Stephen King: A Constant Reader's Thread

[OK_Ant]

Originally Posted by scrock25

Also, while certainly not in the 300-500 page range, Under The Dome is a really fantastic book and a lightning quick read.

I think this one has my favourite ending for one of his longer books. Although Insomnia's is pretty excellent, too.

[ricky towel]

Starting Billy Summers today.

[clayj41]

Originally Posted by clayj41

https://gifer.com/en/1xxD

I actually plan on starting The Shining next month. I'm timing it so I can finish up while staying at The Stanley Hotel in late October.

I had no trouble pacing myself (10-20 pgs/night) until I got to Part Four: Snowbound. Now I'm constantly tempted to finish it in one sitting. Still planning on leaving 50-60 pages for my stay on 10/27 though.

[BTBaboon]

Originally Posted by clayj41

I had no trouble pacing myself (10-20 pgs/night) until I got to Part Four: Snowbound. Now I'm constantly tempted to finish it in one sitting. Still planning on leaving 50-60 pages for my stay on 10/27 though.

Good on you for pacing yourself.

I’m pretty sure I read it over a weekend. Couldn’t put it down.

[bradshaw06]

Started a re-read of the shining other day as a break between book 3 and 4 of the dark tower. Amazing how much small subtle creepy stuff happens before theyre even in the hotel alone.

[clayj41]

Originally Posted by BTBaboon

Good on you for pacing yourself.

I’m pretty sure I read it over a weekend. Couldn’t put it down.

I started reading it on 9/18, and I'm currently on page 260-something. Not that I haven't wanted to finish it up until now, but it's become increasingly difficult since the shit really started hitting the fan.

I could have definitely seen myself finishing it in a weekend if I wasn't deliberately taking my time.

[BTBaboon]

Originally Posted by clayj41

I started reading it on 9/18, and I'm currently on page 260-something. Not that I haven't wanted to finish it up until now, but it's become increasingly difficult since the shit really started hitting the fan.

I could have definitely seen myself finishing it in a weekend if I wasn't deliberately taking my time.

Yeah, The Shining was a book that just completely sucked me in and I couldn't put it down. The Stand was similar (though that took a few weeks to finish). A non-king book that did the same was Crichton's Sphere. Excellent book.

[bradshaw06]

Originally Posted by BTBaboon

Yeah, The Shining was a book that just completely sucked me in and I couldn't put it down. The Stand was similar (though that took a few weeks to finish). A non-king book that did the same was Crichton's Sphere. Excellent book.

Agreed on both counts. Sphere is one of my favorite books btw . Was going to mention in previous post how Blaine reminds me of Jerry in sphere.

[8nalive]

I enjoyed Chricton's Sphere, Andromeda Strain and Next. Timeline was my favorite. The movie was not good, though. Do you guys like Kurt Vonnegut? I have not read one of his books in a very long time. I remember reading Slaughterhouse-Five and Galapagos.

Listening to New York Times Bestseller
Fortitude: American Resilience in the Era of Outrage
By: Dan Crenshaw

[8nalive]

Originally Posted by DMBstandUP1984

For sure. Thanks

I was just given the book, Calico Joe by John Grisham and was told it is good

It is a baseball book

[BTBaboon]

Closing in on the finale, now. Started DT7 last night. Here's my DT reading in order:

11/22/63
It
The Shining
Doctor Sleep
‘Salem’s Lot
The Stand
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
The Eyes of the Dragon
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
“The Little Sisters of Eluria” (short story)
Insomnia
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole
“Everything’s Eventual” (short story)
Hearts in Atlantis (full collection of short stories)
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla
“The Reploids” (short story)
From a Buick 8
The Talisman
The Dark Tower VI: Songs of Susannah
“Ur” (short story)
Bag of Bones
Black House

The first 4 listed are great books (well, Doctor Sleep is a bit hit or miss), but not very Tower related. While they only scrape the surface, they're a nice intro to King's worlds and warmed me up to what I was about to embark on.

If I was doing it over again, I'd probably rearrange and edit the list to begin with Eyes of the Dragon and then Gunslinger (or maybe vice-versa), then The Stand, and move 'Salem's to somewhere later on but before Dark Tower V. I'd cut From a Buick 8, but would probably leave in Bag of Bones and Ur (which are not often in DT reading lists).

