Crime, Mysteries & Thrillers discussion

This book is excellent. It is a quick read but the story line is excellent. It it a bit different from the "typical" Stephen King book in that it is more of a mystery than a horror story. It also has a touch of romance and pathos. I loved it.

This makes my third King book. I enjoyed it, but can't comment much about comparisons to his other works. There was a "whodunit" aspect that was well done.

Wow! I just started today and already into it 100 pages! I used to read quite a bit of Stephen King but stopped after Tommyknockers because I was getting sick and tired of his foul language. (I don't mind a few f-bombs but he carried it to extremes and had everyone using it. I mean, really, EVERYONE??)

This books is such a change! Yes, it's more of a mystery. But also a coming-of-age story. I love the characters and the setting. It's just absorbing and enveloping. I can't wait to see what the next 2/3 are like!

I'm so excited for this!! Will probably start on Monday

A copy was donated to our Friends of the Library sale so I grabbed it. Glad to hear it is more mystery than horror. Will try to start it this weekend.

I'm really excited for this one, but disappointed I can't get it instantly on my kindle. I'm one of those "get it now" types ;) Must make it to the bookstore this weekend! I've read several King books and looking forward to what others are saying in that it's more of a mystery than horror. Looking forward to a great discussion!

I really liked this book as well. I liked how easy the book read and the characters were interesting and likeable.

Loved this book! What a surprise; not at all what I thought it was going to be. My review is here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

This was my first Stephen King novel (I know, I know, what rock did I just crawl out from under?). I now officially want to read more of his work! Almost immediately after starting Joyland, I knew that this was the work of a great storyteller and an excellent writer. Stephen King is also a master of characterization, and I enjoyed spending time with the people who inhabited this story. Joyland brought back so many nostalgic feelings of summers spent at the boardwalk and at seaside amusement parks, and, to a lesser degree, remembrances of first love. Thank you, Stephen King, for such a pleasurable summer read!

Kirsten wrote: "Wow! I just started today and already into it 100 pages! I used to read quite a bit of Stephen King but stopped after Tommyknockers because I was getting sick and tired of his foul language. (I don..."

I agree with your enthusiasm for this book! I was just absorbed right into the story. I loved the characters, many of whom at the amusement park struck me as "salt-of-the-earth", "got your back" folk that really almost become a kind of family to one another. And the setting is just so darn atmospheric!!

Just started it and I like it so far. This is my first Stephen King, too. I stay away from horror. In books and real life, as much as possible!

Jill wrote: "Just started it and I like it so far. This is my first Stephen King, too. I stay away from horror. In books and real life, as much as possible!"

"I stay away from horror. In books and real life, as much as possible!"

I love that : )

Just ordered it from Amazon.

Just finished Joyland (you can find my review here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...). I found it delightful. The only criticism I would have is that the mystery part of it is a little incidental. Maybe that's because mystery writing isn't Mr. King's regular literary gig. But that's just nitpicking.

I loved this book and am very grateful to whoever suggested it and to all who voted for it.

Kirsten wrote: "Just finished Joyland (you can find my review here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...). I found it delightful. The only criticism I would have is that the mystery part of it is a littl..."

Kirsten, I think I might know what you mean about the mystery being "a little incidental". I don't recall Joyland being terribly suspenseful, but the storytelling was so good, and the various characters so interesting and pretty well fleshed-out, that it was still a very entertaining, enjoyable, worthwhile read. There is a lot more going on in this novel than just the whodunit aspect.

I absolutely adored this book. My review is here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Stephen King is a master at storytelling. And there was no real "horror" so to speak of, which suits me just fine :-)

Laura G. wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "Just finished Joyland (you can find my review here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...). I found it delightful. The only criticism I would have is that the mystery part ..."

I agree, Laura! I did, as Cathie states, absolutely adored this book. I just felt the mystery was set up really well, but he rushed it in the end. Like it was an afterthought.

