February 2010 Reading

meli4649 · #1 02-01-2010, 12:32 PM

I beat Column to the punch this month

I am still reading Let the Right One In for the 2nd time which seems silly when there are soooooo many awesome books I haven't read yet, but I can't help myself. I am obsessed with this story.

Tried to pick up Joe Lansdale at the bookstore yesterday, but there was only one book to chose from and it wasn't one of the recommendations.

Maybe next time...

Dark Mark · #2 02-01-2010, 03:25 PM

Read Death Day by Shaun Hutson – A gloriously silly and over the top yarn about a sleepy British town over run by an army of the undead awakened by an ancient evil. I rattle through Hutson's books and his tendency over use words makes me smile, I lost count how many times he used 'rebuked' in this one for example.

Reading Night Show by Richard Laymon – The next one off a rather large pile of the master's works I have recently accumulated, chosen merely because I fancied a shorter read to kick off the month.

The Gore-met · #3 02-01-2010, 03:34 PM

I picked up a used copy of the novelisation of Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker last Friday I'm going to have a go at. Haven't seen the film, but couldn't resist adding to my small collection of '80's slasher tie-ins.

Steve Vernon · #4 02-02-2010, 06:24 AM

Just this morning finished reading Tachyon's new collection, THE BEST OF JOE R. LANSDALE.

Okay, for starters, I'm a big Lansdale fan. Just haven't read too much of his that I haven't enjoyed immensely.

As with most "best of" collections there were several stories I had read, notably The classic "On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks", the many-times reprinted "Night they Missed the Horror Show", the Toho monsterama "Godzilla's Twelve-Step Program" and the rock solid historical novella "The Big Blow".

I read them anyway. Hell, I've drank beer before, but that has never stopped me from opening up another bottle.

I hadn't read the original novella, "Bubba Ho-Tep", although I loved the movie. The original novella pleased me greatly. I also hadn't read "Mad Dog Summer", which was a little more along the lines of Lansdale's book The Bottoms. I hadn't read "The Events Concerning a Nude Fold-Out Found in a Harlequin Romance" - an introduction to a new set of hard-boiled characters just waiting for a novel series of their own.

All in all it was a damn good read and a solid introduction to the man's work. I'd recommend it to anyone who wanted to get to know Lansdale's work.

A taste of raw moonshine, a sip of wild white lightning!

Yowza!

Melo · #5 02-02-2010, 08:17 AM

The Moment of Psycho: How Alfred Hitchcock Taught America to Love Murder
by David Thomson

Nonsense · #6 02-02-2010, 09:07 AM

I just got The Art of the Nasty and Portable Grindhouse as a late birthday gift, and the wife is pushin' Darkly Dreaming Dexter on me. So February is packed!

colum · #7 02-02-2010, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meli4649

I beat Column to the punch this month

AH!!! NO 'N'.

I'm glad you beat me to it. I was going to come online and set it up yesterday, but then the world exploded.

Still plugging away at Strange Magic by Gord Rollo. It's almost like the fates are conspiring to keep me from finishing this tale. It's great though. Very dark, very sad.

Been checking out this great site called Microhorror. Has a lot of great short-short horror stories on it, and it's preventing me from doing any actual reading. I'm back at work, so I'm sure I'll get a lot of reading done today.

meli4649 · #8 02-02-2010, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colum

Been checking out this great site called Microhorror. Has a lot of great short-short horror stories on it, and it's preventing me from doing any actual reading. I'm back at work, so I'm sure I'll get a lot of reading done today.

I took a sneak peak at the Half Minute Horrors you mentioned and the first story, Lemony Snicket, is freakin scary!

"You ought to know about the man who watches you when you sleep..." WTF!? I got chills.

colum · #9 02-02-2010, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meli4649

I took a sneak peak at the Half Minute Horrors you mentioned and the first story, Lemony Snicket, is freakin scary!

"You ought to know about the man who watches you when you sleep..." WTF!? I got chills.

My Mother In-law sat down and read the whole thing in about a hour, right before bed. She regrets it.

I'm still laughing at the look on her face the next day. Oh so weary. HA!

Dark Mark · #10 02-03-2010, 06:41 PM

Read Night Show by Richard Laymon – A bit by the numbers but not too bad if you are after a quick Laymon fix.

