This was most excellent; I can 100% see why this is many readers favorite Stephen King novel. Heck, it's my favorite novel of his to date, although I have a good number of his books to catch up on. I've found myself overly critical of his work in the past, possibly due to the fact that he's so well known, but I feel it's more been a fault on my end. Previously I've picked up one of his doorstops at a time I wasn't prepared to fully invest in the time and energy it takes to immerse oneself into h...

Is this horror? I'm genuinely asking here because I'm not a horror aficionado, so I don't know what all constitutes that genre. To a layman like myself, IT was horror because it scared the piss out of me and I couldn't sleep without the lights on for a while. The Shining is more like a Spooky Family Drama. Yeah, yeah, there at the end things got a little hairy, but it was still mostly a human trotting around getting all stabby.Now, I say mostly because good old Jack is getting some help from a c...

“The thought rose from nowhere, naked and unadorned. The urge to tumble her out of bed, naked, bewildered, just beginning to wake up; to pounce on her, seize her neck like the green limb of a young aspen and to throttle her, thumbs on windpipe, fingers pressing against the top of her spine, jerking her head up and ramming it back down against the floorboards, again and again, whamming, whacking, smashing, crashing. Jitter and jive, baby. Shake, rattle, and roll. He would make her take her medici...

Reread for my Horror Group Challenge & another Group Ghost Walk ChallengeFound me an old school copy with pics inside!!*4.5 Stars I'm not sure why I only saw the movie and never read the book. I loved the movie so much it makes no sense, but back in the day, not many things make sense to me. I will have to go back and watch the movie again to see all of the different little changes. Now I know why some things happened. You know those things, the little things that are only in the head, written i...

When MC Johnny is in the haunted mountain hotel house, twins can raise their axes and sway to the beat of the barkeepers´ whispering background vibe Maybe just so popular because of the movieI´ve read a ton of Kings´ novels, some already 2 times, and must say that this is a good, but by far not one of his best works. It has some freaking labyrinth, bathroom, parenting, and insanity axe murder moments, but besides that, there is much less terror, paranormal activity, and horror than one would exp...

i- i don't even know what to say that hasn't already been said about this but lemme give it a shot.god DAMN this is king at his best. i know, i know, "kat that is so cliche. couldn't you have picked a less popular king book to stan?"i guess not, but hear me out.1. first of all, i love a good old fashioned haunted house story and that's exactly what this is. the slow progression of madness that overtook jack and the introduction of new ghosts (or hallucinations, whatever you decide) was INCREDIBL...

Quite simply put, The Shining is the best horror story I have ever read. It scared the hell out of me.Over a period of time, I have noticed certain standard "motifs" in horror stories. One of these I call "The Lost Child". Such stories will typically involve a child, who can see what the silly grownups cannot see (or, even if they do see, don't acknowledge because it goes against reason and logic): and who fights, however high the odds stacked against him/ her are. Danny Torrance is such a boy.D...

Another Stephen King re-read complete!I have had this book marked at 4 stars since I added it a few years ago. It has probably been 20 years since I last read the book and, in that time, I have watched the Kubrick movie a few times. Honestly, I am not a huge fan of the Kubrick movie (and I hear King wasn’t either). I think my thoughts on the movie combined with being a couple of decades removed from reading it skewed my rating a bit low.This time, though, with the refresher – 5 stars all the way...

"He sat down on one of the stools and propped his elbows on the bar’s leather-cushioned edge. At his left hand was a bowl for peanuts – now empty, of course. The first bar he’d been in for nineteen months and the damned thing was dry – just his luck. All the same, a bitterly powerful wave of nostalgia swept over him, and the physical craving for a drink seemed to work itself up from his belly to his throat to his mouth and nose, shriveling and wrinkling the tissues as it went, making them cry ou...

Ok, Mr. Jack Torrence,..... ..... The man who was going to live by his wits....be a best selling author, acclaimed playwright and winner of the New York critics award, man of letters, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, .....you killed my appetite ..... I’ll never be able to look at a Triscuit cracker again without thinking of “The Shining”, .... let alone eat one. You, Sir, took the joy out of crunching those little squares. Haha!Great characters- storytelling- thriller by a master. Yep... I can see...

This book was like a slow claustrophobic squeeze around my neck; I can definitely see why this book from KING is his most classic one yet.I really enjoyed the way he tackled difficult subjects— abuse, alcoholism, a difficult marriage, and mixes them with horror elements; it was definitely a deep dive read. You can watch the liveshow for my overall thoughts but here are my short general thoughts on the book overall: Danny was lovely. Too cute sometimes. This smol bb boy literally stomped his tiny...

“Monsters are real. Ghosts are too. They live inside of us, and sometimes, they win.”When I first read The Shining a number of years ago I thought it was fantastic and gave it 5 stars, but it just never ranked as a personal favourite. On this reread, however, my socks were well and truly blown off and I had an entirely different experience. This is why I will always be a huge advocate for rereading - it’s quite apparent that wherever your head is at, or whatever life circumstances you find yours...

3.5 stars Just published Two Truths and a Lie - A Booktube Review featuring this book and two others! Check it out to figure out which ones rock and which is the dud! With special guest - Tucker Almengor! The Written Review “Sometimes human places, create inhuman monsters.” The Overlook Hotel - gorgeous and isolated - is in need of a winter caretaker. Jack and his family are in need of an income and a place to stay.Months alone, trapped by snow, with only the family by their sides. What c...

Update 10/30/21:Wow… I’ve read this book four times now?!I don’t know what I wrote before, but it’s still a four-star read for me. It was interesting reading it in this weird post-Covidish time since it is heavy on themes of isolation and being quarantined off from the rest of the world. Happy Halloween everyone. Time to go take my medicine. ———————-Update 8/28/18:I completely agree with everything I said two years ago. Third time reading this one, and I think I enjoyed it the most this time aro...

All the stars!Loved, loved this book!I'm not sure what to say in this review that hasn't been said by others. I was blown away by how great this book was. It was so much better then the movie!The slow progression of insanity with Jack Torrance was one of the best things about this book. I loved the overall menacing presence of The Overlook. I loved how the hotel becomes more violent and threatening to Danny and his family the longer they stay there. It was so gripping and overwhelming as the sto...