The 2011 Stephen King Reading Challenge: I Surrender

I don't really sign up for reading challenges, but when I saw the 2011 Stephen King Reading Challenge at Book Chick City I thought I'd try. After all, I couldn't have picked an easier challenge. All that was required was for me to read six of Stephen King's books this year. Six books. That's it. Simple, right?

Well, I epicly failed. I should've raised the white flag in October to be honest... The only Stephen King book I read this year was 'Salem's Lot back in January. I even had a good start at the beginning of the year, but could I keep it up? No! I love Stephen King despite his novels can be hit-and-miss for me, and I have a ton of his books on my TBR (to be read) list, but I only got around to reading one this year. From this, I'm concluding that I can only read what I want when I want. Challenges don't seem to motivate me at all.

If I ever try the whole reading challenge thing again, maybe I should go for something broader, more general. For example, one that targets a specific genere that I typically read like dystopia, science fiction, or fantasy.

As a side note, I highly recommend Stephen King's Under the Dome (this book was my first ever review, so the link leads to a really short and tacky review). In the near future, I plan to read Carrie, The Shining, The Stand, and Full Dark, No Stars.

'Salem's Lot | by: Stephen King

This is for my participation in the 2011 Stephen King Reading Challenge, hosted by Book Chick City!

Jerusalem's Lot, or 'salem's Lot, is a very small town, and it already has secrets. Ben Mears has come back to face the demons of his past in the Lot once and for all, thinking that he can chase them away. Perhaps he could have, but the Lot has a couple of new strange visitors. Ben came at the worst possible time, for these new inhabitants are about to release something that could change the lives of the town's entire population with the evil they brought.

The story of Ben Mears is not the only story told in 'Salem's Lot, a classic tale of vampires, they way they've originally been told.

Well, before I even cracked this one open I knew I was in for some very good, descriptive writing; It is Stephen King, after all. At times it felt a little ramblesome, making it tedious, but it was generally impeccable. Another thing he knows well is character development, which is just as evident in 'Salem's Lot as it is in any other book that he's written, and that's saying something, considering that he writes about so many different characters in this novel alone. Not all of them were likeable, but that's life. He gives us background information on each person, so we really know them on just about every level. However, I didn't always see the point in in getting to know some characters, like Reggie and his family, as well as Sandy's family. But most of all, Dud. What was his purpose? Just sharing a bit of his story? It's like they barely mattered in the end, if they did at all.

As far as characters that I believed did matter, Mark was definately my favorite from this novel. He's a smart, strong kid, and I felt bad for him. Why did he have to be in this situation, defending his life, attempting to save others, and figuring out how to handle the town vampires? Just because he's smart?

The beginning was very difficult for me to digest, but I guess it's meant to be that way so the ending isn't spoiled. I just wish it was more understandable in its mystery. Other than that, Stephen King's descriptions always succeeded in letting me know what occurred in this plot, which could be a bit boring, but as I read, it became much more fascinating.

With that being said, most of the action is saved till the end, but it can be a long haul until then. This book was created merely for entertainment, and lives to that standard with suspenseful climatic points that increases until the final page. I think the ending is quite interesting, leaving room for imagination, but it's not like it's a cliffhanger.

'Salem's Lot had a very classic vampire feel to it, since the vampires were depicted as they were in classics such as Dracula. They were not glorified in any way, they were evil beings that manipulated people into letting them enter their house and deserved to have a stake through their hearts. I found this interesting. Perhaps this is because I did not read all of Dracula or other famous vampire classics (I mean the ones that aren't Twilight), but I was surprised to see that vampires were handled much like demons. They feared crucifixes and seemed to be quite satanic.

It didn't do too much for me, well, it was okay (that's why it's kind of hard to explain how I feel about it), but 'Salem's Lot will at least interest fans of early vampire depictions as well as fans of Stephen King like myself. It was an enjoyable, entertaining read overall; I liked it.

3/5 Stars

2011 Stephen King Reading Challenge

I'm going to try for the 2011 Stephen King Reading Challenge! It's hosted by Book Chick City, and you can sign up and read about all the details here. I've loved Stephen King for a while, and want to read lots of his books (I'm a bit behind). You can read six of his books (minimum) or twelve, but you can read more than twelve if you want.

I'm going to read six, since I don't really read as much as these other book bloggers per year. I'm more than likely going to chose six from this list: Carrie, The Shining, The Stand, Salem's Lot, Nightmares and Dreamscapes, Desperation. Probably some different ones will show up along the way.

You can read my review of the Stephen King novel I read this year, Under the Dome here. It was my first ever review.

Under the Dome by: Stephen King

Alright, I just finished reading Stephen King's new masterpiece, Under the Dome, last night at 11:56 pm. It took me awhile to read, since it's 1074 pages (including the Author's Note), and was always afraid it wasn't going to be worht it.

Immediately this novel could hold my attention, because the action starts right away. Stephen tells the stories of many, many different charecter's (even some dogs) while the little town of Chester's Mill is mysteriously and suddenly placed underneath an invisible barrier - a dome.

Through most of my time reading this huge book, I always thought it was worthy of 4/5stars (very good). Stephen King wrote fantastically and humorously, and I wanted more to some extent, but it wasn't like I couldn't put it down, I could.

Yesterday, when I was creeping toward the end, I couldn't get enough. I couldn't resist this novel and took it with me everywhere. Somewhere between three-fourths until the end of the book, Stephen King defined the difference between a 4/5 star novel and a 5/5 star novel. The ending left me a bit mesmerized, and that's what makes a story special, the feeling you have inside after reading it. That's also what made me give this novel 5/5 stars, despite however I felt previously.