Reading Around the Clock- part two

The Twilight series was the brilliant marketing tool that inspired this blog post. For each of the Twilight titles to have something to do with the times or cycles of the sun make them even more memorable. With this in mind, I started to explore what other times of day were covered by book titles.

(Please note that this is part two of Rosemary's post, click here for part one)

Just After Sunset: stories is the fifth collection of short stories by the "Wizard of Words" Stephen King. It is followed by the treat Full Dark, No Stars. I will never figure out how King does it. Unlike other prolific writers (such as James Patterson) who either use a formula or the help of co-writers, King does it all himself. And who better to know what lurks in the shadows until just after sunset.


Sunset and Sawdust is another gem by Joe R. Lansdale, a wonderfully quirky Texan writer with a broad minded slant on life and characters. He will have you laughing out loud at his characters doings and sayings. In Depression era Texas, Sunset Jones has had enough of her husband abusing and raping her. During a tornado she grabs his gun and shoots him. The problem is he was the sheriff of the town. When Sunset takes his place in this job she is met with resistance, not really for being a murderer, but for being a woman! Imagine that! Well, Lansdale does with great results.


Wait Until Twilight: a novel by Sang Pak. This debut bildungsromans (don’t you love that word) introduces the reader to the world of southern 10th grader, Samuel. Samuel becomes fascinated with his neighbours deformed triplets. What really attracted me to this novel was the statement on the cover: "What I need to do needs to be done before it gets too dark". It makes you wonder exactly what Samuel is going to do.


Twilight Girls by Paula Christian is (as stated on the cover) "two unforgettable classics from the golden age of pulp". The novels: Edge of Twilight and the Other side of Love are combined to tell the tale of sexual awakening of stewardess, Val MacGregor. The first tale concentrates on Val’s meeting a type of love; a woman! In the second book, Val moves to California with Toni, conflicted on having to tell her friends and family about her new lifestyle.


Brian Hart’s debut novel Then Came Evening presents the tragic Dorner family. Bandy Dorner returns home after 18 years in prison for the murder. He discovers that his son trying to reverse the family fortune by renovatating the family house. What happens next follows the ups and downs of the family as they try to reunite and improve their future.

Evening is the Whole Day by Preeta Samarasan won the Hopwood Novel Award. This novel presents the differences of two young women of different caste lines, the rich and the poor. It is heartbreaking in its details of the Indian Immigrant family in Mayalasia, whose fortunes turn when their grandmother dies.

Fire at Midnight by Lisa Marie Wilkinson is an award winner that is a page turner in the true sense, right from the first line "I am sane". The plot just zips along and you want to read, and read, so much so you are finished the book before you even realize it. Rachael Penrose is confined to Bedlam Insane Asylum in 1703. How and what happens after she escapes leads the reader on a fabulous journey.


I must admit I was attracted to Midnight Fires by Nancy Means Wright because I am a fan of Frankenstein, which was written by Mary Wollstonecraft’s daughter, Mary Shelley. Wollstonecraft was a 18th century philosopher and women’s rights advocate, most famous for her book A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Midnight Fires is the first of a mystery trilogy that Wright is writing about Wollstonecraft. This novel focuses on a servant being accused of the murder of an aristocrat and Mary is struggling with whether to help him escape or not.


Horror author, Dean Koontz has written one of his best novels in years, What the Night Knows. Twenty years ago a serial killer stalked and terrified various neighbourhoods. John Calvino was a teenager when he caught this madman in the act and killed him. The killer vows to come back and get his revenge. So John is left with this guilt and fear to content with. How he succeeds (or not) in doing this .....well, read the novel and find out.

So here you have it. A book to suit whatever time of day you desire. I hope that at least one of them strikes your interest and who knows you may end up reading. Anything is possible!