Challenge Corner discussion

From the Flap:

A solitary finger pokes out of a drain. Novelty teeth turn predatory. Flies settle and die on an old pair of sneakers in New York, and the Nevada desert swallows a Cadillac. Meanwhile the legend of Castle Rock returns . . . and grows on you. What does it all mean? What else could it mean? First there was Night Shift (1978), then Skeleton Crew (1985), and now Stephen King is back with a third collection of stories--a vast, many-chambered cave of a volume, with passages leading every which way to hell . . . and a few to glory.

The long reach of Stephen King's imagination and the no-holds-barred force of his storytelling have never been so richly demonstrated. There's something here for readers of every stripe and predilection--classic tales of the macabre and the monstrous, cutting-edge explorations of the borderlands between good and evil, brilliant pastiches of Chandler and Conan Doyle, even a teleplay and a non-fiction bonus, a heartfelt piece of Little League baseball that first appeared in The New Yorker.

In story after story, several published here for the first time, he will take you to places you've never been before, places that are both dark and vividly illuminated. Fair warning: You will lose a good deal of sleep. But Stephen King, writing to beat the devil, will do your dreaming for you.

Can you believe? Then come . . .

Read a few of these over the weekend. Not my favorites! Think the order is all weird given on the edition I'm reading from the library...

Suffer the Little Children - (view spoiler)[I guess more than anything I feel bad for the teacher. The kids were obviously plain evil and after all her years of teaching I honestly can’t tell if the years got to her or there was legitimately something monstrous about them. I mean at the end of the day had she just retired she probably could have avoided all that. It was OK. (hide spoiler)]
Crouch End - (view spoiler)[ Ok this was just a weird story. Am I to believe her husband was turned into that deformed cat? And I wish we knew more about this guy they were supposed to go and see, the solicitor. Quite honestly this one dragged on too much and parts didn’t make sense. If there is a ‘tear’ to other realms or dimensions, is it always open or just sometimes and what/why do the things that come out only stay in Crouch End? (hide spoiler)]
Rainy Season - (view spoiler)[Well this was another weird one. I don’t blame them for being skeptical and thinking the town was playing a joke on them. I mean who would really believe it would pour toads. Sounds like a horrible way to die. And all I’m left is wondering why these townspeople don’t lie and say something else than the truth to keep the people away. But it seems like they need people as sacrifices if you will. (hide spoiler)]
Dolan's Cadillac - (view spoiler)[Why oh Why was this so long? I get this guy wants revenge and his revenge was years in the making but my goodness I felt my life slipping away with the monotony of this one. OK so he got his revenge wtf was the point of this???? (hide spoiler)]

They have not been my favorites so far either. And yeah, my edition has a totally different order than yours!

I'm just not finding anything overly exciting about any of these. These three were pretty good though. Almost hesitant to read more lol
The House on Maple Street - (view spoiler)[So am I right in guessing there was some type of biological spaceship in the basement? I am so lost, seems like some of these stories are just stories that have no point or meaning. And why oh why are they so unnecessarily long? The kids had a shit step-dad and they helped themselves and their mother in the end. Another OK but way too damn long story. (hide spoiler)]
You Know They Go a Hell of a Band - (view spoiler)[ This one was just odd. They get lost traveling and end up in Rock n’ Roll Heaven where dead zombie like remains of deceased well known musical legends run the place. It was just overall odd especially how it so abruptly ended. I think we as readers are to assume and or realize that the couple is stuck here now forever and every night will have to attend the concert on the Green. (hide spoiler)]
The End of the Whole Mess - (view spoiler)[ Oddly enough I really enjoyed this story and while I didn’t find it creepy or scary the end was a bit chill inducing. A brilliant mind sees the horrors in the world and wants to find a way to make us all happier better people and finds some special water he then synthesizes and deposits it into a super volcano which is set to explode at any time. The special water will be ejected when the volcano blows and will be spread worldwide. What seems to be working so well has side effects. Oh what kind? Just the kind that kills every living human on the Earth after a few years of peace. Obviously the end result was not worth it but then again maybe the planet is better off without our species here ruining it. (hide spoiler)]

Dolan's Cadillac - (view spoiler)[I completely agree this was too long! He described every boring detail, lol. (hide spoiler)]
The End of the Whole Mess - (view spoiler)[I didn't like this one much either. I felt like their actions didn't make a lot of sense, because they clearly should have tried out the special water on a small group of people before the entire world. (hide spoiler)]
Suffer the Little Children - (view spoiler)[I felt the opposite - the teacher seemed like a terrible person who wanted her students to complete their studies like robots without any joy or fun. The kids never did anything wrong. They just grinned at each other and didn't get intimidated. Even when they turned into monsters they didn't hurt anyone. Their faces just looked weird. (hide spoiler)]
The Night Flier - (view spoiler)[I had a hard time following this one, but maybe I just wasn't paying attention because I got kind of sick of the stories. The idea of a tabloid writer who finds an actual vampire is kind of funny, I guess. (hide spoiler)]
Popsy - (view spoiler)[Sheridan was such a scumbag. I didn't feel bad for his fate at all. (hide spoiler)]

Crystal, I had never read any short stories by Stephen King before. Had you? Right now I am thinking he isn't very good at them compared to novels.

