Full Wolf Moon - Lincoln Child. Another romp with renowned enigmalogist Jeremy Logan, this is a very different "werewolf" tale. A relatively short, quick, fun read.
feeding ground by sarah pinborough. the sequel to pinborough's breeding ground, this novel continues the exploration of the alien spider apocalypse. we meet a different group of characters who are dealing with things in their own, unique way. the character and their relationships are vivid, and the spider creatures horrific. an excellent read.
@nance I've been disappointed that Pinborough never wrote another book in that series. The books are so good, and she left it open for so much potential going forward.
@Mayday yeah, i'd like to see more. i really enjoyed the way each group follows different characters in different situations, while gently advancing the overall story forward. the whole getting the spiders hooked on crack thing was pretty clever, i thought, and i imagine she would devse another cool scenario in which things could happen.
The Creepypasta Collection: Modern Urban Legends You Can't Unread - MrCreepyPasta. They were OK horror short stories, but disappointingly only a couple of them really felt like "urban legends".
Detective Cross - James Patterson. An Amazon "One Shot", books meant to be read in one sitting. I gotta say, it was ind of refreshing to get a full story that didn't slog on for 400 pages. I'm up for more of these long novella type books.
Fascinating read about a case I hadn't heard of previously. An interesting look at the time period from the perspective of a criminal investigation and subsequent trial.
What the Hell Did I Just Read - David Wong. The third entry in the John Dies at the End series. The funniest one yet, and quite possibly the best JDATE book.
@mayday can't wait to read what the hell did i just read. glad it lived up to expectations.
just finished karin slaughter's the good daughter. i'm a little sad, because i've now read all of her published novels. feeling kind of rudderless. anyway, i loved the good daughter. at its' core, the good daughter is about two sisters who emerged from a horrid, nightmarish childhood trauma, only to find themselves adults who can't be around each other. as slaughter is oft to do, she gives us a front row seat for the reconciliation of these two women. i can't tell you how insanely riveting i find passages between sam and charlie, as they process where they've come from to get to where they are. slaughter populates pikesville, ga with other vivid characters, of course, and sam and charlie's dad is one of her best. a literate, broken champion of the people, rusty helps the girls navigate the aftermath of their trauma, and then maintains relationships with them to the best of his ability, based on what he feels they need. we also get a kind-hearted star trek fan, a transgender paralegal, and a low-functioning highschooler who's hard not to sympathize with. as always, slaughter wraps it in a bow of southern fried terror and righteousness. i loved it, i love her.
Operation Megalodon by Matt Dennion Souped up cyborg megs are linked with human operators to take down cryptids mutated by a madman. A relatively quick read and fun! A popcorn flick in a book.
sworn to silence. linda castillo introduces to kate burkholder, chief of police in painter's mill, ohio, and also lapsed amish, who must deal with a string of grisly murders that churn up some old, deeply protected secrets. i really enjoyed this book, especially the tension that burkholder feels as she navigates both the english and amish communities. at times the writing is inconsistent, but generally it's sharp and engaging. sworn to silence toggles between first and third person, which makes for really interesting perspectives and opportunities to experience different perspectives. looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Horror House - J.N. Williamson. Started off interesting enough, mixing factual history with horror fiction in a tale about a Thomas Edison invention of a machine to talk with the dead. Unfortunately, the book just becomes bogged down in its own narrative by the midway point, with way too much dialogue and pointlessness to stretch it out to nearly 400 pages.
Close to Shore - Michael Capuzzo. The true story behind the 1916 shark attacks along the Jersey shore that inspired Peter Benchley's "Jaws". The story is interesting, but the book isn't written as well as it could have been. Too many times the author goes off on unnecessary tangents to stretch out the book, and does so in the middle of paragraphs rather than as footnotes or separate paragraphs. It was good, but not as good as I'd hoped.
@Mayday try 12 days of terror; it's a much better imho. and it's interesting because fernicola draws different conclusions than capuzzo as to the identity of the shark. he paints a better overall picture than capuzzo.
thanks to mayday, i just read into the drowning deep by mira grant. this book is absolutely perfect. a television network finances a team of scientists mount on an expedition to the marian trench, in search of answers to the disappearance of a previous exploration. many of the scientists believe their predecessors were taken...by mermaids. grant builds exactly the right kind of tension, as her meticulously drawn characters exchange theories on what they will fine while getting to know one another. the science in the book is a delight, a cryptozoological maritime nightmare of fantasy and horror. grant explores the mythology of mermaids and ascribes evolutionary purpose to their biology and behavior. truly, it's fascinating. i can't say enough about how engaging i found this book, and it's just perfectly paced. highly recommended.
The Jersey Devil - Hunter Shea. A different take on the JD legend. Full of gore and graphic violence, an OK but not great book.
The Death Artist - Dennis Etchison. A disappointing collection of less than satisfying horror tales.
The Woman in the Window - A.J. Finn. A twisty thriller about an agoraphobic woman and the mystery surrounding her new neighbors. One of the year's better thrillers, with two shocking surprises I did not see coming.
