2025 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss Stephen King‘s book, Under the Dome.


***Please remember to mark spoilers.***

Participants: Veronica, Susy, Daph, Lynn, Nik

Suggested break down of reading so that you can check in and let us know how you're doing. The following breakdown is purely a suggestion and is therefore not set in stone.

Rather than putting dates for each section I've done it so that it takes into account that not everybody will necessarily have the book at the same time.

Week 1: 269
Week 2: 269
Week 3: 269
Week 4: 269

OMG, hadn't noticed that it was such a door stopper.... Hope I'll manage with so many other reads going on (and it's going to be véry busy at work)....

I don't know how much time is given to a buddy read here before it's in archivesland, but I too think I've been over-committing to said reads.

A buddy read can last for more than a month - especially if it is a long book. Should we make this a two month read?

(Buddy reads have even been extended at the end of the month when it is clear most of the participants have not had a chance to get to that particular book. I do my best to pay attention to the activity on each thread and suggest it if it seems appropriate.)

Mary Pat wrote: "Should we make this a two month read?"

It should be considered, Mary Pat. I'm waiting for the other readers to have their say...

For me that would be great! I have time off in August so more time to read.

A 2-month read would be ideal :) It's definitely a HUGE book :) TY for setting up the thread!

I'm still waiting for my copy to arrive and started two other reads so I'll probably start this one mid July. How about everybody else?

It's fine. I've barely started it. I've been suffering from a readers' block for the past couple of months. At the moment, I'll probably be the slowest reader amongst us.

In quite a slow-reader myself Veronica! Hope to start tomorrow!

Veronica wrote: "It's fine. I've barely started it. I've been suffering from a readers' block for the past couple of months. At the moment, I'll probably be the slowest reader amongst us."

Two months of reader's block! Are you over it yet?

Really have to finish this book before going on vacation, it's just too heavy!! But I don't know if I'll manage seeing that it's so extremely busy at work, working long hours and it seems I'll be working weekends too otherwise I'll not be able to finish everything before my vacation....

Hi Mary Pat, please remove me from the list. I apologize. I don't have the time to complete this read. I regret bailing out.

Too bad Luffy! It is quite a read. Glad that it'll be spread over 2 months.

How is everybody else doing?

Still reading! I can't carry it around like other books so I've downloaded the epub. I'm finally starting to get back on track. It's engaging so far.

I'll be reading for quite some time I think lol. Been making quite long days at work and just can't bring myself to reading after that. Will definitely need august to finish.
I'm missing the not knowing what's going to happen since I've watched the series. Luckily I have a very bad memory so I don't recall all of the details. Am enjoying it so far.

Daph and Lisa, have you started yet?

Susy wrote: "Daph and Lisa, have you started yet?"

I have not. Unfortunately, I haven't been in a Stephen King reading mood :( It's waiting for me on my e-reader so I'm hoping to get to it on the flight back to Denmark or during the weekend :)

I've watched the series aswell and heard that the book is much, much better so that's going to be interesting.

Sounds like it would be a good idea to extend this read through the end of August! I will move it to that thread in the next day or so.

Thank you Mary Pat!

This thread has been moved to the August Buddy Read folder!

I'm really happy to see that this is being extended through August. I'm just about to start it and didn't realise that it was so long. I have no idea how far I'll get in the next few days, but with a guest coming into town, I'm going to guess that I won't make a whole lot of progress. =P

Mary Pat, if you'd kindly add my name to the list of participants? Thanks so much.

Regrettably, I've lost interest in this book for the time being. I guess I'm just not in the mood for Stephen King :( I did get around a third of the way through it so I hope I can get back to it at some point. I'm really sorry.

Mary Pat, would you please remove me from the list. Thanks in advance.

Sorry to hear you'll be "leaving" us Lisa!

I'm about half way and it is finally grabbing my attention. I think I'll be postponing my other august buddy reads so I concentrate on finishing Under the dome. Have downloaded an eBook so I can read both digital and physical copies, depending on the time of day/night.

I have a very bad memory so I'm trying to find the differences between the book and the tv series but I just can't recall the details of the series.... Looking forward hear about to what you guys notice.

How is everybody else doing?

Me too, Susy.
I think it's just to word heavy for what I'm feeling up to during the summer.
Stephen King will be a must for me during the autumn months with a good cup of hot chocolate instead :)

Lol, sounds good Lisa! :)

I started this yesterday and I'm nearly through Part6, Clustermug. A seriously long set up has begun. I imagine that Barbie and Sea Dogs circling the perimeter will take a while. Marvelous villains in town :-)

How evil can Big Jim and Junior get? I love Stephen King's small town settings, so this one is flying for me. I had to make myself go to sleep last night right before (view spoiler)[the cruise missle, (hide spoiler)] so forget tv for tonight. I never saw the miniseries, and I'm staying away from IMDb so the characters and imagination are all mine....and SK's.

Sounds good Lynn! I whish I hadn't watched the series as well.

I've been putting off watching the series until I read the book, so I'm happy to be going into it a blank slate. But omg is this thing long. I think I've just reached Clustermug, myself, so I'm trailing behind Lynn a bit. The story is interesting and I'm really into it whilst reading, but once I put it down I don't feel an urgency to get back to it. That could have more to do with the page count than the content, though; it's pretty intimidating when I've been reading 300-something-page books all year.

