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What am I doing?

Being a true Mainer, while my mother was pregnant with me, she was reading a book by Stephen King. Specifically she was reading The Dark Half by Stephen King. In that book there is a character named Shayla and that is where my name came from. Growing up in Maine already gives you a sense of closeness with Mr. King but having him be the reason for my namesake always drew me even closer to him. In fact, for my 23rd birthday I was gifted with Stephen King’s personal copy of The Dark Half that he signed for me.  I grew up watching many Stephen King shows and movies and read a few books. My favorite book of all time being The Long Walk by Stephen King, himself. All in all, however, I’ve only read about 5 of Mr. King’s books in total. I feel like this weird connection and fascination I have with him has ultimately only led me to one place. And that place is right here, preparing to read all his books. With all honesty, I get crazy ideas like this all the time but only seldom do I see anyt
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Lisey's Story (2006)

Before reading: Oh, Lisey's Story. I have been waiting a while to read this one. One reason is because it is one of King's personal favorites of his own work. The main reason is that I watched the show back when it came out and got so confused I had to stop watching it to wait to read the book... so I could understand the show...and that was years ago. So finally, I am hoping to understand what the heck this story is about. Additionally, I have enjoyed King's other female-led novels so I do have high hopes for this one. After reading: In all honesty, I was not feeling this one in the first half. It had all the same confusing language the show did and it almost felt like I was intruding on something. It seemed as though I wasn't supposed to "get it." However, by the end I really appreciated and enjoyed it. The story fleshed itself out and got quite deep. Even though it was a little difficult to get into, it became a moving tale about grief, love, abuse, and sib

Cell (2006)

Before reading: What do I know about Cell? I know there was a movie that people do not like. I know it's about cell phones. I know people enjoy the book. And that's about it! I guess I'll have to read it to learn more, so let's go.  After reading: Welp. I think this story would be quite different if it were written today and I, for one, would be a goner. I did really enjoy this book! It was an interesting little read, for sure. It definitely felt a little preachy in terms of it obviously being about "phone zombies" but the story was enjoyable, regardless. I've also never really seen this concept done before. I appreciate being able to read something that is unique and unlike anything that I have read before. I wouldn't rave about this story or call it one of King's bests, but I would call it solid and enjoyable.  While this is not a traditional zombie story, it is a zombie story. Which, interestingly enough, this is our first zombie genre book from

The Colorado Kid (2005)

Before reading: I don't know too much about the actual plot of this book. I do know that it is a crime thriller/noir type book that was written for a series of pulp crime novels. It is supposed to be a quick and easy read and is quite short. This is also the inspiration for the TV show Haven  but I don't think they have all that much to do with each other. It'll be fun to read something so different from the past several King books I've read so let's get into it! After reading: This was a great little read. It was exactly what it was meant to be. It was a mysterious thriller and a quick read. It felt like King but it was also very different from his other work. I would let a child read this book if that tells you anything. Reading this after finishing the Dark Tower series was actually quite welcoming. A nice little palate cleanser, if you will.  Due to the size of this book, I didn't have much of an opportunity to take any notes on it. This wasn't really t

The Dark Tower (2004)

Before reading: I'm scared. It's hard to believe that after all this time we have actually arrived at the tower. I feel so ready but also not ready at all. Here we go.  After reading: Screaming crying and throwing up. I am going through all the stages of grief currently so hopefully this post is coherent. I will never shut up about how good this series is. So good. How will anything ever compare? What am I supposed to do with my life now??? Reading all of King in publication order made this especially rewarding. It takes a lot of time and energy but if you've got enough of both of those, I really recommend reading in this order. There are just so many layers. It's so good people. I'm not sure what else there even is to say.  There are so many references and crossovers in this book that I would have to write an entire book to even discuss it. So many characters from so many of my favorite stories made appearances. So that was a lot of fun. Besides being fun, this boo

The Dark Tower: Song of Susannah (2004)

Before reading: The penultimate book. This is not a drill. Pretty sure I know where this one is going based off how the last one ended but I guess there's only one way to find out. Luckily, this is one of the shorter books so it shouldn't take me too long to get through it. I know this one tends to show up on the bottom of DT ranking lists but I, as always, am going in with an open mind and ready for a good time. Let's go! After reading: Ugh. So good. Honestly I was a little wary toward the beginning. This is quite a short book, the gang was split up, and as I said, this one isn't usually amongst people's favorites. I understood that and got those vibes for a while but...once it picked up. This book was so much fun. Part of me is curious if people don't love this one because it is heavy on Susannah. I hope that's not the case but I wouldn't be surprised. I, however, found myself really enjoying this one.  I really found this to be the perfect little in-b