The Stand by Stephen King: American Nightmares by Roberto Aguirre Sacasa

American Nightmares is Volume 2 in the graphic edition of Stephen King's The Stand. I have previously read Volume 1 which you can read about here. The grahic edition still follows the original storyline from the book by Stephen King, and we are now in the very last stages of the superflu that killed more than 99% of the people in the world. Those last ones are dying, but most have died already and are now lying around in houses, jails, buildings, cars and other places, just lying there rotting away or drying out like mummies. But there are still some survivors, who are immune to the superflu virus, and they find themselves in a scary, new world. We get to know more about Harold Lauder, Fran Goldsmith, Stuart Redman, Larry Underwood, Nick Andros and other survivors that we can label "the good guys". But it is not just good guys who have survived the superflu. Bad powers are lurking and gathering strenght. And I can't wait to get my hands on Volume 3, which is due out this summer. A great read that can be enjoyed without knowing the story from the book, but knowing the storyline and the characters in advance does help.

Wicked Prey by John Sandford

Wicked Prey by John Sandford is book # 19 in the Lucas Davenport series, which I can truthfully say is a very well established series. The books in the series, of which I have read all, is generally of a high quality, but in my opinion some of the books have a much stronger storyline than others. This one is a fast paced and great read for those of you who like a good thriller. It is not necessary to have read all the previous 18 books to enjoy this one, although it will help a bit with the characters.

Wicked Prey have two plots; one about a ruthless group of robbers doing heists and not caring if the kill people to reach their goal and another concerning a wheelchair bound psychopath and Lucas Davenport's 14 year old soon-to-be-adopted daughter All takes place during som hectic days while a political convention is going on in the city. The two plots does not really have anything to do with each other, except that they cross each others lines from time to time, something the characters are not even aware of. Its well written and perfect for a great beach read. I liked it, I was entertained and I read it fast, but it is not earth shattering great.

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer is the third book in the series or trilogy with the "official name" The Last Survivors. Before the series was called Moon Crash Series or Moon Crash Trilogy or other similar names. But since it says The Last Survivors in bright letters on the front cover, I guess this is the official name!

The first book - Life As We Knew It - is reviewed here, and for the second one - the dead & the gone - you can find my review here. I absolutely loved Life As We Knew It and it took a while to get the story out of my head again, and I still think about it from time to time. Book two was also a fantastic read, and I really liked it, although I was more fond of Miranda's voice of Book one than with Alex's voice of Book two.

Book three combines those voices, and while I read the book in one sitting and while I was engrossed and entertained, I have to admit that the world they live in has now lost it's "novelty" to this reader. Of course, this book is about what is going to happen when we meet the families almost a year after the moon crash. And the descriptions of how the characters interact, grow up and make life just barely bearable, is very well done. I will not reveal too much, but I don't think it has escaped any reader of this series, that Miranda and Alex actually meet in this final book. What happens besides that, you will have to read for yourself. All in all this was a good read, and a fitting finale, although there was a slight lack of steam in the writing, which I have found to be present in the two previous books. A fourth book in the series maybe looking at life after some more years have gone, is not a bad idea though, and I know I will read it!

Book Blogging Around The World

 Central Copenhagen, Denmark.

Check out Charlotte's blog The Book On The Hill. Charlotte is French and presents every week a special post, where a blogger from anywhere around the world is interviewed. A great way to get to know other bloggers...around the world. You can also sign up to do the interview yourself. This week Charlotte has interviewed me. So if you want to read a bit about my blogging ways, click here. Thanks to Charlotte for doing this, it was great!

Stitches by David Small

Stitches by David Small is a graphic novel and a memoir and probably one of the most moving novels I've read in a long time. Since the story is about a young boy, David, who loses his voice, a lot of the book is actually just drawings, but what drawings! David's other family members are not huge speakers either, so even though the book has more than 300 pages, it is not difficult to read in one sitting. If you can bear it, that is.

The story is basically extremely tragic. David grows up in the 1960's Detroit-area with his parents and older brother. Both parents are distant and barely talk to each other or to their kids. You sense from the beginning that they are difficult persons. David's childhood is gray, he rarely sees his parents smile or be happy and when visiting his grandmother, he also figures out that something is wrong in that household. David suffers from nightmares and is a somewhat anxious child.

On one of the few occasions where he has actually drawn his mother as a smiling woman, she is hosting a party. One of the other women at the party notices a lump on David's neck, which she insists that his parents have checked immediately. Since his father is a radiologist and a doctor, this turns out to be no problem. The lump is then removed, but some years after that first operation, David has to go back for a second one, and after that operation, he wakes up having lost his voice.

Slowly he discovers dark secrets and embarks on a life on the edge, feeling invisible without a voice. I will not reveal more about the story, but if you like memoirs and also graphic novels, this is a must.