Yes, another Stephen King readalong and I'm just not apologizing.

Listen. I'm almost seven months pregnant and everything hurts. I rarely have the energy to crack open the books I'm reading right now but of course I'm not stopping. Although I am working on Jo Walton's Tooth and Claw which easily pulls you in, I was craving more Stephen King after just finishing Under the Dome. Lo and behold, Trish at Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity posts about another fantastic readalong with Cavalcade of Awesome for The Talisman and I'm in. This time, it will be a complete listen-along for me. I've downloaded the twenty-eight hours and I'm already freaked out by the opening scenes of this fantasy tale.

A while back, the Stephen King Goodreads group run by one of our Under the Dome participants, Angela's Anxious Life, discussed what you should read before you read The Dark Tower series. I plan to read this one day, and as many may already know, Uncle Stevie's books are almost all intertwined in some way, thus creating the infamous "Stephen King Universe." A fabulous flow chart creator, TessieGirl, designed the below to show the connections characters and storylines and towns, plus more, have to each other. Crazy, huh? What an incredible job she did.

Who made this flow chart? Why, TessieGirl did.

Anyway, The Talisman is one of those books you're supposed to read before you dive into The Dark Tower series. The suggested reading list by the Goodreads' group to prep is here in several different installments.

So, I'm in! For more details, click here and here, but there is nothing formal as far as sign-ups and links, and if you want to participate in live conversations, head to Twitter and use #TalismanAlong as your net.

Have no fear! While the readalong technically starts today through July 27, everyone is of course starting whenever they want to and reading at their own pace. (Which is why there aren't dates on the buttons!) If you'd like to join, click here for the sign-up post.

A few questions came up over the past forty-eight hours, and I thought a quick post might be helpful.

I read fast and know I'll finish before the deadline.

Awesome! Just put together a post to collect and save your thoughts but schedule it to be published on the final date. That way, if you have spoilers you want to talk about, it won't surprise anyone by that point!

Er...the Twitter hashtag looks weird...

Yes! #domealong could be construed in a VERY WRONG way. Hence, #DomeAlong was born! Capitalize that D and A and no weird spammy things should come our way.

Is there anything I should be prepared for with Stephen King?

Great question for the new SK reader!

Stephen King likes to tell a story. And I mean TELL A STORY. Under the Dome is over a thousand pages, and he is always criticized for having too much story and that everything should have been edited down to 200 pages less. King meanders and tells a tale and he makes no apologies for it. Just give it time and stick with it and it will all make sense.

King is not just a mass-market horror writer. It's actually unfair to lump in that category. Does he write a lot of scary stuff? Of course. But anyone who has read 11/22/63 or On Writing, or even Lisey's Story, can tell you that there is so much, much more to his work than just meets the fearful eye. Give him a chance.

He does include the bizarre s3x scene or two that sometimes make no sense and really are just out of place. Meh. I'm used to it by now. Although there were a few things in IT I would take issue with.

The most important thing is that Stephen King has created this alternate universe and most of his books are somewhat linked together. When you've read a number of his books, you'll realize that characters from one book make an appearance in others, such as Dick Halloran in The Shining, who then makes an appearance as a major character in IT. Or Richie and Bev from IT making a cameo in 11/22/63. Castle Rock and Derry are regularly featured towns in Stephen King's books, they almost take on a life of their own. I also recently learned all of these intertwining tales and characters are crucial to The Dark Tower series, which is on my list to read sometime later this year or next, and only once I've read more of his other works that contribute to that series. There are many more Stephen King tips, so once you start reading his work, don't stop!

Other Notes 

• Click here to visit the Official Stephen King page for any insights to the author and books. I'm particularly excited for one of his upcoming pulp novels entitled Joyland that he has chosen to not release as an ebook. Click here for an exclusive excerpt shared by HuffPost Books. His intent is for everyone to purchase it at an independent bookstore. Go, Indies! Not to mention that Dr. Sleep, the sequel to The Shining, will be out this fall. 
• Click here for the Stephen King's Fans Goodreads' page, run by one of the readalong participants Angie!
• Click here for my tiny Goodreads page for Stephen King and here for my other blog The Stephen King Project. It's been a rare posting or two on that site, but the goal is to get back into it all now that Uncle Stevie has motivated me yet again. I promise I will change the picture so it no longer reads 2012! 
• Click here for The Stephen King Project on Facebook. 
• And TWITTER! Don't forget to participate in the discussion on Twitter by using #DomeAlong.

And here are the official participants from Wednesday's sign up post. If you still want to sign up, please do, never too late. Click here to enter in your info and I will update the participants' list below. You can sign up at any time! And to fellow participants, please do what you can to visit each others' sites to read their kick-off post if they have one. And for those who aren't yet convinced to join the crazy train, give it time. You will...

