Not to get too gushy, but I am getting some serious Thandie Newton vibes in that top photo of you and had to do an actual double take. I knew it wasn’t her, but wow - now I see it so strongly, I’m guessing you’ve heard this before.

My car is named Silver and it’s always Stutterin’ Bill I think of when I give her the old Hi Ho, not so much The Lone Ranger.

To echo what others are saying, thank you for this beautifully written article and for sharing such a personal piece of yourself. This Stephen King focused week has been an absolute joy and, although this article itself is bittersweet, it’s been a joy to read, too.

I’ve not listened to any Stephen King audiobooks yet, but I have a pretty long commute these days and I’ll eventually burn through all my Timesuck podcasts. 

My gap wasn’t quite as great as yours, but it was at least over the course of a few years between the first try and finishing it up. And, of course once I finished it for that first time, I could t figure out why I stumbled those first few times.

I did travel down that rabbit hole this morning to discover this. You are spot on that it just feels like a blown adaptation rather than intentional. The soundtrack was good, IIRC, but the rest was a mess.

Goat’s penis, too. Or, maybe it was “dripping goat’s penis” that jumped off the page and stuck in my mind for eternity.

I had forgotten all about Sleepwalkers and now I’m wracking (racking?) my brain trying to remember the short story that spawned it.  To the Google!

Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut is my absolute FAVORITE of King’s short stories.  I’m still convinced I’ll find that Motorway B shortcut one of these days.  

Who is this woman protecting? Someone needs to look into her ass, and find out who she’s been donating two, and who she’s been consorting with in private. Is she for us, or is she for him?

That’s one big vote against audio for The Talisman; Richard was hard enough to take in written form, as was Osmond. 

I adored Rose Madder, but you’re spot on with The Regulators.  I’d trade Rose Madder for Lisey’s Story, which I wanted to love, but just didn’t.

I read and enjoyed it, although I think I’m in the minority there. It was a little grim, but I had to see what Jack was up to in the same way I had to read Doctor Sleep for the conclusion of Danny’s story. 

I believe it took me at least seven tries before I finally got through The Talisman. Funny, because it eventually became one of my most re-read Stephen King (and Peter Straub, of course) books.

Even though it may have gone off the rails here and there, I, personally, would never hesitate to recommend the Dark Tower series. Roland is a wonderful character, and although you may not feel fully committed to his entire journey after reading The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three should do the trick.

The soundtrack covers my other 15%, by the way.

I do!! But, my taste is questionable and at least 85% of my love for this movie is for the visual aesthetics.

I completely missed that it was the same dancer!  I love this tidbit.

Not yet, but he’s still so little a frisbee dwarfs him. All in due time, I have full confidence!

Being that he’s the only one I’ve ever met, I can’t say with certainty that all corgis are this way, but the corgi puppy that I watch at work every day is hands-down the sweetest and snuggliest puppy I’ve ever met. When he isn’t actively initiating belly rubs, all he wants is to lay down either on my feet or within…