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March 2021 - How Many??

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    March 2021 - How Many??

    Finished 5 books in March, with one DNF.

    The Caller of the Black was Brian Lumley's first short story collection, published by Arkham House in 1971. Most of the stories in Caller tread firmly in the territory of Lovecraft pastiche, and while these early stories do not represent his best work, it was interesting to help see his development as a writer, especially in the Lovecraft mythos, from this starting point. 3.5 / 5

    Jedi Summer with the Magnetic Kid by John Boden was a huge disappointment. Based on the amount of favorable reviews, I went into Jedi with high expectations which were not met. There was no discernible storyline throughout the novella, which consisted of a series of short two to four page vignettes which ultimately had no (or in a few instances, very little) connection to each other. Also, the nostalgia I expected from the story (it is set in the summer of 1983) was mostly absent. 1 / 5

    The Other People by CJ Tudor. I've liked everything I've read from Tudor so far, and The Other People (her third novel) is her best, IMO. Compulsively readable, fast paced, interesting characters, and a plotline that keeps the read guessing from the opening pages. One of the best books I've read so far this year. 5 / 5

    Adam's Ladder was an anthology of dark SF stories dealing with human evolution edited by Michael Bailey & Darren Speegle. For the most part I found the stories to be entertaining, though mostly, unmemorable. The two exceptions were 'My Father, Dr. Frankenstein' by John Langan, in which a son writes a book about his scientist father who spent his career trying to engineer the perfect solider. The story is told entirely in postscripts & is just brilliant. I also really liked, surprisingly, 'Swift to Chase' by Laird Barron. In the past I've never really cared for what I've read by Barron, but 'Swift to Chase' was a fun, action packed story that had a definite old-timey pulp fiction feel to it. There were also pretty good stories by Lisa Morton ('Eyes of the Beholders') & Damien Angelica Walters ('Filigree, Minotaur, Cyanide, Bloom') 3.5 / 5

    A Song for the End by Kit Powers - a weekend club band creates their best song ever, with one major side effect. Anyone who hears the song is compelled to tell the truth. If they try to lie, the pressure in their head grows until they either tell the truth or hemorrhage out of their cranial openings. And this is all figured out in 2 or 3 hours the morning after the song is posted to youtube. DNF

    That Which Grows Wild was a short story collection by author & publisher Eric Guignard. For the most part I liked the stories in TWGW; the stories are well paced & told in an easy to follow style. My favorites were 'A Case Study of Natural Selection & How it Applies to Love', set in a post- apocalyptic world in which, very similar to Joe Hill's The Fireman, people are prone to simultaneous combustion, & 'Those Who Watch From on High' in which a military drone operator takes vengeance on his commanding officer after killing a young boy in Afghanistan. TWGW was my first time reading Guignard, and I wouldn't hesitate to try something else by him. 3.5 / 5

    B

    #2
    Finally started getting my reading back on track and finished 6 reads in March. All were good reads which helped:

    Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
    A vampire story that does not rely on sex and gore. Fantastic character development with a well-structured story.
    4 Stars

    Later by Stephen King
    Part Hard Case Crime and part Horror with strong ties to It. Really good read.
    5 Stars

    Paperback’s From Hell: The Twisted History of ‘70s and ‘80s Horror Fiction by Grady Hendrix:
    If you have interest in the horror heydays of the ‘70s and ‘80s this is a must read. Been on my TBR for a long time and I finally got around to it.
    4 Stars

    The Lake is Life by Richard Chizmar:
    Had this chapbook on my TBR for a few months. As I started reading this, I realized that I had read it before. A fantastic story about a young girl going through some tough family changes who is sent to spend a summer with her grandma at the lake house. Looked at my shelf and saw that this is in Mr. Chizmar’s collection “A Long December”. While the chapbook is very limited and hard to find the collection is available and there is not a bad story included!
    4 Stars

    Malorie by Josh Malerman:
    The sequel to Bord Box picks up with Malorie and her children 10 years after the last book ends. For the most part I liked this better than Bird Box. It would have been a home run if not for an odd plot twist which remains not fully explained and was simply not necessary.
    4 Stars

    Nightmare at 20,000 Feet: Horror Stories by Richard Matheson:
    For obvious reasons, many of Mr. Matheson’s short stories read like episodes of The Twilight Zone. Always an enjoyable journey.
    4 Stars

    Comment


      #3
      Books read and recommended for March, 2021.

      Hard cover -

      1. The Little Sleep by Paul Tremblay from Thunderstorm. Good writer. Good story and characters.

      2. The Night Silver River Run Red by Christine Morgan from Thunderstorm. Possibly my least fav carnival horror story ever. Could care less what happens to any of the characters.

      3. Betty by Tiffany McDaniel from Knopf. One of the best books I have ever read. Not for the squeamish. The prose is superb.

