EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club discussion

Welcome to 11/22/63 by Stephen King, the third Read-A-Long nomination!

This will be full of spoilers so be warned.

There are 6 sections to the book, and we will aim to follow this schedule:

Sep : Part 1 - Watershed Moment
Oct: Part 2 - The Janitor's Father
Nov: Part 3 - Living in the Past
Dec: Part 4 - Sadie and the General
Jan: Part 5 - 11/22/63
Feb: Part 6 - The Green Card Man

Thanks Betsy, I've started Part 1. It's quite short and will be easy to finish this month. So far, enjoying the story. Having grown up in the 50's, there are lots of "old-timey" references that I remember well.

I've had this on my list since forever ago, only the length put me off. This looks like a great opportunity to get it finally read!

I’m late to the party, but this sounds fun!

Just picked it up, I’m excited to dive into this one.

I read this book years ago, but I still think about it. I believe it definitely places King as a literary writer, not just horror.

I'm in chapter 8, and I can't help but think that this book could use some serious editing. I don't need a food and drink diary, or a whole chapter on Derry, where nothing really happens! Is anyone else feeling the same way?

Chelsea wrote: "I'm in chapter 8, and I can't help but think that this book could use some serious editing. I don't need a food and drink diary, or a whole chapter on Derry, where nothing really happens! Is anyone..."

A lot of people feel that way about almost all of King’s novels. I do as well, including about this one, but oh well. King is incredibly imaginative and writes very well. I am glad I know how to skim, especially with King’s occasional verbosity in ALL of his books. For me, the rest of the book is worth it.

April, it's good to hear that the rest of the book is worth it! I needed some motivation to keep going! :)

I'm late to the party, starting on this one tonight.

I started and finished this all in a week this month. I am not a Stephen King reader generally as I don't tend to like books that are likely to scare me, but that wasn't at all the case here. This was a delightful time travel scenario, though from the start I kept wanting to shout at the main character, "Don't you know messing with outcomes in time travel never ends well?" Anyone who is a reader of sci-fi knows this!

Since many of you will still be reading til February, I'll keep the rest of my comments for a done discussion, but can assuredly say I was pleased with the ending and felt this was one of the better books I've read this year.

A couple of discussion questions for Part 5:
· This section plunges directly into the heart of the mission. Did the shift in pace affect your reading experience?
· This section introduces Oswald’s perspective alongside Jake’s. How did this change your perception of Oswald and the events leading up to the assassination?
· The ripples of Jake’s interventions throughout the past become more apparent. What do you think are the implications regarding free will, fate, and unintended consequences?

I am brand new to the group and just finished a re-read of this a couple of months ago. It is a great book, love the historical fiction, time travel theme. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did and hope to join you all in the next read along.

Stephen King writes about Derry quite often. It was first mentioned in his book IT, and then many times over throughout his career. I found it fun that he mentions the mysterious deaths that had happened in Derry. Only a die-hard SK fan would get that.

I finished, I was going to try to keep to the schedule but I was enjoying it so much I went ahead and finished it. I thoroughly enjoyed it. King keeps me interested, he may be verbose but I've enjoy the books I've read by him.

I've read this book last year and it is AMAZING. It's one of those Stephen's books that can make you cry. What a beautiful relation, the one between Jake and Sadie, right? I hope everyone is enjoying it and can't wait to comment on the spoilers thread.