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Whatcha readin now? (book, books, reading, read) (7 Viewers)

MindCrime said:
I’ve been diving into King for the first time myself as well. In the middle of the Shining right now. May try 11.22.63 next. Working through a bunch of suggestions offered up in this thread - https://forums.footballguys.com/forum/topic/758775-stephen-king-books/
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So the weird thing is I don’t care for horror much at all so that’s kind of why I stayed away all these years. It just isn’t something that generally interests me. I read the Stand first just for a good apocalypse story and realized pretty early on that I enjoy how King writes characters much more so than I would have thought. Their interactions, motivations, dialogue, etc... all is very fresh for me, so I’ve kind of been on a binge. Combine that with a lot of plane travel for work this time of year and I’m rolling through things pretty quickly. I picked up The Shining last night and am nearly a quarter of the way through. 

I suppose it also helps that I haven’t watched a college basketball game in 5 years. 

 
Ilov80s said:
How did/do you like it? Dark doesn''t even begin to describe it but that is what Cormac specializes in. 
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I'm maybe 1/3 of the way through it (switching on/off with a Bush bio that I'm reading).  I would not say that I like it or dislike it so far.  I mostly just find it uninteresting -- not much depth to the characters, and I don't really care what happens to them.  I think McCarthy needs to take a breath in his writing sometimes too, but I favor the Hemingway school of writing.

 
Don Quixote said:
I'm maybe 1/3 of the way through it (switching on/off with a Bush bio that I'm reading).  I would not say that I like it or dislike it so far.  I mostly just find it uninteresting -- not much depth to the characters, and I don't really care what happens to them.  I think McCarthy needs to take a breath in his writing sometimes too, but I favor the Hemingway school of writing.
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His writing style and use of punctuation (or lack of) is so interesting but I can see how people any not care for it. 

 
Man of Constant Sorrow said:
So 80s, is this any example of his unique word-smithin (which I obviously like)... 

...or did you auto-correcty bite ya? 

I give ya higher marks if it is the 1st. 
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That is just me multi-tasking too much and not paying close attention to what I am typing. I probably have at least 1 typo in every post I make. 

 
Ilov80s said:
That is just me multi-tasking too much and not paying close attention to what I am typing. I probably have at least 1 typo in every post I make. 
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Yeah - soory mate -

- that was just me mocs'n too much and not paying close attention to what I am thinkin'. I probably have a least one bent thought in every post I make.

 
bigmarc27 said:
So the weird thing is I don’t care for horror much at all so that’s kind of why I stayed away all these years. It just isn’t something that generally interests me. I read the Stand first just for a good apocalypse story and realized pretty early on that I enjoy how King writes characters much more so than I would have thought. Their interactions, motivations, dialogue, etc... all is very fresh for me, so I’ve kind of been on a binge. Combine that with a lot of plane travel for work this time of year and I’m rolling through things pretty quickly. I picked up The Shining last night and am nearly a quarter of the way through. 

I suppose it also helps that I haven’t watched a college basketball game in 5 years. 
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Knocked out The Shining.

So... The Dead Zone?

 
bigmarc27 said:
Knocked out The Shining.

So... The Dead Zone?
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Here are my rough rankings.  I didn't include the other short story/novella collections because I don't remember them all that well.  But Skeleton Crew and Night Shift were the first two King works I read as a teenager and I remember loving them.

The Stand
Dark Tower series
The Shining
The Talisman/Black House
Carrie
Pet Semetary
The Bachman Books (The Running Man, The Long Walk, Roadwork, Rage)
Misery
Doctor Sleep
Salem's Lot
11/23/1963
Dead Zone
Hearts in Atlantis
Insomnia
Dreamcatcher
Desperation/The Regulators
Under the Dome
The Tommyknockers
Dark Half
Gerald's Game
The Outsider
From a Buick 8
Duma Key
Joyland

 
shuke said:
Here are my rough rankings.  I didn't include the other short story/novella collections because I don't remember them all that well.  But Skeleton Crew and Night Shift were the first two King works I read as a teenager and I remember loving them.