Reading Jago by Kim Newman - The cover promises “an orgy of sex, splatter and paranormal phenomena" how can I pass that up?
Anno Dracula also by Kim Newman is one of my all time favorite books.

thenewboss · #11 02-03-2010, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Gore-met

I picked up a used copy of the novelisation of Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker last Friday I'm going to have a go at. Haven't seen the film, but couldn't resist adding to my small collection of '80's slasher tie-ins.

There's a book? I didn't know what!

thenewboss · #12 02-03-2010, 11:31 PM

I found an old copy of BOOK OF SKULLS by Robert Silverberg at a used bookshop. I'm going to try it out. It sounds pretty intense.

colum · #13 02-03-2010, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Gore-met

I picked up a used copy of the novelisation of Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker last Friday I'm going to have a go at. Haven't seen the film, but couldn't resist adding to my small collection of '80's slasher tie-ins.

I just read a summary of that film. Sounds interesting.

If you don't mind my asking, where did you find the book, and what other books are in your '80's slasher tie-in collection?

meli4649 · #14 02-04-2010, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nonsense

I just got The Art of the Nasty and Portable Grindhouse as a late birthday gift, and the wife is pushin' Darkly Dreaming Dexter on me. So February is packed!

Is this the one with a VHS tape on the cover? If so, how is it?

Heard the show follows the Dexter books pretty closely, but I'm still curious.

Jesus Was A Robot · #15 02-04-2010, 10:26 AM

Finally finished Richard Laymon's Endless Night. Man, what an awesome book! Probably one of the better Laymon's I've read although the rapes where pretty exhausting to me.

SPOILER!!!

By the end of the book, I was much so anticipating Simon's death that I was rolling my eyes. Did anyone else get a pleasant surprise that it was Jack who killed him and not Sharron? I thought for sure that Sharron would burst through the door and save the day. But man! Laymon surprised me and made me happy as a pig in shit!

Just started reading James A Moore's Vendetta. This is my first Crowley book, so I'm not sure what to expect and have no idea where the story is going. I'm liking it so far though.

colum · #16 02-04-2010, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jesus Was A Robot

SPOILER!!!

Yeah, I was pleasantly surprised as well. And the last bit of dialogue contained on the last few pages is awesome too. Fantastic book.

Satan's Favorite Son · #17 02-04-2010, 01:38 PM

My mom picked me up a short story book called Vampire Stories from a used bookshop 'cause she knows that I love to read, but don't have much time to focus on novels. So far, it's not half bad. It's basically for teens, but from skimmin' through it, it's got some good stuff. I especially dug Woody Allen's Count Dracula.

Only issue I take with it is that it's called VAMPIRE Stories, but half of the selections deal with werewolves? I don't get it either.

colum · #18 02-04-2010, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Satan's Favorite Son

My mom picked me up a short story book called Vampire Stories from a used bookshop 'cause she knows that I love to read, but don't have much time to focus on novels. So far, it's not half bad. It's basically for teens, but from skimmin' through it, it's got some good stuff. I especially dug Woody Allen's Count Dracula.

Only issue I take with it is that it's called VAMPIRE Stories, but half of the selections deal with werewolves? I don't get it either.

Can you find a picture of the cover and the name of the Author/Editor? I'd love to check it out for KinderScares.

Satan's Favorite Son · #19 02-04-2010, 01:51 PM

Sure thing, colum. The stories were chosen by Alan Durant, and it's from Kingfisher Books. It says the age appropriate levels are 9 - 14 (though, Woody Allen's story does have goddamn uttered in it).

Here's a link from Barnes & Noble with the cover on the one I have (I guess later it was changed to Vampire & Werewolf Stories)...

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Vam.../9780753457351

Hope that helps.

colum · #20 02-04-2010, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Satan's Favorite Son

Sure thing, colum. The stories were chosen by Alan Durant, and it's from Kingfisher Books. It says the age appropriate levels are 9 - 14 (though, Woody Allen's story does have goddamn uttered in it).

Here's a link from Barnes & Noble with the cover on the one I have (I guess later it was changed to Vampire & Werewolf Stories)...

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Vam.../9780753457351

Hope that helps.

Awesome. Thanks so much. I'll be checking this one out soon.

fizzmaster · #21 02-04-2010, 02:50 PM

Ripping through Gord Rollo's Strange Magic, which is fun and fast so far. Hey Colum! Glad you liked 'Endless Night'....

colum · #22 02-04-2010, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fizzmaster

Ripping through Gord Rollo's Strange Magic, which is fun and fast so far. Hey Colum! Glad you liked 'Endless Night'....

