Salem's Lot ReadALong Chapter Thirteen

Welcome to DAY 19 of Salem's Lot read-a-long ! 

SIGN UP HERE and follow along each day 

as we read through each chapter of the book .

Chapter Thirteen

This is a short chapter about Matt asking Fr. Callahan for his help in destroying the evil that has been terrorizing their town. They both discuss the high fatality rates in Salem's Lot and Matt's plan to include Fr. Callahan works. The priest might've thought Matt was experiencing symptoms of depression from having almost died but he believes Matt, since he'd heard a story of an incubus before from a fellow priest. Anyway Fr. Callahan never felt better about finally being able to fight in the battle against Evil and for the first time he doesn't feel the need to drink. A-ma-zing.

Salem's Lot ReadALong Chapter Twelve

Welcome to DAY 18 of Salem's Lot read-a-long ! 

SIGN UP HERE and follow along each day 

as we read through each chapter of the book .

Chapter Twelve 

BEWARE! IT MAY SPOIL THE BOOK FOR YOU IF YOU READ THIS! GO NOW and "read the damn book!"

Susan decides to go to the Marsten House alone to investigate. She thinks why not see for herself if Mr. Straker is home. Just to be safe she buys a crucifix and rips off a stake from someone's picket fence. Mark Petrie sneaks up behind her and tells her he intends to kill Mr. Barlow. It shows a lot of courage on his part but Susan was only curious and she payed for it . After they climb through a window, Mr. Straker appears behind them and knocks Mark out and hauls Susan down the cellar where she will be Mr. Barlows when he wakes up. Mark is taken upstairs to the room Hubert died in and is tied up but he knew how to free himself by flexing his muscles so he'd have room enough when relaxing them to move. He unties himself and hits Mr. Straker with an iron leg post and escapes out of the house. I was so relieved and happy for Mark I didn't care about Susan. I just wanted Mark to get the hell out of there. Susan would make a good vampire anyway lol . She comes to Mark's window that night asking him to let her in . 

Salem's Lot ReadALong Chapter Eleven

Welcome to DAY 17 of Salem's Lot read-a-long ! 

SIGN UP HERE and follow along each day 

as we read through each chapter of the book .

Chapter Eleven

Matt Burke is appointed head of research because of his knowledge for vampire lore, and arms himself by acquiring every book there is on the subject while he is in the hospital. He becomes like a Van Helsing for their small group and Matt's doctor, Jimmy Cody, agrees to help them. He's like a Dr. Frankenstein :) . 

The town of Salem is now under siege but nobody knows what hits them. Bodies disappear from the morgue , family friends are dying suddenly with no explanation. The little group who take it upon themselves to kill all the vampires, namely Ben, Matt, Susan and Jimmy, have to move fast. Susan's actions not to follow protocol lead her into the danger zone.

We can't help but feel the urgency in the matter with the vampires. Soon if they don't do something the whole town will be infested.

Salem's Lot ReadALong Chapter Ten

Welcome to DAY 16 of Salem's Lot read-a-long ! 

SIGN UP HERE and follow along each day 

as we read through each chapter of the book .

Chapter Ten 

• Who wakes to find her child dead in the beginning of Chapter 10? What is this person's reaction? 
• When Marjorie Glick wakes up sick after a specific dream, what symptoms make the reader believe she has been bitten by a vampire? 
• What do Franklin Bodden and Virgil Rathburn find when they visit the dump in Chapter 10? 
• Who comes to Mark Petrie's window and asks to be invited in? Why does Mark initially refuse? Why does he change his mind?

  BEWARE! IT MAY SPOIL THE BOOK FOR YOU IF YOU READ THIS! GO NOW and "read the damn book!"

The town knew darkness. It kept many secrets. Awful dirty secrets which would never be brought to light, but the man dressed in black knew them all. He himself would never walk in the light of day.

Susan McDougall never awakens to her child's yelling because her child never woke up. Her baby looked more beautiful than he'd ever looked before but he was dead. For that reason , she screams in horror.

