Summer Reading | Book Chatter

Billy Summers
By Stephen King
Scribner, 9781982173616, August 3, 2021, 528pp.

The Short of It:

Billy Summers will steal your heart but be prepared, it’s a little different and surprised me in a lot of ways.

The Rest of It:

Billy Summers is a hired assassin. Most assassins are pretty bad guys but this is where it gets complicated. Billy, is an assassin who only kills bad guys. Legit, bad guys who have no business breathing the air we all breathe.

The story opens with Billy accepting a job. This hit requires a bit of prep beforehand. Billy has to establish multiple aliases, secure an office space which puts him in the prime position for the hit, and although the man he has been assigned to kill is a very bad guy, Billy has decided that this will be his last hit. As with most things, as soon as you say this is the “last time” for something, things pop-up unexpectedly.

Without giving anything away. A “someone” pops up which complicates Billy’s entire plan. This was the most wild addition. I was surprised at how the story played out from there. Surprised in the most pleasant way. It’s so different and yet, so King. In feel, it reminded me a lot of the relationships King created in the Mr. Mercedes series. So, if you enjoyed those characters, you will also enjoy this book too.

Much of the story is the setup of the hit. The actual planning. But then the story becomes something else entirely and this is where I really found myself loving these characters. You should know going in, that I am including a trigger warning for rape. It actually plays a very large role in the story and provides the motivation for some of things that happen.

What you need to know is that I loved it. I didn’t want the story to end. It’s somewhat long at over 500 pages but I never felt its length. I was thoroughly taken with this story and highly recommend it. It’s about second chances, making things right, and loyal friendships.

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

Morning Glory Good morning! My post is late today because I once again forgot what day it was. Actually, it was just a really busy work day yesterday so I didn’t do my normal blog prep. So instead of breakfast reading, some of you will read this over lunch.

Next week is THE week that we leave for college move-in. We leave on Tuesday. I will not be posting on the blog that week unless I manage to get some reviews scheduled. To follow along on the adventure, follow me on Instagram @TiBookChatter. I plan to post updates there and will post one big update once I return. Good thoughts, prayers, all of that is appreciated. It’s supposed to rain on her actual move-in day.

I finished King’s new book, Billy Summers. It was SO not what I was expecting and I will include a trigger warning for rape in my review but it was very good. I am now reading Bloodless by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I love this duo. I have been reading them since Relic. I am about 25% into the story and it’s delivering on all counts.

I was very surprised at the line of cars at the elementary school and high school for drop off yesterday. It appears that they are fully back in the classroom. On the one hand, it was so nice to see those littles heading back to the classroom. Most had masks and I do believe our districts up here are requiring them. It feels weird to not be a part of the high school back-to-school stuff but it also feels kind of nice. The first weeks of school were always a blur with choir, theatre and everything else ramping up. Hope they all have a good year.

Today is a little gloomy and the news said there is a possibility of thunderstorms. That would be nice if we got a little rain out of it. Dry lightning? Not so much. Not with how dry it’s been. The photo I included in this post is my neighbor’s fence. I took it the other day while on our walk. I think they are Morning Glories, right? As we stood there admiring them, the owner came out with her pup, Tiggy so The Otter Pup got to meet a new friend. Tiggy is young and Chloe wasn’t having it but she knows most of the pups in the neighborhood now.

Hope you all have a lovely week filled with some excellent reading. I will be taking Apples Never Fall with me on the plane next week. I also have a long layover in Colorado on my way back so my Kindle is stocked and ready. Check out this swag I received from Henry Holt:

Apples Never Fall