by Barbara the Bibliophage | Nov 8, 2022 | RELAX: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
I read Dark Celebrations during the Halloween spooky season, but Calvin Demmer’s flash fiction collection is appropriate for horror fans to celebrate all year long. He takes typical holidays and events and turns them into extraordinary—and gory—celebrations. Honestly,...
by Barbara the Bibliophage | Oct 15, 2022 | RELAX: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Lestat de Lioncourt, arguably the world’s most famous fictional vampire, deals with turmoil among his kindred in Prince Lestat, the eleventh entry into Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. Because of her death last year, it’s a sentimental choice for me. Rice centers the...
by Barbara the Bibliophage | Apr 11, 2022 | RELAX: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
In The Fervor Alma Katsu blends lesser-known World War II history with Japanese folklore and the horror of racism. This relatively short book introduces Meiko and her young daughter Aiko. Meiko came to Seattle as part of an arranged marriage to another Japanese...
by Barbara the Bibliophage | Feb 10, 2022 | RELAX: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Thomas Olde Heuvelt takes readers deep into the blizzard of his imagination in his book, Echo. Released in Dutch in 2019 and translated into English for release this week, the book represents excellent horror writing. It will chill you to the bone, because of its...
by Barbara the Bibliophage | Dec 31, 2021 | RELAX: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Secret Santa is a creepy horror novella from Andrew Shaffer. His Obama Biden mysteries are enjoyable, so I picked this up during the year. Of course, the best time to read a Christmas-themed book is December. My only regret is getting the review posted after the...
by Barbara the Bibliophage | Sep 11, 2021 | RELAX: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Catriona Ward takes an unsettling angle on horror in her upcoming book, The Last House on Needless Street. (Expected publication date is September 28, 2021.) Ted is a loner to the extreme. He’s got partial custody of his daughter Lauren and enjoys the company of his...
by Barbara the Bibliophage | Aug 24, 2021 | RELAX: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Silvia Moreno-Garcia combines noir detective style, vampire action, and Aztec legends in her upcoming reissue, Certain Dark Things. The supernatural mythology is compelling and her characters, human and otherwise, are unique. I’ve read eleventy million vampire books,...
by Barbara the Bibliophage | Aug 15, 2021 | RELAX: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Stephen Graham Jones (SGJ) is a prolific writer, delving deep into the horror genre. His 2021 entry to the canon is My Heart is a Chainsaw. (Anticipated publication on August 31.) In it, 17-year-old Jade Daniels is a rabid fan of slasher films. She’s watched them all...
by Barbara the Bibliophage | Jul 15, 2021 | RELAX: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
The Library at Mount Char, a spectacular debut novel from Scott Hawkins, combines epic and urban fantasy. It’s confusing for a long while, but thankfully the focus ultimately tightens. Better still, Hawkins creates memorable characters whose true nature hovers just...
by Barbara the Bibliophage | Dec 31, 2020 | RELAX: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
From Native American author Stephen Graham Jones, The Only Good Indians is horror painted on the unsettled background of reservation life. It also bends the time, space, and being continuums. In other words, you’ll need to suspend all disbelief and just go with it. So...
by Barbara the Bibliophage | Nov 5, 2020 | LEARN: Everything Else
From author Colin Dickey, Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places is just the kind of book choice readers make in October. It combines history, travel, architecture, urban legend, and philosophy. But I also have to say it wasn’t nearly as gripping as I...
by Barbara the Bibliophage | Oct 19, 2020 | RELAX: Mystery-Thriller
The Lottery and Other Stories proves that Shirley Jackson was a master storyteller. Everyone knows this, so I’m not saying anything new. I’m behind on reading Jackson’s work, having only read We Have Always Lived in a Castle previously. But I figured October was a...
by Barbara the Bibliophage | May 25, 2020 | RELAX: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Zone One from Colson Whitehead isn’t your typical zombie novel. Not that I’m a regular reader of the genre. But I know my fantasy and horror. What Whitehead does is show us the mind of one man in his post-pandemic world. (Yes, I read another pandemic book.) This world...
by Barbara the Bibliophage | Oct 16, 2019 | RELAX: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Joe Hill published his Full Throttle story collection just in time for the haunting season. And haunt me it did! Hill begins and ends with some lovely notes on his craft, growing up with Stephen King, and story inspirations. Everything between those two chapters is...
by Barbara the Bibliophage | Sep 21, 2019 | RELAX: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Calvin Demmer writes intense horror stories. Part of a series called Short Sharp Shocks!, this one is a ghost story. Journalist Sylvia Bernstein is looking for that “big story,” which will boost her career into hyperspace. She should be careful what she wishes for....
by Barbara the Bibliophage | Jun 13, 2019 | MISCELLANEOUS
After some long books in May, I decided to catch up on some shorter books. In my Audible collection, that means listening to a few Audible Originals. And finally Audible let’s you sort your titles by length, which makes it much easier to manage via time. Instead...
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