Yeah, 'Endless Night' was awesome.

I"m about 60 pages to the end of Strange Magic, as well.

Looks like we're reading the same stuff here, Fizzmaster. What do you say to hitting Koontz' Intensity with me next? Unless you've already read it...

typicallydia · #23 02-04-2010, 07:49 PM

No matter how bad I want to dig into Endless Night, I am going to start with Edward Lee's The Black Train.

I wanted to finish all of Bari Wood, since I loved Twins and liked Dolls Eyes... but I have heard mixed things.

I may just try to find Dan Simmons, Carrion Comfort instead.

colum · #24 02-05-2010, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by typicallydia

No matter how bad I want to dig into Endless Night, I am going to start with Edward Lee's The Black Train.

Get in to Endless Night. It's a wicked quick read, even though it's over 400 pages long.

You won't regret it. Well...maybe you will...but it'll be worth it.

JamesN · #25 02-05-2010, 12:00 PM

Just started Dean Koontz's THE DARKEST EVENING OF THE YEAR. We'll see how this works out . . . it's been a long time since I've gotten excited over Koontz's stuff. But I borrowed this one from a co-worker, so I figured I'd better give it a shot and get it returned to her ASAP. I'm about 100 pages in, and it's keeping me turning the pages so far.

I'm also reading -- off and on, and seemingly have been forever -- SECRET HISTORIES by F. Paul Wilson, THE BIRTHING HOUSE by Christopher Ransom, and King's UNDER THE DOME.

J.N.

colum · #26 02-05-2010, 01:52 PM

Ok. I'm going to finish Strange Magic on the subway ride home tonight, and I have a fair number of books to choose from as the next one.

So...

Do I read Intensity by Dean Koontz (and compare it to Endless Night by Laymon),

or

Dark Hollow by Brian Keene?

*Edit* - Just finished Strange Magic. Will write about it later. Need new book to read.

Steve Vernon · #27 02-05-2010, 07:09 PM

I really enjoyed Dark Hollow, by Keene.

Not much of a Koontz fan.

colum · #28 02-05-2010, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Vernon

I really enjoyed Dark Hollow, by Keene.

Not much of a Koontz fan.

Yeah, that's the one I eventually picked anyways. The Koontz book, while recommended by a lot of people, just didn't grab me like Keene's writing always does.

I'm only 30 pages in and it's already got me very intigued. Fucking Satyrs though. That balls. Who writes about Satyrs? Keene sure likes to take chances. Good thing he's a great entertainer, or this idea could have ended up lame as all hell.

Looking forward to getting further in to this.

Rage of Heroes · #29 02-06-2010, 11:26 PM

Read Batman: Battle for the Cowl by Tony S. Daniel where Batman was apparently killed in that Final Crisis annual confusing continuity shakeup at DC and somehow the news of his death leaked to Gotham's criminal community. The Penguin and Two-Face have a deadly war because of a misunderstanding while all of the other vigilantes in the city try to keep the peace as lots and lots of gangs try to muscle in on new Batman-free territory. And on top of all of that someone has dressed up like Bats and is killing criminals. It took me an extremely short time to figure out who it was since the people who write at DC can't keep anyone dead for long and can only hope to further hopelessly complicate their universe until there is very little conflict, suspense, or new characters. All this and no Joker. What a mess...

Now reading Last Train to Deadsville by Steve Niles

Reading I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, graphic adaptation by Steve Niles and Elman Brown

Reading Batman: Night Cries by Archie Goodwin

Reading Gotham by Gaslight: A Tale of the Batman by Brian Augustyn

Dark Mark · #30 02-07-2010, 02:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colum

I'm only 30 pages in and it's already got me very intigued. Fucking Satyrs though. That balls. Who writes about Satyrs? Keene sure likes to take chances.

I thought the exact same thing when I read it but he some how manages to pull it off.

Gore Whore · #31 02-07-2010, 07:55 PM

Colum, get on Intensity already!!

colum · #32 02-08-2010, 01:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gore Whore

Colum, get on Intensity already!!

I'm going to get on it once I'm finished with Dark Hollow.

I'm also reading Plague Monkey Spam and Gypsy Blood by Steve Vernon. Both of which are, so far, incredibly lyrical and awesome. Highly recommended for those who enjoy thier stories with a wicked flow and a heavy dose of WTF.

