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Monsters in the Archives

Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen KingMonsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King by Caroline Bicks

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Stephen King was my first favorite author as a teenager. When I was younger I hung on every word of Franklin W. Dixon’s Hardy Boys, but once I was in high school, I like to think that my appreciation for a more “adult” type of book showed my growing maturity as a reader. I often carried a Stephen King paperback with my high school books, reading during the down time in classes. My senior English teacher used to leave post-it notes on the covers of my King novels with the word “SMUT” written on it, but I didn’t care. I loved that genre and the writing of Salem’s Lot, The Shining, Carrie, Pet Semetary, The Stand…etc. For years, the newest Stephen King book was my holiday present from my Mom. I looked forward to it, and usually had it read by New Year’s Eve!

This book gives a very good account of how Stephen King started writing his stories and novels, as well as a look into his editing process. King talks about how words feel, sound, and look that contribute to the reader’s mind as they are reading.

For an aspiring reader (which includes me), this is a great insight into the process of writing.



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The Passion of Soccer: World Cup Stories Unveiled

We Are the World (Cup): A Personal History of the World's Greatest Sporting Event – Soccer's Triumphs, Heartbreaks, and the Passion That Unites Fans WorldwideWe Are the World (Cup): A Personal History of the World’s Greatest Sporting Event – Soccer’s Triumphs, Heartbreaks, and the Passion That Unites Fans Worldwide by Roger Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book. Read it AND listened to it on Audible. The perfect companion to the World Cup tournament this year. Details about the history of the World Cup over the last 48 years. Each chapter reads like a story, telling the highs and lows of tournament. The winners and the losers, with detail on the players that are now legendary.

Highly recommend to any American soccer fan that is enjoying international soccer for the next several weeks. We Are the World (Cup): A Personal History of the World’s Greatest Sporting Event – Soccer’s Triumphs, Heartbreaks, and the Passion That Unites Fans Worldwide

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Packed stadium with fans waving Mexican and American flags during FIFA World Cup 2026 soccer match

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Critical Point

Critical Point by S.L. Huang

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not my favorite of the three Cas Russel books. I loved the first one – Zero Sum, I thought it was original and I enjoyed the character very much. The second in the series, Null Set, was my least favorite and I struggled to finish the book. I had high hopes for the third in the series, and while it was better than Null Set, it still was a bit of a struggle to finish. Too much depended on remembering everything that had happened in the first two books. Not enough refresher for the reader.

I didn’t really get the motivation of the antagonist and how it related to the main characters. They seemed to be two different issues, and the tie together was sort of weakly explained.



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Gwendy’s Final Task

Gwendy's Final Task (The Button Box, #3)Gwendy’s Final Task by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I saw this book on the shelf at my local library, and was curious as I had not heard of that title before. I went back and read the first two books in the series, Gwendy’s Button Box, and Gwendy’s Magic Feather. Both were excellent, the first reading like a novella, but introducing the character, Gwendy, and giving all the back-story detail that would be important in books two and three.

This series did not disappoint, classic Stephen King with Richard Chizmar thrown in to spice it up. I read Chizmar’s book last summer, Chasing the Boogeyman, which takes place not far from where I grew up and currently live. I devoured that book in days.

This one was no different. An excellent story, just the right amount of thrills and chills. I highly recommend it to any Stephen King or Richard Chizmar fan.



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Project Hail Mary – Andy Weir

Project Hail MaryProject Hail Mary by Andy Weir
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a great book. A fast read, heavy on a variety of sciences, and never a dull moment! A single guy in space, very reminiscent of The Martian. There was quite a bit of “let’s science the shit out of this” moments, and the description of the experimental designs was well executed.

I had the chance to meet Andy Weir at the ISTE Conference in Chicago a few years ago. He was wonderful, pleasant to talk to, and very gracious.

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