Lisa Rogak

A quite interesting summary of King's early life and career up to 2008, although it is a little confusing at times, not making it clear which date is meant, as the narrative tends to dart around. For example, at one point, the book talks as if King's novel 'IT' was already published, and then, some pages later on, deals with that as an event a few years afterwards.

One thing that became obvious from the list of quotes and their sources at the back is that a lot of it is gleaned from previous biographies, interviews, introductions by King to his books and other secondary sources. In the opening section, the author describes going to chat with his assistant for half an hour and being aware of King in the corridor outside, never entering the room. She was told that she could talk to his friends and they could tell her things if they wanted, but it was not an authorised biography. So there certainly aren't any big revelations though it is clear that one or two people still felt sore about the way they felt King had treated them, especially one person who felt a story of his had been entirely ripped off (they had shared an apartment at one point and he had also been writing and had discussed a story of his). It was also interesting that he had professional relationships with certain people, such as his agent, and then dropped them with no reason given in the book.

There are probably better biographies available, but as an introduction for the general reader as opposed to dedicated fan who has already read a lot of other books about King, it is certainly adequate. So a 3 star rating for me.

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Endearing non-fiction about two cats that lived at the Douglas County Library in Minden, Nevada, and how they became celebrities, complete with fan club, photo shoots, and “cat tourists” stopping by to meet them. It is also the author’s memoir about her life with animals and books, and how the cats helped her pull out of a difficult time in life.

For me, the main attraction of this book is that it is set in a town about 15 miles from where I live. The descriptions of the area are spot on. If you are familiar with cats, the behaviors of Baker and Taylor will bring a smile of acknowledgement. The story shines in highlighting the sense of community in this small town, where people gather in the library, pet the cats, and spend parts of their days reading. The less successful portion of the book has to do with the author’s life story. She is very guarded, not wanting to expose a great deal of her pain, which is, of course, her prerogative, but it lessened the impact. I also didn’t care for the technophobia, as I believe libraries need to embrace the changes of the information age.

Recommended to cat and library aficionados, or those who enjoy stories of local interest, in this case Northern Nevada, US.… (more)