1. Prairie Horizons
2. Julianne Brewer
3. Lit and Life
4. Angela's Anxious Life
5. Col Reads
6. Care's Online Book Club
7. Colleen Turner
8. Peppermint Ph.D.
9. Zombie Bride
10. The Relentless Reader
11. Words for Worms
12. Sophisticated Dorkiness
13. Bibliophile by the Sea
14. Love, Laughter, Insanity
15. My Novel Opinion
16. Book Chatter (Our unofficial cheerleader!)
17. Karen's Vegan Kitchen
18. Avid Reader's Musings
19. Tina Says
20. I'd Rather Be at the Beach
21. The Overstuffed Bookcase
22. Rivers I Have Known
23. Whimpulsive
24. Infinite Curio
25. Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf
26. Under My Apple Tree
27. Courtney Reads A Lot
28. Kristi Loves Books
29. WordHits
30. Beagle Book Space
31. Bound4Escape
32. SLeighanne
33. The True Book Addict
34. Snarkfest
35. The Geeky Blogger's Book Blog
36. Life: Merging
37. Mari Reads
38. My Little Heart Melodies
39. Buch Handling

When in doubt, just read Stephen King.

So goes my mantra in 2012, and will continue on through next year and for many more to come. If I'm left conflicted between which of two books I want to read, I invariably drop both and end up going for Stephen King. Even with ones delivering a bizarre and unintentionally funny plot (*coughcough* The Tommyknockers), I usually always find something in it that ultimately leaves me happy and thrilled I read it. With this short story, I was extremely happy I settled into this for a rainy, cold evening in Virginia Beach.

A quick read at 230 pages, The Mist was originally published as part of an anthology of short stories included in the release of Dark Forces in 1980. It was released a few years ago as a novella and I guess now I'll have to rent the movie. (Although I will not hold my breath for it, King movies notoriously are poorly executed.)

David Drayton, his wife and young son live on Long Lake in Maine. After a particularly frightening series of storms one summer night forcing them to seek cover in their basement, the next morning unveils the beginning of an unnamed sense of dread. When David sees a weird mist of fog across the lake, quiet fear settles in. He heads to the store with his son and neighbor, and the mist moves even further, trapping the shop's customers in. It's here in this tiny supermarket, somewhere in Maine, that the battle for survival begins.

I marvel at King's ability to build tension.  It actually reminded me of the first part of The Stand and I was completely freaked out by the unknown constantly squawked to myself over and over "what is in the mist? Please, someone tell me, what the heck is that, oh my gawd, what is that??" and the subsequent breakdown of a group of people exiled from everything and other humans, a la Lord of the Flies. And while I was disappointed with one choice David made, he was otherwise a likable character.

The Mist hit the mark yet again for me; a great Stephen King tale to while away the time and scare the stuffing out of you. Diving once more into fear of the unknown, King doesn't meander into side stories much as it's confined to a shorter length, but don't expect for it to be tied up into one nice and neat little bow at the end, which even the main character points out. Instead, you can anticipate another solid story by the master of fear to keep you up late, late into the night.

The only thing missing? Stephen King's introduction or afterword of some sort. I have gotten used to reading his insights into the development of a story, most especially his self-deprecating humor, and I was looking forward to it.

Passage of Note

You know what talent is? The curse of expectation. As a kid you have to deal with that, beat it somehow. If you can write, you think God put you on earth to blow Shakespeare away. Or, if you can paint, maybe you think - I did - that God put you on earth to blow your father away.

Others said:

Bay State Reader's Advisory (audio review)

Publisher: Signet, a division of Penguin

Release Date: My copy is 2007, originally 1980

Pages: 230

FTC Disclosure: I purchased this from my local independent bookstore.

About the Author

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty novels, including The Stand, The Dark Tower series, It, The Shining, oh...what more can be written that one doesn't already know. So here you go, click here to visit this wicked cool author's official website.

The Stephen King Project. My education (and others') continues. The Mist is another selection for the challenge Kathleen and I are hosting. The site can be found (with other participants' reviews) here.

For my intro post, click here, and for my midway post, click here. To read all participants' thoughts of the Italong, click here.

It's all finished. Done. Over. And I'm bummed out.

I'm sad, for many reasons, but mostly because I had the most fun tweeting away, commiserating, complaining, laughing, and more with the other participants. Thank you to our fabulous hosts, Jill and Christina, for leading the charge, giving out prizes and holding clown-nose picture-fests...you both were fantastic and I can't wait to join another weird read- or listen-along with you again!

I felt like I gave birth during this process. I listened to the audiobook and lemme tell ya, it's forty-four hours LONG. That's right, 44. I am extremely proud of myself, though. If you recall, I mentioned a while ago that I wanted to listen to a long audio at some point, but tended to shy away from it because of fearful time commitments. But when Audible held a sale for $4.95 for It, holy goodness, how could I pass that up? I couldn't. And folks, Steven Weber as the narrator was UNBELIEVABLE. He made this book, in my eyes, even better. His performance was standing-ovation-worthy, and yes, I would be there throwing roses onto the stage cheering his name hoarsely. He was THE BEST audiobook narrator I have ever listened to, and I am so thankful I chose to experience the entire story in this way. It's due to the super-duo team of King and Weber that I ran 6.2 miles for the first time ever a couple of weeks ago because I couldn't, or I didn't want to, stop the audio.

