Stephen
King On Writing
is one of my favorite books, and I read it every couple of
years. Half memoir, half writing “how to,” it is absorbing and delightful. I
recommend it to my students and suggest that they read it every year. If you haven't, you should read it, too.
is one of my favorite books, and I read it every couple of
years. Half memoir, half writing “how to,” it is absorbing and delightful. I
recommend it to my students and suggest that they read it every year. If you haven't, you should read it, too.
However,
that is the only one of King’s many books that I’ve been able to read. I’ve
tried many times to read various books by Mr. King, but kept getting bogged down
after 30 or 40 pages. The stories were okay, but couldn’t hold my interest
because the writing seemed too heavy handed, too brutish, like he was typing with
his fists.
So,
after days of consideration, it was with great reluctance that I downloaded
11/22/63: A Novel
on Audible.com. The reviews were good, glowing, in fact, and I’ve
learned to trust the opinions of Audible listeners. Plus, the book is more than
30 hours long, which the bargain hunter in me always finds attractive.
on Audible.com. The reviews were good, glowing, in fact, and I’ve
learned to trust the opinions of Audible listeners. Plus, the book is more than
30 hours long, which the bargain hunter in me always finds attractive.
The writing is wonderful, masterful, vivid, compelling.
The characters are rich and deep, genuine, involved, and I find myself thinking
about them and their lives often throughout the day. Life in small-town and
big-town 1958 up to 1962 – so far – is mesmerizing, with the constant but
subtle hint of mysterious dangers to come, and the mighty reluctance of the past to be changed. I believe obdurate is the word used.
You’ll get no more details from me, only a hearty
endorsement. If you have a library card, use it. If you have access to a book
store, buy it. It probably has been in print long enough that it is available
in used book stores. Of course, it’s available on Amazon, and on Audible. In fact, you can download it for free by clicking the link in the right column above.
, and on Audible. In fact, you can download it for free by clicking the link in the right column above.
If you are already a
Stephen King
fan, perhaps you can recommend a title I should read? Thanks.
fan, perhaps you can recommend a title I should read? Thanks.
Not King, but I just finished a fun read, 'Nation' by Terry Pratchett. Funny AND profound. I am always thrilled to find a new writer that I really enjoy, and he has dozens for me to discover. Yay!
ReplyDeleteWhich, I'm happy to see, is available on Audible.com. I will listen to the sample chapter, and if it turns out to be as good as you say - and why would it not? - I will give it a try, and let you know what I think. It is always good to find new authors. Thanks for the tip.
ReplyDeleteIf the sample chapter is the first chapter, don't go by that. It was a little slow, and odd, so don't give up.
DeleteSo, it's either "Nation" or "Einstein: His Life And Universe." What to do, what to do....
ReplyDeleteOne is recommended by a loyal reader and gets good reviews. The other gets good reviews and is more than twice as long.
Hmmmmmm.
As you can see from my current Now On Audible, I went with the Einstein book. Five hours into it, it is fascinating, although I hope I eventually get over the disappointment at the way he treated his daughter.
DeleteI finished the Einstein biography, and it was very good. I must warn you, though, you'll come away from it with an overall impression that he was not a nice person to people close to him.
DeleteI also listened to the Prachett book, "Nation." It was a good read, too, but something was missing. The story was good enough, and the writing was good, but something just didn't ring true. Someone described the book as "Life of Pi" meets Monty Python, and perhaps it just didn't live up to that billing. Monty Python has pretty big shoes to fill. I will listen to it again in a few months, and I'm sure it will be better then.