MISERY | Book Review (NO SPOILERS)

Title: Misery
Author: Stephen King
Originally Published: 1987
Page Count: 369
Genre: Crime / Thriller
Published by: Hodder

Date Read: 21st August 2013 - 4th January 2015 (I put it down almost immediately and essentially read it within two days after picking it back up in January - Don't judge me!) 


My favourite ever genre is crime/thrillers, whether that be with films or books. So it may be surprising that Stephen King's 'Misery' has only just been returned to my bookshelf, read. I have been told countless times to read his books and watch his adaptations, and whilst I've seen 'The Shining' and 'Carrie', ' and whilst my mum has even bought me 'Dolores Claiborne' because she insists I'd love it, I've still never ventured into the world of Stephen King's writing.

Misery was always going to be a story I would enjoy, a macabre plot centred around literature and an unhinged Kathy Bates. Perfect. However, being me, and knowing I would enjoy it, I had to read the book before watching the film and despite opening the book on the 21st August 2013, I only just recently picked the book up again to finish it. I have many reasons, but no justifiable ones.

ONE DAY | Book Review

Title: One Day
Author: David Nicholls
Genre: Fiction / Contemporary
Published by: Hodder 

Originally Published: 2009
Page Count: 435

Emma and Dexter meet for the first time on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways. So where will they be on this one day next year? And the year after that? And every year that follows? 
Twenty years, two people, ONE DAY.

(Source: Goodreads)

My relationship with this book is a rather fond one. It will from now on remind me of long soaks, train rides, and my time in the Lake District last summer. I've been reading it for so long in theory; having had to put it down after I initially started it as it belonged to the cottage I was staying in. 

Although the storyline is one of cliché, I still enjoyed it immensely. The character of Emma is incredibly likeable and reminded me of myself a great deal. It's scary at how much, I just hope I don't have the shitty jobs she seems to end up in, although, I feel that is an inevitable part of my upcoming future. She was fresh and witty, with strong emotions and a definable personality. She has an identity crisis, almost, at the end of the book, which shows how life changes you. Dexter was infuriating at times and sometimes a boring cliché, it was a little predictable the paths he would take. Dexter probably typifies the male lead in this genre of romance or chick lit, but because I've not read much of this genre he's predictable but not something I have encountered often. I can see why avid romance readers are a bit bored of the Dexters in romantic fiction. 

The writing was colloquial and perfect. It wasn't overly pretentious or stupidly simple, it had the right balance that related well to its protagonists. The main issue I had with the book, inevitably, was its premise. It is 'one day' of this couple's life, the same day, year after year. And like normal people, not every day is interesting, it becomes tedious and sometimes infuriating that we did not get to witness the immediate impact of the events. The chapters that stood out came at the beginning and the end of the novel. The book is split into five parts and the last part was brilliant, if not a bit too sentimental. 

Overall, a fun read for someone uneducated in the genre. 4.5 stars.