What are you currently reading?

[mhatchett]

Getting Ready for Christmas reading!! New Book.jpgXbooks.jpg

[RonClinton]

Spectral Press...nice, a blast from the past.

[brlesh]

I thought that was one of his better more-recent releases. I hope you continue to enjoy it.

I did enjoy it quite a bit.

In fact, The Handyman is probably one of the better books I've read this year.

I've often found Little's novel length work to be rather formulaic, and while The Handyman does have some themes that Little has over worked (IMO) in previous novels, I found the overall storyline to be fresh enough to be quite enjoyable.

Probably could have used a little more explanation at the end, a little better tie in of the events in Vietnam upon the development of the character of Frank, but that is a minor issue.

B

[brlesh]

Getting Ready for Christmas reading!! New Book.jpgXbooks.jpg

Just recently ordered the fourth volume of Christmas Ghost Stories from Valancourt Books.

Enjoyed the first three volumes quite a bit.

I envy you that copy of the Folio Society Christmas Ghost Stories. That one is becoming very hard to come by now.

B

[brlesh]

Just finished P. Djèlí Clark's "Ring Shout". Oh my god was this a fantastic short-novel. Could easily argue this as my favorite read of 2020. Has a fantastic premise mixing horror, fantasy/sci-fi, southern history, & black history. Easily some of the best characterization that I have read this year. All of the main characters felt fully fleshed-out with their own personalities and internal conflicts. Also loved that pretty much all of the main characters were female and had their own narratives that weren't motivated by male characters or the usual girl-power tropes. Don't see that very often in this sort of book. The antagonists in this story were all pretty scary and had a very Lovecraftian feel to them (special shout out to the Night Doctors who I found to be very creepy). Am very happy that the author left room for more books in this universe and will be disappointed if he doesn't write any as I'm already jonesing for more stories set in this universe. Basically, I can't recommend this book strongly enough! Special thanks to Mother Horror for the awesome book review which spurred my to read this novel as I had never heard of this author beforehand. Am happy that CD posts a lot of her reviews as I've pretty much enjoyed everything that she has recommended on the CD website and am sure that I would have missed out on this amazing book without them.

May need to pick this one up.

I've seen Ring Shout recently listed on several Best Horror Books of 2020 lists, and the storyline does seem intriguing.

B.

[brlesh]

I am in the camp that did not like The Ruins when it came out. I think there were a few primary reasons. The main reason is that I pretty quickly found I could not like or root for any of the characters. I have no problem with setting reason and reality aside when reading but every step of the way everyone was doing things that people just would not do. This also made the story predictable as I could just think of the dumbest action and sure enough that is what they would do. The ending was just as predictable. I so loved A Simple Plan and really wanted to love this one. I have no problem with the author writing a very different novel from his first one, I actually prefer that. I do want a good story though! I disliked it enough that I donated my copy to my library. When CD announced it I did not buy it. I have since received it in a grab bag and I have it on the shelf next to the CD copy of A Simple Plan. I have debated if I should give it another go but have not been able to convince myself to pick it up.

I seem to notice a polarized audience for this one. People like you who love it and people like me who hate it with very few in the middle. Glad you like it but for me it is one of the most disappointing reads ever!

I am in the camp that loves The Ruins.

Read it several years ago and thought it was a great read.

It did take a while to get into though. I hated the first 30 pages or so, and didn't think at that point I would even finish the book. It read like an instruction manual.

But at some point after that I just became immersed in the story line.

It also helped, I thought, that Smith changed the story from the movie (which I saw before reading the book, and for which I believe he wrote the screenplay) to the book. Kept me guessing where the story in the book was headed.

If I were to make a list of the top horror books in the 2000's, The Ruins would definitely make my list.

B

[brlesh]

Right now I'm about half way through Different Kinds of Dead & Other Stories by Ed Gorman.

Man, could Gorman write!

His stories just seem to flow so seemlessly, whether they be crime noir, horror, or western.

DKOD contains his story "The Brasher Girl', one of my all time favorites.

B

[mhatchett]

Gorman is great!

[RonClinton]

Ed Gorman is one of my all-time favorite writers. He could write it all — mysteries, suspense, horror, noir, westerns, political intrigue, sci-if, etc. — with equal skill, whether long-form or short, and always with that familiar dark poignancy that ran like a bittersweet undercurrent through his work. Ed was a brilliant, humble writer who was as kind (and giving with his time and vast knowledge of the mystery genre) as he was talented.

[RonClinton]

Starting Michelle Paver’s WAKENHYRST.
https://twitter.com/ron_clinton/stat...692374019?s=21

[mhatchett]

Ed Gorman is one of my all-time favorite writers. He could write it all — mysteries, suspense, horror, noir, westerns, political intrigue, sci-if, etc. — with equal skill, whether long-form or short, and always with that familiar dark poignancy that ran like a bittersweet undercurrent through his work. Ed was a brilliant, humble writer who was as kind (and giving with his time and vast knowledge of the mystery genre) as he was talented.

I guess, about five years ago, I bought the PS Collection of Gorman's short stories. It was only two volumes and I felt they intended to do follow-up books, but never did. I would love to see CD do a definitive set for Gorman. It seems like a natural fit.....
Ed Gorman.jpg

[RonClinton]

I guess, about five years ago, I bought the PS Collection of Gorman's short stories. It was only two volumes and I felt they intended to do follow-up books, but never did. I would love to see CD do a definitive set for Gorman. It seems like a natural fit.....
Ed Gorman.jpg

I asked either Ed or Pete Crowther about that after the two volumes came out and none others seemed to follow (or I saw an announcement that the series would be discontinued, I just can't recall anymore), and whomever of the two I spoke said the Collected Stories series was ending because of lack of sales of the two first volumes. Really unfortunate, as I agree, a project like that should exist in the world. As it is, I have every collection he ever published, but his work really deserves to be archived and preserved in a uniform set. Genre short fiction just doesn't get much better than Gorman.

[mhatchett]

I picked my set up from Camelot back when they used to have their 12 days of Xmas sale......

[brlesh]

I asked either Ed or Pete Crowther about that after the two volumes came out and none others seemed to follow (or I saw an announcement that the series would be discontinued, I just can't recall anymore), and whomever of the two I spoke said the Collected Stories series was ending because of lack of sales of the two first volumes. Really unfortunate, as I agree, a project like that should exist in the world. As it is, I have every collection he ever published, but his work really deserves to be archived and preserved in a uniform set. Genre short fiction just doesn't get much better than Gorman.

PS published the two volumes above and announced a third volume of what was at the time advertised as a 9 volume series collecting all of Gorman's short fiction.

Unfortunately, soon after the third volume was announced, the series was cancelled.

A multi-volume series collecting the best of Ed Gorman's short fiction?? Sounds to me like this has Centipede Press written all over it!

B

[RonClinton]

Started last night Michelle Paver's new one, WAKENHYRST, but after two phenomenal, intensely compelling reads -- Paul Tremblay's SURVIVOR SONG and Scott Smith's THE RUINS -- I'm finding it hard to get into this very British, historically-set, gothic novel. Will give it another night or two, then may have to move on to something else for the time being.