Hahaha I think I read one from college. Don't remember it being this dry and blah. I agree as I'm really not a fan of most of these. Think I'll read a few more and probably give up lol. I mean the movies turn out good and I hear such great things about his writing so either it's just us or you're right he's crap at short stories :)

Yeah, I don't blame you if you give up. These just haven't been very impressive.

The Fifth Quarter - (view spoiler)[So his wife is the winner in the end. This story wasn’t anything scary or thrilling really. Guy is released from prison, finds out his cellmate and wife hooked up while he was locked up and his friend was involved in a score that would leave them set for life. After his friends death he goes on to collect all the shares of the stolen money. Only he is locked up again and his wife ends up with it all. Don’t see what’s so special about this story, in fact sounds common and not sure why it’s included in this collection. (hide spoiler)]
Head Down - (view spoiler)[This was by far probably my least favorite and most boring yet. I think I zoned out for most of it as it was very hard to follow along. The story is basically all about baseball and after listening to King read it to me for over an hour I still have no idea what the point was. (hide spoiler)]
Brooklyn August - (view spoiler)[ Well I’m at a loss with this one. It was more like a poem and only three pages long and once again seemed to be about baseball. I still don’t know what this one was trying to get across and I’m just happy it was so short. (hide spoiler)]

I think they are getting better, at least in my opinion. I liked Chattery Teeth, The Moving Finger, and Sneakers.

It Grows on You - (view spoiler)[This one didn't make much of an impression, apparently. I read it a couple of days ago, and already I can barely remember what it was about. (hide spoiler)]
Chattery Teeth - (view spoiler)[The idea of the chattery teeth attacking that kid was pretty funny! (hide spoiler)]
Dedication - (view spoiler)[One of the grossest stories I have ever read! It didn't make a lot of sense, though. (hide spoiler)]
The Moving Finger - (view spoiler)[This one is the closest to a classic horror story of any so far, I think. (hide spoiler)]
Sneakers - (view spoiler)[This one was interesting up until the ending, at which point it stopped making sense. The ghost was himself?? (hide spoiler)]

Umney's Last Case  - (view spoiler)[ Another slow barely interesting read about a dismally corny and sad detective from the 30s. I really can’t say much to her than I couldn’t wait for it to end or reveal its purpose. (hide spoiler)]
The Doctor's Case  - (view spoiler)[ I certainly was not expecting a Sherlock Holmes story. I’ve never been a huge fan to be honest, this wasn’t a horrible take and I did like that Watson was basically the MC finally, when we all know Sherlock would be lost without him. (hide spoiler)]
The Night Flier  - (view spoiler)[I found this one pretty drab too wasn’t overly thrilling. I mean even the tabloid vampire connection wasn’t a weird combo I mean considering all the stuff they write about. Vampires are kinda tame if you look at it that way lol (hide spoiler)]
Popsy - (view spoiler)[I actually really enjoyed this story. It was actually a short story, straight to the point right off the bat. And I can’t say I feel bad that he got what was coming to him. I mean honestly you wanna steal children to be sold well may you suffer long and hard for it. (hide spoiler)]
It Grows On You - (view spoiler)[Mildly creepy story about a haunted house that really had me thinking too much of the next season of Haunt8mg of Hill House. (hide spoiler)]
Chattery Teeth  - (view spoiler)[This was actually a bit fun. The title basically says it all and even before reading it I couldn’t help but thinking if those wind up biting teeth that bounce around the table. (hide spoiler)]
The Moving Finger  - (view spoiler)[ This had a very old school vibe from the writing to the story. I appreciated that aspect but just don’t think I’m enjoying these like I should be, it’s getting harder and harder to follow along. Had those gothic Victorian type vibes where rabbits feet and inanimate objects can be cursed, spiritual and dangerous. (hide spoiler)]
Sneakers  - (view spoiler)[So yet again I didn’t enjoy this story. More to the point I couldn’t tell you what it was even about, I’m confused. I mean I gathered about the ghost but the ending? I really don’t like reading stories, long or short that leave you lost and hanging. (hide spoiler)]
Home Delivery - (view spoiler)[ If there is on thing I enjoy even as overdone as it is, is zombies. Still I’ve read better but at least this subject matter was finally interesting. It is cool to see how different authors weave their own tales regarding zombies. (hide spoiler)]
Dedication - (view spoiler)[Weird story yet again about I think motherly love, it’s getting harder to figure out the meanings or what I’m supposed to walk away from with these. (hide spoiler)]
My Pretty Pony  - (view spoiler)[ A weird story about the relationship between a kid and his grandfather. Still didn’t really get spooky, thriller or any horror vibes I’d be expecting. (hide spoiler)]
Sorry, Right Number  - (view spoiler)[So I didn’t enjoy this one, surprise surprise. I really disliked the format which was more like a script than story. The setup had me confused and disconnected. (hide spoiler)]
The Ten O'Clock People  - (view spoiler)[Like Popsy this was about vampires. As my last story I didn’t enjoy it, the only thing I enjoyed was being done with them all. Of course this one took too long to finish but I did enjoy the more grotesque vampires than the beautiful ones we see in movies nowadays. All the arms with claws coming in the windows grabbing ppl was a bit scary. (hide spoiler)]

