Stephen King Fan

[joyful27]

Hi,
I am new to the book club and was looking things over when I saw the King discussion group. I have loved King since early in his career and have read almost everything he has written including the Bachman books actually most of the books are behind me on the shelves of my office. I always keep his books and have enjoyed some of them more than once. My favorite (scariest to me) "The Shining" I remember reading it for a second time as I was sunbathing in my backyard and goosebumps were rising on my skin as I read.
I must agree most of his books haven't tranlated to film or haven't been translated well. I think the "Green Mile" and "Shawshank Redemption" are the best I've seen and years ago there was a TV version of "Salem's Lot" that followed the book well.
I have "Lisey's Story" although I haven't yet started it but will soon. Currently I am reading the "Historian" not a King book but a vampire story and came highly recommended.

[reignbough1973]

Many of Stephen King's novels are horror novels, graphic, fantastic. But many others are not. His works are all simply stories about the human experience and how our minds fashion and interperet the world around us and how we are affected by the great unknowns of our world. No one can top him in this genre, it's just that simple. He is a master, and his novels are of the rare breed that you can read over & over & over & over (to infinity) and still find new insights and thought-provoking passages each and every time you read one.

I haven't read his newest novel, Lisey's Story, yet ... but I am confident it will be wonderful and a must-add to my Stephen King library.

A good one to start with might be "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" or "Bag of Bones." "Bag of Bones" is one of my favorites. The imagery is simply breath-taking. Let me know how you like discovering one of the most prolific writers of our times, you can email me at reignbough1973@yahoo.com.

Happy Reading!!!
Wendy :^)

[Stephanie]

For those of you who haven't read Lisey's story yet, I think you're going to enjoy it immensely. Not to give anything away, I could call it a love story, a thriller, a crime drama and a story of the supernatural. Above all, it's a novel that will touch you and keep you thinking of it long after the last page.

Stephanie

[scubadms]

Hello everyone. I am very excited to find this book club. I love Stephen King and read anything he writes as often as possible. I am a preschool teacher and a volunteer EMT with our local ambulance squad as well as a mother of two young children so time is somewhat limited. The first book that I read was Carrie when I was in high school. I didnt read anything else by Stephen King until he spoke to my English class in college. He read an excerpt from The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon which I immediately bought and read in about 2 days. I was in love from there and have read a number of novels and short stories since then. I look forward to reading his new book as soon as I get a chance to get it.

[Stephanie]

Denise,

Lucky you, having Stephen King speak at your college. I also read Tom Gordon quickly - it was one of those books, wasn't it? It simply amazed me how the entire story could take place in the mind of a young girl, causing me to forget completely that it was written by a middle-aged man.

[jmaxx30]

My name is Wade Simon. Just as all of you are, I am also an avid ... if not obsessive Stephen King reader. I have been on this discussion board one other time in the "What's your favorite?" discussion. I couldn't pass up on the opportunity to talk about my favorite writer. I'm on my third reading of the Dark Tower Set. I will be finishing The Dark Tower in the next couple days, at which time I will take a break (too much emotion in those books) and then read Talisman and Black House. This is the point at which I will evangelize:

READ THE BLACK HOUSE!

Many of you have probably read The Talisman, and if you haven't ... you must. Even though it is not completely written by Stephen King himself, it is quite obviously a Stephen King driven concept tempered by Peter Straub's more conservative style. But please don't let this deter you from reading one of the best books every written. Both The Talisman (read this first) and The Black House are highly emotional books, but The Black House probably has SKs best charterizations to date (barring maybe some characters in The Stand).

I can not express what a profound impact SKs books have had on me (as a wanna be writer). And of all of his books the one that will not leave my head is The Black House. If I ever have a son (three daughters so far) I will probably name him Jack, or maybe Jake, or possibly Eddie ... but never Roland (my children will never have blue eyes).

[Stephanie]

Wade,

You could do a lot worse as a writer than to emulate Stephen King. While it's true that there are people who say that his brand of fiction isn't up to literary snuff, he is truly a great writer- not just his concepts, not just his plot twists, but his actual writing ability - he knows just the right word, just the right tone, and his phrases and skill with voice are just two aspects of his writing that continue to astound me, book after book.

[jmaxx30]

I agree it's really his voice that draws me in. He is the quintessential story teller. I attended a Film school in Seattle, that was oriented towards the story telling aspect of film and how to write a good screen play based on that. He is so good at not just the story but giving it a voice that makes it that much more enjoyable.

Some of my favorite things to read from him are those things he says as himself, prologues, introduction, "On Being Nineteen" and stuff like that. That is what I really am attracted to in his writing is his ability to narrate with that same voice, and have characters that speak to us like that. Hopefully one day people will say the same of me as a writer, that I told them a good story and that they enjoyed the telling as much as the story.

Have you read The Talisman and The Black House? They are such good examples of this nrrative style, although having read several Straub novels there is a pretty good balance of his more subdued style in there also.

Any ways thanks for setting this up and for the response, it's always good to talk with people who have similar passions as you do.

[Reader6104]

Hey,
I just registered and read a few of the other posted letters, when i noticed no one had mentioned CELL. i have been reading the book for a few days now and im almost done. I think it is very good so far. has anyone else been reading this one. I am going to start Liseys story after that. i was told that both books werent that good. what does everyone else think?

