Books on the Nightstand discussion

I just posted this question on my blog and I want to share here.

Here's my answer:

I have a question: What is the book by a popular or well-known author that surprised you in a good way?

The Bag of Bones by Stephen King is my answer to this question. For years, I had refused to read Stephen King. I don’t have a good reason why. I was a bookseller for several years in my 20′s and every time a new King novel was released I had decided in my mind not to read it.

A couple of years ago, I asked my readers to choose a novel for me to read and review in order to get me out of my comfort zone. You guessed it….Bag of Bones by Stephen King got the most votes.

Well, I had to hold up my end of the bargain and finally read a Stephen King novel. I must admit it was excellent. I was pleasantly surprised at King’s gifts as a storyteller and creating excellent characters.

Here's my review of Bag of Bones: http://marion-hill.com/book-review-22...

What I have learned from this reading experience is to never prejudge a popular author until I have exactly read their work and stepping outside of one’s comfort zone helps to create a broader reader experience. And that’s what being a life-long reader is all about.

What is that book for you?

Marion

It's not even one of his best books. If you liked that one, there are many more you'll like even better!

Within the last year, my library-based book discussion was to read The Hunger Games because the movie was due to come out. I had made a conscious decision prior to that to not read those books. I didn't really know what they were about - I thought it was more vampire-zombie stuff.
In the end, I not only read The Hunger Games, but went on to read the sequels Catching Fire and Mockingjay before the next discussion.
My supervisor at the university library where I work did the exact same thing. She had similar thoughts prior to the book discussion, but decided to pick it up once that was the book of the month. Everyday at work, we ended up babbling like a couple of teenage girls about how far we were in the book and what our predictions were or how we felt about the action.
I think I learned a lesson about not judging the book before I've looked beyond its cover.

Good question, Marion.

Eric,

I was told by several King readers that commented on my blog that Bag of Bones was one of his best. That's why I decided to try it out.

Marion

Thanks for the kind words, Linda!

Marion, I've read them all and it's not even in my top twenty. For me, is the best.

Yes, I have heard that is his best novel.

Marion

My 11 year old just started reading and she is enjoying it. I've only read and I really enjoyed it.

It seems that Stephen King is the popular author that has pleasantly surprised a lot of readers.

Marion

Linda wrote: "Within the last year, my library-based book discussion was to read The Hunger Games because the movie was due to come out. I had made a conscious decision prior to that to not read t..."

Linda,

I will have to try the The Hunger Games one of these days. Thanks for your response.

Marion

For me, it was Diana Gabaldon's Outlander. I had written it off as a sappy romance because I had heard so many women rave about it. Now I am on book number 8 in the series which defies classification. It has everything....history, science fiction, adventure, romance, suspense. I've never read anything else quite like it. I think it is because Diana brings all her talents to her writing and she is a very accomplished super smart person, holding degrees in Zoology, Marine Biology, and Behavioral Ecology.

Janet wrote: "For me, it was Diana Gabaldon's Outlander. I had written it off as a sappy romance because I had heard so many women rave about it. Now I am on book number 8 in the series which defi..."

That's funny, Janet. When I was still teaching, I got to my portion of a classroom by passing another SPED teacher who at the end of the day would be sitting with her feet up on her desk while reading. Whenever I asked her what she was reading, even for Outlander, she invariably answered, "A Romance." at which point I would turn up my nose and walk on.
However, two other things happened. One one of our students was reading these tomes (that a special educator's student chose to read any book was remarkable let alone one of more than 800 pages) AND I was able to sell them on eBay at decent prices, so I decided to try one to see what the draw was.

I became hooked.

An interesting footnote is that, in book #3 or #4, I came across one of my ancestors. I was thrilled, needless to say.

Gabaldon does do her homework.

My question for those who were pleasantly surprised by Stephen King: what did you expect him to be like?

John Grisham's A Painted House. I had read a couple of his legal thrillers and quickly grew bored of the formula. I was pleasantly surprised by this novel because it was different from everything else I'd read by Grisham. I loved the descriptive passages of life in the rural South and the story of struggling cotton farmers and a young boy whose innocence is lost to the harsh realities of life.

Eric wrote: "My question for those who were pleasantly surprised by Stephen King: what did you expect him to be like?"

Eric,

It was pure book snobbery on my part. Because he has been so popular I didn't want to be another reader sucked in by his popularity. Even though I have read a lot Dean Koontz novels throughout my reading life.

I have been cured of my book snobbery and reading Bag of Bones started me in that direction.

Marion

Eric wrote: "My question for those who were pleasantly surprised by Stephen King: what did you expect him to be like?"

I'm not a fan of the horror or gore. So I probably was letting the movies influence me. Rather than just finding out for myself.

Most movies made of Stephen King's books fail to capture King's sense of humor. The movies try to keep the tone creepy and foreboding all the way through. King's novels are splashed with wit and sarcasm as well as blood and gore. This is why his books are such roller coaster rides.

King also has a good sense of everyday detail that sets in opposition to the surreal and supernatural. One minute a character is doing something completely mundane and the next she is plunged into a strange new reality.

The best movie based on a King book is Misery. It gets the tone right. I also loved The Shining, but I think Misery does the best at conveying the experience of reading a King novel.

Janet wrote: "For me, it was Diana Gabaldon's Outlander. I had written it off as a sappy romance because I had heard so many women rave about it. Now I am on book number 8 in the series which defi..."

I picked up "Dragonfly in Amber" first because it was a give-away on Audible.Com. I had a long commute and needed a long, boring book so my mind wouldn't stray from driving. WELL! This book was long but definitely NOT boring. I went back to "Outlander" and then forward again and LOVE Diana Gabaldon. She tucks so much wonderful information into a ripping yarn.