Full Dark, No Stars Book #2

 

For those of you who know me well, it should be no surprise that Stephen King would make at least one appearance on this list. If you've never read any of his work, you are missing out on a treasure trove. I have not read everything he's written. I am working on it slowly but surely. Anytime I hear something new is coming, I geek out in anticipation. This book, with four short novellas, delivered once again. I will warn you upfront, these stories are not for the faint of heart. King tells us in his afterword, "These stories in this book are harsh...I want to provoke an emotional, even visceral reaction in my reader."  Mission accomplished Mr. King.

King begins with the story 1922, in which Wilfred James murders his wife with the help of his 14-year-old son. And you know what they say about the best laid plans. These four stories center around the "Other" inside of everyone. Who or what would you become if you were pushed by extreme circumstances, or, what "Dark Other" are those you love hiding? 

Best quote from 1922

"Women take note:a wife like that never needs to fear bubbling away the last of her life through a cut throat."

Big Rider may be the hardest for some readers to take. Tess is a semi-popular author who gets brutally attacked, raped, and left for dead on the side of the road one night on her way home from a speaking engagement. Not only does she not die, she gets justice. I don't want to ruin this for you, but you don't feel bad for what happens to the bad guy(s). 

Best quote from Big Rider

"If you're going to stay, you need to get out of sight," Tom said... and no, that didn't sound like her voice. Or not exactly like her voice. Perhaps it was the one that belonged to her deepest self, the survivor. And the killer- her, too. How many unsuspected selves could a person have, hiding deep inside? She was beginning to think it could be infinite."

Of the four stories, the shortest, is Fair Extension. This story is dark, no doubt, but I will use the word cute to describe it. You can't help but smile after you read it. Call me crazy but it's not your typical sell your soul to the devil story that we've all heard or read a thousand times before. Dave Streeter has terminal cancer. He happens upon a street vendor one day, George Elvid, who offers him a life extension. He doesn't want his soul, just a percentage of his income for the next 15 years, and for Dave to put the "dirty" on someone else, as Elvid so puts it.

Best quote

"Streeter, who had played his share of Scrabble in his time, had already imagined the letters of Elvid's name in tiles and rearranged them."

And lastly, we come to A Good Marriage. This story scared me the most. This story could be about anyone, it could be about you. There's no supernatural element, no killer clowns that live in the sewer, no aliens, no ghosts, just a real person doing real bad things. Darcy and Bob have been married for 27 years. One night, while Bob is away on a business trip, Darcy trips over a box in the garage. What she finds will change their lives forever. What would you do if you found out your husband was hiding a dark side? 

Best quote

"She could see his slippers only they weren't his. They were obviously too big to be Bob's, almost a giant's slippers. They belonged to the Darker Husband. She shifted her gaze back to the wild-haired woman with the bloodshot, frightened eyes, the Darker Wife, in all her raddled glory."

Pick this one up people and do it now. You won't be disappointed. The first Stephen King I read was Skeleton Crew, and from there I was hooked. I'm sure this won't be his only appearance this year, as I haven't yet read Under the Dome. Has anyone had a chance to read that one? Thoughts? There's no doubt that King has a gift, a gift I wish I had. His son has picked up on those talents as well. Joe Hill has a few novels out there that you should check out if you have some time. Horns is the latest, supernatural to the core, loved it. Well reader, hope this has encouraged you to read something new or to pick up another King if you are a fan already. 2 down...98 to go....

The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop Book #1

Happy New Year Book Lovers and those with a goal for the new year. I said to myself, "Self, what do you want to do this year?" Taking a cue from Gretchen Rubin and The Happiness Project, if you haven't read it, check it out, I decided I needed to do more things this year that really make me happy. Reading and writing were among the things on the list. I have a damn English and journalism degree and it's basically collecting dust in the other room. What happened to doing things that really bring us pleasure? I want to get back to that. For me, books are the ultimate pleasure. I keep lists of books I want to read. I can spend hours in a bookstore browsing and making wish lists. The smell of paper gets me so excited that every time I get into a bookstore I have to poop. I don't know it's some sort of visceral physical reaction to the books. I know, I'm some sort of freak. So each book I read I will share with you. I will take your suggestions as I am trying to open myself up to those I would have not happened upon myself.

For my first selection I have chosen Lewis Buzbee's The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop. I wanted my first book to have some sort of meaning to this journey. Each book after this can be shit I don't really care :) but this one means something. Buzbee has worked in bookstores and as a publisher's rep and takes us on a journey through the history of the book. Check back in the next couple of days for my full post. Thanks for taking the time to check me out. Check back often as I will have to average about two books a week to make this happen. Wish me luck and best of luck with your goals this year, whatever they may be, make sure they make you a happier person.

1/8
First book the year down readers! 99 to go. Any lover of books is really going to enjoy this one. It's a little bit memoir, little bit history. I want to get you all involved in these posts. Here are some excerpts from the book I wanted to share with all of you and I want to hear your responses.

"There's nothing exceptional in my reading history and that's why I've chosen to detail it. For those who are afflicted with book lust, those for whom reading is more than information or escape, the road to our passion is quite simple, powered merely by the presence of printed matter.
It's a common story; fill in your own blanks I was ____ years old when I happened upon a novel called ____, and within six months I had read every other book by the writer known as _____."

Mine is roughly 21 years old, My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. You can say I am slightly obsessed with her and have since read every single one of her books. I suggest anything she's written. Share with me. Give me your suggestions. Open me up to your reading world.

Here's another excerpt I found to be enjoyable and true to my experience as an avid reader.
"In his novel If on a Winter's Night a Traveler, Italo Calvino wrote a stirring description of the abundance a the bookstore: Books you haven't read, the books you needn't read, the books made for purposes other than reading, books read even before you open them since they belong to the category of books read before being written...the books that if you had more than one life you would certainly also read but unfortuantely your days are numbered..the books you mean to read but there are others you must read first, the books too expensive now and you'll wait till they're remaindered, the books ditto when they come out in paperback, books you can borrow from somebody, books that everybody's read so it's as if you had read them too."

Isn't this the truth? And doesn't this get to the root of my experiment? There's so much out there I want to read, to devour, and I never feel there's going to be enough time. What books do you want to read this year? Are there other things you want to do but never feel there's enough time? What if you made time? 100 books seems like a big undertaking, I know, especially with a full-time job and starting Monday, a full-time school schedule as well. Can I do it? I don't know. Am I going to try. You bet. And I'm going to have fun doing it. So readers I suggest adding this book to your reading list, you might learn a little something, you might be entertained, you might come to find, as I did, that of the money you're paying for a book, only a very small percentage actually finds its way to the author, which I find to be a sad state of affairs. But I must press on...the first week of the year is done....and Stephen King is next