Nope, you're right. It was Patrick Hockstetter and whathisname -- Big Bully Kid -- and Patrick the sociopath gave him a a handjob, and offered a hummer, at which point BBK decided that was GAY.

Beverly saw it all from the bushes.

Why, yes, I did read It several times as a teenager. Why do you ask?

And I agree totally re: the sex. I thought it was ridiculous and demeaning even when I read it at 13. Puh-leeze.

Did not. Have NO idea what you guys are on about.

Um, nothing germaine to add. As you were.

Yeah, you did. And you were wearing hot pants and roller skates!

Re: the kidsex in It: Yuck. Felt more creepy-wrong to me than Bev's abusive daddy, or the bad thing in the drains.

I thought of an ending I really enjoyed: The Red Tent. The Narrator concludes the tale in the persona of a benevolent storyteller from the depths of the past. Very short, very sweet.

Obviously I'm big for happy endings. I think I may have to give romance novels another try. Suggest away, readers!

Actually, one of the first victims in It was a very flamboyant gay man. Some of the local bullies threw him in the river for fun, and It got him there. The bullies were arrested but received slaps on the wrists. Victim's boyfriend left town (and the story) soon after.

Insomnia was King's first novel to have a gay character who was even vaguely sympathetic (and around for more than 5 pages).

Then there was the husband in Rose Madder, who engaged in sadistic sex games with other men. Which was more of a control thing for him than a sex thing.

Same with Bee Season, which is still worth reading -- REALLY -- despite the ending that left me asking "Buh?"

Bee Season was good, up to a point. Talk about a character/plot twist that just killed a book for me!

I forgot about the kid sex in It...you're right, it was totally squick-worthy. Perhaps I repressed the memory of that passage... *g*

The end -- although big fat spiders freak me out, too, was just a let-down. I thought he did really well portraying how all the kids fears manifested over the years, in very personal ways, so it was partly the idea of the Evil being one specific thing that bothered me. And the fact that it was what it was disappointed me. I think I was expecting something more along the lines of the First, as a matter of fact -- a nameless, faceless, everywhere, everything entity.

Still giggling at the Stephen King HoYay. *g*

The end -- although big fat spiders freak me out, too, was just a let-down. I thought he did really well portraying how all the kids fears manifested over the years, in very personal ways, so it was partly the idea of the Evil being one specific thing that bothered me. And the fact that it was what it was disappointed me. I think I was expecting something more along the lines of the First, as a matter of fact -- a nameless, faceless, everywhere, everything entity.

This is the reason why I found The Haunting of Hill House to be infinitely scarier than anything Stephen King has ever written, because of the dread factor and because not knowing is somehow scary in and of itself.

This is the reason why I found The Haunting of Hill House to be infinitely scarier than anything Stephen King has ever written, because of the dread factor and because not knowing is somehow scary in and of itself.

What Anne Said.

Mind you, parts of It will still cause me sleepless nights, because clowns freak me out very very badly. The Haunting of Hill House, however, will make me turn on every light in the house and follow Pete around because I don't want to be by myself. Scary damn book.

This is the reason why I found The Haunting of Hill House to be infinitely scarier than anything Stephen King has ever written.

I love the end of We Have Always Lived in the Castle, too. Shirley Jackson does elegantly creepy --and drawing out the suspense -- so very well.

And I really meant "big fat spider" to be white-fonted. What did I do wrong? Hmmm.