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Just finished it. It is really wonderful and good. It doesn't really fit with the hard case crimes theme and that through me off quite a bit for most of it, don't expect to get hard boiled noir, that being said its way better than the Colorado kid. I'm on my phone so I can't do it justice, but if you liked his more personal stuff like the body,green mile, shawshank, even the Kennedy book, you are in for a treat. I'm sad it's over.
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Jun 6, 2013 23:36
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Roydrowsy posted:Just finished it. That's exactly what I want and it's $10 cheaper than Joe Hill's new book. I might actually get to finish reading a book! I always loved his descriptions of people and how realistic he writes them, excepting his weird vernacular for teenagers.
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Jun 6, 2013 23:47
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I haven't felt like digging it out of my shelf, but I know in the back of one of his books there's an essay (?) that he wrote about his kid's Little League season and traveling with the team. Is it worth finding and reading?
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Jun 7, 2013 03:50
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Tojai posted:I haven't felt like digging it out of my shelf, but I know in the back of one of his books there's an essay (?) that he wrote about his kid's Little League season and traveling with the team. Is it worth finding and reading? I remember reading that when it first came out as a New Yorker Magazine piece. King is very good when he does non-fiction in general, and I remember enjoying it but thinking it was awfully long for a magazine article. Then again, I've never been a huge baseball fan, so your mileage may vary. It's probably worth it just for the peek into his life and his own love of baseball. Edit: actually I misremembered...I didn't read it when it first came out, I read it in the New Yorker archives some years later. I wasn't even a subscriber when it first came out. It was later published in Nightmares and Dreamscapes. Pheeets fucked around with this message at 04:58 on Jun 7, 2013 |
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Jun 7, 2013 04:54
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I'm a little less than a third of the way through Joyland, and I'm really enjoying it. It really isn't noir-ish or hard boiled, but it's still a good read so far. Nothing crazy has happened, but when Mrs. Shoplaw is telling a story in the beginning, I thought the the maintenance man walking through the scare house after hours and seeing the murdered girl's ghost reach for him was pretty creepy and paused to imagine what'd that be like. It's a brief scene, but it gets the creepy idea planted. So far it's good, and I'm planning to finish reading it this weekend. Then after that, I may read Firestarter. I haven't read it yet, but the general consensus here seems to be that it's good, but the middle drags on. I just want to give it a try since it seems to go unmentioned quite often in this thread. The last King book I read was The Dead Zone, which was amazing. I find it frustrating that the book is sold as 'a psychic planning an assassination', which is really only the last, what, 50, maybe 100 pages? It's really just a great portrait of a guy that loses so much time from his life from a coma and doesn't even connect with the world around him. His father's depressed but making the best of his life, his mother's a lunatic, and the girl of his dreams has a whole new life without him. It's really heartbreaking. Sure, there's the whole serial killer thing with weird phallic issues. Also, I was prepared to write the whole psychic abilities thing as hokey, but was happily surprised to find it was handled extremely well and I didn't find myself rolling my eyes. So yeah, The Dead Zone was awesome.
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Jun 8, 2013 00:26
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Franchescanado posted:
Yeah I really loved the Dead Zone, and the psychic abilities are done in a way that really evokes sympathy for the main character in a way King books rarely do. It's easily one of my favorites.
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Jun 8, 2013 21:39
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Just finished Joyland, by the end I was absorbed, fantastic read and gutted that it only took a day to finish. Recommended!
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Jun 9, 2013 13:40
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Yeah, I picked that up from the library and burned through it in a couple of days. Best thing I've read of King's in a long, long time.
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Jun 10, 2013 20:10
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I wish there was some way to see some of the movies he lets people make for next to nothing. I'm sure 90% are terrible, but every time I look him up on IMDB I get excited about a story being adapted and then realize I'll never see it. Hopefully Under The Dome turns out better than Bag of Bones.
