EPIC Dark Tower Read-a-Long--Reconfigured Reading Schedule

I am having to reconfigure the reading schedule for the read-a-long due to some recent circumstances in my personal life.  I'm separating from my husband and my sons and I are moving in with my mom.  It's a big move so I have little time for reading.  I haven't even made it a quarter of a way through The Wastelands because of all the emotional upheaval.  I do apologize and I hope that you all will stick with me.  If anyone else fell behind, this might help you to catch up so feel free to jump back in any time.  Here are the reconfigured dates:


September--The Gunslinger, Book 1
October--The Drawing of the Three, Book 2
January--The Waste Lands, Book 3
February/March--Wizard and Glass, Book 4
April--The Wind Through the Keyhole, Book 4.5
May/June--Wolves of the Calla, Book 5
July--Song of Susannah, Book 6
August/September--The Dark Tower, Book 7

I've updated the button with the appropriate dates as well, if you want to change it out.

Thank you for understanding and bearing with me during this trying time.

The Waste Lands: Halfway point check-in

I'm behind on the reading...again, but I thought I would post these discussion questions for you to share your thoughts, if you are up to date.  Some of the questions may pertain more to the entire book so use your discretion on which ones you answer.  I'll be back in a few days with my thoughts.

1. The Waste Lands is loaded with widely disparate cultural signifiers, from early-career Paul Newman to speed-metal bands to Frodo Baggins to Germany's Weimar Republic to Sugary Ray Leonard to King Arthur's Court. What is the effect of this kind of "kitchen-sink" referencing? Describe the tone of Stephen King's novel. 
2. How would you characterize Eddie Dean's emotional health in this third novel? What is the nature and provenance of his mysterious connection with Jake Chambers? How does their wordless affinity play out over the course of this novel? 
3. What is the nature of morality in Mid-World? Does King encourage a traditional good-and-evil reading of his novel? Explain. What fates and fortunes ultimately meet the novel's "evil" or immoral characters? What of the benevolent characters? 
4. Upon finding the metal ID tag and learning that the giant bear was called Shardik, Eddie is struck by a faint twinge of recognition. The name Shardik triggers in Eddie a seemingly inexplicable association "with rabbits." What is Stephen King's sly joke here? 
5. How might the work of Richard Adams, both his classic Watership Down as well as the lesser-known novel Shardik, relate to some of the larger themes—of cultural decay, of societal conflict, of nature versus civilization—that run through The Waste Lands? 
6. In his bizarre dreamscape early in the novel, what book is Eddie holding in his hand as he walks along Second Avenue? What is King up to here? 
7. Explain the elements of the great paradox—rooted in the events of The Gunslinger and The Drawing of the Three—underlying Roland and Jake's "doubled" memories and burgeoning madness. 
8. Recount what happens at the campsite in the "Bear and Bone" section after Roland tosses the jawbone of the man in black into the flames. What do the three pilgrims see in the fire? How does this episode spark the events by which Roland and Jake finally reconcile the paradox that is driving them mad? How do the images of the key and the rose come to inform the ka-tet's quest? 

EPIC Dark Tower Read-a-Long: The Waste Lands Reading Schedule

Details:

• First half of the book will be read the first half of November and the second half from mid-November until the end.
• You can do a post and leave your link in the comments, or you can just post your thoughts in the comments of the week's discussion post.

Reading schedule:
I realize that you may be reading from a different edition than me so the page numbers may be off. 

• Argument and Book One:  Jake, pages 1 thru 213--discussion on January 15.
• Book Two:  Lud, pages 217 (actual text starts on 219) thru 422 (end of Author's note)--discussion January 31.

Hope you're still reading along! Happy Reading!

The Drawing of the Three--Discussion...Final Thoughts

Yes, I realize that this is the only discussion we are having for this second volume in the Dark Tower series.  I do apologize again for my being so behind.  I'm hoping my new reading schedule plan will work better for us for the rest of the series (see this POST).  Here are some questions I thought were appropriate for discussing the book and my final thoughts at the end.  Are you still reading along?  I hope you haven't given up on me yet.  I promise I will get on track.

Revisit the scene in the "Death" section of the novel where an amazed Roland—in the body of Jack Mort—walks into a New York drug store. Roland's reaction to the rows and rows of "quack remedies" is comic, but King spikes it all with a measure of poignancy. Ours is a world full of technological wonders that astonish the gunslinger. But Roland looks into the jaded faces of New Yorkers and muses that "the newest wonder was simply that…wonder had run out." What is King up to in this scene? 

