Constant Reader

This particular blog will more than likely only interest me. But, then again that's likely true of all my ramblings. I was watching a young guy. Well young to me although he's likely somewhere between 35 and 42. But, I was watching his podcast because he is an actual book lover. I don't see as many these days. Even among authors I follow on Facebook and Twitter I see more posts about movies and TV than books. Not that there's anything wrong with that. This guy was ranking his favorite author's books. It just so happens that his favorite author is my favorite author. But, ranking books is subjective.

 Similar though not as intense to ranking songs. I remember where I was the first time I ever heard "Hotel California." I still remember the beer filled nights of Foghat's "Slow Ride" and Kiss doing "God of Thunder" smells like wacky terbacky to me. I have a bittersweet spot for a rainy night long ago when I hear "The Long and Winding Road. Music is intense for me. But. Back to the current blog. I thought I would rank my top Stephen King books. 

Do they still hold up? I think so. But, this ranking is about how I felt back in my younger days when I first read them. From my late teens with Carrie and Salem's Lot to my early 20's with The Stand. Now are these the best books Stephen King has ever written? Nah. Not according to most people although some will make the list. 

Other's don't. For instance "Misery" just didn't hold up. In all fairness I liked it fine when I first read it. But, it's a claustrophobic story and you know all the attempts at escape will fail until the very end. Still. Misery is a good character study. I just don't want to spend days and days stuck on a bed in a room. Although Gerald's Game did the chained to the bed pretty well. Anyway. I digress. Again. I also didn't care for 11/22/63. I know people loved this book. Classic King they called it. Riveting, great characters. Like stepping back in time. But my reaction? Meh. I started and stopped 3 or 4 times and then made myself finish it. I don't know why. I just didn't care for it.

 Lisey's Story. Ponderous and slow. Yawn. But, then I read it again a few years ago and loved it. Fell through the hole in the page. I still can't explain it. It's not among my favorites. But, I do think it's unappreciated. 

 So making a list of favorite anything is subjective. I love fruit cake but can't stand Bruce Springsteen. I prefer the Stones but understand the historical significance of The Beatles. I love the dude in The Big Lebowski but I also love the Eagles. I think there is something paranormal going on but I don't believe we are being visited by aliens from another planet. I have personal reasons for my belief in past lives but I think Bigfoot is bulls..t. So everything is subjective. 

The trick is to accept everything with a healthy dose of skepticism. Which is not the same thing as closed minded belief or non belief. Anyway. Here are my favorite books by my favorite author. 

 1. Salem's Lot. Rankings don't really count when it comes to my favorites. It's just a way to organize them. Except for Salem's Lot. This really is my favorite novel of all time. I honestly hated to see it end. I fell through the hole in the page and was immersed in this small New England Peyton Place for vampires. From the caretaker at the town dump shooting rats to the cemetery where the town employee finds a murdered dog on the cemetery fence. From the young writer and his girl to the town bully and the wise academic. I kept thinking "hey, this reminds me of a small Southern town." This was my first taste of Stephen King's Americana. I have re-read it in recent years. It still holds up. Not the same impact as my first read in a different time and place. But, it still works if you can imagine a time of no social media. No cell phones and no internet.

 2. The Shining This one is also a book that I did a re-read on the past several years. It Still holds up. Great ghost story and while unlike Stephen King. I love the Kubrick movie it's best not to have Jack Nicholson or Shelley Duvall in your head when reading it. Good luck with that. 

 3. Desperation One of the most underrated of the King books. This has really good dialog about the nature of God and good and evil. No. I wouldn't recommend it as a text on how to meet God or how to think about the concept. But outside the book of Job and the "just so" religious stories I found it made some pretty good points for discussion. Its not (Thank God) pun intended. A religious story. It's a good almost Lovecraftian horror story.

 4. Carrie Unlike The Shining It's okay if you picture Sissy Spacek when you read this. Told in flash back newspaper articles it's a unique story by a young author. I re-read this one a few years ago and it still holds up. Some will be uneasy at the religious fanaticism of the mother. It is uneasy since I still consider faith important in my own journey. But it's also spot on. So read at your own comfort level. Or don't. Still a good book.

 5. Christine I re-read this back around 1999 or 2000. It still held up then. I enjoy rock and roll and the young nerd overcoming a bully and getting the girl. Of course it doesn't end quite that neatly. But for a brief moment it looks like it could. This is a fun read. I don't read as much fiction as I once did. Also I don't get into horror as much as I did in my horror loving youth. Life is short and I'm easily distracted. 

I also try to meditate and breathe in the positive vibes of the universe. Unlike movies where I enjoy it for what it's worth and move on. Books are very personal for me. I tend to adopt the mood and worldview for as long as it takes while I'm immersed in a book. That might be why I prefer a fast moving police procedural or a old time detective story these days. Or better yet a non fiction (well. Depending on your worldview) book on UFO's or paranormal phenomena. I love old Hollywood and an old Hollywood "true ghost story" is right up my alley. Still. When Stephen King writes a book I'm there. Even when he journeys into cop stories or historical fiction I'll give it a try. I'll criticize it and tell you why it ain't as good as classic King. (insert wink here.) But. I'll be there as long as he writes them. Peace!