What are you currently reading?

[RonClinton]

Ok, confession time, I've yet to read anything by Hendrix. How would you describe his stuff?

Light horror, often with touches of humor. Very readable. That description suggests lightweight, and in a few books he bumps against that qualification, but in others those features work in tandem to create something very heartfelt and immersive, as in MY BEST FRIEND'S EXORCISM. He has a particular lane in the road, and he drives it well, but if you're looking for something more graphic and edgy, you're not going to find that in Hendrix's stuff.

I've read them all, and would list recs in this order:

1). MY BEST FRIEND'S EXORCISM
2). THE SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB'S GUIDE TO SLAYING VAMPIRES
3). HORRORSTOR
4). THE FINAL GIRL SUPPORT GROUP
5). HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE
6). WE SOLD OUR SOULS (my least favorite, and the one that in a podcast Hendrix said almost torpedoed his career)

I don't know where WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS will fall, since I haven't read it yet, but reviews and comments suggest it will probably replace the #3 slot, if I had to guess.

Btw, his non-fiction guide to '70s and '80s mmpb horror, PAPERBACKS FROM HELL, is absolutely essential reading.

[sholloman81]

Currently reading DESOLATION ROAD by Michael Farris Smith. After this one it'll likely be the copy of Grady Hendrix's new one, WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS. His last one, HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE, was...okay, but I hear this new one is a particularly good one, so am really looking forward to it.

Ok, confession time, I've yet to read anything by Hendrix. How would you describe his stuff?

[RonClinton]

Currently reading DESOLATION ROAD by Michael Farris Smith. After this one it'll likely be the copy of Grady Hendrix's new one, WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS. His last one, HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE, was...okay, but I hear this new one is a particularly good one, so am really looking forward to it.

[sholloman81]

Just finished reading the SST LE of Josh Malerman's "Black Mad Wheel". Had previously read this story when it was released as a trade edition and thought it was just ok, but I enjoyed it much more on this re-read. For some reason, the main character just connected with me better this go-round and I was better able to understand what the author was going for with his central mystery. Still, I do wish we had gotten a few more explanations regarding the mystery itself or the Goat character and his background. At points, I felt like maybe I was missing some literary connection. I also did not enjoy the ending at all as it felt farfetched to me, but I get why the author choose it as the band in the book is loosely based on his own and he wanted the happy ending. Overall, while not Malerman's best book, it was still an enjoyable read.

Am now reading the Lividian LE of Philp Fracassi's "A Child Alone with Strangers".

[sholloman81]

Finished up Black Seas of Infinity: The R’Lyeh Cycle Book 2.

Enjoyed all 4 of the stories, and overall I liked this second volume better than the first.

Read the first 4 stories in the collection The King in Yellow by Robert Chambers.

These 4 stories make up the King in Yellow cycle.

Taking a break from the Chambers collection to start The Devil’s Pocketbook by Ross Jeffery later tonight.

My first read by Jeffery, and high hopes for this one, has I’ve read quite a bit of positive reaction to this book.

B

Hope you like the Devil's Pocketbook. It's very high in my trb pile!

[brlesh]

Finished up Black Seas of Infinity: The R’Lyeh Cycle Book 2.

Enjoyed all 4 of the stories, and overall I liked this second volume better than the first.

Read the first 4 stories in the collection The King in Yellow by Robert Chambers.

These 4 stories make up the King in Yellow cycle.

Taking a break from the Chambers collection to start The Devil’s Pocketbook by Ross Jeffery later tonight.

My first read by Jeffery, and high hopes for this one, has I’ve read quite a bit of positive reaction to this book.

B

[brlesh]

Hope I enjoy Anathema more as I have the Thunderstorm edition pre-ordered. It will be my first Nick Roberts read.

Obviously it didn’t click for me, for reasons I won’t get into at this time, but interested in hearing your take on it.

Saying that, now wishing I had read Exorcist House first, which seems to be his consensus best book.

I believe Anathema was his first novel, and it has a lot of ‘first novel’ roughness to it.

B

[sholloman81]

DNF’d Anathema by Nick Roberts at the 3/4 mark.

B

Hope I enjoy Anathema more as I have the Thunderstorm edition pre-ordered. It will be my first Nick Roberts read.

[brlesh]

DNF’d Anathema by Nick Roberts at the 3/4 mark.

