Sweeties, Pies and Ginger

I'm a massive Stephen King fan, I've been reading his books for over twenty years. I can remember one of the first books I bought, it was in a book shop in Dunfermline that's no longer there. My Mum didn't want me to buy it, but the lady behind the counter said her husband read them and they were fine.

I can remember buying the first Dark Tower book from James Thin on George Street in Edinburgh, another book shop that isn't there any more, I think it's a Waterstone's now. I can remember thinking that it didn't look like any of the other Stephen King books I had, with it's pastel shades and glossy pictures.

I can remember being well impressed that I'd got one with First Publication on it; I was still impressed when I got a copy of the second volume with First Publication on it as well. If you are a follower of the Dark Tower, I don't need to tell you of the gaps between books, it's like a junkies worst nightmare, you need your next fix, but you don't know when it's coming. But even worse, you think you're over your addiction until the next volume come out, then you're hook, line and sinker, all over again.

So it was with a bit of relief that he finally got his finger out and finished the tale. The final three books all came out with out too much of a gap between them. I bought the final instalment last November, but just couldn't bring myself to read it. I had to go back to the beginning and start from scratch, I felt I'd forgotten too much of what had happened.

Unfortunately for me I lent my first Dark Tower book to Sharon Pearson when we were still at High School. I never did get it back, but then I've got her Mum's copy of Skeleton Crew somewhere. So I bought the revised edition of the first book and earlier this year started reading them from the beginning.

I'm now just over half way through the final book, I would have posted this earlier, but the was issues with my web site hoster that meant this site has been inaccessible for the last few days. I've found myself reading till the early hours and getting up in the mornings and instead of going training, sitting on the couch reading before work. I'm totally hook, line and sinker all over again, but this time it's not long until it's over and part of me is sad.