Books: The Bazaar of Bad Dreams: Stories by Stephen King (2015)

A lot of the short stories in Stephen King's The Bazaar of Bad Dreams are not full-on horror yarns, some are mean tales (Premium Harmony), though less harsh than in his 2010 Full Dark, No Stars. There are a few parables; also some the resemble Twilight Zone tales (Mile 81 and UR) where you wait for the surprise ending, but all are fairly interesting and, I guess, King-ish in nature -in other words, a bunch of themes that are not especially new, but since it is King, this Constant Reader will give it a pass. I know that UR, which was a tale he wrote for Amazon’s Kindle back in 2009, was heavily re-written here for this 2015 collection, but it was one of my favorites. Perhaps it was (mostly?) because he returned the time when generally a lot of his output was connected to the Dark Tower series, as the Tower itself, the Low Men in Yellow Coats, and the notions of a multiverse make cameo appearances here.  I also enjoyed the novella Blockade Billy as well, something he wrote and published in limited (and expensive) editions back in 2010. There was Bad Little Kid, which was published in 2014 as an e-book in French and German languages only as a gift to King's European fans. This was the first time presented in English. There were also three previously unavailable stories, Mister Yummy, Obits, and Cookie Jar, which was added for the paperback edition.

There is something for everyone here, and as noted, these tales are more thriller than chiller. But that's okay. King's prolific work in a particular genre does not need to be seen every day.

Books: The Gowing Pains of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend (1984)

“At sixteen, Adrian Mole's life continues to be nothing but a set of tragic circumstances: His tempestuous relationship with an alluring schoolmate tortures him, while his intellectualism continues to be ignored by the British press. Despite it all he remains as agonizingly funny as ever.”

The 2nd book in the Adrian Mole series, following directly on from the first book, focuses on the worries and regrets of a teenage aspiring intellectual. This volume takes us through the rest of 1982 through to mid-1983 and include notable events such the breakup and later reconciliation of Adrian and Pandora, Adrian's attempt to run away from home and subsequent breakdown, the birth of his sister Rosie Mole, and Adrian's general worry about his O levels and nuclear war. 

He continues his self-esteem issues as well, as he goes on about his height, his pimples, his lack of muscular development and the size of his penis. This leads to a fairly funny part where he tries running away, but only gets a few towns over before realizing his mistake. 

Much like the first book, The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole are laugh-out funny (and I kind of thought this one better than the first). And once again, Townsend continues her brilliant look into mind of teenage boy, pulling out some wonderful, sometimes uncomfortable aspects, that seem to run though their minds. 

Note: Townsend would continue to write about Adrian, but it would be five years before she released The True Confessions of Adrian Mole. Adrian Mole: The Wilderness Years, would follow in 1993. In 1997 she would return with Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years; Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction would be released in 2004, and Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years would be released in 2009. All of the books would follow Adrian as he aged, with the last book set around 2008. Townsend, who spend the last decade and half with health issues (including blindness) died in 2014 at the age of 68.

I'm unsure whether I'll continue, but we'll see how the dark the world gets.

Books: The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ by Sue Townsend (1982)

"Meet Adrian Mole, a hapless teenager providing an unabashed, pimples-and-all glimpse into adolescent life. Writing candidly about his parents' marital troubles, the dog, and his life as a tortured poet and 'misunderstood intellectual'."

I’ve known about The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ for a long, long time. But for reasons that I cannot know, I’ve never read it. But for a while, I’ve felt rather melancholy and have turned to more humorous books to turn my sour mood around. Little did I know there was more than one book; so I ended up getting an omnibus edition from Powell’s Books that contained the first two novels.

The story is set in 1981 and 1982, and in the background it refers to some of the historic world events of the time, such as the Falklands War and the wedding of Price Charles and Lady Diana as well as the birth of Prince Williams. Mole is also a fierce critic of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, listing her as one of his worst enemies. Apart from the humorous events described in the diary, a lot of the book's humor originates from the unreliable nature of the narrator, as Adrian, who naïvely, yet confidently, misinterprets events around him.

The book is a hoot and it amazes me how Townsend is able to understand the inner workings of a teenage male –it’s thoroughly and hilariously convincing. Yes, Adrian is bit immature and has angst-ridden personality that could get wearisome as he grows older, but as person who likes snark and witty, but sometimes, uncomfortable humor, this book works wonderfully.