Billy Summers - Stephen King

Billy Summers has been sat on my bookshelf since last Christmas and whilst I knew I was going to love it - I'd been putting it off as I didn't think it was going to fall into my preferred King genre.

Let me explain. I've read a few King novels (only about 10 or so of the his back catalogue) and have noticed that whilst his incredible writing is of course prevalent throughout - the main plot styles vary. You've got your Supernatural (Pet Semetary, Carrie), your End of Civilisation style (Sleeping Beauties, The Stand), your Suspense Thrillers (Misery, 11.22.63) and your horror (IT - though I've never read this one).

Billy Summers is about a hit man - but he only takes jobs that go after the Bad men. Forgive me Feminists for I will sin with this next statement - the description screamed Bloke Book to me.

That being said - I am committed to working my way through all of his books so, as I've hit my reading goal I can afford to risk a couple of DNF's so decided to go for it.

I stand by that this is a Bloke Book, but I enjoyed it alot. It took me a while to get into it but I think that was because I needed to get used to reading his style of writing again. After working my way through a lot of romances and fantasy this year - Kings direct and quick-fire style took some getting used to but once I was in - HOOKED!

The story - by all accounts, is believable. Stephen Kings personal anti-Trump views came through clearly without being preachy and there was (as always) nods to other stories in the universe (The Overlook Hotel played a specific role towards the end).

If you're more of a thriller reader - I'd definitely give this a go. Don't be put off by the fact that King is typically a Horror writer.

Also - check the TW for this book. He handles these plot lines masterfully in my opinion however, check them out before you dive in.

Comments

Christmas At The Island Hotel - Jenny Colgan

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times - for me, snuggling down with a Jenny Colgan book is like a hug from an old friend. And Christmas At The Island Hotel is no exception. Now, this is part of a series in the way that it follows a family of characters for their fourth installment, however as always, this works perfectly as a standalone book. Fintan, grieving the loss of his partner, has been left to open The Rock - the hotel on the island of Mure. Suddenly, this born and bred farmer needs to source a kitchen team to maintain the legacy of his late partner. And now he has a French chef that no one else wants, working in his kitchen. Konstantin, Norwegian party boy and all round spoilt brat, has been cast out by his Dad and has to learn how to be self sufficient. He finds himself on the remote island of Mure, halfway between Scotland and Norway, with no money, no friends and no idea how to chop an onion, As always, Jenny expertly weaves the lives of the characters togeth

This Time Next Year - Sophie Cousens

I wanted a wholesome New Years based read to finish 2022 with, and This Time Next Year delivered! I originally added this to my list back at the beginning of 2021 and I found it on Apple Books for just £3.99 so decided to go all in. Minnie and Quinn were both born on the 1st January 1990. Born in the same hospital, to strangers, they meet again on the morning of their 30th birthday after an eventful New Years Eve. This book reminded me a lot of One Day - the way the story is laid out - flashbacks to New Years Eves of years gone by, showed where each of the characters were at the varying points of their lives. With interwoven stories throughout the years, the two begin a friendship that neither of them quite have the time or inclination for. This was the perfect cosy read for the end of the year and I sped through it in one evening.

Barbarian Lover - Ruby Dixon

If someone told me 6 months ago that I'd be using Blue Alien smut as a palette cleanser between my books.. I probably would have laughed at them. But that's apparently the BookTok curse. Once again, I found myself diving into the world of Ruby Dixon's sci-fi romance series and this time we were following Kara's story. Once again, this is a FUN series. The format is similar in all of them, so it's not groundbreaking writing or literary fiction but it's good natured, easy to read and there's plenty of big blue alien d*ck.

The Little Library Project

Search This Blog