The first rule of Chuck Palahniuk novels is you don’t talk about… I’m only kidding. Yes, Palahniuk broke onto the scene with his brilliant Fight Club. Like many, I’m ashamed to say that I saw the movie first and didn’t even know it was a book at the time. But every day I’m learning to …
This was another read from Goodreads’ Horror Aficionados. I really enjoy being a member of that community because it introduces me to books and authors that I might not have heard of otherwise. And that is especially true for this book. Named after the cold Scottish sea fog, Sodergren’s novel is set in the fictional …
The year is 1989. Sixteen years BB (Before Bale). The summer of Batman was upon the world. Aside from the rather camp Adam West version, this was a live adaptation of the Dark Knight that audiences could take seriously. Gone is the grey costume with black underpants over the top. It’s replaced with an all-black …
This was another monthly read winner on Goodreads’ Horror Aficionados – as I’ve previously mentioned in my Black River Orchard post. I’ve read a couple of Stephen Graham Jones’s books before, including My Heart is a Chainsaw and The Only Good Indians. Having enjoyed those, I was looking forward to checking this one out as …
Imagine a world where people no longer ate animals. That, to me, already sounds like a horror story. Or, if you’re a vegetarian/vegan, you might think this sounds wonderful. But wait, I haven’t finished. In this horror-dystopian novel, Tender is the Flesh, Argentine author Agustina Bazterrica presents a world where nobody eats animals, but they …
I got into Holly Jackson’s books by accident. I originally bought A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder as a present for my girlfriend. She loved it so much that she quickly got the rest of the series. After hearing her rave about them, I decided to read them too — and I’ll admit, they’re brilliant. …
What happens when a rockstar loses it all? Martin Kemp’s debut novel explores the darker side of fame, with a healthy dose of crime, blackmail, and redemption. Johnny Klein was the frontman of the band Klein. Back in the 1980s, he had everything — chart-topping hits, sold-out tours, a glamorous wife, and a mansion or …
First, let’s get all the gushy stuff out of the way. Stephen King may be the single biggest reason I do what I do. His influence on me, not only as a horror fan, but as a reader and writer, cannot be overestimated. And truth be told, it all started as a bit of an …
On Goodreads, I’m proud to be a member of Horror Aficionados. Every month, members vote for two books to read, usually based on a theme. I don’t vote myself — I’m more than happy to let fate decide the winners — but I do my best to read each month’s selections (even if I’m often …
I was a bit of a latecomer to the original Hunger Games books. Like many others, I saw the film series starring Jennifer Lawrence before I gave the novels a chance. It wasn’t until lockdown during COVID that I finally bought the original trilogy — and devoured them. Even though I already knew what was …