Reading Stephen King


I never thought I'd say this but I'm so enjoying my first ever Stephen King novel, 11/22/63. I'm having a blast and I don't want it to end. With tons of books on my To Be Read pile it's rare to just want to savor a novel and take it slow but that's exactly how I'm feeling with this book because it's fantastic so far. The premise of the novel is what initially attracted me - man travels back in time to prevent the Kennedy assassination and thus change the course of history. With such a plot you wonder how an author can pull this off but King does just that and with such panache. He is obviously a born writer because his prose flows naturally. It's no wonder he's so prolific. I'm only at 50% of this 800 plus page novel but here's hoping this book lives up to the hype. I'll be back with a full review once I've finished it. In the meantime, if you have read Stephen King then which novels would you recommend?

Comments

  1. Nice to read that you're enjoying this so much! I read it a few months back and also had a great time reading it. I did find the part about Oswald a bit slow going, though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm getting into the Oswald parts now. Funny, some reviewers said those were the best parts.

      Delete
  2. I loved reading this novel, and some of my favority Stephen King reads are The Shining, Misery, Dead Zone (earlier books) and also love his short stories. Reading The Stand, 1,100 pp now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the recommendations. Will check them out!

      Delete
  3. 11/22/63 was not a fave of mine but I love King for his ability to weave stories with an entire army of characters and somehow, still keep my interest. I loved his older stuff... The Shining, Misery and then more recently I read Duma Key which I loved. I've read so many of his novels and short story collections but there are so many other I have yet to read!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I definitely want to read more King so I'll check out the novels you mentioned. Thanks!

      Delete
  4. I'm reading IT right now and I have mixed feelings: I think it is unnecessarily long and wordy and I have even felt bored while reading certain chapters. Moreover, I don't even find it as suspenseful as I hoped it would be- the monster thing is too much for me! I'm two thirds into it and I can't wait to finish and start some other book. I wonder if 11/22/63 would have been a better choice for me- maybe some one who has read them might answer...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was never attracted to IT. The idea of a killer dressed up as a clown is just too weird however it seems to have really good reviews. There are no boring chapters in 11/22/63 so far. I think you might like it.

      Delete
  5. I can't read his scary stuff...too scary...but I loved his book on writing. I'll check this one out. Perhaps I can handle it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I doubt every King novel will be for me. Some of them just sound too far fetched. 11/22/63 isn't scary at all so you might want to try it.

      Delete
  6. This was my first King as well and I freaking loved it! It's in my top three of favorite reads of the year so far.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't finished the book yet but if it keeps this pace then I'm sure I'll be adding it to my best of 2012.

      Delete
  7. I have read so much of his collection, but this I just finished recently and LOVED it. Because this is his first book you are reading, be prepared to behold something COMPLETELY different in his older novels. He is the master of horror for a reason.
    I suggest reading Rose Madder. A great novel with a view into his creepy side.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I would recommend 'The Shining' and 'Dreamcatcher'. Dreamcatcher has aliens, but it is the dark frustrations of human life that King so effectively puts across which are more frightening.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Swing on by to TheStephenKingProject.blogspot.com. Kathleen and I are co-hosting this year-long event and feel free to link up your review; there are also some fabulous reviews from other participants this year (summer's been slow so pick an earlier month).

    I fell in love with Stephen King after reading 11/22/63. I'm reading The Stand which is epic and amazing, and I loved The Shining on audio, narrated by Campbell Scott. He was amazing in it (review coming soon). Lisey's Story is a great selection because it has a little bit of scary stuff, but it's mostly fantasy with a love story to top it off. The Tommyknockers was okay, but that would be tough to enjoy that after 11/22/63. If you're up for scary, 'Salem's Lot will do the job just fine. And oh! The 4 hour audio for The Breathing Method is creepy!

    So anyway, enjoy Stephen King!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for the recs. Lisey's Story sounds interesting. I'll definitely post my review at your event.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts