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Sep. 16th, 2013
Stephen King
Sep. 16th, 2013 01:57 pmStephen King is coming out with his sequel to "The Shining" after all this time. The author had some issues to overcome in putting it together.
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First, there were memory issues: Mr. King used an assistant to check all references to that earlier horror classic rather than rely on his own recall. And there was alcoholism, to which the memory issues were related. Before he became sober, Mr. King wrote many of his scariest books (“Salem’s Lot” in 1975, “The Shining” in 1977, “The Stand” in 1978) while in a purple haze. And it’s hard to write a new installment of a story that was blurry to begin with.
He had two more demons to deal with. One was Stanley Kubrick, whose film version of “The Shining” is at least as well remembered as the novel with which it tampered. (Mr. King has made it clear that this is not his favorite film adaptation.) And perhaps worst of all, there was sequelitis. Even on the rare occasions when a sequel measures up to an original, it rarely gets credit for being any good.
-- Janet Maslin at The New York Times
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I still haven't read "The Shining". I do not really care for King's brand of supernaturalism. He is one of those writers that I enjoy following in the news more than I actually read their books, and there is that whole so-many-books-so-little-time syndrome that forces one to be more choosy than one wants to be. But these are two King books that are tempting me, calling me over to the other side, if I dare.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
First, there were memory issues: Mr. King used an assistant to check all references to that earlier horror classic rather than rely on his own recall. And there was alcoholism, to which the memory issues were related. Before he became sober, Mr. King wrote many of his scariest books (“Salem’s Lot” in 1975, “The Shining” in 1977, “The Stand” in 1978) while in a purple haze. And it’s hard to write a new installment of a story that was blurry to begin with.
He had two more demons to deal with. One was Stanley Kubrick, whose film version of “The Shining” is at least as well remembered as the novel with which it tampered. (Mr. King has made it clear that this is not his favorite film adaptation.) And perhaps worst of all, there was sequelitis. Even on the rare occasions when a sequel measures up to an original, it rarely gets credit for being any good.
-- Janet Maslin at The New York Times
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I still haven't read "The Shining". I do not really care for King's brand of supernaturalism. He is one of those writers that I enjoy following in the news more than I actually read their books, and there is that whole so-many-books-so-little-time syndrome that forces one to be more choosy than one wants to be. But these are two King books that are tempting me, calling me over to the other side, if I dare.
to blurt or not to blurt
Sep. 16th, 2013 02:12 pmI keep debating whether to blurt or not to blurt. It can seem pointless when you do not have at least a couple of chums to take at least a cursory interest in what you are typing. On the other hand, it always seems a good idea to keep exercising and slow down the erosion and decay of your brain.
Cats and Weather
Sep. 16th, 2013 03:38 pmThe rain has settled off, but it looks like we might still get some more. That was not a bad little storm. I am glad that I kept the cats inside.
This morning, when I first got up, the sky looked nasty up there. Sammy was hungry enough that he immediately came in on his own volition. I kept him in - one down and two to go. Sammy was not happy about that, but when is he ever happy?, except when he is ripping the life out of a bird's throat. Then Coco and Ash followed suit one by one, also coming inside fairly willingly. Despite the threatening clouds, I went out on my walk. I had skipped the last two walks, sleeping late those mornings, and, in truth, I figured the odds were good that it wasn't going to rain. With respect to the cats, since I got them inside easily, I thought it was worth it to play it safe.
When I returned home from my walk, the sky had cleared up a lot, and I was thinking that I would let the cats go. However, the cats were not climbing the wall or tearing up the furniture or crying the dead awake, and I thought it would be nice to continue playing it safe for a while longer, and to see what happens.
And rain is what happened. Even a stormy affair. Not a big deluge, but thunder and lightning. It was more than a shower. Like I said, I am glad I kept the cats indoors. I won this one. I should keep count on these contests with mother nature. I may be batting about five hundred. Half and half. Win some, lose some. I won this one. Got it all!
This morning, when I first got up, the sky looked nasty up there. Sammy was hungry enough that he immediately came in on his own volition. I kept him in - one down and two to go. Sammy was not happy about that, but when is he ever happy?, except when he is ripping the life out of a bird's throat. Then Coco and Ash followed suit one by one, also coming inside fairly willingly. Despite the threatening clouds, I went out on my walk. I had skipped the last two walks, sleeping late those mornings, and, in truth, I figured the odds were good that it wasn't going to rain. With respect to the cats, since I got them inside easily, I thought it was worth it to play it safe.
When I returned home from my walk, the sky had cleared up a lot, and I was thinking that I would let the cats go. However, the cats were not climbing the wall or tearing up the furniture or crying the dead awake, and I thought it would be nice to continue playing it safe for a while longer, and to see what happens.
And rain is what happened. Even a stormy affair. Not a big deluge, but thunder and lightning. It was more than a shower. Like I said, I am glad I kept the cats indoors. I won this one. I should keep count on these contests with mother nature. I may be batting about five hundred. Half and half. Win some, lose some. I won this one. Got it all!
chocolate milk
Sep. 16th, 2013 03:56 pmPop hasn't hit his little quart of chocolate milk. I think I will take a cup or two of that. I have it sitting pretty in the freezer now. Thirty or thirty-five minutes should chill it nicely. I like a little icy edge to my chocolate milk. I don't know. Maybe it seems less milky that way.
Just finished the first book of "The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". It seems to make for ideal bathroom reading. Lots of fast, silly episodes. But should I switch over to the second Nina Zero novel? I don't think so. Maybe after the second book.
“To live a passionate and cultured life in the open air of ideas - reading, dreaming and thinking of writing - a life so slow it constantly verges on tedium, but pondered enough never to find itself there.”
-- Fernando Pessoa, “The Book of Disquiet”
I especially love that nuance on “thinking of writing”, as opposed to, you know, actually writing, but just to be thinking about being able to write something - a novel, a poem, a short story, anything - someday. If only for the world to know how special we really were, so sensitive and brilliant, the suffering artist toiling in obscurity and derision, the beautiful soul that went unrecognized and unloved. Just thinking about it in a dreamy sort of way, maybe as one dozes off for another nap.
-- Fernando Pessoa, “The Book of Disquiet”
I especially love that nuance on “thinking of writing”, as opposed to, you know, actually writing, but just to be thinking about being able to write something - a novel, a poem, a short story, anything - someday. If only for the world to know how special we really were, so sensitive and brilliant, the suffering artist toiling in obscurity and derision, the beautiful soul that went unrecognized and unloved. Just thinking about it in a dreamy sort of way, maybe as one dozes off for another nap.