August - How Many...?

[Dan Hocker]

This happened to me with (don't laugh now) the first Harry potter Book, Struggled through the first novel and never picked up another. Once I had another persons vision and perspective of the characters and story I just kept imagining scenes from the movie, oh well.

It's not even really that I'm imagining scenes from the show so much, but more the feel / pacing. Honestly the show and the book seem to take a pretty drastically different approach to how things play out. The show just had a more "realistic" feel than the book has, and the pacing of the book feels kinda slow. But again the narrator isn't really helping that much. I'll get through it eventually, I think I only have 10 more chapters to go.

[One eyed cat]

Just one here, and I'm not done it yet. I've been really struggling with Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan. I think the major problem I'm having is that I think the single season of the show on Netflix is better than the book. Not to say that the book is bad, but that the show is just that good, and I unfortunately saw the show first. So I'm just kinda struggling to finish the first book of this series. It doesn't really help that the person reading the audio book is kinda dull.

This happened to me with (don't laugh now) the first Harry potter Book, Struggled through the first novel and never picked up another. Once I had another persons vision and perspective of the characters and story I just kept imagining scenes from the movie, oh well.

[bookworm 1]

I've got to give Bryan Smith another shot. I very much didn't like 68 Kill, but found Blood and Whiskey a lot more enjoyable. He has a tendency--at least in the two books that I've read of his--of having his characters use pop culture references in their dialogue and then he goes on to explain the reference, which just took me right out of the story. I'm got an old paperback of The Killing Kind in the TBR pile so that'll be on one I go next. Unless you have a better suggestion? What would be the Bryan Smith book you'd recommend?

The Killing Kind is a great place to start. Or Depraved. Both are pretty good reads. I also like his short story collection Highways to Hell. I know some people don't like his style but for me it's very much that old school pulp feel and I really enjoy that. I'm one of the people who thought Slowly We Rot was a great book. His writing is very much with the exception of Slowly We Rot in line with B movie grindhouse style.

[RonClinton]

I've got to give Bryan Smith another shot. . . . What would be the Bryan Smith book you'd recommend?

I read SLOWLY WE ROT, which according to some is his best, and thought it was okay...okay, not great, and not the innovative, fresh take on the zombie theme that I'd been led to believe it was. As such, perhaps my expectations were too high...but I don't think so, I just think it was an okay novel, nothing more, nothing less. It wasn't enough to make me seek out other work by Smith, so have no other recommendations.

[Sock Monkey]

Yes I have read the other books connected to this one. I’m a huge Bryan Smith fan. Yes I think it helped knowing the back stories of the characters. But if you haven’t read the other books this one might make you want to read them. I think that Bryan Smith is the top modern day noir And pulp horror author around right now.

I've got to give Bryan Smith another shot. I very much didn't like 68 Kill, but found Blood and Whiskey a lot more enjoyable. He has a tendency--at least in the two books that I've read of his--of having his characters use pop culture references in their dialogue and then he goes on to explain the reference, which just took me right out of the story. I'm got an old paperback of The Killing Kind in the TBR pile so that'll be on one I go next. Unless you have a better suggestion? What would be the Bryan Smith book you'd recommend?

[bookworm 1]

Snap! Had you read the other books featuring these characters before? Did it influence your enjoyment of the book?

Yes I have read the other books connected to this one. I’m a huge Bryan Smith fan. Yes I think it helped knowing the back stories of the characters. But if you haven’t read the other books this one might make you want to read them. I think that Bryan Smith is the top modern day noir And pulp horror author around right now.

[Dan Hocker]

Dan,
You are dead to me.....LOL!! I love that Book! And I thought the series was OK HAHHA!
Mike

It very well could be the guy reading the audio book that's ruining it for me. He's sooo lifeless. Granted the unnecessarily descriptive sex scenes are totally un-needed as well. I mean it's not exactly a grocery store romance novel...

[mhatchett]

Just one here, and I'm not done it yet. I've been really struggling with Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan. I think the major problem I'm having is that I think the single season of the show on Netflix is better than the book. Not to say that the book is bad, but that the show is just that good, and I unfortunately saw the show first. So I'm just kinda struggling to finish the first book of this series. It doesn't really help that the person reading the audio book is kinda dull.

Dan,
You are dead to me.....LOL!! I love that Book! And I thought the series was OK HAHHA!
Mike

[Dan Hocker]

Just one here, and I'm not done it yet. I've been really struggling with Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan. I think the major problem I'm having is that I think the single season of the show on Netflix is better than the book. Not to say that the book is bad, but that the show is just that good, and I unfortunately saw the show first. So I'm just kinda struggling to finish the first book of this series. It doesn't really help that the person reading the audio book is kinda dull.

[JasonUK]

I
Murder Squad by Bryan Smith 4 stars

Snap! Had you read the other books featuring these characters before? Did it influence your enjoyment of the book?

[bookworm 1]

I certainly agree w/ you on the Ahlborn and Lansdale books...five-star reading, both of 'em. Good to hear THE SATURDAY NIGHT GHOST CLUB is a good one...that's probably the next book I plan to pluck off my TBR pile.

I read Saturday Night Ghost Club in July. Loved it.in August I read the following
Wanderers by Chuck Wendig 4 stars
Murder Squad by Bryan Smith 4 stars
Stepford Wives Ira Levin 5 stars
Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist 4 stars
Watching Your Theater Jonathan Janz 3 stars.

[Martin]

I'm not sure how many I read in August, but I just wanted to say that I FINALLY finished How Long 'til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin - a book that I started back in FEBRUARY!

Struggled with this collection - and usually I'm the biggest fan of collections of this nature. Considering that I enjoyed the hell out of her Broken Earth trilogy, this collection was disappointing.

Thanks for your views on How Long 'til Black Future Month. I considered that one and decided it was to heavy in the fantasy realm for me. I probably made the correct choice.

[JasonUK]

Here are my four for the month.

Paul Tremblay - Swallowing a Donkey's Eye (1/10) Before starting the much-hyped Head Full of Ghosts, I decided to read this earlier novel. Big mistake. According to the blurb this is a satirical dystopian black comedy, but I found it stupid, juvenile and clichéd. If you think random characters walking around in animal costumes and a terrorist group called FART funny, then this is the book for you.

John Everson - NightWhere (6/10) Combination of erotic horror and torture porn. Good fun for those of us that like their horror at the extreme end, however, the abrupt ending left me a little deflated.

Bryan Smith - Murder Squad (7/10) Strong characters, an interesting premise and good set-pieces. The only slight downside for me was that I didn't realise the main characters had featured in the author's previous books, so I'd missed out on their back-stories.

Erskine Caldwell - Pocket Book of Stories (2/10) Depression-era stories dealing with race, religion, poverty & politics in the southern states. These are mostly character studies and the occasional morality tale with barely a plot to be found.

[TacomaDiver]

I'm not sure how many I read in August, but I just wanted to say that I FINALLY finished How Long 'til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin - a book that I started back in FEBRUARY!

Struggled with this collection - and usually I'm the biggest fan of collections of this nature. Considering that I enjoyed the hell out of her Broken Earth trilogy, this collection was disappointing.

[RonClinton]

I certainly agree w/ you on the Ahlborn and Lansdale books...five-star reading, both of 'em. Good to hear THE SATURDAY NIGHT GHOST CLUB is a good one...that's probably the next book I plan to pluck off my TBR pile.