Torgo · #33 02-08-2010, 09:10 PM

Taking a break from horror for a little bit.

Read "Burn Me Deadly" by Alex Bledsoe, the follow-up to his sword-and-noir fantasy "The Sword-Edged Blonde". Great fun.

Read "Ice Station" by Matthew Reilly. Big Dumb Action book that starts fast and doesn't let up until the last page. Killer-Whale attacks, spaceships buried in 400 million year-old-ice, hovercraft chases, and more expended munitions than all of Schwarzenegger's films combined make a 500+ paperback a very fast read. He works a little scifi and fantasy in with his action which sets his books apart from the likes of Clive Cussler and Tom Clancy.

Read "Showgirls, Teen Wolves, and Astro Zombies" by Michael Adams. It's along the same lines of Kevin Murphy's "A Year at the Movies: One Man's Filmgoing Odyssey" but with bad old movies on video. Adams is a reviewer for Empire and Rotten Tomatoes, and he has a love for bad movies much like a lot of us here do. As he says, there are good-bad movies and bad-bad movies. He is looking for the worst bad-bad movie he can find, and his journey is entertaining if a bit lighter than what I was hoping for. Still, a fun book, even if he does miss including "Wing Commander", "Zardoz", and "Eyes Wide Shut", which is hands down the worst movie I've ever seen.

Up next: "Seven Deadly Wonders" by Matthew Reilly, and then a Repairman Jack book, "The Tomb".

Torgo · #34 02-08-2010, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colum

Yeah, I was pleasantly surprised as well. And the last bit of dialogue contained on the last few pages is awesome too. Fantastic book.

Agree. One of Laymon's best, IMHO.

Jesus Was A Robot · #35 02-08-2010, 09:16 PM

Reading Ouroboros by Michael Kelly and Carol Weekes. I am loving it so far. Very well written, thought provoking and intelligent. This book seems like poetry to me. It flows so well.

Scotty · #36 02-09-2010, 09:13 AM

Thought I'd throw this out there to anyone who may be looking for something unique in the genre of horror fiction. The proofs for my latest book are in and I'm seeking beta readers to give it a look and send me some feedback. Anything will do: typos, made up words, physical inconsistencies, confusing passages, missing pages, painfully earnest praise, etc. The proof is yours to keep as my gift.

For more info on the book, check out:

sWitch on my blog.
sWitch on Facebook.
sWitch website.

I realize there's not a lot to go on, but if you're curious, shoot me an email or a PM and I'll fill you in a little further. I only need one soul at this point as I only have a couple of proofs and I'm spreading them out a bit, but if more than one of you responds with real interest, I'll see what I can do.

Cheers, and happy reading!

colum · #37 02-09-2010, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scotty

Thought I'd throw this out there to anyone who may be looking for something unique in the genre of horror fiction. The proofs for my latest book are in and I'm seeking beta readers to give it a look and send me some feedback. Anything will do: typos, made up words, physical inconsistencies, confusing passages, missing pages, painfully earnest praise, etc. The proof is yours to keep as my gift.

For more info on the book, check out:

sWitch on my blog.
sWitch on Facebook.
sWitch website.

I realize there's not a lot to go on, but if you're curious, shoot me an email or a PM and I'll fill you in a little further. I only need one soul at this point as I only have a couple of proofs and I'm spreading them out a bit, but if more than one of you responds with real interest, I'll see what I can do.

Cheers, and happy reading!

I'm in, Scotty. Send one my way! I'd be more than happy to read it, as it sounds interesting and fun!

Gore Whore · #38 02-09-2010, 01:21 PM

I am finally reading Cycle Of The Werewolf. I have this weird thing I do more often than I'd like and that's go online, read about all the books I want to read instead of actually reading the bookcase of books I already have. HAHA, anyone else do this?

colum · #39 02-09-2010, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gore Whore

I am finally reading Cycle Of The Werewolf. I have this weird thing I do more often than I'd like and that's go online, read about all the books I want to read instead of actually reading the bookcase of books I already have. HAHA, anyone else do this?

Yep. I've complained about this before, too. My problem is that I go out and buy the damned things, and now I have a huge stack of shit to read that I won't even get around to until sometime next year. All the while I will be buying more books, and the pile will get bigger.

I have almost all of Brian Keene's books, and have only read 1 and 1/2 of them. Being a bibliophile (and a pack rat) sucks sometimes.

colum · #40 02-10-2010, 11:08 AM

I don't believe I wrote about Strange Magic yet.

