I have been remiss, in recent years, in maintaining a routine I started many years ago. Before children. Before marriage. Before money. Before satellite and cable television. Back when I was a single teacher, lolling about on my brown-and-orange plaid couch, wishing I could afford bonbons, letting afternoon soap operas play on my tiny TV to keep me company, while I wallowed in my annual summer vacation reading of The Stand.
Yes. The heat of the summer. The Stand. I could feel the sweat on Fran's brow as she stitched up her daddy in that tablecloth shroud and thump-thump-thumped him down the stairs and out to his garden plot. I thirsted with Stu Redmond and Judge Farris as they waited for beers to cool in the creek. Heard the grill sizzle in the restaurant where Larry Underwood cooked a steak for high-as-a-kite Rita Blakemoor. Smelled the body odor of Harold Lauder. Tasted the green apples of Tom Cullen, thankfully, rather than the leg of Trask, or the rat that Lloyd Henreid munched on in the crossbars Hilton.
Maybe I'll dig out my unabridged hardback next week when Hick and the boys take off on a roasting vacation south of not-heaven.
There's nothing better than re-reading The Stand in the oppressive heat of a Missouri summer. Unless, perhaps, it's re-reading The Shining.
Unbagging the Cats 1
7 comments:
I just picked up King's "Full Dark, No Stars" at Barnes and Noble for under $7. (Just about everything I read impacts me as a writing teacher, so I get a teacher's discount on most of the books I buy. It was in the "bargain" section right by the front door, in the little alcove/lobby. It's a collection of novellas, a la "Different Seasons," and I'm looking forward to reading it.
"Delores Claiborne"--one of my favorites, along with "Misery" and "The Shining." One of these days, a great movie will be made of "The Shining."
I read The Shining. Woah. Creepy book. Didn't read The Stand. Have you read any of his newer books? I've been curious but wanted to hear if my other friends read his books.
Oh, yes..."The Shining" and "Pet Sematary" and "Salem's Lot."
Takes me back to the days when horror fiction scared me. Then I had kids. Stephen King's got nothing on a three year old waking up from a nap while Mommy snoozes away.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
I haven't read Stephen King in a while. I did read "Dome," which was twice as long as it should have been.
You brought back a great memory of hanging out in a lawn chair one summer reading The Stand. Was the line, "One step and then the next gets you where you're going" from that book? I still say that to myself sometimes.
ANOTHER one I'll have to put on my list. This summer is gonna have to last at least ten months to give me any chance of getting through my summer reading list.
Sioux,
I have several Kings in my stack of books to read. 11/22/63, Under the Dome, and Full Dark, No Stars.
While I enjoyed the opening title scenes for The Shining, I was quite disappointed with the movie. The casting ruined it for me. My son Genius loved it when The Simpsons had "The Shinning" as part of a Halloween episode.
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Chick,
As you can see above, I have several of the newer ones, but haven't cracked them open yet. I think The Stand is better than The Shining. But then again, I am fond of post-apocalyptic fiction.
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Cathy C.
The part of Pet Sematary that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up was when Louis Creed woke up from what he thought was a dream, and HIS FEET WERE DIRTY AND COVERED WITH PINE NEEDLES!
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Stephen,
Then maybe I should just read the first half. Or every other page.
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Tammy,
I don't recall. My favorite quotes involve Tom Cullen. "Laws, no! M O O N. That spells..."
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Leenie,
You'd better make than an 11-month summer to get through The Stand.
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