Re: Trip to the bookstore
 

Danse Macabre was a non-fiction work he did a long time ago, about horror in popular culture. It was a really good read, and clearly King is exactly the right guy to talk about it. He talks about the hows and whys of the way good horror works, older writing and its themes and echoes in the present day, and mentions some of the great horror in t.v. and movies. I've both loved and hated King, but he comes through big time in this book even if you're not particularly a King fan at all. It's well worth considering, if you're going to pick up some King.

Re: Trip to the bookstore
 

If you haven't read it The Conservative Mind by Russell Kirk should be up your alley.

Re: Trip to the bookstore
 

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I'll have to give Invisible Monsters another try. I gave up after the first 30 pages or so.

I couldn't get enough of Choke or Diary. I wished those books never ended.

Stranger than Fiction was really good too.

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Invisible Monsters took me until about page 70 or so to really get into. Palahniuk's female (not sure this one counts..) perspective books seem weaker to me, but they're all good. Choke is hands down the best piece of fiction he's written.

Started Haunted yesterday, almost wanted to throw up after the first few chapters.. not sure if that counts as an endorsement.

Anyone here read Bret Easton Ellis? I'm curious as to how Lunar Park is being received.

Re: Trip to the bookstore
 

I just finished the Dark Tower Series, been reading the books for the last year, and it is certainly one of the all-time best stories I have ever read.

Re: Trip to the bookstore
 

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Invisible Monsters took me until about page 70 or so to really get into.

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Just picked this book up tonight, and I'm at about page 70. So far I find the narrator to have a strange sense of humor that makes me giggle out loud from time to time. I'm looking forward to the rest of it.

I also picked up Sellevision by Augusten Burroughs. I'm looking forward to it since I really enjoyed Running with Scissors.

Re: Trip to the bookstore
 

quick headsup about sellevision. it isn't biographical; a good friend of mine said it wasn't too great.

i would read Dry and Magical Thinking if you enjoyed running with scissors.

as an aside, i just finished reading Fraud by david rakoff. not great, bit of a jackoff.

Re: Trip to the bookstore
 

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If you haven't read it The Conservative Mind by Russell Kirk should be up your alley.

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This was referrenced several time in The Right Nation so I probably should check it out. It is hard for me to really enjoy many political type books as I don't at all go for the TV pundit type BS at all.

If anyone has some recommendations for books about past presidents done is a non attacking but non biased way I'd love to see them.

Re: Trip to the bookstore
 

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I used to read Stephen King when I was in the Army which was almost 8-10 years ago now. I haven't him at all since but for a book of collected short stories. I actually haven't read much of anything to tell the truth but I'm looking to change that starting now.

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If that is the case then I would definitely suggest that you read some of his other works before starting on the Dark Tower. I recommend Salem's Lot but obviously there are several good choices. And reading the Dark Tower before any of the other related works can't be far wrong if it even is at all.

Re: Trip to the bookstore
 

The past book that I read was "A Confederacy of Dunces" and it was pretty good. I think the dialogue is what makes it so good.

Re: Trip to the bookstore
 

His first book of short stories, Night Shift, still stands out as a career highlight for me. Many of those stories were excellent, like Quitters, Inc. about an evil agency that promises to help you quit smoking, and The Rats in the Walls, a great one in the vein of Lovecraft. Even the absurd ones have something of the sublime in them.