Stephen King Fans discussion

Hey! Lets make this thread a place to talk about other authors, and other books. Enjoy!

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski...scary yet sublime book detailing the (likely) fake documentary of a mysterious house as written by a mysterious author (or is it?)...but it's about much more than that. There are very few books written that are quite like this one. SK even has a cameo appearance! ;)
EDIT: see the previous entry added to this forum...

Might as well get this out of the way and simply list my faves in fiction...need to add Philp Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy and Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows at some point, but 45 is a nice number to sit still with.

45. Neal Stephenson—Cryptonomicon
44. Stephen King—Different Seasons (addmittedly, I have not read Apt Pupil in YEARS)
43. Edgar Allan Poe—The Complete Stories & Poems
42. John Barth—Lost In the Funhouse
41.Nicholson Baker—Vox
40. Stephen King—Bag of Bones
39. James Joyce—Finnegans Wake
38. Thomas Pynchon—The Crying of Lot 49
37. Douglas Adams—The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
36. “”—Life, The Universe and Everything
35. “”—The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
34. Umberto Eco—Foucault’s Pendulum
33. David Foster Wallace—Brief Interviews With Hideous Men
32. Walt Whitman—Leaves of Grass
31. J.K. Rowling—Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix
30. “”—Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone
29. “”--Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets
28. “”—Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Aszkaban
27. “”—Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire
26. Kurt Vonnegut Jr.—Welcome To the Monkeyhouse
25. John Barth—The Tidewater Tales
24. Wilton Barnhardt—Emma Who Saved My Life
23. David Foster Wallace—The Girl With Curious Hair
22. Neal Stephenson—Snow Crash
21. Garrison Keillor—Lake Wobegone Days
20. Stephen King—The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger
19. “”—The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three
18. “”—The Dark Tower: The Wastelands
17. “”—The Dark Tower: Wizards & Glass
16. “”—The Dark Tower: Wolves of the Calla
15. “”—The Dark Tower: Song of Susannah
14. “”—The Dark Tower: The Dark Tower
13. David Foster Wallace—The Broom of the System
12. Thomas Pynchon—V
11. Tom Carson—Gilligan’s Wake
10. Ellen Raskin—The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel)
9. R.F. Laird—The Boomer Bible
8. Wilton Barnhardt—Gospel
7. Thomas Pynchon—Gravity’s Rainbow
6. Kurt Vonnegut Jr.—Breakfast of Champions
5. Stephen King—It
4. Mark Z. Danielewski—House of Leaves
3. David Foster Wallace—Infinite Jest
2. James Joyce—Ulysses
1. John Barth--Letters

WOW! That is quite a list! I need to do that!

An oldie but a goodie: If you haven't read The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, run get it right now!

I recently got into The Little Friend and am enjoying it immensely.

I am a big fan of the Harry Potter books...loved them to pieces.....I actually had a hard time moving on to new books and it took me forever to read my next book...which was The watchers...which I loved after I finally got into it.
Also...loved Pillars of the Earth...and World without End...though Pillars was better.

I love the Harry Potter books too. (Hate the movies though!) I read them about once a year straight through...

I am currently reading the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris - I am really enjoying them so far!

I liked the movies....I do always hate when charaters get switched up a bit though...(such as nevelle taking credit for what was really dobby's doing in the books)....and yes soooo much was cut out of each movie...so little time to fit such lengthy books into a film. The books are difinatly better.

I never heard of Sookie Stackhouse....what is it about?

Hmm... so far: a telepathic waitress, Vampires, Werewolves, some paranormal romance, a lot of mystery and action. Very entertaining!

Sounds interesting.....I will have to check it out. My next book i am going to start the Twilight series....maybe Sookie Stackhouse will be my next :).

Vampires seem to be a hit lately...anybody here a former Buffy fan....lol...i loved that show!

Yep Rob, based on Sookie Stackhouse.

Oddly enough, I too had never heard of either series or the show until I started hanging out here.

We can't all be as masculine as you, Rob. Even though I do try. Sort of. ;)

It's nice to see that even "Manly Men" can get in touch with their inner femininity.

Even if it is undead.

WHAT???? I read Sookie like years ago! Twilight I will admit I didn't know much about till I joined goodreads... Once the movie came out obviously I would've heard about it. Tru Blood is great!

Well, I have to say, I am gald I am not the only who hasn't heard of Sookie Stackhouse. I have seen True Blood on HBO though...never actually watched it.

