Book #5: Night Shift (1978)

So here we are, ready to start book #5.

I've got very high hopes for this one, as it's my first go at one of Stephen King's short story collections.  I've heard that he's often at his best when he writes short stories, and after my distaste with Rage,  I could use a little bit of awesome.

I had thought I wasn't familiar with this book at all, but perusing the story titles and I'm seeing a lot of familiar names.  While I'm pretty sure I've never read any of them, I'm aware of several by reputation.  Quitters, Inc, Children of the Corn, and Sometimes They Come Back, stand out, and Jerusalem's Lot has got to be a sequel/prequel/spinoff of Salem's Lot.  

I'm actually giddy at the prospect of returning to the world of Salem's Lot.

I don't usually do much research about a book before reading it, as I want to avoid spoilers as much as possible.  However, I did peruse wikipedia briefly and saw that stories in this book have been adapted to feature films five times, four television adaptations and well over a dozen "Dollar Baby" student films.  That's quite the legacy.

Most of these short stories were written in the decade or so prior to the publication of this collection, so I'll forgo the usual historical context, as it's probably not as applicable here.

So, lets begin.

Book #5
Night Shift
Publication date: February, 1978

Book #4: Rage (1977)

Well, four books in, and I've finally gotten to one that I am not familiar with at all.
Rage.

Well, I'm familiar with its reputation.  I know that, due to the content, King has chosen to let it go permanently out of print.  I don't know exactly why (I've chosen to not find out prior to reading) but I seem to recall it having to do with a school shooting.

So, lets get to it.


Historical Context
Publication Date: September 13, 1977
President: Jimmy Carter

World Series Winner 1977: New York Yankees over the Los Angeles Dodgers
Boston Red Sox Record 1977: 97-64

Cost of a new home:  $54,200.00  Cost of a new car:  $  Median Household Income:  $13,572.00  Cost of a first-class stamp:  $0.13  Cost of a gallon of regular gas:  $0.62  Cost of a dozen eggs:  $0.82  Cost of a gallon of Milk:  $1.68  Source Top #10 songs in the USA The Emotions - Best Of My Love Andy Gibb - I Just Want To Be Your Everything KC and the Sunshine Band - Keep It Comin' Love The Floaters - Float On Fleetwood Mac - Don't Stop James Taylor - Handy Man The Brothers Johnson - Strawberry Letter 23 Electric Light Orchestra - Telephone Line The Sanford/Townsend Band - Smoke From A Distant Fire The London Symphony Orchestra - Star Wars Main Title Source $1 in 1977 dollars = $4.06 in 2016 dollars Source

Book #3: The Shining (1977)

Next up on my list, The Shining.

I've actually had this book for ages, but never got around to reading it.  I'm very familiar with the Kubrick adaptation, which is still spellbinding and terrifying to me, and I saw the *yawn* 1997 TV miniseries staring that one guy and that girl and...zzz...

Oh.  Sorry.  Nodded off there.

So, while I've never read the book, I know what the adaptations are about.  But one of my stated purposes during this little journey is to read these novels with a fresh perspective.  So I'll do my best to forget what I think I know.

One thing that I thought, while reading Carrie and 'salem's Lot, might be helpful for me is some historical context.  I've noticed, just from the first two books, that King's writing seems to be very much a reflection of the times.  And while at least  these two books have aged very well, I choose to read them as if they were period pieces, especially since King uses times and dates in his narrative.

So, feel free to ignore this info, as this is mainly for my benefit.  I'm including some reference points for me as well as things that King himself might have been interested in, judging from what I've read so far.  Most of my information will be from the previous year, since that's presumably when King was writing.

Publication Date: January 28, 1977
A few months earlier, Stevie Wonder released his album Songs in the Key of Life
Jimmy Carter had just been sworn in as 39th President of the United States
First day of the Great Lakes Blizzard of 1977
The original Star Wars film would be released in a couple months.
Super Bowl Winner in 1976 season:  Oakland Raiders 32, Minnesota Vikings 14
World Series Winner in 1976: Cincinnati Reds over New York Yankees 4-0
Boston Red Sox record in 1976: 83-79, finishing 3rd in AL East
Red Sox Roster 1976
New England Patriots record in 1976: 11-3, second in AFC East, Lost in first round of Playoffs to Oakland Raiders
Patriots Roster 1976
Cost of a new home in 1976: $48,000.00
Median Household Income in 1976:  $12,686
Cost of a first-class stamp in 1976: $0.13
Cost of a gallon of regular gas in 1976: $0.59
Cost of a dozen eggs in 1976: $0.84
Cost of a gallon of Milk in 1976: $1.65  Source
Cost of a car in 1976: $5,418
Cost of bread in 1976: $0.30

$1 in 1976 dollars = $3.84 now Source