Stephen King | Book Chatter

You Like it Darker
By Stephen King
Scribner, 9781668037713, May 2024, 512 pp.

The Short of It:

A mix of tried and true King stories and some not so typical ones.

The Rest of It:

Readers always ask me what King book I recommend. Well, that is not an easy question to answer. When I was a pre-teen I started with his classics like Cujo, Salem’s Lot, Carrie and the like. Then I dabbled in his short story collections, and then hit the big guns like The Stand and IT. I hear over and over again that King’s work is too dark, too morbid, too graphic. Sometimes, yes. Most of the time though it’s solid storytelling, excellent character development and just enough plot and suspense to keep those pages turning.

That brings me to King’s latest, You Like It Darker. I had a hard time obtaining a library copy so with my premium Spotify account I get free audiobooks so I gave it a listen.

What an experience! The audiobook is read by Will Patton. He was the perfect reader for this collection. I could not wait to jump into the car for a listen. Some of the stories I absolutely loved and wouldn’t mind if they somehow expanded into a novel. King, are you listening?

My faves:

Two Talented Bastids (think other worldly)
Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream (prophecy in the form of a dream)
Rattlesnakes (dead twins, snakes, ghosts)

There are a few stories that didn’t really fit the King mold but they were pretty short and since the three above were so strong I consider the collection a success overall. There is nothing like spending the summer with King.

If you are new to King, these stories will give you a good sense of his storytelling and all that King quirkiness that his readers have come to expect. PLUS, there are lots and lots of Easter eggs for his other novels in here. When I heard some of them I literally gasped out loud in the car! So fun.

Definitely recommend the audio.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Holly
By Stephen King
Scribner, 9781668016138, Sept 5, 2023, 464 pp

The Short of It:

Fans of the Bill Hodges trilogy will enjoy spending time with one of King’s most beloved characters.

The Rest of It:

But, this one felt a little different. Holly is hired to investigate a missing woman, but as she investigates the disappearance she realizes that more is at play when a string of missing persons all lead to the same neighborhood. A serial killer? Could it be?

The story that King created is quite dark, but also laced with a little bit of ridiculousness. I found myself pausing many times because it didn’t feel “King-like”. Plus, it’s also set during the pandemic so there are plenty of political jabs made at our former President. I am not a Trump fan but I grew tired of it.

Without giving the plot away, it’s just dark enough to keep you reading and there’s plenty of time spent with Holly to get your Gibney fix but for me, Holly truly shines when she interacts with the two other characters, Jerome and Barbara Robinson. There wasn’t too much of that in this installment.

To keep this brief. I enjoyed Holly but it didn’t hold me captive like King’s other books. I highly recommend reading the other books in this series before picking up Holly. King does a stellar job of giving you what you need to know but the entire series is just great.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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