My Happy Thoughts (Spoiler free, read away, my friends)

• It's not about the clown. I mean, it is. But it's really not. It's more about the fear that we have when we were children. When the bump in the night really could be much more than what the parents explain it away to be.
• Did I forget to mention you should LISTEN and not read this one? I am not kidding when I tell you that Steven Weber was a master of this tale, equal in delivery to the creation of it from King's mind. Weber acted the moments out, the dialogue becoming much more intense, hilarious, or downright heart-wrenching. That scene with the refrigerator and Bill screaming "Help me!" to everyone, and then everyone hugging him? I bawled. Thank you, Mr. Weber, you delivered that magnificently. (Not to mention that Richie and Bill were much more delightful in audio. I can't imagine reading their dialogue. It just became so much more vivid, more genuine, in Mr. Weber's control.)
• The Losers' Club from It or the Free Zone from The Stand? All day long, I'd choose to be a part of this group of seven children in The Losers' Club as they lead the charge to rid Derry, Maine of that...thing. I'd rather hang out with them than with anyone from the Free Zone. While I loved the story of The Stand, I hated most of the characters, with the exception of a few (Nick, Stu, and Tom Cullen, laws yes).
• My Favorite Character from It. Richie. Wait, wait. Trust me on this. In audio, Steven Weber makes him absolutely hilarious and those much-needed moments of humor breaking the tension? Richie was wonderfully welcome in those moments. I loved him. He (Richie and Weber) made me laugh out loud on several occasions.
• Don't be a hoity-toity snob. Stephen King once again proves he is a master at spinning a tale to keep you up at night. And I don't mean because it's scary, I mean because his writing is masterful, epic, literary... That's right, folks. This man can tell a story like no one else. Sure, it may not be "high-brow" literature, but I can assure you that any lover of a classic should experience one of King's novels at some point in their reading lives. I believe there is a likelier chance that they will close the book and feel stunned that they just read King, and that they...loved it.
• The Black Spot and The Shining. For those who are planning to participate in the readalong/listenalong to The Shining in preparation for next year's release of the sequel, Dr. Sleep, don't forget about a small character from It, a Mr. Dick Halloran, who has a pivotal part of The Black Spot segments. Dick Halloran is the cook from the Overlook Hotel in The Shining, and he is awesome. It's another example of King weaving characters from old novels into new ones and making you feel like you're part of some inside story, or joke, or moment.
• Speaking of The Shining. I'm sure the printed version is incredible, but I can absolutely attest to the mastery delivered by Campbell Scott in the audiobook version. It will not disappoint. Also, it's much shorter than The Stand or It.
• I liked this better than The Stand. I think a lot of that is because I hated Frannie from The Stand. I mean, HATED her. She was so annoying. It really didn't have any annoying characters, and if there were, I didn't notice it because Steven Weber made them interesting in some way through his audio narration.

My Unhappy Thoughts (with spoilers)

• Derry, Maine History...yawn. Yeah, I am of the same feeling with most of the #Italong participants that this part was just slightly one step above boring. I love when King meanders in his storytelling, but this part was just...not engaging. I also couldn't figure out what Mike's role in everything was when he was first introduced as an adult.
• The angriest moment I've ever had with King. The thing at the end in the sewers that Bev does to "bring everyone together?" That was terrible. I hated it. It is the only event in any of King's writing that made me upset, made me angry. I was extremely disappointed and thought it was a miserable attempt at showing the bond between the group, and it was ridiculously upsetting. I am already working on trying to forget that part of the story. I never want to remember that ever again. EVER.
• Who cares about the Turtle? Seriously, that was a let-down. I so wanted it to be representative of wisdom, and to some extent it was, but I felt a little of the air let out of the sails on that one.

Final Thoughts

It becomes yet another example of Stephen King's ability to master the epic tale, to deliver suspense, and edge-of-your-seat thrilling scenes, combined with the softer and emotional side of childhood. It becomes so much more than a story about a scary clown in a sewer and instead becomes a journey of seven children from the late 1950s to the mid 1980s as they grow into adults who have a job left unfinished. And please, please, take a chance and download the audiobook. You will not be disappointed.

This is another selection for Carl's RIP event. To read other RIP participants' reviews, click here. Additionally, it satisfies the project I co-host at The Stephen King Project.

A big swooshing balloon filled, underground sewer thank you to the ladies over at Fizzy Thoughts and Annotated Reading for hosting the IT-along! With clown noses and bookmarks to share, it's been so fun! To read other participants' posts, click here.

