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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.

Heart-Shaped Box
By Joe Hill
William Morrow Paperbacks, 9780061944895, 2009, 400pp.

The Short of It:

This is a classic ghost story with all the horror elements you’d expect from Hill, without it being too graphic.

The Rest of It:

Judas Coyne is a fifty-something ex-rocker who has a taste for the macabre. He collects things that most people wouldn’t, which is how he comes to possess a suit that comes with a ghost. As Jude (short for Judas) learns, this ghost is not just any ghost and he means business.

This is the story of Jude and his girlfriend Marybeth, also known as Georgia. When this suit arrives in a heart-shaped box, Jude is intrigued. He has no idea what to expect but he doesn’t have to wait long to find out. The suit is accompanied by a ghost named Craddock and what begins as mild curiosity turns into a fight for their lives as Craddock takes them down the “night road” and continues to display glimpses of their future to them. A future where Jude murders the ones he loves.

This was a fantastic read and it’s been on my to-read shelve for YEARS. Not sure why I waited so long to get to it but I wish I had gotten to it sooner. Joe Hill. He’s Stephen King’s kid in case you don’t know but he definitely has his own sense of style when it comes to storytelling and from the very first page I was riveted and had to know the outcome of these two characters.

If I had to find any fault with it at all, I would say that as soon as the ghost makes his appearance, the one thing that made me curious about the book in the first place went out the window. All the macabre stuff that he collected over the years was never mentioned again. Someone with a penchant for that sort of thing would perhaps use it to his advantage? I was expecting it to become part of the story but that never happened.

I really enjoyed the character of Marybeth (Georgia). She was sweet but with a hard edge. I could not help but root for her. Hill did a good job of writing her as strong, but also vulnerable. She brought just the right mix of danger plus loyalty to the story.

Now for the fear factor. A reader on Facebook advised me to read it during the day, that it could get pretty intense. It was intense at times but like a “race to the finish” intense. All of the horror elements were appropriately creepy but I didn’t feel that Hill tossed anything in there for shock value alone. I really enjoyed it.

I read this for the R.I.P Challenge.

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

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