What are you currently reading?

[RonClinton]

Either of those books would make me very happy!

Same — both are stunningly good, though I’d probably give the nod to THE SPEED QUEEN, especially for a deluxe edition from a small press, just seems more suitable with its more overt crime/noir construct.

Martin , well said. Funny, I almost gave OCEAN STATE a permanent pass because its advertised examination of the lives of four women, which made it sound like a feminist pop-fiction novel…nothing wrong with that, just not typically my thing. I could not been more wrong and should have known better, trusted more in O’Nan’s skill to present a story that’s relevant to anyone. The echoes of this book, finished two days ago, and those four women’s lives still linger in my mind. Just a stunning work.

[sholloman81]

Those two books are polar opposites, but both are fantastic reads. I second your recommendation on O'Nan. I will type out the first paragraph of OCEAN STATE here. That into sets a tone that never lets up.
First paragraph from OCEAN STATE:
"When I was in eighth grade my sister helped another girl. She was in love, my mother said, like it was an excuse, she didn't know what she was doing. I had never been in love then, not really, so I didn't know what my mother meant, but I do now."

I have said before that, for me, reading O'Nan feels like I am watching people live their lives. His characters are so relatable and real to me.

I am also excited to learn what the next O'Nan title from Lividian will be. I am hoping for SONGS FOR THE MISSING but think it might be THE SPEED QUEEN.

Either of those books would make me very happy!

[Martin]

Just finished two of the better books I've read in a while, after being in a bit of a reading rut of meh material: BLOOD AND LEMONADE by Joe Lansdale (the SST S/L HC) and OCEAN STATE by Stewart O'Nan. The latter was dark and emotionally taut with characters of the most honest kind, and rich with allusive imagery & mournful subtext, the kind of book that reminds you why you read in the first place. My contemporary/popular literature picks these days are Peter Heller, Willy Vlautin, and Stewart O'Nan, and OCEAN STATE shows O'Nan at the peak of his poignant power. Highly recommended.

Those two books are polar opposites, but both are fantastic reads. I second your recommendation on O'Nan. I will type out the first paragraph of OCEAN STATE here. That into sets a tone that never lets up.
First paragraph from OCEAN STATE:
"When I was in eighth grade my sister helped another girl. She was in love, my mother said, like it was an excuse, she didn't know what she was doing. I had never been in love then, not really, so I didn't know what my mother meant, but I do now."

I have said before that, for me, reading O'Nan feels like I am watching people live their lives. His characters are so relatable and real to me.

I am also excited to learn what the next O'Nan title from Lividian will be. I am hoping for SONGS FOR THE MISSING but think it might be THE SPEED QUEEN.

[RonClinton]

Just finished two of the better books I've read in a while, after being in a bit of a reading rut of meh material: BLOOD AND LEMONADE by Joe Lansdale (the SST S/L HC) and OCEAN STATE by Stewart O'Nan. The latter was dark and emotionally taut with characters of the most honest kind, and rich with allusive imagery & mournful subtext, the kind of book that reminds you why you read in the first place. My contemporary/popular literature picks these days are Peter Heller, Willy Vlautin, and Stewart O'Nan, and OCEAN STATE shows O'Nan at the peak of his poignant power. Highly recommended.

[sholloman81]

Just finished reading the Thunderstorm LE of Tim Meyers's "Pteranodon Canyon". The book was exactly what I was hoping for when I read the description, just some straightforward Old West Gunslinging-Dino action! Nothing groundbreaking about this book, but it was tons of fun nonetheless. Have never read anything by this author previously but would read another of his books based on the strength of this one. Would love to see this book as a movie but probably wouldn't happen due to the cost of the effects. Overall, glad to have added this to my Thunderstorm collection.

Am now reading the Thunderstorm LE Neon Recluse of John Wayne Comunale's "Electric City's Neon Infection". Have only read one book by this author previously but did enjoy it; so, I have some hopes for this one. That being said, I'm going into this book blind. Also noticed this book has no reviews online.

