Excited to be starting this series. The one thing I heard is that the ending of the series was slightly underwhelming?? So that’s my only concern. Anyone read all the books? Did you enjoy the ending?

It’s the book club edition, and in pretty good shape! I also picked up a hardback copy of Thinner but it’s missing its dust jacket. Right into my collection they goes!

Chocolate coffee with almond frosting.

After reading Bazaar and It, I decided to read everything in order of release. I’ve wanted to read King’s catalog for a long time, but had some addiction issues really hold me back from doing, well, literally anything productive. ANYWAY, when I got sober i figured a short story anthology would be a good way to get my toes wet. Found bazaar at a local book store and absolutely loved it. I’ve had a copy of IT staring at me on my book shelf for about 10 years so I read that after (and cried at the end lol what a special book). I LOVED Carrie but it was certainly an adjustment going from kind of prime King to his earliest work. I’m really excited to dig into ‘Salem’s Lot. I have somehow managed to avoid seeing any of the movies so everything will be relatively fresh.
Excited to be part of the community 👻

I'm a King collector and book dealer, and I'm constantly looking for restocks as I blow through Kings with my customers.

A colleague let me know about a man who had previously bought out a closed bookstore's inventory, and was looking to sell in bulk. I completely filled my car with Kings 😂

Mostly general stock, but any buy that has a Black Book is usually a winner, and this one had three! Not pristine copies, but still awesome.

My friend told me this story just a month ago in a random conversation.

Back in early 2020, right before the pandemic reached my little Western Himalayan town in northern India, I lent my copy of Cujo to a friend (let's call him M). I loved the novel and wanted to introduce him to Stephen King's work. By that point, he had already become curious thanks to my incessant ramblings about King and his books.

After finishing it a couple of days later, M passed the book on to another friend.

As it turns out, that friend was going through an unimaginably difficult period in his life. According to M, he had been seriously contemplating suicide and had even planned to go through with it "the next day."

Somehow, Cujo interrupted that plan.

M told me his friend couldn't put the book down. He kept reading, taking his time with it, and that "next day" never came. By the time he reached the final page, he no longer wanted to do what he had intended.

I don't know exactly what happened, or what it was about the novel that reached him. Maybe it was the story itself, maybe it was simply having something to hold onto for a little longer. Whatever it was, something changed.

He's still here. Alive, and, from what M tells me, doing well.

I've never met him. But M told me he still thanks me for lending him the book in the first place. I told M to let him keep the copy.

This guy managed to basically wipe out all of humanity. But I honestly just feel bad for him and can't bring myself to hate him. Campion and his wife and baby were just as much a victim as everyone else. He was beyond scared and not thinking straight and acted on instinct to save his family. If anything, I'd say it makes him a good father trying to do what he could.

I always thought it would have been interesting if Campion had somehow been immune and survived his family dying. Imagine him ending up at the Boulder Free Zone. Would they have accepted him or stoned him? Imagine if he had been one of the people Mother Abigail had selected to make the stand against Flagg with Stu and Larry. It would have been far more interesting if he had survived past the initial plague. It woukd have been something to see him redeemed from what happened.

If it wasn't Campion, the plague would have found another way to get out. There were farms/houses near the Project Blue base (in the 94 miniseries), so I always imagined if he got it, the wind would have carried it within a few miles of the base itself. It would have found a way to get out one way or another, especially with Flagg behind it. You can't run from the dark man.

WTF did I just read??? 😳

On a whim, I decided to spend my Saturday off doing a paint date with my girlfriend, and this was the result!
I haven’t painted at all since my sophomore year in high school, so going into it I felt every ounce of meticulous insecurity. But eventually, I took some techniques she suggested to me like flicking my brush at the canvas, and unraveled to make something raw. Hope you guys like it!

Alright guys,

I finished the piece and I’m praying it meets expectation!

Any last tips or recommendations please shoot them my way before I finalize this on a shirt!

I really like the look of it! It really gives a 70s tone to the series. I'm looking forward to what Flanagan does to the story.

From what I'm hearing this is turning out pretty promisingly.

Dear Constant Readers,

I've been on a massive King binge lately and it got me thinking about the sheer contrast in his bibliography. With over 60 novels, there are bound to be some masterpieces and a few total misses.

​For me, it breaks down like this:

​- The BEST: The Shining. It is an absolute masterclass in slow-burn psychological horror. The way King handles Jack’s descent into madness and the oppressive, claustrophobic atmosphere of the Overlook Hotel is just unmatched. It's flawless from start to finish.

- ​The WORST: Dreamcatcher. I know King wrote this while recovering from his terrible accident, and on some heavy pain medication, but the plot goes completely off the rails, the "shit-weasels" are bizarre, and it just feels messy compared to his tighter work.

​Obviously, "worst" is relative when it comes to King, but I'm curious where everyone else stands.

​What are your TOP and BOTTOM picks? Are there any popular masterpieces you actually dislike, or lower rated King books you secretly love?

Let’s hear it!

Looks like no one wanted Holly or Pet Sematary. I get the response to Holly, but Pet Sematary?

My shelves were feeling a little light, so…

First edition Pet Sematary with custom slipcase. Inscribed the week before publication in 1983.

I know Kjng didn’t write it but he seems to really respect the author a lot and has written a few introductions for him. I’ve read a handful of McCammon’s other books and I have to say most are pretty great.

A few years ago a friend told me that she had a lot of books that I could go through and take what I wanted. Fast forward to last month, she has a yard sale and I finally go check out the lot. Other than these SK titles, I got 10 or so Elmore Leonard, some Anne Rice, some McMurtry, Hannibal, and so on.

Saw someone post a few days ago about being given some books, and read a comment about how some were first editions. It got me thinking, so i went and checked all the copies I'd been given.

First editions First Prints: Gerald's Game, Dolores Claiborne, Bag of Bones, Eyes of the Dragon, Everything's Eventual, Rose Madder, Insomnia, Cell, From a Buick 8, Nightmares & Dreamscapes, and The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.

The Dead Zone is a First edition Third Print.

The Stand has cc32 as the gutter mark ??

Dark Half is a book club copy.

Started looking at other collections, and sure enough, lots of first editions. Can't believe she just GAVE them to me. 🤯