But that is just lefthanded criticism, I suppose. The characters were so well-developed. Jonesy's life was just so compelling. I did really love it.

Kirsten wrote: "Laura G. wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "Just finished Joyland (you can find my review here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...). I found it delightful. The only criticism I would have is that ..."

I know what you mean about the ending - it felt a bit like it was a tacked on Big Bang after the gentle build of the book. I think King often has problems with his endings but it didn't spoil this one for me. I loved the gentle sense of nostalgia that reminded me of the not horrible parts of IT.

I listened to a wonderful recent interview that Mr. King did with Terry Gross of Fresh Air (NPR) that is available online (no spoilers). In it, he states that he himself did not know who the killer in Joyland was until close to the end of the book. He thinks of himself almost like an archeologist (I'm paraphrasing) and that he sees novels as "found" things - he likes his books to feel "organic". He said he doesn't plot his books and his endings, but rather takes an idea or an image (in the case of Joyland, the image of a boy in a wheelchair holding a kite, as well as the idea of setting one of his books in an amusement park), and goes from there.

Maybe there is hope after reading a few posts at the top above me;I have never read Stephen King, but since this was the only book read for this group at my library, I though I would try it. I keep thinking," "when will there be something happening other than the kid and his day to day memoir. He is funny a couple times, but I am ready to skip over some pages. I love vintage, but have yet to get the nostalgia feeling on this either as mentioned.

I'm about halfway through the book now and still waiting for it to grab me. It's a very PLEASANT read, but I'm not enthralled. The story is a bit too sweet for my taste and the characters a bit too stereotyped.

If it's true, as Beverly says, that King often has trouble with endings -- this is my first King book, so I don't know -- then what he said on Fresh Air would explain that!

Based upon this one novel, I am a big fan of Stephen King's storytelling (problematic endings or not). If there is anyone in the group who has read a lot of his work, I would love some recommendations of his books that lean more towards psychological thrillers. I don't mind horror, well, being scared (to a moderate degree), but my preference would be as little (to no) gore as possible.

Laura G. wrote: "Based upon this one novel, I am a big fan of Stephen King's storytelling (problematic endings or not). If there is anyone in the group who has read a lot of his work, I would love some recommendati..."

His best book was probably The Stand. Though, you may enjoy his short story collections as an introduction to his horror novels (for ex, The Night Shift). However, I don't know if I'd base your opinion of all his work by Joyland. I used to really enjoy his novels but after a while I just got tired of his excessive profanities. I'm no prude, but I like to have the profanity fit into context not just for shock value.

Kirsten wrote: "Laura G. wrote: "Based upon this one novel, I am a big fan of Stephen King's storytelling (problematic endings or not). If there is anyone in the group who has read a lot of his work, I would love ..."

I so agree on this.

Kirsten wrote: "Laura G. wrote: "Based upon this one novel, I am a big fan of Stephen King's storytelling (problematic endings or not). If there is anyone in the group who has read a lot of his work, I would love ..."

Thanks for your response, Kirsten. I can appreciate what you are saying about profanity that seems to be out of context. The King books that I have on my TBR list thus far are (in no particular order) : The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Bag of Bones, The Dead Zone, and The Shining. I chose the first four based upon opinions that I have read on Goodreads in reviews and in Stephen King discussions. These comments seemed to indicate that these four are high on character development and storytelling (with maybe some of the supernatural), yet low on horror and gore. I put The Shining on my list immediately after reading Shutter Island. I'm sure I will be repeating this refrain in the Shutter Island discussion, but one of the things I loved so much about Shutter Island was how incredibly atmospheric it was. Many have called "The Shining" the ultimate "haunted house" novel, so, for that reason, I thought I just might love it. Speaking of "it", I noticed that a King novel by that name (It) has been given some pretty high praise on at least one thread in this group. I have to say that just the idea of reading a book that is more than 1000 pages intimidates me a little bit, but that is a subject for another thread.