Finished Strange Magic by Gord Rollo sometime at the beginning of this month. It was a pretty emotionally heavy read. The plight of Wilson Kemp is felt throughout the entire story, and one can't figure out whether or not to feel sorry for him because he's screwed up his life, or because his life has screwed him up.

The pacing and style are distinctly Rollo, in the sense that you can't help but feel every word in the story, no matter how painful. In the end, when you're left drained and satisfied at the notion that all loose ends are tied up nicely, he smokes you in the head with his storyline baseball bat once more for good measure.

Overall, and awesome book to add to an impressive catalogue. This last one though, didn't have the same level of visceral brutality as the last two. Maybe more emotionally and mentally, but not visually. It was good to read something like that for a change.

Working on Brian Keene's Dark Hollow and Steve Vernon's Plague Monkey Spam which is just weird as all hell.

SoulOnIce · #41 02-10-2010, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colum

Ok. I'm going to finish Strange Magic on the subway ride home tonight, and I have a fair number of books to choose from as the next one.

So...

Do I read Intensity by Dean Koontz (and compare it to Endless Night by Laymon),

or

Dark Hollow by Brian Keene?

*Edit* - Just finished Strange Magic. Will write about it later. Need new book to read.

I'm not a big Koontz guy either but Intensity is fucking fantastic.

colum · #42 02-10-2010, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoulOnIce

I'm not a big Koontz guy either but Intensity is fucking fantastic.

Good to know. Intensity shall be close to the top of my list now.

Scotty · #43 02-10-2010, 02:44 PM

Enjoyed Intensity, as well.

colum · #44 02-10-2010, 04:42 PM

Finished Plague Monkey Spam by Steve Vernon.

Jesus-jumped-up-and-bit-a-giant-flying-octopus this was a weird story. I don't even think I could possibly do justice to it with an explanation...but it has a lot to do with Spam e-mail, tiny, blue, dung flinging monkeys, an African Prince, and the Infobahn.

This is quite possibly the most original, action packed, and sometimes incredibly disgusting story EVER CREATED. Vernon not only leaves you thoroughly confused as to what the internet actually is, but also satisfied and without the urge to search for any porn.

Steve, you've outdone yourself, sir. Again, I bow to thee.

I want to see this one reprinted as a novella attached to a Mass Market paperback. And soon.

Gore Whore · #45 02-11-2010, 06:26 PM

Again I am at a crossroads, I can't figure out what to read. I should try to stay off the internets for awhile, haha.

colum · #46 02-11-2010, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gore Whore

Again I am at a crossroads, I can't figure out what to read. I should try to stay off the internets for awhile, haha.

Laymon, Ketchum, Keene, Rollo, and Vernon always do it for me when I'm in a pinch. Give 'em a try.

TypH · #47 02-11-2010, 10:14 PM

read: Image/Cryptic Book Of Horror Vol1 & The Hunger Vol1

colum · #48 02-11-2010, 10:21 PM

Welcome to the Reading Thread, TypH. Good to see you didn't get put off by The Gore-met. He's a gentle giant, really.

My question to the (self professed) newbie: Are you primarily in to comics, and is there any specific book/comic you would say is a stand out as your favorite in horror literature?

Also, let us know what you're currently reading.

TypH · #49 02-11-2010, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colum

Welcome to the Reading Thread, TypH. Good to see you didn't get put off by The Gore-met. He's a gentle giant, really.

My question to the (self professed) newbie: Are you primarily in to comics, and is there any specific book/comic you would say is a stand out as your favorite in horror literature?

Also, let us know what you're currently reading.

haha thanks for the welcome Colum, yea I guess I should have checked her first but it seem like it was ment for new books comming out in the month of Feb so my bad.

Well for the most part it's comics cause thats the media that im actually trying to work in, I would like to get more Horror novels an comics but I live in the middle of no where so I have limit ones an the local book store is an hour an they don't sell that stuff or order it so it kind of sucks. As for a stand out thats hard, i've always been a fan of the Old Tales From The Crypt Stuff an Creepy comics, I've always like the Stephen King Books & comics by Kidwell & R.D Hall, hope thats a good answer haha

bigmac64 · #50 02-11-2010, 11:25 PM

Just read Zombie Haiku. Not very good haiku, but the story, as a whole, is kind of fun. Recommended strictly for hardcore zombie fan.