What are you currently reading?

[Sock Monkey]

I'm looking forward to "Midas" as well, especially after reading "Turn Up the Sun"! I passed on last year's Fracassi Halloween book and am still kicking myself for it. Don't think I'll ever be able to afford the LE on the aftermarket unless it comes down bigtime. Â
ÂÂ

Same on that Fracassi book. Hovering around $300 on the aftermarket, which is just too much for me. Same goes for when I passed on Goblin by Malerman that one year. I am on the list for the lettered but I doubt I'm high enough on there to actually get one and the limited is too much on the aftermarket at this point.

[sholloman81]

Just finished the Thunderstorm LE of Tyler Jones' collection "Turn Up the Sun". It was fantastic! One of the best collections that I've read in ages. Each novella was heartbreaking and terrifying (OMG, the Rats scene in one of these stories was extra-horrific!). Haven't been able to stop thinking about these novellas since completing this book. I will definitely be picking up this author's stuff going forward and cannot wait until Earthling announces Midas later this year. I'll be pre-ordering that for sure!

Think I will be reading the Thunderstorm LE of Kevin Lucia's "The Horror at Pleasant Brook" next.

[Sock Monkey]

Just finished the Thunderstorm LE of Tyler Jones' collection "Turn Up the Sun". It was fantastic! One of the best collections that I've read in ages. Each novella was heartbreaking and terrifying (OMG, the Rats scene in one of these stories was extra-horrific!). Haven't been able to stop thinking about these novellas since completing this book. I will definitely be picking up this author's stuff going forward and cannot wait until Earthling announces Midas later this year. I'll be pre-ordering that for sure!

Think I will be reading the Thunderstorm LE of Kevin Lucia's "The Horror at Pleasant Brook" next.

Sounds like Turn Up the Sun was a great read! I shall now go back to kicking myself for passing on it...

[brlesh]

Finished Cruel Stories by Donald Tyson. It was an OK collection, which at times, even with its short length, felt padded, especially with the closing novella length story.

After that, read The Willows by Algernon Blackwood, Crystal Lake Publishing chapbook edition.

A classic that still holds up after multiple reads.

B

[brlesh]

Yes, thank you! I was thinking about the proposed 5th book, which was supposed to be, I believe, Carlton Mellick. I think the press folded before it was officially announced.

Carlton Mellick, now there’s a name you don’t hear any more!

I think this would have been a hard sell back in the day, especially given the published price of Infernal House books.

B

[dannyboy121070]

Carlton Mellick, now there’s a name you don’t hear any more!

I think this would have been a hard sell back in the day, especially given the published price of Infernal House books.

B

 The Laird Barron made me tap out, so you can imagine how I felt about the Mellick, lol.

[sholloman81]

Just finished reading the Thunderstorm LE of Kevin Lucia's "The Horror at Pleasant Brook". I think I would give it a solid B to B- grade. This was my first read by Lucia and I liked it a lot. Felt like old school 80's horror run through a modern filter and had lots of good gore. Also had some strong characterization, especially the relationship between Scott & Jasper which really jumped off the page. I also liked that it was set in our current time period rather than the past or something undefined. Have always felt like a lot of authors/stories avoid that; so, it always feels a bit ballsy when it does occur. All that being said, this novel did have a couple small dings which pulled down my overall grade. There were a few phrases and plot points that I felt were mentioned a few too many times leading to the book feeling a little padded and some sections to feel repetitive. For example, I felt like this story occurring during Covid was mentioned way too many times. As a reader, I got it after the first few mentions and didn't need it to keep being hammered-on as to why a town looking emptier than normal might be overlooked. Also, and I don't know if this was an issue with the printer or proofreader, but this one could have used some slightly better editing as I did run across a few grammatical errors and misspellings which occasionally would pull me out of the story and cause me to have to reread a line/section. All that being said, this was still a very positive read and I will definitely be looking out for Lucia's future novels. MY GRADE IS B to B-.

Think I will be reading the Thunderstorm LE of Phillip Fracassi's "Behold the Void" next. This will be my first Fracassi and I can't wait to see if the hype is true!

[brlesh]

I’m a third of the way through Imajica by Clive Barker (275 pages). Been reading it for the last week.

Don’t really have an opinion at this point, as the story tends to run hot and cold for me, though I do have this niggling feeling in the back of my head that I wish Barker would get on with it.

B

[brlesh]

Just a finished reading the Thunderstorm LE of Kevin Lucia's "The Horror at Pleasant Brook". I think I would give it a solid B to B- grade. This was my first read by Lucia and I liked it a lot. Felt like old school 80's horror run through a modern filter and had lots of good gore. Also had some strong characterization, especially the relationship between Scott & Jasper which really jumped off the page. I also liked that it was set in our current time period rather than the past or something undefined. Have always felt like a lot of authors/stories avoid that; so, it always feels a bit ballsy when it does occur. All that being said, this novel did have a couple small dings which pulled down my overall grade. There were a few phrases and plot points that I felt were mentioned a few too many times leading to the book feeling a little padded and some sections to feel repetitive. For example, I felt like this story occurring during Covid was mentioned way too many times. As a reader, I got it after the first few mentions and didn't need it to keep being hammered-on as to why a town looking emptier than normal might be overlooked. Also, and I don't know if this was an issue with the printer or proofreader, but this one could have used some slightly better editing as I did run across a few grammatical errors and misspellings which occasionally would pull me out of the story and cause me to have to reread a line/section. All that being said, this was still a very positive read and I will definitely be looking out for Lucia's future novels. MY GRADE IS B to B-.

Think I will be reading the Thunderstorm LE of Phillip Fracassi's "Behold the Void" next. This will be my first Fracassi and I can't wait to see if the hype is true!

Other than the opening story, which I was kind of lukewarm about, there’s not a bad story in Behold the Void.

B

[brlesh]

 The Laird Barron made me tap out, so you can imagine how I felt about the Mellick, lol.

HA! Never heard Mellick mentioned as a potential author in the line.

I have all 4 of the Infernal House books, but a Mellick title would have been a hard sell to myself, especially given the price of these of these books at the time.

Makes you wonder, with so many better authors out there, why Larry would have even considered a small press bizarro author like Mellick for a high end collectible book series.

B

[RonClinton]

Starting HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE, the new one by Grady Hendrix.

[dannyboy121070]

Starting HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE, the new one by Grady Hendrix.

 Great book. I gave my copy to my mom after I finished, and she stopped reading it at one point, because she didn't want it to end so soon.

[RonClinton]

 Great book. I gave my copy to my mom after I finished, and she stopped reading it at one point, because she didn't want it to end so soon.

Good to hear. I've really enjoyed all his books, save for one, and while I'm just 50 or pages in, this one has a feel of being yet another great one from him.

[dannyboy121070]

Good to hear. I've really enjoyed all his books, save for one, and while I'm just 50 or pages in, this one has a feel of being yet another great one from him.

Which one didn't you like?

[RonClinton]

Which one didn't you like?

Didn't really like WE SOLD OUR SOULS much because 1). not really a fan of the rock-music-and-horror-fiction shtick, and 2). Hendrix took it far too seriously...the whimsy, humor, and casual tone that make his other works so digestible was largely absent in SOLD.