Two From The King...

Two From The King...

...or to be more specific, the henchman of horror, the governor
of gore, Maine's own master of disaster, Stephen King.

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
Pop up book
You'd think a literary offering from Maine's home grown
horrormeister and a type of book usually reserved for alphabet and
other cutesy volumes would be a highly unlikely pairing. It did
happen in 2004 when The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon came out in pop up
book format. I found it quite detailed and fascinating. I was deeply
disappointed when more of his works didn't make this transition.
Fast forward to 2018. My younger daughter, Katie, has an
extensive collection of Stephen King books. She'd come from the Big
City (aka Portland) for Amber's birthday party. A memory popped into
my head. It was of the kids and me getting that book autographed in
silver by the author with all our names on it. I asked Katie if she'd
like it for her collection.
I decided to reread it before I passed it on. It's a macabre
version of Lost on a Mountain in Maine. Trish, a major Tom Gordon
fan, is hiking with her squabbling mother and brother. Ducking off to
pee, she loses track of her family. So now she's lost, low on food,
and clueless about how to reunite with family or return to civilization.
And goodness only knows what could be lurking in the woods as
darkness falls.
The pop ups are crisp, clean cut, and detailed, but never overly
busy. They compliment the text beautifully.
If you can get your hands on a copy in good shape, take care of
it. I know Katie will.
Just for fun question: are there any Stephen King books you'd
like to see a pop up version of? Mine are Stand By Me, Carrie, and
The Shining.

The Outsider
Adult fiction
"One thing was sure: when night fell the skinny, tubercular man
from Yune Sabb's fairy tale became more plausible. Not believable,
Ralph could no more believe in such a creature than he could in Santa
Claus, but he could picture him: a darker-skinned version of Slender
Man, that bugaboo of pubescent American girls. He'd be tall and grave
in his black suit, his face like a lamp, and carrying a bag big enough
to hold a small child with his or her knees folded up against his or
her chest. According to Yune, the Mexican bogeyman prolonged his life
by drinking the blood of children and rubbing their fat on his
body...and while that wasn't what happened to the Peterson boy, it was
in the vicinity..."
In Stephen King's The Outsider an apple pie Americana scene is
rudely interrupted. A City League baseball tournament is underway.
It's the bottom of the ninth. An undersized kid at bat is about to
make or break the game for his team when...
...suddenly two police officers walk onto the field, handcuff
one of the coaches, Terry Maitland, and read him his rights, arresting
him in front of well over a thousand spectators. A child has been
brutally sodomized and murdered. All clues including fingerprints and
eyewitness accounts make this bust seem to be a slam dunk. If
Maitland is as guilty as he seems, it's a good thing to get him away
from the boys before he reoffends.
There's only one problem. Maitland has an airtight alibi. At
the time the murder took place he was at a conference with teacher
colleagues. Fingerprints and eyewitnesses corroborate his story as
strongly as they do the accusation. He's even caught on news footage.
The brutal murder of two young sisters a few months earlier
poses the same dilemma. Can one person be in two places at the same
time? Or can some unspeakable force of evil be at work?
Considering that the plot stems from the vivid, bordering on
lurid, imagination of Maine's own master of horror, I think you know
the answer. But you'll have to read the book to see how the premise
plays out. You're in for a real treat, especially if you enjoyed
King's Mr. Mercedes. In fact, you'll become reacquainted with one of
its more memorable characters.
Just don't read the book too close to bedtime if you want to get
a good night's sleep.

On a personal note, the last week before March break is speeding by.
School is going well. Our assessments prof, Leah, gave the class a
much needed extra week for our small group literature reviews. Work
is awesome. Today I had an opportunity. There were a bunch of call
ins. Anna asked me if I could stay late and get the tables and napkin
holders ready for the supper crowd. I was so happy to be her night in
laundered uniform. (Shining armor is way overrated.) I've started
packing for my conference in the Big City which starts Friday!!! I'm
so looking forward to this adventure!!! I am one of the luckiest
people I know. I am living the dream.
Great big shout outs go out to Leah, my classmates, Anna, and my
dining services family.
jules hathaway






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