From the Bookshelf of Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Joyland
by
Start date
January 9, 2015
Finish date
January 17, 2015
Why we're reading this
I needed an audio to listen with my husband on a road trip so I chose something I thought he would enjoy.…more

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What Members Thought

Jessica Haider
Oct 25, 2018 rated it really liked it
Shelves: fiction
I rate this somewhere between a 4 and a 5. This is not one of Stephen King's scarier books but it's not meant to be. I've read a handful of King's books and most of them so far are his "not scary" books like On Writing, The Green Mile, and The Stand (all time fave!!). I'm hoping to finally read The Shining within the next year. I can't resist a book set at a circus or carnival! Joyland is set primarily at a seaside amusement park in the 1970's, the story is told from the perspective of Devin Jon ...more
Marisa
Aug 28, 2014 rated it it was amazing
Reading the reviews, it seems people either love this book or hate it. I'm in the company of the former. I'll come back to this and write more of a review later. For now I'll just say that I loved the tone of this book, the nostalgia, the gentleness that some Stephen King writing has that no one ever seems to expect or remember. I think people often forget that SK is just a damn fine storyteller. He may be the king of creepy, but above all he's a storyteller. ...more
Leah Fitzgerald
Jun 18, 2013 rated it really liked it
Shelves: 2013
Loved this. The right amount of foreshadowing, perfect details, and a simple ghost story. A great book for anyone who doesn't want to read 'weird' Stephen King, but not so far away from his classics that it will alienate hardcore fans. ...more
Sarah
Sep 02, 2013 rated it really liked it
an enjoyable new #sundayquickreads from one of my favorite authors.
Kelly Leonard
Jul 06, 2013 rated it really liked it
A perfect summer read. Devoured it in 2 days.
Ally
Sep 27, 2012 rated it it was amazing
I loved this book. A straight up (and still really scary) ghost story with solid characters and an awesome setting. Other things I loved about Joyland: Stephen King only released as a book (no e-book) and teamed with a "pulp" novel publisher, complete with custom pulp cover. I think little details like this only enhance the experience. ...more
Julianne Dunn
May 05, 2013 rated it it was amazing
I consumed this in one day. Absolutely beautiful story about a year with an old school amusement park where the main character Devin gets over a broken heart and solves a murder and finds his way. Easy and fun read.
Mia
Jul 05, 2013 rated it really liked it
Shelves: 2013-books
Can't say this is the most compelling or interesting mystery I've ever read but the characters were intriguing and I just like how Stephen King writes. Nothing amazing but entertaining nonetheless. ...more
Alvin
Sep 25, 2012 marked it as to-read
Julie
Jan 22, 2013 rated it liked it
Stacey
Jun 03, 2013 marked it as to-read
corky
Jun 12, 2013 marked it as to-read
anne
Jun 21, 2013 rated it liked it
Shannon
Jun 26, 2013 rated it really liked it
alana
Jul 07, 2013 rated it really liked it
Shelves: guilty-pleasures
Andrea
Jul 28, 2013 marked it as to-read
Chinoiseries
Aug 03, 2013 rated it liked it
Jill
Dec 03, 2013 rated it really liked it
Shelves: listened
Erin
Dec 30, 2013 rated it really liked it
Mandy
Dec 30, 2013 rated it liked it
Shelves: 2014
Keagan
Mar 25, 2014 rated it liked it
Amy
May 26, 2014 marked it as to-read
Jeanne Bufkin
Sep 11, 2014 rated it it was amazing
Shelves: read-in-2014
Michelle
Oct 02, 2014 rated it liked it
Shelves: thrillers
Etchison
Feb 03, 2015 rated it liked it
Erin
Nov 11, 2015 rated it really liked it
Shelves: 2015
Linnea
May 03, 2022 rated it really liked it
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