December 2021 Group Read #2 - Desperation

[Jason]

Lots of little easter eggs in this one

[Jason]

Great read so far

[Kimberly]

I think this was one of the first full length novels I read by King--the short story collections were a staple in our house.

[Carmen]

I read this years ago. Loved it.

[Fishface]

As before, it dragged me right in and I could hardly put it down.

[Jason]

Finished this last night, just an OK 3 stars for me, well written but not taken too much with the characters I suppose.

[Patrick]

I'm a big King fan but despite this being an older book I had never read it. I'm delighted it was chosen as a group read.

Yet again Stephen King has managed to conjure but a brilliantly imaginative tale chock full of interesting characters and weird goings on.

Perhaps the only issue for me is that the plot revolved a little too much around (view spoiler)[religion and god (hide spoiler)] for my liking but it's a relatively minor quibble as I was certainly entertained throughout.

I think I'll read The Regulators next before moving onto the next December Group Read.

[Maksim]

I will also join for this book. Not a fan of SK but why not. Just need to keep an open mind. :)

[Kasia]

Glad to see so many readers with us, so nice :) I'm going to be listening to the audiobook but I won't track it in my reads, I just want to experience a few scenes with you guys haha.

King is great at stories and characters in isolation, you can't run into a crowd and disappear and the "monster" chasing you is right behind you.

[Monica]

I m 290 pages in and it really sucked me in, especially at the beginning. I m liking best the parts with Steve and Cyinthia finding ou stuff. There s quite some (view spoiler)[ religion and gore and what is this cop?! (hide spoiler)] I m also listening to the audiobook sometimes.

[William]

It's interesting for me to hear read that people are jumping back and forth from the print to the audiobook. I'm guessing it makes it more immersive, as well as letting people move forward when they don't actually have time to sit and read. Still, I find it really interesting and will have to take on a book in this way! This sounds like one to try on...

[Sally]

I am really loving this book. It is legit creeping me out. A bit over 300 pages in and still not sure what we're dealing with here.

[Kasia]

William Kely wrote: "It's interesting for me to hear read that people are jumping back and forth from the print to the audiobook. I'm guessing it makes it more immersive, as well as letting people move forward when the..."

I read this on my kindle earlier this year but I also go the audiobook ages ago and since King was narrating I wanted to hear some fave scenes with you guys for this month's group read, hope that makes sense lol :)

[William]

Kasia wrote: " William Kely wrote: "It's interesting for me to hear read that people are jumping back and forth from the print to the audiobook. I'm guessing it makes it more immersive, as well as letting people..."

Makes sense to me! Thanks Kasia!

[Monica]

William Kely wrote: "It's interesting for me to hear read that people are jumping back and forth from the print to the audiobook. I'm guessing it makes it more immersive, as well as letting people move forward when the..."

Yes, sometimes i listen before falling asleep , when my eyes are tired. It s very nice. I also sometimes physically read it while i listen.

[Sally]

Finished last night, that was a great ride. I enjoyed every minute (except the spiders). I've ordered The Regulators to read soon while this is fresh in my mind.

[Fishface]

Sally wrote: "Finished last night, that was a great ride. I enjoyed every minute (except the spiders). I've ordered The Regulators to read soon while this is fresh in my mind."

I want to be clear herevthat readingbthem back to back is what spoiled The Regulators for me...fair warning

[Sally]

Thanks for warning me, a friend of mine that has read both said I should read the regulators first but I was too far into this one. Is that what spoiled it for you, doing them in the wrong order?

[Kasia]

Sally wrote: "Thanks for warning me, a friend of mine that has read both said I should read the regulators first but I was too far into this one. Is that what spoiled it for you, doing them in the wrong order?"

