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Audiobook Review: Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King
If you want to be sleepless on a road trip, like the one I recently took from New Castle to Chicago, New York, and back, then you might consider listening to Stephen King’s audiobook, Bazaar of Bad Dreams. Most people know Stephen King from his popular movies and are familiar with the scare factor he puts into his books. Bazaar of Bad Dreams is a collection of over a dozen stories, but they are not short stories. Each one is about an hour long.
Being a prolific writer, Stephen King loves to share his life story and origins of his ideas. At the beginning of each story of this book, he prepares the listener for what is coming and describes the life experience that triggered the work. For instance, Misery came about after he had a terrible accident himself. He provides listeners inspiration to make up their own bizarre stories from everyday experiences.
I liked the author reading the prefaces himself, and the fact that each story had a different dramatic reader to provide continuous variety. The stories themselves are diverse, as well. One was about messages in the sand and prediction of the future. Another favorite was about a disobedient child and a grisly discovery. Several of the stories are written from the viewpoint of children. Remember the movie The Shining?
Some people question why the horror genre is so popular. From my experience, I discovered long ago as a child, if I brought my fear forth out of my subconscious and confronted it directly, I found it ceased to bother me. When I would see a scary TV show like The Twilight Zone, I would think about it just before sleep and that would ward off nightmares about the subject.
Let me also point out that most mystery books have a large amount of scare factor, violence and, usually, a murder. So, why not bring the scare out of the closet and confront it with Stephen King while driving? Audiobooks have been such a great co-pilot for me as I spend hours in the car. Sometimes I like music and radio news, but getting seriously involved in a book makes a trip fly by. There are times I do not even want to get out of the car when I arrive at my destination. Now with e-books for your phone, there is a whole world of audio available. In my busy world, the luxury of lounging with a good book is just a dream for me, but I can still say, “I read a great book recently!” Well, the truth is, “I heard a good book recently!”
Bazaar of Bad Dreams is available at the Craig County Public Library (in both hardback book and audiobook formats) along with many other audiobooks in a wide selection of genres. Come to the library and check them out!
Book review by Marge Lewter, Pres Craig County Public Library, Board of Trustees
Library news
A Barn Quilt has been generously donated as a raffle item for the Fall Festival. You can purchase a ticket at the library between now and October 14.
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For our informative newsletter, just send your request to craiglibrary@swva.net August 26, New Castle “Cruise In”, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., library book sale in the book barns.
September 1, rescheduled Night Sky Stargazing program, with Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society – wishing for clear skies this time! 8 p.m. Craig Valley Baptist Church pavilion.
Next Board of Trustees meeting: September 11, 2017, 6 p.m. at the library.