Charli wrote: "I read it *before* I saw the series, but I never could picture the characters. They just didn't ever have any faces for me, which is unusual. I re-read it after I saw the series and was happily sticking faces on all the characters mentioned. :) "

You know Charli, you're absolutely right! SK seems to distinguish an individual by body-size occasionally (I know Big Jim is asking for a heart attack, Joe McClatchey is 13 and tall and skinny, and Rusty is a big guy...maybe a redhead) with no description of race, looks or hair color. I'm imagining people on little else besides thoughts and actions. I read last night that a nurse referred to Junior as "the good-looking one", but he's such a monster I just can't picture it!

I wonder if this is unusual for SK? Could he purposefully have kept things vague because he expected the miniseries adaptation?

Nik wrote: "The story is interesting and I'm really into it whilst reading, but once I put it down I don't feel an urgency to get back to it. ..."

I was feeling the same Nik, for some part I agree that may be because of the page count. I do think the story gets better and more gripping, so now I do feel like getting back to it as soon as possible.

Lynn wrote: "I'm imagining people on little else besides thoughts and actions. I wonder if this is unusual for SK? ..."

I have read a lot SK's but I must admit that I don't really remember how it is with his other books. When I start reading my mind automatically sees this person, made up from my own fantasy of course when there is a lack of description. When certain details are mentioned, the image just adapts itself, like turning a red head into a blond. It's a gradual process and it doesn't bother me (unless some details are only mentioned towards the end of the book. Then apparently the image I formed in my mind has become more solidified and I can get annoyed if details are mentioned which don't fit with my mental image of the character (or the scenery for that matter).
I stopped reading SK quite some years ago, just recently decided to pick it up again, so it will definitely be something I will be paying attention to....

Lynn wrote: "How evil can Big Jim and Junior get?."

Right? I remember that in the series I found him quite annoying, but in the book it went from annoying to really hating him and hoping his heart would finally stop....
Junior is just completely mad!

Charli wrote: "It *is* kind of a "door stop" unless you get the version I did - which was two "normal" sized paperbacks instead of the giant doorstop that with my bad wrists, I can't even begin to hold up. LOL"

Well even then it is a doorstopper from a page count point of view. But I do believe that psychologically it may seem a less heavy read when you divide the 1000-something pages into two books.
(and I agree it is way easier to lift that way, I can only read it with some kind of support like a pillow; when reading in bed I read a digital version of it).

I'm 2/3 through now and I'm taking a break because I don't like where this seems to be going. Torture has been promised and I'm hoping the story will take a turn before it goes there. Gotta read something soothing for a day or 2 before I continue.

I have just reached Madness, Blindness, Astonishment of the Heart, only about 15% in. I need to pick up the pace! I got irritated with King when I read:

Libby, still wearing her Saturday grubs—and still pretty enough, even at forty-five, to look good in them…

Jerk. ლ(ಠ益ಠ)ლ

It gets worse and worse Lynn. At s certain point I was so overwhelmed with all the suffering that I started reading slowly, feeling tired and powerless...

lol, yes definitely written by a a jerk Nik

Susy wrote: "It gets worse and worse Lynn. At s certain point I was so overwhelmed with all the suffering that I started reading slowly, feeling tired and powerless..."

Well I'm back at it. Read a sweet romance for the LGBTQIA Challenge in a few sittings and I'm back in Chester's Mill under the dome.

I have just reached Pink Stars Falling. I am disgusted by what happened (view spoiler)[to Sammy Bushey (hide spoiler)]. There are so many despicable characters in this book, already; honestly, with the way real life is these days, my tolerance for negativity in my escapist fiction is pretty low.

(view spoiler)[I'm also being turned off by the ableist, ageist, fat-shaming language. I know the book is several years old and we weren't as aware then as we've become in the past year or two. But you can't un-see something and you can't un-know something and now my outlook is affected by the conviction that the way we communicate has to change. I find myself more enthusiastically supporting authors who show that they're also capable of learning and growing. I'll get off my soapbox now. =) (hide spoiler)]

Nik wrote: "I have just reached Pink Stars Falling. I am disgusted by what happened [spoilers removed]. There are so many despicable characters in this book, already; honestly, with the way real life is these ..."

I guess we hang in there reading in hope of fictional justice in the end (unlike in real life).

Lynn wrote: "I guess we hang in there reading in hope of fictional justice in the end (unlike in real life)."

Indeed.

Curious to know what you think about the end, Nik and Lynn....

At this rate I might finish by the time I'm ready to retire. =P

lol, about half way through it starts to be more gripping. Hopefully you'll have the same experience.

Susy wrote: "Curious to know what you think about the end, Nik and Lynn...."

Susy.....you were not kidding about this being filled with suffering. I felt imprisoned right along with the town under the dome. The scenario and writing were very convincing I thought.

(view spoiler)[The ending was a departure for SK. He's known for supernatural rather than sci-fi, so I was surprised even though I'd been prepared by Col. Cox's speculation. I think King's best writing concerns evil, but the only real evil in the book was residents' sadism and self-righteousness. The book could easily be read as a commentary on the U.S. torture policy in a post-911 world (especially the prisons in Guantanamo and Iraq), but I think the book best examines the cruel streak humans have as a species. (Maybe it's all life on earth. I recently came upon a loving and well-fed housecat outside torturing a mouse, just for kicks.) (hide spoiler)]

Nik wrote: "I'm really happy to see that this is being extended through August. I'm just about to start it and didn't realise that it was so long. I have no idea how far I'll get in the next few days, but with..."

Hi, Nik! I have added you to the list! (Sorry for the delay!)

Luffy wrote: "Hi Mary Pat, please remove me from the list. I apologize. I don't have the time to complete this read. I regret bailing out."

Done! :)