That One Stephen King Book

I left half my heart in a college dorm last weekend.

It’s my third college drop-off as a parent, and although I’ve certainly survived every time, I wouldn’t say I’ve done it gracefully just yet. If you have a young adult/college student in your life, maybe you know what I’m talking about. It’s pride and heartbreak in equal measures. Excitement and worry and about a hundred other indescribable emotions. A weighty thing.

Next fall, if all goes according to plan, I’ll be doing the same drop-off again, except I’ll also be leaving the other half of my heart in a different college dorm, both of my boys out of the nest, flying into their next life season while the hubs and I learn how to live alone together and make two-person meals — something we haven’t done in 20+ years.

Like it or not, I’m officially in empty-nest-prep season.

At times like these, it would be easy for a person to grow far too sappy, to lose her way, to flounder, to be tempted to question herself relentlessly, to give in to melancholy, or to find a great big distraction or two to ease the pain of change. (All things I admittedly have some experience with.)

At times like these, I find a few of my favorite kick-in-the-pants quotes from Eleanor Roosevelt’s great book, You Learn By Living, can help a great deal. Quotes like . . .

“A woman cannot meet adequately the needs of those who are nearest to her if she has no interests, no friends, no occupations of her own. Without them, she is in danger of becoming so dependent on her children for these things that she is apt to be equally dependent when they have left home. She may give them the uncomfortable feeling that she is languishing without their companionship and so make the time they can spend together an uneasy duty and not the pleasant occasion it should be.”

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“To be unable, because of inflexibility, to readjust to changes will result in a kind of sterility, great unhappiness, and sometimes almost a state of shock. . . nothing ever happens to us except what happens in our minds.”

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“Women have one advantage over men. Throughout history, they have been forced to make adjustments. . . Readjustment is a kind of private revolution. Each time you learn something new, you must readjust the whole framework of your knowledge.”

Honestly, I’m doing okay. A thousand times better than freshman year. I realize what a privilege college is these days, and I’m grateful to be able to leave my kiddo in a place where he gets to learn/do/become something he loves. It also helps that I like my own company and I’m excited about most of the to-dos on my list most days (and that we're only an hour and a half away from him now). And it certainly helps to have a few fulfilling personal hobbies, like reading good books.

Which brings me to this week’s good book recommendation — Stephen King’s best of all time, 11/22/63.

Before 11/22/63, I’d only read two other titles by Stephen King — On Writing (an autobiographical peek into the author’s life I loved so much that I wrote a blog about it), and Fairy Tale (a novel I thought was YA but turned out to be just a normal thriller-type book, thankfully not too scary though).

I’ve avoided all of Stephen King’s other 65+ books because, if he’s known for anything, Stephen King is known for chilling, horror-filled, scary stories. And for at least the past 25 years, I’ve been telling myself I can’t watch scary movies and I can’t read scary books. Except for those that involve sci-fi, I love sci-fi. And time travel, I love time travel. Why? Because I was part of the teenage generation that dove headlong into Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer (the original versions), and I’ve never quite recovered.

But 11/22/63 is different — it’s not scary. There’s no horror. And it’s immersed in time travel and sci-fi/fantasy elements.

This book seller's review of 11/22/63 on Libro.fm sealed the deal for me. . .

“Not only is this my favorite Stephen King book, it’s my favorite book of all time.

King effortlessly blends historical fiction, romance, and time travel to create a one of a kind experience.

Most of us have daydreamed about what past tragedy we would prevent if we had the ability to go back in time.

What none of us are asking is, what if The Past doesn’t want to be changed and fights back?

This book will have you laughing, crying and yearning for a simpler time all at once.

Despite its length, the pacing is fantastic and it never feels like a ‘long’ book.

Every word is meant to be there. I can’t recommend it enough!!”

~Lisa, Baily Books

It’s a love story.

It’s an ethics lesson.

It’s a timely gut check.

It was all of the above for me.

Also, the audio version’s narrator Craig Wasson is stellar, which, if you read on audio often, you already know is extremely important, especially if you’re going to spend 30+ hours with them. (Bad narrators cannot be tolerated!)

I’m also pretty sure this has to be “that one Stephen King book” Emily Henry references in Book Lovers, which makes it even more delicious. (I laughed out loud when I re-read Book Lovers last week and came across that line!)

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So I guess I have a couple of good books for you this week. If you need a kick in the pants like I do, read You Learn By Living. If you want a book to lose yourself in, read 11/22/63.

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This weekend, I hope you find all the good books and almost-fall goodness you can stand (if you’re a northern hemi person).

I’m going for a long walk or two with something new and extra delicious in my earbuds. . .

💛

Celeste