Guilty Pleasure

Over the weekend I indulged in a guilty pleasure I've had since I was 12 or so - Stephen King. As a boy, I tried my hand at "Pet Sematary" and "Christine." But they were too long and way too windy.

Finally in 1989 I read "The Tommyknockers." I was hooked. I spent the next three years devouring just about all of his works - "Cujo," "The Stand," "Christine," "Pet Sematary," "The Dead Zone," "Night Shift," "Skeleton Crew," "Needful Things," and several I've forgotten. But since college, the fascination has worn off. Oh once in awhile I'll indulge in one of his novels - "The Girl Who Loves Tom Gordon" was particularly excellent. But more often than not, the novels I read have been crap - "Desperation" and "Dream Catcher" namely. Bad stuff. Horrible.

Last summer I read "The Shining," mostly because when we went to Colorado for Kristie's brother's wedding, we toured the hotel where King stayed and was inspired to write the novel. It was a fine story.

So last weekend I was looking for something to read and found Kristie's hardcover cop of "'Salem's Lot." It's King's hommage to "Dracula." I went in with relatively low expectations, but I was shocked. It was great. There was one scene where a young man who works for the local graveyard is burying the body of a young boy who was recently killed (along with his younger brother). The sun is setting. He is all alone in the graveyard. He tosses a few shovel loads in. But his mind wanders. The sun is now just behind the trees. Shadows are leaning over the tombstones. He then has a strange urge that he is being watched. He tosses in a few more shovel loads. It is almost near dusk. Finally he has an odd sensation that the boys eyes have opened. He doesn't feel right about that. He shovels his way down to the casket. He has some quarters in his pocket to weight the eyes shut. He opens the casket. "Jesus --" is all he says. And the chapter ends.

I got the creeps reading that.

But now that I've finished it, I'm lost without that familiar landscape to go back to. I miss the action and suspense. That's the way I feel when I finish one of Rowling's books.

So I've found a copy of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Hound of the Baskervilles" and Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front." Maybe I can get lost in one of those tonight.