What are you currently reading?

[brlesh]

Finished The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman. A little slow at times, though I liked the ending & would probably give the next book in the series a try.

This is the third book I’ve read by Buehlman, and the one I’ve liked the least.

Started Return to the Isle of the Dead by Donald Tyson, a collection of stories about the Lovecraft character Abdul Alhazred, the author of the Necronomicon. Two thirds of the way through & OK so far.

B

[sholloman81]

Tried reading Dalton Trumbo's "Johnny Got His Gun"; however, it ended up being a DNF for me. Feel a little bad about that as I know it is considered a classic. The plot was fine; however, I just couldn't catch ahold of the writing style which kept pulling me out of the story. About a quarter of the way in, I just knew it wasn't for me. Luckily, my copy of this book was obtained via Suntup's dinged-book sale; so, at least I don't have to feel bad about spending too much on the book.

After DNFing Johnny, I decided to read another book obtained in the Suntup dinged sale, "The Island of Dr. Moreau" by H.G. Wells. I hadn't read this since I was in high school; so, I only generally remembered the plot. Glad to say, the book was better than I remembered. Like most people, my favorite parts of the book were when the hybrids were on scene. Also, don't know about anyone else, but after reading this book, I couldn't help but walk around reciting the Laws of Man to my various friends and co-workers whom I'm sure felt quite annoyed by my dorkiness! Overall, an enjoyable read for me.

I think I will be reading Kristopher Triana's "Gone to See The Riverman" next. Picked-up a copy from Grindhouse Press a while back and have been meaning to give it a go. Am still bummed out that I missed out on the Thunderstorm books version. If the story matches my expectations, I'll have to see if I can track down a copy somewhere as Triana is a favorite writer of mine!

[Martin]

Tried reading Dalton Trumbo's "Johnny Got His Gun"; however, it ended up being a DNF for me. Feel a little bad about that as I know it is considered a classic. The plot was fine; however, I just couldn't catch ahold of the writing style which kept pulling me out of the story. About a quarter of the way in, I just knew it wasn't for me. Luckily, my copy of this book was obtained via Suntup's dinged-book sale; so, at least I don't have to feel bad about spending too much on the book.

After DNFing Johnny, I decided to read another book obtained in the Suntup dinged sale, "The Island of Dr. Moreau" by H.G. Wells. I hadn't read this since I was in high school; so, I only generally remembered the plot. Glad to say, the book was better than I remembered. Like most people, my favorite parts of the book were when the hybrids were on scene. Also, don't know about anyone else, but after reading this book, I couldn't help but walk around reciting the Laws of Man to my various friends and co-workers whom I'm sure felt quite annoyed by my dorkiness! Overall, an enjoyable read for me.

I think I will be reading Kristopher Triana's "Gone to See The Riverman" next. Picked-up a copy from Grindhouse Press a while back and have been meaning to give it a go. Am still bummed out that I missed out on the Thunderstorm books version. If the story matches my expectations, I'll have to see if I can track down a copy somewhere as Triana is a favorite writer of mine!

"Johnny Got His Gun" has a very distinct style and a very dark subject. If you did not click with it a quarter way in, I can say it probably would not have gotten better for you.

[sholloman81]

Just finished Kristopher Triana's "Gone to See The Riverman". Holy crap was that good! Have been hearing about this story for quite awhile and am kicking myself for not having read it sooner. This book was impossible to put down. Felt a little bit like a car wreck that you can't look away from. Revolting yet arresting. Can't get into the plot too much without revealing spoilers, but, I will say this is one twisted story. This book reminded me SO MUCH of Jack Ketchum and felt exactly like something that he would have written, extreme horror with a soul.

[Sock Monkey]

Just finished Kristopher Triana's "Gone to See The Riverman". Holy crap was that good! Have been hearing about this story for quite awhile and am kicking myself for not having read it sooner. This book was impossible to put down. Felt a little bit like a car wreck that you can't look away from. Revolting yet arresting. Can't get into the plot too much without revealing spoilers, but, I will say this is one twisted story. This book reminded me SO MUCH of Jack Ketchum and felt exactly like something that he would have written, extreme horror with a soul.

I have the Thunderstorm hardcover on my shelf, but I just haven’t gotten around to it. Sounds like it needs to be at the top of the TBR pile.

[sholloman81]

I have the Thunderstorm hardcover on my shelf, but I just haven’t gotten around to it. Sounds like it needs to be at the top of the TBR pile.

