Next - Michael Crichton

I like Michael Crichton, obviously. My only complaint about this book was the volume of characters it follows around. I listened to this on audiobook while doing lab work, and I believe that was the only reason this mattered. I can keep large cast books straight. I think it was the fact that I was only half-paying attention that caused the, "Wait, who is this dude again?"
A fun idea, but his genetic advancements were a little out of sync with all the other tech advancements.  Character design were ok.  Flow was very good.  As I have noticed with his books, incredibly satisfying at the end when all the right people get theirs.
Overall, I would say it's a good read, but not life-altering.

Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf

This book sucks. Don't read it. Pointless, vapid, meandering.... bluhh.... This is my first Virginia Woolf book. Let's just say she went WAY down on my "To Read" list after this. Boring as hell with the entirety of the subject matter being people remembering useless things about other people.
I'll repeat: Don't read this!

The Vampire Lestat - Anne Rice (Vampire Chronicles, Bk 2)

I am impressed with Rice's ability to write something that feels modern, but perfectly captures the feeling of the gothic horror era (which I think of as about 1890-1940 ish, for no reason cause I"m not a literary historian). That fine line between horror and awe. I enjoyed this book, however the pace did slow too much in a few spots, but it was completely worth it to continue.  I like her ideas, and she presents them in a well-designed manner. I am certainly going to continue onto the next book!

The Shining - Stephen King

This book is SOOOO much better than the movie.  That is my general rule, but this is, perhaps, the best example. This is the only Stephen King movie I've seen before reading the book.  The book makes so much more sense! And I absolutely agree with Stephen King that the end of the movie was stupid! Very stupid! Compared to what he wrote? Stupid. WHY would you change something to make it worse?
Remember this is one of his earlier books and written when he was on a lot of drugs. Good, not my favorite by him, but ideal as a middle-ground book for him if you'd like to test out your preference (or not) for King's work.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

A great book if you have a hard time getting through normal non-fiction/how-to manuals.  King mushes it all together, story, plot, actual writing recommendations... It's easy to get through.
However, the actual information of it is light. If you're hardcore about wanting to know the precise formula, you will be disappointed.  I, on the other hand, who learn by observing others, thought it was perfect because that's essentially what King does; runs through his own thought process in how he comes up with his ideas and brings them to life.
I plan to re-read this if I ever get a fully-fleshed out first draft of my book (or 2 or 3).

Reminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefèvre

This is an old book. I did not realize how old it was until I started reading. That being said, I believe it is timeless and still 100% relevant to today.  I would recommend this book to anyone who has even the slightest interest in any high-risk investments or markets.  However, if you don't have the time for a whole book (just do audio book because everyone has time for that) the take home message is: Get smart, put in the long hours of studying, and once you know your stuff, don't be swayed by rumors, tips, or your idiot brain. Keep cool and rely only on your smarts and your numbers.

Wolves of the Calla - Stephen King (Dark Tower Series, Bk 5)

A good story, but it didn't really advance much in the general arc of the overall story purpose.  We have our characters trying to make it to the dark tower, but this entire book was spent helping some village people repel and destroy unknown raiders who show up and steal children, which is a good story, but I don't see how it did anything to further the actually getting to the dark tower.  It's a giant cross-over with Salem's Lot and has some funny pop references. It's more of a stand alone book. You could read this whole story without really needing the other books, except for possibly setting up the style of the series, which is really weird.
Overall: good, but totally unnecessary