences. Although Scott Carey doesn't look any different, he's been steadily losing weight. There are a couple of other odd things, too. He weighs the same in his clothes and out of them, no matter how heavy they are. Scott doesn't want to be poked and prodded. He mostly just wants someone else to know, and he trusts Doctor Bob Ellis. In the small town of Castle Rock, the setting of many of King's most iconic stories, Scott is engaged in a low grade--but escalating--battle with the lesbians next door whose dog regularly drops his business on Scott's lawn. One of the women is friendly; the other, cold as ice. Both are trying to launch a new restaurant, but the people of Castle Rock want no part of a gay married couple, and the place is in trouble. When Scott finally understands the prejudices they face-including his own--he tries to help. Unlikely alliances, the annual foot race, and the mystery of Scott's affliction bring out the best in people who have indulged the worst in themselves and others. From Stephen King, our "most precious renewable resource, like Shakespeare in the malleability of his work" (The Guardian), Elevation is an antidote to our divisive culture, as gloriously joyful (with a twinge of deep sadness) as "It's a Wonderful Life.""-- Provided by publisher.



"Ralph Roberts never expected to live out his remaining golden years mourning the death of his beloved wife. He also never expected to begin suffering from chronic insomnia for the first time in his life. Each night he wakes up a little bit earlier until he's barely sleeping at all. During his overnight walks, he's now observing some strange things going on here in Derry, Maine--and they're more than sleep-deprived hallucinations. There's definitely a mean streak that's always been running through this small New England city; underneath its ordinary surface, awesome and terrifying forces are at work. The dying has been going on in Derry for a long, long time, and Ralph Roberts will soon find that lack of sleep is the least of his worries."--Page 4 of cover



In the middle of the night, in a house on a quiet street in suburban Minneapolis, intruders silently murder Luke Ellis' parents and load him into a black SUV. The operation takes less than two minutes. Luke will wake up at The Institute, in a room that looks just like his own, except there's no window. And outside his door are other doors, behind which are other kids with special talents - telekinesis and telepathy - who got to this place the same way Luke did: Kalisha, Nick, George, Iris, and 10-year-old Avery Dixon. They are all in Front Half. Others, Luke learns, graduated to Back Half, "like the roach motel," Kalisha says. "You check-in, but you don't check out." In this most sinister of institutions, the director, Mrs. Sigsby, and her staff are ruthlessly dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their extranormal gifts. There are no scruples here. If you go along, you get tokens for the vending machines. If you don't, punishment is brutal. As each new victim disappears to Back Half, Luke becomes more and more desperate to get out and get help. But no one has ever escaped from The Institute. As psychically terrifying as Firestarter, and with the spectacular kid power of It, The Institute is Stephen King's gut-wrenchingly dramatic story of good vs. evil in a world where the good guys don't always win.



"The four never-before-published novellas in this collection represent horror master King at his finest, using the weird and uncanny to riff on mortality, the price of creativity, and the unpredictable consequences of material attachments. A teenager discovers that a dead friend's cell phone, which was buried with the body, still communicates from beyond the grave in 'Mr. Harrigan's Phone,' which reads like a Twilight Zone episode infused with an EC Comics vibe. In the profoundly moving 'The Life of Chuck,' a series of apocalyptic incidents bear out one character's claim that 'when a man or a woman dies, a whole world falls to ruin.' 'Rat' sees a frustrated writer strike a Faustian bargain to complete his novel, and in the title story, private investigator Holly Gibney, the recurring heroine of King's Bill Hodges trilogy and The Outsider, faces off against a ghoulish television newscaster who vampirically feeds off the anguish he provokes in his audience by covering horrific tragedies"--Publishers Weekly (03/09/2020).




Danny is only five years old but in the words of old Mr. Hallorann he is a 'shiner', aglow with psychic voltage. When his father becomes caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, his visions grow frighteningly out of control.



Struggling with alcoholism, Dan Torrance remains traumatized by the sinister events that occurred at the Overlook Hotel when he was a child. His hope for a peaceful existence soon becomes shattered when he meets Abra, a teen who shares his extrasensory gift of the 'shine.' Together, they form an unlikely alliance to battle the True Knot, a cult whose members try to feed off the shine of innocents to become immortal.




A group of bullied kids band together when a monster, taking the appearance of a clown, begins hunting children.

"Witch" Book Will Put A Spell On You

  A book can cast a spell on you. They can enrapture, enrage, or enchant. Books can transport you to faraway lands, let you travel through ...