Welcome to Litsy!

Here‘s my review for this book I just finished reading.

Here‘s my progress in this book. It‘s not what I‘m used to reading from Stephen King. I was expecting this book to be similar to his other books that I‘ve read. I‘ve read Carrie, Christine, Misery, The Shining, Doctor Sleep and IT and I enjoyed those but this is kind of boring. It‘s sweet and sentimental but it doesn‘t feel right coming from a horror writer. Will I finish it? I don‘t know. Maybe but I‘m not having a good time reading it.

I decided to start this book. I always want to read Stephen King every Fall but I never feel like I have time to read him. This book is different from other Stephen King books I‘ve read but it‘s not bad. I‘ve read The Shining, Doctor Sleep, Carrie, Christine, Misery and IT. I liked all of those books but I still want to read more of his books.

4⭐
⬗ While nothing about this book had me super psyched, it was still a decent coming-of-age story set in the 70s. I thought Mr. King did a good job capturing that time period.
⬗ The narration by Michael Kelly was sufficient but unfortunately, his voice was so pleasant that I found it easy to tune him out.

#gladstones24 ☀️☀️☀️(but also 🥶)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A very strange coming of age story. Devin, desperate to overcome heartache, takes a job at Joyland to distract his mind and body. Surrounded by eccentric characters, he finds himself immersed in an unsolved murder. Though mystical elements come into play, this is not “typical” King, which is evident by the Hard Case Crime imprint. Devin is a fab narrator and I enjoyed getting to “know” him. A fun October #bookclub pick! #coverlove

1. Couldn‘t resist seasonal pumpkin ice cream sandwiches!
2. A LOT OF LIBRARY BOOKS WAITING FOR ME
3. Lunch with two best friends at Mad Rooster in Racine WI
4. Forgot to take picture of ginormous egg white veggie frittata we shared, but here‘s their amazing fruit salad
5. Still able to sit outside at restaurants as weather is sensational

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii

#5JoysFriday @DebinHawaii
1. Picking blueberries and raspberries…
2. …while listening to a fun new podcast
3. New running shoes
4. Charcuterie board class with my daughter
5. Another great book by Joyce Maynard
6. Bonus. A seemingly grumpy library regular told me a joke!

Everyone tagged, please share some joy, it‘s Friday!!

@DebinHawaii #5JoysFriday - it‘s a staycation week and it has been so good, a week that allows me to go back to work with a full heart on Monday🩷 and it‘s only Friday!! Have a wonderful weekend readers! Please tell me what brought you joy this week.

#5JoyFriday @DebinHawaii
1. Planting seeds from a friend and creating a spot with things to remember my mom including one of her gazing balls.🩷
2. Pedicure with my dearest pal.
3. Sitting on the deck with a book
4. New library friends
5. Dinner with my dad

#5joysfriday
@DebinHawaii
Jenny Lawson does a craft night on zoom once every few months for subscribers to her Fantastic Strangelings” book club.
My son and fam are going to Rome, Greece, Turkey and Malta!
Always great to have my sister closer again.

It's always the surprises we remember most, and Joyland was, for me, the epitome of an unanticipated gem hiding in King's canon. While I certainly enjoyed King's first foray into the world of Hard Case Crime, Joyland is miles beyond that first effort. Engaging and likable characters, a unique setting, a compelling mystery, and a touch of the supernatural combine to make this an unforgettable ride. 5/5

I finished this tonight and came straight here just to share how much I enjoyed it.

This one does have a slower pace, but it flows so smoothly from lightly reminiscent, to tense, to depths of emotion I found surprising. The characters were relatable and the plot went in unexpected directions. And the ending left me emotionally drained in a ball on my couch... but in a good way.

Overall, I really liked this one and would definitely recommend it

This was not quite what I expected and in my opinion could have been better. But not truly bad, just not amazing as I hoped. I'm waivering between a pick and a so-so, but I'll give the benefit of the doubt.
TBR since 6-8-2023; 285 pages.

7-14-23: My 74th finished book of 2023! This didn‘t feel like a Stephen King novel to me. It‘s taken me way longer than usual to finish this short book. As you can see I‘m amongst boxes due to my move to Philadelphia. This story takes place in 1973. Dev Jones gets a job at a carnival called Joyland. Joyland might be haunted. Dev is nursing a broken heart. Annie and Mike need Dev‘s help and vice versa. ⭐️⭐️⭐️📖#️⃣7️⃣4️⃣

Once again, I fell behind on my #Roll100 read. This read was for April. To be honest, I didn't enjoy this one. I thought a majority of it was pretty pointless and boring. The end was a bit better, though - at least something happened. Hopefully, my next read will be a bit better. Love my #LitsyLove mug! ❤️
@PuddleJumper @LitsyLove

From the cover, I thought it had horror elements but not, it is more a mystery suggesting some mild paranormal elements. But the story is more than that. It‘s about Devin, how his life will change after he took a job at Joyland. The story has some sad scenes, at least for me, how Devin and his father were still dealing with grief, his constant suicidal ideations. But it is also how Devin grew, it‘s about friendship. A very slow pace reading⬇️

March Wrap Up! This was a good month for me. My favorite first time read this month was The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Felt unique and different to me. I adore Joyland , , but it was a reread. Hope you all had a great March!❤️

Looking forward to my April #Roll100 reads! Quite the variety. I think I'm gonna started with the tagged one. @PuddleJumper

Welcome to the #LosersClub open discussion for #Joyland
 
Please be mindful of spoilers. We have new readers to King who haven‘t read all of his books. When referencing his other work, please keep this in mind for our new-to-King friends. Don‘t forget to tag each other in the comments so your friends can see your reply. Have fun!
#StephenKing #StephenKingInOrder #KingFromTheBeginning #ConstantReader #ReadAlong #BuddyRead #BookDiscussion

I loved this book. Devyn gets a job at a haunted carnival where he encounters ghosts, psychics, and a serial killer 🎡
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#LosersClub @BarkingMadRead

@Bklover So here is my Joyland inspired tattoo -- the circle represents gratitude and the wheat represents abundance

#LosersClub
I just love this book. SK type characters, which always feel like either friends or people I know, a great story, and not too long. If you aren‘t a King person but want to try one out, this is a good one.