The Stand
Dark Tower series
The Shining
The Talisman/Black House
Carrie
Pet Semetary
The Bachman Books (The Running Man, The Long Walk, Roadwork, Rage)
Misery
Doctor Sleep
Salem's Lot
11/23/1963
Dead Zone
Hearts in Atlantis
Insomnia
Dreamcatcher
Desperation/The Regulators
Under the Dome
The Tommyknockers
Dark Half
Gerald's Game
The Outsider
From a Buick 8
Duma Key
Joyland
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I dont have the energy to do this now but I would move a few of these around.First I would drop Tommyknockers to the end .

 
shuke said:
Here are my rough rankings.  I didn't include the other short story/novella collections because I don't remember them all that well.  But Skeleton Crew and Night Shift were the first two King works I read as a teenager and I remember loving them.

The Stand
Dark Tower series
The Shining
The Talisman/Black House
Carrie
Pet Semetary
The Bachman Books (The Running Man, The Long Walk, Roadwork, Rage)
Misery
Doctor Sleep
Salem's Lot
11/23/1963
Dead Zone
Hearts in Atlantis
Insomnia
Dreamcatcher
Desperation/The Regulators
Under the Dome
The Tommyknockers
Dark Half
Gerald's Game
The Outsider
From a Buick 8
Duma Key
Joyland
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Joyland is the only King book I've read all the way through. Really need to get reading more.

 
shuke said:
Here are my rough rankings.  I didn't include the other short story/novella collections because I don't remember them all that well.  But Skeleton Crew and Night Shift were the first two King works I read as a teenager and I remember loving them.

The Stand
Dark Tower series
The Shining
The Talisman/Black House
Carrie
Pet Semetary
The Bachman Books (The Running Man, The Long Walk, Roadwork, Rage)
Misery
Doctor Sleep
Salem's Lot
11/23/1963
Dead Zone
Hearts in Atlantis
Insomnia
Dreamcatcher
Desperation/The Regulators
Under the Dome
The Tommyknockers
Dark Half
Gerald's Game
The Outsider
From a Buick 8
Duma Key
Joyland
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Bag of Bones somewhere between Misery and Tommy.  Otherwise this list is $.

 
shuke said:
Here are my rough rankings.  I didn't include the other short story/novella collections because I don't remember them all that well.  But Skeleton Crew and Night Shift were the first two King works I read as a teenager and I remember loving them.

The Stand
Dark Tower series
The Shining
The Talisman/Black House
Carrie
Pet Semetary
The Bachman Books (The Running Man, The Long Walk, Roadwork, Rage)
Misery
Doctor Sleep
Salem's Lot
11/23/1963
Dead Zone
Hearts in Atlantis
Insomnia
Dreamcatcher
Desperation/The Regulators
Under the Dome
The Tommyknockers
Dark Half
Gerald's Game
The Outsider
From a Buick 8
Duma Key
Joyland
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Probably just an oversight, but I didn’t see Christine listed. I’d slot it into the Carrie/Pet Semetary range.

 
shuke said:
The Shining
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Tops my King list. 👍

Recently, I've gone back to completing my Malazan Book of the Fallen reading. 

Ive finished all the Erikson books and am working on the Esslemont section. 

In my opinion, this is the greatest modern fantasy series of all time. I rank it way higher than the Ice & Fire series - and on par with LOTR. 

Very adult oriented - lots of dark, soldier-esque humor. Really deep message = compassion. 

Thanks to my buddy @Kruppe for getting me back on the train. 👍

 
shuke said:
I haven't read everything yet.  
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My bad for assuming 👍 You’re way ahead of me in the King library, I’m just getting started, but Christine was in the top 5 of many recommendations that I recieved. I just figured that I was the last person in this thread to read it. 

So let me add my suggestion that Christine to be next on your King list.

 
facook said:
Bag of Bones somewhere between Misery and Tommy.  Otherwise this list is $.
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Good list.  The Talisman was fantastic.