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Jun 10, 2013 22:11
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Ariza posted:I wish there was some way to see some of the movies he lets people make for next to nothing. I'm sure 90% are terrible, but every time I look him up on IMDB I get excited about a story being adapted and then realize I'll never see it. Hopefully Under The Dome turns out better than Bag of Bones. I believe it was an extra on a specials DVD included with some random Home Theater magazine way back when. I know it was available via :files: for a while but I haven't seen a copy in ages.
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Jun 10, 2013 23:32
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iostream.h posted:The best one ever, bar none, was the short adaptation of 'Paranoid: a Chant'. Thanks for that, I never thought to look for that one. It was included with Total Movie magazine which is now out of business. That was pretty interesting. I'd like for Mr. King to allow them to be released on the internet legally someday, but I'm sure there's a huge pile of licensing and royalty issues associated with such an endeavor. I bought Joyland and Dead Zone yesterday from Amazon due to the last 2 pages and I'm pretty damned excited to read them.
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Jun 11, 2013 00:22
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The Dead Zone is awesome. I read it expecting a fun throwaway King novel and was pleasantly surprised witha character study of a guy that loses years of his life to a turn of bad luck. The mentality that it's a collection of short novellas centered around that theme is on-point. Great book! Joyland is awesome too. I still have 60 pages left, though. Still, it's a great read. I'm going on a week long guy trip. None of my friends read. I want to bring a book of scary stories to read around a campfire. Should I bring Skeleton Crew, or Night Shift? Any specific story ideas to read? (Or any other collections, doesn't have to be specifically King.)
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Jun 11, 2013 04:58
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Franchescanado posted:I'm going on a week long guy trip. None of my friends read. I want to bring a book of scary stories to read around a campfire. Should I bring Skeleton Crew, or Night Shift? Any specific story ideas to read? (Or any other collections, doesn't have to be specifically King.)
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Jun 11, 2013 05:21
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Stephen King plans specifically to never release an ebook version of Joyland Well, there goes that, then.
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Jun 11, 2013 15:48
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ProfessorProf posted:Stephen King plans specifically to never release an ebook version of Joyland Sucks, I was wanting to pick up a copy for my birthday. Instead I bought NOS4A2 and Heart-Shaped Box, they seemed pretty well received within the thread. About halfway through Heart-Shaped Box now and I'm quite enjoying it. It's been a long time since I read something that gave me the heebie-jeebies like this is.
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Jun 11, 2013 16:25
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I've only read King sporadically over the years but recently inherited a small stack of his books. Recently I've read 11/22/63, Misery, The Green Mile and currently working my way through Pet Semetary (I made sure to skip the loofah handy scene). I also have Dolores Claiborne, Carrie and Firestarter. What's the general consensus on Dolores Claiborne? I'm thinking of reading that one next.
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Jun 12, 2013 04:13
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MissConduct posted:I'm thinking of reading that one next. Don't.
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Jun 12, 2013 04:15
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MissConduct posted:I've only read King sporadically over the years but recently inherited a small stack of his books. Carrier is classic, but firestarter is one of my favorites.
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Jun 12, 2013 04:28
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ProfessorProf posted:Stephen King plans specifically to never release an ebook version of Joyland That kind of sucks. I live abroad and can't easily get English printed books and when I can get them they are expensive. Oh well, looks like I'll have to stop by my local book store when I get some time. Cross your fingers for me.
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Jun 12, 2013 05:01
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oldpainless posted:Don't. I actually kind of like that one. The written Maine dialect is a bit strange, but if you're looking for slightly more realistic King, that one's mostly believable. In any case, I'd suggest Firestarter next.
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Jun 12, 2013 06:42
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May I ask why it's considered to be so awful? I recall liking the movie though I know that book to movie translations aren't always accurate and I'm sure there's a lot of stuff in the book that didn't make it on screen. I've lurked this thread some and I already know not to read Gerald's Game from the comments made so it's going in the Goodwill pile. I'm rather enjoying Pet Semetary. The Timmy Baterman scene was the most terrifying thing so far. I have a question: Does Louis and Ellie "shine" like Danny Torrence? It seems like in the King universe people who shine can communicate with the dead or are in touch with the spirit world in some way.
