Alex

Great narration!!

Revisado: 03-25-25

I was scared to have a new narrator. After Frank Muller, who did the first 3 books, was no longer able to carry on, I couldn’t imagine someone else filling his shoes. George Guidall does an exceptional job here. He imbues every character with emotion, be it love or rage. Constantly Readers will not be disappointed.

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Amazing narration!! A story with heart.

Revisado: 01-27-24

I usually read Stephen King, rather than listen to the audiobook versions. On an emotional, intellectual, and enjoyment level, I just get more out of the experience. My exception to this norm is when Will Patton narrates. With Christine, I’ve found another narrator/reader that I absolutely love. Holter Graham elevated this book so much that I couldn’t stop listening. He imbued each character with so much inflection, sincerity, and heart. I believed every word, felt each syllable. Graham gave each character their own voice, their own unique rhythm. Like music consisting of whole, half, quarter, and eighth notes, his narration was a dynamic symphony of staccatos, crescendos, varied time signatures, and key changes. Graham’s performance was/is masterful. He’s a maestro to King’s virtuoso of words. The two of them took me on a fantastical, imaginative journey through the supernatural, an allegorical trip of what it’s like to live with darkness in one’s soul and how to reach for the light instead of letting that darkness consume you. Resplendent story, resplendent performance!

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An AHMAZING ride!

Revisado: 05-11-23

Loved Mr. Spike’s story. His ascension from a young Texas boy to a major player in the entertainment history, shows that grit, determination, and integrity…and faith can make dreams come true.

There was a lot of celebrity name dropping in this book, but it did not come off as bragging to me, mostly because of Mr. Spike’s sense of humility. I felt like he often serendipitously found himself in the presence of greatness and his reactions were much like how I would also personally react. Honestly, if Stevie Wonder were to ever walk by me, I would be completely starstruck and wouldn’t be able to make a coherent sentence. Yet, Mr. Spikes always seemed quite appreciative and respectful to everyone around him, people of power and notoriety, as well as, ordinary folks like myself.

I came to this book mostly because I wanted to know the inside story about MoviePass. I got all that and so much more. The MoviePass story had so much drama, so many highs and lows, so many heroes and villains, it could’ve easily have been a movie in itself.

Mr. Spikes does a fine job of narrating his own story. I was never bored, but rather always engaged and intrigued. The only thing that (sort of) annoyed me was his pronunciation of the word, festival. He always pronounced it like fes-ti-bull, with a hard B. I possess some OCD and grammar police issues, so I realize that this little nitpick is my problem, not his.

I truly loved Mr. Spikes mission for creating environments of diversity, opening opportunities for people of color, and recognizing the positive impact his work has on entire communities, and instilling pride within those rich cultural communities.

A great read! An amazing story!

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Could’ve done without the music

Revisado: 11-02-22

Great stories. Willem Dafoe’s reading of The Langoliers was simply amazing.

Ken Howard’s voice character interpretations were quite annoying at times. Thankfully the writing was so good that I was able to get past how annoying they were at times. I was also a bit shocked and triggered by some of the subject matter in The Library Policeman. Non-supernatural horrors, like child rape, make me feel absolutely gutted. Readers be warned.

I had never heard of Tim Sample, yet I truly enjoyed his reading of The Sun Dog. The way his voice characterized Pop Merrill was quite excellent.

The weakest link in this collection of short stories was Secret Window. James Woods’ performance left me feeling flat throughout the entire story. Ironically, I picked up this book specifically for Secret Window and it ended up being my least favorite of the four.

Music was added here and there in each story for atmospheric effect, yet it wasn’t needed or wanted. I felt like this soundtrack was distracting, signaling me on how I should feel. Other than for intros and outros, producers and directors of audiobooks should refrain from using these musical devices. They’re manipulative and insulting to the listeners intelligence.

Overlooking the music and the uneven performances, I truly enjoyed this book and I would recommend it, especially for anyone that is a “Constant Reader.”

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Thoroughly enjoyable!

Revisado: 03-31-22

King’s writing has always connected with me and with Joyland, I went along for the ride and enjoyed every word. I was whisked away on an emotional journey as I followed the main character recalling his summer of love, heartbreak, triumph, and murder, all at the tender age of 21. I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say that my heartstrings got pulled with a tenderness and care that only Stephen King can deliver.