Marjorie Glick was on the verge of dying in her living room. She'd had a strange dream about her son Danny consequentially she was weak and sensitive to the sun and her teeth were white and protruding. Floyd Tibbits dies in his cell and his body disappears from the morgue.

Frank and Virgil find the gates to the dump closed and Bud Rogers the operator missing.

My favorite part in Salem's Lot was about Bonnie Sawyer and Corey Bryant. It was brilliant! I felt sorry for Corey but at the same time justice was served.What about the idea expressed by Mr. Barlow that likened Reggie Sawyer to a greedy...fat....pig? Do you think that was a fair, however pernicious assessment? Did greed really have anything to do with it? I thought it was interesting.

When Mark Petrie was getting ready for bed he heard some scratching at his window. It was Danny wanting to come in and play. Mark wouldn't let him in at first but after grabbing a crucifix, he opened the window and warded him off with it.  How brave was Mark! He demonstrated his ability to deal with vampires on his own. 

Salem's Lot ReadALong : Chapter Nine Susan (II)

Welcome to DAY 15 of Salem's Lot read-a-long ! 

SIGN UP HERE and follow along each day 

as we read through each chapter of the book .

CHAPTER NINE: Susan (II) 

• With whom does Susan argue in the beginning of Chapter 9? Why? 
• Who calls Susan with bad news later that same afternoon? 
• What does Susan hear at Matt's house while Matt is checking on a strange noise in the guest room of his house? 
• What does Susan later find in the guest room? 
• What happens to Matt when he sees Mike return to his guest room as a vampire?

BEWARE! IT MAY SPOIL THE BOOK FOR YOU IF YOU READ THIS! GO NOW and "read the damn book!"
Susan and her mom get into a heated argument over her dating Ben Mears. Her mother can't stand him and doesn't know when to mind her own business. It was the last straw and she slaps her mom across the face. She tells her mom she's moving out. She is old enough to be on her own anyway. Susan finds out from Eva that Ben is in the hospital. Floyd had beat him up. Unbelief in this whole vampire business doesn't stop Susan from going to see Matt Burke that night nor does she think Ben and Matthew are crazy. Matt hears someone upstairs and goes to look. Mike Ryerson is back from the dead and laying on the bed!  When Matt tells him to "get out" using a crucifix it effectively burns him and he jumps out of the window yelling "I will see you sleep like the dead, teacher!" Matt is so freaked out he has a heart attack! From downstairs Susan hears the strange voice say "I will see you sleep like the dead, teacher!" I suppose if that doesn't prove what Ben and Matt have been saying nothing will. Susan finds Mike Ryerson's school ring laying on the bedroom floor.

Salem's Lot ReadALong Chapter 8 Ben (III)

Welcome to DAY 14 of Salem's Lot read-a-long ! 

SIGN UP HERE and follow along each day 

as we read through each chapter of the book .

Chapter 8 

• Why does Matt call Ben in the middle of the night? What does he ask him to bring? 
• What does Ben find when he arrives at Matt's house? 
• What detail does Ben suggest Matt leave out of his discussion with the police about Mike's death? Why? Who is waiting for Ben the following evening when he leaves the boardinghouse to go to Spencer's?

****BEWARE! IT MAY SPOIL THE BOOK FOR YOU IF YOU READ THIS! GO NOW and "read the damn book!"****

Matt thinks Mike Ryerson is dead in his guest bedroom and phones Ben asking to bring a crucifix, a rosary or St. Christopher medal. When Mike was at the cemetery digging Danny's grave he'd opened it up. Assuming he'd been bitten by Danny, Mike had two puncture wounds on his neck and complained of feeling sick and weak and sunlight bothered him. Also that he slept all day. Mike Ryerson was showing serious signs of Vampirism.

Lets discuss the objects associated to the mythical Vampires. Crucifixes, Holy Water, other holy objects like Rosaries and Medals. I am Catholic and I believe the rosary is a powerful "weapon" against the powers of Satan. That said, they are used in exorcism. Being possessed by the devil has always been a far scarier notion and these objects bring me consolation and comfort.Vampires are known as devilish creatures but they simply do not exist.

