The Funhouse (Group Read - December 2011)

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

The Funhouse has been chosen as our December 2011 Group Read. We haven't had a topic on this book yet, so it's my great privilege to start one here. I have never read this book. To my knowledge it's not available on audiobook (but I'll have to check on that) I have experienced many of my favorite Dean Koontz books on audiobooks.

I own a paperback copy of The Funhouse - you see I worked at Borders Bookstore and this past year as they all closed, I greatly increased my library - this was one of the titles I bought during their going out of business sales.

I'm a slow reader - hard for me to settle down and keep my attention focused, that's why I mostly do audiobooks so I can listen to the story while doing other tasks. In the past when the audiobook wasn't available such as "Strange Highways" (only a couple of the stories are on audio) or "Night Chills", I haven't been able to complete the book. I'll try to get started on reading THE FUNHOUSE before December arrives.

WITH A NAME LIKE "THE FUNHOUSE" IT HAS TO BE GOOD!
(btw, do you like Smuckers jam?)


The Funhouse by Dean Koontz

[Tracy]

Yeah! Doing my happy dance!

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

This is gonna be fun. This better be fun. Sometimes Funhouses have scary things in them, but I think getting scared is fun :-) Getting ready to go into THE FUNHOUSE soon.

[Leigh Ann]

Dang - no ebook. Had to order from Amazon. Hope it's worth it! lol

[Tracy]

I read this book before but am reading it again! movie sucked though...don't rent ti!!

[Erica]

I read somewhere that Koontz wrote this book for the movie. Book rocks, movie sucks.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

....I would think so.

[Marc-Antoine]

Wow, what a start, I wasn't actually expecting much from this book since it was written after the screenplay, and I heard the movie was horrible. But I can't put the book down.

[Tracy]

I am enjoying it myself. I can't believe I haven't read it before.

[Nicole]

okay, i'm off to book carnival in orange to see if I can find this one and start it today.

[Tracy]

I loved this book! The only thing I would wish to be different is the ending, always the ending.

★*****SPOILER*********

I wish Ellen would have had to pay for the way she treated her kids.

[Marc-Antoine]

I agree with Tracy

**********SPOILER***********

The true monster in all of this book seems to be Ellen, yet she seems to get away with everything. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but the ending was quick and left many things unanswered. It would have been nice t see Ellen pay for her sins.

[Cheryl]

Halfway thru...Trying to pace myself so I don't finish before the end of the month! It's great and keepin' me hanging on.

[Marc-Antoine]

Nicole wrote: "okay, i'm off to book carnival in orange to see if I can find this one and start it today."

If there is a funhouse at that carnival, stay away....

[Tracy]

Yes, Marc-Antoine the ending did lack something.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

I haven't really started because I got too involved reading an advance copy of 77 Shadow Street :-) I guess I'm gonna read January's Group Read in December and December's Group Read in January.

[Cheryl]

man! i had a baby and didn't finish the read! damnit baby!

[Jaice]

Cheryl wrote: "man! i had a baby and didn't finish the read! damnit baby!"

It didn't look or act like Victor, did it? ;-)

[Cheryl]

Jason "plasborgma" wrote: "Cheryl wrote: "man! i had a baby and didn't finish the read! damnit baby!"

It didn't look or act like Victor, did it? ;-)"

Oh man. No!! How funny.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

I never got to it - will have to read it sometime - wish it was on audiobook :-(

[Jaice]

Kyle wrote: "It's not on audiobook? That's too bad. I saw the film first then read the book. Scary as hell."

The film is very difficult to find; it's one of the only Koontz adaptations I haven't seen.

[Jaice]

Wow, thanks, Kyle! I'll plan to watch it today.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Thanks for the movie link Kyle. Will check it out. Yeah, no audiobook just like Night Chills and The Face of Fear (I haven't read either of those for that reason)

[Jaice]

I watched the movie late last week after renting it from Netflix (it finally became available) and wasn't impressed with it. It seemed like a standard early '80s slasher movie. I realized I had seen it before, though it must have been quite awhile ago, when I heard the freak show barker saying "Alive, alive, alive-uh!" in his very distinctive voice, and I also recognized the funhouse barker's voice. I think I might have seen it as a child. Anyway, I definitely preferred the book, which wasn't even all that impressive to me, so I wouldn't recommend anyone bother with the movie.