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Seriously though, I do really want to read it! Not sure why I haven't taken the plunge yet, but it's waiting patiently on my shelf... maybe when I finish my current book (Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill) I'll finally go for it.
halfabuck - I agree the house is really nice. He bought it from my son's good friend and his family. Of course they have added on, things like a theater and indoor swimming pool and the now famous fence. His street is not too far from me and I walk by every couple of weeks. I'm sure they will be heading back to Florida soon if they haven't already. But one year I know they stayed here through Thanksgiving.
Newdaawn-I had heard about everything it had and the house must go back a 1/4 of a mile! You live in a great neighborhood. Also they like FLA contrary to what he first thought. But Thanksgiving in New England is what it's all about.
Hard to say, but it would be one of the early ones.
'Salem's Lot The Shining The Dead Zone
I notice that these are his 2nd, 3rd and 5th full-length novels published as Stephen King. The sequencing is notable. After learning from his first novel, and skipping the epic The Stand, and epics are notoriously difficult to do masterfully, they are novels when he had the perfect combination of experience and freshness as an author, still drawing on the cream of his reservoir of ideas and metaphors. They were properly pared down compared with later works, like good double albums when the weakest 8 or 9 tracks scrapped to make a spectacular single album.
I havn't read a book by him yet but plan on it. Can someone give me an idea of what might be life lessons in his books. Maybe he has insights into human nature or maybe his writings tell how things might be if there would be a breakdown of law and order in this country. Or maybe its just plain entertainment with the horror element being the point. Any opinions are appreciated.
In answer to the question in the title, all of them. Yes, I mean that.
My first SK book was Salem's Lot. I read it when I was 13. Scared the beejeezus out of me to the point that I was too scared to look out my bedroom window at night. To this day, (some years later...ahem), it's the only book of his that I have not read again. I love his books, I'm a big fan, the second his book is out, I buy it and stay up for two days and nights reading the entire thing...I devour his books. And then, when I'm needing some good SK writing, I pick up a book again. But not Salem's Lot. I'm an adult now...have been an adult for awhile...I know it's fiction and I know there are no vampires...but my imagination is still just as active and wild as it was when I was 13 and I just do not have the guts to read that book again.
After that book, I was hooked and became a big fan.
But what I enjoy most about his books are not the scary parts, it's how he writes the characters. His characters tend to be so well developed, the dialogue they have with others or even with themselves is so...true...it simply delights my mind. I find myself LAUGHING a lot when reading his books BECAUSE of his characters and how they act and what they say.
For me, I get the most pleasure out of his "everyday" Joe than I do some climactic gory scene.
Life lessons? It's all up to your perception. It's like a painting. The artist meant one thing but to each person, that painting says something personal, something the artist didn't see because we all see things differently. (Barring the elitist snobs who see only what they are told they are supposed to see.)
Edit: Oh, and I now live about 5 minutes from his infamous house. I know I can go and take a photo and I will. I feel...it feels WEIRD to do that...it feels invasive. I know people do it all the time and I've heard he's cool with it but it still feels...odd. But I'm going to do it for my friends who have begged me to do this. So, for Halloween, (close to it), I'm going to go, take a photo, feel extremely stupid for taking a photo of someone's house when I'm not a real estate agent, hope I'm not bothering anyone and then send the photo to my friends and we can hopefully move on.
Last edited by Three Wolves In Snow; 10-15-2011 at 10:18 PM..
Seriously though, I do really want to read it! Not sure why I haven't taken the plunge yet, but it's waiting patiently on my shelf... maybe when I finish my current book (Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill) I'll finally go for it.
You know who Joe Hill's dad is, right? (Stephen King!)
I enjoyed Heart-Shaped Box. I also recommend his book Horns.
He has a new one coming out in early November.Amazon.com: 11/22/63: A Novel (9781451627282): Stephen King: Books . I have it on hold at the library. I don't usually care for this type of book, but, I read all of his books. I didn't care for most of them, but, he is an incredible storyteller.
I agree with a lot of what's already been said. I used to be a huge fan of King back in the day, but haven't read his more recent stuff (pre-2000) yet. I think Carrie, 'Salem's Lot, The Shining and Dead Zone are definitely staples when starting to read King. And if you can do lengthy, The Stand.
I do not have a favourite because it's impossible for me to choose.
But I think one book I will never forget would have to be IT. I was younger, yes, but to me, the premise of the story embodied scary. I have read that one several times and I also thought the miniseries was decent.
Bag of Bones is another really good one from his later works.
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