[readingagain]

Hi. I just joined, as readingagain. I have been a lifelong reader, but had slowed down over the past years for different reasons. One, compulsion. I can't stop once I start something good. It really interferes with life. lol. I also seem to be at a place where I don't find as much that interests/entertains me. But Steven King has been a lifelong favorite. I probably first read Carrie, and Salem's Lot, etc. starting around age 15, and I didn't really realize what a talented writer Mr. King was. I just knew I enjoyed his stories. Thirty years later, I still enjoy most of his stories. I wasn't a big fan of the Gunslinger stuff. I should probably try it again.

One of my favorite things about SK is his characterization; especially of kids. His language is so perfect. I love the short story, "The Body". And I thought the movie adaption was fantastic. It was called Stand By Me, with the late River Phoenix in a featured role. Not at all a scary story. Just a great story.

[readingagain]

Now I'm confused. Why are some posts dated 1/19?

[Stephanie]

Welcome!

I'm glad you're "readingagain" - and I completely agree with you about King's characterizations of children, the short story The Body and the movie Stand By Me. Very memorable.

I don't see any posts dated 1/19, so I can't explain for you. Not to worry, I'm sure you haven't entered a time warp of King's making!

[skye_4_13]

---

threat2 wrote:
It is my all-time favorite novel by the fantastic Stephen King.

By George I think I've got it! If this works, thank you!
T.

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Would it be redundant to remind about those end tags? They're the ones you use to tell the computer to stop using a particular formatting. Since I noticed your italics continued into the next sentence, when you started using bold, I wasn't sure if this was deliberate, or if you accidentally left off the </i> symbol that tells it not to use italics again (until otherwise instructed).

Otherwise, I see you've got the hang of it! Good job.

[vivico1]

Anyone in this class having problems with there board showing 7 posts under a section that arent there and no posts for the day otherwise? Two of us in THE JUNGLE, have had 7 appear in the New messages but hers is in a different subject than mine, and there is nothing there and the 7 wont clear. Also I have seen no posts but one today, so dont know if the ones that are posting, arent showing. We dont get as many as in here so its easy to see. We dont know how to contact any tech support for the book club but something is going on. Any advice would be appreciated. TYIA

[Stephanie]

I can't imagine why you're showing new posts that aren't there, but it would be a good idea to try the Help board:

http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/bn/board?board.id=Help

I think you'll find some assistance there.

[CharlieB3008]

Hello, my name is Charlie and I'm very pleased to find this board for Stephen King book lovers. I'm 43 years young and have been reading his books for about 30 years now. I can't remember which one first caught my attention, but I've read them all with one exception; Danse Macabre. King books are the only ones I buy in hardback. I would have to say my favorites have been "The Stand" and "The Green Mile". I also agree with another one of the postings I read that most of the screen adaptations have not done justice to the books (but then most screen adaptations don't). I did not particularly enjoy the Richard Bachman works. "It" was the scariest book that I've ever read. I'm glad I read that one when I was younger; I don't think that I could read that book at night at my age and get any sleep!
I've read a few of the Stephen King companion books where others dissect his works and I find it interesting how they can interconnect so many of his characters throughout the body of his works. I'm not sure if that is just hype to sell more books or if it really was meant to be that way by Mr. King, but it is definately interesting.
Anyway - Stephen King is an awesome writer, with an amazing imagination. He really thinks 'outside of the box' - even with his marketing strategies. Did anyone catch "The Plant" chapters that he sold by the chapter online? I'm still waiting for the rest of that story.
Charlie

[MichaelD]

My name is Michael, and I started reading Stephen King around 1977 with 'Salem's Lot, his second novel. I've read everything- repeat, everything- he's written since then, and pretty much in order, including the Bachman books and his non-fiction. Oddly enough, I only went back and read Carrie, his first, within the last few years.

Favorites include The Stand and It for stand-alones, among many others, but I think he'll be remembered for and referenced about the Dark Tower more than any of his other works 50 or more years from now. I loved them all, and the fact that they spanned more than 30 years of his life and intertwined with so many of his other stories continues to amaze me.

I liked Lisey's Story a lot, even though it was unlike much of his other work- maybe because of that? Always a challenge for us Constant Readers, eh? Looking forward to the discussions!

Also, the horror aspects have always been secondary for me- never the reason I bought or read any of his books. I see it as simply the palette he chose to paint his stories with. It is and always has been about characters, and giving them believable voices. Nobody does that better, in my mind.

[Luminalfire5]

Hi, I'm new! I just found this book club, amazingly enough. I happen to be Stephen King's "Number One Fan" (lol) I own just about everything he has written, but not obsessive enough to own the things he puts in magazines, etc, as they usually end up being published at some point in a short story collection. I'm very excited to check out the other threads out there and discuss SK's books w/other fans!

[jdreynolds79]

I am always excited to start reading the next Stepehn King book but I am even more excited to see that there is a club deicated to just him! I am a 27 year old accounting and adim assitant from northern California. Lets start the discussion!

[Cathy_L]

Hello, My name is Cathy and I've been reading Stephen King for many years. I read The Stand 3 times and the Dark Tower series twice. Other favorites are It, The Shining, and Rose Madder. When I finished reading Hearts in Atlantis, I immediately read it again just so I could then pick up all the threads of the narrative that linked the stories together. I have always felt that Stephen King is a modern-day Dickens in that he writes with such detail and clarity. I very much enjoyed Lisey's Story. I look forward to the discussions on this list.