Just After Sunset by Stephen King

The electricity went out here last night. I know I'm nuts but I finished a Stephen King book by kerosene lamp and candlelight with freezing rain falling. OK, I didn't finish it till they got the power on but I was questioning my sanity reading a Stephen King book in the semi darkness. (with the kittens trying to see if they could really see in the dark no less)
The stories in this book were typical Stephen King. Do I think he's improving with age, yes. BUT of course I am one who cries long and loud the man can WRITE, it doesn't have to be scary. I liked this book probably because I could finish with one story and put it down and then go on to the next. I didn't feel the need to finish it all @ once like I do with his novels. BTW there is a story about suicide and OCD in there that I found exceptionally interesting (GRIN). The last story is sticking in my mind. Literally, it was gross, Stephen said he managed to gross himself out and I was grossed out to the max. The New York Times At Special Bargain Rates is probably my favorite, The Cat From Hell is a classic. The Things They Left Behind is poignant to say the least.
Overall an engrossing good read. I bought the hardback as my Christmas present to myself, couldn't wait for the paperback.

To Die Alone

I couldn't find this quote from my one page web search. Well the quote that comes from the end of the story that makes up this post. I was going to write a big long post about my kittens and the 3 sets of orphans I have raised this summer/fall/winter but that will have to wait. I spent a good deal of the day on the phone talking to my husband who is waiting to get unloaded in OK city, he's driving his truck, he's not personally being unloaded. Even if you are just from MO you really don't appreciate Oklahoma aesthetics OK?
Anyway I wake up during the night, on a rare night I sleep through 8 hours, blessed, most nights I wake up @ least once, sometimes up to 4 times, I get up go to the bathroom and perhaps see what the weather is doing, sometimes I get on the computer for 10 minutes, you get the picture.
Well I've had to shut the door from the garage turned family room to the rest of the house because the kittens have discovered where I sleep clear @ the other end of the house. Their catbox is in the family room and also they disturb the dog which disturbs me and they take little side trips to the dining room and I'm finding bits of potpourri strewn about the house and the lace doilies and tablecloths are getting a pulled and rumpled look? So I shut the door @ night and part of the day. I'm in the family room when not asleep or cooking or cleaning anyway.
So I get up last night for like the 2nd time and start to go back to bed, I saw that the kittens food bowl was almost empty and thought everyone says I spoil them horribly because they are never without food and get either milk or canned food once a day. My daughter who is studying to be a vet assistant has even suggested my big cats are overweight?
So I start to go back to bed and even though the heat is on but turned down in the family room (we are talking animals with fur on them remember) and they have a comforter to snuzzle into on the couch and the plant light is on by the plants (also known as cat box #2 and #3 to them) they look @ me as I'm going to shut the door and it hits me they are thinking:
She has left us here in the cold and dark to die.......................alone.
So I give them the last 1/3 of a can of cat food and filled up the dried cat bowl and go back to bed. Dunno if it was the Stephen King short story collection or actual cat telepathy but the thought stuck with me. To die in the dark and cold, alone.
Of course it's possible they are just drama queens too?

Duma Key by Stephen King

Promised I'd say something about Duma Key. AND since the title of the blog is Missouri Books I thought I'd better say something about books once in awhile. Plus that's one of the few subjects I know much about.

I liked the book, someone left it on the break-room table @ work and I got started reading it. Bought my own copy and finished. I'll echo what the New York Times said, this book wasn't written for the horror angle of it, that's an added part but other than the hero having some supernatural powers and a few upside down herons and sea shells speaking to him it's a guy trying to come to grips with the hand life has dealt him. Granted he has a better life than many of us, he's a millionaire with considerable undiscovered artistic abilities living on a practically deserted island off of Florida which doesn't sound too bad to me. BUT he's lost an arm and had brain damage from an accident which indirectly cost him his marriage and forced him to take stock which we all know can be painful no matter what your circumstances.

