If It Bleeds: Mr. Harrigan's Phone, The Life of Chuck, Rat

🔸2.5% "If he was groping me, he could at least send me two-dollar scratch tickets," I said, and that made Dad laugh.

Mr. Harrigan's Phone - 4/5: It is always a joy to read Stephen King write about childhood, and he does not let down his readers with this short story. The Life of Chuck - 4/5 One of King's more unique short stories, "The Life of Chuck" is truly a celebration of life and the importance that each and every human being possesses. The structure to the "acts" was an interesting choice, but I felt it lacked some coherency. If It Bleeds - 5/5 I love Holly Gibney, and I was so excited to finally read a story where she was the focus. Due to being around 300+ pages shorter than The Outsider, the mystery of the villain is not given nearly as much build up or payoff, but I felt that this novella made for a natural follow up to one of my favorite King books in years. Rat - 5/5 I rushed through this short story in one sitting. I am a sucker for King's discussions of the writing process and theorizing about the mystery of creativity. Throw in a classic Faustian twist, and I was bound to love it.