Reading, and Some Book-ish Questions!
Today’s post is dedicated to a single book, and some thoughts, feelings and questions surrounding it. The book is Stephen King’s 11/22/63. I’ve never read any Stephen King before, because I don’t like horror stories. And when I say that, I don’t mean they scare me; the problem is they don’t scare me. And if it’s not scary, then it just seems… pretty silly. What? There’s a giant spider terrorizing a town? That’s… the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard in my life. Obviously Stephen King is known for his horror novels, but I recently became aware that he now writes NON-horror books, and that I’ve been missing out on an incredible author. When my sister was here, she recommended 11/22/63 and described it as “fascinating.” Shortly after she left, I bought the book I don’t usually buy books- I get them from the library if I can. But I felt like I would be spending a lot of time with this one- it’s 849 pages- and I wanted to own it. Because it’s so long, I also didn’t want to deal with a hardcover version from the library. I started the book on a rainy day, while I sat in Starbucks sipping my tea. My sister and I had this text exchange: I know I’m a dying breed, but I just love reading physical books. In spite of the weight, it’s such a pleasure to hold it in my hands. I love putting the bookmark in, and seeing how much I’ve read and how much is still to go. I feel like I have a relationship with not just the author and the story, but with the physical book as well. Okay, you might be thinking, but what is this book ABOUT??? The premise is, the main character- Jake, a high school English teacher- discovers a portal that takes him back in time to 1958, and he embarks upon a mission to stop the assassination of JFK. Now, I don’t mind time travel. The one thing that drives me nuts is the inevitable part of the story where the character can’t figure out what’s going on- “Why is everyone dressed so funny? How did that building get there? It wasn’t there yesterday!” Meanwhile, you, the reader, are screaming with impatience, “YOU WENT BACK IN TIME!!!” I hate that part. Luckily King really is a great storyteller, so he managed to minimize that aspect as much as possible. . Fairly quickly, Jake is ensconced in the past and putting an elaborate plan in motion. I’m a little over halfway through the book, and we’re now up to 1962. One of the things I’m loving is the description of life in the 1960s. That decade has a special place in my heart- I was a kid in the 70s, a teenager in the 80s, but I was born in 1966. I don’t exactly remember anything from the first four years of my life- only little snippets- but I feel like I ALMOST remember it. It might just be the photos from when I was a baby and toddler, with my parents in their 60s clothing, or the fact that my parents would occasionally talk about the day JFK was assassinated. I just feel like the 60s is a decade tickling at the edges of my memory, and I always love reading about it. I’ll talk more about the book next week after I’ve finished it. But for now I can say I’m enjoying it VERY much. And now for the book-ish questions! 1. Do you like horror movies and books? Do you think they’re scary, or silly? 2. Do you like the experience of holding a physical book? Or do you prefer the convenience of a kindle? 3. Are there any specific decades you love reading about?