Actually Reading the Book I’m Named After (And All of Stephen King’s Other Work)

Quick update! Like I mentioned—I have 2 weeks off of work because of the Coronavirus. It just so happened that the work that I’ll be doing from home for the next two weeks is reading and interpreting Carrie and The Mist. So ‘Salem’s Lot is going to take a backseat for a hot minute and I am going to be reading those two books first, starting with Carrie. I’m excited to not only get to read these books but analyze and interpret them, as well.

I recently purchased ‘Salem’s Lot and I’m excited to start this journey. Due to the Coronavirus, I have two weeks off of work so I will have plenty of time to get some reading done. I don’t know anything about this story. I do know that it is a recurring town in Stephen King books, much like Derry. When I read The Institute, there was a mention of Jerusalem’s Lot which I believe is what ‘Salem’s Lot is short for....I might be sounding really stupid right now-but I hope I’m right! I’ll come back here to add my thoughts once I’m done reading. Please stay safe out there and wash your hands! So....this has been a weird year, but I don't need to tell you that. So yes, I purchased 'Salem's Lot on March 12th and finished it exactly 8 months later in November. I blame 2020. But what is important here is that I finally finished it! First things first, I was right about it being Jerusalem's Lot so I saved myself some embarrassment. This book is about vampires. Did you know that?...

I had a lot of fun reading The Institute. It felt as though you were reading two different stories that beautifully came together as one in the end. I really felt myself rooting for the kids in this story...and really hating the government. This was a true good vs evil tale and I didn’t want to put it down. While it is supernatural, it still felt realistic. You spend the whole time wondering what the hell is going on and when you find out....wow. Great writing, great pace, great fun. I also loved that there were little tidbits strung throughout the book that ended up becoming important later. Between that and the whole children-with-super-powers component, it definitely gave me some Harry Potter vibes...which is always a good thing in my opinion. The Institute was my first re-introduction to Stephen King and I’m glad it was. It wasn’t what I expected from what I had previously read from King. It was refreshing and I really love this style of writing that he adapted over the years. I s...

Wow. This story was great. The characters are people you grow to love and become attached to. The Outsider is terrifying in the way that you can’t understand what he is or does—and that’s the point. The fact that you *spoiler alert* never get any answers is what makes this book haunting. Holly! Holly is one of my favorite characters from any book that I’ve read. She’s so special and doesn’t take any shit from anyone. I was so disappointed when I finished this book because I wanted MORE! I would so love to learn more about these characters and who (or what) the outsider truly is. There is something that is really bugging me about this one, though. There are multiple characters that have the same name (i.e. June, Frank, Ev)...and I was waiting for this to be explained and it never was. Was there a deeper meaning, since this story is about doppelgängers, after all. Or was I just making a big deal out of nothing?  I’VE GOT TO KNOW. Besides that, I had a lot of fun reading this one. It...

Before re-read:  So...did The Simpson’s Movie copy Under the Dome or vice versa? Either way, I loved them both. This is my final re-read! Under the Dome was the first large (over 1,000 pages) novel that I read. I haven’t read this one since it came out back in 2009 so I’m excited to circle back around to it. I remember loving all of the different characters and their stories. I also really loved the theme of there being something larger than us. This book also convinced me to stop killing ants. After re-read:

Before Reading:  I could go on and on and on about The Long Walk and I will (after I re-read it). For now I’m just going to keep it short and sweet. Remember when I said that I love Rage and have it on my bookshelf? Well I really love The Long Walk and have TWO copies of it on my bookshelf. The Long Walk is my absolute number one favorite book...ever. I even rank it above Harry Potter (which, if you know me, is saying a lot). When I was younger I was drawn to The Long Walk because it mentioned my hometown. But oh my God, this story is so great. You cringe, cry, laugh, and everything in between when you read it—or at least I do. It takes a lot for me to get emotionally invested in a book (or anything, really) but I feel so attached to this story. All of the characters and their lives are so real to me when I read this one. Also, Hunger Games-esque dystopia is my absolute favorite genre and The Long Walk is one of the best. I’m very much looking forward to re-reading this one, as I a...

Rage is one of my favorite stories of all time. It is one that I’ve read quite a few times and have sitting on my bookshelf. It is truly scary how it became a reality. When I read this as a high school student, it actually hit close to home for me when I’m sure that wasn’t the original intention. I remember that some people even blamed this story for Columbine. I really don’t find that to be fair. I will re-read Rage and come back to add more details when it’s fresh in my mind. I will say that it is a story that I have always found to be both terrifying and sad and those emotions were what always sucked me into this story. As you’ll notice, all the Stephen King stories that I have read pre-blog were not what would be considered as horror. Yet, each of the stories that I have read seemed so terrifying to me in real ways. Rage definitely falls under that umbrella of scary in a non-horror way. That is what attracted me to reading other Stephen King stories. I’m excited to come back and re...

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 ...