Night Shift was Stephen King’s first published collection of short stories. As someone who only relatively recently became a King fan, I was especially curious to explore his short fiction — often cited as where he truly shines. The collection contains twenty stories in total: sixteen previously published in magazines and four original to this volume.
Few books feel like an experience the way House of Leaves does. From the moment I opened it, I knew I wasn’t reading a typical novel. Mark Z. Danielewski’s cult classic is part found footage horror story, part academic study, and part psychological spiral. It’s a novel told through multiple layers of narration — Zampanò, an aging blind scholar dissecting a mysterious film called The Navidson Record; Johnny Truant, a tattoo-shop worker who discovers Zampanò’s manuscript after his death; and a set of unnamed editors who compile it all. Each voice blurs fact and fiction, sanity and obsession, until the book itself becomes a kind of labyrinth.
Going into ’Salem’s Lot, I didn’t know what to expect — so imagine my surprise when I realized it was a vampire story. This could have easily gone the route of camp or cliché, but it doesn’t. Instead, King treats his vampires seriously, crafting a chilling and believable story that feels both classic and fresh.
As with most collections, this one was a bit hit or miss for me — but the hits were worth it. The cover suggests pure horror, but many of the stories lean more toward psychological thriller or dark fiction. A few offer eerie atmospheres and clever endings without being outright terrifying.
With a few Stephen King novels under my belt, I wanted to go back to where it all began (Carrie being King’s first published novel under his own name). I’ve never seen the movie adaptations — though I new the general premise going in: Carrie is a teenage girl with telekinetic abilities and a prom scene that involves blood and revenge.
Stephen King’s It is a massive, ambitious novel that blends supernatural horror with the deep emotional resonance of a coming-of-age story—and for me, it was the latter that really made it shine. I listened to the audiobook as I read along, and Steven Weber’s narration is phenomenal. He gives each character a distinct voice, and his pacing grows more frenetic as the tension builds, adding a whole extra layer of immersion to the experience.
I’m a carnivore. Not like on the carnivore diet. Although I eat woefully few vegetables. Let’s just say that I eat enough fruit and vegetables, in combination with my vitamins and supplements, that my chances of getting scurvy are not nonexistent. I can’t not eat meat; the perfectly cooked, medium rare sirloin (or baseball-cut filet mignon) that is paired with a delicious bearnaise… All I’m saying is that I love me a good steak. I don’t need to know where it comes from, how it’s made, or anything like that.
After finishing Pet Sematary recently, I really wanted a chance to re-read The Shining. It’s spooky season after all! I have to say, having a few other Stephen King books under my belt really added to my enjoyment of this one.
This story was not what I thought it was going to be. I haven’t seen any of the adaptations of it so I just assumed you bury your pet and it comes back to life. It is and it isn’t. And more toward isn’t. Also, I feel dumb that I never noticed until it was pointed out in the book that it’s actually “cemetery” and not “sematary.”
Spoiler alert: No one’s head spins around in this one… but some may or may not be removed…
