June 2020 - How Many?

[Martin]

June 2020:
Finished 5 reads in June.

The Human Touch by Mitch Albom:
An Audible serialized story set in the Covid-19 lockdown. If you enjoy Mitch Ablom’s stories you will like this one.
4 Stars

Bag of Bones by Stephen King:
Have not read this since it was first released. I remember it as being OK but not great. Listened to it on Audio read my Mr. King and my views remain the same. There are flashes of a great story but not enough to make it a classic. I also remember that this is an ode to Rebecca and at the time I first read I was not aware at how linked the stories are.
3 Stars

The History of Bourbon by Ken Albala:
This is a part of Audibles Great Courses series. It is a fascinating look at the history of Bourbon.
4 Stars

Four Halloweens by Kealan Patrick Burke, Norman Prentiss, Ray Garton, Ed Gorman and Richard Chizmar:
Halloween anthology with five solid stories. So someone at Cemetery Dance can’t count but I got an extra story out of it.
4 Stars

Freedom in the Family by Tananarive Due and Patricia Stephens Due:
Discovered Tananarive Due from a story she has in Midnight Under the Big Top. In looking for more to read from her I discovered that she had co-written a book about the civil rights movement with her mother. Her mother was a major force in the civil rights movement in the 50’s and 60’s. The story alternates chapter between each and is absolutely fascinating. One recurring thread throughout the story are the unsung heroes of the movement. I would really like a follow-up with more information about some of these people.
5 Stars

[Sock Monkey]

I'm way late in posting these, but better late than never!

The Well by Jack Cady
It's my understanding that this book is held in well-regard. Published in 1980, this still has the feel of the horror novels of the seventies. The story revolves around a house that was built to trap evil and a man who escaped its clutches as a child returning to face his history with it. It's a slim book at 242 pages and I enjoyed it well enough, but even at the reasonable page count, the book felt like it was spinning its wheels through most of its length. With only two main characters to speak of, and the story mostly confined to the house itself, the book plateaued for it's second act before ramping up slightly near the end. Each chapter begins with a little history in the Tracker family and I found these parts more interesting than the main story itself.
3 Stars

Lullabies For Suffering: Tales of Addiction Horror, ed. by Mark Matthews
I took a gamble and picked up the limited edition of this title, mostly because I'm a big Kealan Patrick Burke fan and he is one of the six authors contributing to the anthology. Consisting of six novellas, this anthology contains stories all containing elements of addiction. And each one of these were a winner. This was hands down one of the best anthologies I've read in a long time. I'd like to pick one or two contributions to highlight, but each one was so good.

• Kealan Patrick Burke's "Sometimes They See Me" sets the tone so well for the anthology, following two addicts who meet each other on a bridge where they've both decided to commit suicide. Where the story goes and ultimately ends sent me for a loop. Another winner from Mr. Burke.
• "Monsters" by Caroline Kepnes is a heartbreaking tale without even the faintest hint of the supernatural. It is merely the story of a lonely young man and how addiction and lies unravel a life.
• I'm a little skeptical of editors including their own stories in a collection, so I approached Mark Matthew's "Lizard" with a modest amount of trepidation. I was wrong. Matthew's story was such a strong contribution to the anthology.
• "The Melting Point of Meat" by John FD Taff takes on the addiction to pain and self-harm and leads the reader into a world of nightmares. This was my first time reading something by Taff, but I'll need to check out the rest of his work. Not for the faint of heart.
• "Beyond The Reef" by Gabino Iglesias has gotten a bad rap in some reviews that I've read. While decidedly a story of addiction horror, it has a different flavor than the previous stories. Some other reviewers felt the story didn't quite fit in with the collection, but I thought it was a nice change of pace and well written.
• Mercedes Yardley wraps up the collection with "Love Is A Crematorium", a story of a romantic young man helping his girlfriend escape her abusive home and get to the big city. A story laced with melancholy and told artfully. A nice way to end the collection.

On each of my days off from work, I'd take this collection out to my back porch with a cup of coffee and settle in for some terrifying and heartbreaking stories. This is a collection that shouldn't be missed. I'm glad I pulled the trigger on this one. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
5 Stars

[Martin]

I'm way late in posting these, but better late than never!

The Well by Jack Cady
It's my understanding that this book is held in well-regard. Published in 1980, this still has the feel of the horror novels of the seventies. The story revolves around a house that was built to trap evil and a man who escaped its clutches as a child returning to face his history with it. It's a slim book at 242 pages and I enjoyed it well enough, but even at the reasonable page count, the book felt like it was spinning its wheels through most of its length. With only two main characters to speak of, and the story mostly confined to the house itself, the book plateaued for it's second act before ramping up slightly near the end. Each chapter begins with a little history in the Tracker family and I found these parts more interesting than the main story itself.
3 Stars

Lullabies For Suffering: Tales of Addiction Horror, ed. by Mark Matthews
I took a gamble and picked up the limited edition of this title, mostly because I'm a big Kealan Patrick Burke fan and he is one of the six authors contributing to the anthology. Consisting of six novellas, this anthology contains stories all containing elements of addiction. And each one of these were a winner. This was hands down one of the best anthologies I've read in a long time. I'd like to pick one or two contributions to highlight, but each one was so good.

