Stephen King Challenge - Doctor Sleep #Read-Along

Stephen King Challenge participants, join us for a Doctor Sleep read-along during Something Wicked Fall at Castle Macabre. We just started reading September 1st so there's still time to join in.

Get all the details for the read-along, and the entire Something Wicked Fall event here.

Hope you will join us!

IT - #SummerofIT Read-Along Update

Sadly, the Summer of IT seems to have become the year of IT. I saw the movie on Sunday. AWESOME! Just to let you know...it's "Chapter One" so there will be a second movie. So, if you're halfway (or more) through the book (like me), you're okay to see the movie without really spoiling the book...I think. Anyway, I'm going to keep plugging away. If you're still reading along (slowly, like me), I hope you will join me to discuss when the time comes. I'll be sure to post updates periodically.

Thanks for bearing with!

IT - #SummerofIT Read-Along - Revised reading schedule

I'm failing so miserably at this read-along. Go figure. (This book is daunting) I'm trying to figure out a way to revise the schedule while still keeping it the Summer of IT. Here goes:

Previous schedule:

• Start reading on June 1st
• In June, read Part 1: The Shadow Before, Derry: The First Interlude, and Part 2: June of 1958 - Pages 3 - 433
• Discussion on Friday, June 30th - no set time. Just stop by here, or at the Facebook group event any time that day (or later on, if you get behind)
• In July, read Derry: The Second Interlude, Part 3: Grownups, Derry: The Third Interlude, and Part 4: July of 1958 - Pages 435 - 878
• Discussion on Monday, July 31st - no set time. Just stop by here, or at the Facebook group event any time that day (or later on, if you get behind)
• In August, read Derry: The Fourth Interlude, Part 5: The Ritual of Chud, Derry: The Last Interlude, and Epilogue: Bill Denbrough Beats The Devil (II) - Pages 879 -1138 (end)
• Final discussion on Thursday, August 31st - no set time. Just stop by here, or at the Facebook group event any time that day (or later on, if you get behind)

Parts 1 through 4 make up the bulk of the book so I miscalculated the time needed (at least for busy slowpokes, like me). The last section is only 259 pages so this reading schedule revision makes more sense.

Revised schedule:

• Read in June, July, and August 1 - 15 - Part 1: The Shadow Before, Derry: The First Interlude, and Part 2: June of 1958 - Pages 3 - 433
  
  AND
  
• Derry: The Second Interlude, Part 3: Grownups, Derry: The Third Interlude, and Part 4: July of 1958 - Pages 435 - 878
• Discussion on Wednesday, August 16 - no set time. Just stop by here, or at the Facebook group event any time that day (or later on, if you get behind)
• August 16 - August 31, read Derry: The Second Interlude, Part 3: Grownups, Derry: The Third Interlude, and Part 4: July of 1958 - Pages 435 - 878
• Discussion on Friday, September 1 - no set time. Just stop by here, or at the Facebook group event any time that day (or later on, if you get behind)

Reminder Discussion will take place in our Gather Together and Read group on Facebook.

I will also post a discussion post here on the blog for those who are not on Facebook.

IT - #SummerofIT Read-Along - Part of the Stephen King Challenge

The new movie comes out in September and we will be ready! Read along with us this summer...June, July and August. Added bonus, this counts toward the Stephen King Perpetual Challenge, also hosted on this site. Who else has been wanting to mark this off their TBR for a long time, or maybe it's a reread for you (if that's the case, I commend you!)?

Note: You do not have to be a challenge participant to join in on the read-along. That being said, I do hope you will take a look at the challenge and think about signing up.

My copy is the 1986 Viking Penguin hardcover edition. Total pages, 1138.

Discussion will take place in our Gather Together and Read group on Facebook. I will create an event for each month, as I don't think Facebook will allow a three month event. Please ask to join the group if you want to participate over there so you will receive the event invites.

