What Else Are You Reading?

[Scott]

A Collapse of Horses by Brian Evenson. Real life book club pick for this month. Very good so far.

[Paul]

The Garden at 19 by Edgar Jepson. Lighthearted, slightly pulpy little occult fantasy. Jepson obviously had very real interest in the subject.

[Neutrino]

Year's Best Weird Fiction, Vol. 4 edited Helen Marshall. There is a noble idea behind this entry (even if it is bound to be divisive), but the selection sadly isn't up to it. Weakest entry so far.

[Marie-Therese]

Currently, I'm reading at least one book that might be of interest to this group, Mariana Enriquez' Things We Lost in the Fire. These are absolutely gorgeous short stories, many of which feature really dark, fantastic twists.

I'm also reading The Mystery of Rio, which is an odd and rather shapeless book that reads like a cross between Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands and The Name of the Rose. What initially starts as a moderately straight-forward murder mystery morphs into a catalogue of historical crimes and then a sex comedy, all laced with some dark folk magic and witchcraft. It's far more interesting in concept than telling but it's not quite boring or artless enough to put down completely.

[Marie-Therese]

Neutrino wrote: "Year's Best Weird Fiction, Vol. 4 edited Helen Marshall. There is a noble idea behind this entry (even if it is bound to be divisive), but the selection sadly isn't up to it. Weakest entry so far."

I'm going into this one with an open mind as I preferred Year's Best Weird Fiction, Volume Two edited by Kathe Koja the most of this series and I know many others were disappointed by that one. Which volume so far has been your favourite, Neutrino?

[Bill]

Neutrino wrote: "Year's Best Weird Fiction, Vol. 4 edited Helen Marshall. "
Good to hear this is out. I like Helen Marshall's writing, though I was not fond of Vol. 3. Will probably give this a shot.

I'm also reading Things We Lost in the Fire, which Marie-Therese and I would probably have proposed as a buddy read; but I felt guilty about distracting from the group read doorstop. A blast so far.

And Stephen Beachy's odd and enigmatic Glory Hole. (Geez, did you know how many books come up when you search for Glory Hole?) Lots of in-jokes about the San Francisco New Narrative scene, and the JT Leroy affair. Entertaining, but could be shorter.

[Caleb.Lives]

The Boke of the Divill by Reggie Oliver. Straightforward, very old-fashioned. I can see some of Oliver's fans being disappointed by it, but it isn't a bad read by any stretch of imagination. Some of individual stories (ones in chapter 3 and 6) work as standalones, and are typical Oliverian mixtures of religion and horror (think of stories like "The Seventeenth Sister"). They end up being better than the novel as a whole. Honestly, I think that this novel suffers greatly from his attempt to cram so many different characters and threads in what is relatively small space...

[Marie-Therese]

I finished the Year's Best Weird Fiction, Vol. 4 last week and enjoyed much more than I expected to, given the reviews of readers I respect here and elsewhere. Perhaps my expectations were just really low, but I thought this was a mostly good collection, with a few perplexingly bad stories balanced by a couple of outstanding ones. Bonus points for the fact that it introduced me to the work of Gary Budden. After reading the beautifully written, slyly funny, dark Christmas tale 'Breakdown' in this volume, I want to search out everything he's ever written!

After getting off to a slow start (found the first couple of stories antipathetic and set the book aside), I also gobbled up Gwendolyn Kiste's And Her Smile Will Untether the Universe. Not sure if the first few stories really are not to my taste (they seemed really mannered and as if they were trying too hard) or if it was just my mood at the time, but after getting through the third story, everything else was excellent and I found it hard to put the book down.

Kiste writes dark fantasy cum horror with a distinct literary bent. I could easily see her fairy tale-based work being featured in a Kate Bernheimer anthology or a Tin House collection. Her work is also strongly feminist and reading her stories brought back some of the feelings of recognition and rage I first felt reading Angela Carter decades ago. Many thanks to Bill Hsu for recommending this collection to me!

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I didn't notice an "Introduce Yourself" thread so I thought I'd jump in here. I'm Randy from southern California and your group looked interesting so I thought I'd join. I'm sorry I'm too late for the group read of We Have Always Lived in the Castle because a few months ago I read The Haunting of Hill House and really enjoyed it. I'm always looking for more classic horror reads like that one. Looking forward to meeting everyone and talking about books!

By the way, right now I'm reading Black Wings Has My Angel by Elliott Chaze which is not horror but it is literate.

[Scott]

I am reading Universal Harvester by John Darnielle. It is very weird and I can't put it down.

[Paul]

Conference with the Dead by Terry Lamsley. Pretty enjoyable stuff.

[Ronald]

Terry Lamsley is a gifted writer of weird tales.

[Paul]

Absolutely. Only thing of his that I've read previously was the title title story from his first collection, reprinted in some anthology or other. It really stuck with me, how he depicted its setting (you felt the grime on ya after reading it) and the protagonist's alienation, how he blurred the line between SF and supernatural.
"Conference with the Dead" has been excellent so far. He can be -remarkably- cruel towards his protagonists (stories like "The Toddler"). Shame that he seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth.

