I have recently started reading novels by Stephen King and I must say that they really are page turners. I have been considering them for a while and ever since I picked up Carrie from the library I have been hooked. Great character development, plot, and creepiness throughout. I have been working my way through pretty much in order of publication. I really liked ‘Salem’s Lot (a terrific vampire nail-biter). The Shining just creeped me out (I have never seen the Jack Nicholson movie… I dunno if I will).
I am now making my way through the 1100+ page uncut, unedited version of The Stand. While spending a lot of time backstage in the last play I was in, I was only starting on the post-apocalyptic novel. An apocalypse brought upon by a strain of (now isn’t this ironic) a superflu…OH, GREAT! The survivors of the epidemic make their way from various points of the country to Colorado. Some of these make their way via I-80/90 through my neck of the woods. Archbold, Maumee, and even little Columbia are mentioned. I am in the 800s so I am nearing the climax and good thing with the next play starting rehearsals Thursday night.
Intriguingly, one of Mr. King’s short stories is no longer to be found on the open market which only increases my desire to hunt down a copy. Following the rash of high school shootings in the late 1990s, the novelist himself made the decision to pull Rage from publication. The plot was a little too close to the tragic events.
Suspenseful, page turners all. I have seen a few of the other movies adapted from the books: Firestarter and Christine years ago; The Running Man (starring the Governator); The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, of course. However, I rarely prefer a movie adaptation to the original novel.
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film in 2006 (the first published novel by Ian Fleming and the 21st OFFICIAL Bond movie) I have sought the remaining 11 novels and short story collections. It took me a few years to track down any. Apparently, Fleming’s centennial (1908-2008) prompted a reissue of the novels. I have been faithfully reading the books in order and am now just starting Dr. No (the 6th novel and the first movie released way back in 1962). Starting with the second book, Live and Let Die, the first few novels bore little to no resemblance to the movies aside from character names and settings which to me was at times good and bad. For instance, Diamonds are Forever features Bond trailing bumbling diamond smuggling gangsters which to me was not at all entertaining… It was almost painful reading. Diamonds had the characters of Tiffany Case (can anyone tell me the significance of the name?) and the villainous henchmen, Misters Wynt and Kidd (a very odd sort and if you have read the novel or seen the movie you know why) but little else to hold me interest.
, is most like the movie of the same name. Perhaps this is because the novel was high on President John F. Kennedy’s favorite novels list. However, the ending to the novel is not quite the same as the movie. The book ends after Bond got the boot from evil, ugly woman 
upon which the Carol is based). Also, A Christmas Episode from 
. It tells the story of a doubting boy who boards a magical train on Christmas Eve and travels to the North Pole and Santa’s home. On the train, the boy meets a trio of other children each of whom have a specific reason for being on the journey. On the trip, the quartet have a series of adventures inside, outside, and on top of the train. I loved the idea behind the personalized tickets… each passenger is given a ticket which eventually reveals something meaningful.