So far my favorite in-series book was The Drawing of Three. My favorite from outside the series was The Stand. The most underrated of either in or out of the series was either Insomnia or The Talisman. One other word of advice - don’t skip the short stories! Especially Hearts in Atlantis - each of them are a great tale and the first (Low Men in Yellow Coats) is hugely DT involved.

Kinda don't want the series to end, but I've made it this far!

[Tiduwho]

Outsider here, I am generally familiar that The Dark Tower series is comically long and convoluted. However. I thought that was just the titled books themselves.

Are you saying those other books are tangentially related or take place in the same "world"?

[BTBaboon]

Originally Posted by Tiduwho

Outsider here, I am generally familiar that The Dark Tower series is comically long and convoluted. However. I thought that was just the titled books themselves.

Are you saying those other books are tangentially related or take place in the same "world"?

I don't know if I'd say "comically long" - it's 7 books + 1 novella in the series-proper. It's about the same page length as the 7 Harry Potter books in total, and I wouldn't say those are comically long. But it's definitely a trek in its own right, and if you pack on the expanded works, it's a haul (but worth it, IMO).

But yes, the other books (and, perhaps his entire set of works) fall within the same universe/multi-verse, and the Tower stands at the center. The critical books to the Tower series are The Stand (perhaps my favorite of his), Insomnia, 'Salem's Lot, and Black House (along with its prequel, The Talisman, which I guess is optional but is a great read). The short stories are just nice quick hitters that connect to the main story told in DT books 1-7. You could read any of the non-series works without ever needing to read a page of the actual series.

You could read books 1-7, skip the novella and all the side works, and still enjoy the series just fine, too. But where's the fun in that!?

[OK_Ant]

An updated list of everything I've read by King.

NOVELS

1974 Carrie
1975 ‘Salem's Lot
1977 The Shining
1978 The Stand
1979 The Dead Zone
1980 Firestarter
1981 Cujo
1983 Christine
1983 Pet Sematary
1986 IT
1987 Misery
1987 The Eyes of the Dragon
1988 The Tommyknockers
1989 The Dark Half
1991 Needful Things
1992 Gerald's Game
1993 Dolores Claiborne
1994 Insomnia
1995 Rose Madder
1996 Desperation
1996 The Green Mile
1998 Bag of Bones
1999 The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
2001 Dreamcatcher
2002 From a Buick 8
2005 The Colorado Kid
2006 Cell
2006 Lisey's Story
2008 Duma Key
2009 Under the Dome
2011 11/22/63
2013 Joyland
2013 Doctor Sleep
2014 Revival
2018 The Outsider
2019 The Institute
2021 Later
2021 Billy Summers

THE DARK TOWER SERIES

1982 I: The Gunslinger
1987 II: The Drawing of the Three
1991 III: The Waste Lands
1997 IV: Wizard and Glass
2003 V: Wolves of the Calla
2004 VI: Song of Susannah
2004 VII: The Dark Tower
2012 The Wind Through the Keyhole

BILL HODGES TRILOGY

2014 Mr. Mercedes
2015 Finders Keepers
2016 End of Watch

COLLECTIONS

1978 Night Shift
1982 Different Seasons
1985 Skeleton Crew
1990 Four Past Midnight
1993 Nightmares & Dreamscapes
1999 Hearts in Atlantis
2002 Everything’s Eventual
2008 Just After Sunset
2010 Full Dark, No Stars
2015 The Bazaar of Bad Dreams
2020 If it Bleeds

MISCELLANEOUS

1983 Cycle of the Werewolf (short story)
1999 Storm of the Century (screenplay)
2000 The Plant, Book 1: Zenith Rising (unfinished novel)
2009 Throttle (w/ Joe Hill) (short story)
2012 A Face in the Crowd (w/ Stewart O’Nan) (short story)
2012 In the Tall Grass (w/ Joe Hill) (novella)
2016 Charlie the Choo-Choo: From the world of The Dark Tower (writing as ‘Beryl Evans’) (picture book)
2017 Gwendy's Button Box (w/ Richard Chizmar) (novella)
2017 Sleeping Beauties (w/ Owen King) (novel)
2018 Elevation (novella)

as RICHARD BACHMAN

1977 Rage
1979 The Long Walk
1981 Roadwork
1982 The Running Man
1984 Thinner
1996 The Regulators
2007 Blaze

w/ PETER STRAUB

1984 The Talisman
2001 Black House

NON-FICTION

1981 Danse Macabre
2000 On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
2004 Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season (w/ Stewart O’Nan)
2013 Guns: A Kindle Single (essay)

