Friday, May 25, 2012

The Standalong/What I've Been Up To


I might be crazy, but I'm not the only one. That makes me feel a teensy bit better. Over the next two months, starting in June, a group of us crazy readers will be undertaking The Stand by Stephen King. I am equal parts terrified and excited. I found a 25 pence copy (40 cents) at my local charity shop last month and it has been sitting on my desk taunting me ever since. Trish at "Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity" is hosting. Clicky here for more details. Join us, won't you?  Trish also added a little meme for the participants.

1. What makes you want to read The Stand?
Um, I don't know? Everyone else is doing it? I easily succumb to peer pressure? One of those.


2. Describe your preconceived notions of The Stand.
That it's scary and probably a bit wordy (per my previous experience with Stephen King).

3. What was the last scary(ish) book you read or movie you saw?

Oooh, I have to think about that one. I haven't read anything really scary in a while. Maybe Bag of Bones by Stephen King this past summer. I'm not really into scary movies so I can't even think of one that I've seen within the last decade. How embarrassing. I'm a wimp.

4. Which version of the book will you be reading from?

The copy I found at the charity shop is the uncut version. I'm a little nervous as my previous experiences with Stephen King left me feeling like he needed a better editor. Now I'm choosing to not read the version that was originally edited, but the version that includes all the lovely details the editor cut out. We'll see how it goes. If I get desperate, I'll just get a copy of the original.

5. What are you previous experiences with Stephen King?

I've read two--Bag of Bones, and 11/22/63. Both were good, but not amazing. The editing issue I previously mentioned was the main drawback to both. I found the first 200 pages of each really slow and tough to get into. That's quite a few pages to slog through before it picks up.

6. Anything else you'd like to add (bonus points for being extra random).

This has absolutely nothing to do with books, but I thought I'd do a little update for this question. I've been awful not blogging about books lately, but I haven't read anything that I feel compelled to write about. I don't want to just throw something together for the sake of a post. That would be unfair to you. I've been reading, but just not writing about it. So instead, I thought I'd show you some pictures from our most recent trip.

As you know, I'm an American, and as is common to some Americans, I'm not really certain of my roots. It's interesting being in Scotland as many of the families here are 100% Scottish and have never even left the town in which they grew up. My grandmother, though, is 100% Norwegian. Both of her parents were born in Bergen, Norway before they immigrated to Montana. Being one-quarter Norwegian and makes me more Norwegian than anything else. I feel more of a connection to that culture than any other, so we made a trip to Bergen a few weeks ago. Stunning. That's all I can really say. It's an amazingly beautiful country. I'll post a few pictures if you're interested. My internet isn't great so I've reduced the size of the pictures so the quality may not look the best. Hopefully they'll be decent enough.








19 comments:

  1. SO gorgeous!! Reminds me a bit of Alaska. I've always wanted to travel to Norway--one of my dream trips is to do a Baltic cruise. My family is from Denmark (well, a quarter anyway). I was telling Scott about you and your family the other day and what a wonderful experience it must be for you guys to have this time living abroad. I'm sure it's something your kids will always remember and treasure.

    As for the readalong, YAY!! I don't do scary either. I'm definitely not above closing my eyes during particularly frightening (or graphic) movies. But one correction...readalong starts in June! ;)

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    1. Thanks for catching my mistake! I'm so spacey lately.

      A Baltic cruise sounds really fabulous. I hope you get a chance to do it.

      I hadn't even left the country before we moved here. This opportunity just fell in our laps and we are incredibly lucky. It has been really great for the kids. It's been nice exposing them to different cultures. We haven't been able to travel quite as much as we'd like so we're extending another year.

      I feel badly that my daughter is so young. She spent her fourth birthday in Versailles, but I don't think she'll remember it aside from the photos.

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  2. Wow! Those photos are gorgeous! I'd love to see a vacay post if you're up for it.

