Empress said:

DaveT said:

Speaking of King, I'm continuing reading through his entire bibliography in order of release. I'm on The Stand at the moment (I'm reading the re-released unabridged version). Even though its meant to be his best I wasn't looking forward to it, knowing a little bit about it from snippets of the nineties TV movie they did.

I'm about 600 pages in and I've enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. I did enjoy the first half more than the second so far though ... the stuff discussing the collapse of society was more interesting that the setting up of the new society in Boulder has been so far. I'm hoping it picks up again in the final quarter.

So excited about all the classics ahead I've yet to read!

I envy you that you are reading King for the first time. The Stand is an absolute epic book and I loved it! Sure, like any book of its magnitude, there are some slow spots, but on the whole, it's a masterpiece IMHO. Enjoy all that's ahead of you.

King has always been my favourite writer, but I must confess that it was as much to do with the film adaptations of his books as anything else.

I was starting to feel like a bit of a fraud claiming King to be my fave when I'd only read his short story collections and novellas, but not most of his full length novels. Loving what I've read so far though and The Stand has definitely picked up now I'm 150 pages from the end.

I still haven't read The Dark Tower series. There's just so much of it. I think it's alluded to in Insomnia.

I know, I know. I should. But I haven't. Yet. Maybe I'll make that my 2022 thing - just read the whole set of books. I haven't watched the movie (or two?) made from the books because they were panned by everyone, and I didn't want them to taint my view of the books.

TrivialPursuit said:

I still haven't read The Dark Tower series. There's just so much of it. I think it's alluded to in Insomnia.

I know, I know. I should. But I haven't. Yet. Maybe I'll make that my 2022 thing - just read the whole set of books. I haven't watched the movie (or two?) made from the books because they were panned by everyone, and I didn't want them to taint my view of the books.

Don't bother with the movies, read the books. The movies were sub-par. Maybe read 2 or 3 then read something completely different and go back and read the rest. They are quite the adventure!

TrivialPursuit said:

Just finished the original trilogy of Mistborn and have just started The Alloy of Law.
The first three were as good as everyone who recommended them to me claimed, especially the first one. If you’re thinking about reading them, do it!

I've been trying to read this thing for about 6 months now.

Somehow I don't have "alone time" to do reading much anymore.

These two again.

https://aim4truth.org/wp-...Morell.pdf

https://ia801808.us.archi...ainbow.pdf

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[Edited 10/7/21 0:28am]

Empress said:

I really enjoyed Killers of the Flower Moon. I hope they do it justice with the movie. There are so many stories we didn't learn about in school, but as long as we can read, we can learn about them. I loved Billy Summers, but I usually enjoy all of King's books. Can't really think of one that I didn't like.

I'm now into Billy Summers. He's at his new home, and just learned about some gay guy that works for the collection agency, and he's written the first few pages of his "book," about his abuse (step?) father who murdered his sister. That's as far as I've gotten.

I'm glad I got through American Pastoral. Roth has a particular way of writing. A lot of inner dialogue here and there, that sorta meshes with the narrator. But really well done. The Plot Against America was just as good (if not a little better). I like how he addresses politics. It's not the typical way one may expect.

I love the jabs at in Billy Summers.

TrivialPursuit said:

Empress said:

TrivialPursuit said:

I'm now into Billy Summers. He's at his new home, and just learned about some gay guy that works for the collection agency, and he's written the first few pages of his "book," about his abuse (step?) father who murdered his sister. That's as far as I've gotten.

I'm glad I got through American Pastoral. Roth has a particular way of writing. A lot of inner dialogue here and there, that sorta meshes with the narrator. But really well done. The Plot Against America was just as good (if not a little better). I like how he addresses politics. It's not the typical way one may expect.

I love the jabs at in Billy Summers.

There's a lot more to come with Billy Summers. I was surprised by what happens after he completes his "job". Let me know what you think when you're finished. Have you read Portnoy's Complaint by Roth? I read it 25 years ago, it was very good and made me laugh.

The only two Roth novels I've read are those I mentioned. Just sorta came across them when I found The Plot Against America. The mini-series was really good, for that one.

One book I love and wish they'd do something with is my aforementioned Richard Bach's Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah. It's a very short read, and would make a great movie.

I've been reading a lot of short stories, or writers known for them. I never gave them a chance! I think I got on this path with a Gore essay on Italo Calvino, and I loved reading the novel The Baron in the Trees - when I bought another book of his & it turned out to be (due to my not paying attention) a collection of short stories, Difficult Loves, that I enjoyed a lot. So I've been reading Cheever, Carver, Chekhov, and have O'Conner lined up. I also tried Barthe, but it was a little too 'out there' for me, which usually means I'll try to read it again.