[Bridgette]

The Windsome Tree by Eileen Albrizio

[Scott]

I started Ugly Behavior, a collection of non-supernatural horror by Steve Rasnic Tem.

[Bill]

Things to Do When You're Goth in the Country: and Other Stories is a very pleasant surprise: quirky, endearing characters, dark surprising twists, and often very funny.

In the Shirley Jackson single-author collection shortlist, I think this and the Machado book are way ahead of the other nominees. (The only one of the five I wouldn't recommend is the Samantha Hunt.)

[Marie-Therese]

Bill wrote: "Things to Do When You're Goth in the Country: and Other Stories is a very pleasant surprise: quirky, endearing characters, dark surprising twists, and often very funny."

Good to hear! I have this collection and plan to start it after I finish our current buddy read, Looming Low Volume I.

I haven't read anything by Samantha Hunt but I think you've read both the story collection and her novel and didn't care for either. Any particular reasons or just poor writing?

[Bill]

Marie-Therese wrote: "I haven't read anything by Samantha Hunt but I think you've read both the story collection and her novel and didn't care for either. Any particular reasons or just poor writing? "
Hmm, I just returned The Dark Dark to the library, so I can't give examples. (Nit-picking alert) I do remember details of the prose, here and there, that bothered me. I also thought some of the transitions were rocky, and not in a good way.

[SSteppenwolFF]

Well I'm new here . I am currently reading short stories from Daddy's by Lindsay Hunter and trying to decide if I should read The Sudden Appearance of Hope by Claire North or Little Hands Clapping by Dan Rhodes .

[SSteppenwolFF]

Decided to read Last Days by Adam Nevill which I received in the mail today .

[Dexter]

My father got me a signed copy of The Aegis Solution because it's an author he respects. It's one of those "bubble-world/government corruption" thrillers that makes you think from multiple perspectives about ethical issues (human experiments) and has characters who go on rants about the status quo complete with counter-arguments. Plus there's action and violence, but those discussions are what hook me and stick in my head after reading.

I'm at the end of that one, and then I picked up a copy of What the Hell Did I Just Read because I loved Wong as a Cracked author and read his other book.

[SSteppenwolFF]

I AM HEARTBROKEN ... DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY ... I KNOW IT'S STUPID BUT IT FEELS LIKE I'VE LOST SOMEONE CLOSE TO ME ... Harlan Ellison WAS MY LITERARY FATHER ... MAY HE REST WELL & IN PEACE ...



http://theweek.com/speedreads/782102/...

[Scott]

SSteppenwolFF wrote: "I AM HEARTBROKEN ... DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY ... I KNOW IT'S STUPID BUT IT FEELS LIKE I'VE LOST SOMEONE CLOSE TO ME ... Harlan Ellison WAS MY LITERARY FATHER ... MAY HE REST WELL & IN ..."

It's NOT stupid...HE was a great storyteller, a great essayist, and (in my opinion) a great man. I am sure many of us feel the same as you.

[Scott]

Ghosts Know by Ramsey Campbell
It's not really a horror novel (at least not yet), more of a mystery with a possible supernatural aspect. I don't usually like his stories but this is good.

[Ronald]

SSteppenwolFF wrote: "I AM HEARTBROKEN ... DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY ... I KNOW IT'S STUPID BUT IT FEELS LIKE I'VE LOST SOMEONE CLOSE TO ME ... Harlan Ellison WAS MY LITERARY FATHER ... MAY HE REST WELL & IN ..."

Your feelings are totally appropriate, Harlan Ellison was a fantastic writer. And your post is relevant to this group for I think some of his stories can be classified as horror. I read a werewolf story by him which is good. There isn't much good werewolf fiction.

[Scott]

Although HE would probably prefer the more general classification of fantasy, I would say he has written quite a bit of horror. I believe "Footsteps" is the story to which you refer. There's also much of Deathbird Stories, "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" (futuristic background but unquestionably horror), "Croatoan", "Shatterday"...just for starters.

[Bill]

Shirley Jackson winners for 2017 announced!
https://www.shirleyjacksonawards.org

(Yes, they messed up their own standard website format. Don't get me started.)

I'm way more in agreement with the 2017 judges than the ones for 2016. Schweblin for novella, Woods for novelette, Machado for single-author collection, all work on my 2017 favorites list.

Marie-Therese, didn't you mention checking out the Hye-young Pyun novel?

A reminder that our July Buddy Read is David Demchuk's Bone Mother, also a 2017 nominee. I'm really enjoying it so far.

[Marie-Therese]

Bill wrote: "Shirley Jackson winners for 2017 announced!
https://www.shirleyjacksonawards.org

I'm way more in agreement with the 2017 judges than the ones for 2016. Schweblin for novella, Woods for novelette, Machado for single-author collection, all work on my 2017 favorites list. ."