      4. Little Whispers by Glen Krisch from Thunderstorm. Long-winded at times but a good story at the heart of it.




      Paperback -

      5. Burner by Robert Ford from Blurred Images Press. WOW! This is brutal yet a true page-turner. Burner means many things. Never assume. Possibly Ford’s best effort to date.


      Other -

      6. Splatterpunk #10 More splatter shorts. All decent. Also enjoyed the non-fiction articles.


      Favorites = #1, 3, 5 and 6.


      Support Indie Publishers and Enjoy

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by kresby View Post
        Books read and recommended for March, 2021.


        3. Betty by Tiffany McDaniel from Knopf. One of the best books I have ever read. Not for the squeamish. The prose is superb.
        I keep hearing good things about this one. Then I read the synopsis and think, Hmm, that doesn’t sound that compelling, but...

        I should probably give it a shot. Last time I saw this degree of hype was TRUE CRIME, and that one was terrific.

        Twitter: https://twitter.com/ron_clinton

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by kresby View Post
          Books read and recommended for March, 2021.

          Hard cover -

          1. The Little Sleep by Paul Tremblay from Thunderstorm. Good writer. Good story and characters.

          2. The Night Silver River Run Red by Christine Morgan from Thunderstorm. Possibly my least fav carnival horror story ever. Could care less what happens to any of the characters.

          3. Betty by Tiffany McDaniel from Knopf. One of the best books I have ever read. Not for the squeamish. The prose is superb.

          4. Little Whispers by Glen Krisch from Thunderstorm. Long-winded at times but a good story at the heart of it.




          Paperback -

          5. Burner by Robert Ford from Blurred Images Press. WOW! This is brutal yet a true page-turner. Burner means many things. Never assume. Possibly Ford’s best effort to date.


          Other -

          6. Splatterpunk #10 More splatter shorts. All decent. Also enjoyed the non-fiction articles.


          Favorites = #1, 3, 5 and 6.


          Support Indie Publishers and Enjoy
          I need to read more Tremblay. Everything I have read has been good but he has never become a go to author for me. Betty intrigues me, had not heard of it before. Thanks!

          Comment


            #6
            Read quite a bit in March.
            Mr. Mercedes by King 4 stars
            White Pines by Gemma Amor 3 stars
            The Stand by King 5 stars
            Rites of extinction by Matt Sarafin 3 stars
            Concrete Gods by Kealan Patrick Burke and Harry Shannon 3 stars
            The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson 4 stars
            The Last Deep Breath by Tom Piccirrili and Patrick Lussier
            Night of The Living Dead an Anthology Edited by Jonathan Mayberry and George Romero

            ​​Lola on Fire by Rio Youers 4 stars
            Notes from the cathouse by Jack Ketchum 4 stars
            The Narrator by Norman Prentiss and Michael McBride 3 stars
            Berserker by William Meikle 3 stars
            Limbs a Love Story by Tim Meyer 4 stars
            The Shadows Much and Kin short story collection from Joe R. Lansdale 4 stars
            Two Fisted Nasty a Novella and 3 short stories by Steve Vernon 4 stars
            Paradise Club by Tim Meyer 4 stars
            Fragments of Horror by Junji Ito 5 stars

            Like I said I read quite a bit this MARCH. It was cold and just blah outside.
            Generations by Richard Matheson 4 stars

            Comment


              #7
              That’s a whole bunch of books! I feel embarrassed with my measly two:

              The Elementals by Michael McDowell—First book I’ve read by McDowell but not my last. This untraditional haunted house story almost lost me about halfway through due to its rather languid pace, but I’m glad I stuck it out because it nailed its ending and I wound up appreciating the slow-burn pace in hindsight. 4 Stars

              In The Rose-Colored House Where They Died by Gwendolyn Kiste—A story about the limitations put on young women in a patriarchal society, I can see where this might not be someone's cup of tea, but Kiste's ability to build a believable world and characters who inhabit it made this a win for me. This has made me move The Rust Maidens higher on my "need to buy" list. 4 Stars

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Sock Monkey View Post
                That’s a whole bunch of books! I feel embarrassed with my measly two:

                The Elementals by Michael McDowell—First book I’ve read by McDowell but not my last. This untraditional haunted house story almost lost me about halfway through due to its rather languid pace, but I’m glad I stuck it out because it nailed its ending and I wound up appreciating the slow-burn pace in hindsight. 4 Stars

                In The Rose-Colored House Where They Died by Gwendolyn Kiste—A story about the limitations put on young women in a patriarchal society, I can see where this might not be someone's cup of tea, but Kiste's ability to build a believable world and characters who inhabit it made this a win for me. This has made me move The Rust Maidens higher on my "need to buy" list. 4 Stars
                Rust Maidens is so good. You definitely need to get a copy.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by bookworm 1 View Post

                  Rust Maidens is so good. You definitely need to get a copy.
                  I can second Rust Maidens.

                  Along with Sharp Objects & The Other People, Rust Maidens is one of the best books I've read so far this year.

                  B

                  Comment

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