Spineless Bibliophile

[Kristine_ES]

Sitting in the office drinking cold coffee, watching the ground snow turn gray from white in the fading daylight, thinking that I want my King and eat it too. (whatthehellsthatsupposedtomean?)

 

Well you see,  I've been ignoring my Stephen King Christmas present stacked there on the floor, but I can't ignore it for much longer, what with the way it's been barking up my leg begging me to crack its spine and devour. But once I do, I consider the book done, it's ate, it's no more--so if I ignore it for a long time, I can keep on "having" it.

 

Today's trip to the bookstore was an unnecessary distraction, but dad's gift card has been barking up my other leg begging me to buy up the shelves, which I did not do because the shelves were fairly vacant; however, I did bring home Literary Theory (trying to grok this writing thing), The Selected Poetry of Rilke, another issue of Glimmer Train, Writer's Digest competition issue (who do i think i am?), and the Stephen King Illustrated Companion that I've been drooling over for a very long time.

 

Great--another book to lay next to its virgin sister until I'm ready to consume its black and silver Kingness.

 

[Harry]

I recieved Full Dark No Stars in my Christmas stocking too. The good thing about it if you're worried about gobbling it up too quick, is it is four stories. Read one and then read something else.

[Brittany]

The title rocks ;) a person with a pile of books waiting for them next to their bed is worth knowing! I never imagined reading King because I am not a fan of horror but this 6 and your comments have changed my mind. Thank you ;)

[Bob Clay]

I'd have to go along with Mike on 'Apt Pupil'.

Like the 'The Jaunt' ... the fact is.... horror is about people ... and situations ... not ghosts and spooks, and when Mr King decides to go down that route.... that's where the scary stuff comes out of the nooks and crannies of humanity, and does a far better job than any number of laxatives.

[Kristine_ES]

true, horror comprises much of his work. i read him not for the horror aspect, but for his characters and style.  stephen king has convinced me there's a layer of creepy everywhere, and it's fascinating to peek under the tablecloths and find it...  i'll bet every day we pass a loony like annie wilkes in wal-mart every day, but we'd never know it!  *shivers*

[Sandra Davies]

@ Mike - thanks for that - managed the Amazon one-click and got it for 1p + P&P ;-)

[Teresa]

I have a similar pile.  I know what you mean by a book's virginity being a means to "keep on 'having' it".  I love to see other's book habits.  Fun read.

[Mike Handley]

Horror comprises 99 percent of his work, Sandra, but the other 1 percent contains some pretty cool stuff. If you can find a copy of "Different Seasons," you'll see why three of the four novellas in it -- Stand By Me (The Body), The Shawshank Redemption and Apt Pupil -- were adapted for the screen.

[Sandra Davies]

@ Mike - Gita said you were the man to ask for a Stephen K recommendation - but I have to say horror is not something I'd go for - any other suggestions?

[Mike Handley]

I agree, Kristine. This is why I haven't yet embraced the Kindle thing. I like seeing the pile of books beside my bed. It's like seeing doughnuts or a sliced pie under glass, there for me whenever I want to indulge.

[Bob Clay]

Although noted for his horror stories, what hooked me on Stephen King was a short story he did called 'The Jaunt' which was I suppose in the genre of Science Fiction.  But the outcome was a situation with more horror in it that all the vampires/zombies/spooks and sundry wrapped into a ball, and was a genuinely frightening concept.