I heard of Twilight before finding goodreads...only because of crusin' the book section in Walmart.

I still think Buffy started it all with the vampire/love story.

I know Angie, its crazy... But, I rarely buy new books, so I'm not one to keep up with the new "It" books and all.
I scour thrift-stores for books, and to be honest, I wouldn't be reading Sookie now if I hadn't found the first one there. (Of course, the 6 follow-up books I've since bought were new, but only because I am now addicted, haha!)

I didn't know about Twilight until GR either, although since then I have seen them EVERYWHERE, so it was only a matter of time.

Yep... I have seen The Displays. It's so funny to me, too, because in the teeeeeeeny tiny Waldenbooks we have here, 1/2 of the store (and ALL of the window display area) is dedicated to Twilight. B&N is a little better, they only have 3 or 4 "Twilight Tables" scattered around and a dedicated section.

It's nerve-wracking trying to buy anything in bookstores now that the movie is coming out (I know since I have been twice to buy my follow-up Sookie books), with all the young'uns clustered around, buying Twilight and breathing and everything. But B&N has coffee, so I'll live. Maybe.

I'll still read them though, I have no shame. ;)

I didn't even know Waldenbooks still exists? I never see book stores in malls anymore.

Well... There's always Abercrombie & Fitch. ;)

I'm with you on avoiding malls and also the "super-stores" like Wal-mart. I swear I feel my IQ slipping before I can even get out of the car.

But maybe I am just anti-social in real life. That's probably it.

OK I have a confession, I am obsessed with Walmart. Why the hell I am I going to pay some other store 50 cents more for some milk?

Thats ok Angie, we can still be friends. ;)

Well if it were a mom and pop store I agree with you Rob... but not another chain. They just need to make their prices as cheap as Walmart and then I am there!

I love Walmart....shhh, please don't tell anyone.
But it is true you can find anything at walmart for much cheaper...even toys..they have all the good toys! Except wooden Thomas trains...I still have to go to toys r us for those. Clothes I also tend to look elsewhere so my kids are not wearing the same clothes as everyone else in town.

Unforntionatly wal mart rules the world right now. Plus they are the only place close by for me too....except the over prised P&C and Price Chopper.

I just started Twilight and I really like it! I feel like I am jumping on a band wagon...but...so be it! No shame here either Becky:).

I love Twilight! Very good series (until the last book). And just like the teens I can't wait for the movie!!!!

I buy most of my books at used a book store or the thrift store down the street from my house, but... I bought the first 6 Sookie books for $5.99 each at Target because I couldn't wait to find them! I also bought Twilight and New Moon, but borrowed the next two since they are still hardback. I LOOOOOVE books, but am a cheapskate!
I will always buy anything new by King (naturally) or Colleen McCullough. Crichton too may he rest in peace.

Kandice, you sound like me. I buy all of my books used, and almost never buy hardcovers...

In addition to my cheapskate status (winks) they use so much paper. I feel like they should be read again by someone else, not just sitting on my shelf, unless I will read them again myself. I know I read my favorite authors again and again, so don't mind buying those. If I buy something used, turn it back in, and want to read it again, I kind of think it's a sign I should if I come across it again. A little hokey, but it works for me!

James wrote: ""The Secret History" by Donna Tartt. Simply an amazing debut."

Absolutely agree; I think this is an amazing book and would recommend it to anyone.

Ditto on House of Leaves -- that book really messed with my head -- one of the weirdest reading experiences I've ever had in my life! By the time I reached the rambling, stream-of-consciousness text, I was skimming and jumping ahead, but the story still had me. When some of the text appears inverted (meant to be read using a mirror), it completely creeped me out!

Something I read in just the last little while that I would definitely recommend is David Moody's Hater (while the plot falls short of original, I really loved what he did with it; it's part of a projected trilogy, plus I've heard Guillermo Del Toro has optioned it for a movie).

I've just finished reading as many of George RR Martins A Song of Ice and Fire novels that have been released. I haven't read the two related short stories, but when I find them I will. I've reviewed all of them. They are great!

House of Leaves is trippy as hell.
World War Z is a fun read for any zombie fans.

Battle Royale is excellent! The story, set in a not too distant future, where the Chinese government takes one random class of 9th graders and puts them in a designated area with weapons for 3 days until all but one are dead. It's a very fun read that Ive read twice already and just talking about it makes me want to read it again.