Jenni wrote: "Laura G. wrote: "Based upon this one novel, I am a big fan of Stephen King's storytelling (problematic endings or not). If there is anyone in the group who has read a lot of his work, I would love ..."

Thank you, Jenni. I will definitely put The Talented Mr. Ripley on my To Read list! I did see the film version years ago, so hopefully that will not detract from my enjoyment of the novel. : )

Laura G. wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "Laura G. wrote: "Based upon this one novel, I am a big fan of Stephen King's storytelling (problematic endings or not). If there is anyone in the group who has read a lot of his wor..."

If you have The Dead Zone and The Shining on your list, you should really add The Stand. It was one of the greats.

Kirsten wrote: "Laura G. wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "Laura G. wrote: "Based upon this one novel, I am a big fan of Stephen King's storytelling (problematic endings or not). If there is anyone in the group who has read..."

Will do. But 823 pages for the hardcover first edition, and a whopping 1153 pages for the hardcover "complete and uncut" edition (there are other editions, such as the eBook, that have even more pages!)??!!!

I'd definitely start with the Shining like Kirsten suggested and Misery is actually very good too. It's a lot more subtle than the film, more psychological and claustrophobic. IT is definitely worth a read but it is one of those that I was thinking of above when I mentioned 'problem with endings', well in my opinion :)

As a writer of novels myself I read Stephen Kng's On Writing and was pleased to learn how he doesn't 'plot' novels A-B etc but lets the characters lead him because I tend to do the same ( I thought I was a weirdo) Only those people who've read my books could tell you if I succeeded in making the endings convincing (hard to judge your own stuff objectively) but I think the danger is a nice idea can be difficult to tie up without making it seem clunky if you use this method.

I love King but I think he suffers with this about 40 PC of the time. Not in The Shining or Misery though!
And his millions of readers would probably say ' shut up Bev' :)
Definitely read The Talented Mr Ripley like Jnni suggested - it is a stone cold classic !

Laura G. wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "Laura G. wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "Laura G. wrote: "Based upon this one novel, I am a big fan of Stephen King's storytelling (problematic endings or not). If there is anyone in the gr..."

I know it's huge. When I read it, it was a mass market paperback. But, I recently got an audio copy via Audible. Books this size are why I really like audiobooks and e-books.

Kirsten wrote: "Laura G. wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "Laura G. wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "Laura G. wrote: "Based upon this one novel, I am a big fan of Stephen King's storytelling (problematic endings or not). If there is..."

I am a person that still prefers to read physical, paper books, but I can completely appreciate how a 1000+ page book would seem a lot less daunting in electronic format. I never really listen to audio books either, but I was thinking that perhaps I could try borrowing audio e-books from the library, and listening to them on my iPhone while walking for exercise, that is, if I can start being consistent about walking for exercise. : )

Laura G. wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "Laura G. wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "Laura G. wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "Laura G. wrote: "Based upon this one novel, I am a big fan of Stephen King's storytelling (problematic endings or n..."

I like some audio books better than in printed form. For instance, JD Robb's "In Death" series is so well narrated you get a lot more with the audiobook. I've gotten so I just love using my Kindle for e-books/audiobooks for the convenience. Though, I still read a lot in physical form.

Another thing, if you are reading some non-fiction with many footnotes, Kindle is much nicer for going back and forth.

Additionally, if I've got a bad sinus headache, I just can't bear to wear my glasses much less read. Audiobooks are ideal in this case!

Beverley wrote: "I'd definitely start with the Shining like Kirsten suggested and Misery is actually very good too. It's a lot more subtle than the film, more psychological and claustrophobic. IT is definitely wort..."

I just read the blurb for Misery. It sounds like a very suspenseful, psychological premise, with probably an enclosed setting that adds to the suspense. But I don't know how I would handle scenes of torture.

Laura G. wrote: "Beverley wrote: "I'd definitely start with the Shining like Kirsten suggested and Misery is actually very good too. It's a lot more subtle than the film, more psychological and claustrophobic. IT i..."

