1408

Everyone knows how good Stephen King is at personal franchising. His books have crossed to film, television , the stage, comic books; his short stories appear in innumerable "Best of" collections, anthologies; he has a regular backpage column in Entertainment Weekly - he's even written a book about writing books. Even though it seems like every other Stephen King creation has been adapted for another platform, it doesn't mean that those are necessarily the best bets for reading. I watched 1408 recently on a weekend back home and didn't even realize it was a Stephen King. Not until the movie's end credits did it come to me: The collection of short stories I have sitting on my shelf, Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales was the reason why the plotline seemed so familiar.

1408 the movie was chilling, twisty, so strange at times that you'll find yourself making expressions of disbelief even in a room by yourself. The story in Stephen King's book is also frightening, but somehow makes more sense as it goes way more in depth in terms of the whos and whats. You'll sympathize with both, but in the end it was some of the other more compelling stories in Everything's Eventual that sticks in my memory: for some great fireside, then sleep-with-the-lights-on little morsels of horror, check out "Autopsy Room 4," "The Man in the Black Suit," the title piece "Everything's Eventual" and the cover illustration "Lunch at the Gotham Cafe." King's style lets you get a few chuckles in as well, for comic relief.

By the way, my theory is that you'll know when you've made it when your name appears 3x + as big as the title on your book cover. A la Nora Roberts, Anne Rice, V.C. Andrews, John Irving, David Baldacci, and our very own Stephen King.

currently drinking: Domaine Saint-Damien Corbieres 2003
currently listening: Let It Be by The Beatles from my neighbor's karaoke

xoxo,
Claire