David

Sometimes books take such an unexpected turn. Like the other night I was pedaling away on my stationary bike listening to The Gunslinger. Things have been going along at a steady pace and I am enjoying it. But I'm thinking, gosh this is such a boy-book, so unemotional and when Roland does have any emotion he is either confused or surprised by it. Then there is the book's reader, Frank Muller, who helps the story along in a gravelly, Clint Eastwood make-my day voice. It is actually a pleasant voice, strangely soothing, and sometimes I find myself sort of zoning out. But then I got to the part about David. And Roland challenging Court so he could become an apprentice gunslinger. I'm not going to say anything more than that so I don't ruin it for someone who hasn't read the book. Those of you who have read it will know what I'm talking about. The thing is, this was so unexpected so upsetting that I suddenly found myself pedaling and crying. I thought I was crying quietly but obviously not because my dog had to come make sure I was okay which of course made me cry more. I had planned on riding until the end of the disc but stopped at the end of the scene and had just managed to pull myself together when my husband came by to see how things were going. Then I started crying all over again when I started telling him what happened. Lucky for me he's read the book so I didn't have to say much before he knew. Yup, those unexpected turns. They don't always involve tears. Sometimes they give me this weird feeling in my stomach like when you're on an airplane and hit a pocket of dead air and the plane suddenly just drops. I hate that on airplanes but it's great in books. Other times the unexpected turn makes me feel jittery and I start shaking like my dog does when he knows we are going for a walk or like I had a coffee IV drip. By now I hope you are thinking of unexpected turns in books you've read and how they made you feel. Please share. But be careful not to give anything away.