Skeleton Crew by Stephen King 1985 / 512 pgs. (~195,600 words) / Fiction, Horror
Skeleton Crew is a collection of 23 short stories that were published in magazines over many years. Several of them have been turned into movies. The most famous is The Mist.
These are my favorites of the collection.
The Mist – A mist falls over a town in Maine, and several individuals get stuck in a store fighting the creatures inside it. When they do escape, are they really free? I’ll say this: I liked the movie ending better.
The Monkey – A mechanical monkey that bangs cymbals haunts a man, and everywhere he goes, misfortune follows when the monkey bangs its cymbals.
The Raft – A group of college students jump into a lake and get stuck on a stationary raft in the middle of it. An oily substance comes and eats each one until only one is left on the raft, watching his car and keys sitting on land, just out of reach. This was made into a movie, and I enjoyed that ending better too.
Word Processor of the Gods – A man is gifted a homemade word processor by his now-deceased nephew. He discovers that whatever he types comes true — but the word processor only has a short life.
The rest of the stories are solid, if not standouts.
Would I recommend it? It’s a good pick if you enjoy short story collections.
If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies by Eliezer Yudkowsky & Nate Soares 2025 / 256 pgs. (~60,000 words) / Nonfiction
If you’re worried about AI, this book probably isn’t going to calm you down — but it’s not written by naysayers either. Both authors have been involved with AI for a long time, and what they’ve written is, simply, a warning to humanity.
They build a narrative around what AI is and how it’s evolving, using examples from what’s already happened with AI today. I was surprised to learn that AI already has a Twitter account with followers — and even its own crypto.
What they lay out is simple: it’s not the current AI they’re worried about, it’s AI superintelligence. That’s the real fear. To our knowledge, this hasn’t been built yet. But based on what’s already happened, and what they argue could happen next, they make the case that building an AI superintelligence would mean the end of humanity as we know it.
It’s a chilling scenario — and yet, it could happen.
Enjoy a cup of coffee and good book.
Lopaka
They also lay out how we could prevent it, though it would require the entire planet to actually want to. Rogue nations could still build it eventually, and then who knows.
Would I recommend it? If you’re interested in the topic, yes. If AI already makes you anxious, you may want to sit this one out.
A Farewell to Arms – Ernest Hemingway 1929 355pgs. ( ~ 73,000 words) Realism
A Farewell to Arms is a classic by Ernest Hemingway, inspired by his experience as an ambulance driver for the Italian Red Cross in World War One and his real-life love affair with Agnes von Kurowsky, a Red Cross nurse.
Frederick Henry, an American serving in the Italian Army as a Lieutenant and director of ambulance drivers, is injured during an attack and taken to a hospital. While recovering, he falls in love with a British nurse. He returns to the front line to continue his duty, and when the Italian army retreats in 1917, he is captured by battle police and escapes. He reunites with Catherine and the two flee to Switzerland to escape the Italian army.
This is considered one of Hemingway’s classics and was his first bestseller — yet I cannot figure out why. The dialogue is sometimes difficult to follow. As Frederick collaborates with his Italian medics and doctors, much of the chatter feels disjointed. Perhaps that’s the appeal — that the confusion mirrors the experience of war itself. I also encountered, for the first time, sentences loaded with far more commas than I thought were allowed, and I often felt that Hemingway was describing things in way too much detail. That said, the overall story is easy to follow.
The way it ends is almost melodramatic. The final section follows Frederick and Catherine — who is pregnant with their child — as they wait in Switzerland for the birth. As the birth unfolds, you can feel what is coming. It’s almost as if Hemingway wrote the ending as a man whose inspiration had died, given that Agnes chose to marry someone else instead of him.
Would I recommend this book? It is not a horrible book, but it never gripped me enough to keep coming back to it. I actually read another book alongside it over two weeks before finally sitting down and finishing it in two hours just to have it done. I would recommend reading it in one or two sittings if you can. I’ve been told that For Whom the Bell Tolls is the best Hemingway — and I have already added that to my reading list.
The Only Woman in the Room – Marie Benedict 2019 / 272 pgs. ( ~ 76,000 words) Historical Fiction
The Only Woman in the Room is a work of historical fiction centered on Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler, better known as Hedy Lamarr — a Jewish actress. It concentrates on her years married at 18 to an Austrian arms dealer and the wealthiest man in Austria at the time, Fritz Mandl. Her husband was abusive and obsessive, using Hedy’s fame and beauty to his advantage when hosting high-ranking officials. Eventually, as the Germans take over Austria, Hitler comes to her home and Hedy overhears details of the Final Solution. The story ends with Hedy escaping her abusive husband and fleeing to America, where she launches her acting career and invents frequency hopping.
I wish I could tell you there is more depth to the book, yet there is not. It reads like a biography, yet it is historical fiction. There is no real complexity to the narration. Even with the story of Hedy’s abusive marriage to Fritz Mandl, there is not enough to make you truly feel for her — you simply cannot form an emotional attachment to the story. It feels like you are reading a broad outline, and the vital, gritty details were never filled in. It is a very easy read and you can get through it in a few hours. After reading the book for three days, I finished it in one sitting of about two hours, mostly just to move on to the next book.
