The Odd One

I know I am odd in my ambivalent feelings for Stephen King.  Some people who have written critical comments about Gwendy's Magic Feather say that it isn't good because it is written by Chizmar and not King.  For me, I think it seems as if it is written by King alone!  I have been much more disappointed with King than Chizmar, though I do admit that I have enjoyed a lot of King's stuff.  I am just saying this reads like one of King's boring titles.  And there are many of those, too!  I liked the first one a lot!  And I know, I know, King is credited with the main authorship of that one...I'm just saying. 

Short but still too long...

I don't know, Stephen King.  I have such a love-hate relationship.  I just think he uses too many words.  Probably because I use too many words and what we don't like about ourselves we usually don't like about others.  I loved the sense of a non-traditional family like the one that is created here.  I love that that cat is taken care of, too.  So I need to set aside my usual disdain for King and move Elevation from 2 stars to 3. 

Good Stuff

Terror's Echo:  Transgressions Novellas 7,8 and 10 was an excellent collection of stories.  I mean, think about it, Ed McBain (Evan Hunter) was the editor?  And one of the stories was a Keller story from Block???  Even though I had read the Keller story a long, long time ago, it was just as good the second time around and how I wish he would write another.
I don't think I had read any John Farris before, but this one was good, good, good.  I am always mixed about Stephen King, of course, but the story in here was excellent.  A great, great, great collection. 

Inspired By

Lawrence Block is a favorite of mine.  Always has been.  He has edited this book In Sunlight or In Shadow, for which he invited author friends to write a short story inspired by a work of art by Edward Hopper.  Fantastic idea.  The Music Room is by Stephen King.  I can't wait to read all of them and I hope that Alive In Shape and Color comes out on audio, too!

Subjects Matter

I probably would have given Revival one star had I not enjoyed the subject matter.  Matters of faith always appeal to me.  But the ending was just so ridiculous and it was SO drawn out and typical wordy "I am too rich to need an editor" King that had it not handled the "terrible sermon" so very well, I would have given it one star.  Lots to think about and talk about here...if there was an abridged version. 

Just WAY too Long

Full Dark, No Stars was okay.  It was not good enough to be good because it was so very, very long. If Stephen King were not such an accomplished and rich author, I would probably blame his editor, but I bet that King doesn't really have to listen to editors too much these days.  Which is unfortunate because I would think that even an experienced writer like King can fall in love with his own words so much that he would erroneously think that everyone needed to appear between the cover of his book.  It was a collection of four "short" stories, but there was nothing short about any of them.  Even the very best one, which I was going to say was the shortest, but maybe just seemed shorter because it was the best, was too long.

More King?

See, see, I am trying to be better!  I am trying!  And The Bazaar of Bad Dreams was pretty good.  It's short stories, but of course, with King they are never short.  I don't think any of them were particularly bad dream invoking for me anyway.  Afterlife was funny.  Obits was a good idea.  The one about the fireworks is one to skip.  Mortality was really good.  The Dunes was good. The rest were decent.

Still Standing

Okay so.  I finished The Stand.
And it was "meh."
I mean, I did like it.
But it didn't blow me away.
And it was waaaay too long.
And I am just glad it is over!

Plowing Through...

"You haven't read The Stand?"

"OMG.  You HAVE to read The Stand!"

"You will LOVE The Stand!"

"The Stand is the best. book. ever."

If you are new to reading this blog (no one reads this blog, so that is kind of a silly thing to say) BUT if you do happen to be new to reading this blog and read my thoughts on David Levithan and The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily and now you are still with me on this little mid-way (don't think I am even mid-way) blather about The Stand, you are probably thinking I am very cranky and I judge books unfairly because I allow my personal feeling about the author to color how I feel about the book.  Not that I KNOW these authors, but from what I have read about them, or read by them or what I have seen them say on tv, or heard them say on the radio, or the correspondence I have had with them.  Maybe that is true.  That is why I tend to open up old wounds by going on and on and on about how David Levithan hates fat people and Stephen King is like that Dickens myth and must get paid by the word and then has the audacity to criticize other authors.   And then I drum out the story from my college professor who went to college with Stephen King and said he was just a mean, nasty dude. So yes, I don't have warm feelings for Stephen King, but I have loved 'Salem's Lot and Night Shift and The Eyes of the Dragon and The Mist and really loved Everything's Eventual. 

I didn't know that this audio edition of The Stand was the "complete and uncut" version.  It's 1153 pages.  I never would have started it had I know that.  But the thing is, I am sucked in now.  So that does mean that this story is good!  But the thing is, I wonder if I would have enjoyed the first version more because there does seem to be a lot of unnecessary stuff in here.  And a lot of the relationships are the same.  But I am still plowing through!  I am on part 15 of the 37 part audiobook.  Wow.  A lot of The Stand lies ahead of me.  At least with the download I can listen to it in double time.  I kinda wish I had bought it on audible and then I could do it in triple time, but I will continue!  

So that is why I haven't finished a book in awhile!