• Kealan Patrick Burke's "Sometimes They See Me" sets the tone so well for the anthology, following two addicts who meet each other on a bridge where they've both decided to commit suicide. Where the story goes and ultimately ends sent me for a loop. Another winner from Mr. Burke.
• "Monsters" by Caroline Kepnes is a heartbreaking tale without even the faintest hint of the supernatural. It is merely the story of a lonely young man and how addiction and lies unravel a life.
• I'm a little skeptical of editors including their own stories in a collection, so I approached Mark Matthew's "Lizard" with a modest amount of trepidation. I was wrong. Matthew's story was such a strong contribution to the anthology.
• "The Melting Point of Meat" by John FD Taff takes on the addiction to pain and self-harm and leads the reader into a world of nightmares. This was my first time reading something by Taff, but I'll need to check out the rest of his work. Not for the faint of heart.
• "Beyond The Reef" by Gabino Iglesias has gotten a bad rap in some reviews that I've read. While decidedly a story of addiction horror, it has a different flavor than the previous stories. Some other reviewers felt the story didn't quite fit in with the collection, but I thought it was a nice change of pace and well written.
• Mercedes Yardley wraps up the collection with "Love Is A Crematorium", a story of a romantic young man helping his girlfriend escape her abusive home and get to the big city. A story laced with melancholy and told artfully. A nice way to end the collection.

On each of my days off from work, I'd take this collection out to my back porch with a cup of coffee and settle in for some terrifying and heartbreaking stories. This is a collection that shouldn't be missed. I'm glad I pulled the trigger on this one. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
5 Stars

I passed on the limited Lullabies For Suffering. Sounds like I should picked this one up.

[brlesh]

Finished 6 in June and for the most part they were all pretty good.

Wild Fell by Michael Rowe. In his first book, Enter, Night, Rowe provides a gory take on the modern vampire story. In Wild Fell he tackles another classic horror trope, the haunted house / ghost story. An opportunity to purchase a historic mansion in central Canada seemingly falls into the lap of a recently divorced, down on his luck man. Is it too good to be true?? The story was well paced and held my interest throughout, and Rowe proved to be not near as long winded (as he was at times in Enter, Night). 4 / 5

Hammers on Bone by Cassandra Khaw starts off with a 10 year old boy hiring a Private Investigator (whose not entirely human) to get rid of his abusive father. It turns out that the father isn't entirely human either. This was a fast paced tale that was never boring. But by the end of this novella length story, everyone he comes to associate with ends up double crossing the PI and I have no idea why. Apparently there is a second story in this series, but can't say I'm motivated to seek it out. 3 / 5

Beneath the Waves: Tales from the Deep ed. by Steve Dillon was a very good anthology of aquatic horror stories. Twenty-two stories in all and hardly a dud in the whole book. My favorites included 'The Girl on the Beach' by Dan LeRoy, one of the strangest stories I've ever read, creature features 'Lonely, Rises the Abyss' by Darin Hlavaz, and 'Hivuninga Island' by Brian Craddock, and the Lovecraft inspired stories 'The Fighter's Tale' by Steve Dillon, 'Haggopian' by Brian Lumley, and 'Andromeda Ascends' by Matthew R. Davies. One of the best anthologies of recent memory. 4 / 5

Bad Dogs by Nate Southard is the latest Charlie Crawford story, in which the Dixie Mafia is trying to move their meth trade into his hometown of Sulfer, Indiana. Of course, nothing is as it seems in Sulfer, and the DM has partnered with a supernatural entity to assist with their trade. Bad Dogs was a bit over the top, but still a lot of fun, with werewolves, zombie dogs, and redneck hit men. 4 / 5

Bluegrass Symphony by Lisa L. Hannett is a rather enjoyable collection of dark fantasy stories. Favorites were 'Down the Hollow', about a small town sacrificial ceremony, 'From the Teeth of Strange Children' an original take on the vampire legend, and in 'Depot to Depot' a long haul truck driver has to make a ghostly delivery. Fans of Angela Slatter should enjoy Hannett's style of story telling. 4 / 5

The Anomaly by Michael Rutger reads like a cross between Destination Truth & Indiana Jones. A Youtube show gains a wealthy sponsor and the chance to move up to cable TV. Their first episode financed by the new sponsor revolves around finding Kincaide's Cavern in the Grand Canyon. After finding the cavern by a stroke of luck, they enter it and unwittingly set off a series of events that may lead to the mass extinction of most of the life on earth. Rutger (also know as Michael Marshall Smith) also infuses this fast paced sci-fi action adventure with quite a bit of humor. Will definitely be picking up the next book in the series. 4 / 5

B

[mhatchett]

I have Enter, Night. I haven't gotten around to it yet,but I've heard good things.