Yes, it definitely needs to be moved to the top of the pile. It is that good. I am super jealous that you have the Thunderstorm press version. I didn't know that it existed for the longest time and am obviously kicking myself for not being able to grab a copy at announcement. Luckily for me, Grindhouse press released a trade hardcover. My copy actually had an author's signature in it which was an unexpected bonus as that feature wasn't listed on the Grindhouse webpage. Just out of curiosity, is anything else included in the Thunderstorm version that you have? The Grindhouse version is around 150 pages. Am assuming that the Thunderstorm version is probably oversized which would lower the page count (I'm guessing to the 120-130 range). Am wondering if they added any bonus features or additional stories to pad out the length. Any info is appreciated!!!

[Sock Monkey]

Yes, it definitely needs to be moved to the top of the pile. It is that good. I am super jealous that you have the Thunderstorm press version. I didn't know that it existed for the longest time and am obviously kicking myself for not being able to grab a copy at announcement. Luckily for me, Grindhouse press released a trade hardcover. My copy actually had an author's signature in it which was an unexpected bonus as that feature wasn't listed on the Grindhouse webpage. Just out of curiosity, is anything else included in the Thunderstorm version that you have? The Grindhouse version is around 150 pages. Am assuming that the Thunderstorm version is probably oversized which would lower the page count (I'm guessing to the 120-130 range). Am wondering if they added any bonus features or additional stories to pad out the length. Any info is appreciated!!!

No problem. A quick look shows the book at 130 pages with an afterword. No additional material beyond that. Don’t know if it’s worth you tracking one down or not if you already have an edition that’s signed. Though Thunderstorm’s production values are nice…

[RonClinton]

Struggling to stay engaged and get through my current read, Blake Crouch’s new one, UPGRADE. I never thought I’d ever be bored and disappointed by a Crouch novel, but I suppose there’s a first for everything. A little shy of halfway, and it’s taken me the better part of a week…hoping this isn’t going to be a DNF. Can’t believe I’m even saying that.

[brlesh]

About 2/3 of the way through The Lake of the Dead by Andre Bjerke and liking it so far.

A fast paced murder mystery tinged with the supernatural.

B

[RonClinton]

About 2/3 of the way through The Lake of the Dead by Andre Bjerke and liking it so far.

A fast paced murder mystery tinged with the supernatural.

B

Glad to hear you’re enjoying it…I’ve been curious about this one.

[brlesh]

Glad to hear you’re enjoying it…I’ve been curious about this one.

Yeah, finished The Lake of the Dead this morning.

My initial impressions held throughout.

Was it a great book - not in my opinion.

However, it was a fast paced, entertaining read, with a kind of Scooby Doo-ish ending (the story itself is less than 190 pages).

If you are looking for a few nights of light, literary entertainment you could certainly do worse than The Lake of the Dead.

B

[RonClinton]

Yeah, finished The Lake of the Dead this morning.

My initial impressions held throughout.

Was it a great book - not in my opinion.

However, it was a fast paced, entertaining read, with a kind of Scooby Doo-ish ending (the story itself is less than 190 pages).

If you are looking for a few nights of light, literary entertainment you could certainly do worse than The Lake of the Dead.

B

Thanks for the update. Sounds like a title well worth reading…but maybe not worth rushing to do so. I’ll just keep it on my Want List for now, then.

[RonClinton]

Struggling to stay engaged and get through my current read, Blake Crouch’s new one, UPGRADE. I never thought I’d ever be bored and disappointed by a Crouch novel, but I suppose there’s a first for everything. A little shy of halfway, and it’s taken me the better part of a week…hoping this isn’t going to be a DNF. Can’t believe I’m even saying that.

Struggled through it, and it didn’t get much better. A disappointment…but only my first such disappointment from Crouch, so still look forward to his next release.

[sholloman81]

Just finished reading Kristopher Triana's & Ryan Harding's "The Night Stockers". Holy crap was this a brutal story. Felt like an Edward Lee story cranked-up to 11. If you're into the whole extreme horror/splatter fiction thing, then you definitely need to pick this one up. Tons of gore, tons of gross-outs, & tons of unique kills. Also had lots of fun nineties references and way more humor than I was expecting which I'm guessing was used to leaven the pure darkness of this story.

[bookworm 1]

Rereading So g of Susana. I’m working my way through the whole series again. I forgot how much I enjoyed these books.
I’m also reading Maus in my year long journey to read at least one banned book a month this year. This is a great read and I encourage everyone to get a copy.
I also just finished a reread of all 6 volumes of The Books of Blood. 3 stars. A few of the stories still hold up well for me it most didn’t. It was one of those things where when I was done I wished I hadn’t done the reread.