There isn't torture as such ( except one famous scene in the middle where Annie performs a 'procedure' on him!) The 'horror' part is the psychological torture of being trapped with a person Paul needs to keep him alive but realises is increasingly unhinged. There is some violence towards the end. But I don't recall,it being 'sadistic'. I don't like those torture films either :)

Beverley wrote: "Laura G. wrote: "Beverley wrote: "I'd definitely start with the Shining like Kirsten suggested and Misery is actually very good too. It's a lot more subtle than the film, more psychological and cla..."

Good to know.

Hi, I'm Mary Ellen, and I am the one that suggested that you read this. I thought that it would be a really good beach read, seeing as how it is summer and all. Stephen King is one of my favourite authors, and he rarely disappoints me. I loved the cover of this book. Very old school mystery and that's exactly what you got. A mystery. Although many of Stephen's books are horror, he does have a few that are not. I love both genres. Stephen King is a fabulous story teller and that is what you get with this novel. A quick paced, wonderful story. Reminded me of when I was young, and amusement parks were everywhere. It seems like everyone is enjoying this novel, so that pleases me. Until next time---happy reading everyone!
Mary Ellen

Hi everyone, I finished Joy land a couple of weeks ago and I really enjoyed it. Stephen King is one of my favorite authors, and he very seldom disappoints me. I was able to relate to the carnival characters as I spent a weekend working at a carnival as a youth. I would never have guessed who the killer was. But what I really liked about this book is that there was different genres from mystery to the supernatural, well worth their read.

I have to agree about Joyland. However, what I think is so good about this book is the fact that even if you don't care for Stephen King you'll probably like this one.

Kirsten wrote: "I have to agree about Joyland. However, what I think is so good about this book is the fact that even if you don't care for Stephen King you'll probably like this one."

I agree. It's a gentle read. King usually falls into 2 categories; horror and life telling; this is in his life telling genre, like Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption and 11/22/63.

Cathie wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "I have to agree about Joyland. However, what I think is so good about this book is the fact that even if you don't care for Stephen King you'll probably like this one."

I agree. I..."

'Lifetellng' - that's a really good way of putting it! I'm going to pnch that in future! :)

I thought it was kind of stale for a few chapters. Now as I am halfway along and it has gotten so much more interesting.

The mystery plays in the background of the story. The coming-of-age and the time period are the most powerful aspects to the book. Steven King does this so well and it is what creates the nostaligia effect that has been mentioned in earlier posts. I have read most all of Steven King and he uses horror or mystery to delve into the human and beyond human psyche. The King novel that this tale most equates to, for me, is "Hearts in Atlantis."

I am a get it now person and I downloaded the audiobook. This summer I have been getting both the kindle and the narrated versions of books. It synchronizes accross devices so I can listen or read from my phone, PC or iPad and each takes me to the last place I left off on the last device I was using. I listen on my phone while walking my dogs, read on my PC while eating lunch at my work desk, and can read or listen on my phone while waiting for my hair appointment. I have been amazed at how much more reading I accomplish. It does change the experiene, but the story stays more alive and "with me" is a new way.

Well, I thought it was okay. Gave it 3 stars. Here's my review:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Laura G. wrote: "Based upon this one novel, I am a big fan of Stephen King's storytelling (problematic endings or not). If there is anyone in the group who has read a lot of his work, I would love some recommendati..."

Try the Green Mile series (don't let the six books scare you they are very very small) or short story collection Different Seasons which contains Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption: A Story from Different Seasons and The Body.

I think you will be surprised.

Loved it!

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Delee wrote: "Loved it!

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/..."

love to check your review out.

Delee wrote: "Loved it!

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/..."

I liked your review, Delee. Loved the image of the Ferris wheel!

Laura G. wrote: "Delee wrote: "Loved it!

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/..."

I liked your review, Delee. Loved the image of the Ferris wheel!"

I loved the ferris wheel and also liked the review.

Thank you so much Karen! That is always so nice to hear.