[sholloman81]

Just finished reading Kristopher Triana's "The Old Lady". I can't believe how good a read this book was! I'm a very big Triana fan and this is definitely the best thing that he has written so far. Such a brutal story filled with real characters and real consequences. Plotwise, think "First Blood" but written by Jack Ketchum instead of David Morrell. This story will be sticking with me for a while for sure!

Am now reading the Thunderstorm LE of Tim Meyers's "Pteranodon Canyon". Have never read anything by this author, but the book sounds like lots of fun which I could use after my last read above.

[sholloman81]

Just finished reading the Thunderstorm LE of Edward Lee's "Mr. Tilling's Basement & Other Stories". If you're an Edward Lee fan, then you'll love this one as it's everything that you hope for with his books. Each novella was a blast, some truly horrific stuff mixed with the blackest of humor and eroticism. I was also over the moon to find that a couple of the novellas tie into Lee's City Infernal books which I always found to be lots of fun. I recently read the Thunderstorm version of Lee's "The Television" and generally disliked it. Mr. Tilling's Basement & Other Stories definitely was a return to form IMO. Glad to have this one in my Thunderstorm/Lee collection!

Am now reading Kristopher Triana's "The Old Lady". I have high hopes for this one as I'm a big Triana fan and get Jack Ketchum vibes when reading the description.

[sholloman81]

Just finished reading the Thunderstorm LE of John Wayne Comunale's "Death, Scum, & TV Fun". Have never read anything by this author previously and wasn't sure what to expect. Overall, the book was pretty fun, and you can tell that the author has a voice of his own, but you also can tell that these three novellas are some of the author's earliest stories as there is a bit of roughness to each. I really enjoyed the first novella, "Death Pacts & Left-Handed Paths". It's essentially about a deal with a demon that spins out of control and felt a bit like early Lansdale in terms of voice & willingness to mix a bit of humor into the dialogue and story. I hated the second novella, "Scummer". It was basically about a recently divorced male who decides to just let himself completely go and uses a local degenerate from the bar called Scummer to model himself after. Felt kind of like a Charles Bukowski story with a tinge of horror added and just did not work for me at all. Plenty of grossouts but no real plot. The last novella, "As Seen on TV" landed in the middle of the previous two for me. It's basically about a serial killer who collects and uses As Seen on TV products to get rid of his victims' bodies and how there may be something guiding him without his knowledge. The story was very solid and had some truly bizzarro and horrific scenes but just didn't quite land as well as I was hoping. Overall, I'm glad to have finally read something by this author and to have added this book to my Thunderstorm collection.

Am now reading the Thunderstorm LE of Edward Lee's "Mr. Tilling's Basement & Other Stories". Very much looking forward to this one! 

[brlesh]

Too funny. I read that a few months back as well, also for the first time in many decades.

If anything, I appreciated the story more on this reread than the last time I read it in college.

A timeless classic, for sure!

B

[brlesh]

I’m 150 pages into Becoming the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar and really enjoying it.

It definitely starts out on a much faster pace than the first boogeyman book.

B

[dannyboy121070]

FWIW, the ebook editions of Leviathan will be released at the same time as the trade hardcover in early December 2024.

Glad to hear it! I loved the book, but by the end, I felt like I was going blind, lol.

[goathunter]

I just started Robert McCammon's SEVEN SHADES OF EVIL, and while I'm thrilled to be reading another Matthew Corbett book the typeface in the trade hardcover is SO....SMALL...as to be almost unreadable. If this is what Lividian is planning for the last book in the series, I'll probably wait for the e-book.

FWIW, the ebook editions of Leviathan will be released at the same time as the trade hardcover in early December 2024.

[RonClinton]

Halfway through Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck.

First time reading this classic in nearly 30 years.

B

Too funny. I read that a few months back as well, also for the first time in many decades.

[brlesh]

Halfway through Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck.

First time reading this classic in nearly 30 years.

B

[brlesh]

Finished up The Pallbearers Club by Paul Tremblay

It’s the fifth novel I’ve read by Tremblay, and by far ranks as the worst of the five.

A glacially paced storyline without a payoff at the end, uninteresting characters, and written in an experimental style that quickly grew tiresome.

Here’s hoping Horror Movie is a return to form for Tremblay.

B