Right now almost finished with the third story (out of 4) in Black Seas of Infinity: The R’Lyeh Cycle Book 2 edited by William Holloway.

I’ve liked each of the first three stories (written by Curtis Lawson ((and damn, this one went in some dark places!)), Brett Talley, & Gemma Files) and am enjoying the second volume more than the first.

B

[sholloman81]

Just finished reading the Earthling LE of Phillip Fracassi's "Serafina". Really enjoyed the heck out of this one. Fracassi's writing & storytelling are fantastic in this book. Pretty much everything worked for me. The plot was interesting, the setting unique, and the characters were fully fleshed-out. If I had one minor quibble it would be that I guessed the ending of the story pretty early on, but that didn't detract from the enjoyment of getting there one bit. Overall, can't recommend this book enough and am beyond glad that I was able to snag the Earthling LE!

Am now reading the SST LE of Josh Malerman's "Black Mad Wheel".

[RonClinton]

Currently reading KILL SHOW by Daniel Sweden-Becker, a tpb that I picked up at the airport bookstore a couple days ago. Really enjoying it, about halfway through. If you enjoy the epistolary format of storytelling, this is a shining example of it.

[sholloman81]

Just finished reading the Lividian LE of W.H. Chizmar's "Them", a first-time book/author for me. While the book had a few warts, overall, I liked it very much. I think where it really shined for me was the creatures/Them. Their design is pretty cool, and the way they are written & their culture definitely lifts the book above the standard creature feature. Also enjoyed the ending, even if you could see it coming a mile away. Some of the Stephen King easter eggs made me smile as well. Overall, this was a pretty fun little book and pretty strong for a first novel. I would read another by him for sure.

Am now reading the Earthling LE of Phillip Fracassi's "Serafina". Hope it can live up to the expectations that I have in my head for it as Fracassi is a must-read author for me.

[brlesh]

Love The Passage trilogy and am very happy to have the CD editions on my shelf. Each book is a wonderful journey (and I actually liked the third book and its' ending quite a lot). Was honestly surprised that his most recent standalone, The Ferryman, didn't garner more attention. Pretty sure that Lividian might be doing that book in the future, and if so, I'll happily grab a copy!

I agree.

Love The Passage and rank the entire trilogy right up there with McCammon’s Swan Song and King’s It as my all time favorite stories.

Just an incredible story arc over the three books, and filled with a load of memorable characters.

I thought the ending was perfect.

Wouldn’t have changed a thing.

I haven’t read The Ferryman yet, but plan on reconciling that this year.

B

[brlesh]

Finished up Cold, Black & Infinite by Todd Keisling, which I liked quite a bit.

A few of the stories were a bit too surreal for my tastes, but overall this was a really solid short story collection from Keisling.

This is the third book I’ve read by Keisling and I’ve enjoyed them all.

He’s quickly becoming one of the newer (relatively) authors that I need to keep an eye on for their newer work.

Up next, starting A Prayer for the Dying by Stewart O’Nan later today.

B

[sholloman81]

Just finished The Twelve by Justin Cronin. This is my second time reading the middle part of the Cronin's trilogy. I remember liking it the first time around, but I have grown to appreciate it so much more on this readthrough. Clearly there's a third part, but I was amazed at how well Cronin crafts this novel to feel almost like a second half of the first book. I also gleaned a lot more this time around in the connections between characters. To be honest, the cast is incredibly expansive so it is hard to keep up if you take extended breaks between novels. I know that there are some critics of the books that feel that they are a little boring, but Cronin has this detailed manner in regards to worldbuilding that it all feels so lived in, and that these coincidences of plot don't feel so forced as they would if time and care had not been taken in weaving together the strands beforehand. Frankly, it is a level and scope of worldbuilding we don't see too often in the horror genre. All that is to say, I loved this book, maybe not as much as the first one, but very close to it. I'm also going to break from some of my rules and move directly into the third and final book. I've heard some are quite disappointed in it, but I'm keeping my mind open.

Love The Passage trilogy and am very happy to have the CD editions on my shelf. Each book is a wonderful journey (and I actually liked the third book and its' ending quite a lot). Was honestly surprised that his most recent standalone, The Ferryman, didn't garner more attention. Pretty sure that Lividian might be doing that book in the future, and if so, I'll happily grab a copy!