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Jun 13, 2013 03:29
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It's never outright stated that they shine but considering how interconnected King's works are I wouldn't be surprised if they have a bit of the shining. Pet Sematary is one of my top three favourite King novels. If you like it I'd suggest Firestarter next since it's from around the same era.
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Jun 17, 2013 11:55
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An Cat Dubh posted:If you like it I'd suggest Firestarter next since it's from around the same era. The second movie is worth it for the Malcolm McDowell.
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Jun 17, 2013 19:11
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I'm reading IT just after finishing NOS4A2, neat to see all the common elements. Enjoying it (IT that is) tremendously more than NOS4A2, if only because it's actually scary.
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Jun 17, 2013 21:01
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Finished Joyland over the weekend. Very enjoyable quick read. It has one major King trope: a kid in a wheelchair that "shines", but I found him likeable. And no bizarre sex scenes. I also enjoyed the ending (it's predictable, but done well). Plenty of closure. I recommend it. Also, I know some readers are upset about the paperback-only release. I like the fact that he's all for physical copies, but is it really such a pain to go to a store and buy a copy? I was in a small town in North Carolina last week (population 1,400), and the grocery store there had copies, so I can't imagine it being hard to find. And it's only $12. I'm taking a break now to read a Bill Bryson book, but after I'd like another fun horror. What's more enjoyable: Firestarter or Joe's Horns?
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Jun 17, 2013 21:19
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Franchescanado posted:Finished Joyland over the weekend. Very enjoyable quick read. It has one major King trope: a kid in a wheelchair thaIt's"shines", but I found him likeable. And no bizatraex scenes. I alsenkoy the ending (it's predictable, but done well). Plenty of closure. I recommend it. Its not that it's a pain. Lots of people prefer the reading experience on kindle
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Jun 17, 2013 21:53
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Drunk Tomato posted:Its not that it's a pain. Lots of people prefer the reading experience on kindle I'm trying to get away from physical books for years. I have far too many. They're huge, they're heavy, and they take up tons of space. Five-ish years ago, I had twelve, 4-foot shelves stacked full of books two deep. Now I'm down to half that, mostly books that don't exist in ebook format or I'm too cheap to buy again. Plus the Dresden Files because I'm crazy for the series and like the way they look.  I've replaced hundreds of real books with hundreds of kindle books. I almost never buy anything in Dead Tree format anymore. And I won't be buying Joyland unless it comes to kindle.
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Jun 17, 2013 23:20
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iostream.h posted:The best one ever, bar none, was the short adaptation of 'Paranoid: a Chant'. Ariza posted:Thanks for that, I never thought to look for that one. It was included with Total Movie magazine which is now out of business. That was pretty interesting. I'd like for Mr. King to allow them to be released on the internet legally someday, but I'm sure there's a huge pile of licensing and royalty issues associated with such an endeavor. I bought Joyland and Dead Zone yesterday from Amazon due to the last 2 pages and I'm pretty damned excited to read them. Never really thought about it but I've got a copy of the Total Movie disk and I uploaded the video to youtube 7 years ago. It's still up there. No one has ever bothered me about it. It's crappy quality cuz I didn't know what I was doing back then and the source materiel wasn't great either. But it's there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pMwSqqc9Ws
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Jun 18, 2013 01:42
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ConfusedUs posted:I'm trying to get away from physical books for years. I have far too many. They're huge, they're heavy, and they take up tons of space. Same, I just prefer to buy books on the Kindle, I haven't gotten rid of any books yet but my bookshelves are full and it's nice having lots of books without taking up space. Plus I've been reading myself to sleep for years and I like having the Kindle and not having to keep anyone up if I'm reading. I'm not trying to make it a hill to die on or anything, I just know I won't get it if it's not on the Kindle.
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Jun 18, 2013 02:59
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I guess I'll get Joyland off of Audible. Good job saving paper books, Steve. 
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Jun 18, 2013 03:26
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UltimoDragonQuest posted:I guess I'll get Joyland off of Audible. He got burnt pretty bad by The Plant. We all did really. 
