Blaze by Stephen King

It is amazing that Stephen King is able to create the author Richard Bachman with his own writing style so unique from King, but I guess that is why Stephen King was able to become the legend that he is. This is an interesting journey of a mentally challenged man as he struggled through life and was coerced into a life of crime. It was a nice nod to Of Mice and Men, and well worth reading.

The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson

A lighter read than what I was expecting from the duo of Patterson and Ledwidge, who are responsible for the Michael Bennett series. I liked it, it was not great, but it was a fun quick read. A young boy/man with alien abilities going around killing off evil aliens. The plot is somewhat lacking, but it does a good job building up for the rest of the series.

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson

Such a complex and impelling story with so much going on. A true joy to read, and incredibly exciting, and although more straight forward than the first of the series, it is no less entertaining. The only thing that got me while reading is that some of the names got jumbled in my mind, but Larsson usually gave a pretty good recap of letting me know who he was talking about. All in all a great addition to the series.

Witch and Wizard by James Patterson

It is clear that James Patterson can really do any genre. Paired up with Gabrielle Charbonnet, these two authors create a magical and corrupt world where the line between right and wrong has been smudged and grayed. The two main characters, siblings Whisty and Whit, discover how special they are and learn of a prophecy that they happen to be caught in the middle of as main players. Clever, charming, suspenseful, and just an utter joy to read for all ages.

A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire

The third installment of Maguire’s Oz world, and unfortunately it is based around, in my opinion, the worst of the characters, the Cowardly Lion. Brrr the lion’s back story is not all that entertaining, but he is sent on a fact finding mission and therefore the book focuses more on history than Brrr. This story does great to connect some of the loose ends of the previous two novels and answers some of the questions without revealing any new ones, so it is worth reading if for nothing else than to fill in some gaps.

Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire

I love that Gregory Maguire continued the story where Wicked left off. I adore Wicked, it was fantastic, and the world that was created out of such a well-known story was unbelievable. Now I get more of it and I could not be happier, and some questions are answered, but then more questions are posed, so I have my next novel all picked out…book three (A Lion Among Men) it is! I recommend this series to anyone who loves original plots, clever writing, amazing characters, and a true page turner which will have you emotionally invested from start to finish.

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

What Gregory Maguire has done here is nothing short of remarkable. Taking one of the most well known villains in literature/cinema and having the reader genuinely like and root for her. Even though I knew how the tale would undoubtedly end, I hoped it would not happen, and that is not to say that this book was a disappointment, it was far from that. The whole perspective change of the story was flawlessly done and by doing so made some of the most dynamic characters I have read, and oddly at the same time the characters actions make the original story of Oz make a little more sense. I would recommend this to anyone who has seen or read The Wizard of Oz, but perhaps not someone who loves it for its wholesome goodness.