I think King is trying to show us that people in our time are jaded because of how everything is done for us with technology, etc. and by contrast, that Roland, even after all he has been through, can still experience wonder.  Roland recognizes as gifts (and sometimes seemingly trivial items) what we take for granted.

In connection with the previous question, discuss the effect of the various moments throughout the novel where King manages to show us our own world from the gunslinger's fresh, often awe-struck perspective.

I loved his amazement over the cost of the ammunition and its abundance and also the cost of the Keflex.  His pronunciation and his version of how our words are spelled was priceless.  Like tack-see for taxi and Rexes for RXs.  So funny and yet not surprising.   

Decipher the elements involved in the resolution of Odetta and Detta's ferocious struggle with each other. How is it that, in Roland's desperate final act in the New York subway, the deep fissure in Miss Holmes' psyche can finally be bridged? 

I felt that the splitting in half of Jack Mort, the person responsible for the brick (which started the whole split personality in the first place) dropping and the pushing of Odetta at the subway, was the key to putting the two pieces, Odetta and Detta, together as a whole, as Susannah.  One of the most killer parts of the book, in my opinion.  Man, did I hate reading the parts involving Detta.  She was one crazy bitch! King did a great job of making us all afraid of her.

What is ka? What is its significance in King's Dark Tower universe? 

I think that ka is a person's fate.  I think everything that happens to Roland in the series is his fate...is predetermined.  The significance is that we kind of know the ultimate end and yet we don't.  Of course, King will keep us guessing!

What lies ahead for King's three pilgrims? Are Eddie and Susannah Dean's misgivings about Roland's trustworthiness when it comes to friendship justified? Why or why not? 

I've learned to not hold out much hope for the characters after what happened to Jake so I will be constantly waiting for something to happen to Eddie or Susannah or both.  I think their misgivings are justified because Eddie knows that the Tower is the only thing that truly matters to Roland...or is it?

With Roland, Eddie, and Susannah united in their ka-tet and resolved to move ahead, what are your expectations for The Waste Lands?

I'm hoping for more exciting moments like in The Drawing of the Three, especially like the Death section.  I loved that part! Roland was such a cool customer and I loved the references to him sounding like The Terminator.  I'm really looking forward to the next book.  I liked the second book so much better than the first.  I hope the series keeps getting better and better.  From what I've heard from others, it does.

Discussion questions obtained from Penguin Group.

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Look for the official schedule for The Waste Lands to be posted immediately after this post.  Hope you're still reading along. =O)

EPIC Dark Tower Read-a-Long--Important Update

I wanted to post this update, first as an apology to those who are still participating for my being so behind on discussion posts, and second because I want to restructure the way we do the read-a-long discussions.  I'm just finding that keeping up with the weekly discussions/check-ins is way too hard with the way my real life and reading schedule is.  So this is how we're going to do things from now on.

•  For the books that we are discussing in a month's time, we will have two discussions.  The first half of the book, the discussion will be posted at the middle of the month.  The second half of the book, the discussion post will go up on the last day of the month.
• For the books which require two months because of their length, since there are basically 60 days (give or take) in two months, we will have a discussion post every 20 days.  I will schedule accordingly the parts of the book when the time comes.  Our first two month discussion will be in December/January for Wizard and Glass, Book 4.

I hope this meets with everyone's approval and that you will forgive me for being so behind.  I will have the discussion up for The Drawing of the Three, through page 277, on Sunday.  Hope to see you then!

EPIC Dark Tower Read-a-Long: Drawing of the Three Reading Schedule

Details: 

• Start reading on Mondays (except for the first week because of a late start), discussion posts will be posted on Sundays, with the exception of the last one, which will post on Wednesday, October 31.
• You can do a post and leave your link in the comments, or you can just post your thoughts in the comments of the week's discussion post.

Reading schedule:
I realize that you may be reading from a different edition than me so the page numbers may be off.  

• Week One (October 1 - 6)  Page 11 - 84 (end on p. 84 or before starting the Ch. 4, The Tower) 
• Week Two (October 8 - 13) Page 85 - 182 (end on p. 182 before The Lady of Shadows)   
• Week Three (October 15 - 20)  Page 183 - 277 (end on p. 277 before Reshuffle)
• Week Four (October 22 - 30)  Page 279 - 399 (end, except for the Afterword page)

Posting Schedule:
Date the post will be live here (God willing!)

