Just finished 11.22.63 by King and have to say this is one of my favourites by him so far. (Still a few books to go though)
Just finished 11.22.63 by King and have to say this is one of my favourites by him so far. (Still a few books to go though)
Good call. One of the reasons I cringe when someone foolish says something like "King has not written anything good in a decade".Originally Posted by Kraken
seeking: anything DT related #246
ANYTHING DT Related #246
Dead Zone First Edition F/F or NF/NF
Excellent book.
You don't know my kind.....You don't my mind.....Dark necessities are part of my design.....
Couldn't agree more. It’s making me think to look for the S/L which would be my first foray into the Signed Limited world.
I finished Mr. Mercedes a few weeks ago. Not quite one of his classics, but I quite enjoyed it: propulsive all the way through, no meaningful spoilers, good tension, good characters, good ending. I much preferred this to The Institute (for comparison to the only other King novel I'd recently read).
It seems I'm miles above the surface of the Earth
I can see across the whole of London and beyond
I recently read Finders Keepers. I was very pleased to see that it wasn't a cookie cutter copy of Mr. Mercedes, with Hodges just facing off with someone new as with Brady in MM; the story was quite different, and Hodges' involvement felt very organic.
What was similar to MM was all the important stuff: high quality story, no trouble with the ending, good tension, the energy remained high and kept me engaged throughout. Very enjoyable read.
It seems I'm miles above the surface of the Earth
I can see across the whole of London and beyond
I'm now about 300 pages into End Of Watch and so far, so good: I'm enjoying this just as much as Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers. While I am certain King could make a success of a formulaic PI mystery, I like that he continues the tale without being a copy of either earlier novel.
It seems I'm miles above the surface of the Earth
I can see across the whole of London and beyond
Mr Mercedes is probably favorite of the 3 and End of Watch the least favorite. Finders Keepers could have basically been a stand alone.
You don't know my kind.....You don't my mind.....Dark necessities are part of my design.....
Finished my first Uncut Stand read. Now i feel it necessary to re-read the Original just to be able to make a conscious decision on which edition is better.Tonight I begin a special re-read. I am embarking on reading the Stand, uncut in the middle of this pandemic lockdown! crazy huh?
I dont believe I have ever read the uncut version before and it's certainly possible that I have not read the Stand since I was a teenager. It is hard for me to remember my early King reading history. I do remember being enraptured by the Stand when I first read it. It really knocked my socks off.
and now I am off to experience the Dark Chest of Wonders
Wanted
CD Carrie Portfolio 719
Dark Tower S/N LE's 171 or 203
ANY Stephen King S/N LE #171 or 719
A Storm of Swords #218 or 346
Ancillary Justice #455
American Gods (+ SC Reader copy) #624
Michael Whelan original art
DT VII: Michael Whelan Remarque
Interesting that you read the longer one first (I did the opposite a few years ago).Finished my first Uncut Stand read. Now i feel it necessary to re-read the Original just to be able to make a conscious decision on which edition is better.
As to which you'll prefer:
- originalists tend to prefer the initial abridged work because it is The Stand and not The New Uncut Stand, in a technical sense
- those that believe that within every deep novel longer than 600 pages lurks a "tight" 350 page supernovel just waiting to be brought out of the stone (so to speak) also prefer the initial release
- many that like King for what he is (capable of occasional loooong things that warrant the length) prefer the uncut version
As for me, I have an attention span, understand what King is, and detest abridgments, so yes, I prefer the uncut edition. But I can honestly say I didn't arrive at that conclusion through application of the logic laid out here; I just like it better with more sprawl, the characters and events warrant it and soak it right up.
It seems I'm miles above the surface of the Earth
I can see across the whole of London and beyond
No i actually read the Original version many years ago. I had just never read the uncut version until i began reading the Uncut for the first time a month ago. I enjoyed the Uncut version but then got to thinking what exactly were the differences? I am pretty blessed that i tend to forget books after a certain amount of time has passed, so upon a re-read it is almost like experiencing the book for the first time all over again (especially if it has been decades since I last read it). So i got a lot of enjoyment out of the Stand Uncut.Interesting that you read the longer one first (I did the opposite a few years ago).Finished my first Uncut Stand read. Now i feel it necessary to re-read the Original just to be able to make a conscious decision on which edition is better.
As to which you'll prefer:
- originalists tend to prefer the initial abridged work because it is The Stand and not The New Uncut Stand, in a technical sense
- those that believe that within every deep novel longer than 600 pages lurks a "tight" 350 page supernovel just waiting to be brought out of the stone (so to speak) also prefer the initial release
- many that like King for what he is (capable of occasional loooong things that warrant the length) prefer the uncut version
As for me, I have an attention span, understand what King is, and detest abridgments, so yes, I prefer the uncut edition. But I can honestly say I didn't arrive at that conclusion through application of the logic laid out here; I just like it better with more sprawl, the characters and events warrant it and soak it right up.
I believe i might be an originalist though. The impact of how that book hit me when i read it at a young age knocked my socks off. Also i thought the tone of the book was affected when it was "Modernized" and "Updated" into 1990. I liked getting the extra backstory, and, hell, who can not be gobsmacked at the adventures of the Trashcan Man and the Kid?
