Book Review: Just After Sunset by Stephen King

Just After Sunset by Stephen King
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Friday the 13th...an apt date for a review of a Stephen King book, no? However, if you're looking for spooky and supernatural, this is not the best place to find it. Just After Sunset is a collection of (mostly) previously published short stories that cover a wide range of themes, including 9/11, the abduction of a single woman, revenge--but only occassionally the creepy sort of SK stuff I love.

That being said, there were a few stories I really liked, creepy or not. The longest story in the collection is called "Stationary Bike", about a man on a health kick who winds up somewhere unexpected on his exercise bike. Spook factor of about 2/5. "The Things They Left Behind" has a higher Spook factor but just didn't strike my fancy, even with (or maybe because of) the emotional ties to 9/11. My favorite title in the book is "N", which offers both a good dose of the supernatural and a good story.

Being a huge King fan, I was fairly disappointed in this collection. It's not one I would add to my bookshelf. But the man sure can turn a phrase...so it certainly isn't all bad, just not one of his better offerings.

“She ran out of her marriage the way a woman can run out of a pair of sandals when she decides to let go and really dash.” (from The Gingerbread Girl)

“She didn't see him at first. She was watching the dancers. Her color was high, and there were deep dimples at the corners of her mouth. She looked nine miles out of place, but he had never loved her more. This was Willa on the edge of a smile.” (from Willa)


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A Woman of Grace- Art Journal Page

This art journal project was inspired by a quote I found on a blog post over at the Right Brain Planner. Check her out! Lots of good stuff about loving yourself, being creative, following your heart...sigh...

" A woman of grace knows that her strength comes from her journey. Thus, she journeys- even when she is weak". ~Teresa Jennings Robinson

Just so perfect for me and where I am in life right now, struggling with health issues and every day with its ups, downs, and unknowns. Yes, I am weak. Tired. Frustrated. 

But I journey.

Supplies

leftover pink computer paper

stamps- Unity, Verve, Prima

rub-ons- Fancy Pants Designs

vintage book

pieces from old magazines

Elmer's glue stick

Sharpie markers

Staz on Black ink

Worn Lipstick Distress Ink

Pink Bubblegum Glimmer Mist

photo mat from an old collage frame

office tag

I just LOVE collage, don't you?

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Becoming a Life Artist: Week 6- Embrace Imperfection

Imperfection is everywhere. It is life. Why waste time worrying about it? Ali Edwards reminds us that fear of imperfection can keep us from enjoying and creating and celebrating the everyday.

For me, fear of rejection keeps me from seeking out freelance/editorial/product review opportunities. What if they say no? What if they don't like my work? What if they think I'm no good? What if they think I'm imperfect?

One of my readers, Elyse, author of By Little Hands, said this in a comment to an earlier post:  I have spent the last year trying to accept every moment as perfect, no matter how off my plan or vision it goes. Sometimes I forget but when I remember it makes everyone happier!

Can you imagine how joyful our lives would be if we stopped worrying about imperfection and began thinking of every moment as perfect in its own right? And what message do we send to others when we  broadcast our own fears and self-doubts? Can something you do or make be "good enough"?

Here's a few more nuggets of inspiration:

~ To sit in judgment of those things which you perceive to be wrong or imperfect is to be one more person who is part of judgment, evil or imperfection. ~ Wayne Dyer


~ Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it is better to absolutely ridiculus than absolutely boring. ~ Marilyn Monroe


~ A diamond with a flaw is worth more than a pebble without imperfections ~ Chinese Proverb

(retrieved from Finest Quotes)
Is fear of imperfection keeping you from reaching towards a dream or trying something new?

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Our Everydays

"Small concessions...are like pocket change: it's what most of us have to work with, in the final analysis. Our small change is our daily habits and routines, our everyday, and the measure of one's life emerges, in the final analysis, from the sum of these everydays."
from "The Good Psychologist" by Noam Shpancer

Blogger's note: I read Dr. Shpancer's bio after reading the novel. He is a professor of psychology at Otterbein College in Westerville, OH, where I received my BA in psychology 12 years ago. Small world.