Elevation by Stephen King

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
Amen.

     Elevation, the latest novel to hit shelves by Stephen King, is a short novel that fits snugly into the King universe. Though it's not exactly what I'd call horror, the setting is in the ever creepy town of Castle Rock, Maine. As we already know strange things happen in Castle Rock and this story is nothing short of strange.

     Scott is strangely losing weight, a lot of weight. He feels great, better than he has felt in years. The strange thing is that his clothes still fit as if he were still a large man. His physical appears remains the same as the number on the scale dips lower each day. While fully clothed in his heaviest winter gear or in his birthday suit the scale remains the same. It's as if his weight is not what is changing but his actual relationship with gravity. As gravity loses it's hold on Scott, he gains a clarity and peace of mind that he was seriously lacking before.
     Deidre and Missy are fairly new to Castle Rock and have opened an upscale vegetarian restaurant. Though the food is amazing they are struggling to make ends meet. Scott begins to realize his new neighbors may not be around long if the people of the town refuse to eat at their restaurant. Naïve Scott is shocked to find it's not the food keeping the town folk away but the mere fact that Deidre and Missy are not only a same sex couple, but a MARRIED same-sex couple.
     Throughout the entire book my thoughts kept returning to the serenity prayer. Much like the first line of the serenity prayer Scott has accepted his predicament and that he can not change it. He knows that his worry over his weight is futile but that his desire to set things straight with his new neighbors is not. (Line 3 of the serenity prayer, knowing the difference.)
     After his acceptance, he chooses to focus his energy on something positive. Scott demonstrates courage not only to face the stone cold Deidre but help her and her wife Missy live a better life in Castle Rock. He stands up to those who have been quick to judge the ladies and shows the town what a true good neighbor is. As in the second verse of the prayer, Scott literally uses his courage to make a change in his town's perspective and to save Deidre and Missy's restaurant.
     Though the remaining passage of the serenity prayer may not be as well know as it's opening, it can still be directly related to Scott's story. Scott chooses to live one day at a time, chooses to be happy with the cards he's been dealt, and trusts that things are as they should be.
     The initial thought of losing weight at this rapid pace and not understanding the how's and why's of the situation seems horrifying. The more we learn about Scott we realize this isn't a horror story at all but rather a lesson in acceptance. Accepting ourselves as we are, accepting our lives and opportunities we have been afforded, accepting others, and teaching others to accept one another.  For me, Elevation is a feel good, cheery story about acceptance, helping your neighbor, friendship, and coming together. While reading this I am not scared because Scott is not scared. I am happy because Scott is genuinely happy as well.
     Overall, I liked this story. It's a refreshing change of pace from the other novels I've read by King. My biggest complaint is that it is short. Short enough that it could have been included in a collection of stories versus a stand alone novel. Stephen King still delivers a capturing story, though my adrenaline wasn't pumping from fear or dread. He even satisfies with little connections and easter eggs to the rest of his universe. Connecting the dots to his other works is probably my favorite part of picking up a King novel.

