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  1. The Walkin Dudemar

    Why did Straker even mention Barlow at all?

    I am re-reading Salem's Lot now after many, many years. Last time I read it was as a middle-schooler a few months after the 1979 miniseries came out. I am really enjoying the mood of it and I think I am picking up a lot more this time than I did as a kid. One thing that makes me wonder is why...
  2. The Walkin Dudemar

    Astounding facts about Nick's reading material from chapter 50.

    "As he sat there with his felt-tip pens and paper, one of these books sat on the desk beside his right hand--Set This House on Fire, by William Styron." Set This House on Fire is a 1960 novel by William Styron. I have never read this book, but lately, I like to trace literary references made...
  3. The Walkin Dudemar

    Re-reading for the 3rd or 4th time. I am noticing a real sense of scornful disgust for poor people. And Frannie is very hateful.

    I read the chapter about Norm Bruett and his wife last night. Wow, King really sticks it in and twists it with his portrayal of them as poor white trash. From Norm's constant racist thoughts to Lila's misspelled note and her awed appreciation of Sally Hodge's paint-by-number art. Almost...
  4. The Walkin Dudemar

    What is it about King books that makes them so readable?

    I read a lot of books by many authors in a wide variety of genres. I usually finish a book in about a week or two depending on the length. Not Stephen King books, though. His books, even the huge door-stoppers like It, get done in one or two days, absolute maximum four. There are authors...
  5. The Walkin Dudemar

    Big questions about the basic premise of The Institute: MAJOR SPOILER ALERT

    WARNING! READING FURTHER WILL TOTALLY SPOIL THE NOVEL FOR YOU. TURN BACK NOW IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED IT! I am very confused about the reasoning behind the operation of The Institute. So here is what I understood: The Institute protects the world from apocalyptic threats. It does...
  6. The Walkin Dudemar

    Randall Flagg / Grand Old Flag ... ?

    Given SK's political stance, I am wondering if the name of Randall Flagg is not a pun based on the famous patriotic song "You're a Grand Old Flag". I postulate that King was making a secret dig at American patriotic attitudes, here. Randall Flagg, Grand Old Flag. If you say them both real...
  7. The Walkin Dudemar

    Apt Pupil - Why Dussander/Denker never says Todd's name

    It is noted several times, particularly by Rubber Ed French, that Dussander/Denker never once refers to Todd by name. Interestingly enough, and perhaps providing a reason, the German word for death happens to be "tod".
  8. The Walkin Dudemar

    Not finished this one yet but if I was writing it... (Spoiler Alert)

    I would make Ennis Rafferty return someday from wherever he had been taken, either totally insane, or physically transformed into something repulsive or both. Not sure if this will happen later in the book, so please don't spoil it for me!
  9. The Walkin Dudemar

    Blockade Billy Mistake

    Great story, but on page 312 it says this about Billy: "He had blond hair, just like a plowboy should..." and on 340: we learn he had "...blue eyes, dark hair..."
  10. The Walkin Dudemar

    Is the first A in Calla a long a or a short a?

    Do you say Cah-la or Caw-la?
  11. The Walkin Dudemar

    The main factor that makes this the scariest movie ever:

    The music. Wendy Carlos's synth themes are frightening enough, but when the Penderecki stuff comes on, with those chanting ritualistic choruses and the jangling, discordant instruments, my bowels loosen and my blood runs cold. Kubrick's customary impersonal sterility adds a lot as well, but...
  12. The Walkin Dudemar

    Very engrossing, but all in all it's a combo of... (Possible Spoilers)

    These are the previous works that came to mind when reading Under the Dome: The Simpsons Movie (everyone says this) Peyton Place (much like Salem's Lot, small town intrigue plays a huge role) Jack Reacher novels (Not only does Reacher play an offscreen role but Barbie the government...
  13. The Walkin Dudemar

    Anyone notice a lot of thematic overlap in recent King novels?

    I just read Doctor Sleep and Revival and now am reading Under the Dome back to back. I notice a lot of overlapping themes and motifs and phrases that turn up repeatedly. Extremely so between DS and Revival. Dan Torrance and Jamie Morton almost seem interchangeable at times and shortly after...
  14. The Walkin Dudemar

    The Busheys: Husband and wife, and possibly also cousins?

    A minor point, but on page 629 when Thurston mispronounces Sammy Bushey's surname, she doesn't "bother to correct him or tell him that in grade school the boys had called her Bushey the Tushie." So did she marry Phil "Chef" Bushey in grade school, or are they related by blood, (They are drug...