I will also post a discussion post here on the blog for those who are not on Facebook. When/if you mention the read-along on social media, please use the hashtag #SummerofIT

Schedule:

• Start reading on June 1st
• In June, read Part 1: The Shadow Before, Derry: The First Interlude, and Part 2: June of 1958 - Pages 3 - 433
• Discussion on Friday, June 30th - no set time. Just stop by here, or at the Facebook group event any time that day (or later on, if you get behind)
• In July, read Derry: The Second Interlude, Part 3: Grownups, Derry: The Third Interlude, and Part 4: July of 1958 - Pages 435 - 878
• Discussion on Monday, July 31st - no set time. Just stop by here, or at the Facebook group event any time that day (or later on, if you get behind)
• In August, read Derry: The Fourth Interlude, Part 5: The Ritual of Chud, Derry: The Last Interlude, and Epilogue: Bill Denbrough Beats The Devil (II) - Pages 879 -1138 (end)
• Final discussion on Thursday, August 31st - no set time. Just stop by here, or at the Facebook group event any time that day (or later on, if you get behind)

You can sign-up by posting about it on your blog (or on social media) and adding your link in the Mister Linky widget below. Again, please use #SummerofIT when sharing about this read-along on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc.

Any questions for me...hit the contact me button in the sidebar, or ask in the Facebook group. 

Mister Linky's Magical Widgets -- Easy-Linky widget will appear right here!
This preview will disappear when the widget is displayed on your site.
If this widget does not appear, click here to display it.

The #StephenKing Challenge: Salem's Lot Read-Along - Discussion Four/Final Thoughts #TuesBookTalk

Potential spoilers ahead if you have not read the book.

Yes, I'm a week late with this. I apologize. My reading did not go as planned, as usual.

What a book! I can't believe I waited so long to read this.

I have to mention that I was listening to Bram Stoker's Dracula on audio in conjunction with reading this book (my second reading of Dracula) and I found it interesting to see where SK was inspired by Stoker's tale in his story.

For instance, Susan is a kind of parallel with the three vampire women that live with Dracula in his castle. Wow...when Ben had to kill her...that was quite a moment.

Barlow himself could be Dracula. The way SK describes him is fairly similar to how Stoker describes Dracula. Perhaps somehow Dracula did survive being killed. There have been many plausible reincarnations over the years. And so, Dracula takes on the alias Barlow. Outlandish? Not in my opinion.

One of my most favorite parts was the end. I know that's kind of weird, but I liked the part where they were telling of occurrences in and around Jerusalem's Lot and then Ben and Mark go back and set fire to the town to draw the remaining vamps out of their hiding places. Do you think they were eventually able to get them all? I like to think so...and since there isn't a sequel (although you never know...look how long SK took to write a sequel to The Shining), perhaps they did.

This really was a great book, and for being King's second published novel, I can see why his books led him to fame. He really is a genius storyteller and he knows how to deliver the scary, often in a subtle, sneaky way that you're not quite prepared for, but when it happens, it's golden.

I'd like to thank those of you who read along with me and for hanging in there. I'll be sure to visit your posts/reply to the comments you've already left. 

Now we can mark one more off our Stephen King Challenge lists!

The #StephenKing Challenge: Salem's Lot Read-Along - Discussion Two/Three #TuesBookTalk

Note: If you have not completely read sections 2 {pp 111 (Ch. 4, section 10 in Part one) - 218 (end of Ch. 9 in Part two)} and 3 {pp 219 (Chapter Ten - in Part two) - 328 (part three, Ch. 14, before section 4)}, please note that there are spoilers ahead.

I fell way behind on this read-along and I apologize. I hope I'm not the only one! So, this post will cover sections 2 and 3 (see above). I will have the final discussion posted on Halloween (Oct. 31). What better day, I say!?

I'm just going to start off by saying...Wow! That part when Matt and Susan are talking in his kitchen and he says, "There's someone upstairs" and then "I know my house...someone is in the guest bedroom..." Well, I started getting this funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. Then, when he goes upstairs and discovers Mike. Egads! That was probably the scariest part of the book for me so far. Whew! My skin was crawling with fear.

