read IT as a kid don't remember it at all.
considering getting it on audible (supposedly steven weber gives an amazing performance) but would love to know if it's any good before investing 44hrs.

does it have a terrible ending like so many of his books?

It's my favorite King book. Maybe The Stand overtook it, I'm not sure.

From my review:

"Before I move on to the miniseries, I feel I should note that Steven Weber (from the early 90’s television show “Wings”) does an AMAZING job reading this book. I was blown away really, particularly with how he handled Stuttering Bill – it’s a great performance and it really enhanced my listening experience."

I don't think the ending is great... I even described it as "weird," but it doesn't really ruin the book imo.

Full Review - I wrote this in 2017 so I was a lot less careful about spoilers than usual, but I just read through it again and I don't think you'd be too mad about how much I give away.

I listened to this recently. He does a great job.

The ending is fine apart from an infamous and rather distasteful interlude near the end.

The actual end is good imo

I'm in the middle of River Under the Road by Scott Spencer. I had no idea what to expect from this, picked it up on a whim from the new books section at my library because I remember vaguely hearing some good things about Spencer once. It's very readable but not fluffy, also very American which I like. The first part is set in 1976 with some history and politics mixed in which I also like.

Currently on The Beautiful and the Damned. Just finished and also reading a bunch of spy/crime thrillers, will post later.

Stephen Crane, Pound, Stein: Hemingway was learning from many. But I recall (from James Mellow's bio, among others) the story of Hemingway's proofreading Stein's The Making of Americans ca. 1911. That kind of close engagement with a very long text with a powerfully idiosyncratic style certainly could have an effect on a young writer. And Hemingway acknowledged that.

thats good enough for me!
ordered it and excited to get into it.

i pretty much only listen while driving so it takes quite some time to get thru but man audible has totally changed my driving experience, i no longer get super tilted by traffic and no longer have to speed around like crazy i just sit back chill and listen to my book.

its really made an amazing difference in my life.

Yeah I love Audible. It has allowed me to continue reading recreationally in a time when all my "free time" is spent reading about poker, watching poker vlogs, and studying poker. I also do basically all my Audible while driving.

I'm now reading Lou Piniella's autobiography, fittingly titled Lou. I've always admired the man and his accomplishments, and Lou is one sweet read that's for sure.

Finished the second book in Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars series, Green Mars. Still waiting on him to come up with some sick Dr. Seuss "One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish" reference. Hopefully it'll be coming in the final book, Blue Mars.

This one's his usual combination of otherworldly worldbuilding and serviceable characters. I can absolutely imagine the crew of some future Mars terraforming mission reading this series for a few pointers -- it goes that in depth. KSR does tend to stick with a viewpoint longer than necessary, sort of dragging out the pacing in spots, but I like the direction he's taken overall. Half the time I found myself zoning out on his scientific descriptions, though most of it is interesting. Definitely not something I'd recommend for people who like fast plots or catchy narrative techniques or nuanced character development. This book is more about the science than the fiction.

Am in the midst of Thomas Rick's fine Churchill and Orwell. As readable as it is insightful. With fascism/nationalism on the rise in the west (I live near Charlottsville) the book's insights are relevant. Hemingway is mentioned viz Spain and comes across as the dilettante he most certainly was in France after D-day. Earlier in the thread there was mention of his influences...Sherwood Anderson was the most important,

In regards to Hemingway...one can detect in his early short stories a clear affinity with say Winesburg, Ohio.

Also Hemingway's contract breaker, The Torrents of Spring in its parody of Anderson suggests 'the son killing the father'

Finally got around to reading Hunter S. Thompson's Rum Diary. Love his style, even if I don't love his story of debauchery in San Juan. A fun read.

And I finished Into the Black by Rowland White, which recounts how America's Space Shuttle program came into shape. White sometimes spends too much time on certain topics (tiles, for instance), but it's an interesting read that focuses more on the astronauts than the tech.

Started Pronto by Elmore Leonard; interesting because I lived near Rapallo for part of my life and frequently drove through it.

Started The Fever Kill by Tom Piccirilli and I Was Dora Suarez by Derek Raymond.

Still easing through Anna Karenina at three chapters per day (my original plan was two, but it proved to be too short), now nearing the midpoint.

Reading Blind Man with a Pistol by Himes and A Stained White Radiance by Burke.

Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry pits special forces vs zombies and terrorists -- fast paced and fun, probably not quite as good as Larry Correia, but in that same vein (without Correia's gun porn fetish). Nowhere near as symphathetic as something like Girl with All the Gifts. Kinda like a video game in book form.

I just finished Girl With All the Gifts! not bad at all. Gotta love a zombie story with a heart.

Now in the middle of The Lives We Bury about a damaged Vietnam vet and the naive college kid who tries to clear him of an old murder charge, not so good. Standard mystery/thriller stuff, maybe a notch above average for some nice character touches.

Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy. A short novel with very dark themes. The usual McCarthy style. Tells the story of a brother and sister that have a child together in the early 1900s.

Finished Pronto by Elmore Leonard. It is the last novel written in what many persons consider to be Leonard's golden period from about 1983 to 1993 (LaBrava, Killshot, Freaky Deaky, Get Shorty, Out of Sight, Rum Punch, Maximum Bob, and more).

It is very readable with an emphasis on character over plot.

Finished Blind Man with a Pistol by Chester Himes. Unlike most detective/crime fiction, the body of this existential-noir novel is a prologue to the last twenty-three pages which show how the setup plays out. It all makes sense in a twisted sort of way, and most things that happen, i.e., voluntary actions by humans, are for all the wrong reasons or for reasons that are misunderstood.

Representative quote regarding a stressful situation: "Soul people watching him could have bitten off nail-heads with their a**holes."

That's gotta hurt.

My library finally came thru with the copy of A Wild Sheep Chase I'd been waiting a month for. Not feeling it at all a third of the way in, oddly. I was really psyched for this one too. Not clicking with me at all, lame jokes about Murakami's ear fetish etc. The style reminds me a little of the real-world part of Hard-Boiled Wonderland, like Raymond Chandler lite.

Finished a couple whacko books:

Nova by Samuel Delany. Guy's got such great, inventive ideas and his dialogue is always on point. His timing is only so-so, though, sometimes too snappy, sometimes too lengthy, lingering on odd points. Plot revolves around a spaceship captain who is trying to mine unobtainium from a star as it goes nova while a pair of childhood friends oppose him. Delany's pure writing ability carries this one.

Once in a while I like to dig into a good crackpot theory, and The Cosmic Serpent by Jeremy Narby certainly fits the bill. In a nutshell: anthropologist goes on ayahuasca trip, sees visions of serpents, concludes that DNA is the source of all life and that it is a living being sent from outer space. I mean, why else would the Cambrian explosion have happened? Why else would snakes be such prevalent symbols in religion and medicine? And so on. Definitely out there, but the author gives a unique perspective and is never dull. I'm by no means convinced by his argument, it's an interesting read, though.

loved this.
McCarthy is probably my favorite author and I've started listening to his books on audible and they actually work really well as audiobooks.

Just finished reading this. A fascinating and thought provoking account of mass immigration into Europe in recent years. Liberals should probably not read it though.

Me, too. What are some of your crackpot theory books?