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Jun 18, 2013 04:02
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I finished NOS4A2 a couple weeks ago, and I hate to say it but I was not overly impressed. As others have said it was a good 300-page book stretched out to make a 700-page book. I wished there had been more about Vic traveling via the shortway, and a lot less about Bing and his weird mommy fetish, among other things. The anthropomorphic car gimmick wasn't very well done and it just didn't really carry the story very well. I also felt like the ending was way too rushed and over-the-top, and the epilogue was almost ludicrous in its resolution. Tabitha as a love interest was weird too, given that his mom is Tabitha King Did anyone else notice that there is a section at the end called "Note On The Type", which in most books is a paragraph about the typeface used to set the book, but here it's actually a small postscript to the story? It was left out of the Kindle edtion but you can see it if you look up the hardcover on Amazon and use the "Look Inside" function - you have to go to the back flap then page back from there.
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Jun 18, 2013 05:16
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Thanks for the answers, Goons. I went ahead and purchased "IT" for my Nook upon a recommendation from my mom who's a big King fan and I'm plowing through that. I'll do "Firestarter" next upon the recommendation. An Cat Dubh: I had to digest Pet Semetary for a while. It was a wonderful tale and all kinds of sad. Pet Semetary thoughts: I think Jud was grooming Louis to take his place. Perhaps he didn't know it or if he did, he couldn't help himself. I also think the burial ground's real evil was the temptation of having the power to resurrect the dead as in knowing you can. I'd guess that in order for the power's hold to be broken, you'd have to never give into that desire or groom anyone to take your place and let it pass out of knowledge. Did the evil want Gage dead to tempt Louis? As for Timmy Baterman, Gage and Jud: It was never said what Timmy told him but Gage told him that Norma cheated on him and liked anal sex etc. Going off Jud's account of Baterman, the zombie-people seem to know the dark secrets of everyone so did Baterman tell Jud that was Norma really wild in the sack but he didn't want to tell Louis that? Poor Gage. I'd seen the movie but had to put the book down for a day after Louis's football analogy of not being able to reach his son in time. It was upsetting and normally death in books don't get to me. Speaking of Norma, I was poking around King's official message board and found an interesting post speculating about Norma Crandall. I don't have much to say about "Misery" except that I enjoyed the way it was written. King certainly knows how to write harrowing and uncomfortable page turners. Oh and Annie is one of the most hosed-up characters I've ever read.  Are all of King's stories related or have Dark Tower tie-ins? I like how King seems to approach most of his characters (or at least what I read so far) as realistic, complex, relatable people that are thrown into extraordinary situations. I know he's written some stinkers (which author hasn't?) but he characterizes people really well and I appreciate that.
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Jun 19, 2013 01:36
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MissConduct posted:Are all of King's stories related or have Dark Tower tie-ins? Not all, but many.  Here is a flow chart someone made of connections between books that doesn't include the Dark Tower, and here is another that does include the Dark Tower. Potential spoilers, obviously.Images are not , I just put the tags there for those using SALR with links that autoconvert to images.
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Jun 19, 2013 02:56
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Those flowcharts are awesome.
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Jun 19, 2013 03:34
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MissConduct posted:Speaking of Norma, I was poking around King's official message board and found an interesting post speculating about Norma Crandall.
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Jun 19, 2013 04:19
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Greggy posted:That's a really interesting theory. I'll have to re-read Pet Semetary soon with that in mind. I was thinking the same thing.
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Jun 19, 2013 04:23
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The Berzerker posted:Not all, but many. Sweet. Thanks. Guess I'll have to read The Dark Tower now.
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Jun 19, 2013 04:28
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MissConduct posted:Sweet. Thanks. please do and talk about it in the dt thread!!
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Jun 19, 2013 04:31
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I haven't read Pet Sematary since becoming a parent. I'm sure it would be a much different experience reading it now. I hope you enjoy It MissConduct. It's in my top three along with Pet Sematary and The Stand.
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Jun 19, 2013 12:29
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