Would I recommend this book? No. I was interested in reading about Hedy Lamarr, but this book feels very empty — like too much is missing to give it a satisfying narrative. The worst part is that the book just ends with no satisfying conclusion. On my coffee scale, this lands at 2 cups — and honestly, I was being generous. It’s a light, easy read with not much to think about along the way.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas 1846 / 1,596 pgs. ( ~ 464,000 words) Adventure/Classic
The Count of Monte Cristo is an epic novel, and I’m not just referring to the vast size of this book. At its core, it is a book about a prison break and vengeance for the wrongdoing done to the main character. That is so simplified — where the story is amazing is the characters themselves that allow the building of the story. The size of the novel does tempt even some seasoned readers, yet I can say that the story is easy to follow. Sometimes the challenge is trying to figure out who is who, as some characters get titles that change their name versus what it was at the start of the novel. However, never in the entire time while reading the book did I ask how much longer I have in the novel. Every chapter felt like a story that leaves you wanting more. In fact, if you understand that this book was serialized, then you can understand why it’s written the way it is.
From start to finish, I was asking just how is this going to end! What amazed me was that the prison break is so early in the book — I was thinking, what are we about to embark on for the next 1,200+ pages that are left? It didn’t disappoint either! It does take a long time for the story to build to the revenge section. Also, after the prison break, there is a large section that takes place from another character’s view where you wonder why are we reading about this, and that’s when you realize that all the other characters are now the main players and the Count is the character that comes into play when needed. That anticipation was gnawing at me the whole time I read it. I was looking forward to each revenge plot and how it was going to play out.
As each plot builds and we see the effects of his revenge, it’s sweeter than the last. Although, for the first time in a long time, I read a scene that stood my hair on end — I was floored and started to cry. The visual was amazing! To date, this was one of the most amazing lines I’ve read that sent chills down my spine:
“‘Héloïse! Héloïse!” he said, “what is the matter? Speak!” The young woman extended her stiff white hand toward him. “It is done, sir!” she said, with a rattling which seemed to tear her throat. “What more do you want?” and she fell full length on the floor.” – The Count of Monte Cristo
The image after this made me cry and even scream something that I don’t want to ruin for the dear reader.
Would I recommend this book? YES! I couldn’t put this book down. It is amazing. I haven’t read a book this gripping since I read Stephen King’s IT.
Enjoy a cup of coffee and a good book!
Lopaka
Note: After I finished this novel, I did a little research — I would recommend not doing that before reading. I’m sure I would have viewed the book differently had I known this information beforehand. Also, some say this is not the best book by Alexandre Dumas, and that The Three Musketeers is better. I’ve already added that to my future reading list!
The Fall of the Dynasties: The Collapse of the Old Order: 1905-1922 by Edmond Taylor 1962 / 432 pgs. ( ~ 120,000 words) History
The Fall of the Dynasties chronicles the collapse of four great empires at the end of World War One: the Ottoman, Hohenzollern, Habsburg, and Romanov dynasties. Taylor begins with the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, then systematically examines each empire’s structure and internal weaknesses. He explores fascinating details like the lack of formal education among Ottoman sultans and the brutal palace competition among women vying for their sons to inherit the throne. For the Austrians, he reveals how Franz Ferdinand was widely disliked within his own empire, and even more striking, how cruelly his wife Sophie was treated by the royal court.
The narrative builds toward the outbreak of World War One, though Taylor notably doesn’t focus on the war itself. Instead, he examines how each empire crumbled under the war’s pressures.
The Romanovs receive the most extensive coverage, from the family’s deteriorating situation through the Russian Revolution to their execution in 1918. The German Empire’s fall follows, with the Kaiser’s abdication coming just one day before the war’s end. By contrast, the Habsburg collapse feels rushed, and the Ottoman Empire section seems hastily tacked on to complete the book’s premise.
While reading, I kept wondering why this book isn’t standard reading for World War One students—until the editorial issues became apparent. Taylor has a frustrating habit of briefly mentioning a historical figure, then reintroducing them chapters later with fuller context, presumably hoping readers will have an “aha” moment. Instead, I constantly flipped back through my notes to confirm whether I’d encountered someone before. This made following each empire’s narrative unnecessarily challenging.
The Kindle edition I read suffered from numerous spelling and punctuation errors, including missing periods that disrupted the flow. Taylor’s vocabulary is undeniably expansive, but the dense prose sometimes obscured rather than clarified his arguments. I lost count of how many paragraphs I reread trying to decipher his meaning—and sometimes I simply gave up. The narrative also contains contradictions that an editor should have caught.
Would I recommend this book? Only if you’re genuinely interested in this period of history. I hope the errors plagued only my digital edition and not the printed version. Despite its significant flaws, I did enjoy the book and found myself fascinated by this pivotal moment when the old world order collapsed forever.
