Recommended reading – Carrie

 

Carrie

By Stephen King.
 
First published 1974.
ISBN 13: 9781416524304
ISBN 10: 1416524304
ASIN: 1416524304
Mass Market Paperback.
 
Description:
 

Unpopular at school and subjected to her mother's religious fanaticism at home, Carrie White does not have it easy. But while she may be picked on by her classmates, she has a gift she's kept secret since she was a little girl: she can move things with her mind. Doors lock. Candles fall. Her ability has been both a power and a problem. And when she finds herself the recipient of a sudden act of kindness, Carrie feels like she's finally been given a chance to be normal. She hopes that the nightmare of her classmates' vicious taunts is over . . . but an unexpected and cruel prank turns her gift into a weapon of horror so destructive that the town may never recover.

 

A modern classic, Carrie introduced a distinctive new voice in American fiction – Stephen King. The story of misunderstood high school girl Carrie White, her extraordinary telekinetic powers, and her violent rampage of revenge, remains one of the most barrier-breaking and shocking novels of all time.

 

Make a date with terror and live the nightmare that is ... Carrie.
 
"Stephen King’s first novel changed the trajectory of horror fiction forever. Fifty years later, authors say it’s still challenging and guiding the genre." – Esquire.
 
“A master storyteller.” – The Los Angeles Times.
 
“Guaranteed to chill you.” – The New York Times.
 
"Gory and horrifying. . . . You can't put it down." – Chicago Tribune.

On this day in movie history - Carrie (1976)

Carrie

directed by Brian De Palma,

written by Lawrence D. Cohen, and based on the novel by Stephen King,

was released in the United States on November 3, 1976.

Music by Pino Donaggio.

Song: I Never Dreamed Someone Like You Could Love Someone Like Me performed by Katie Irving.

Cast:

Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, William Katt, John Travolta, Nancy Allen, Betty Buckley, P. J. Soles, Priscilla Pointer, Sydney Lassick, Stefan Gierasch, Michael Talbott, Doug Cox, Harry Gold, Noelle North, Cindy Daly, Deirdre Berthrong, Anson Downes, Rory Stevens, Edie McClurg, Cameron De Palma.

Stephen King, on writing:

 

A little talent is a good thing to have if you want to be a writer.

But the only real requirement is the ability to remember every scar.

- Stephen King.

Recommended reading - Danse Macabre (2012)

Danse Macabre (2012).

by Stephen King.

Published by Hachette Book Group.

Paperback.

 

ISBN-10: 9781444723267

ISBN-13: 978-1444723267

Description:

From the author of dozens of #1 New York Times bestsellers and the creator of many unforgettable movies comes a vivid, intelligent, and nostalgic journey through three decades of horror as experienced through the eyes of the most popular writer in the genre. In 1981, years before he sat down to tackle On Writing, Stephen King decided to address the topic of what makes horror horrifying and what makes terror terrifying. Here, in ten brilliantly written chapters, King delivers one colorful observation after another about the great stories, books, and films that comprise the horror genre—from Frankenstein and Dracula to The Exorcist, The Twilight Zone, and Earth vs. The Flying Saucers.

With the insight and good humor his fans appreciated in On Writing, Danse Macabre is an enjoyably entertaining tour through Stephen King’s beloved world of horror.

The author whose boundless imagination and storytelling powers have redefined the horror genre, from 1974’s Carrie to his new epic Under the Dome, reflects on the very nature of terror – what scares us and why – in films (both cheesy and choice), television and radio, and, of course, the horror novel, past and present.

Informal, engaging, tremendous fun, and tremendously informative, Danse Macabre is an essential tour with the master of horror as your guide; much like his spellbinding works of fiction, you won’t be able to put it down. 

Recommended reading - On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000)

 

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000).

by Stephen King.

 
Published by Scribner.
This edition published in 2020.
Paperback.
 
ISBN-10: 1982159375
ISBN-13: 978-1982159375
 
Description:
 
"A one-of-a-kind classic." – The Wall Street Journal.
 
"On Writing had more useful and observant things to say about the craft than any book since Strunk and White's The Elements of Style." – Roger Ebert.
 
"This is a special book, animated by a unique intelligence, and filled with useful truth." – Michael Chabon.
 
“The best book on writing. Ever.” – The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
 

“Long live the King” hailed Entertainment Weekly upon publication of Stephen King’s On Writing. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King’s advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999 – and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower and entertain everyone who reads it – fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.

Stephen King, on writing:

 

In both writing and sleeping, we learn to be physically still at the same time we are encouraging our minds to unlock from the humdrum rational thinking of our daytime lives.
- Stephen King.

Stephen King, on writing:

Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art.

The water is free.
So drink.
Drink and be filled up.
- Stephen King.

Stephen King, on reading:

 

Few things are as lovely as having an uninterrupted hour with a good book.

- Stephen King.

On this day in movie history - The Shining (1980)

The Shining

directed by Stanley Kubrick,

written by Stanley Kubrick and Diane Johnson,

based on the novel by Stephen King,

was released in the United States on May 23, 1980.

Music by Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind.

Cast:

Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers, Barry Nelson, Philip Stone, Joe Turkel, Anne Jackson, Tony Burton, Lia Beldam, Billie Gibson, Barry Dennen, Lisa Burns, Louise Burns, David Baxt, Manning Redwood, Robin Pappas, Alison Coleridge, Burnell Tucker, Jana Shelden, Kate Phelps, Norman Gay, Pauline Chamberlain, Ina Clare, Maxwell Craig, Paul Desbois, Lynda Fisher, Charlie Gray, Aidan Harrington, Alan Harris, George Holdcroft, Barrie Holland, Vivian Kubrick, Aileen Lewis, Bertha Lynn, Derek Lyons, Peter McNamara, Cathy Munroe, Eddie O'Dea, Jennifer O'Neill, Chris Parsons, Glenn Rinker, Bunny Seaman, Guy Standeven, Reg Thomason, Brian V. Towns.