• October 7--Week One
• October 14--Week Two 
• October 21--Week Three
• October 31--Week Four

Be aware that if you have not read to the end of the scheduled reading sections each week, there will most probably be spoilers in the discussion posts.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments or email me at 
truebookaddictATgmailDOTcom

***Note:  One of the participants had mentioned us reading The Eyes of the Dragon, which is a prelude to The Dark Tower series, and/or The Little Sisters of Eluria, which is The Dark Tower 0.5 along with this read-a-long.  Frankly, I don't really have the extra time to add them, but if you would like to, feel free.  I will link to your post(s) about them during the weekly postings.  Just let me know if you do.***

The Gunslinger--Week Four and Final Discussion

Late again with this.  I'm hoping that everyone else (or, at least, some) are as behind as me! As I mentioned, this book was a re-read for me and I have to say, I liked it better the second time around.  I think my mind is more ready for it than it was before.

Here are some final questions for thought.  You can answer them or describe your thoughts in your own way.

1. Why does the man in black refer to Jake as the gunslinger's "Isaac"? What is he referencing here, and what are the implications of his insinuation? 
2. How can we make the argument that Jake comes to represent to Roland a kind of symbolic son? Reread the passage following Roland's sacrifice of Jake. How does the episode affect the gunslinger?
3. Unpack the loaded final section of The Gunslinger, where King performs a head-spinning metaphysical riff on the cosmos and the notion of "Size," and then reveals a range of vital information about the Beast guarding the Tower, the Ageless Stranger (Maerlyn), and other elements of the adventure that awaits the gunslinger. 
4. Based on the words of the man in black, what do you expect from the The Drawing of the Three?

1.  The man in black is referencing the biblical story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac at God's order.  However, Abraham did not go through with it because an angel of God stopped him.  I'm not sure what the implications of his insinuation are because Roland does sacrifice Jake.  I guess the fact that he was willing to do it is significant.

2.  At the very end of the book, Roland says, "I loved you, Jake."  That, in itself, shows us how he felt about the boy.  I think it will affect him for the rest of his life.  He will never be able to forget what he did, or the boy's face.  He says he will become the boy.  I'm not sure what that means, but perhaps it will be revealed.

3.  I'm actually not sure what this is asking, but I thought the entire metaphysical section was spectacular.  It reminds us that we are all just a smaller part of something much bigger.  The foreshadowing of things to come with the Beast (ooooh) and Maerlyn (strangely similar to Merlin--am I sensing a Arthurian slant here?) have me really excited to move on with the series!

4.  Well, it seems pretty obvious that Roland will go to sea and he will have the power of the drawing, but the power is already in him.  The man in black confuses the hell out of me sometimes!

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The reading schedule for The Drawing of the Three will also be posted.  I'm going to make this first week's reading section shorter because of my late start.

The Gunslinger Discussion--Weeks Two and Three

I'm updating two weeks in one because I've been so busy and my life is total chaos.  I haven't had much time for reading unfortunately.  I hope you all will accept my apologies.  That being said, I'm really enjoying The Gunslinger the second time around.  Here are more questions that cover the last two chapters, The Way Station and The Oracle and the Mountains.

1. At one point in Roland's recollections of his boyhood, his father saddles him with what seems on the surface a very troubling, even damning judgment. "It is not your place to be moral," his father says. "Morals may always be beyond you." Then he cryptically suggests that his son's amorality is what will make him " formidable." What does he mean? How does this characterization inform the novel's ensuing action—and the larger journey Roland takes over the course of the entire Dark Tower saga?
2. What sense, in the flashbacks that occur throughout the novel, does Stephen King provide of what Roland's world was like before it "moved on"?
3. What kind of a man is Cort? Discuss Roland's ambivalent feelings about his boyhood teacher.
4. What does Roland learn from the demon in the cellar of the way station? "While you travel with the boy, the man in black travels with your soul in his pocket." What does this mean? And how does the pronouncement bear out, in light of the novel's climax at the edge of the desert?

My thoughts:

1.  I think what his father means is that sometimes morals have to take a back seat to what needs to be done.  Now, I'm not saying I agree with that, but I think in regards to the situation in this series, that is what he means.  That Roland will be formidable because he will not let morals stand in the way of his duties.

2.  It seems that Roland came from privilege and the lifestyle he came from before almost reminds me of the royalty in Medieval times, but he also received the tough training of a knight or soldier.  

3.  I believe that Roland felt that Cort was a cruel taskmaster, but yet his tough treatment was necessary for them to learn what they needed to learn.  Kind of like that tough drill sergeant.

