My first quarter SSR book is a book called The Gunslinger by Stephen King.  It is described as a fantasy novel as well as a horror/suspense novel and is 300 pages long.  The main plot of the book, without getting way too into it and spoiling some things, is that the main character known as "The Gunslinger" is out searching for "The Man in Black".  This is one of the steps he must take towards getting to a place in the novel called The Dark Tower.
For the characters, I have a bit to say about the main character.  The main character to me seemed like a typical, gritty cowboy type and fit a lot of the stereotypes that came with it.  I'm not necessarily saying that is a bad thing though, he does a good job filling that role.  I feel like he definitely has room to grow as a character.  Once the man in black was finally found, I felt like his character was a little underwhelming and had room to grow as well.
In my opinion, the writing of the book at times was really cryptic.  At times it was difficult to read and I found myself sometimes reading the same page over and over to get bits and pieces and sometimes it felt like a chore to read.  It actually took me a while to realize that the book was set in an alternate universe.  I feel that this could add to the experience for some people, but for me it kinda took away from the experience.  I was satisfied by the book and I do recommend it, but it is a tough read.