Yet To Read… Stephen King
Yet to Read is the weekly meme where I take a look at books on my shelves (physical and digital) that I haven’t gotten around to reading yet and books on my wishlist that I’ve wanted to add to my shelves for a while. I link these posts up to Can’t Wait Wednesday and Shelf Control!
Returning to the Yet to Read series this week (having taken last week off) with a little more Stephen King. I’ve been reading My Best Friend’s Exorcism which is the first horror book I’ve read, in my adult life at least. I did have a dalliance with Goosebumps and Point Horror in my youth! Anywho, if I’m to be getting into the horror genre, I better be giving “the master” a chance, no?
From the Shelves
I realise I’m not 100% sure where my copy of Misery is or which edition I have exactly… I actually feel like I have 2 different copies, perhaps? It doesn’t matter, this book has been on my shelf for over a decade and I’m holding myself accountable.
Novelist Paul Sheldon has plans to make the difficult transition from writing historical romances featuring heroine Misery Chastain to publishing literary fiction. Annie Wilkes, Sheldon’s number one fan, rescues the author from the scene of a car accident. The former nurse takes care of him in her remote house, but becomes irate when she discovers that the author has killed Misery off in his latest book. Annie keeps Sheldon prisoner while forcing him to write a book that brings Misery back to life.
From the Wishlist
As I’ve already mentioned, I want to investigate King from the beginning. I’ve been looking at grabbing Carrie, The Shining, or Salem’s Lot first, and I’m still unsure but today Salem’s Lot is winning. What can I say? I love me some vampires whether they’re seducing maidens or tormenting a small town.
‘Salem’s Lot is a small New England town with the usual quota of gossips, drinkers, weirdos and respectable folk. Of course there are tales of strange happenings – but not more than in any other town its size.
Ben Mears, a moderately successful writer, returns to the Lot to write a novel based on his early years, and to exorcise the terrors that have haunted him since childhood. The event he witnessed in the house now rented by a new resident. A newcomer with a strange allure. A man who causes Ben some unease as things start to happen: a child disappears, a dog is brutally killed – nothing unusual, except the list starts to grow.
Soon surprise will turn to bewilderment, bewilderment to confusion and finally to terror . . .
Have you read either of these? Where would you recommend starting with Stephen King? What’s on your list this week? Let me know in the comments!