The Stand: The Life and Times of a First Time Kindle User

OK, so I am now 20% through The Stand. When you read with a Kindle, you no longer know what "page" you're on, because you can read at any font you want, so instead it goes by percentage. At first I thought I might have problems with that, but in actuality I like it a lot better. I have always been one of those readers who has had a hard time not being preoccupied with the length of something (snicker, snicker). While I do really like reading long bodies of writing, I still find myself examining how much longer until the end of the chapter, or section, or book, etc. Reading with a Kindle devise takes all that drama away. It is refreshing to read something as massive as The Stand, and not feel overwhelmed by the length of it. I know I am at 20%, but I don't "feel" the 80% that is left to read. It gives me the real opportunity to enjoy the book fully, and not have to worry about anything else. I know that that sounds silly, but there it is. I have had the "Kindle Debate" with a couple of friends, who are also avid readers. Many are against the idea of not having a physical book to sink into. I totally understand that apprehension, because I too love the feel of a book, the smell of the pages, and so forth. While the Kindle does have a different feel, it does not detract from the enjoyment of the story in any way. I love how my hand doesn't ever get tired, I don't have to worry about adjusting my position as I turn pages, and the lighting is constant. I really feel that I can read for longer periods, with less of the typical things that cause me to get tired after awhile. I know I sound like an advertisement for Kindle, but what can I say. I really love the thing!

Anyway, enough about the Kindle. Now onto the real subject of discussion, the masterpiece that is The Stand: I love this book so much. I've read it once before, and am so happy to read it again. I have only ever read the "uncut" version that came out in 1990, though. I did have some debate with myself as to whether or not I should track down the original version to read now, and then read the uncut version later, but then I thought better of it. After all, SK himself claims that the uncut version is how he had originally intended it, and that is good enough for me. But I would love feedback from anyone who has read both versions, as to what your take is. But either way, I'm sure the characters are just as colorful, and the story is just as well thought out. I am amazed by how each character is so well written. So much so that you really start to feel like you know them personally. At about 200 "pages", even though the story is still introducing all of the main characters, it does not feel like "introduction", because the story flows so well.

The other thing that SK does so well, is that he paints such a gruesomely realistic picture of what might happen to the world if something like "Captain Trips" ever happened. All the chaos, military stupidity, governmental cover ups, and widespread panic that ensues just gives me a knot in my stomach as I read it, because I can totally see that happening. It's also kind of unsettling when you think about things like the recent "Swine Flu" epidemic. How bad is a situation really? All we know is what the papers, and the news tells us. And all of that can be so easily controlled. Not that I am paranoid about those kind of things, but it does make me wonder. Funny enough, at one point in the story, SK even mentions the Swine Flu. I had never even heard of it until recently.

Anyway, I need to get back to my reading. More to come...