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<![CDATA[Lark added 'Norwegian Wood']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77639699
Norwegian Wood (Paperback)
byHaruki Murakami bookshelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Lark added 'Blanket of White']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77639485
to: Blanket of White (ebook)byAmy Grech
Some writing cries out to be accompanied by the howl of the wind, a candle lit room, and a glass of Absinthe. There is nothing quite like sitting down with a good horror story after the right mood is set. Amy Grech’s exquisitely crafted collection of short stories, Blanket of White, is the perfect companion on such a night. These stories haunt. They make the heart beat faster. They leave the reader questioning the innocence of the creaks and bumps of a house settling in the night.
This is the writing of a woman who loves the horror genre. You can tell it flows in her blood. The tale “Raven’s Revenge” is a loving homage to Edgar Allan Poe and his tales of ghosts demanding justice for their untimely demise.
You can feel echoes of Stephen King’s tales of childhood adventures that turn grizzly in “Initiation Day.” “Perishables” questions the lengths one goes to in order to survive like King’s “Survivor Type” did.
“Damp Wind and Leaves” is a gorgeous love letter to Halloween and the iconic movies of old like Dracula, The Wolfman, and The Mummy.
These occasional echoes of the past are delightful spice for those who also love horror and can indulge in the allusions. But beyond that Grech fills her writing with specific imagery that transports the reader. Her worlds are sensuously full and encompassing. You can smell the damp autumn air in “Damp Wind and Leaves” and feel the snowy winter cold with its blinding whiteness in the title tale “Blanket of White.”
For those who wonder if a woman can push the boundaries and disturb, Grech answers with a definitive, “Yes.” There are true sociopaths in her tales. There are bloody dispatches. Grech not only horrifies on a physical level, there is emotional horror as well. Parental love twists into dark obsession or neglect. Lovers’ obsessions give new meaning to consuming hunger. Sibling rivalry reaches frightening levels. She brings life to what she calls “the aftermath of people’s grief.”
Grech is able to engage her readers emotionally. She moves their hearts with sorrow, makes them cry for justice, and raises a laugh of devilish delight when a bad guy gets what is coming to them. She reminds us that we have all have taken journeys into darkness and tasted despair, obsession, rage. Her characters are crafted with such depth and reality that no matter what twisted action they might take part in, we buy in and believe it.
Each story in the collection is unique, and it is a pleasure to see what world we will be thrown into next. There is enough diversity of subject matter and tone here to delight nearly everyone.
Blanket of White deserves to be read not only by lovers of horror, but by everyone who just craves good writing. Don’t let the twisted nature of the stories turn you away. As Grech’s character Nicholas says to his victim when she shrinks away from his blade, “Come, come, don’t be shy. It only hurts the first time.”
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<![CDATA[Lark added 'Tattoo']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77639138
to: Tattoo (Audiobook)byPaul Elard Cooley
I totally enjoyed Tattoo. I listened as he distributed it through his podcast. He is a wonderful storyteller and his characters are always interesting. He gives them a sense of depth and life that reels you in and makes you want to see what they do next.
Paul demonstrates once again his ear for language, his sense of humor, and his ability to understand the darkness that dwells in us all.
Tattoo in an interesting tale of how we view ourselves and our search for wholeness. I highly recommend checking this story out as well as Paul's other stories at www.shadowpublications.com
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<![CDATA[Lark Neville
voted on the book list Best urban fantasy]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/list/user_vote/200848
Lark
voted on the book list Best urban fantasy
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<![CDATA[Lark added 'Archelon Ranch']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73361456
Archelon Ranch (Paperback)
byGarrett Cook bookshelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[New Fanship update]]>
<![CDATA[Lark added 'Sheep and Wolves']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69621017
to: Sheep and Wolves (Hardcover)byJeremy C. Shipp
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<![CDATA[Lark added 'Vacation']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69620985
to: Vacation (Paperback)byJeremy C. Shipp
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<![CDATA[Lark added 'Cursed']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69620796
to: Cursed (Paperback)byJeremy C. Shipp
Author Jeremy C. Shipp is never content to merely give his readers a diversion. Sure you laugh; you fall in love with his characters, are emotionally swept into his world; but his work is always so much more than emotive string pulling.
Shipp wants your mind. He wants your heart. He wants you to be so taken in by his words that by the time he is through with you, you see the world differently. He wants to wake you up, and he won’t sugar coat the brutality or the beauty of life as he delivers his message. In making you honestly examine yourself and the world, he offers you a great gift – a chance at healing. Shipp’s second novel, Cursed, is such an adventure and is due for release this October. It is available for pre-order at http://www.rawdogscreaming.com/cursed.ht...
Cursed resonates as a love story to those of us who feel like outsiders. Though Shipp makes explicit use of a physical disability in this novel, that sense of being “other” could come from any of the millions of details that make up our personal story such as one’s faith or sexuality. It is a reminder that being unique is not a curse as society would have us think. In fact our differences are our gifts. We are meant to celebrate them and use them to heal ourselves, each other, and ultimately the world.
One immediately has great empathy for Shipp’s lead characters. Cicely and Nicholas can be nothing other than the cursed beings they are, but thank God for that. In the book, they literally hold the fate of the world in their hands. There could be no more intelligent, humorous, kindly souls to be at the mercy of. They are given an awesome responsibility, and through their journey we can see the best and worst within ourselves as well.
Like many, Nicholas just wants to blend in. He wants to pretend he leads an unexceptional life. But for Nicholas there is no out. He must do what he is destined to do. In the end, the same goes for us all. Shipp is calling out those who would wear masks and try to live a small existence. Not following an authentic path would have consequences in Cursed, just as it does in the real world.
Shipp forces us to confront the pain, fear, loneliness in our lives. They are a warning that action needs to be taken. We are given a very explicit reminder at the very beginning “This isn’t only your life that you’re messing with. We’re connected. We’re all connected.” My pain is your pain; your pain is my pain. And what is most vital for ending our personal nightmares? Forgiveness. It is through this we heal.
There is also a recurring theme of being ignored, not being heard. Nicholas constantly faces this in his attempts to connect with others. But he can’t truly be heard because he is hiding. He is afraid if someone really did see him, truly know him inside and out they would be horrified. In contrast Cicely has the strength to claim who she is and fight against those who would dismiss her as wrong. She faces the world with an open heart and creativity. She is the kind of empowered being that comes from living from a place of love instead of fear. She pushes Nicholas and hopefully the reader to a breakthrough where they find themselves capable of more than they had imagined.
As in his short stories and his first novel, Vacation, Shipp’s prose in Cursed is distilled down to the finest essence. No triviality remains. With a lot of wit and a huge heart full of passion, he enthralls the reader. The writing is elegant and quite simply a pleasure to read.
Shipp’s work always carries with it a sense of magical realism that I find incredibly seductive. I’m always eager to see what rules he’s playing with in each new piece. And I must admit as a writer I’d kill to have a little bit of that awe-inspiring creativity Shipp has in his deliciously demented mind.
So in the end does Cursed succeed? In a word: yes. Readers can’t walk away unmoved. They will recognize themselves in the characters. They will see the indictment of the energy spent on imaginary problems while the real ones burn the world down.
He gets you – mind and heart. And I have to believe that his readers and the planet will come away altered for the better because of this experience.
Jeremy C. Shipp may be just one author, but maybe that’s enough.
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