Interesting biography of Stephen King by Lisa Rogak

Haunted Heart: The Life and Times of Stephen King is an unauthorized Stephen King's biography written by Lisa Rogak. If you want to know how Stephen began his career, reach for this book.

For forty years Stephen King published books that have sold in hundreds of millions of copies. I'm a big fan of his work and I've read all this novels, short stories and books (like Dance Macabre and On Writing). See my top ten best novels by Stephen King >

I also read the biography of the King of Horror written by Lisa Rogak. Even if you know facts from King's life from e.g. Wikipedia or this autobiography On Writing, you should read this book. Why? Because it is well-written, contains lots of anecdotes and comments of King's friends and family.

Rogak writes also how Stephen King fared with fame, fans and critics. Besides, there is a lot of information in it about the circumstances in which Stephen King created his stories, so you can look at his novels with a completely new perspective.

This is a official description of a book:
"One of the most prolific and popular authors in the world today, Stephen King has become part of pop culture history. His best-selling novels such as Carrie, It, Christine, and many others have captured the imaginations of millions of readers. But who is the man behind those tales of horror, grief, and the supernatural? Where do these ideas come from? And what drives him to keep writing at a breakneck pace after a thirty year career?

In this unauthorized biography, Lisa Rogak reveals the troubled background and lifelong fears that inspire one of the twentieth century's most influential authors. Despite his dark and disturbing work, Stephen King has become revered by critics and his countless fans as an all-American voice more akin to Mark Twain than H. P. Lovecraft. Haunted Heart chronicles his story, revealing the character of a man who has created some of the most memorable and frightening stories found in literature today." (from Amazon)

Stephen King still writes
This is a good book, but you have to remembered that Rogak has written it in 2008, when Stephen King published Just After Sunset - collection of short stories. Since then a lot has changed. On the market there are seven new novels by Stephen King. Latest novel - Revival - which is the seventh since 2008, has premiered on the 11th November this year. A new collection of short stories and several TV series based on his work also add up to his achievements.

It is clear that Stephen King, though sometimes he says that he plans to retire, still does not meet his threats, right? :-) Although he could live a comfortable life with what he has earned, still he creates and shares with readers the new great stories.

I read "Haunted Heart: The Life and Times of Stephen King" with curiosity and I recommend it to anyone.

Guide: Kindle - which version to choose?

Reading books with Kindle is becoming increasingly popular. Everywhere you can see people bent over a small device - in parks, at school, bus or on the plane. If you also would like to become an owner of e-book reader, but you don't know which one would be the best for you - I encourage you to read my arguments, which can help you decide which version of Kindle you should choose.

Kindle (Wi-Fi) - $109 NOW it costs $69 with special offers, $89 without it (see description)
This is the cheapest and lightest Kindle. Ideal version for whose who just want to read. If you do not plan to play games, watch movies, browse the web or listen to audiobooks and reading e-books is the only purpose of buying Kindle I would recommend you this version. 

 

Kindle don't have speakers (so no audiobooks supported), multi-touch (has 5-way controller) or 3G, but their big advantage is the weight and price. It has also less internal memory (2GB instead of 4GB), but it doesn't matter to me – I never read so many books at once :). The battery lasts for one month, without using a Wi-Fi.

Kindle Touch (Wi-Fi) - $139 (see description) - (currently unavailable)
If you would like to listen to the audiobooks (also in MP3 format!), have a full-touch screen, more memory (4GB) and longer battery life (two months instead of one) – this is a great choice for you.

Kindle Touch 3G - $189 (see description) - (currently unavailable)
As above, except that in this version you will also receive free 3G, so you don't need to look for Wi-Fi in order to use the Internet. So if you care to always have access, this model will be perfect for you.

Kindle Touch is currently unavailable, but Amazon has introduced two new e-book readers - Kindle Paperwhite for $119 and version with 3G for $179. I don't have an opinion about them. You have to check details on Amazon page, where it is written that this is "World's most advanced e-reader - higher resolution, higher contrast touchscreen with built-in light and 8-week battery life".

Kindle Keyboard (3G) - $189 NOW it costs $139 (see description)
It is worth to buy this version only if you plan on doing a lot of notes and would rather have buttons instead of using the keyboard screen. The downside is the larger size and weight of the device.

Kindle DX - $379  NOW it costs $299 (see description)
I think this version is only good for people, for which 6' is a too small screen, because Kindle DX is the only model that have 9.7' screen. But it is also the heaviest model (weighs two times more than the Kindle Keyboard and over three times more than the Kindle Classic). 

Buy Kindle with special offers or not?
Another question is whether to buy a version with the advertisements or not? Is it worth to save some dollars and get the ads? They are not invasive, never appear when reading, but I still think that it is worth to spend a little more to have peace and do not see any advertisements. Especially since you are buying the Kindle for years. It is Better to do a one-time expense, than watch the ads at all times when the screen saver turns on.

So which Kindle you should buy?
I think everyone should first consider what do they need the Kindle for. I've done some looking at the specifications on the Amazon website. Comparing the versions I had in back of my head the thought that I will use it only for reading. So - as I said above - I chose Kindle for 89 dollars. Why? Because of it's size, weight and price :). And I do not regret the decision. Kindle as a e-book reader works great!