    As for The Stand, I keep seeing all the participants' posts, and I think you're all NUTS! I cannot do even a little bit of scary because I won't sleep and will freak myself out and have to go stay with someone or get someone to stay with me. Not happening. But I'll enjoy keeping up with all of you.

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    1. I never know if people are interesting in personal photos. I may just give it a shot and do a vacation post. I have a few other fun ones.

      And yes, we are totally nuts, but we're all going to enjoy being nuts together. I'm with you on not dealing with scary. When I saw The Sixth Sense, my parents were out of town and so I made my friend stay the night because I couldn't deal. My husband will be out of town in a couple of weeks and I can guarantee that I will not read a single page when he is not here. Writing all of that out made me realize just how crazy this attempt is. I really hope I make it to the end, but it's not looking good!

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    2. (whispers loudly...I'M interested in reading people's personal posts!!! I'd love to hear more)

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    3. Thanks Trish! Good to know. Since I'm obviously not really feeling the book posts right now, I'll probably start posting more personal ones.

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  3. I'm so glad you're doing the Standalong. It makes me feel a little less crazy. I love the photos too! Those are just breathtaking!

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    1. Melissa, strength in numbers, right? I'm really nervous, but excited.

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  4. I read The Stand ages ago and remember liking it. But I liked 11/22/63 and Bag of Bones better. Still, I hope you have a great reading experience!

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    1. Thanks Jenners. I think the reading it with others will help make it more fun, even if I'm not loving the book. I really hope I will love it, though.

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  5. Great pictures! I can't wait to read The Stand - ready to go!

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    1. Thanks Natalie. I'm really excited too. Should be fun!

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  6. YES, DO A VACATION POST!

    Sorry. But I love to live vicariously through other people's vacations. And I want to see more gorgeous photos of Bergen!

    Also, I'm a scary movie wimp, too. I may need a nightlight to get me through this book. :-D

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    1. I think I'll do a vacation post if there are a few interested. I took about 600 pictures. We'll see if I can find some more good ones.

      I'm glad I'm not the only scary movie wimp. I will totally be reading with ALL the lights on. Good luck to you. I hope it doesn't scare us too much. :)

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  7. Wonderful to know about 'The Stand' readalong, Kristi! I read part of the book many years back but gave up because it was so thick! Great to know that you have picked the final definitive edition to read. I have a copy of that and I remember reading Stephen King's introduction on how it is different from the original edition. Happy Reading! Will look forward to hearing your thoughts on it.

    It is great to know that you have Norwegian roots. The pictures you have posted are really beautiful! Norway seems to be a very beautiful place. Have you read 'Kristin Lavransdatter' by Sigrid Undset? It is set in Norway during the medieval ages and is a novel about a girl, who is strong and independent and chases her dreams in an environment which is hostile to young, independent women. It is a beautiful book.

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    1. Vishy, the size is a bit intimidating. I was surprised by the introduction as well. I didn't realize the original reason for trimming it down wasn't because the editor wanted to cut out part of the story, but for cost reasons. Crazy.

      I haven't read Kristin Lavransdatter. It sounds like something I would enjoy. Thanks for bringing my attention to it.

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  8. Ooops, meant to comment more than that... I am listening to The Stand! AND also reading Harry Potter. I have so much reading to do and yet I'm excited about it. I have The City and the City staring Friday and I have to read Fault in Our Stars by June 25 for book club and I signed up for Carol SHields Month but I might have to let that slide, darn it. I still can't believe I caved to the Standalong peer pressure. sigh...

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    1. I hope you're enjoying Harry Potter! Is this your first time reading it?

      I just picked up my copy of The City and the City today. I might just start it early. We'll see.

      Luckily the Fault in Our Stars is a pretty quick read. Sometimes they get a little philosophical and those parts kind of dragged for me, but overall, it's pretty fast.

      Good luck with all the books you have on your plate. I'm glad you caved for The Stand. Should be fun!

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