Sixty-ninth book read this year:
The Shining by Stephen King
Description from Amazon:
Terrible events occur at an isolated hotel in the off season, when a small boy with psychic powers struggles to hold his own against the forces of evil that are driving his father insane.
I had a paperback copy of this for a really long time, but since I never read it, I sold it. Then, a couple of years ago I saw the e-book on sale for $1.99 so I bought it again. Now I finally read it and I’m glad! It was quite good. I’d always heard it was different from the Kubrick movie and that King didn’t like that adaptation. Now I can see why. One write-up I read about it said that “while the film was a technical marvel… it lacked the heart and emotional complexities of the novel,” and I would have to agree. The book was heart-breaking to me in a way that the movie (which is one of my favorites) just has never been. I may have cried a little while finishing the book.
I’m interested in the sequel, Doctor Sleep, even though the excerpt included with The Shining made it seem depressing, too :(.
First cover image taken from Amazon (I believe), the rest from the following places: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Here’s the link for cover #4, with a warning that following it will expose you to spoilers for the novel because it is a side-by-side comparison of the book and Kubrick film.
