I read a lot (most) King voraciously for a long long time. I found I really enjoyed the way a lot of them were interrelated, particularly (maybe almost exclusively) the Dark Tower tie ins - for me, there were many "a-ha" moments where characters or concepts return (Everything's Eventual is a great example).

There's this obsessive sort of branching that gives me the feeling the DT story has been gnawing at his consciousness just about forever.

With that in mind, the short works feel more like a pressure relief valve.

"Yes, yes, yes DT, my master, my muse, I will write more about you soon, but let me scratch a couple itches and take a breath once in a while, 'kay?"

(PS - Needful Things is great, and a lot of it is short-storyish feeling, as the individual characters' backstories are sketched out)

I get this syndrome rarely, when I'm working through something that I'm sort of nonplussed with (I only read one at a time, and have never been one to stop reading once I start).

Recently I read The Other Emily (Koontz, because it was free on Amazon and I thought, hey, sometimes I like his books). By about midpoint >!(when it kind of jumps genres about four times)!< I started thinking, "well, this isn't outright horrible, but I'd sure rather be reading ... something else."

In this case, the something else was Children of Time (Tchaikovsky) and let me tell you what. Not thinking I'd rather be reading something else.

... okay, the book isn't "IN" the hot tub. A few inches above it.

(typed that in case I was in for a literati linguistics lesson)

In case you weren't trying to trick me (almost did), I put a little tape over the edges of the cover where I hold it open. The humidity isn't really an issue; outside it dissipates easily.

Sauna's a little tougher, but I'm not in there often or very long.

oh-ho, but you presume I have a good phone (maybe) and that I could read a book on it if I did (no chance with these old peepers). I'd have to buy an e-reader, and I suspect I'd cheap out there too (sense a trend) and wind up sad.

Drop a book in the tub? Yell "oh dammit" and squeeze as much water out as possible.

Whelp, looks like I'da been 15 or so when Misery came out (mom kept me well-supplied). And the stark believable no-nonsense way the torture was described was just too damn much for me.

Have not read PS in a zillion years, and reading this:

https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/Wendigo_(Stephen_King)

"The Wendigo is a supporting antagonist in the Stephen King Mythos, appearing as an unseen minor antagonist in the novella, The Body, the overarching antagonist of Pet Sematary and the main antagonist of The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. "

Makes me think it might be worth revisiting. And not sure I ever read The Girl...

I only read physical copies - I spend too much time looking at screens already. I also tend to read in the hot tub or sauna, neither of which are probably great for electronics (in spite of manufacturer protestations).

Long time King fan (haven't read *everything*, but damn near), and Misery creeped me out so bad I barely finished it. That's a hard nope for me on the books to re-read.