11-22-63: Time Well-Spent

I want to make a few things understood before we journey through this review together:

1)   I am a geek.  Or a nerd.  Whichever word works best for you.  I love to read, I love all things techie, and science fiction/fantasy and I are good friends.

2)   Given the first statement, this one may be a surprise:  I do NOT like Stephen King.  My imagination is far too vivid for the creepy things in most of his stories.

3)   My secret shame is that I am addicted to audio books.  Yup, you read that right.  If you see me listening to my IPhone, it most likely an audiobook that I’m tuned into.

Given that I’m addicted to my audiobooks, it should come as no surprise that I’m writing this review about a book that you should definitely listen to.  Like today.  Right now, even.

Given my aversion to Stephen King, it may surprise you to hear that the book I’m recommending is 11-22-63.

So why do I make an exception for this book?  Simply put, it’s a great story and not creepy at all.  The concept behind it is that a high school English teacher travels back through time with the purpose of trying to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy.  Think about it: if that one historic tragedy could be prevented, how different would today’s world be?  It’s a big and confusing thing to think about but King does a great job of telling the story in way that even the easily confused (namely, me, when it comes to time travel) can follow and understand.  What I didn’t expect was the love story that is also included in the narrative.  I know it’s cliché but I laughed, I cried, and now I want to listen to it again.  The narrator, Craig Wasson, does an amazing job of voicing the large number of characters, both male and female, in such a way that you know exactly who is speaking without being told.

11-22-63 was released last November and spent 17 weeks in the number one spot on the NY Times bestseller list and is still there, although further down.  It’s been getting great reviews in other places, too.  If you’re interested in the print version, you can get it from most major booksellers like Amazon where over 1,600 people have reviewed it and it gets 4 ½ stars.  I got my audio version through Audible.  The regular price is $52.50 but I have a membership and paid about $12 for 30 plus hours of an amazing listening experience.

Whether in print or in audio form, 11-22-63 is a thought-provoking story that deserves a good read.

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