My Review of The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer

        Around 10 years ago Stephenie Meyer was at the beginning of what I can only imagine a whirlwind of recognition. Her bestselling YA novels, the Twilight Saga, had been picked up for a movie adaptation and teen girls everywhere lost their minds. Meyer was quickly becoming a household name. A year later the first movie was released and her already popular books gained something of a cult following.
        I was one of these teen girls. I burned my way through the books and attended the midnight premiers of the movies with my girlfriends. It seemed Twilight was the only thing we could talk about for years. We could not get enough of this stuff. Once the films were completed and after all the hype, awards, and dominating the New York Times best-selling list things started to change for Stephenie Meyer. Slowly it seemed like everyone began to forget about her. The Twilight Saga movies where finished and girls replaced Edward and Jacob with Peeta and Gale from The Hunger Games in their fantasies.
        So here I am all grown up in the book store looking for something new to captivate me. There was a great sale going on and I was LOVING all my options. That’s when I spotted none other than Stephenie Meyer on the new release table. I hadn’t been keeping up with any of her news so I was a little shocked to see her name. So I pick up the book and was even more shocked by the preview on the back. This book sounded nothing like Twilight and it sounded pretty interesting. The most intriguing part to me was that this was in fact an adult novel. Since I’m an adult now and no longer the teen girl that loved Twilight I thought I should definitely give it a try.
        Now I know there has been a lot of criticism Meyer's first works so I want to say if you ever decide to give her another chance you should do so and leave Twilight in the past. We were young when we loved it and now we are grown and have learned to love new things. The Chemist is a perfect reminder that we are no longer teenagers. We live in the real world now with real problems.
          For all of the critics that hated Bella Swan in Twilight this book is for you. Bella was weak and so dependent of Edward that at times it was nauseating. She made poor decisions and put so many people in danger time and time again for her own selfish reasons. She didn’t think things through, she was impulsive, and many would say just plain dumb. Not the Chemist. The Chemist tells a story about an ex-chemist for the government on the run from the very people she used to work for. Though she goes by many names, I'll call her Alex because that is the name she goes by most often in the book.  Alex is in hiding when she is lured out and her whole world changes. The Chemist is brilliant. She is completely dependent on herself. She’s a planner and ready for anything coming her way. She’s brave. She can hold her own in a fight and is a force to be reckoned with. She’s tiny and tough, mentally and physically. She is what little girls should aspire to be. She refuses to lose. Her gender and small stature aren’t holding her back. She doesn’t wait around hoping things will work out. She makes them work out. In other words, Alex is nothing like Bella Swan.
        Having a strong female lead was a major plus for me. Alex is brought to life for me in a way that is believable. She uses her brains to make up for what she lacks physically. Though she is small she never takes herself out of the fight. Her struggles between right and wrong and which direction to go next are a reminder that she is human just like us. Daniel is a character that is easy to like. He's sweet and very charming. I imagine him as the nice guy that every woman deserves. Kevin and Val are stand outs and that's exactly how they like it. Kevin is the badass that we all wish we could be while Val has the confidence that we all crave.
         The romance was easy to relate to. The connection between the main character and her subject is instant and reminds you of what it’s actually like when meeting someone you are quickly drawn to.  I’m glad the romance was not the main point of the story but rather something that kept the story moving. The character development is tremendous through the romance. Frankly, without the love interest the story could have been quite boring. We see that love can change things in an instant and even deep within our subconscious. The Chemist finds herself doing things she would never do and even asks herself why she begins to change her ways. Alex's character development has a very real feeling because I know I would make the same decisions if I were in the same scenario.
        As for a movie adaptation of The Chemist, I don’t really see that ever happening. But hey, you never know. It has great potential to be an awesome movie. It’s got a very Jason Bourne type feel to it. The Chemist is definitely something that I would watch on the big or small screen. The bonus is that I could probably get my husband to watch it too without him complaining the whole time. It’s got enough action that a husband or boyfriend wouldn’t be bored. They may even like it themselves.
        With all that said I would give The Chemist a solid 4 out of 5 stars. It kept me interested. It wasn’t juvenile. There was action, wit, a strong female lead and a little romance. Regardless of what anyone says, Stephenie Meyer is a great writer. She knows her audience and knows how to draw you in and keep you interested until the very end. You can tell she does her research as well. Rather its descriptions of locations in her books, depictions of characters, or just correctly naming guns and drugs in the case of The Chemist, Meyer clearly paints you a picture with her words. For example, she names multiple different guns throughout the book by type, brand, size, and weight instead of simply calling it a hand gun or rifle. I appreciate taking the time to learn the accurate types of items the Chemist uses, why and how she would use them, and the effect they have on the story and surroundings. I have had this book since January and just now read it 6 months later. I wish I hadn’t waited. I enjoyed this book so much compared to the last few things I had read. I feel that Stephenie Meyer really understood how to transition herself from a young adult teen writer to an adult writer. I enjoyed her in my teens and I enjoy her now. I hope this isn’t the last I read from her. Hats off to you, Stephenie Meyer.