You Like it Darker - Stephen King

I was so excited when I heard that Stephen King had a new book coming out. You Like it Darker is a collection of fabulous stories from King. 

"You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal".

I chose to listen to You Like it Darker when I saw that Will Patton was the narrator. He's hand downs one of my favorite readers.

The first story is Two Talented Bastids. It's much long than I had expected the stories to be - that's a really good thing! Stephen King can write anything - long, short and in between and I am captivated by  them all. This first tale has two friends from the same small town recounting how they found fame and fortune. You'll never guess... Patton uses a spot-on Maine accent with a side of gravelly for the characters. King's detailed prose had me imagining the setting, the men, and the.....

The Fifth Step is one of the shorter stories - but it packs a punch that you won't see coming....

Wondering what happened to Danny Coughlin from Cujo? He can be found in a tale titled Rattlesnakes. This one was downright terrifying!

Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream caught me right away and I couldn't stop listening! Danny finds something and does his best to anonymously have it taken care of. But things go sideways and Danny is in a bad place...with a antagonist you're going to love to hate. The voice meets the character perfectly. Flat, dangerous, sure of the themself and more than a little off. The voice for Danny is just right -  it sounds like an every guy that just can't believe what's going on. And as listeners we can't believe it as well. This one had me shouting out loud in frustration!

I do not like flying at all. I debated if I wanted to listen to The Turbulence Expert, but in the end did. And found it to be a little bit reassuring - even as I wondered if my coming flight would need this..... I love how Stephen King takes everyday events, situations, people and with a few sentences turn things upside down and inside out.  

There are many more, but they are the ones that stood out for me - but each and every one is brilliant. I raced through the first time and went back to savour them again.

Will Patton's performances were excellent. His interpretation of the stories were spot on, upping the creepy factor with every tale. 

Hear for yourself - listen to an audio excerpt of You Like it Darker. 

20 hours and 21 minutes.

The Main Character - Jaclyn Goldis

The Main Character is Jaclyn Goldis' new book.

I was intrigued by the premise. A noted author hires everyday people and interviews them about their own lives and then fictionalizes them. There's so much that could happen from this opening. Her latest lead is Rory. When the author gives Rory a trip on the Orient Express, she is stunned, but thankful. Until she sees who else is on board.

The mention and use of the Orient Express had me thinking of Agatha Christie of course. There are more Christie references throughout the book. Perhaps that is why I had an expectation as to what kind of sleuth Rory would be.

As for settings - the book moves across many borders. Goldis loves to travel and her story benefits from that knowledge.

But, here's the thing - I just could not get into this story. Nothing happened at all for the longest time. My attention had flown out the window. So, I put it down for a break. I did go went back and started at the beginning again, thinking I had missed something. On this round I found many of the narrators hard to understand. Some of the accents were questionable. And I didn't like any of  the characters all. No one stood out - instead they just blended together. And it became hard to discern who was talking. 

I think I'm an outlier for this book. This is a rare DNF for me. It just didn't work for me, but did for many other readers. See what they had to say on Goodreads.