Categories
Weyward
Month: March 2024
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Carmilla
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Felice and the Wailing Woman
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The Bedmakers
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Sleep Alone
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How To Sell a Haunted House
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Black River Orchard
Title: Black River Orchard
Author: Chuck Wendig
Genre: Horror
Thank you, NetGalley, for this book. In my effort to read all the Stokercon final ballot books, I was pleased to see I had this one on my Kindle. I’m a big fan of Wendig’s work (see The Book of Accidents and Wanderers ) and was excited to read his newest.
I had no idea what this book was about when I read it. The fact that it was a Stoker nominee was a pretty good selling point, though. The story is told from multiple third-person perspectives: a teenage girl (Calla), a wife in a same-sex marriage, a wife in an open marriage, and a wandering man. Calla’s dad has created a new apple and soon the entire town is eating it, craving it, and will do anything to get it. Those who don’t eat the apple are witnessing terrible changes in their loved ones and friends.
This book is long, but it never felt too long. The plot is tightly written and the characters shine. Wendig is a master storyteller. I absolutely loved this book.
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McSweeney’s 71
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Maeve Fly
Title: Maeve Fly
Author: CJ Leede
Genre: horror
Thank you, NetGalley, for this book. Wow!! This book is super intense, and graphic, and I could not put it down. I loved it. This book is on the final Stoker ballot for best debut novel. I’ve read three of the books now (the others being The Spite House and Edenville) but this one was the best of them. I plan on reading the other two nominees as well, but I’m having a hard time thinking those will top this one.
Maeve is Princess Elsa at Disneyworld. She lives with her grandma, Princess Anna (played by Kate) is her best friend, but Maeve has a dark side. Kate’s brother comes to town and becomes involved with Maeve, but little does he know when Maeve’s dark side comes out, bad things happen. This book is a modern-day take on American Psycho. It’s definitely graphic, but nowhere near as bad as AP, which is one of the most difficult books I’ve ever had to read. I had to skim a lot of that one, but I was glued to Maeve and her intensity.
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Cold, Black, and Infinite
Title: Cold, Black, and Infinite
Author: Todd Keisling
Genre: Horror
Thank you, NetGalley, for this book. I’ve been reading tons of horror these days, mostly in preparation for my first trip to StokerCon. And this book is on the final ballot for “Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection.” I’m trying to read as many nominated books as possible but this was my first in the category. I’m also new to Keisling, but I have others of his on my radar to read.
I enjoyed this story collection, which isn’t usually my go-to book. However, most of these stories were excellent. I only skimmed a couple, which is to be expected since not every story will land with every reader. None were over-the-top gory, but most of them were captivating.
Short stories are a great way to introduce new readers to horror, and I think this collection would be a great place to start.
Pleasant Nights 