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I wanted to like it

Revisado: 03-17-21

Based on its pedigree alone, I truly wanted to like this piece. The author and the narrator are both artists that I admire for their previous work, yet this book left me cold. Perhaps it was the reading and delivery that disappointed me the most. It’s truly void of any dynamics. I felt like I was in a high school English class again where the class had to read aloud and as each student took their turn reading, they would just ineffectually read the words. There wasn’t any inhabiting of character, no acting involved, no inflection of emotion. Just blah blah blah, like Charlie Brown’s teacher. I wanted to like this story, but I was truly disappointed.

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What a wild and crazy ride!

Revisado: 12-31-20

The story of how Purple Rain came to be, how it impacted not only Prince himself, but his family, his band mates, producers, directors, record execs, rock culture, society at large, and individuals like you and me, is a fantastic story.

I’m also blown away that the writer was traveling around with Prince, a full member of the entourage, and he was only 17 years old. As an intern writer at Rolling Stone magazine, this kid was in the middle of it all. The book recounts his experience, it takes us back to the 80’s and 90’s MTV phenomenon, and in doing so, it becomes a commentary on the platitudes and vicissitudes of race relations, of the sexual revolution, of American politics, and how we all traversed through the landscapes of that time. For a high school senior, just on the verge of entering college, this writer did an amazing job documenting it all, to the point that when it wrote this book as an adult, the story seems
to live and breathe on its own.

This book is such a loving tribute to Prince, the movie, the music, and the times. Expertly narrated as well. I highly recommend.

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Legendary: The Man, The Entertainer, & His Story

Revisado: 12-08-20

What a fantastic story, a story that could only be told by the man that lived it. Many of the Motown stories have been historically documented and told, but to hear it firsthand, in Smokey’s own words and in his own voice, I felt transported into greatness. If you’re a fan of Smokey’s music, this book is a must-listen-to production. My only wish is that it was longer and that it didn’t have to end.

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Totally enjoyable

Revisado: 12-07-20

King and Straub are in top form here. The quest for the talisman seems very Tolkien inspired, complete with epic battles, characters that we come to love, magical creatures, and a scope that sometimes doesn’t feel like it will end, and you don’t even want it to.

A couple of things unnerved me. The depiction of gays as effeminate, perverted, and/or predatory was cringey. Also, using the N-word when describing Black characters was something that also found cringe worthy. When the book was originally written, I probably wouldn’t have flinched. Now, as a man whose ideas have matured and evolved since that time, I’m sensitive to diversity issues. These depictions were signs of the times they were written in and when the story takes place, so that sense, and from a historical perspective, I was able to accept them. Plus, they were brief and not truly central to the story.

Generally, I liked the narration. Frank Muller can sometimes be a little too extreme in his characterizations, like an actor chewing the scenery. I appreciated that his cadence was fast because at over 28 hours, there was a lot of book to cover, but it also kept me engaged and interested. He’s a narrator that I would definitely come back to.

A great story, great characters, magic, and an epic journey. I really enjoyed it. I’m planning to read the sequel, Black House, next.

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Bored to Tears

Revisado: 11-29-20

As a HUGE Stephen King fan and a Constant Reader, I really wanted to love “Lisey’s Story,” but I just couldn’t get into it. King has been quoted as saying that of all his works, that this novel is his favorite. For that reason and that it was billed as a love story with a twist, I felt like something wonderful was going to happen...but it never did.

The way this story was structured, King takes us through a journey of memories and flashbacks, often bouncing around in time and place without exposition, without description of what was happening and why it was happening. This structure kept me on shaking ground, in a constant state of dazed and confused.

Keeping the faith, I pushed on, hoping that all my confusion would dissipate (like it did while reading “Life of Chuck,” for those of you that have enjoyed “If It Bleeds”). The epiphany that I was waiting for never came. After getting through more than 80% of the book, in my desperation, I broke down and Googled plot summaries.

Billed as a love story, I was hoping to be gifted with epic loves like that of Susan Delgado and Roland Deschain in “Wizard & Glass.” Or like Sadie Dunhill and Jake Epping in “11/22/63.” Or like King’s true life love story with his wife, Tabitha, depicted in his non-fictional book, “On Writing.” Lisey’s love story was boring af, it lacked substance, it lacked depth.

The threadbare existence of the Zac McCool character was the only shining light in this book.

I found Mare Winningham’s reading to be lackluster, monotone, and without emotion. The inflection in her character voicings often made it difficult for me to distinguish character from character, especially when in conversations between the sisters. They all sounded the same.

I could go on and on with reasons why I disliked this book, but I’d be beating a dead horse. I don’t recommend this book at all. In fact, I was bored to tears and I discourage anyone from reading it.

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