I didn’t read a lot of books this week. Like last week, when I tried and failed to read Infinite Jest, I took on a tome. This time with more success.
- The Stand (King)
- Night Passage (Parker)
For most of the week, I read The Stand by Stephen King.
I will start by acknowledging that what feels like a million years ago I saw the movie. Or was it a miniseries. I don’t remember it that well. I forgot there was a character called Flagg – how apropos if one has read King’s later novel, The Eyes of the Dragon.
And I will say that it all hits a little differently now. Having had a plague and all.
But it was a great read.
“No “Dear,” no “Love, Mom.” Just a new toothbrush, new tube of toothpaste, new bottle of cologne. Sometimes, he thought, real love is silent as well as blind.
The Stand
Harold glared sullenly at him again, the eyes those of a piggy little boy who wants the whole cookie jar to himself. Ain’t he going to be surprised, Stu thought, when he finds out a girl isn’t a jar of cookies.
The Stand
They were nice enough people and all, but there wasn’t much love in them. Because they were too busy being afraid. Love didn’t grow very well in a place where there was only fear, just as plants didn’t grow very well in a place where it was always dark.
The Stand
Plague didn’t care who it killed.
The Stand
My other read was a Jesse Stone novel, Night Passage. I’ve definitely seen the movie version of this one. Tom Selleck as Jesse Stone. In fact several of these novels got the movie treatment.
So what about that? Well, the first several chapters were condensed into the opening credits of the movie and that made me pretty nervous that the book was going to drag. But after that the book is in 2-3 minute chapters that cut like movie scenes and keep things moving. So that’s something.
The plot? Portions of the plot track with the movie but there’s this whole other track that’s completely different, with a lot of the same murders but now with a whole white nationalist plot behind it that was completely absent in the films. Or more like, the bad guy is using the local militia group (its white nationalism and antisemitism is kind of “incidental to the plot” but still yuck) as a means to build himself an army for personal power. I can see why it didn’t make the film. Most of the same people end up dead though.
So that was me. I’m still WEEKS from getting the next CJ Box book – if you use BCPL and you have it please return it already … SO many of us are waiting! So maybe I’ll try another Jesse Stone, a little Nancy Drew, and maybe a couple more of the paper books that are waiting for my attention. There are just a few of those still. And I’ll check Overdue podcast for inspiration also.
How about you? What are you reading? What should I be checking out?
aka gringita 