I am currently working through Stephen King’s The Shining. It is a book I have started before but have never gotten very far into. I am giving it another try right now because I will be spending Thanksgiving this year in Estes Park and at the Stanley Hotel. The Stanley is the real-life inspiration for the fictional Overlook Hotel of the novel. It is also where the movie and mini-series of The Shining were filmed.

Stephen King is a fine writer. A great writer. But if truth be told, I have been able to finish very few of his novels. They are too long and detailed for me as a reader.

His novellas and short-stories are a different matter altogether. I can easily finish them and have even read a few of them multiple times. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is one that I have read multiple times.

The story follows a young girl named Trisha who becomes lost in the woods during a family hiking trip. After wandering off the trail, she falls down a steep embankment and finds herself hopelessly lost. Armed with minimal supplies and a strong will to survive, Trisha faces the challenges of the wilderness alone.

As days pass, Trisha endures extreme hunger, thirst, and fear. She encounters hallucinations and begins to believe she is being hunted by a menacing entity. Despite her deteriorating condition, Drawing inspiration from her favorite Red Sox player, Tom Gordon, Trisha finds the strength she needs to continue to survive.

Stephen King is a well-know Red Sox fan and baseball fan. There are references to baseball in a lot of his work. In opening chapters of The Shining, published in 1977, Doc’s favorite player is Starting Pitcher Nolan Ryan (then with the California Angels).

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is a fun novella. A perfect read for the Month of October. Here is an Amazon link to the book. Enjoy!