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I first read ‘Night Shift’ when I was in high school. It has been about 15 years since I first cracked open this collection of short stories. I remember enjoying them and being scared out of my mind as I sat in our entertainment room all alone, reading until 4 in the morning. I remember it wasn’t a hot summer so we left the windows open at night. Any noise I heard had me jumping and making sure that the front door was locked. After re-reading this collection, I can honestly say, not much has changed. Mr. King still has the ability to make me jump of my seat, double checking and even triple checking the locks on my front door. Jerusalem’s Lot is a great opening to this collection (it makes me want to re-read ‘Salem’s Lot’ after finishing this book). The story, though too short in my opinion, was very interesting. I liked the fact that it was written in the form of letters from Charles. I wish we could have seen ‘Bones’ response to these letters and what he thought/felt while reading them. Jerusalem’ Lot (the town) was described is such detail by King, I feel like I was able to picture it perfectly in my mind. “We must see more to know more” was one line that really stuck out to me. It seems by thinking this way was the characters downfall. 4.5/5.0 Graveyard Shift was the story that made me hate basements when I was younger (still hate them to this day). It wasn’t a scary story but instead was a creepy one filled with a basement, bats and rats. There is something about all three that just makes me skin crawl and when you have a story filled with all three…it makes me want to stay far far away. Graveyard was a decent short story, not one of my favorites though from this collection. 3.5/5.0 Night Surf was a semi-decent short story. It felt too short to me though and I didn’t have enough time to get into the story. There was really nothing that stood out to me to actually make me care for the characters in it. (2.5/5.0) I am the Doorway…I loved this one. Mr. King has a thing for eyes, poking at them/stomping them/ect. The storyline was so interesting and creepy that I felt like I was a part of what was going on. I loved the sci-fi/other life form element to it. It makes me never want to leave Earth and search another planet. (5.0/5.0) The Mangler was a good story but a folding laundry machine killing machine was something I couldn’t take too seriously. The ending had me laughing a little on the inside as I pictured this machine, roaming the streets, looking for its next kill. (3.5/5.0) The Boogeyman is one of the best pieces of King’s work that I have ever read. He takes something that a lot of fear and amps it up to the next level. I remember reading this when I was younger and locking the closet door each and every night. I didn’t want the Boogeyman to come and get me. This is one of the short stories that I wish he would have done as a legit full length novel. I would have loved to have seen where this story would have gone after Lester’s visit with Dr. Harper. (5.0/5.0) Gray Matter, I don’t know why but when read this one I pictured the Blob from X Men Origins. I wasn’t a big fan of this one. I’m glad I was never a big beer drinking is all I have to say after reading this one. (3.0/5.0) Battleground was fantastic, I loved it. It was a really creative twist on a revenge story. Many of the stories in this collection went on to be movies, this is one of them that I would have enjoyed seeing done that way. This was also another short story that I would have wanted as a full length novel. (5.0/5.0) Trucks or I like to refer to it “Christine Done Wrong’. I understand that this collection came out before ‘Christine’ did but after reading ‘Christine’, this story just falls too flat. Like Night Surf I felt like I could not make a connection with any of the characters in this and for me, that really ruins a story. (2.0/5.0) Sometimes They Come Back was a great take on a ghost story and a very interesting read. I loved it all, the story, the characters, the ending. Again, though, I just wished for more after it was all over. I wanted more about the breakdown that Jim suffered and what happened to the bullies’ friend Bleach. (5.0/5.0) Strawberry Spring loved the use of the fog in this one. It made me think of The Mist (movie) and the Fog. I could just picture the fog rolling in, covering up the murders that were happening. It was a little too predictable for my taste but overall, it was a pretty decent little story. (3.5/5.0) The Ledge had me sitting on the edge of my seat as I was reading it. It was a very suspenseful read. I NEEDED to know how it was going to end. This was one of my favorites from this collection. Great story, great characters, great ending (minus one part but without it, the finale would not have taken place). (4.5/5.0) The Lawnmower Man is one crazy story. At the end, I was left wondering what had I just read. The visuals I got from it there so off the wall that they made me giggle to myself. For some reason I pictured that goat-boy thing from the Chronicles of Narnia mowing the lawn. (3.5/5.0) Quitter’s Inc is an interesting story with a chilling way to get people to quit smoking. You wish that there was a fine print to read when signing on to this gig but sadly there is none. I enjoyed the story. (3.5/5.0) I Know What You Need wasn’t one of my favorites in this book. It wasn’t a bad story; there were just too many better stories in this book for me to get involved with. What happens when love toes the line of obsession is what takes place in it. I would have liked to read the story from Ed’s POV. I think it would have been a much more interesting read. (3.0/5.0) Children of the Corn isn’t this the story we all bought the book for (it feels like it me from reviews I’ve read and people I’ve spoken to). Amazing story that I wish could have went on forever. Mr. King really teased his readers with this gem. I want to know more about what happened to the town, the people, how everything came about and what was the thing that came out at the end. (5.0/5.0) The Last Rung on the Ladder was a really depressing one for me. What would be the last think you said or done to a love one? I made you think. Does it fit in with this collection? No, but this just proves why Stephen King is brilliantly amazing at what he does. Many people just write him off as another horror story teller. To them, I tell them to start with this one and that they will be pleasantly surprised to see what they find. (4.5/5.0) The Man Who Loved Flowers was a very short story and the ending did surprise me. It started out such a sweet love story and then you get to the ending which was not so sweet. It as decent little story but again it wasn’t one of my favorites. (3.0/5.0) One for the Road…anytime Mr. King revisits Salem’s Lot there will be a HUGE smile on my face. It was one of the first novels I read by him and if you’re speaking of his horror style of writing, it is my favorite book by him. LOVED this story, I’m not sure if there is anything else I can say but READ IT and enjoy it. And then revisit Salem’s Lot once again. (5.0/5.0) The Woman in the Room, like The Last Rung on the Ladder, if you feel that all King can write horror, pick up this story. It is a very depressing story with a tragic end. (4.0/5.0) Overall I did thoroughly enjoy these short stories. There were some that I would have skipped and there were others that I fell head over heels in love with.

2023-01-14 13:39