Right now I'm winding my way through Travis Bagwell's Awaken Online.  After reading some heavier stuff this is my pulp reading.

 
shuke said:
Here are my rough rankings.  I didn't include the other short story/novella collections because I don't remember them all that well.  But Skeleton Crew and Night Shift were the first two King works I read as a teenager and I remember loving them.

The Stand
Dark Tower series
The Shining
The Talisman/Black House
Carrie
Pet Semetary
The Bachman Books (The Running Man, The Long Walk, Roadwork, Rage)
Misery
Doctor Sleep
Salem's Lot
11/23/1963
Dead Zone
Hearts in Atlantis
Insomnia
Dreamcatcher
Desperation/The Regulators
Under the Dome
The Tommyknockers
Dark Half
Gerald's Game
The Outsider
From a Buick 8
Duma Key
Joyland
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Interesting to see Dr Sleep that high.  Those rankings aren't too far off mine besides your top 2 (haven't done The Stand, and really disliked the first few Dark Towers).  

I actually had Dr Sleep in my hand tonight as a possible book to start tomorrow.  It was between that, Lisey's Story, and Broken Monsters (keep seeing it on best horror novel lists). 

 
shuke’s list is fine, but missing It and Firestarter, two of King’s very best ( I would rank them up there with The Stand.) 

Thinner is great as well

 
timschochet said:
shuke’s list is fine, but missing It and Firestarter, two of King’s very best ( I would rank them up there with The Stand.) 

Thinner is great as well
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The reason I haven't done The Stand yet (or Under the Dome), is that I have learned that I don't really love long-winded King.  It has some amazing stuff in it, but there is too much bloat for me and a few questionable scenes in there (we know what I am talking about).  I think a bit also has to do with my belief that he doesn't really know how to stick his landings, so I get pissier when I don't like the end (IT qualifies here) after reading 800+ pages vs when he has a blah ending after reading a shorter book.  

 
timschochet said:
shuke’s list is fine, but missing It and Firestarter, two of King’s very best ( I would rank them up there with The Stand.) 

Thinner is great as well
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Damn, how did I forget It.  Would probably be 2nd after The Stand.  Maybe first. 

 
KarmaPolice said:
The reason I haven't done The Stand yet (or Under the Dome), is that I have learned that I don't really love long-winded King.  It has some amazing stuff in it, but there is too much bloat for me and a few questionable scenes in there (we know what I am talking about).  I think a bit also has to do with my belief that he doesn't really know how to stick his landings, so I get pissier when I don't like the end (IT qualifies here) after reading 800+ pages vs when he has a blah ending after reading a shorter book.  
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If you go into a King book knowing it's about the journey and not the destination, you'll enjoy it much more.  

Hell, that stands for any book.

But I'd pass on Under The Dome regardless.  

 
A brief interruption to the King thread.  :yes:

Usually I have 3-4 books going. One I'll mention here is Decades of Doubt. It's a recounting of a cold case murder (1969) that comes back into the public eye 40+ years later. I'm finding it to be a really interesting look into the investigation process as well as the defense attorney's.

Besides enjoying the book on its own merit. I bring it up to say that sometimes it's good to seek out books that have a local connection. It's just so much more interesting when you recognize names, locations etc. In this case one of the authors, Eric Wilson, represented someone close to me a few years ago on a DUI. Additionally, the murdered boy was just a year older than me and was killed in Lowell MA, where I went to high school. He was from the next town over, Tewksbury.

 
Uruk-Hai said:
I just finished Borne by Jeff Vandermeer, the guy who wrote Annihilation and the rest of the Southern Reach series. I enjoyed this much more. It's tighter and easier for my pea brain to keep up with.

He's got a short story - Strange Bird - set in the same universe which I'll knock out next before moving onto Ben Winter's next novel.
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I knocked out Strange Bird (liked) & Winters' Golden State (liked a ton).

Next up is Michael Koryta's latest How It Happened. 

 
Barry said:
Free  Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi is free in digital format if you sign up or have already signed up for Tor's newsletter. ends mar16.
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I picked this up from the library recently. I’ll get to this after I finish Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft.