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After all that, I would recommend Baron in the Trees, and if you avoided short stories like me: get over it and read Chekhov.

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I have been, and will be, reading a lot of Dawn Powell. Being from the rural Midwest and landing in Greeenwich village in the 40's, she creates character contrasts that feel relevant today. I think A Time to Be Born is her most popular book, but I was amazed I couldn't find her at any of my local bookstores. At. All. My Home Is Far Away is also recommended.

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I re-read the Kapesh books by Philip Roth - The Dying Animal and The Professor of Desire. I felt they deserved a re-read before going to the used bookstore for credit. I don't know if I would recommend them - they're a little dark, and exhibit why David Foster Wallace classified Roth as one of the 'Great Male Narcissists'.

Empress said:

I've been reading King since I was a teenager and I'm 58 now. I've read everything and although some of his work has been long and drawn out, I've enjoyed every book or short story. I've always enjoyed long, overblown books and for me, the longer, the better. For example, I loved every book in the Dark Tower series. I remember waiting anxiously for the next release. I know some people didn't love that series because it was so over the top and long, but those characters have stayed with me. When I go to the bookstore to buy Kings latest, I'm always hoping for a huge book that I can barely carry around - LOL. The only book I've re-read is IT as it's probably my favourite of his. I dread the day King is no longer here to write as he's been a constant in my life for decades. Fortunately, I have every book and I hope to re-read them when I retire and have more free time. Having said all of this, I'm not a huge fan of the movie adaptations. Some have been very good like The Shining, Misery and Shawshank Redemption, but I'd much rather read the book. [Edited 8/30/21 5:27am]

Personally I don't understand people who prefer reading a book to a movie adaptation. And I say that as both a playwright and novelist myself. I'm guessing you're not a sports fan either, because there's too much immediacy.

NeoConned Again. about the evils of the Iraq war, good timing.

Has writers from the right, left, military, former insiders, experts, some nuts lol

fortuneandserendipity said:

EmmaMcG said:

fortuneandserendipity said:

Personally I don't understand people who prefer reading a book to a movie adaptation. And I say that as both a playwright and novelist myself. I'm guessing you're not a sports fan either, because there's too much immediacy.

Immediacy has nothing to do with it. Some people prefer novels to movies because even in the best adaptations you never really get the full story. Novels will generally go into a lot more detail regarding character's thoughts, motivations, etc. You understand them more from reading the book than you do if you just watch the movie. Also, in most adaptations, the movie tends to leave out a few scenes altogether. Some scenes are left out to help with a movie's pacing or just to keep it to a respectable running time. Not something you need to worry about with a novel. Another thing is that when you read a book, you kind of picture that character in your head. Your imagination brings to life what he looks like, how he talks. But then the movie comes out and suddenly there's some actor playing the part completely different to how you've pictured it. It feels off. It doesn't work as well as it did before when you were reading it.

EmmaMcG said:

fortuneandserendipity said:

Personally I don't understand people who prefer reading a book to a movie adaptation. And I say that as both a playwright and novelist myself. I'm guessing you're not a sports fan either, because there's too much immediacy.

Immediacy has nothing to do with it. Some people prefer novels to movies because even in the best adaptations you never really get the full story. Novels will generally go into a lot more detail regarding character's thoughts, motivations, etc. You understand them more from reading the book than you do if you just watch the movie. Also, in most adaptations, the movie tends to leave out a few scenes altogether. Some scenes are left out to help with a movie's pacing or just to keep it to a respectable running time. Not something you need to worry about with a novel. Another thing is that when you read a book, you kind of picture that character in your head. Your imagination brings to life what he looks like, how he talks. But then the movie comes out and suddenly there's some actor playing the part completely different to how you've pictured it. It feels off. It doesn't work as well as it did before when you were reading it.

I guess what I'm saying is, in books you get details like what the characters are wearing described in great detail, or how the leaves are rustling in the wind sometimes taking up an entire paragraph, or how the main character is holding the cutlery.
All of this can be depicted in a movie, but instead hitting you in the solar plexus because in film all these things can occur simultaneously.

