Time for another round of Yvo’s Shorties! Another round of backlist titles, and two completely different genres and age groups at that. I’ve been meaning to read Misery for years and I already had an idea what it was about… I’m definitely glad I finally did so. It’s not my all time favorite Stephen King, but without doubt a great read. Kids Of Appetite I picked up on a whim browsing my kindle, and I had high hopes because I adored David Arnold’s other book Mosquitoland. Sadly, this story just didn’t work for me.
Title: Misery
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Horror
First published: 1987
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Finished reading: July 27th 2018
Pages: 369
“He felt as he always did when he finished a book — queerly empty, let down, aware that for each little success he had paid a toll of absurdity.”
I’ve read quite a few Stephen King books over the years, but somehow I never actually picked up Misery until now. Of course I have heard lots of things about the plot, so I had a general idea what the story was about… And I have to say the actual story definitely lived up to expectations. It’s not my absolute favorite King, but there is no doubt that this is one of his better books I’ve read to this date. Misery is more psychological horror than bloody horror in general, although it has a few select scenes that won’t go well with those with a weak stomach. Strong writing… Check. Well developed, disturbing and creepy characters… Check. A healthy dose of suspense… Check. Plot twists… Check. A little torture and blood here and there… Check. I definitely had a great time reading Misery, although it doesn’t feel the right word for a story this creepy. I liked the Misery chapters in between the actual plot, as it added another level and more dept to the plot itself. And I wouldn’t wish Annie upon my worst enemy! Boy, she is a true nutter… Writers, beware. She is stuff nightmares are made of. If you enjoy reading his work, Misery should definitely be on your reading list as well.
Title: Kids Of Appetite
Author: David Arnold
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
First published: September 20th 2016
Publisher: Viking Books For Young Readers
Finished reading: July 29th 2018
Pages: 352
“The kids were more than just a gaggle. They were puzzle pieces, a well-packed trunk, as improbably organized as the improbable shelves in their improbable habitat.”
I absolutely adored Mosquitoland last year, so I had high hopes for Kids Of Appetite as well. It took me longer than expected to finally get to it… And sadly it wasn’t the experience I was hoping for. I’m actually still surprised and I bit shocked by my reaction to be honest… Because I have to be sincere here and I’m not sure how I made it past the 20% without giving in to the urge to DNF. Do I feel sad? Yes. But unfortunately Kids Of Appetite just wasn’t for me. I have seen this story has pretty extreme reactions, people either loving or strongly disliking it, so definitely don’t give up on it yet if you enjoy stories with unique characters and writing style. Because that’s the main struggle here: the writing. While unique and original, it is something that either works for you and makes you want to sing out loud, OR makes you want to throw things at the wall in frustration. Not that my singing would actually make anyone happy in the first place, but sadly my walls might have taken a hit or two here. I personally really struggled with it all and this made it just really hard both to get a proper feel for things and understand what is exactly going on in the first place. David Arnold is a master in greating unique characters though. Kuddos to him for introducing us to Victor and giving Moebius a spotlight; the other characters definitely weren’t bland either. I’m not sure everything in the plot was actually credible though. In short, Kids Of Appetite is a book of extremes and therefore will provoke strong emotions… So even though this book didn’t work for me, you might just love it instead.
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