"Blockade Billy" by Stephen King is not for kids. Period.

It's a short story paired with "Mortality". It's bound in a small hardback volume. It has a sort of Rockwell-esque illustration on the cover. It has foul language, sex, violence, and more of those sorts of things. It is not for kids. Don't judge a book by its cover, folks. But do read this book if you like Stephen King and are over 18. I enjoyed the stories. Well, as much as I could without freaking out that my 12 year old nephew was also going to read the book. Don't worry, I called his mother and put the brakes on that. I know. I sucked all of the fun out of life for the kid, but he can read it when he's older.

Whoa, Keeley!

My adventure reading the book "Hissy Fit" by Mary Kay Andrews started with mentioning that I was getting ready to read it for my book club on the sidebar of this blog. Then, there was a (two, actually) comment left on my site by the book's author. Go ahead and check it out real quick. It's really cool, I'll wait. . . Awesome, right? That was followed by excitement then anxiety. I hadn't actually started reading it yet at the time of the comments and got nervous. What if I didn't have fun reading it? So, I got right on that first page. Before I knew it, I was finished reading it and casting the made-for-TV movie in my imagination. Mira Sorvino could play an older thirty-something for the lead or Katherine Heigl could be fun to watch in the role of Keeley.

I really enjoyed reading this one for our book club. I think we all agreed it was lighthearted and fun. There were some little surprises and it really kept the book grounded and real enough to relate to. The characters were believable, for the most part. My favorite part is that the author took time to leave a comment or two on one of her reader's blogs. How absolutely classy is that? Absolutely.

Oh, Annie Freeman, you fictional you.

My book club just finished and discussed a book by Kris Radich. "Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral" was the book. I'm not a professional book reviewer so my report will not be as up to snuff as, say one that my friend(s) could write, but this is my impression.

This book felt like two bodies of writing to me. One is an essay on women's relationships and the emotional journey of grief. The other is a nice novel about women on a traveling funeral.

I thought it was a nice story as far as the band of women rallying around in their grief to fulfill their dead friend's wishes. I don't know that I believe the depth at which all of the women were able to delve into their emotions, identify and classify them and discuss their feelings with such well written and intricate dialogues. That was a little much. Maybe it's because I'm not in my mid-fifties. Maybe I'm too straight forward and practical. Maybe I never bought the line about women having a special bond that the other sex doesn't get. I don't believe it still. I don't have that bond with women, anyway. Not that I know of. Sure, childbirth, menstrual cramps, and being the weaker sex are all things we have in common. I just don't think that gives us an instant connection. What does give us a connection is our experiences. Sharing them and letting others become a part of our existence. That's where bonds come from, not our sex. I also don't think people talk that way. At least, no one I know does.

Read it with a grain of salt, a hankerchief, and a glass of wine. Also, read it in two frames of mind: essay and novel.