If It Bleeds - Stephen King

Ahh, I've been waiting to listen to Stephen King's latest release, If It Bleeds. It was well worth the wait! But then again - so is every book from King!

But then again, how can you imagine what a Stephen King tale is going to involve? For me, I love the delicious feeling I get when I crack the first page or listen to the first disc of a new King book. The possibilities are endless as is Stephen King's imagination.

If It Bleeds is a collection of four novellas - Mr. Harrigans Phone, The Life of Chuck, Rat, and the title story, If It Bleeds.

They're all excellent tales, but my hands down fave was If It Bleeds. Why? Because it's the return of Holly Gibney! Holly is a recurring character, most notably from the Mr. Mercedes novels as well as The Outsider. Holly is working predictable cases at the Finders Keepers Detective Agency when she sees news footage of a school bombing. But the reporter.....there's something, well....something wrong about him. And that's all I'm going to say. Sooooo good. I've always enjoyed Holly as she has grown through over the years. She still doubts herself, but is much stronger now. And this time, she's working alone. Do or die so to speak. The danger is palpable in this listen and had me staying up too late to finish it! (This is also where the book's title comes from - news jargon - If it bleeds, it leads). The reader for this story absolutely captured Holly's hesitancy and conveyed her new found determination. And he easily transmits the danger - and evil of the story.

In Mr. Harrigan's Phone, a young teen makes friends with a crotchety, old (and wealthy) neighbor. I really enjoyed their interactions and the relationship as it developed. But a gift from Craig to Mr. Harrigan seems to be the gift that keeps on giving.... Okay, I've heard the urban myths about this one, but King puts his own stamp on it - and will have you wondering....The reader for this one had just the right (and believable) voices for both characters. Lots of inflection and movement with the reading immerses the reader in the tale. And I liked the pacing of the narration.

The cover is clever - it may just look like a cat - but look at the nose area - yep, that's a rat. And the star of the next novella, Rat. You know the phrase - make a deal with the devil. But what about a deal with a rat? Uh huh, a wannabe novelist is desperate to finish a book. I think what was the most unsettling about this tale was the rat's voice and dialogue. Is the rat really talking to the writer? Or is it all in his head? The narrator for this one was excellent. The voice for the rat is calm and reasonable, which makes it all the more frightening. And the voice used for the would be novelist absolutely catches his hope, his incredulity and ultimately..... This reader was a clear speaker and easy to understand. His voice was just right for this tale.

The Life of Chuck was interesting in it's presentation. It's told backwards in three acts, beginning with the end of the world (kinda spooky listening to this one in today's atmosphere...). Billboards are showing up everywhere thanking Chuck for his 39 years of service. Who is Chuck? Does he tie into the end of the world? Each acts goes a little bit further into the past until....well until the beginning and the end meet. In a way I hadn't imagined.The reader for this one had a nice little gravelly undertone that suited the mental image I was creating for Chuck. His voice was really expressive and definitely holds the listener's attention.

I chose to listen to If It Bleeds. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Listening draws the reader further into the story in my experience. (And this is one of the few books I would listen to again in the future.) The readers for this book were Will Patton, Danny Burstein and Steven Weber. Patton and Weber have both read King novels in the past. Hear for yourself - Listen to an excerpt of If It Bleeds. Oh, make sure you listen to the author's notes at the end - King talks about the inspiration for the novellas.

(For a real treat, here's a video of King himself reading from If It Bleeds.)

The Dogs - Allan Stratton

Our selection librarian at work highlighted Allan Stratton's latest YA novel The Dogs, as one to watch for in the coming months. I just finished it - and I agree - it was good! (Sourcebooks Fire is giving away two copies - the entry link is at the end of the post)

Cameron and his mom are always moving - on the run from Cameron's Dad. Their latest home is an old farmhouse, one that has a dark history. And that history seems to be reaching into the present....can Cameron trust what he thinks he's seeing? Can he trust what his Mom has told him about his Dad? And what's that he seeing out by the barn......

Stratton has created a great teen protagonist in Cameron - he's believable in his thoughts and actions.  Stratton expertly builds the tension slowly as Cameron questions what he's seeing and what is really happening. The reader has just as many questions - because it could all be in Cameron's mind. Is he mentally ill? Is his mother lying? Or could it possibly be real?