UNCOLLECTED SHORT STORIES

1960 The Hotel at the End of the Road
1960 I’ve Got to Get Away
1960 The Other Side of the Fog
1960 Never Look Behind You (w/ Chris Chelsey)
1960 The Thing at the Bottom of the Well
1960 The Cursed Expedition
1960 The Stranger
1967 The Glass Floor
1970 Slade
1971 The Blue Air Compressor
1976 Weeds
1978 The Night of the Tiger
1978 Man with a Belly
1979 The Crate
1988 The Reploids
2016 Cookie Jar
2016 The Music Room
2018 Laurie
2018 The Turbulence Expert
2020 The Fifth Step
2020 On Slide Inn Road
2021 Red Screen

[DMBstandUP1984]

Originally Posted by 8nalive

I was just given the book, Calico Joe by John Grisham and was told it is good

It is a baseball book

Thanks I’ll check it out.

Been doing the library a lot and grabbing older books

[kelchlsm]

Originally Posted by OK_Ant

An updated list of everything I've read by King.

NOVELS

1974 Carrie
1975 ‘Salem's Lot
1977 The Shining
1978 The Stand
1979 The Dead Zone
1980 Firestarter
1981 Cujo
1983 Christine
1983 Pet Sematary
1986 IT
1987 Misery
1987 The Eyes of the Dragon
1988 The Tommyknockers
1989 The Dark Half
1991 Needful Things
1992 Gerald's Game
1993 Dolores Claiborne
1994 Insomnia
1995 Rose Madder
1996 Desperation
1996 The Green Mile
1998 Bag of Bones
1999 The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
2001 Dreamcatcher
2002 From a Buick 8
2005 The Colorado Kid
2006 Cell
2006 Lisey's Story
2008 Duma Key
2009 Under the Dome
2011 11/22/63
2013 Joyland
2013 Doctor Sleep
2014 Revival
2018 The Outsider
2019 The Institute
2021 Later
2021 Billy Summers

THE DARK TOWER SERIES

1982 I: The Gunslinger
1987 II: The Drawing of the Three
1991 III: The Waste Lands
1997 IV: Wizard and Glass
2003 V: Wolves of the Calla
2004 VI: Song of Susannah
2004 VII: The Dark Tower
2012 The Wind Through the Keyhole

BILL HODGES TRILOGY

2014 Mr. Mercedes
2015 Finders Keepers
2016 End of Watch

COLLECTIONS

1978 Night Shift
1982 Different Seasons
1985 Skeleton Crew
1990 Four Past Midnight
1993 Nightmares & Dreamscapes
1999 Hearts in Atlantis
2002 Everything’s Eventual
2008 Just After Sunset
2010 Full Dark, No Stars
2015 The Bazaar of Bad Dreams
2020 If it Bleeds

MISCELLANEOUS

1983 Cycle of the Werewolf (short story)
1999 Storm of the Century (screenplay)
2000 The Plant, Book 1: Zenith Rising (unfinished novel)
2009 Throttle (w/ Joe Hill) (short story)
2012 A Face in the Crowd (w/ Stewart O’Nan) (short story)
2012 In the Tall Grass (w/ Joe Hill) (novella)
2016 Charlie the Choo-Choo: From the world of The Dark Tower (writing as ‘Beryl Evans’) (picture book)
2017 Gwendy's Button Box (w/ Richard Chizmar) (novella)
2017 Sleeping Beauties (w/ Owen King) (novel)
2018 Elevation (novella)

as RICHARD BACHMAN

1977 Rage
1979 The Long Walk
1981 Roadwork
1982 The Running Man
1984 Thinner
1996 The Regulators
2007 Blaze

w/ PETER STRAUB

1984 The Talisman
2001 Black House

NON-FICTION

1981 Danse Macabre
2000 On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
2004 Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season (w/ Stewart O’Nan)
2013 Guns: A Kindle Single (essay)