4.  In regards to the first part of this question,  I think the demon's prophecy means that Roland is becoming emotionally attached to the boy which will interfere with what he must do.  So, the man in black has the upper hand, as long as Roland stays attached in that way to the boy.  Of course, in regards to the second part of this question, we're not at the climax yet...or, at least, I'm not so that remains to be seen.

 

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So, how are you all doing on this book?  I hope you will share your thoughts and, again, forgive me for being SO behind.

The Gunslinger Week Two Discussion

Sorry for the delay...again.  I hope I'm not the only one running behind.  I will have the full discussion post up by tonight.  Thanks for your patience!

The Gunslinger--Week One Discussion

Finally, I'm here with the first discussion! What a day...not a spare moment to post until now.  Anyhoo, on with the talk.  What did you think of the first chapter?  This one is actually a re-read for me, but it's funny, I only vaguely remember it.  I must have been half there when I read it last time.  I think it was over ten years ago when I read it (or around that) and what a difference time makes.  I think my mind is more tuned to dystopian fantasy now than it was before.  I relate familiarity with the genre as the reason.  I found a reading guide and I've included some questions below to contribute to our discussion.  Share your thoughts in the comments and/or leave the link to your blog post.

1.  As we come to know him in the opening pages, what initial impressions do we get of the gunslinger? What is the nature of Roland's quest?

2.  Discuss Stephen King's writing style in The Gunslinger. To what degree is it a departure from the rest of his work? What are some of the stylistic patterns and thematic concerns that The Gunslinger shares with other Stephen King works? 

My responses:

1.  It's hard to get a really good impression of Roland in the beginning.  We know he's tough (killed all those townspeople).  He's also weary.  He strikes me as a lost soul.  As far as the nature of his quest, we know that he is after the man in black, but we don't really know the reason yet.  Is it revenge or the need to eradicate evil?  I'm thinking perhaps it's both.

2.  King's writing style in The Gunslinger is different from the rest of his work, but in certain instances we get some of the old King style.  Like the section on page 13, "Perhaps the campfires are a message, spelled out letter by letter.  Take a powder.  Or, the end draweth nigh.  Or maybe even, Eat at Joe's."  Snicker.  "Eat at Joe's."  Something King would totally say in his other works.  Also, I love Sheb at the saloon playing "Hey Jude" on the piano.  I like how this seemingly old west style ghost town on this world that is not our own is playing that song, not some old time saloon tunes.  Classic!

I have one final question for you relating to the entire series.  There have been rumors for years that there will be a film (or films) based on the books, and more recently I've heard that they're in talks again to actually go ahead with it.  I've heard mention of Russell Crowe as Roland.  I do like him, but I'm picturing someone more like Christian Bale (channeling a bit of his role in "3:10 to Yuma" with a little bit of batman toughness mixed in).  What do you think?  Who do you think would be perfect to portray Roland?

I hope you're enjoying the book so far.  I'll see you next week for Chapter 2!

The EPIC Dark Tower Read-a-Long {Reading Schedule} The Gunslinger

This is going to be an easy, breezy read-a-long! I was just looking at the book and it's only a little over 200 pages.  Works out great for me since my September reading plate is SO full.  Okay, ladies and gentlemen, here is the reading and posting schedule:

Details: 

• Start reading on Saturdays, discussion posts will be posted on Fridays, with the exception of the last one, which will post on Sunday, September 30.
• You can do a post and leave your link in the comments, or you can just post your thoughts in the comments of the week's discussion post.

Reading schedule:
I realize that you may be reading from a different edition than me so the page numbers may be off.  Just follow by chapter, if that's the case.

• Week One (September 1 - 6)  The Gunslinger--page 11 -66 
• Week Two (September 8 - 13)  The Waystation--page 71-113 
• Week Three (September 15 - 20)  The Oracle and the Mountains--page 117 - 144
• Week Four (September 22 - 29)  The Slow Mutants & The Gunslinger and the Dark Man--page 149 - 216

Posting Schedule:

• September 7--The Gunslinger
• September 14--The Waystation 
• September 21--The Oracle and the Mountains
• September 30--The Slow Mutants & The Gunslinger and the Dark Man

Be aware that if you have not read to the end of the scheduled reading sections each week, there will most probably be spoilers in the discussion posts.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments or email me at 
truebookaddictATgmailDOTcom

