50 Book Challenge 2017 Part Three

I didn't have much access to books as a kid so I have a lot of stories to catch up on

Yes! Exactly!

I am saving Cote's review of The luminaries until I have read it.

Cheerful I'd start with IT. It's easily the most terrifying, so you may as well dive in at the deep end.

If you want a gentle introduction go for Different Seasons which is 4 novellas and thrillers rather than horror.

1. The Breakdown by B A Paris.. I really enjoyed it and i will soon read the first book by the author which people tend to consider to have been better.

Satsuki The story about the guy in her bed in Wishful drinking oh gosh.

So much love for Ready Player One - you are my people. I spent far too much of my youth playing D&D.

joyless Slaughterhouse V is one of my favourites but my sci-fi loving DH just couldn't get on with it. I think it is one of those books.

I haven't read anything for myself for the last week. Can't wait for the weekend to pick up where I left off.

Loved the children's book debate. I love reading children's books and YA too but then I didn't have much access to books as a kid so I have a lot of stories to catch up on.

that's an impressive haul

It IS an impressive haul Bibliomania.

As I was -shamelessly ratching through-- carefully examining the shelves , piles and boxes full of books, the shop woman said (and I quote) "You don't HAVE to get ten, you know. You can get up to ten for £1"

Obviously I just looked at her . . .

And continued ratching . . .

If I had had a bag and another quid on me I would have bought more, but I had to carry them in my arms (I only had 3p left after paying my £1, and the bags were 5p).

Still feel victorious!

According to google, it is a misspelling by the children in the book. I had always assumed it was an American spelling.

Isn't it because the sign is made by children, so is rendered as if misspelled? Also I thought it fit the theme of things being just a little "off" from how they should be...

Why is it Pet "Sematary"?

From what I recall it is just a child's spelling of "cemetery". I think it started when children were burying their gerbils etc on cursed land full of Wendingos or something.

(Please excuse the vagueness - I read it 30 years ago and wasn't very impressed. "Christine" however, scared the drawers off me!

Pratchett obv.

I have more King on my list to read this year, along with Terry Pritchett who also seems to be much loved although obviously v different.

Only read a handful so far, The Stand, 11.22.63, Mr Mercedes and Misery. Misery the best so far though a bit traumatic.

I've read one Stephen King towards the end of last year 11.22.63 and thoroughly enjoyed it despite thinking I'd never finish it. Purchased It for my kindle but it's another long one and hasn't been top of my list yet. Someone recommended Needful Things too so might check that out at the library

I was a kid when I read Pet Sematary, so I guess not terribly hard to scare

By the way, I just realised that I've never seen that book's original title (in English) before. Why is it Pet "Sematary"? Does that word mean something in the book?

I've never actually read a Stephen King novel. That's awful, isn't it? Which one would you lot recommend to start with?

Hope you like Mollie, bibliomania. I got annoyed with her sometimes, but when she's good she's very good.

I've only ever read one Stephen King, The Stand, which I read last year and I enjoyed as he writes a good page turner - well crafted plot (a few queries in terms of virus transmission and some weird religious stuff, but I could forgive it).

I kind of know what you mean, Remus, about The Luminaries. It was very clever and interesting but at the end I felt it added up to something less than I had hoped for - I still wasn't sure what I was supposed to think had happened. And then when you understand the structural constraints some of the long-windedness makes sense. But very ambitious and fascinating all the same.

Pet Semetary isn't frightening so much as just horrible.

Agree IT genuinely creepy. Whole feel of it.

I would forgive Stephen King a lot of flaws, because he writes like he actually cares about the reader having a good time.

Pet Sematary was my first when I was about 12. I picked it because I liked animals. That went well.

I do remember that I couldn't get them out of the library using my child tickets, so my Mum used to check them out for me and got a bollocking from the library woman about it.

I never rated Carrie or Christine, but enjoyed most of the others. I think Rose Madder was just out when I decided to stop torturing myself moved on to other authors.

I find Pet Sematary silly and cartoonish, rather than scary - but those sewers in It unsettled me horribly on first reading.

I've been properly scared by a few SK books. Yes, It was one. Then there was Pet Cemetery. One of his later books, Duma Key got under my skin, too.

It is the only one that ever scared me.

I haven't read any Stephen King since I was a teenager. I don't know if I dare. They used to scare the life out of me and caused many a sleepless night. I still check behind the shower curtain for Pennywise and have issues with drains. The Dark Half was my favourite. Do they get any less scary as an adult? I'm rubbish with horror.

I'm going to have to sleep with the light on now so Gage doesn't come to get me.

y Luminaries review = Mixed feelings about this one. I really enjoyed the actual story, and thought it was very clever in the way that we saw the same events from different angles/characters throughout, but thought that the long windedness let it down and that there was quite a lot of unnecessary backstory and some really boring pen portraits of characters, that all got very samey. I didn’t see any point at all in the astrology stuff and thought the ending was weak. In fact, I felt rather let down by the ending and even up to 99% of reading, I was expecting to be more positive in my review than I’m now being. Overall though, it now feels as if it was a lot of effort for not much reward – pay dirt, as it’d be called in the mining towns, I guess.

Then again, for £1.50 or whatever it is, you get an awful lot of pages for your pennies!

Amen to that, Cote.

The Luminaries has a good story which the writer then spoils by pratting around with it too much, and the ending is dreadful. I liked so much about it, but ultimately I felt a bit cheated.

Stephen King ain't no Shakespeare but wow, he can write! A good SK book is pure gold.

I loved The Luminaries.