UNCOLLECTED SHORT STORIES

1960 The Hotel at the End of the Road
1960 I’ve Got to Get Away
1960 The Other Side of the Fog
1960 Never Look Behind You (w/ Chris Chelsey)
1960 The Thing at the Bottom of the Well
1960 The Cursed Expedition
1960 The Stranger
1967 The Glass Floor
1970 Slade
1971 The Blue Air Compressor
1976 Weeds
1978 The Night of the Tiger
1978 Man with a Belly
1979 The Crate
1988 The Reploids
2016 Cookie Jar
2016 The Music Room
2018 Laurie
2018 The Turbulence Expert
2020 The Fifth Step
2020 On Slide Inn Road
2021 Red Screen

You couldve just said youve read every book and it wouldve been faster

[clayj41]

I burned through the following my junior/senior years of high school:

Bag of Bones
Cujo
Desperation
Dreamcatcher
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
The Green Mile
Needful Things (first King book I read)

I also started The Tommyknockers, but I lost interest pretty early on. Other than that I've only read IT prior to the new films being released, and of course I'll finish The Shining in a week's time.

I have a lot of catching up to do.

[OK_Ant]

Originally Posted by kelchlsm

You couldve just said youve read every book and it wouldve been faster

It's from an MS Word doc I keep. Besides, that list may be a good reference for folks.

[BTBaboon]

Originally Posted by OK_Ant

I keep a running MS Word doc. Besides, that list may be a good reference for folks.

Are there any King books that you haven’t read that you plan to?

Any that you’ve read multiple times?

[OK_Ant]

Cover art for upcoming Gwendy's Final Task collaboration w/ Richard Chizmar.

http://www.liljas-library.com/img/ot...n_schuster.jpg

I still need to read Chizmar's instalment, book 2 Gwendy's Magic Feather.

[OK_Ant]

BTBaboon,

I've reread many of the short stories and novellas numerous times.

As for novels? Pet Sematary, The Eyes of the Dragon, The Green Mile, most of the Bachman books, Needful Things all come to mind.

I plan on reading Revival again soon.

I also reread sections of novels sometimes.

[OK_Ant]

As for stuff I want to read, aside from upcoming books, there's this unfinished novel he put some parts of out a few years ago, called The Cannibals. It formed the basis for what became Under the Dome. I need to finally get into it.

https://stephenking.com/works/unpubl...cannibals.html

[clayj41]

So I finished the last 40ish pages of The Shining at 5 a.m. this morning while sitting in front of a blaring fireplace in the lobby of The Stanley Hotel, which was fully decked out in Halloween decorations. I felt like the only “living” soul in the building. Highly recommended experience.

[ExistenceNow]

Originally Posted by OK_Ant

BTBaboon,

I've reread many of the short stories and novellas numerous times.

As for novels? Pet Sematary, The Eyes of the Dragon, The Green Mile, most of the Bachman books, Needful Things all come to mind.

I plan on reading Revival again soon.

I also reread sections of novels sometimes.

I've false started on Revival like five times. Currently trying again to read it after having finished Later.

[OK_Ant]

Originally Posted by ExistenceNow

I've false started on Revival like five times. Currently trying again to read it after having finished Later.

I think of Revival like I think of Pet Sematary; the horror creeps in and then is never far behind the characters.

Revival was inspired by Arthur Machen's The Great God Pan and H.P. Lovecraft, so maybe read some of that?

[cjstinelli]

Reading Full Dark, No Stars. 1922 was good, Big Driver is really dark so far.

[OK_Ant]

Originally Posted by cjstinelli

Reading Full Dark, No Stars. 1922 was good, Big Driver is really dark so far.

A great collection. Fair Extension is dark comedy gold.

[ricky towel]

Billy Summers was a pretty damn good book.

[scrock25]

Originally Posted by ricky towel

Billy Summers was a pretty damn good book.

I started it and it’s been a couple weeks since I picked it up. No reason regarding the book itself, but I need to pick it up again.

[cjstinelli]

Looking for a quick read....starting Joyland today.