***Note:  One of the participants had mentioned us reading The Eyes of the Dragon, which is a prelude to The Dark Tower series, and/or The Little Sisters of Eluria, which is The Dark Tower 0.5 along with this read-a-long.  Frankly, I don't really have the extra time to add them, but if you would like to, feel free.  I will link to your post(s) about them during the weekly postings.  Just let me know if you do.***

The EPIC Dark Tower Read-a-Long: Sept 2012--July 2013

Welcome to the EPIC Dark Tower Read-a-Long.  Of course, we are huge Stephen King fans.  Otherwise, we wouldn't be hosting this challenge.  I have been wanting to get to this series for years and I thought, "What better way than a read-a-long?"  And us readers love to do things in a big way, especially those of us who love read-a-thons, challenges, read-a-longs and the like.  Below I will list the monthly break down.  The really long books will be two month read-a-longs.  The week before each month starts, I will post the reading/posting schedule for the particular book we're reading that month.  I am adding a linky to this post just so I can keep up with who is participating.  Don't worry...I'm not a big stickler on rules.  If you get behind, I'm not going to turn one of SK's monsters loose on you.  ;O)  I hope you will join us! Be sure to grab the button above and spread the word!

Note:  If you've already read some of the books, feel free to jump in with the ones you haven't read, and you are welcome to join in on any of the discussions.

September--The Gunslinger, Book 1
October--The Drawing of the Three, Book 2
November--The Waste Lands, Book 3
December/January--Wizard and Glass, Book 4
February--The Wind Through the Keyhole, Book 4.5
March/April--Wolves of the Calla, Book 5
May--Song of Susannah, Book 6
June/July--The Dark Tower, Book 7

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The EPIC Dark Tower Read-a-Long

Details coming soon!!!

May, June, July--Mini-Challenge

Our new mini-challenge is described below.  The prize for this round is a surprise! It will be revealed at the end of the mini-challenge.  I love surprises, don't you?

Mini-Challenge Details:
Read one book per month in the three month period.  You must pick a book that contains the quote listed.  (If you have read them all, please leave me a comment and I will come up with a longer list)  You will get three entries in the giveaway, if you read the three books required.  If anyone reads more than three books, they will get one extra entry for each book over the required three read.

Pick your books from these quotes:

“The road to hell is paved with adverbs.”
― On Writing 

“The thing under my bed waiting to grab my ankle isn't real. I know that, and I also know that if I'm careful to keep my foot under the covers, it will never be able to grab my ankle.”
― Night Shift

“Go then, there are other worlds than these.”
― The Dark Tower series, The Gunslinger (Book One)

“Humor is almost always anger with its make-up on.”
― Bag of Bones

“Time takes it all, whether you want it to or not.”
― The Green Mile

“Your hair is winter fire
January embers
My heart burns there, too.”
― It 

“Sometimes human places, create inhuman monsters.”
― The Shining

“The place where you made your stand never mattered. Only that you were there...and still on your feet.”
― The Stand

“Hearts can break. Yes, hearts can break. Sometimes I think it would be better if we died when they did, but we don't.”
― Hearts in Atlantis

“Dolls with no little girls around to mind them were sort of creepy under any conditions.”
― Desperation

“No one ever does live happily ever after, but we leave the children to find that out for themselves.”
― The Dark Tower series, Wolves of the Calla (Book Five)

“...there's no harm in hoping for the best as long as you're prepared for the worst.”
― Different Seasons

“I'm having a magenta day. Not just red, but magenta!”
― Needful Things

“A coward judges all he sees by what he is.”
― The Dark Tower series, The Dark Tower (Book Seven)

“It was like drowning, only from the inside out.”
― The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

“Talent is a wonderful thing, but it won't carry a quitter. ”
― Duma Key

“She can't help it,' he said. 'She's got the soul of a poet and the emotional makeup of a junkyard dog.”
― Under the Dome

“It's a long way back to Eden, Sweetheart, so don't sweat the small stuff.”
― Insomnia

“Sometimes dead is better”
― Pet Sematary

“I believe most people are essentially good. I know that I am. It's you I'm not entirely sure of.”
― Full Dark, No Stars

“You're dead, George. You just don't have the sense to lie down.”
― The Dark Half

“Late last night and the night before, tommyknockers, tommyknockers knocking on my door. I wanna go out, don't know if I can 'cuz I'm so afraid of the tommyknocker man.”
― The Tommyknockers

“When all else fails, give up and go to the library.”
― 11/22/63

“He was a romantic in his own harsh way…yet he was also realist enough to know that some times love actually did conquer all.”
― The Dark Tower series, The Drawing of the Three (Book Two)

“If anyone ever asks you what panic is, now you can tell them: an emotional blank spot that leaves you feeling as if you've been sucking on a mouthful of pennies.”
―  Gerald's Game

The review link up is located in the tab at the top of the blog.