I LOVE A Song of Ice and Fire... but I am so pissed at George RR Martin. He is so snooty. I went to his website a long time ago (before book 4) and he was so rude to his fans. Telling them to leave him alone and what not... here is an article:

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20161...

Dung Beetle wrote: "An oldie but a goodie: If you haven't read The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, run get it right now!"

I agree! And why not read We Have Always Lived in the Castle too. I love that one.

Anyone read Mr. Peanut? It's a mind-bender and I found parts of it touching. But I got kind of tired of it by the end.

Melinda -- What about "The Lottery?" -- another fave by Shirley Jackson.

Bondama wrote: "Melinda -- What about "The Lottery?" -- another fave by Shirley Jackson."

Absolutely love "The Lottery." It wasn't fair! It wasn't right!

I have read the Twilight series, they weren't so bad. She could have done better, but they were her first. I've never read or heard of Sookie until just now and I don't watch tv if I can help it, so no True blood for for me.
House of Leave was messed up and I loved every bit of it.
Wal Mart sucks, or really the customer service sucks. But there is no where else to shop in my little town so, I am stuck with it.
I'm reading The Silence of The Lambs right now by Thomas Harris. It's great. I just finished Red Dragon.
Here's a few questions for you guys. Do you know or have you read any thing by Joe Hill? What do you think of him?

The Twilight series was bad for reasons that had nothing to do with being a novice writer, in addition to her being a novice writer... LOL The whole point of the story is this addictive, obsessive, unhealthy "love", and she portrays women as weak and needy and clingy and victims, except for Jane, who is a bitch to the core. But I digress...
I was compelled to read them, and they were entertaining, but there is no substance. That's not to say that they can't be enjoyed - but hopefully enjoyed with the knowledge of what it is. *shrug*

As far as Joe Hill, yes, many of us have read his stuff and love it. I've read everything he's written except his Locke & Key series and Gunpowder (but I own this one and will be reading it today, hopefully.) I really enjoyed Heart-Shaped Box, his first novel, and 20th Century Ghosts (although I don't understand all of the stories in it!), but I absolutely LOVED Horns. It was amazing... I highly recommend it. :)

I have a love hate relationship with twilight, it's best if I keep my mouth shut most of the time. I liked the books until everyone else started to, and the movies are bad. Host was a better book.

I can't seem to get into Joe Hills books like I can his dad's books. They don't feel right, or something.

Same thing with the Dark Tower series. I think it's because I know how they end. A friend told me how they end and now I can't get past the third book. It makes me crazy because I have them all.

That's not cool... I would have been FURIOUS if someone spoiled a series like that for me. ESPECIALLY that one.

You should give them another try though... The journey is just as important as the destination... In fact, I think it's more important.

Joe Hill's stuff is different. He's not a mini-King, and I like that about him. His stuff has a different feel to it... It's hard to explain... It's more subtle and textured.

I agree with Becky -- if anyone had spoiled the end of such a magnificent series, I'd be considering murder!!

As Becky says, Hill is different. Perhaps, if you read some of the short stories from "20th Century Ghosts" - and try to forget who his dad is, you might find a real appreciation of Joe Hill, completely separate from your appreciation of King.

Joe Hill is a bit like Jack Ketchum's short stories (not his novels)--with a bit of mystery and a lot of "Huh?" But I like Joe Hill. A previous commenter was correct in saying that one of the best things about him is that he's not his father, Lite. But I don't like the mom's writing at all. I have a couple of her things and I can't get into them at all, no matter how hard I try.

I read Heart Shaped Box when it was new. I liked it, but I can't seem to get into any of his other stuff. It's maddening. I tried reading Horns and his short stories. I don't know, maybe he's just not for me.

Palahniuk is one of my favourites. I haven't read his newer books (though I have most of them) but my favourites are definitely Survivor and Invisible Monsters. I enjoyed Fight Club more as a film but that is most likely because I saw it about ten times before reading the book.

I've been making my way thru 20th Century Ghosts, and its been a love/terrified relationship so far. The first one was a kicker - this was terror on a visceral level for me. Loved some of the others, like Pop Art - what an imagination! But I keep putting it down and picking it up a few weeks later, I found it an intense read, and I've been taking it in small bursts. Regarding his voice, I thought it was more "controlled" than his father's, in that, when I read, I imagine the author telling me the story in my head, and his voice isn't excited. When I read King, I feel the author coming across as more joyous somehow, as if he can't wait to tell the story. Hope this makes sense!

My favorite story in that book is "Better Than Home" - absolutely a gem of perfect writing.