I'm in the school that thinks Desperation should be read first, they were published at the same time. I went to a reddit deep dive and kept seeing comments such as this one lol, so I think you're fine :)

"Don't be like me and read The Regulators first and then Desperation. OP, don't make my mistake. I'm a constant reader and I love this sub, and r/thedarktower. I checked both subs to see suggestions and found most recommending Desperation first. I didn't take their advice, and I wish I had. The Regulators came off as choppy and lacking in the normal King character/story development that I love. It wasn't bad, but it seemed like it was missing something. After following it up with Desperation, I realized what was missing. For your father's sake, read Desperation first and enjoy the set."

--

"I loved Desperation. Haven't gotten around to the Regulators yet.

I'm not sure if the order matters, but the copies that I have...the cover art is interconnected and it seemed like Desperation was where the art began and Regulators was where it ended."

[Sally]

Thank you for this Kasia. I'm actually really excited now to read it and see on which side of the debate I land. I just ordered it so it probably won't get to me for a while. I may have forgotten enough by then to be ok either way. As long as I don't forget the face of my father.

[Kimberly]

I read DESPERATION first, and had no problem with the REGULATORS afterwards.

[Kasia]

Sally wrote: "Thank you for this Kasia. I'm actually really excited now to read it and see on which side of the debate I land. I just ordered it so it probably won't get to me for a while. I may have forgotten e..."

Aahah loved that last line, nicely done :)

[Fishface]

Sally wrote: "Thanks for warning me, a friend of mine that has read both said I should read the regulators first but I was too far into this one. Is that what spoiled it for you, doing them in the wrong order?"

I don't see how changing the order would have made any difference, honestly. They were just too similar AND too close together.

[D.W.]

I've been slammed this month, but just picked this up and read the first section. Looking forward to this.

[Kasia]

Nice D.W, thanks for reading with us :) it's a heck of a story!

[Sally]

Fishface wrote: "Sally wrote: "Thanks for warning me, a friend of mine that has read both said I should read the regulators first but I was too far into this one. Is that what spoiled it for you, doing them in the ..."

Gotcha, the good new is I have a lot of books I plan on reading before I will get to The Regulators. Also in my favor is my memory is trash so there's a good chance I will have forgotten plenty by that time. Thanks Fishface friend!

[Kandice]

I've read this more than once, but preferred the sister book The Regulators. This one is very eerie, though. The word, "Tak," that they say just creeps me out. I heard a man say it once while I was eating in a restaurant and I almost couldn't finish my meal. I have no idea WHY he said it either, my ears just picked it up.

I've never seen the movie, but the last time I read it I couldn't help picturing Ron Perlman as the officer. That was great casting.

[Monica]

That is creepy Kandice.

I m almost done with the book and i was wondering , since there s (view spoiler)[ a lot of talk about religion does any of you know if S. K is a religious person? (hide spoiler)] Maybe this is no spoiler , not sure if i should take spoiler off. Let me know.

[Sally]

Monica, I think his daughter is a minister of a unitarian church. But I'm not sure about his religious background. Unitarian churches are more spiritual than religious in my experience. They teach acceptance of pretty much all religions.

[Monica]

Oh right i knew she was a minister but not what kind of church. But i dont think i ever read anything about his views.

[Monica]

I finished it on Saturday and gave it 4 stars. I think I enjoyed the first part more than the second. Maybe because of the mistery and not knowing..

[Kandice]

Monica wrote: "That is creepy Kandice.

I m almost done with the book and i was wondering , since there s [spoilers removed] Maybe this is no spoiler , not sure if i should take spoiler off. Let me know."

His mother was the primary caregiver for his grandparents at the end of their lives. They were pretty religious, so his mom was peripherally, but he says he is not a believer. He believes in something, but not the organized God he grew up with. There are a lot of plot lines in his books and stories about religion and religious nuts. He seems to write more about the bad parts of religion than the good.

I think it's complicated further by his daughter as Sally mentioned. Not only is Naomi a minister, but she is a married lesbian and he has actively spoken out about religions frowning on certain traits, life style choices and people being who they really are. I love that his daughter is just unequivocally who she is and clearly her parents helped her be that.

