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10 Books I’ve Read That Have Stayed With Me

By Books & Authors, ThinkingNo Comments

Here are 10 books I’ve read that have stayed with me:

10) Mum Can You Lend Me Twenty Quid? By Elizabeth Burton-Phillips

This is a book written by the mother of two twin drug addicts. Elizabeth Burton-Phillips takes us on an emotional journey, as she describes what drugs did to her family.

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9) The Magician’s Assistant by Ann Patchett

Sabine looses her gay husband, but is about to find out hidden family secrets. This beautifully written novel is fantastic and the characters have stayed close to my heart.

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8) Born This Way by Paul Vitagliano

This book shares childhood stories and photos about growing up gay, mostly in the USA. What was great about this book, is how life affirming it is at making you feel less alone as a gay man.

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7) In His Secret Life by Mel Bossa

This is a wonderfully written gay love story set over decades, with if I remember correctly an eventual happy ending. It was so great to read of a gay couple where love triumphed.

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6) a million little pieces by James Frey

This book is another about drug and alcohol addiction and how Frey turned his life around. Well written.

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5) Reasons To Stay Alive by Matt Haig

This is an upbeat book about mental health and gives you plenty of reasons to stay alive. A brilliant, easy read by Matt Haig.

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4) Misery by Stephen King

Misery sticks in my mind because of how creepy it is.

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3) A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowden

This is the true and uplifting story of a street cat named Bob that helped his human (Bowen) recover from drug addiction. A truly heart warming and easy to read book.

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2) The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind by Barbara K. Lipska

Imagine, if you will, starting to lose your mind. This is the story of a Neuroscientist who felt like she was losing her mind due to a brain tumor. This story stayed with me and is wonderfully well written.

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Diary-of-a-Young-Girl-by-Anne-Frank

1) Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

We all know the story of Anne Frank and her family. But reading her experiences in her own words really resonated with me.

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Write soon,

Antony

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Sunday 20 April 2025

Book Review: Misery by Stephen King

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
misery-stephen-king-book-cover Misery by Stephen King is compelling, creepy and will have the reader on the edge of their seat with anxiety and fear.

In Misery Author Paul Sheldon has a dreadful car accident. When he finally wakes up, he finds himself in the guest bedroom of Annie Wilkes.

Annie Wilkes is a psychopath and Paul’s number one fan. She has dragged him from the wreckage, set and splintered his mangled legs. Paul is in an incredible amount of pain and knows that he should be in hospital. Anne Wilkes used to be a Nurse has a stash of painkillers.

Annie is reading Paul’s latest book. Paul’s bestselling books about Misery Chastain have made him a lot of money, but he hates writing them despite their popularity. He see’s the Misery Chastain books as making the money he needs to live, so that he can get on with some real writing. So in this latest book Paul has done something drastic: he has killed Misery Chastain.

Annie doesn’t know about Misery’s death yet, but when she does she calls Paul a dirty bird and demands another Misery book, just for her, called Misery’s Return. And she won’t take no for an answer.

Nobody knows that Paul is at Annie’s remote mountain home. It will be months before the snow melts to allow Paul’s wreck of a car to be found. And meanwhile Annie makes it clear that she is prepared to make him suffer, severely, if he doesn’t cooperate. Paul does the only thing he can: write as if his life depends upon it (which it actually does).

The idea behind Misery is brilliant, clever and excellently expressed through King’s writing. He has turned Misery into a horror classic, with some traumatic scenes that will stay with the reader for a long time after they’ve finished the book. So people with a sensitive disposition be aware.

Misery is told in the first person perspective of Paul, meaning that there is an awful lot of internal monologue, especially at the beginning where Paul is bedbound. The description of pain from Paul’s perspective does lack variety and begin to feel a bit repetitive. The plot is fast-paced, full of tension and has plenty of hooks to make the reader be compelled to read on.

I read Misery in about a week, often staying up far later than I intended to, to find out what happens next.

Misery is gripping and a must read. Misery is available to buy on Amazon and at all good book shops.

Review soon,

Antony

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Sunday 1 January 2017
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