Somehow someway I made it, I doubt I’ll be reading more of his work if this is anything to go by. Some of these stories were painful and while I appreciate good detail there was just too much unnecessary information that took pages and pages that made me want to stab myself lol.

You Know They Got a Hell of a Band - (view spoiler)[Yeah, I got the same impression - we should assume they are stuck there forever. But it wasn't clear why or what would stop them from leaving. (hide spoiler)]
Home Delivery - (view spoiler)[Haha, I am the opposite. I'm kind of sick of zombie stories, so this one started off on a bad foot with me. (hide spoiler)]
Rainy Season - (view spoiler)[Oh, I didn't think of lying. That would be a good solution! But yeah, it seems they are so worried they would be stuck with the frogs forever that they haven't even tried it. Pretty selfish. (hide spoiler)]
My Pretty Pony - (view spoiler)[Yeah, no horror vibes in this one. It pretty out of place. (hide spoiler)]
Sorry Right Number - (view spoiler)[The format of this one was very strange. I guess it actually was turned into a short movie at some point. It's hard for me to picture what it would look like just by reading. (hide spoiler)]

The Ten O'Clock People - (view spoiler)[I liked this one a bit better because I found it interesting how the narrator felt like he had been left behind by society because of his smoking habit. However, the comparison to Jim Crow laws definitely crossed the line into offensive territory. (hide spoiler)]
Crouch End - (view spoiler)[Agree that this one dragged on too much, as many of them did. (hide spoiler)]
The House on Maple Street - (view spoiler)[Yes, the house suddenly turning into a spaceship or whatever did not make much sense to me either. King said in the notes of my edition that in a short story, you don't have to explain why something happened, just think of an idea and then tell the story. Lol, not sure I agree. But that philosophy is evident in this story, (hide spoiler)]
The Fifth Quarter - (view spoiler)[I agree, I don't see why this story was included. It didn't seem to fit, and I don't get the point of it. (hide spoiler)]

Finally finished!

The Doctor's Case - (view spoiler)[I actually really like Sherlock Holmes stories, but I didn't like this one. Maybe because I like the real thing so much, so I don't really want to read fakes. (hide spoiler)]
Umney's Last Case - (view spoiler)[Apparently this was mimicking the style of some author I've never heard of. I didn't get a lot out of it. (hide spoiler)]
Head Down - (view spoiler)[OMG, I have never been so bored in my life! Why oh why did I have to read about every single pitch in every single game of this dumb Little League team? I don't get how King thinks this is an "essay", and I certainly don't get how it belongs in a collection of short stories. (hide spoiler)]
Brooklyn August - (view spoiler)[And a stupid-ass poem to finish off the last story. At least I am finally done!! (hide spoiler)]

Dolan's Cadillac (view spoiler)[
Rating: 1/5
I found this one rather boring and predictable. It was too drawn out and it went exactly as I thought. There was neither a twist at the end nor was it very thought-provoking. Definitely not the story to start the book if you want to draw readers in. (hide spoiler)]

The End of the Whole Mess (view spoiler)[
Rating: 3/5
This was a somewhat interesting story. I liked it better than the first one. The story has an interesting idea behind it. Kind of scary that Bobby just went ahead and used his discovery on the population. I really want these stories to get better. I really enjoyed reading Skeleton Crew, so I was hoping this one would be just as good. (hide spoiler)]

Suffer the Little Children (view spoiler)[
Rating: 4/5
Yikes this one was kind of creepy. Were the kids possessed or was it all in Miss Sidley's mind? That is scary to think about. Were the children actually monsters or did the teacher just murder a bunch of children? (hide spoiler)]