Read this 10 years ago, remembered the overall theme and loving it- still love it - a bit supernatural, a bit mystery, but mostly the story of Dev and a young mother and her son and how they help each other cope with loss.
#LosersClub @BarkingMadRun
Earned a #BookSpinBingo this week - @TheAromaofBooks
Really good #MarchMadness for me - all books have been superb @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES
Make a great day everyone 🙂

Starting this for #losersclub. Don‘t you love it when you start a book that you know you love because you read it before but you can‘t remember a single thing about it?!!?
@BarkingMadRead #whathappenswhenyou‘re63

Finished this today, in Panera, which probably wasn‘t wise 🤣 #imayhavecried #nowmynoseisrunning #losersclub #joyland #kingfromthebeginning

Finished two books for #MarvellousMarch - thanks for hosting @Andrew65 🍀

In various stages of 3 other books - will probably finish a couple of those this week -
which puts me in good shape for a #BookSpinBingo this month - thanks for hosting @TheAromaofBooks 📚

Make a great day everyone 😊

When you go to the the Museum of Illusions, you gotta bring a book. What better than a book about a carnival?! #losersclub

So far so good for #BookSpinBingo and #MarchMadness

Thanks for hosting @TheAromaofBooks @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

Make a great day everyone - 🍀

Soft pick, but I ultimately enjoyed it. Probably would have bailed before it got good if not for #losersclub 🎡🎢

Starting this today with the #losersclub

Repost for @BarkingMadRead:

Just a reminder that March‘s #LosersClub read is #Joyland Put your library holds in now, search your shelves, or buy a new copy, and check back on or about April 1st, we begin reading this one. Discussion will be at the end of the month! #StephenKing #StephenKingInOrder #KingFromTheBeginning #ConstantReader #ReadAlong #BuddyRead #BookDiscussion

original post:
https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2552694

Been slacking on #LosersClub reads the last couple of months but I started and finished Joyland yesterday 🎧 I really enjoyed this one. Loved the Mike character 🧡 Probably a good one to try if you want to read King but are intimidated by the volume or scare factor of his other books. #20in4 #LitsyLoveReadathon #ScaryFebruary #Witch

Just a reminder that March‘s #LosersClub read is #Joyland Put your library holds in now, search your shelves, or buy a new copy, and check back on or about April 1st, we begin reading this one. Discussion will be at the end of the month! #StephenKing #StephenKingInOrder #KingFromTheBeginning #ConstantReader #ReadAlong #BuddyRead #BookDiscussion

My first Stephen King novel and I was not disappointed!! (Not that I thought I would be). A light who-dun-it with suspense, love, emotion, and a perfect Coney Island feeling amusement park set in the 70s. A little bit of scare but not nearly as much as I thought it would have considering the author. #stephenking #joyland #photography #amusementpark #ferriswheel #horrorhouse #funhouse

1. Joyland by Stephen King, also notable mention for Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier.
2. Peter James, writer of the Roy Grace Series
3. TV Series : Jonathan Creek
4. Singer - James Brown https://youtu.be/-xbwMHfIzjM
5. Joanna, Kool and the Gang.

Thanks for the tag @allylu

#ManicMonday @CBee #LetterJ

Playing catch up.

#LetterJ #TheAlphabetGame

J was a difficult one, it was either this very different book by Stephen King or Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier

@AlwaysBeenALoverOfBooks

Knocked out my #bookspin tonight. I was surprised by the amount of heart King put into this crime story, which also became a bit of a bildungsroman and tearjerker. The crime, committed before the book opens, is pure King though: murder on a haunted house ride in an amusement park. Nice job, Mr. King. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My tentative list for #roll100 even though it‘s already had its first roll, but no matter!

#24 - Joyland by Stephen King (super needed especially since I live in North Carolina)

#49 - Confessions by Kanae Monaco (been on my TBR list forever, and I‘ve heard great things)

✌🏻

Good easy read. More of a coming of age book… never a bad thing- it‘s not always horror with King. Check it out!

5⭐️

This is my 3rd Stephen King book and second hard cases book by him. Other than his uncomfortable need to include sexual thoughts and situations at times in his stories, I‘m truly coming to really loving his writing style. I never thought I‘d say King wrote one of the most wholesome scenes I‘ve read in a long time!

Check out my goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4112400607

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

1. Not very often. I almost always make picks based on recommendations & reviews, but I admit to having a weakness for books with "book" or "library" in the title. ?

2. The tagged book was a recent read, and perfect for the end of summer.

A good end of summer read. The theme park of Joyland was lovingly detailed, and it was a bittersweet coming-of-age story. #fiction #mystery

Love the retro cover on this. 50 pages in and so far, so good. #fiction #mystery

On hold at the library

I remember not exactly liking this but 4 stars idk