Great list of winners this year!

Bill wrote: "Marie-Therese, didn't you mention checking out the Hye-young Pyun novel?"

Yes, I did. Shall we schedule it for an upcoming buddy read?

[Bill]

I'm totally up for buddy-reading Hye-young Pyun.

[Marie-Therese]

Bill wrote: "I'm totally up for buddy-reading Hye-young Pyun."

Great! Let's plan that for our next buddy read, after 'The Bone Mother'.

[SSteppenwolFF]

Finished All Your Gods Are Dead by Gary McMahon still don't know how I feel about that one . Started The Horribles by Nathaniel Lambert ,

[Bill]

Our August buddy read is The Hole by Hye-Young Pyun, winner of the 2017 Shirley Jackson award for best novel.

Please join us and participate here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[J.S.]

I'm currently exploring fairy tales and the fear of the forest in Gossip from the Forest

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I started reading:


Ghost Story by Peter Straub

[Scott]

Later today I will start

[NafizaIsAddictive]

This round of books:
Hunt for the Skinwalker: Science Confronts the Unexplained at a Remote Ranch in Utah
Paradox 2 - Beyond Eternity
Trainspotting
Generally Speaking
The Indian Cookery Course

[Bill]

Recently:
Bosun
The Hungry Girls and Other Stories

Re-read:
20th Century Ghosts

[Dan]

Randy wrote: "I started reading:


Ghost Story by Peter Straub"

I read this the year it was published in the late 1970s (while awaiting the next Stephen King work) and loved it. It was a major reason I became a horror fan in the first place. Straub takes his time to really set the scene and build the suspense here, yet because the narrative is always directly relevant to the story line, no rambles as in other Straub works, it reads like one of his shorter novels. I am pretty sure this was a NYT top ten bestseller the year it appeared.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

Dan wrote: "Randy wrote: "I started reading:


Ghost Story by Peter Straub"

I read this the year it was published in the late 1970s (while awaiting the..."

Thanks Dan. I'm about 20% done and enjoying it so far. The prologue got my attention but then things slowed down for a bit. They are picking back up though.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I finished these:


Ancient Sorceries and Other Weird Stories by Algernon Blackwood
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


Boy's Life by Robert R. McCammon
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


The Night of the Hunter by Davis Grubb
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Scott]

Fog Heart by Thomas Tessier

[Bill]

Marie-Therese and I are organizing one of our occasional group reads; January's book is Carly Holmes' Figurehead:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Please join us!

[Marie-Therese]

Bill wrote: "Marie-Therese and I are organizing one of our occasional group reads; January's book is Carly Holmes' Figurehead

I started this morning and, four stories in now, am really enjoying this volume. Holmes describes her work as "literary strange" and that seems fitting. These stories are dark and slightly fantastic but also very rooted in the real world, in settings that feel almost claustrophobically mundane. The end result is generally not something "horrific" but gently disquieting and frequently melancholy. The pacing so far is very nice too-Holmes knows where to end things, nothing drags on needlessly. That's refreshing in an age when so many genre writers seem to have lost the ability to edit themselves.

[Marie-Therese]

I'm currently reading Randalls Round by Eleanor Scott. Very enjoyable book of well-paced classic British ghost and horror stories. Anyone who enjoys M.R. James' work will surely like this collection too.

[Bill]

Marie-Therese wrote: "I'm currently reading Randalls Round by Eleanor Scott."
I was considering this, but ran away shrieking after reading the blurb. (I'm allergic to hyperbole.) Ok, I'll give it a shot.

[Marie-Therese]

Bill wrote: "I was considering this, but ran away shrieking after reading the blurb. (I'm allergic to hyperbole.)"

Oh, my! I hadn't even noticed that blurb. That is hilarious. The collection is solid and, as I mentioned, very enjoyable in that old-fashioned British ghost story manner, but nowhere near as thrilling as the hyperbolic assessment on the work page promises.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I finished:


House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Rating: 2 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Bill]

This has been a month of largely disappointing books for me. But the exceptions are truly wonderful:

Catherine Dousteyssier-Khoze, The Beauty of the Death Cap
Brian Evenson, Reports

[Benjamin]

I’m currently doing a buddy read for the Fernando Pessoa tribute anthology published by Ex Occidente

Dreams of Ourselves. All of the authors used Pessoa heteronyms. Part of our buddy read is to try and figure out who the actual author is for each story based on our own previous reading of these Ex Occidente authors like Mark Valentine, Colin Insole, John Howard, Quentin Crisp, Damian Murphy, etc.

[S̶e̶a̶n̶]

I just finished reading The Opal (and Other Stories), a collection of Gustav Meyrink's mostly Victorian Gothic tales, often with a satirical touch. Most readers probably know Meyrink from his novel The Golem, but his short stories are really top-notch. If you're not a library user, the Dedalus paperback is out-of-print and can be pricey, but it's also available much more affordably as an ebook.