Midway through this book of a group of young kids in 1958 in Derry, Maine, self-dubbed as "The Losers' Club" who are slowly understanding that there is an evil pursuing children, I'm struck by yet again how much I love the way King writes. Alternating chapters with each characters' viewpoints, both when they were children and as adults, it's an incredible story.  It deviates to unimportant events (quite a bit, actually), but I actually enjoy all of it. It may be because I'm listening to the audio book that I don't notice all the back story and uber-character development because the audio is so vivid.

A few thoughts:

• The audio book is AMAZING. Steven Weber is MAGNIFICENT. Had it not been for Trish recommending the audio and then Audible.com having an incredible $4.95 sale, I never would have downloaded this 44-hour audio book. Forty.Four. HOURS. Instead of being afraid of such a massive audio length, it's because of Sir Weber that I shirk the reading of the book in favor of listening to him take us through the cadences of no less than twenty-two characters. Twenty-two! The fact that King keeps it all straight so that you aren't confused, and that Weber can alter the voices so distinctly that it's always clear who's speaking, is incredible. I do believe that this type of a book may best be listened to in audio. The characters' inner thoughts just become even more riveting.
• Characters and places reappearing in multiple novels. You may know that the fictional town of Derry, Maine is regularly featured in King's novels, but it's wildly fun when you have a reappearing character pop up. One of the main characters in The Shining (my review is here) is Dick Halloran, the cook at the Overlook Hotel. He is briefly mentioned in Mike Hanlon's section as a fellow soldier at "The Black Spot." I love being familiar with King's characters to notice that!
• King writes so genuinely about kids. The main thing about Stephen King stories is that he does an incredible job of realistically conveying what it is like to be a kid. Insecurities, feeling left out, how bullies act and how the bullied feel afterwards, is so genuinely drawn that every scene feels so believable. It's not unusual for me to get a little verklempt when I read certain sections, like the part about Ben and the "H" scar on his stomach, for example. Gawd, people. I was so sad when I listened to Steven Weber narrate those scenes.
• The character I love. I adore all in "The Losers' Club," especially Bill Denbrough, but I have a soft spot in my heart for Ben. He has no friends but never once considers himself as lonely. When he finally gets close to Bev, Eddie, Richie, and everyone in the group, it's just that much more special. Getting beat up by the bullies is frightening but I did love it when Ben turned around to beat them up in the alley after the movie.
• Turtle? I am lost. No idea what this is.
• IT vs. The Stand. I gotta admit, I think I like IT so much more than The Stand, but I do think it's because of the audio book, so I have plans to listen to The Stand in the next couple of years to give them both a fair comparison.
• The Shining. For those who will be participating in the upcoming readalong for The Shining, I highly recommend the audio book narrated by Campbell Scott. It's incredible.

Hoooo boy, Stephen King keeps it creepy. As I've mentioned before, my evening runs in the neighborhood are creepier every time I pass a sewer drain. Weber's clown voice comes through into my ears with "We all float down heeerreee...." and that makes me pick up my pace.

In celebration of all things Stephen King and my new nose (er, I mean, clown nose), here's my pic for Fizzy Thought's public shaming contest. I decided to listen/read for the #ITalong, and let me tell you, Steven Weber is AMAZING as the narrator for IT. His voices are just fluidly perfect for each character, and it is incredibly entertaining (and scary). I love listening to it much more than reading it and those nightly runs I now take tend to get much creepier and disturbing when I have to run past any sewers, gutters, drains...

I'm not the most coordinated to begin with, and I was taking the picture myself (because I didn't want my husband to think I was bizarre, but the online world? No problem!) and for some reason I thought I was waving hello, when really...it looks more like an alien hand, right?

Yes, I am double-posting today. Don't get mad at me. Shh. This is important. What's that sound? Is it behind me? Should I look? No? Okay.

Clearly, you all know my inane, insane fascination and love of (most) Stephen King books. So much so, Kathleen (who also has a Stephen King plan to read his books in order of publication) and I have a separate blog entitled The Stephen King Project to celebrate all of your bookish and filmish reviews of all things Stephen King. Then earlier this summer, Trish hosted the Standalong and I fell in love with Stephen King's The Stand.

So what am I supposed to do when bloggers come a-knockin' and they start talking about doing another readalong. And this time for It? You know, the one about... the clown? Oh, yes, bloggers are a persistent bunch. *iameasilypeerpressured*

Then they made thisbutton. People. How could I NOT participate? amiright?

So I am so. in. Here are the details:

• ITalong hosts: Fizzy Thoughts and Reading Thru the Night (aka Annotated Reading)
• Sign up post: Click here
• Formats: Read, listen, watch the TV movie *gigglesnort* (if it's anything like the TV version of The Stand, it will require a lot of grains of salt to deal with all that cheese)
• Dates: Now through 10/14/2012
• Midway Post: Sunday, Sept. 16, reading up through Part 3 (not including the Third Interlude)
• Final Post: Sunday, Oct. 14
• Twitter chat? Heck yeah. Thanks to Trish's brilliant hashtag for The Stand (#standalong), you can tweet and chat using #italong

Am I scared? A little. I started reading this when I was a teenager on a family trip to the beach and for some reason I stopped because I was scared and meant to pick it back up. Obviously, I was a scaredy-cat with that so now, at the ripe ole age of 38, I have to dive in again. Why don't you join? It's much more fun if we alllll do it.

