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Old 12-30-2017, 09:10 AM
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Parallel

When I was 12 I read King’s The Shining. Horror fan that I was (am), I loved it. I don’t know if this reading came before I raided my parent’s liquor the first time I got drunk or afterwards but I know the first drinking experience occurred around that time.
Thinking back, the book was an accurate portrayal of alcoholism. Taking away the ghostly aspect of the book, what’s left is the inner thoughts of a drunk- now 40 years later, I can relate.
It may be time to read this again.
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Old 12-30-2017, 02:16 PM
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I have read it more than once, Rodney.
I think that King, who has struggled with substance abuse in past, caught the alcohol addict personality and behavior just right.
It’s also a good look at what happens when you white knuckle it and don’t have a recovery program.
You want to destroy your family.
Said with tongue firmly planted in cheek.
I have also read The Stand several times, as I think it is an epic book.
Have you read any of his son’s work?
Joe Hill.
Also very good.
I loved The Fireman
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Old 12-30-2017, 02:50 PM
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I've always thought King's The Shining was a remarkable book because of its eerily accurate and insightful portrayal of an alcoholic -- depicted by an alcoholic who (as he later said) had no conscious awareness at the time that he was an alcoholic.
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Old 12-30-2017, 05:24 PM
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[yes
Most all of Hill’s and enjoyed it as wellQUOTE=Maudcat;6727327]I have read it more than once, Rodney.
I think that King, who has struggled with substance abuse in past, caught the alcohol addict personality and behavior just right.
It’s also a good look at what happens when you white knuckle it and don’t have a recovery program.
You want to destroy your family.
Said with tongue firmly planted in cheek.
I have also read The Stand several times, as I think it is an epic book.
Have you read any of his son’s work?
Joe Hill.
Also very good.
I loved The Fireman[/QUOTE]
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Old 12-30-2017, 05:39 PM
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I’m pretty sure I dunno how to reply to a post ...haha.... so I’ll try here. I’ve read most of Hill’s and loved it all. I’ve read one of Owen King’s and dug it too
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Old 12-30-2017, 06:18 PM
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Ive not read any of Owen King’s books.
I liked Tabitha King’s work, too, but I haven’t read anything by her in several years.
I also liked The Dark Tower series.
Once King wrote about the series and how he just didn’t expect it to take so long.
He said he used to get letters from people stating that they weren’t getting any younger and could he step it up, please.
He has a writing voice that is very funny.
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Old 12-30-2017, 06:56 PM
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I read a couple of Tabitha’s
Stephen King is indeed my favorite author and I’ve grabbed whatever he’s written- probably a book a year at least. Some years there have been more than one
I can track most of my life by these books
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Old 12-30-2017, 06:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Maudcat View Post
Ive not read any of Owen King’s books.
I liked Tabitha King’s work, too, but I haven’t read anything by her in several years.
I also liked The Dark Tower series.
Once King wrote about the series and how he just didn’t expect it to take so long.
He said he used to get letters from people stating that they weren’t getting any younger and could he step it up, please.
He has a writing voice that is very funny.
I thought it was clever how King worked his reluctance to complete the Dark Tower series into the story itself.

I also smiled at the old-school "get-on-yer-knees-and-thank-God-yer-sober" AA sponsor in the sequel to The Shining, Doctor Sleep.

It has always seemed to me that King's writing was flat and forced for a while after he sobered up in 1988, but eventually came back better than ever, reaching new dimension and depth he never achieved while drinking.

I can see a bit of a parallel there too
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Old 12-31-2017, 06:11 AM
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Agree that the Dark Tower ending was pretty amazing.
I haven’t read Dr. sleep yet, but I likely will.
I did read Revival, which was a bit creepy.
I think that King’s writing has ebbed and flowed over the years, which is to be expected cuz he is so prolific.
Some books could have used stronger editing, but that’s a quibble, as on his worst day, he is still crazy good.
I read somewhere that after his accident, it was expected that he was done, but that one day his wife shoved a computer (or typewriter) in front of him and the rest is history.
He has a place in Florida not far from Red Sox spring training camp, as he is a big fan.
Not sure how much time he spends in Maine anymore.
Loved The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.
Maybe we should start a Stephen King thread.
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Old 12-31-2017, 08:59 AM
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I loved Dr. Sleep and I think it’s a fitting coda to a great novel. A King thread is an excellent idea. My entire family from my formative years is now gone, yet I can pick up books from that time period (when I first read them) and go right back to the “then” that was, in my mind. I believe that booze did this too, somehow. Music, books, movies all do this, but drunkenness did it in a different way and that was a huge factor in my alcohol intake. I’ve not heard of others who do this per se but I suspect I’m not the only one.
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Old 12-31-2017, 06:45 PM
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Well, King is masterful at evoking a time and place.
He must have some good researchers.
Interesting comment about what alcohol did for you.
I had a different experience.
I was working in a job that I had started out loving and had come to deplore.
Working way harder than I wanted to, some nights, weekends.
I used alcohol to destress.
Fast.
One thing alcohol will do for ya, at first at least, is make you feel real good real fast.
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Old 12-31-2017, 07:51 PM
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I watched it(The shining) as a kid and always knew he was drunk when acting all crazy,but wouldn't/didn't link it to alcoholism until now. Makes much more sense now and I think I'll watch it tomorrow.
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Old 01-01-2018, 04:39 AM
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I've been meaning to read Dr. Sleep and just downloaded it, thanks for the reminder guys. The preface quotes "an old AA saying" which is "FEAR: F*** Everything and Run". First time I've heard it, but it does seem to be applicable to some real life situations.
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Old 01-01-2018, 05:57 AM
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I also read The Shining a long time ago, time for a re-read I think. Loved Dr Sleep too. I love King and am reading The Stand (uncut) for about the sixth time, although the last was a few years back. I heard a saying a while back that goes something like 'King doesn't write about monsters, he writes about people' and for me that's true and why I love his books so much. I guess we have a King thread! 👍
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Old 01-01-2018, 08:21 AM
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Yes it looks that way
This cold and isolated winter I’m having is the perfect time for me to reread The Shining
For years I would never read a work of fiction again. I figured once was enough. In the past few years though I’ve decided that after decades of living it’s a very valid thing to do. I imagine I’ll see parts of the book differently after forty years of life passing.
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Old 01-03-2018, 08:25 PM
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Hey, all.
I just picked up a book of novellas by Joe Hill.
“Strange Weather.”
So far, so great!
The first novella, “Snapshot” reminds me of an old story of his father’s, “Sun Dog.”
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