It

It by Stephen King is probably one of the best books I've read in a long time.

His memoir/writing manual (On Writing) is the only non-fiction book that has ever captivated me (besides Boy by Roald Dahl but that was basically a grungier, dirtier version of all of his actual fiction, kids' books).

The thing I love about It the most is the way the children are portrayed. The kids are intelligent, they're brave, they're individual and all unique, they have personalities and real fears and real feelings. The thing that was most intoxicating for me was their bravery and independance.

The reason I love Enid Blyton's The Famous Five is because I love the idea of self-sufficient kids being able to go on these great adventures and defeat bad guys and just generally be awesome. The kids in It are like a stream of this except in a different strand. They're smarter and have to fight more sadistic and evil enemies. While Enid Blyton wrote about older kids, she was writing for young kids. Conversely, Stephen King writes about younger kids but for older adults so there's also a splash of teen angst, sexual awakenings, mental and physical abuse. And ya'll know I won't read a book unless it has something about sex in it.

I would describe It as Lord of the Flies meets every good horror movie/book in the world. After reading a scene in which blood bubbles out of a drain and a voice calls out to a girl from the drain, I was so scared to go to the bathroom. Do you know how long it's been since I was scared to go to the bathroom? WEEKS.

Okay, maybe years. I used to be terrified of going to the bathroom at night because I was sure someone was going to pull me into the drain or I was going to take a piss and a mangy, old hand was going to come out of the toilet and drag me in (by the vagina? I don't know what a hand coming out of the toilet could grab onto).

I haven't finished it but I imagine something even more epic is going to come very soon and I'm probably going to become scared of going outdoors or closing my eyes or washing dishes or watching television.

I've also decided to get back onto my healthy eating plan after the new year... No more snacks, no more cake or cookies or ice-cream! I'm not going to bake ANYTHING unless it's for a very special occasion.

J