Bring it, clownie. BRING. IT.

Note to my fellow bloggers/friends/Stephen King fans: Ok. This is just my letter to Ben Affleck who has signed on to direct The Stand. I am a humble fan who doesn't know all of the fantastic actors in Hollywood, so my picks for the characters in Stephen King's The Stand may seem horrendous to you. If they are terrible choices, tell me why (nicely). Do not throw the book at me. However, if you do throw the book at me, please only throw the edited pre-1990 version which is about 400 pages less and won't hurt as much. Thank you.

Image Source

Dear Mr. Affleck,

Kudos to you for taking the reins on remaking The Stand. If you do this right, you could make this Academy-award worthy, knowwhatimsayin? I wouldn't want to be in your shoes, though, because after all, you will have a legion of Stephen King and The Stand fans who will question your eh-ve-ry move. You will have to tread lightly and not kill key moments and also make sure all the special effects are fantastic without allowing them to be crazy over-the-top cheesiness (*coughcoughArmageddoncough*)

Picking the right cast, the dream team, is key. It's a story requiring an ensemble, a crucial conglomeration of a gazillion different Hollywood personalities that you'll have to logistically contend with/manage. Blah. I can't even imagine having to deal with the divas and divos and their attitudes. Ick.

But it's so important to pick the right people. Even I am terrified of posting into the public forums my "dream team" cast for this epic story. I'm certain there are a few picks below that I may need to duck as insults and outrage are hurled at me. So be it. And just as a side note, I realize that the 1994 TV version selected a lot of older actors for crucial roles, but I've chosen younger actors and actresses since I always thought all of the characters were in their twenties or so, with the exception of a few.

But, before we go on, sir, just a few things to make note of:

1. Music. Don't forget about the music. Please. The TV version was aight and all but it was so melodramatic because there was music in almost every flippin' scene.
2. Stephen King Gets in the Way of a Good Story. What? Whaddidshesay? There. I said it. I think King is brilliant and created stories and characters that will never be forgotten. He's a genius. Songs will be written about him one day. But. BUT. Don't let him write the screenplay or produce it! As a King fan, I think he's so close to his stories that he can't get out of his own way and the end movie result is never, ever good. He might strongarm you into doing what he wants because he's the master of horror, for cryin' out loud. You're from Boston, so I'm sure you probably have a high respect for the man and don't want to tick him off. But just remember that when he gets his hands really dirty and writes the teleplay or produces it, unfortunately, it usually isn't that fabulous. Stick to your guns and make the film the way you know it will work.
3. One Film? Or Two? Three? You're going to enrage fans if you put this epic story into just one movie. It's a book with so many important characters and events that if you skinny this baby down to 100 minutes, an overwhelming amount of internet-angst will be unloaded from fans who will point out every.single.thing.you.cut. You don't want that. Split it into at least two films. (Money!) 

Ok. So below are my picks for the cast of The Stand. (Fellow bloggers/readers: Let me know what you think in the comments, but please do not yell at me!) Disclaimer: Obviously, none of these pictures are mine, however I've included the link to the site. Email me if I need to remove the picture or if I have the wrong link.

Mother Abagail: Cicely Tyson

I love Cicely Tyson and think she could be incredible, although part of me was also wondering about Alfre Woodard, since she's amazing as well. Ultimately, I had to go with Cicely Tyson because I think she really embodies the role of Mother Abagail and I think Cicely Tyson could be magical. [Photo]

Randall Flagg: Viggo Mortensen

I can't think of anyone else who could play the hardcase, the Walkin Dude any better. He can pull off the right combination of creepy and sexy, from gentle to frightening (Isn't this a scary picture?). [Photo]

Stu Redman: Ryan Gosling
Stu has to be someone the audience immediately is drawn to, someone easily likable and trustworty. (I tried to pick a very Stu-like picture. East Texas, y'all. Has to be good-looking and self-assured.) [Photo B/W]

Frannie Goldsmith: Maggie Gyllenhaal
If anyone could make me actually like the character of Frannie, and even believe someone as awesome as Stu could love her, and at the same time be so appealing that Harold would also fall madly in love with her, it would be Maggie Gyllenhaal. This actress is equal parts quirky, innocent, and sexy. She could do this role in her sleep. [Photo]

Harold Lauder: Jesse Eisenberg
From Social Network fame as the Facebook founder, Jesse Eisenberg has the youthful look necessary for the character, and could believably evolve into the brooding Harold. Harold, the untrustworthy, and possibly dangerous member of the Free Zone, the one that makes yer skin crawl and all. I think this actor could easily transform from heavyset and pimply Harold Lauder, into the later Harold/Hawk who is still confused, but slimmer. [Photo B/W]

