It has been a long time since I have read Stephen King's older books, so I decided it was time to start over....

Since I read these books upon their release (which was some time ago) I noticed that the intensity with which King has come to be known to write with seems to be missing. There was also another factor in my decision to rate these works at a lower level then I would have rated them at the time of their release....the movie adaptation. Over the years I have forgotten the actual story as it had been written and closer associated each with the movie adaptation. (I have seen each of the movie adaptations on several occasions.)

Reading King's older works makes me feel that I have grown and matured with the writer, maybe I have.....

Carrie was a solid 4 for me, the articles and such that kept being used to interrupt the narrative was a little jarring sometimes. The story overall was really great.

Salem’s lot was such a unique and great way to do a vampire story. It hooked me early and kept me on the line all the way to the very end.

The Shining, was so creepy and so well written. The descent into madness by the exploitation of a fathers issues with alcohol, even when none is around, was a great way to write a ghost story. As of writing this review it is currently my favorite of his books and I will be starting doctor sleep soon as I need to know more.

Carrie- what a difference from the movie. really eye opening in regards to character’s feelings. I enjoyed the breakdown of chapters, from being interviews in magazines back to the actual story.

Salem’s Lot- such a good story! I don’t like vampires, but this was a really refreshing new way to look at them.

The Shining- woooow. again, such a difference from the movie. so much more character depth and building. it makes the movie look like one of those “poorly describe the summary of a book” memes!

I do NOT like scary stuff, let's be clear...but I needed to read something scary for book club, and who better than "the king" (see what I did there?) to select a book from this genre?

So I only read 'Salem's Lot from this trilogy, but since I did in fact read it out of a book that contained all three, I figured I'd use this cover...okay, fine, while that IS actually true, the real reason I used this cover is because the cover from the actual stand-alone 'Salem's Lot was too scary for me!

Fun fact: I discovered while reading this book that, while I CAN NOT WATCH scary things, I can READ them! What a master writer Mr. King is...man, that guy can weave a tale! While I have zero desire to watch the TV adaptation coming out next month on this book (despite my friend trying to force me to), but this one was worth the READ!