You're right that books include in greater detail the character's thoughts, motivations. And I'm someone who generally prefers films the more psychological they are. But conversely, it can become too mired in its own psychological contraptions.
Take The Shining for instance. In the novel, Jack's character degenerating into madness appears to happen concurrent to his descent into alcoholism. But for me, that can't possibly work well within the context of a haunted house movie, which is what The Shining essentially is. It takes away the spookiness.
On the other hand, the climax with the topiary animals that come to life at the end of the Shining, thankfully doesn't happen in the movie. Instead we get Jack chasing his kid through the maze. Which for me works better because Jack is already far gone. And he's a caretaker, not a gardener. The house alone should be haunted.
When a movie goes too far with an over the top scene, the thought springing to mind is, if aliens came down to earth in the next scene you wouldn't question it! As books often contain additional subplots or one-off scenes, there's always a greater chance of an apparent superficial, random event or consequence occurring. Which in film, would be called a plot device.

Books probably also play better in the mind of someone able to visualize well. When I visualize I picture people's faces easier than anything else, and even then it tends to be snapshots rather than rolling scenes, and stuff based on what I've already seen. Not conception.
If someone reading a book is able to visualize to a degree everything playing out as if in a film, then I totally get why to then watch a movie adaptation would be jarring.

But then you have to ask the question, if they watch the movie first and then read the book, would their opinion be any different?

fortuneandserendipity said:

EmmaMcG said:

Empress said:

fortuneandserendipity said:

Personally I don't understand people who prefer reading a book to a movie adaptation. And I say that as both a playwright and novelist myself. I'm guessing you're not a sports fan either, because there's too much immediacy.

You would be guessing wrong. I'm a huge sports fan. I love the NBA, MLB, tennis and golf and I really enjoying watching the Olympics. My husband and I watch every Raptors game and have been watching these sports for over 40 years. Reading a book has always been way more fulfilling for me than watching the movie or tv show version of any book. In fact, most I don't watch as I prefer to read the book.

Way to confound me (and probably the rest of your critics), Empress.

However, you also said you love golf. Now for me, that is analogous to reading a 1000+ page book over four days. Not to say all 1000+ page books will be boring. But ya know in most cases, probably. I conjecture, were you British, you might appreciate test match cricket. Which takes an extra day to complete than a 4 round tournament of golf. But eh, maybe I'm too ADD to appreciate these longer pursuits. And my need for immediacy gets in the way.

fortuneandserendipity said:

Empress said:

7 Habits of Highly Effective People-Steven Covey

Billy Summers remains interesting. I love that Stephen King mentions Oklahoma in so many of his books, especially in more recent years.

Just saw this dialog in it:

"Well," she says, "shit happens. Life is a party, and parties weren't meant to last."

He looks sideways at her, a little startled.

"Is that F. Scott Fitzgerald?"

"Prince," she says.

[Edited 10/2/21 23:56pm]

Also, and I wondered about this when I saw Billy & Alice were headed toward Colorado to see Bucky:

______________

Bucky says, "You can look across I don’t know how many miles of gulch and ravine to a big old flat clearing on the other side. Used to be a resort hotel there, but it burned flat many a moon ago.” He drops his voice. “It was reputed to be haunted.”

Later, Alice goes for a walk while Bucky & Billy talk about the near-future. When Alice returns, she talks about how beautiful the area is, and how far she can see from a ridge she found. She said she thought she saw the hotel, then the wind almost blew her over, and she looked again and it wasn't there. Bucky mentions how bad stuff happened there. And to stay away from it.

When Billy goes to another little cabin on Bucky's property, he sees a pic of the Overlook on the wall, with the hedges shaped like angry animals.

Billy takes the painting down and turns it to face the wall. He knows that if he doesn’t his eyes will be continually drawn to it. Not because it’s good but because it isn’t.

_____________

I love that he brought the Overlook Hotel from The Shining into the book. And that it's more than a passing one-liner.

[Edited 10/4/21 10:55am]

onlyforaminute said:

TrivialPursuit said:

Empress said:

Yes, I loved how SK brought the Overlook in. Kind of creepy. The rest of the book was not a horror in the way he usually writes, but I really enjoyed the story and I also like that Billy treated Alice with dignity and respect. Have you finished the book yet? I give it a 4/5.

Not yet. I've been working to finish a quilt (which I did last night), so my reading time has been a bit abbreviated.

I'm at the point where they've left Bucky's, and they just checked into a motel outside Vegas. Billy is plotting, and checking house pics on Google Earth and Zillow.

And yeah, the Overlook stuff is so fun to throw in there. The book is definitely not a horror book. Sometimes, the real horror is just life itself and situations we find ourselves in. The monsters are those people around us who would do us harm for the sake of it.