Larry Underwood: Zac Efron
Oh, boy. I know I'm going to get yelled at on this one. Larry is one of the most important characters and I want this guy to do it? Yes. He's all grown up now, folks. (He cut that silly shaggy haircut, too.) You know Zac Efron can sing "Baby, Can You Dig Your Man?" and we also know he's a pretty doggone good actor no matter what the script gives him, so why not? I think he could do this character well. [Photo B/W]

Lucy: Zoe Saldana
Known for her stellar performance in the movie Avatar, Zoe Saldana would change it up considerably. She's got to have such a different look than Nadine Cross and while she is a little older than Zac Efron, I think there would be awesome chemistry between them. She is so incredibly unique and beautiful and has to hold her own against the incomparable Nadine. The audience has to feel and see that difference without question. The character of Lucy was thoroughly under-appreciated in the TV movie and I hope that Ben Affleck will remember that Lucy is such an important character in keeping Larry on the good side. [Photo B/W]

Nadine Cross: Marion Cottilard
This beautiful French actress would knock it out of the park. There are rumors Ben Affleck is considering Jennifer Lopez for the role and that his wife, Jennifer Garner, is understandably annoyed. I hope he doesn't pick J. Lo, much as I like her, because I just don't see her in this role at all. I want someone different and think Marion Cottilard would be great. She's got the right amount of exotic sex appeal to carry off the naive, hesitant, and ultimately led astray character perfectly and who doesn't love her accent? [Photo B/W]

Joe/Leo: Griffin Gluck
Not sure if this character would make the big screen version, or even get much screen time if he does. If so, I think this kid is perfect for the role. Many may remember him in the movie Just Go With It with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. He's also been on the TV show Private Practice as Cooper's son.  [Photo]

Nick Andros: Joseph Gordon-Leavitt
He killed it in the movie Inception, clearly holding his own against megastar power Leonardo DiCaprio. The tough role of a young man who can't hear or talk, Nick Andros is one of the most important players in the group of the good guys, and I can see this actor represent him with such heartfelt attention to detail. The character is tough to translate to the big screen, and I don't think they fleshed out the importance of the role in the TV version, so Rob Lowe was kept pretty much in the background. Joseph Gordon-Leavitt could make it happen, without a doubt. One stipulation I'd request: Please don't kick out Nick's teeth or have his eye gouged! That's one change that the TV version did right. [Photo B/W]

Tom Cullen: Philip Seymour Hoffman
I love the character of Tom Cullen so much that I am absolutely frightened for anyone else to play him. I think only this actor can do the character justice, a character who is so important to the ultimate stand. [Photo B/W]

Glen Bateman: Denzel Washington
Curve ball, huh? How awesome is this actor? Denzel Washington could play any character on the planet and rock it. He would be completely believable as the amiable, yet tough, sociology professor who helps in the overall creation of the Free Zone, and who also understands how society falls apart and then recreates. [Photo B/W]

Ralph Brentner: Josh Lucas
You may recall Josh Lucas in a flurry of smaller films, but most know this actor from his role starring opposite Reese Witherspoon in the romantic comedy Sweet Home Alabama. I can see him as the Midwest farmer walking across the country with Stu, Larry, and Glen.
[Photo]

Traschcan Man: Daniel Radcliffe.
Wait, wait, wait. Before you get all you-can't-mess-with-Harry-Potter on me, hear me out.  Yes. I think Daniel Radcliffe is a talented acter and could completely go out of character from the good wizard into the insane and burn-ravaged man. Stephen King mentioned that Billy Bob Thornton would be a good choice for this role, but I never thought Trashy was an older character. In my mind's eye, I envisioned the tormented character as a pretty young guy so I think Daniel Radcliffe would be fantastic. It would be such a CRAZY choice but can't you see him screaming, "My life for you!!!!" [Photo]

Lloyd Henreid: Ed Norton
I love the idea of Ed Norton as Poke's criminal sidekick who frighteningly evolves into the smart and confident second-in-command to Randall Flagg. Yes. Ed Norton would be perfect. [Photo B/W]

Judge Farris: Ken Watanabe
Yet another curve ball! And I really like this one. This cool dude is best known as starring opposite of Tom Cruise in the epic fierceness of The Last Samurai. He would be incredible as the soft-spoken and thoughtful, wise judge. Plus, we allllll know he can kick butt. [Photo B/W]

Dayna: Rosario Dawson
As one tough cookie in Sin City, one of my all-time favorite movies, not only can Rosario Dawson exhibit dignified strength (she has to be waaaay tough), she can also easily reflect that softness which will be irresistible to anyone in Flagg's camp. [Photo]

