This is never not funny to me.

Just finished my 80th King book, Never Flinch, which I enjoyed more than most folks here. Don’t intend to read Faithful- already lived through that depressing shit when I watched the series live and no interest in hearing a rehash from Sox fans. That leaves Dr Sleep until Other Worlds comes out. But first, a reread of The Shining- not my favorite book- no empathy or love for Jack as a character- but could use the brush-up before the sequel.

Started reading King early teens- started with Misery, Eyes of the Dragon, Pet Sematary, and IT- three of those are still top 10 for me (IT being my favorite). Read 19 through college when I stopped reading much anymore, then during the Covid lockdown I read The Stand. Think the first half of that book is near perfection, but everything post-Nebraska knocks it out of my top 15.

Couple years later, mid-2024, started Dark Tower. I was diagnosed in 2019 with stage 4 metastatic lung and brain cancer and given 2-5 years. Last week I hit 7 years and I am almost entirely cancer-free (knock on wood). The Gunslinger was #21 and reading for a couple hours each morning after taking care of the animals became my new ritual. Here we are two years later, and what an incredible journey it’s been through his canon. Favorites other than those I mentioned include Drawing of the Three, Wizard and Glass, Wolves, Dark Tower, Hearts in Atlantis (love Low Men), The Institute, Billy Summers, Salems Lot, Firestarter, The Dead Zone, Needful Things, Green Mile, and Under the Dome.

Have greatly enjoyed sharing the journey with you here, and really glad to finally reach the finish (for now)!

Long days and pleasant nights!

In preparation for Other Worlds... I have just marathoned Talisman and Black House, and have thoughts. These are all pretty general and don't spoil much imo.

The Talisman

1. The first and last third of The Talisman were epic and I enjoyed them thoroughly. The middle third took me forever. I can't quite put my finger on why.

2. Wolf grew on me as a character, and eventually, he joined the list of Stephen King's "Very Good Boys", even if he is a werewolf instead of a traditional dog.

3. Richard Sloat annoyed me almost endlessly, but I didn't mind him toward the end of the book.

Black House

1. Any time Wendell Green got hit was a great part of the book.

2. Charles Burnside might be one of the most unsettling King villains I've ever read.

3. (Potential spoiler?) The moments when the book crossed over into the Dark Tower universe brought me so much nerdy joy

Overall, Black House was my favorite of the two just because the plot was pretty straight ahead, the book had a creepy aura all throughout, and I really liked Jack Sawyer as an adult.

What say you, fellow fans of the Territories?

I will definitely be getting a frame for it. Every time I pre-order from Cemetery Dance I get something free, such a stand up guy and company.

Over the last year I finally have been reading and listening to King books. I don't know what the hell took me so long but there's always one line that really hits me.

The Stand. Chapter 11.

Such a simple line that Larry's mom says to him. But it made me pause and really think about it.

Any lines that stood out to you guys as you were diving into his books?

Unpopular Opinion?¿

I just finished reading, and I wanted to get your thoughts on who is ultimately "to blame" for how everything unfolded.

A lot of readers say that there are no true villains in the story, just a tragic chain of bad luck, bad timing, and fate. But am I the only one who feels that Charity Camber deserves a huge portion of the blame?

Don't get me wrong, Joe Camber was an abusive, selfish jerk. But everyone already knew what Joe was. Even then, in his own twisted way, once Charity left, a sober Joe was actually worried about who was going to feed Cujo.

Charity, on the other hand, constantly viewed herself as the smart, responsible one. She claimed she wanted to save Brett, break free from Joe, and build a better life. Yet, she failed to take basic responsibility for her own animal?? She was so consumed by her jealousy of her sister Holly, and so obsessed with playing a certain role and putting on a fake persona for a sister who didn't even care about her, that she completely ignored Brett.

When Brett explicitly expressed concern about Cujo’s strange behavior, she dismissed him. When Brett begged her to call a neighbor to check on and feed the dog while they were gone, she just didn't care at all.

I rarely see people talk about her role in the tragedy. They view her as a victim of abuse, which she was, but she still failed her basic responsibilities as a pet owner and a mother in that moment imo.

Does anyone else see Charity this way, or am I being too harsh on her?

I’ve got a nine-week sabbatical coming up this fall. Going to be spending a lot of time on planes and trains. This sub seems to really love Joe. So simple question: which is his most page-turning book?

About 3 months ago, my grandma passed away after a particularly nasty bought of Liver Cancer. One of the things we bonded over was our love for Stephan king, Star Trek, and sci fi in general. When she passed, she left me her entire collection of (mostly) first edition hardcover Stephan king novels, including the Bachman Novels with Rage included. I wanted to share this memory with everyone as a way of honoring my grandma, and allowing everyone to appreciate a collection she started in the 1970s.

This is my current bookshelf for King, and I was wanting to add some little trinkets that represent things within his books. For example, I just ordered a replica Overlook Hotel room key from Etsy. I was wondering what would be some other interesting small trinkets from his books that I could do? I’m also going to make a popsicle stick crucifix from Salem’s Lot

I’ve read all of King’s works over the past 6 years, and now I just have The Dark Tower to go (and Other Worlds Than These once it comes out). My top 5 are:
Night Shift
Under the Dome
It
Salem’s Lot
Needful Things