[RonClinton]

I passed on the limited Lullabies For Suffering. Sounds like I should picked this one up.

Same. I wrung my hands over this one for a while -- given that I really enjoy Burke, Kepnes (and this was her first (and thus far only) limited), and what little I've read of Taft -- but I ended up passing, since that was just half the book. Have kind of thought ever since that I probably shouldn't have passed. I suppose there's the tpb if I just have to read the stories, but...

[brlesh]

I have Enter, Night. I haven't gotten around to it yet,but I've heard good things.

Here is my review on Enter, Night from a few months ago.

Enter, Night by Michael Rowe breathes life into the classic vampire story by intertwining it with the Wendigo myth. Rowe grabs your attention with the very first line of the novel and doesn't let up until the end of the story. And these are blood and guts vampires; Twilight fans need not apply. Rowe does tend to be wordy at times, spending time on at least one lengthy backstory that went no where, and there is a 50+ page epilogue at the end of the book that is somewhat slow & dry (actually it does not to be read to enjoy the story and is not identified as an epilogue in the book), but it does give the backstory on the origins of the vampire back in the 1700's. Overall, I thought this was a very good book that did something most new vampire stories do not do; it added something new to the vampire mythos. 4 / 5

I've read two books by Rowe and liked them both. Recently picked a copy of his latest book October.

B

[brlesh]

Same. I wrung my hands over this one for a while -- given that I really enjoy Burke, Kepnes (and this was her first (and thus far only) limited), and what little I've read of Taft -- but I ended up passing, since that was just half the book. Have kind of thought ever since that I probably shouldn't have passed. I suppose there's the tpb if I just have to read the stories, but...

I liked Lullabies, but not as much as Sock Monkey.

My review from a few months ago:

Lullabies for Suffering ed. by Mark Matthews was an anthology of six longish stories dealing with the theme of addiction. Overall, this was a pretty solid anthology, with only one story I didn't like ('Beyond the Reef" by Gabino Iglesias was so ridiculous that it would have been better if written as a satire, rather than a straight forward horror story). The highlights of Lullabies were "Monsters' by Caroline Kepnes & 'The Melting Point of Meat' by John FD Taff. 4 / 5

Two really good stories, 3 pretty good stories, and one that was a complete miss for me. Still, in what has been a pretty good year for anthologies, this one ranks right up there with the best.

B

[Sock Monkey]

I liked Lullabies, but not as much as Sock Monkey.

My review from a few months ago:

Lullabies for Suffering ed. by Mark Matthews was an anthology of six longish stories dealing with the theme of addiction. Overall, this was a pretty solid anthology, with only one story I didn't like ('Beyond the Reef" by Gabino Iglesias was so ridiculous that it would have been better if written as a satire, rather than a straight forward horror story). The highlights of Lullabies were "Monsters' by Caroline Kepnes & 'The Melting Point of Meat' by John FD Taff. 4 / 5

Two really good stories, 3 pretty good stories, and one that was a complete miss for me. Still, in what has been a pretty good year for anthologies, this one ranks right up there with the best.

B

I think it was your review about "Beyond the Reef" I had read. Walking into the story blind, it would have thrown me for a loop. It was definitely not as emotionally resonant as the other stories and had a lighter tone (the stories in this collection are DARK) and I might have had the same reaction you did. With the foreknowledge of what the story was like, I had lowered expectations and didn't find it as jarring. I agree that "Monsters" and "The Melting Point of Meat" are stellar stories. Add in the KPB story and it was worth the price of admission.

[JasonUK]

So here are June's books.

F Paul Wilson - Legacies (6/10) Second Repairman Jack novel and not a patch on the first. Unneccesary sub-plot about kids with AIDS detracts from the main story and the lack of a supernatural element brings it more into Jack Reacher territory and frankly Lee Child does it better than this.

Joe Abercrombie - Before They Are Hanged (6/10) Second volume in the fantasy series. More of the same with no real plot progression. I will read the final book in the trilogy but the series has been disappointing so far.

Scott Cole - Triple Axe (7/10) Porn stars are getting murdered, so it's time for them to fight back! Great fun.

Brian Keene - Triangle of Belief (3/10) Supposedly non-fiction book about the author's real-life supernatural experiences. Too many to take seriously.