Rita Blakemoor: Glenn Close
Yeah, this character probably won't make the remake, but if so, wouldn't Glenn Close be outstanding? She's over 60, perfect age for the role, and has that sex appeal. [Photo]

And you know that guy who works for the government and comes in at the beginning to try and kill Stu in the facility in Stovington? I thought it would be a pretty cool cameo to have Matt Damon, a la Bourne salute, to be that dude. [Photo]

My sweet Roma is not a Pit Bull, 
but will happily accept the role of Kojak.
This picture is from my sister, www.digitalgraces.com

Kojak: Any Pit Bull
We have an opportunity here. Why not pick a dog who could help represent the opposite of what everyone thinks "dogs like that" are? It would be fantastic to have a dog that could be the "poster child" representative of ending the horrendous "Breed Specific Legislation" nonsense, which innocent Lennox was fatally punished for. The character of Kojak is a sweet and smart good dog and it would be nice to have a pit bull represented in a film of this magnitude who is not evil. It's time to break stereotypes, people! My dog is not a pit bull (she's a Vizsla), but people always think she is, so I'll include Roma the Dog as an example.






So, Mr. Affleck. While my letter is long and you'll probably never read this, I hope you get my drift on how important this movie is. I do envision a disgustingly high budget that will put Titanic to shame, but if you do it right, you will end up like James Cameron and make so much money you never have to do anything again except make random documentaries and wallpaper your house with cash. So with that, I wish you Godspeed and good luck to you, sir!

Sincerely,
Natalie ~ the Coffee and a Book Chick

P.S. I read The Stand to participate in Trish's #standalong and also read this for my own project at The Stephen King Project, which I host with Kathleen from Boarding In My Forties.

People. If there is only one scary audio book that you get this year, make it this one, narrated by Campbell Scott. This actor knocked it outta the park.

Everyone knows the overall story, so I'll give you a quick synopsis. Jack is a failed teacher after a startling incident; struggling with alcoholism and regrets, he agrees to take a winter job overseeing a magnificent and sprawling mountain resort in Colorado to get himself back on track. With his wife and young son in tow, Jack resolves to write a book that will get him back in with society and wipe away his past mistakes. What he doesn't realize is that spending the winter at the hotel might release his own demons amidst the haunting of the Overlook Hotel and with his son Danny still wrestling with his telepathic gifts and near catatonic states, the family faces a catastrophe that is eerily similar to the past caretakers of the hotel.

The thing about Stephen King's books and their subsequent adaptations to film, is that a lot of times it never works out well. There's been a lot of debate about Stanley Kubrick's version (which Stephen King did not like) and the TV miniseries from 1997 that Stephen King wrote (which fans did not like). I've seen both versions and while I get why Stephen King didn't like Stanley Kubrick's version, I do like it a little bit better than the miniseries. I do think Rebecca De Mornay from the miniseries was a better choice for Wendy than Shelly Duvall was, though.

Selecting this story in audio was a little worrisome for me, and not because it's scary. I don't mind that part at all. What I was worried about was whether it would be any good in audio, but I shouldn't have feared it one bit. In Campbell Scott's easy and laid-back voice, the creepy story of Stephen King's The Shining takes shape and is riveting. I was spellbound by the many voices that Campbell Scott easily elicited (especially Jack's inner thoughts) and I soon found myself making every excuse to run, do errands, so I could listen to it, even listening to it while I took a shower. Without question, I would highly recommend this frightening story, but I'd almost feel more confident to suggest this in audio versus printed simply because Campbell Scott was THAT good. Just make sure you either keep the lights on or have a buddy around when you listen. Guaranteed to scare ya.

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Release Date: 8/12/05

Audio Time: 15 hours, 54 minutes

Narrator: Campbell Scott

Audio Notes: As I mentioned above, Campbell Scott rocked this. Click here to listen to the Audible.com sample and click here for all the books this talented actor has narrated.

About the Author

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty novels, including The Stand, The Dark Tower series, It, The Shining, oh...what more can be written that one doesn't already know. So here you go, click here to visit this wicked cool author's official website.

The Stephen King Project. My education (and others') continues! The Shining is another selection for the challenge Kathleen and I are hosting. The site can be found (with other participants' reviews) here.

Laws, yes. I've finished Stephen King's The Stand, and M-O-O-N, that spells freakin' awesome.

So here it is. The last post for all our hard work reading with everyone for Trish's Standalong (thank you, Trish, for hosting!) through nine long weeks. All 1,100+ pages. And I believe it was definitely worth it. SPOILERS will be in this, so if you haven't read this book or watched the TV movie (which I did watch and my thoughts are at the end), I would suggest you skip this post.

