#also i'll probably watch the assorted adaptations of king books as i read them

[thelivingautomaton]

Kristina reads King, aka: "holy shit, you're actually doing it?"

okay I felt like this uh, "project" of mine probably deserved at least an introductory post before just jumping straight in to it, SO: hello tumblr followers. my name is Kristina, and whether or not you're a long-time listener, you probably are already aware that I fucking love Stephen King books.

which isn't to say I think they're enjoyable for everyone equally, or that they don't have problems. (like...SO many problems.) but like, I got into Stephen King when I was about twelve (with The Dark Tower, which is kind of like teaching someone to swim by throwing them in the deep end of the pool first go. I thought it was awesome) and something about his books just makes them really special to me and close to my heart, which is why I keep defending this old man who probably has more money than God and therefore doesn't need a weirdo on the Internet saying why his books are Good, Actually (Even If They're Not "Good")

anyway, a combination of "seeing recurring posts on tumblr ragging on King's writing" plus "coping with my impending PhD dissertation defense via speculative fiction escapism" (long story) has led me to finally commit to my long-running goal of reading every single Stephen King book, in publication order. despite enjoying his bibliography I actually have a lot of big gaps in my Stephen King experience, especially of his "classic" works, so I'm excited to read them and see his style evolve as I progress!

I'll probably make a post about each book as I read it, but below the cut is a list of the King books I've already read (almost all of which I'll likely reread for this) and my brief recollections/thoughts about them

The Stand -- I've read it at least twice and tell basically everyone I know to read it. unironically love this book to pieces. also reading it when I was 13 is kind of what made me get into virology in the first place

The Dark Tower series -- also read it twice. deeply important books to me, despite (or because of) their many flaws. will be super interesting having the books interspersed among King's other work (see: the big gaps between books 3/4 and 4/5), although hopefully that also means I'll get a lot more of the connected universe references this time around, LMFAO

The Shining -- read this in high school I think? I remember enjoying it a lot, even though I'd seen the Kubrick film first and liked that way more. definitely going to watch the miniseries after rereading it this time

The Talisman -- I actually just finished reading this for the first time so it's probably the only book I'll skip for this project. it's fucking incredible and made me cry like a bitch, highly recommend it if you like when Stephen King gets into fantasy and/or weird Americana road trip stuff

Eyes of the Dragon -- also read this in high school sometime after the Dark Tower, thought it slapped

The Dark Half -- one of King's most criminally underrated books, I am so serious. feel like I read most or all of this one of the times my parents would drop me off at Barnes and Noble for 6 hours to hang out and read

From a Buick 8 -- I feel like I also read this in high school? thought it was a little underwhelming

Lisey's Story -- the other criminally underrated Stephen King book, oh my GOD I just know this one is going to wreck me on rereading. also the miniseries that Apple TV put out with Julianne Moore was really really good

11/22/63 -- kind of drags in parts but most of it is really good

Revival -- definitely remember reading this when it came out, probably one of the few King books that drags in the middle but then fucking nails the ending. also one of the few times King actually genuinely scared me with his writing LOL

Gwendy's Button Box -- I think I also read this one in a bookstore binge-read since it's short and also has Randall Flagg in it. I liked it, I think?

The Institute -- read this in undergrad and thought it was great

Fairy Tale -- I got like halfway through this while in grad school before stalling out and getting distracted, but it really was quite good from what I remember

Night Shift, and various other short stories -- I would flip through Stephen King's short story collections in my high school library when I was bored and needed to kill twenty minutes LOL. I think my two favorite short stories of his are "The Raft" and "Survivor Type", and my hot take is that I thought "The Jaunt" was just alright

so: no Carrie, Cujo, Pet Sematery, IT, etc etc etc...which means I have a hell of a ride ahead of me