If you have any questions, please leave me a comment or email me at truebookaddict AT gmail DOT com.  

Introducing The Stephen King Challenge!

*Challenge sign-up linky is located at the bottom of the post*

As far as I could determine, there are no other Stephen King challenges (yearly or perpetual) going on now. I know that Book Geek blog was hosting a perpetual challenge at one time, but I checked her blog and she has not been active since January of 2011 (hope everything is okay with her).  I'm assuming that the challenge is no longer active.  If I'm mistaken, feel free to let me know.

So...my friend Kate and I (Read 2 Review) were talking about doing a project together and we decided to host a Stephen King reading challenge! Since Stephen King has such a huge list of books, we decided to make this a perpetual challenge.  I know, I know...you're thinking "perpetual?  I never get motivated to complete perpetual challenges."  Well, don't worry.  We are going to have mini-challenges throughout the year with prizes and we will also have read-a-longs during the year as well.  Kate had the idea for our first read-a-long...to read Carrie during prom season.  Clever, right?! As far as the mini-challenges go, the first one will begin at the official start of this challenge, which is February 1, 2012, and the prize will be a brand new hard cover copy of Stephen King's newest novel, 11/22/63! The mini-challenge schedule will work as follows:

Feb | March | April -- mini-challenge
May | June | July -- mini-challenge
Aug | Sept | Oct -- mini-challenge
Nov | Dec -- free months

*November and December are free/non-mini-challenge months due to most of us being so busy during the holiday season.

The first mini-challenge will be to read books within certain themes.  You will choose three themes and read three books that will fit each of the themes during the three month mini-challenge period.  If you complete the three themed reads, you will be entered in the giveaway for the book, 11/22/63.  A bonus entry will be given to any person who reads a fourth book that fits within the fourth left over theme.

Examples:

Fantasy/Post-Apocalyptic
i.e. The Stand, any book from the Gunslinger series, Under the Dome, The Eyes of the Dragon, The Talisman (with Peter Straub), Black House (with Peter Straub), 11/22/63

Ghosts/Hauntings
i.e. The Shining, Bag of Bones, Duma Key, It, Insomnia

Creatures--supernatural (werewolves, vampires, demons/devils, zombies, etc.) or other type (animals, aliens, etc.)
i.e. Salem's Lot, Needful Things, Cycle of the Werewolf, The Eyes of the Dragon, Dreamcatcher, Pet Sematary, Cell, Cujo, It, The Tommyknockers

the mind--psychic, psychological, possession, abuse, etc.
i.e. Misery, The Green Mile, Dolores Claiborne, Rose Madder, Carrie, Gerald's Game, The Dark Half, The Dead Zone, Desperation, The Regulators

You can also earn a bonus entry if you read a book of King short stories.  The books of short stories are clearly marked in the list of King works listed below in the footer of the blog.

To summarize:

• Official start date is February 1, 2012 and lasts...forever! LOL! Stop when you've read all of King's books, could be two years from now, could be five years.  Take a break any time or stop when you've had enough (although I'll never have enough of SK).
• Choose three themes from the list and read one book within each theme during the three month mini-challenge period (Feb., March, April) to receive one entry in the giveaway.
• For a bonus entry, choose one book in the left over theme and read it during the three month period.
• You can also receive a bonus entry if you read a book of SK short stories (you do not have to read the fourth themed book to get this entry).   
• There will be a mini-challenge review page for you to link up your reviews.  This will be the method we use to keep track of who completes the mini-challenge (and who earns the bonus entries).  If you don't have a blog that you review books on, you can link to your reviews on Goodreads or leave your thoughts about the books in the comments (I will allow comments on the review page).

Giveaway rules:  The winner will be chosen via random.org and must be a resident of the U.S.  If the winner is not a U.S. resident, we will purchase the Stephen King book of your choice (under $10) from Better World Books (they ship free internationally) and have it shipped to you.  This book will quite possibly be a gently used book.

The goal of this challenge is to, ultimately, read all of Stephen King's books.  I have posted the complete list of his works in the footer section below.  If you would like to embark on this journey with us, please sign-up in the linky below.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact myself or Kate.  Contact information can be found in the 'About' page.