Stephen King 2025 read-along discussion

Welcome and Salutations, Constant Readers!

It's August. As a teacher, it's a dreaded time of year. Back to school. I love teaching, but the butterflies and anxiety of meeting my new students for the first time always get to me.

This month, Ashley and I chose two books for the buzzwordathon cover theme (transportation). You can either read From a Buick 8 or Charlie the Choo-Choo. From a Buick 8 is about 496 pages, depending on your edition. This, like Christine, is about a car that may or may not be a real car.

Then there is the children's picture book Charlie the Choo-choo that is referenced in King's magnum opus, The Dark Tower series. I haven't read From a Buick 8, so I'm interested in learning more about this book. The latter is a delicious and delightful story of a scary train that only wants to be a train forever.

Let's get to the details. From a Buick 8 was written back in 99. King stopped at a gas station that gave him the idea for part of the story. He later got struck by a car and almost died, so he didn't get to finish the book until 2 years later.

The story is written in recollections by Troop D, Pennsylvania Police Officers. The blue 1953 vintage Buick Roadmaster was found abandoned at a gas station and had been in storage since 1979. A boy by the name of Ned is curious about the car, and so the story begins with the police officers telling him the story of the car and how they don't think it's a car at all.

This story has been in the works for a movie adaptation since 2005. It has changed hands and directors many times. Most recently, in 2024, it was attached to James Wan. Not sure if it will happen. I love watching King adaptations.

Charlie the Choo-Choo again is a children's book "written" by Beryl Evans. Like I said, it is a book referenced in the Dark Tower series. Jake, one of the side characters who is a part of Roland Deschain's ka-tet, finds the book in a bookstore, and it changes his trajectory. The story itself is creepy. It has a little jingle that Charlie sings to his conductor that my kids hated, but I would make sure to sing it loud and scary. If you haven't picked up this picture book, I highly recommend adding it to your King collection.

I hope you all had fun reading The Cell last month, and enjoy reading these. Let me know which one you choose to read this month, and as always, Happy Reading!