Matt's request for a rosary demonstrates his desire to use certain items traditionally used to ward off vampires. When the police officer and the others arrive, Matt and Ben do not tell him that they suspect a vampire killed Mike. When Eva asks Ben about the rosary, Ben does not tell her about Ben and Matt's suspicion of vampires. He does not tell her because he does not think that she will believe him. This sets an example that Ben and the other believers in vampires follow for most of the book. They are unable to warn people as they know that most people will not believe them. This explains how vampirism can spread through the town. The vampires' biggest strength is that most people do not believe in vampires and will refuse to do anything to protect themselves until they have conclusive proof of their existence. By the time that people see vampires and are convinced they are real, however, it is usually too late.

Susan's jealous boyfriend Floyd Tibbits, is being controlled to confront Ben and stop him from interfering in his and Susan's relationship. Under Mr. Barlow's spell he beats the crap out of Ben Mears. 

PART TWO: The Emperor of Ice Cream

Welcome to DAY 13 of Salem's Lot read-a-long ! 

SIGN UP HERE and follow along each day 

as we read through each chapter of the book .

PART TWO: 

The Emperor of Ice Cream

Call the roller of big cigars,
The muscular one, and bid him whip
In kitchen cups concupiscent curds.
Let the wenches dawdle in such dress
As they are used to wear, and let the boys
Bring flowers in last month's newspapers.
Let be be finale of seem.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice cream.

Take from the dresser of deal,
Lacking the three glass knobs, that sheet
On which she embroidered three fantails once
And spread it so as to cover her face.
If her horny feet protrude, they come
To show how cold she is, and dumb.
Let the lamp affix its beam.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice cream.
                                                              WALLACE STEVENS

ANSWER QUESTIONS TO SALEM'S LOT

PART TWO

Chapter 8-13 

1. Why does Matt call Ben in the middle of the night? What does he ask him to bring? 
2. What does Ben find when he arrives at Matt's house? 
3. What detail does Ben suggest Matt leave out of his discussion with the police about Mike's death? Why? Who is waiting for Ben the following evening when he leaves the boardinghouse to go to Spencer's? 
4. With whom does Susan argue in the beginning of Chapter 9? Why? 
5. Who calls Susan with bad news later that same afternoon? 
6. What does Susan hear at Matt's house while Matt is checking on a strange noise in the guest room of his house? 
7. What does Susan later find in the guest room? 
8. What happens to Matt when he sees Mike return to his guest room as a vampire? 
9. Who wakes to find her child dead in the beginning of Chapter 10? What is this person's reaction? 
10. When Marjorie Glick wakes up sick after a specific dream, what symptoms make the reader believe she has been bitten by a vampire? 
11. What do Franklin Bodden and Virgil Rathburn find when they visit the dump in Chapter 10? 
12. Who comes to Mark Petrie's window and asks to be invited in? Why does Mark initially refuse? Why does he change his mind? 
13. What information does Matt Burke hope to learn from library books he requests be brought to him in the hospital? 
14. Where does Susan go on her own in Chapter 11? For what purpose? 
15. Why do Ben and Jimmy Cody go to the morgue? What do they expect to happen? 
16. What does Ben make a crucifix out of? What does this crucifix symbolize? 
17. Who sneaks up on Susan in the woods outside the Marsten House? Why is this person there? 
18. What happens to Mark and Susan when they enter the Marsten House? 
19. How does Mark escape from the rope with which Straker has tied him? How does Mark escape Straker? 
20. Where is Susan while Mark is being held prisoner upstairs? Does Mark attempt to rescue her? What happens to Susan? 
21. Who comes to visit Matt Burke in Chapter 13? 
22. What does Father Callahan initially believe is the cause of Matt's story about the vampires in Jerusalem's Lot? 
23. What story does Father Callahan tell Matt that helps him realize Father Callahan believes in vampires? 
24. What does Matt ask Father Callahan to do as a result of their conversation? Why?