Other unbiased opinions, youngest stepson started reading it (I told him if he borrowed it I'd never see it again, horrible stepmother, horrible) and he started laughing hysterically which is not what most people do when reading a Stephen King book but the first part is funny in a black humor sort of way.

New York Times review is here.

Or go to amazon to buy @ Amazon.com.

Or do what I did and go to your friendly Wal Mart and pick it up!!

For other things for sale check out moads4u.com, bookmark it we'll have more on soon!!

The Beginning

Hello, I've blogged before but am now REALLY going to do it. Check back for my favorite links and thoughts. Right now I have to get ready for Thanksgiving on my days off from work which I'm sure most of you can relate to. Presently I know 2 kids are coming and my nephew, don't think husband will be home because our little economic downturn hit a year before the main recession did and he has to work maybe. I know one of my step-kids aren't coming even if he is here due to the "other" relatives, but don't know about the rest. We have the model step family, I have no idea how it happened, we still have our spats and bad days but we have great large family gatherings and with 7 kids and various spouses and 11 grandkids it is a LARGE family gathering.
Since I don't have time to do much else I'll just stick a link in here to our new advertising website (our as in my cousin/best friend and I) moads4u. It has links to the website service in case anyone needs a GOOD decently priced website. I do part of the research and writing for the sites, just work otherwise part time, and.............well everyone knows how it is in these economic times.
It's cold here, must cover the air conditioners plus just generally clean house, I work @ Wal Mart and my housekeeping is basically what I HAVE to do, my daughter did offer to take a day off from her job of school nurse to help which I thought was really nice. She sent me an email this morning with several interesting thoughts in it, the first three are:

1. There are at least two people in this world
that you would die for.

2. At least 15 people in this world
love you in some way.

3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you
is because they want to be just like you.

Something to think about?

AND since the title of this is Missouri Books, I'm reading "No Country For Old Men" currently. It's different than the movie everyone says, I haven't seen the movie but the book is more of a mans book I think (which means I haven't stayed up way too late reading it when I should be sleeping)? The other one by Cormac Mc Carthey I read is "The Road" I guess it could be considered a mans book too but I REALLY liked it, reminded me of a short version of "The Stand" by Stephen King. I tend to get obsessed with Stephen Kings books though. "Duma Key" was my downfall last week. We'll talk about it more, I could really relate to it after living in Florida and on the coast for awhile and I'm an artist or used to be, like the main character turns out to be, I don't think that's giving too much away. "No Country For Old Men" jumps around with no preamble or history, I guess "The Road" does the same thing but you only have a few characters in it, in No Country it seems like there are more characters but as often happens I'm about half way through it and I'm really getting into the book. He's an excellent author though, book is worth the money and it's on the buy one get one 1/2 off @ Borders or @ least the one @ Independence Center Mall. A thought for the guy on your Chrismas list? And no they didn't pay me to say that.
Well my kittens are calling, I have to move the cat box, somehow we had no cats for years because the dogs wouldn't allow it, this summer and fall somehow I've raised 3 sets of orphan or semi orphan kittens? The one from the first set that is still alive is almost a cat now. Don't worry the dogs didn't get the other kittens, they SLEEP on the outside dog. The newest ones are @ the top. Devil, Paris and Crusoe. Devil is the black one obviously, Paris is the fluffy red one, and Crusoe is a survivor, he/she/it was almost dead when I found them one cold Sunday afternoon, had to force it's mouth open to put the kitten bottle in and wrapped it up in a towel in front of the heater and it survived!! Don't know what happened to mama, I'd saved them all once and brought them to our log cabin and then mama disappears!!! Could have been coyotes etc. Mama was officially a feral cat, these kittens have decided they like the tame warm life and canned cat food JUST fine after hissing @ me for the first 4 days in the house. Came home from work and found husband asleep with kittens sleeping ON him one night and 2 days before that we could barely touch them!! LOL