horror – Page 16 – Cannonball Read 17

“He withdrew the knife slowly, as if fearful of causing Marian Savage pain.”

The Elementals by Michael McDowell

January 22, 2024 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

This is another Valancourt reissue Christmas gift to me and has a pull quote from Stephen King on the cover, which made me interested to read it. Poppy Z. Brite says on the back of the book that this is “surely one of the most terrifying novels ever written,” so I was ready to be scared. However, I didn’t honestly find it that scary and I felt like the racial politics distracted me from fully feeling immersed in the text. The Elementals is a Southern […]

“If you have thought seriously about mirrors, you will know about their mystery.”

Elizabeth by Ken Greenhall

January 21, 2024 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

Elizabeth is a fairly short novel with spare prose that makes it a quick read, but Greenhall’s ability to evoke mood and tension makes it a strong novel. This was another Christmas gift Valancourt novel, and it’s been interesting to see that while I am not a fan of sci-fi around this time, I do tend to like horror novels from this era much better than modern ones. The mix of literary and genre here heightens the book as a whole. Elizabeth is a take […]

“There are two kinds of people in this world: those who live with shame, and those who die from it.”

Lone Women by Victor LaValle

January 19, 2024 by narfna Leave a Comment

I really liked this one! But the ending didn’t do as much for me as the first 1/3 did. It all wrapped up too fast and too neatly for me. I wanted to see the struggle and the nitty gritty details! But then again, I nearly always appreciate a longer book over a shorter one, so this very could be just a me thing here and you might love it (as the rest of my book club did!) Lone Women takes place around 1915 in […]

By Golly

Holly by Stephen King

January 19, 2024 by Zirza Leave a Comment

Unlikely private eye Holly Gibney is hired by the mother of a missing woman to track down her daughter. At first, Holly assumes the daughter has simply run away, tired of her overbearing mother, but she soon discovers that something more sinister is at play. I majored in English. Trust me when I say there’s little that sucks the joy out of reading as much as majoring in English, because you’re bound to overthink everything you read. The fun stuff isn’t good enough and the […]

Wait. So now I have to read ‘Jane Eyre’?

Reluctant Immortals by Gwendolyn Kiste

January 19, 2024 by dreadpiratekel 2 Comments

Reluctant Immortals opens with an opening line that is just … *chefs kiss*; “It’s almost sundown in Los Angeles, and Dracula’s ashes won’t shut up.” The book is set in 1967 California, splitting most of the action between Los Angeles and the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, with a few spots visited in between. It is the Summer of Love and also yet just another summer for Lucy Westnera and Bertha (Bea) Mason, who are the immortals of the book title. Lucy comes from the […]

Hey, Ho, Let’s Go (or I don’t want to be buried in a Pet Sematary)

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

January 17, 2024 by dreadpiratekel 2 Comments

Pet Sematary by Stephen King First things first – I am a Stephen King fan. I’m a big King fan and have been since I was a teenager, which was a while ago. A long while ago. I just want all my biases laid out here at the start: I am a fan, and I am predisposed to like his writing style and his works in general. Despite being a pretty big fan, I have not read everything he has written, and this book was […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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