Although i have not really written that much i studied Creative writing in school and know something about revision and cutting and think that the editing of the novel made it into a tighter read.
Wanted
CD Carrie Portfolio 719
Dark Tower S/N LE's 171 or 203
ANY Stephen King S/N LE #171 or 719
A Storm of Swords #218 or 346
Ancillary Justice #455
American Gods (+ SC Reader copy) #624
Michael Whelan original art
DT VII: Michael Whelan Remarque
Just finished IT and almost forgot how good and long it is. It definitely took me longer to read it this time than times in the past but that could also be due to my crappy sleep schedule due to the pandemic. Going to start Mr. Tremblay's A Head Full Of Ghosts tonight and see how it goes after my long time thinking over the ending of Cabin.
How many times for you now? I'm doing my complete King read through but not IT yet.
seeking: anything DT related #246
ANYTHING DT Related #246
Dead Zone First Edition F/F or NF/NF
It's only three complete reads of IT since release. I went for some years where I was reading bare minimum compared to the pace I've been on the past few years.How many times for you now? I'm doing my complete King read through but not IT yet.
seeking: anything DT related #246
Dude, I literally have been reading until almost sunrise every day and then sleeping until like 2 or 3 pm LOL
I mean In normal times I would think that could be the best thing ever! But it seems like a curse now LOL i cant break the vampire schedule.
Wanted
CD Carrie Portfolio 719
Dark Tower S/N LE's 171 or 203
ANY Stephen King S/N LE #171 or 719
A Storm of Swords #218 or 346
Ancillary Justice #455
American Gods (+ SC Reader copy) #624
Michael Whelan original art
DT VII: Michael Whelan Remarque
I thought I was the only one living this way!Dude, I literally have been reading until almost sunrise every day and then sleeping until like 2 or 3 pm LOL
I mean In normal times I would think that could be the best thing ever! But it seems like a curse now LOL i cant break the vampire schedule.
You don't know my kind.....You don't my mind.....Dark necessities are part of my design.....
My problem is I'm not sleeping enough at night so I'm tired during the day. I find myself taking way too many naps and not getting a good sleep in. When I start reading I find myself sometimes being lulled to sleep. That and the 1100+ pages of IT made it take way longer for me than it has previously. If I was forced to be awake because I was at work I think I'd be able to sleep more at night but being able to sleep whenever really throws everything off.
On topic...I'm really enjoying A Head Full Of Ghosts so far.
Head full of ghosts is creepy and good.
Wish List:
Any of the following flatsigned or inscribed-
It, Shining, Salem’s Lot, Mr. Mercedes, The Stand
Brother ARC, Seed ARC
I finished Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons. I liked it but I thought it dragged in places and could have been 200 pages shorter and still good. Then I read "If it Bleeds" by Mr. King. Loved the first story the best, second one was kind of confusing, liked the third with Holly it was good, the fourth story was just ok.
I am now starting N.K. Jemisin Fifth Season trilogy which I have been wanting to read for a while.
Looking for Pierce Brown Red Rising #557 from Subterranean Press
Finished A Head Full Of Ghosts and its ending makes me appreciate Cabin's ending more than I did after mulling it over for months. Any recommendations of what Tremblay to read in the future? Going to start reading the Suntup edition of I Am Legend tomorrow. I can't remember if I read it when I was younger so I'm going in as a first time read.
About Finders Keepers, I can't believe I forgot to mention: it absolutely killed me when
Spoiler:
It seems I'm miles above the surface of the Earth
I can see across the whole of London and beyond
I finished End Of Watch about a week ago, and enjoyed it just as much as the previous two; it wrapped the trilogy up nicely, with resolution to the immediate story, as well as
Spoiler:
I thought the whole
Spoiler:
concept was actually really good, made sense to me, and was logical within the story.
I already liked the character of Holly, and like her even more now.
This trilogy was one of the more satisfying King reads for me over the last several years. I preferred Dr. Sleep, Hearts In Atlantis, and Lisey's Story to this, but probably nothing else after the big break I took from him (from the mid-90s through 2010, I probably only found time to read the last few DT novels, and have been catching up since then, and I still have several holes).
It seems I'm miles above the surface of the Earth
I can see across the whole of London and beyond
I recently started The Outsider, about 400 pages in and enjoying it.
While not quite the constant rush that the Hodges novels were (it feels like much of the pre-arraignment material could've been condensed (keep all events - the hour-to-hour flow of the key days is great - just ease up on some of the interview minutia)), it gets more interesting almost with every page, has some nice ideas, and I can't wait to see where it goes.
Fun fact: The Outsider is the 13th book I've read this year, and 7 of those 13 (more than half, for those in the back row of math class) are King (after taking almost 3 years away from him, 2020 is turning into the year of King for my reading).
It seems I'm miles above the surface of the Earth
I can see across the whole of London and beyond
If you want to get people fired up and see the definition of the word polarizing say this:
HOLLY
seeking: anything DT related #246
ANYTHING DT Related #246
Dead Zone First Edition F/F or NF/NF
I think my approval of Holly as a character is helped by Will Patton's depiction of her in the audiobooks.
“If you don't know what you want," the doorman said, "you end up with a lot you don't.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club
Looking for SubPress Lettered::
Angel's Game and Prisoner of Heaven (Zafon)
Ilium (Simmons)
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