I've mentioned that I've seen both television mini-series based on this book. The 1979 version which starred David Soul, and the 2004 version starring Rob Lowe. Previously, these were the only point of reference I had for this story...and I thought them pretty scary, especially the 1979 version. Not anymore. These two TV films do not hold a candle to this book. So, again, the book is better. As if we didn't know!

Things really escalated in these two sections. People are dropping like flies, And Kurt Barlow. Did anyone else envision him as a Dracula-like figure? Totally! I just think the name "Kurt Barlow" is so weird. And I guess Straker is a kind of Renfield character, but a more tough, less sniveling one. Thank you for that, SK. I never could stand the Renfield character, to be honest. (I'm listening to Dracula on audio right now).

The facepalm moment for me was when Susan decides to go to the Marsten House...alone. What a dummy. She is so set on proving her independence (my opinion) that she takes it to the ultimate limit, and it costs her life. But I guess it's kind of the theme of vampire novels (or at least Dracula-esque stories). There has to be a woman who is tragically lost to the vampire.

So, those are my thoughts this week? What did you think? Are you enjoying the book as much as I am?

I'm also sharing this discussion in the TuesBookTalk group on Goodreads.

The #StephenKing Challenge: Salem's Lot Read-Along - Discussion One #TuesBookTalk

Note: If you have not completely read section one through subchapter 10 in Chapter 4 of Part One, please not that there are spoilers ahead.

Subtlety. That's how I would describe how King sets up a story. He goes about showing us how normal a town is, throwing in bits of alarming details, like the savage hanging of the dog on the cemetery gate, slowly building us toward the horror to come. It's masterful.

It's at that point, when we feel nice and settled in, perhaps part of the town now, that he throws us the scene with the Glick boys in the woods. Now we really get the master of horror. Yikes. The growing terror is palpable and the hairs are standing up on the back of my neck. The scene in the cellar, when Hank Peters has to go back down to leave the keys...and sees a shirt, jeans, a sneaker, and then one of the aluminum bands comes loose on the big box. Egads!

I have been a fan of Stephen King since I was about ten years old. Oddly, I read a lot of his books as they were released, like Pet Sematary, Cujo, Christine, etc., and did not read these older books until I was well past my thirties. I read The Shining a few years back. Excellent. The Stand, also excellent. Now this one. And I can tell already...excellent.

This is the perfect read for this time of year. I can't wait to keep going. I know I've seen both editions of the made for TV movies, but these often do not compare to the book (although the 1979 version was quite creepy. My parents wouldn't even let me watch it when it was first aired. I saw it years later).

From the 1979 movie - Delivering crate to the cellar

So, what are your thoughts so far?

I'm also sharing this discussion in the TuesBookTalk group on Goodreads.

Salem's Lot Read-Along - The #StephenKing Challenge

In my TuesBookTalk book group on Goodreads, we always read a scary book in October. I decided that this year we would read a Stephen King novel and Salem's Lot was unanimously voted for. So I decided to host this read-along for The Stephen King Challenge (hosted here on this blog) in conjunction with TuesBookTalk.

You can join the discussion here at Gather Together and Read, in the TuesBookTalk Goodreads group, and/or on Twitter every Tuesday in October at 8:30pm CDT/9:30pm EDT (Hashtag #TuesBookTalk).

Here is the reading/discussion schedule:

Oct. 4: pp 1 - 111 (stop before section 10)
Oct. 11: pp 111 - 218
Oct. 18: pp 219 (Chapter Ten) - 328
Oct. 25: pp 329 - 439 (end)

The edition I'm reading from is the Doubleday edition, 1975 (original publishing date). Hardcover, 439 pages.

I hope you will join me! Just leave me a comment if you plan to join in.

Salem's Lot is reported to be one of King's most scary books. Delicious!