When I read The Shining, I was ecstatic. Here was probably the scariest novel I had ever read, and coming on the heels of Carrie and Salem’s Lot, I anticipated having a lifetime of unbelievably good reads coming from the mind of Stephen King. The latter expectation did not come true however, and I realize I was placing the author on a pedestal of my own lofty expectations.  After all, impressions vary as to what is scary. In addition, King is only human after all, and he wouldn’t always hit it out of the park. The best baseball players are successful only 35% of the time. Why would I expect him to be in top form all of the time.  Besides, I never took into account that my 20 year old self (or however old I was when I read The Shining) would change over the years after facing new experiences - all of which would color my viewpoints and reactions to what I read. 

While King and I have had our ups and downs (and we’re currently on the ups as I’ve really enjoyed the past three or four releases), one thing has remained true and that is my perception of The Shining. It still is one of my scariest reads. I haven’t reread it in probably 25 years, however, and I’m apprehensive about doing it. So, I think I will jump right into Doctor Sleep without sitting down to The Shining first. I’ll ground this reading experience as it is occurring to the character, Danny. Evidently, this is based many decades after the incidents that took place in the Overlook Hotel. So, I will treat it the same way – experience this plot many years after experiencing the horrors at that hotel.