Stranger in a Strangeland by Robert A. Heinlien 1961 / 663 pgs. ( ~ 220,000 words) Sci-Fi Classic
Robert A. Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land is a truly unusual book. The narrative follows Valentine Michael Smith, an orphan born on Mars during the first human expedition. Because the original crew consisted of married couples who engaged in “open relationships” during the journey, Mike’s parentage is unique. He ends up as the sole survivor of the mission, raised entirely by Martians and immersed in their language and culture. Twenty years later, a second mission discovers him and brings him back to Earth. As a man who has never experienced human life, Mike is the ultimate “Stranger in a Strange Land.”
From Narrative to Pontification
Early on, I expected a fascinating exploration of how Mike would perceive and experience our world. Unfortunately, that isn’t quite the book I got. Instead, the narrative often takes a backseat to other characters pontificating about the rights and wrongs of society. While the plot circles around Mike, the pages are dominated by lengthy debates on various social challenges.
A central figure in this is Jubal Harshaw (M.D., LL.B., Sc.D.). After Mike is essentially kidnapped by a nurse named Jill and taken to Jubal’s home, the story shifts. It quickly becomes clear that Jubal is a stand-in for Heinlein himself. Much of the book consists of Jubal engaging in discussions where he clearly holds the “correct” answer and must convince everyone else of his perspective.
The “MacGuffin” Protagonist
One notable example is the debate between Jubal and Duke regarding Mike’s Martian views on cannibalism. While humans find the practice atrocious, Jubal argues that it is an honorable Martian tradition. This pattern repeats throughout the book; Mike often feels more like a MacGuffin—an object used to trigger situations so the author can lecture on religion, money, property, gambling, and sexuality.
Eventually, Mike establishes the Church of All Worlds. Though framed as a mega-church, it functions more like a language school where students learn Martian and embrace its culture, including polygamy. The book feels like a “what if” scenario for someone with unlimited money and a clean slate. Mike begins the story with a child-like innocence, and when he encounters “wrongness,” he simply makes it vanish—much like a child’s fantasy of wishing problems away.
Would I recommend it? It’s an okay book, but I frequently found myself checking the timer to see how much of the story was left. The philosophical debates are incredibly long-winded. I read the uncut version released after Heinlein’s death, and I suspect the shorter, original version might be a tighter, better read. I’m glad I read it for its place in sci-fi history, but it certainly won’t be on my “read again” list.
Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert 1969 / 338 pgs. ( ~ 70,000 words) Science Fiction
Dune Messiah is a starkly different experience from the original. While it lacks the fast-paced “page-turner” energy of the first book, it serves as a fascinating bridge to Children of Dune.
In the introduction, Brian Herbert notes that many readers disliked this sequel because of Paul’s trajectory. I suspect Frank Herbert realized he had created a character so powerful that Paul had essentially become a narrative dead end. How do you challenge a man who has the power of prescience, the abilities of a Reverend Mother, and a loyal following conducting a bloody Jihad in his name?
The heart of the book is the conspiracy to take Paul down. Even though the Emperor knows it’s coming, he is trapped by his own foresight. The most striking moment for me was Paul’s conversation with Stilgar, where he compares his “statistics” to the dictators of Ancient Earth:
“I’ve killed sixty-one billion… I’ve wiped out the followers of forty religions… We’ll be a hundred generations recovering from Muad’Dib’s Jihad.”
This quote perfectly captures the “darkness” Paul has brought to the universe. While the ending for Paul and Chani might be polarizing, I found it satisfying. It felt like a necessary way for Herbert to move the story forward, removing an all-powerful lead so we can explore the Dune universe without Paul seeing every outcome before it happens.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely. It’s a really good book. If you are in love with the first book and don’t want anything to change in the world of Dune. I would recommend not reading Dune Messiah.
The Nine by Gwen Strauss 2021 / 317 pgs. (84,000~ words) History
This is a deeply emotional narrative. It is a true account of the lives of nine young women, aged 18-26, who served in the French Resistance, were captured, and then sent to the Ravensbrück concentration camp—only to escape during a death march at the end of the war.
The book is not just about their survival; it is a deep dive into who each of these women were. It explores why they joined the Resistance, how they were captured, and the torture they endured at the hands of the SS. It details how they kept their spirits and morale as high as possible in the camps, and how they formed their bond, as they didn’t all meet until they arrived at Ravensbrück.
There is also a wonderful narration of their escape—journeying through village after village, constantly fearing discovery by German soldiers or the SS, which would mean execution. The final section covers their lives after the war and how they were treated—or often forgotten—by the French Government despite their service.
The story is fascinating because, while many have heard of the Holocaust, people often forget the sheer variety of people put into concentration camps. The book mentions several groups often lost to history: the asozial (prostitutes, homosexuals, Sinti and Roma, and common criminals). It describes how this group survived in the same block and how they interacted.
As a person who has visited Dachau, this book really brings into perspective the number of people that Nazi Germany didn’t want in society.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely. It’s a really good book. Just be mentally prepared for what these women went through to survive. It can be heartbreaking.
nyghteulen 