Wednesday, December 28, 2011

My Favorite Stephen King Audiobooks

If you are a listener of the Stephen King Fancast, you already know that I prefer audiobooks over books. I find that, when I'm reading, my mind tends to wander and I end up re-reading a lot of passages and still don't fully under the story once I have finished the book. When I listen to the audiobook, I am enthralled and allowed to play the mind movie game, which is my favorite part about books, while still grasping the story. That being said, I recently got an email from someone who wanted to get into listening to audiobooks and they were asking what a good place to start would be. That got me thinking about this topic, and I wanted to put up a post about what my favorite Stephen King audiobooks are, and why.

This is a tough topic for me to cover, because there are qualities of the audiobook (reader, tempo, etc.) that have no bearing on the story but add a sense of gravitas that outweighs the story, in a way. As an example, I will say that anyone that has listened to Frank Muller read an audiobook, will probably admit that they would gladly listen to him describing disturbing fetish porn, in great detail, and love every minute of the reading. He is VERY good! I actually had to attempt to exclude some books from this list, simply because they are read by Frank Muller, and I would be biased towards them. This wouldn't be a very good list if it were just, "The first four Dark Tower's and Black House" as a Top 5. So I am trying to give a fair assessment in the interest of great story tellers, telling great stories. I am also basing my assessment on the idea that you haven't really listened to a lot of audiobooks, and would like some variety to try out. One quality that all of the readers listed here share, is just being a great reader. You ever see a movie in which the actors are overdoing the role and ruining it in the process? A great actor makes you believe that they actually are the character they are portraying. The same can be said about a person that isn't good at reading aloud, if not done well, you can just mess the whole thing up.

As River Song would say, *SPOILERS* My number one is not, actually, a Dark Tower Book. Well... I guess that could be argued.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

The Stephen King Fancast is Available on Stitcher Podcast Radio

For those of you that are unaware of Stitcher, I want to take a minute to tell you about the service and how it works. Stitcher is an app for mobile devices (Android phones and tablets, iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch or BlackBerry) that allows you to stream podcasts from the app. No downloading, just fire up the app and start listening to podcasts! I am super stoked to be affiliated with Stitcher, and that the podcast is available on this fine service! Should you be interested in checking out the podcast without bothering with subscribing on iTunes, Zune or via an RSS reader then you can download the app by either clicking on the link below or by scanning the QR Code below with a barcode scanner app on your phone! When you hit the link or scan the code with your phone, it will take you to Stitcher's app download page. You will see the option to enter a promo code, and if you enter the code "STEPHENKINGFAN" then the Stephen King Fancast will automatically be added to your favorites list and your mobile device will ping you whenever a new episode is posted! That's not all though, entering the code will also enter you into a drawing to win a $100 cash card from Stitcher!

Little much all at once? That's OK, I'll break it down a little simpler. Here's how you listen to the Stephen King Fancast on your mobile device with Stitcher:
  1. Click the link or scan the code below
  2. Enter "STEPHENKINGFAN" in the promo code box
  3. Enter your email address in the box provided
  4. Click "Get Download Link" and the app will be emailed to your phone
  5. Click the "Install" link to download the free app
I just went through and did it now to make sure everything is working and I was listening to the show on my iPhone in less than two minutes. There are tons of great podcasts available on Stitcher, so it will be worth your time.

Get started on Stitcher by clicking the link or scanning the code below!

Stephen King Fancast on Stitcher

Posted by @alloy_matt

Online Book Club to Discuss Stephen King's "11/22/63"

I recently stumbled upon an online book club called the Pioneer Page Turners. The book club was founded by published author, Laura Enright, and just got up and running. I went over to the blog and saw some interesting discussion on the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Issacson, which is a book I just finished not long ago. In an email conversation I shared with Laura, she stated that she started the online book club because, "... a digital book club is convenient for those people who might not be able to attend a book discussion physically." I agree whole heartedly and feel like that is what the internet is for, and was my thinking on starting this blog and podcast.

The Pioneer Page Turners online book club will be doing a live chat, book discussion on "11/22/63"  on their blog. The live chat discussion will begin on January 5, 2012 at 7 p.m. Central Time. I am hoping to be done with the book myself before then so I can partake in this event as well. This book club could be great, especially if King isn't the only thing you read. I hope they cover Chris Hardwick's "The Nerdist Way" in a future discussion, because I just finished that book and really enjoyed it!

Purchase "11/22/63": Hardcover | iBooks | Kindle | Audible | iTunes

Posted By @alloy_matt

Friday, December 23, 2011

Joe Hill's "Locke & Key" Comic Nominated for Best Comic of 2011 by IGN

Teaser trailer for IGN's Best of 2011 Awards

As a comic book fan, I really enjoy Joe Hill's "Locke & Key" series. I get them in THB (that means Trade HardBack, for all you non-comic nerds) as soon as they come out. As a Joe Hill fan and a Stephen King fan, I am pleased to say that "Locke & Key" has been nominated for IGN's Best of 2011 Awards! Take a minute to head over to IGN's site and give "Locke & Key" your votes!

VOTE HERE

Purchase "Locke & Key" THB on Amazon: Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft | Vol. 2: Head Games | Vol. 3: Crown of Shadows | Vol. 4: Keys to the Kingdom

Help Us Raise Funds for a New Stephen King Fan Experience

Posted By @alloy_matt