Rebel Dream and Rebel Stand - Aaron Allston.
Traitor - Matthew Stover.
More mediocre books in the abominable Yuuzhan Vong series.
finally, at the urging of my eight year-old son (and many, many friends) i read harry potter and the sorcerer's stone. so yeah, it was fucking awesome,. j.k. rowling is a beautiful writer, and the the book grabs ahold in the first page and then gently lets you go on the last...to go read the chamber of secrets, i guess. rowling hits on all the ya tropes: asshole family, poor, friendless, and brings the three children--harry, harmione, and ron--together at hogwarts. as cool as all the stuff rowling cooks up is, what really hit home for me was the friendship between the three main characters. loyal, smart, and willing to do what's right, the three make protagonists well worth pulling for. my son was right, harry potter and the sorcerer's stone is "really, really good."
Comments
Full Wolf Moon - Lincoln Child. Another romp with renowned enigmalogist Jeremy Logan, this is a very different "werewolf" tale. A relatively short, quick, fun read.
Jury. Executioner. Judge.
Jury. Executioner. Judge.
The Creepypasta Collection: Modern Urban Legends You Can't Unread - MrCreepyPasta. They were OK horror short stories, but disappointingly only a couple of them really felt like "urban legends".
Jury. Executioner. Judge.
Detective Cross - James Patterson. An Amazon "One Shot", books meant to be read in one sitting. I gotta say, it was ind of refreshing to get a full story that didn't slog on for 400 pages. I'm up for more of these long novella type books.
Jury. Executioner. Judge.
Fascinating read about a case I hadn't heard of previously. An interesting look at the time period from the perspective of a criminal investigation and subsequent trial.
What the Hell Did I Just Read - David Wong. The third entry in the John Dies at the End series. The funniest one yet, and quite possibly the best JDATE book.
Jury. Executioner. Judge.
just finished karin slaughter's the good daughter. i'm a little sad, because i've now read all of her published novels. feeling kind of rudderless. anyway, i loved the good daughter. at its' core, the good daughter is about two sisters who emerged from a horrid, nightmarish childhood trauma, only to find themselves adults who can't be around each other. as slaughter is oft to do, she gives us a front row seat for the reconciliation of these two women. i can't tell you how insanely riveting i find passages between sam and charlie, as they process where they've come from to get to where they are. slaughter populates pikesville, ga with other vivid characters, of course, and sam and charlie's dad is one of her best. a literate, broken champion of the people, rusty helps the girls navigate the aftermath of their trauma, and then maintains relationships with them to the best of his ability, based on what he feels they need. we also get a kind-hearted star trek fan, a transgender paralegal, and a low-functioning highschooler who's hard not to sympathize with. as always, slaughter wraps it in a bow of southern fried terror and righteousness. i loved it, i love her.
Horror House - J.N. Williamson. Started off interesting enough, mixing factual history with horror fiction in a tale about a Thomas Edison invention of a machine to talk with the dead. Unfortunately, the book just becomes bogged down in its own narrative by the midway point, with way too much dialogue and pointlessness to stretch it out to nearly 400 pages.
Jury. Executioner. Judge.
Close to Shore - Michael Capuzzo. The true story behind the 1916 shark attacks along the Jersey shore that inspired Peter Benchley's "Jaws". The story is interesting, but the book isn't written as well as it could have been. Too many times the author goes off on unnecessary tangents to stretch out the book, and does so in the middle of paragraphs rather than as footnotes or separate paragraphs. It was good, but not as good as I'd hoped.
Jury. Executioner. Judge.
Picked it up on sale and was pleasantly surprised! A diverse and entertaining blend of tales!
thanks to mayday, i just read into the drowning deep by mira grant. this book is absolutely perfect. a television network finances a team of scientists mount on an expedition to the marian trench, in search of answers to the disappearance of a previous exploration. many of the scientists believe their predecessors were taken...by mermaids. grant builds exactly the right kind of tension, as her meticulously drawn characters exchange theories on what they will fine while getting to know one another. the science in the book is a delight, a cryptozoological maritime nightmare of fantasy and horror. grant explores the mythology of mermaids and ascribes evolutionary purpose to their biology and behavior. truly, it's fascinating. i can't say enough about how engaging i found this book, and it's just perfectly paced. highly recommended.
The Jersey Devil - Hunter Shea. A different take on the JD legend. Full of gore and graphic violence, an OK but not great book.
The Death Artist - Dennis Etchison. A disappointing collection of less than satisfying horror tales.
The Woman in the Window - A.J. Finn. A twisty thriller about an agoraphobic woman and the mystery surrounding her new neighbors. One of the year's better thrillers, with two shocking surprises I did not see coming.
Rebel Dream and Rebel Stand - Aaron Allston.
Traitor - Matthew Stover.
More mediocre books in the abominable Yuuzhan Vong series.
Jury. Executioner. Judge.
Solid little collection, I honestly thought Nightflyers wasn't the strongest entry. Overall an imaginative and thought provoking group of tales.