 Really liked Old Mans War and Redshirts by Scalzi.

 
prosopis said:
The Dead Zone is a great pick. You may feel that King saw into the future a little bit regarding a politician. Seriously a great book. Would probably break my top ten.
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Finished this one. Liked it, but kind of focused on stuff I didn’t care about...

spoilers below.

I don’t honestly even care about the politician portion at all. I would have rather the book focused on the serial rapist/murderer portion as the main antagonist. It was more interesting overall. The politician portion seemed almost tacked on. Also you spent literally half the book with Sarah and her relationship with Jonny, and in the end nothing happens with it at all. Also she married a politician and there’s zero connection at all to the evil politician?  That was just weird. Unless I missed something, what was the point of her husband working in that same arena?  It was a good read, but it felt like King laid out a very clear outline through the first 90% of the book, and then none of it paid off. 

 
Sand said:
Let me know how you liked this.  I've read it and would be interested in your take.
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I really enjoyed it. I think the descriptions of the tower and different levels really brought it to life. The characters were wild and even though they were all out for themselves it was nice to see how they come together. Senlin is a very dynamic character you just want to see how he gets out of each situation. I have a few books on my shelf to read and then I plan on getting to the other 2 books available in the series.

 
trogg78 said:
I really enjoyed it. I think the descriptions of the tower and different levels really brought it to life. The characters were wild and even though they were all out for themselves it was nice to see how they come together. Senlin is a very dynamic character you just want to see how he gets out of each situation. I have a few books on my shelf to read and then I plan on getting to the other 2 books available in the series.
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I thought it was fantastic.  The writing was superb - the guy really has talent with the English Language.  I haven't read the next two, though #2 is on my shelf and I'll get to it when the fancy strikes.

Bancroft has officially made my "I'll probably buy whatever he writes" just because he's that good.  Same level as Sanderson, Will Wight, etc.

 
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Sand said:
I thought it was fantastic.  The writing was superb - the guy really has talent with the English Language.  I haven't read the next two, though #2 is on my shelf and I'll get to it when the fancy strikes.

Bancroft has officially made my "I'll probably buy whatever he writes" just because he's that good.  Same level as Sanderson, Will Wight, etc.
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This is good to hear. I added it to my Kindle a while back and plan to start it on vacation in a few weeks. The series is done, right?

 
Uruk-Hai said:
This is good to hear. I added it to my Kindle a while back and plan to start it on vacation in a few weeks. The series is done, right?
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It looks like the fourth and last book of series has not been released yet. I don’t see an expected release date for it.

edit: the official site days 2020

 
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Just finished "The patricide of George Benjamin Hill"

About 4 kids with very screwed up life's and they all blame their father. Hence the patricide. Interesting idea, but not written well. And badly edited

 
Ilov80s said:
@KarmaPolice have you read anything lately? I remember you asking for suggestions
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@Ilov80s

I did read a few from the list in the thread - Lord of the Flies, a Vonnegut, and The Sun Also Rises.  I also re-read To Kill a Mockingbird.  I seem to go in waves, so I took a break from the novels and got a stack of non-fiction.  I have a couple more incoming from the library, but I know the one that I have at home now waiting for me after I finish my taxes is I'll Be Gone in the Dark

 
KarmaPolice said:
@Ilov80s

I did read a few from the list in the thread - Lord of the Flies, a Vonnegut, and The Sun Also Rises.  I also re-read To Kill a Mockingbird.  I seem to go in waves, so I took a break from the novels and got a stack of non-fiction.  I have a couple more incoming from the library, but I know the one that I have at home now waiting for me after I finish my taxes is I'll Be Gone in the Dark
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So did you like any of them?   My wife read I'l Be Gone in the Dark and really like it but she's into pretty much anything about serial killers right now. 

 
Ilov80s said:
So did you like any of them?   My wife read I'l Be Gone in the Dark and really like it but she's into pretty much anything about serial killers right now. 
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I did like them all- Vonnegut was probably my least favorite though.  

 
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The Hod King was great. same great writing as the first two. The structure is a little different but the story continues from the conclusion of Spinx.

 
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