[Kasia]

Kandice wrote: "I've read this more than once, but preferred the sister book The Regulators. This one is very eerie, though. The word, "Tak," that they say just creeps me out. I heard a man say it onc..."

Ahah that's funny, actually "Tak" means yes in Polish, so I say it all the time, but reading the book added a whole new meaning to it.

[Kandice]

I've been watching al lot of Danish, subtitled tv, and tak seems to be "thank you." It was startling the first time I heard during a show!

[Monica]

Kandice wrote: "Monica wrote: "That is creepy Kandice.

I m almost done with the book and i was wondering , since there s [spoilers removed] Maybe this is no spoiler , not sure if i should take spoiler off. Let me..."

YEs, that's a very interesting thing about their family. I had a feeling that he wasn't mostly. Thanks.

[Ahana]

Just finished this one...This was my first group read, & what a great pick! Like someone said, it leans a little too much towards (view spoiler)[religion (hide spoiler)] to my liking, but his writing has that "pull" , which makes it hard to put down. I'm sure everyone knows what I mean lol.

[Kasia]

^ I'd agree with your entire sentence Ahana, well said :) thank you for reading with us!

[Kimberly]

Ahana wrote: "Just finished this one...This was my first group read, & what a great pick! Like someone said, it leans a little too much towards [spoilers removed] to my liking, but his writing has that "pull" , ..."

I agree with this as well. :)

[Kasia]

That's what I love about buddy reads, little bits that knock around your brain after reading the book get brought up by your friends, it's such a neat thing. Sorry hope I'm making sense, I'm beat and I have a cold :(

[Sally]

I'm loving it too Kasia! And you made perfect sense. Feel better!

[Ahana]

@Kimberly and @Kasia entirely my pleasure to read with you all :).

I think I'll come back to the sister book but probably after a gap. (view spoiler)[Tak (hide spoiler)] is too scary :P.

(view spoiler)[I was wondering, does "The Regulators" also incorporate religious themes? (hide spoiler)]

[LTJ]

I can't wait, about to crack this open tonight and finish it before my birthday (12/31!) to say I started and finished with a Stephen King book in 2021 :-D

[Sally]

Yay LTJ, this one is so good! Good luck finishing by your birthday.

@Ahana, I ordered The Regulators from thrift books immediately after finishing this one. It finally arrived but I haven't touched it yet either. There is a bit of a fan battle about which of the 2 books should be read first.

[LTJ]

@Sally: Thanks! Do you think I should read The Regulators after this one or not needed? I'm confused since I'm reading that these came out at the same time with King writing both, the other under his alternate name. What do you suggest?

[Sally]

@LTJ, I haven't read the Regulators yet but I received the copy in the mail recently. The cover is very similar to the cover of Desperation

[LTJ]

@Sally: Ah, I see. Makes sense and yeah, I'm thinking about getting The Regulators and reading that after this one in 2022...

[Kandice]

Ahana wrote: "@Kimberly and @Kasia entirely my pleasure to read with you all :).

I think I'll come back to the sister book but probably after a gap. [spoilers removed] is too scary :P.

[spoilers removed]"

The Regulators is not overtly religious like Desperation. I enjoyed it more than Desperation because it centers on an autistic child and King seems to have this knack for writing from the POV of the other in such a convincing way.

[Kandice]

LTJ wrote: "@Sally: Thanks! Do you think I should read The Regulators after this one or not needed? I'm confused since I'm reading that these came out at the same time with King writing both, the other under h..."

You do not need to read both! When King publishes under the Bachman name it's usually because the book is more bleak or grim. That's the case here as well. Some characters names are used in both books, but the characters themselves are very different. It was an odd publication... stunt, thing? I don't know what to call it.

[LTJ]

@Kandice: Ah, I see, that makes sense! I picked it up and plan to read The Regulators to start off 2022 but yeah, probably was a publicity stunt since King said he wanted to have fun with those that "outed him" under his alternate name :-P

[Ahana]

@Kandice: I see, thanks a lot for the heads-up :)