Thursday, May 28, 2009

Can't Poke Out Your Mind's Eye

It's that time of the week again!

Unread May 28, 2009
Filed under: Wordpress — --Deb @ 1:45 am

In the perfect follow-up to last week’s question, as suggested by C in DC:

Is there a book that you wish you could “unread”? One that you disliked so thoroughly you wish you could just forget that you ever read it?


This is an incident I'd (thankfully) almost forgotten about, but there was absolutely a case where I read something I wished I'd never even heard of for a few weeks later. It wasn't because I hated the book. It was because it terrified me.

Die-hard horror fans are going to laugh their asses of when I name the book. It was Gerald's Game by Stephen King. Generally considered to be one of his tamer books, I guess...but it wasn't to me.

I read it shortly after it came out, the summer between high school and college. And it turned me back into a little kid who thought there were monsters in the closet. I averaged about four hours of sleep a night that summer because I was seeing the freaky killer guy standing in every single shadow in my bedroom. I feel a little embarassed, thinking back on it now. But at the time, I was terrified of that guy! I kept remembering that the main character of the story kept thinking he was a delusion brought on by lack of food and water, and by panic and fear. But he turned out to be real. Maybe that suspicious shadow behind my door...?

I still steer clear of most Stephen King stuff. I think I could probably handle it now. Patricia Cornwell's Jack the Ripper: Case Closed was much more disturbing in the amount of graphic detail it contained. Sophie was also pretty creepy and disturbing. I enjoy Edgar Allen Poe and H.P Lovecraft. And what frightened me most about the films Cloverfield and The Happening was the amount of money I wasted on seeing them, and the 4+ hours of my life that I won't get back.

But I avoid Stephen King to this day, although I really liked the movie versions of Carrie and The Shining. I won't pick up one of his books. Just in case.

5 comments:

gautami tripathy said...

Except for reading one of his novellas, I have not read Stephen King. I don't think I ever will..

Booking through Unread

Melissa said...

I've only read a couple of King books. Horror generally doesn't appeal to me.

Brooke from The Bluestocking Guide said...

I've never read King. This was funny! Here is mine

Nise' said...

I used to read Stephen King, but now they scare me!

Anonymous said...

I love Steven King. I had almost every book he wrote, but gave them away. Wish I hadn't!!!