• Favorite Characters: Hands down, Tom Cullen was my absolute favorite character. That and Big Steve. Er, I mean Kojak. Good dog! And I just wish Harold had come to his epiphany much sooner. That scene with him? After Nadine and the oil slick? Oh, my goodness. I felt so bad.
• Characters I Hated: Nadine Cross. Oh, little missy. I did not like you, you twisted woman. (But, didn't it seem a bit odd that she went through her own quest to be with Randall Flagg and then she gets there, is pregnant, and then very quickly launches herself right off the balcony?)
• Characters I Hated That I Know I Was Supposed to Love: Sorry, I still don't like Frannie. Man, she. drove. me. NUTS. First, she won't say a word about crazy Harold and then she decides it's a super idea as the only pregnant gal in the Free Zone to go breaking into crazy Harold's house with Larry and not tell Stu? Which brings me to Larry. I... I just didn't feel the love for him that I knew I was supposed to feel. I found that he definitely grew up a little more, but I just never connected with him, sadly.
• No Resolution on the Abagail/Abigail Typo Debate: For those who may not have noticed, Mother Abagail was spelled two ways throughout the version that I had (1,100+ page with illustrations) and I thought it was something significant, but it wasn't. It really was just a typo. But this is Stephen King! Is it really just a typo...?
• Overall Thoughts: I finished late Tuesday night, and shut the book, speechless. I loved this journey, the quest, the ultimate stand, and I was amazed at the depth to which Stephen King's imagination can go. These characters felt real and in the Free Zone, most of them were ones that I'd want to hang out with and survive with. This is a book that I will love forever and will put up there in my own personal top 5 of favorite Stephen King books. It will also be one that I will frequently re-read. In fact, when it ended, I went right back to the first page and read the first few chapters again, picking up things that seemed much more important now that I knew what ended up happening.
• Something that Surprised Me? I was surprised at how much positivity was placed towards religion and God. In a lot of King books, there is always a touch of the spiritual, because in order to have evil, you must have good, but I was surprised that it didn't rage on the religious fanaticism piece for the good guys in the Free Zone. I'm not a very religious person, but it always annoys me when authors jump on bandwagons and rip apart those who are religious and throw a blanket over it all and claim it's fanatical, so it was cool to see that King made it extremely positive.
• Do I have any Mixed Feelings? Nah. I loved the book overall. I guess the only thing I wanted was closure on just a few minor things at the end. I needed silly resolution with two of my favorite characters, Tom Cullen and Kojak. I mean, after everything Stu went through at the end with Tom Cullen and Kojak, why, oh why, couldn't there have been closure for those two when they returned back to Boulder? I assume Tom moved back into his house, of course, but what about Kojak? Did he live with Stu, did he live with Tom? Silly little details like that are something I need to feel closure about!

Yes. I watched the 1994 TV version in the evenings this week, finishing it up late last night. Here are a few thoughts:

• What's With the Cheese? I was in college in the early 1990s and I recall excellent movies back then, including TV movies. Why was The Stand sort of cheesily produced? I mean, don't get me wrong, it follows the book pretty closely, but the acting was mostly poor and melodramatic (sadly, I'm looking at you, Molly Ringwald and Corin Nemec), with the exception of a few fantastic actors who are just awesome anyway (Ruby Dee as Mother Abagail and Ray Walston as Glen Bateman), but overall, it was just...cheesy.

Corin Nemec as Harold Lauder

Stu and Frannie

• Music is Key, but... The theme music with the guitar was cool and it made this post-Captain Trips world feel very sparse and desolate, but the rest of it was just layered into the film unnecessarily.
• Anything Strikingly Different between the Book and Movie? Other than all the cheese and melodrama, what I loved about the book was that the people over in Randall Flagg's camp were people who were led astray. That means that a lot of them were seriously twisted people, but a lot of them were also extremely good people at their core but who were weak and the alternative of being with Flagg was much more appealing than being with Mother Abagail. The former police detective, who meets up with the four from the Free Zone, Dorgan, was a good guy who happened to have chosen poorly. I felt for him in the book, felt sad for his weaknesses, but in the TV movie, Dorgan and everyone in Flagg's group were just a bunch of wild things that lived off chaos and reminded me a lot of the characters from the movie Escape from New York. I half-expected someone to start clinking beer bottles together and repeating "Warriors...come out and plaaaaahaaaayyyyy..." I wish Stephen King, who wrote the screenplay, stuck with the elements in his book that made it so phenomenal.
• All in All? It certainly is a nice chapter in the overall King book-to-film adaptation legacy, but I still feel that it didn't capture it well. As with a lot of King books that are turned into films, there is a lot more ham acting and outdated camera angles (look, it may have been filmed almost twenty years ago, but movies back in the early 1990s were not all like this, for cryin' out loud).
• In the end, though, I'm looking at you, Mr. Affleck, to remake The Stand the way it should be. I am trusting you, good sir. Don't let us down!

Image Credit

EXTRA! BeyondHollywood.com has a great snapshot of insight from Stephen King about his thoughts on the TV movie and the upcoming remake. It's pretty funny.

Click here to read other Standalong participants' thoughts. I took part in this for my own project, The Stephen King Project, which I am hosting with Kathleen from Boarding In My Forties.