Locke and Key Vol. 1 to 3 - Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez

Best comic to have come out in the last few years, surely (ok, I don't read that many). Very reminiscent of Hill's dad, and not just because it's about a haunted house in New England. It's got that perfect balance between human drama and supernatural shenanigans. The characters are, without exception, deep and relateable. Themes of childhood and adolescence (kids and teenagers are running the show while the adults struggle along as best they can) shine through with just the right emphasis between the awesome, magic-imbued action scenes. Can't wait for the next one!

The Shining - Stephen King

I flew through the first half then slowed right down. More than any other Stephen King novel, it impressed me far more with the human stuff, the characters and their relationships and pasts and states of mind, than with the supernatural stuff. In fact the film did a much better job of being scary. Hedge animals coming to life is not very scary at all. Still a very good book. Confirms again my view that King should be read as simply a writer, not a horror writer.