to utterly love Stephen King?

[minifingers]

Ex secondary English teacher, who snootily resisted his books and the whole horror genre for decades, in favour of Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Jane Austen, and lots of serious modern authors like Saul Bellow.

Had children, got too knackered and thick to read serious fiction so tarted on the Stephen Kings.

I find that I absolutely love his books. Love them, and the mind which created them.

Worried that I'm going to end up like that woman in Misery - you know, the Kathy Bates character. Obsessed.

Anyone else got a Stephen King pash or is it just me? He's not very mumnsetty.

TheWord

What recording- If there's more than one, that is?

Isn't it great, all this SK love? I hardly know anyone in real life that likes him, and certainly no one that's read all his books.

Yay mumsnet!

I like the Shining film but it's a poor representation of the book.

People like to pretend they haven't read him I suspect. Thank goodness he is now getting the recognition he deserves.

What do people think of Mister Mercedes? I read it just after it came out and thought it was a good and competent version of the classic crime story- a detective who is jaded and the woman who saves him...

I am really looking forward to his soon to be released novel, 'Revival'. It looks classic SK with a child to man scenario, spooky.

I enjoyed Mr Mercedes, but then I like crime thriller. I think some were disappointed that there wasn't a supernatural element, but I found it all the creepier for it!

Re: Shining audiobooks, I listened to this one and thoroughly enjoyed it!

I thought the film Misery did great justice to the book. Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes was perfect casting.

It's one I got from the library, read by Scot Campbell I think.

If you're a member of your local library, I'd take a bet they'd have virtually every SK on audio book (which you can order for like, two quid).

I can remember a family camping holiday when I was about 14, on which, although I think we all had other things to read, everyone ended up trying to read The Shining at the same time, picking it up the moment anyone else put it down.

It's not one of the bits that's most often talked about, unlike the hedges and the woman in the bath, but the bit that frightened me the most was the talking fire hydrant/snake, and it remember walking to the toilet block late at night not being able to stop saying to myself 'I'm only a fire hydrant... And even if that's not all I am, what could I do to a nice boy like you... Except bite... And bite.... And bite....'

That said, SK made himself look like a dick by making a TV version that would be 'better' than kubrick's film. It's fucking Kubrick for god's sake! So he did something else with your book.... Get over it!

I had never read The Shining before nit. I don't know why really.

Recently I re-read Carrie because a student wanted to discuss (fake) documentation within the novel. And I was taken by how well he did it.

Then I realised I hadn't read that many SK books. And no shorts . I'm remedying that now. And as I say, though the plot is great, the structure and craft is damn fine.

I know SK says he doesn't plan. That he just sits down and writes. Bastard genius!

nit I'm always talking about the fire hydrant. I can't understand how someone could make a fire hydrant so scary. I'm afraid of them now. And topiaries obviously.

I know the producers of Room 237, the documentary on The Shining, the film - met them at a party and spent hours talking about the film & other SK books. Great party

SK is an amazing writer who puts the young best selling authors of today to shame.

I'm now scared of tennis balls and dread the day when I might see one on the beach.

I used to read loads of his books, I really enjoyed them and then they all got a bit samey. I loved the start of the books, then I thought they went a bit downhill, picked up a bit then I found some of his endings disappointing. Although this may be because I read Dreamcatcher - biggest pile of shite.

I read Under the Dome and enjoyed it. Then this summer read 11.22.63 - absolutely loved it, couldn't put it down and it's a big book .

Yeah he had a bad patch around 2000 wiggles, Dreamcatcher, Buick 8 and then Cell and Lisey's story. Back on form now though!

I haven't seen the tv adaptation of the Shining and am very meh about the Kubrick version.

Liked: The fire hose scene - pants-wettingly scary
The scene in the bar between Jack Torrance and the bartender
The child actor who played Danny - he was amazing

Loathed: The unnecessary change of the ending, which completely misses the point about Jack Torrance's ultimate self-sacrifice
Killing Dick Hallorann
Wendy - in the book she's a strong character.

Thank you Theword and Nessa.

Cote I am deeply envious of that conversation. Can you recall anything they said :)

As for the use of fake documentation in Carrie, I was so young when I first read it that I thought for a while, that it might even be real, that those newspaper reports and A.P bulletins existed!

I cannot read anything of King's without expecting the next line to pull the rug out from underneath me. Remember Gage's kite flying and as Lew put him to bed King casually dropped in that Gage had less than a few months to live- devastating....Same with Jack Torrance's recollection of breaking Danny's arm and his description of the change in colour to Danny's face as it broke- awful.

11:22:63 was a paean to King's use of Americana and pop culture- I lapped that book up.

Right!
I've been paid and I'm feeling reckless! I want to download a SK book, as it's been far too long and I think he might be the only writer to save me from my "nothing will beat Game of Thrones" slump.

I'm not so keen on books where he delves into the supernatural, eg Rose Madder. Loved Misery. And The Body, aka Stand By Me.

Would people recommend Mr Mercedes?

I enjoyed it Catkisser. It doesn't break new ground in crime writing BUT it is well written and I sat and read it in one go. Joyland is a good little read too.

Thanks,lil
In all honesty I've not read a book in ages that does break new ground in crime writing! Would love to find a "gasp out loud" crime book though!
Never heard of Joyland - looking it up now...

Well if you don't mind gore and a truly 'creative' way of dispatching murder victims you could try Chris Carter. Strong stomachs required. The first few books are best- he's dialing it in now so I couldn't recommend the last one in all honesty.

I love Tess Gerritsen and the early Lisa Gardner crime novels.

I've read a few of his books. I thought The Stand was boring, as was The Regulators. I tried another one which was just as dull, but I can't remember what it was called. Gerald's Game was excellent. I've only seen The Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption and The Shining, which are brilliant, but I've no idea what the books are like.

Ooh thanks for the crime suggestions!
I've decided to download Joyland for the time being. Genuinely haven't been into anything since GoT which was something of an obsession. It bothers me, not reading for pleasure!

Only problem with Joyland is it's very short - if you want something longer go for 22/11/63 - has time travel but otherwise no supernatural stuff! And it's totally great.

I can't stand Kubrick's version of The Shining, it's drivel even discounting the fact it's a terrible adaptation. The TV version is a little cheesy in parts but it's much better and much truer to the book.

Is anyone else here a fan of Kingdom Hospital? It seems to be one of those series that hardly anyone I speak to has seen.

Aagh, no, I don't want short!
The thing I worried about with that 22/11/63 was that I wouldn't "get" it as I wasn't around them! I may have misunderstood to premise though...