All the right elements are in place for a suspenseful read - old house with a sealed attic, moldering boxes in the basement that hint at the previous occupants, a taciturn old farmer next door, rumours and urban legends all add up to a spooky read.

Those who read YA fiction will enjoy The Dogs. It is at the younger end of the spectrum as Cameron is only fourteen.  (But this adult reader was completely caught up from first to last page.) Stratton tackles a number of serious issues throughout the book as well - mental illness, domestic abuse and bullying in an thoughtful and age appropriate manner.  Read an excerpt below or online.

"I go up to my bedroom. It’s at the top of the living-­room stairs, next to a small bathroom and near the big room over the kitchen. That’s the room Mom thought I’d pick, and I would have, except for the trapdoor in the ceiling. It’s sealed up with nails and paint. When I saw it, I asked Mom what she thought was up there.
“An attic.”
“Yeah, but what’s in it?” I pictured a dried-­up body, half eaten by mice. I mean, who seals up an empty attic? Anyway, that’s why I didn’t choose the big room. If I don’t see the hatch, it’s easier not to think about what’s on the other side.
The bedroom I picked came with an oak desk, a wooden chair, a night table with a lamp, and a metal-­frame bed. The mattress is new, unlike the wallpaper, which is stained and peeling along the seams near the window. Under the peels are layers of older wallpaper, one with little orange canaries on it. The window over my desk is the one good thing about my room. Looking out, I can see the barn with the fields all around and the woods in the distance. At night, the stars and the glow of the porch-­lamp light up bits of the barn and the first row of cornstalks.
I start to do my homework. Pretty soon, though, I’m looking out the window, watching the stars come out and trying to forget my life. I wonder who all are staring up at the moon right now. Are they wondering the same thing?
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch something moving by the barn. When I look, it disappears. Wait. There it is again at the cornfield. Some movement, some thing.
I count to twenty. Nothing. I relax. Then—­did that stalk move? I turn off my light so whatever’s out there can’t see in.
It’s probably just a breeze.
Or Mr. Sinclair. Or Cody and his gang.
Don’t be nuts. If it’s anything, it’s an animal. A coyote or a dog.
The dogs. I close my curtains. If I don’t look out, whatever’s there will go away. But I can’t not look. I sneak a peek. Nothing. Wait. By the barn. Is that a boy?
I blink. The boy is gone.
My eyes scan the barn. There’s a missing board up in the loft area. The more I stare, the more I think I see the boy staring back at me from the shadows behind the hole. He’s maybe ten, very pale, and he’s wearing one of those old Davy Crockett hats with the raccoon tail hanging from the back. Are those freckles on his cheeks?
Don’t be crazy. The barn’s too far away to see stuff like that.
The face disappears. I stare till I see double. The face swims back into view.
This is too weird. I close my eyes and try to clear my head by thinking about the bus and the Cheerios between Benjie’s teeth. When I open my eyes, everything’s normal. There’s no face. Nothing. Just the night.
And that’s how it stays.
I close my curtains, get ready for bed, and crawl under the covers. I hate the way I scare myself. It’s always the same and it’s always stupid. And the scared-­er I get, the more I talk to myself, which is even stupider.
Besides, even if there was a boy in the barn, what’s scary about that? Maybe he just likes exploring places like I do. Still, it’s weird he’s on our property, especially so late. I wonder where he lives. Who says he lives anywhere? Who says he’s real? What parents let a kid that young wander around at night?
Mom knocks on my door. “Cameron?”
“Yeah?”
“May I come in?”
“Sure.”
I know she wants to give me a good-­night hug, but I told her to stop it when I was twelve, so she just stands in the doorway. “I know you didn’t mean anything. You’ve had a hard day. I’m sorry I overreacted.”
I hate it when she’s all understanding. It makes me feel like an even bigger jerk. “That’s okay. Mom, I really am sorry.”
“I know.” She pauses. “’Night, then. I love you.”
I want to say the l-­word back, but I feel dumb, so I just say,
“You too.”
Mom closes the door. I go to turn off my lamp and get flashes of Mr. Sinclair and the dogs and the kid I maybe saw in the barn. What’s out there in the dark, circling the house when we’re asleep? What could be out there?
I leave the light on."

Allan Stratton is an internationally published playwright and author. His awards include a Michael L. Printz Honor Award, multiple ALA picks and the Independent Publisher Book Award. You can connect with Allan Stratton on his website.

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