The Night Flier (view spoiler)[
Rating: 2.5/5
All that effort and Dees finally catches up the Night Flier only to have no evidence for his story and to potentially be framed for all the murders. It is kind of sad that that was all for nothing in a way. Besides the knowledge and nightmares and legal fees that it brought. (hide spoiler)]
Popsy (view spoiler)[
Rating: 3/5
I liked this one, but he lost some points because the order of these stories placed it right after another vampire story. I knew right away where the story was going since vampires were fresh on my mind. I like this one since it wasn't too wordy and was straight to the point. (hide spoiler)]
It Grows On You (view spoiler)[
Rating: 3/5
To be honest, I was a little confused by this story and had to Google it. I understand what it was going for now, and I like the idea. However, at the same time I can't rate it too highly since I found how it was written to be confusing. (hide spoiler)]
Chattery Teeth (view spoiler)[
Rating: 3.5/5
I liked this one. It was kind of creepy, although I usually find inanimate objects that are possessed or can move on their own to always be creepy. I wish we found out why the teeth were like that, but regardless, I am glad that Bill decided to take them home. I am not sure I would've done the same, but I suppose the teeth showed their worth. (hide spoiler)]

Dedication (view spoiler)[
Rating: 1/5
This story was really slow and too drawn out. I didn't even enjoy the point of the story either. (hide spoiler)]
The Moving Finger (view spoiler)[
Rating: 3.5/5
The idea of a finger coming out of the drain is actually pretty spooky. The idea of it gives me goosebumps. I honestly would've told my husband about it right away to see if he also saw it. (hide spoiler)]
Sneakers (view spoiler)[
Rating: 3.5/5
This was an interesting story. I wasn't really sure where it was going to go for most of it, but I was intrigued if what Tell saw was real or just someone messing with him. (hide spoiler)]
You Know They Got a Hell of a Band (view spoiler)[
Rating: 3/5
This was a unique story. I don't think I have heard one like. I found the overall atmosphere to be pretty creepy, and I was waiting to see what was going to be the defining moment when things take a turn for the worse. (hide spoiler)]
Home Delivery (view spoiler)[
Rating: 3/5
I am a sucker for zombies and apocalyptic settings. I kind of liked the idea of this one, but I wish it was a little longer or had more to it. (hide spoiler)]
Rainy Season (view spoiler)[
Rating: 4/5
This one was interesting although I wish I knew more about the background of the "ritual" and what started it. (hide spoiler)]

My Pretty Pony (view spoiler)[
Rating: 1/5
I didn't really get this one. It was just a grandfather with one of his grandsons walking through a field talking about ponies and time? (hide spoiler)]
Sorry, Right Number (view spoiler)[
Rating 3/5
I liked this one. I wasn't a fan of it being in the form of a play, but I like the plot. It was sad that Katie wasn't able to warn her past self, but then it shows you can't change the past/present. (hide spoiler)]
The Ten O'Clock People (view spoiler)[
Rating: 3/5
This was an alright story. I think the idea was interesting, but the plot was only so-so. I guess it could've been the start to a longer story. (hide spoiler)]
Crouch End (view spoiler)[
Rating: 4/5
I like the idea of this one. I think a longer story could definitely be made off of this. The whole idea of a place that's difficult to find/get to and everything is strange there is an intriguing horror story. (hide spoiler)]
The House on Maple Street (view spoiler)[
Rating: 3/5
Lew was such an awful stepdad to those four children. I was actually looking forward to seeing what the house was going to do, but I hoped it didn't hurt the children and their mother in the process. I really want to know what was in the house, though. That wasn't answered. (hide spoiler)]

The Fifth Quarter (view spoiler)[
Rating: 1/5
I didn't find this one interesting at all. It was a little hard for me to follow, but that might have been because I found it kind of boring. It was hard to pay attention to the details. (hide spoiler)]
The Doctor's Case (view spoiler)[
Rating: 2.5/5
This one was alright, but I have heard stories like this before. It is kind of like a worse version of an Agatha Christie plot. That and I am not reading Stephen King for Sherlock Holmes. (hide spoiler)]
Umney's Last Case (view spoiler)[
Rating: 4/5
I actually liked this one. I like how the real Umney was learning how to write at the end so he could get back into his own world. I feel kind of bad for him, but I also feel bad for Landry. I wish Umney was happier in Landry's world because that would be the best outcome for both people. (hide spoiler)]
Head Down (view spoiler)[
Rating: 1/5
I am not entirely sure why this one was included in this short story collection. It was a stark contrast to everything else in the book since it was about an essay about a baseball team, it was non-fiction, and it was not what you'd want if you are planning on reading something by Stephen King. (hide spoiler)]