I’m not keen on revisiting the ‘classic’ earlier books that I’ve read, (maybe IT if it’s well read) but would like to hear dopers rec’s for more recent stuff - by which I probably mean 20-odd years. I recently heard 11.23.63 and liked it well enough - so what would you say is well written and told well?
I won’t be doing the Dark Tower though.
I’m asking for audiobooks recommendations specifically as I have two-hour daily commute.
Thanks
MiM
Duma Key was fun despite its ridiculous ending. Absolutely perfect narrator.
It’s a weird one, but Stephen King On Writing was one of my favorite things he has written and I have no interest in becoming a writer. King himself reads the audio book. Its good.
Have you listened to Blaze (“by Richard Bachman”) yet? I really enjoyed it as an audiobook.
I gotta ask. If you like King so much, why are you avoiding what he considers his opus?
I have really enjoyed the Bill Hodges trilogy (only two out so far), especially Finders Keepers.
Over the past year, I’ve read Dr. Sleep and Joyland. Didn’t much like the former. Joyland seemed to be a bit of a fluff but not really scary. Sort of like a King primer for new readers to ease you into his style.
I’m guessing you meant ‘magnum opus’? I didn’t say I liked him so much, I said I liked the JFK book ‘well enough’. I’m really looking for an enjoyable waste of time and hoped someone could point me to a newer book that I would not otherwise try. 11.22.63 was way too long and given i think he has a propensity to bloat, I wondered if his writing has become leaner or fatter with time. So a multi-book series stretching over n years won’t inform me of that. Also my understanding is it’s an enjoyable trip with an unsatisfactory ending. (Just what I’ve picked up)
I have tried the 1st book of the Dark Tower series twice and just didn’t enjoy it so stopped.
Thanks for the recommendations everyone.
MiM
I really liked the audiobook for Bag of Bones. It helps that I liked the book itself–but I enjoyed King’s narration more than I expected to. He doesn’t have the normal ‘audiobook narrator’ sort of voice–he’s a bit nasal–but it works.
I don’t usually listen to fiction in my audio book choices. But I did listen to The Colorado Kid. It wasn’t outstanding but if you like King, I’d recommend it.
If you’ve seen the book but haven’t read it, you’ve probably misjudged it by its cover. It’s not a crime thriller or even really a mystery; it’s more of a character study.
The scene where Jo tells Mike to “give me back my dust cover” is still the only thing in an audiobook to make me jump.
The old ones are still the best, I’ve loved It, Needful Things, The Stand and Hearts in Atlantis.
The newest ones that I could recommend would be 11/22/63 and Duma Key I never finished Dr. Sleep but I am going back to it soon.
Lisey’s story Read by Mare Winningham is my favorite King audio-book.
Misery, 'Salem’s Lot, The Stand, The Dead Zone and 11/22/63 are my favorite Kings.
Have you checked out any of the recommendations yet? I really do think that you would dig On Writing based on what you just posted.
If you didn’t like the first book of The Dark Tower move on. It’s not the best book in the series (that would probably be Book 2, but that’s me) but it’s pretty high up there.
With years of retrospect, I actually think the ending works. It’s the last two books prior to the ending that don’t. The thing is they are good books, but they take the series away from the inevitable conclusion which is why the ending feels so out of left field.
May I suggest Full Dark, No Stars?
Four short stories all unified by a theme of strong women in extenuating or extraordinary circumstances. I thought all four stores were great, no bloat (And I do agree that King stories find themselves more bloated than they need to be) and a good pace of thrilling with great character development.
Different strokes for me. I couldn’t finish listening to Bag of Bones because of his voice. Between the nasal delivery and all the mouth noises (smacking, etc.), it got to where the recording was so distracting it took me out of the story.