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Book List: Summer Reading Recommendations from the New York Times

“There’s nothing quite like summer to make me long for horror fiction” writes Danielle Trussoni, in introducing great reads in the horror genre for the New York Times for summer 2019.  It’s an interesting list. Of the eight books, five have been published since April, three nominees on this year’s final ballot for the Stoker Award are included, two are reprints from Grady Hendrix’s Paperbacks in Hell imprint, which is a new imprint that reprints older, out-of-print titles, one is an anthology, and one is a translation from French to English. There are a couple by women, which is nice, since they have often been underrepresented. I’ve provided links to reviews for the books we have already reviewed. Take a look and see what appeals for your next vacation read!

 

The Hunger by Alma Katsu (2018, nominee for the 2019 Bram Stoker Award, reviewed here)

Little Darlings by Melanie Goldberg (April 2019)

Song for the Unraveling of the World by Brian Evenson (June 2019)

The Nest by Gregory A. Douglas (April 2019, reprint from the Paperbacks in Hell imprint) The original 1987 novel is reviewed here. Side note: unless you are a real thrill-seeker, this might not be the best choice for your island vacation. However, my husband saw Jaws just before a day of scuba diving, so I know it’ll be a perfect beach read for some of you…

When Darkness Loves Us by Elizabeth Engstrom ( May 2019, also a reprint from Paperbacks in Hell. We reviewed the 2009 book here)

The Laws of the Skies by Gregoire Courtois (May 2019)

Inspection by Josh Malerman (2018, nominee for the 2019 Bram Stoker Award, reviewed here)

Flight or Fright edited by Stephen King and Bev Vincent (2018. Joe Hill’s story in this anthology was a nominee on the final ballot for the  2019 Bram Stoker Award) Side note: I don’t recommend reading this one on a plane.

 

Well, there you have it. All kinds of horror, with something for nearly everyone. This is a great list for starting your summer reading, and whatever you choose, whether it’s from this list or a different resource, I wish you a summer of enjoyable reading!

 

Posted on May 31, 2019 by , Reply

Book Review: Halloween Carnival, Volume 4 edited by Brian James Freeman

Halloween Carnival: Volume 4 edited by Brian James Freeman

Hydra, 2017

ISBN-13: 9780399182068

Available: Kindle ebook

 

This is the fourth installment in the Halloween Carnival five-part series, and the stories just keep getting better.

In “The Mannequin Challenge” by Kealan Patrick Burke, Theo fights his social anxiety and accepts an invitation for an office Halloween party. The only problem is when he finally arrives in the office, things aren’t what they seem.

Ray Garton’s addition to this collection, “Across the Tracks,” tells the story of Kenny, JayJay, and Sam, three boys who are targets for the school bullies. Halloween night promises a showdown, but the boys aren’t ready for what happens the next day. I did not see the ending with this one.

Bev Vincent’s “The Halloween Tree” tells the tale of the creepy tree that just feels…wrong. But, if the boys want to get the good candy, they have to make it passed its grasping branches. They’ve managed it every year just fine. This year should be no different. This one is probably my favorite out of the book. It’s clearly set in the late 1960s, as Luke makes his Planet of the Apes Halloween mask out of Plasticine and, despite claiming to have never seen the film, uses magazines and other available items for reference material to craft his own mask. The friendship the boys have is also written so well, and the end is beautiful in its message of solidarity.

“Pumpkin Eater” by C.A. Suleiman introduces us to Peter who loves Halloween, and his wife Marlene who does not. This Halloween, however, is the perfect time to correct some of the marital problems they have been facing for some time.

In Paul Melniczek’s “When the Leaves Fall,” Haverville has a secret, and its name is Graver’s farm. Chris and Kyle decide to discover the truth one Halloween night. What they find changes the lives of the two boys forever. This story had a sort of Salem’s Lot feel to it, with a dash of the madness of Lovecraft thrown in, which I love. “When the Leaves Fall” is the longest story in the collection, but it’s a fast read. The tension is effective throughout, and the reader becomes invested in the characters from the first page.

If you appreciate a good dose of nostalgia in your horror, this volume is for you. If you are looking for stories that make you think back to and ponder your past Halloween nights, this is also for you.

Contains: bullying

Recommended

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on May 17, 2018 by , 1 comment

New Resource: StephenKingRevisited.com

Well, this looks like a fun project! Richard Chizmar of Cemetery Dance will be re-reading all of Stephen King’s books, starting with Carrie (so not actually ALL of his books, but pretty darn close). You can read along and also share your own thoughts and memories.

It’s kind of interesting to revisit books after a long time has passed. I have a strong memory of how I felt when I first read Carrie, as I was in high school myself, but that’s different than what I actually saw on the page, something I didn’t realize until I went back and read it again years later. Bev Vincent, who has written nonfiction on King’s work will also be posting, as will other contributors, including Jack Ketchum.

So check out StephenKingRevisited.com and see what’s happening!

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CEMETERY DANCE PUBLICATIONS INVITES YOU TO VISIT STEPHEN KING REVISITED

BALTIMORE – Cemetery Dance Publications invites readers everywhere to the launch of StephenKingRevisited.com, a massive new project unlike anything the horror and suspense publisher has undertaken in their twenty-five years in publishing.

Starting this Halloween, Cemetery Dance founder and publisher Richard Chizmar will begin re-reading ALL of Stephen King’s books in the order of publication, starting with Carrie, and posting his thoughts about the experience.

“Like many longtime readers,” Chizmar explains in his first post on the site, “I can chart the course of my life by when and where I read most of Stephen King’s books. Re-reading Christine recently (when writing an afterword for an anniversary edition) inspired the project was like traveling back to my youth in a time machine.  I turned the pages, and I was a teenager again, carrying around a tattered, old paperback.  Experiencing the novel for the first time. It felt like a kind of magic. And I wanted to do it again.”

When Chizmar asked Stephen King what he thought of the idea of him re-reading all of the books in order, King replied, “You should blog about it” and “go for it!”

After each re-read, Chizmar will post his thoughts on StephenKingRevisited.com.  Readers are encouraged to read along and share their own thoughts, including their memories of where they were when they first read each book.

For readers who are interested in behind the scenes information about King’s unprecedented career, author Bev Vincent will be providing a historical context post for each title, including insightful anecdotes about the writing and publication history of the book.

In addition, special guest contributors who are well known to Stephen King readers will be providing their own take on the books. Some of the first guest contributors include Michael Koryta (author of So Cold the River and Those Who Wish to Kill Me), Josh Boone (director and writer of the films The Fault in Our Stars, Stuck in Love, and two forthcoming Stephen King projects, Lisey’s Story and The Stand), and Jack Ketchum (author of The Lost, The Woman, and I’m Not Sam).

Posted on October 31, 2014 by , Reply
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