Thursday, October 24, 2024

Weird Horror

 Book 82 of my 2024 Reading Challenge
read from October 4 - 24

Weird Horror

My Opinion
2 stars

I love the look of the books from Flame Tree Publishing and they're the only ones I buy for appearance over content and will keep on my shelf whether I liked them or not.

There were 44 stories ranging from new to the oldest first published in 1868.  I felt like the stories were overall shorter than in other collections. 

Horror stories appear to be more timeless than other genres; without style clues it was much harder to tell whether a story was old or new based on content.

I rated it 2 stars because there did seem to be more "mehs" or misses than hits.

My favorite was The Brightest Lights of Heaven and I'll include a small recap of each story below.

Lost in a Pyramid
I didn't know Louisa May Alcott wrote horror stories and this was a good one.  It had a good arc and wrapped up neatly.
Unrelated to the horror aspect, I would've known this was an older story even without the author recognition because "lover", "bride", and "cousin" were all used interchangeably to describe the same person.

The Striding Place
Very short but also very wordy.  Didn't have much impact because everything happened in the last paragraph and then ended abruptly.

Negotium Perambulans
The bones of the story were good but it felt long for the eventual outcome.  Tightening it up could've given a bigger jolt.

The Willows
I'm torn because on one hand it felt longer and wordier than it needed to be but on the other hand the length and wordiness added to the story because it was falling into layers.
The end was a copout though which made the story feel pointless.

The Secret in the Tomb
It was too short to have such an anticlimactic answer.  This guy survived when so many others before him died just because he looked a different direction?

The Place of Revelation
I didn't really connect with this story.  The method of telling it like a "bedtime" story created a layer between the characters and the reader that took the emotional creepy feeling out of it.  I'm not sure how to rectify that in a short story but that's my assessment of it.

Flotsam
This was the right kind of story for a horror book.  It was creepy and mysterious.

The Things from the Woods
The small intro and how Kelly found the journal felt natural, not contrived.  I like that it ended immediately after the birth without a revisit to/from the woods.

The Mask
It was wordy in the way older stories are but still short.  I don't see the horror in it but it did have a surprise ending that felt uplifting in a way.

The New Mother
Meh.  A long and fairly uninteresting way to weave a lesson about respecting your parents.

The Terror of Blue John Gap
I guessed it was an older story by the style (I missed that the author was Arthur Conan Doyle which would've confirmed it) as I was reading but when it referenced "advancing years" at the age of thirty-five, I knew it for sure.
This story didn't hold my interest because it was all told after the fact through dry journal entries.

The Next Heir
It's not a good sign that I stopped reading a 20 page short story at least 3 times because I was spacing off.
The stories appear to be in alphabetical order by author so it's an unfortunate coincidence the last few stories have all been duds.

The Distortion out of Space
I'm surprised it was written in 1934.  Apparently our theories/images of alien life haven't changed much.  Since the narrator was retelling the story I knew he survived which took some of the tension out of it.

White Noise
Very creepy ending.

Dark Skies
The premise of writing a letter to a family member was a good way to convey the information after the fact while still keeping emotion involved (since she was trying to convince him she was telling the truth).
It's a small detail but jumped out at me - saying they were often together because their last names are so close when their last names were Gutierrez and Raskova was an unnecessary oversight.

The Crimson Weaver
It was too short to stir many emotions but the ending was a surprise.

The Animal King
This story had a good "the end???" cliffhanger ending.  It was plausible in that annoying way that the kids would bring it into the house; you want to yell through the pages that it's not going to end well.

Isle of the Dead
It was on the short side of a short story.  I really liked it but the ending also felt abrupt; adding a night or two could've added to the anticipation and absorption.

The Brightest Lights of Heaven
That was wonderful!  Definitely my favorite so far.

Rappaccini's Daughter
I admit it, I skimmed.  So no opinion other than to say it I wasn't even tempted to do more than glance through it.

The Hog
Both long and uninteresting, a deadly combo.
I could picture this as a radio program because it had the cadence of a old-time production.

Mive
Strange name, strange setting, strange story.

The Diary of Mr. Poynter
I didn't get it but also didn't care enough to reread it and try again.

He Led
There was a beauty that was unusual to read in a horror story.  

The Call of El Tunche
Not whistling back sounds so simple but the compulsion to do was written so well and the story painted a full picture.

The Hill and the Hole
A sparse setting but with 4 different characters the author was able to convey the story while keeping the characters themselves in the dark since they each had small pieces of the full puzzle.

The Whisperer in Darkness
I skimmed.  When a short story has chapter breaks I know a) it's an older one and b) it's going to push the limits of how long something can be and still be a "short" story.

Novel of the White Powder
I didn't really understand it.  There were germs of a horror story in there but they were dampened by all the extra scientific stuff and dragging out of the story.  Was this all one big lesson against the use of cocaine?

Lola
It seemed very similar to the plot of Little Shop of Horrors.

The Black Ship
What a great line of "A fart of my arse for your Old Ones!" as he walked away.

The Moon-Slave
It was the creepy in the way she lost control a little more each time she went.

Agon
For some reason, the small amount of time he spent sinking in mud made me feel way more uncomfortable than all the time he spent in the water.

The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
It was so wordy that any creepiness was diluted by having to wade through every sentence.  One sentence, for example: "Through the desire for all parties concerned, to keep the affair from the public, endeavors to effect this - a garbled or exaggerated account made its way into society, and became the source of many unpleasant misrepresentations, and, very naturally, of a great deal of disbelief."

The Stones Move at Night
That had a good arc.  

The Blessed Affliction
That fully kept my interest.  It was a nice change to have the necessity be something out of love, not destruction.

Stray
Wow, that was visceral.  I also would've been tempted to help an animal but luckily I will never find myself in that position because I don't run or go into nature if I can avoid it.

The House of Sounds
Less than 20 pages but felt like I was reading 100 (not in a good way).

The Vaults of Yoh-Vombis
" 'By Jove! this is a real find!' ejaculated Octave, as he thrust his torch into the mummified face..." is not a sentence I'm mature enough to read without giggling even though there was absolutely no innuendo implied.
As for the story, it was fine.

While the Black Stars Burn
Unexpected.  While it was short and to the point it evoked emotion and painted quite a picture.

The Moonstone Mass
Floating away on a broken piece of ice would be a horrible way to go.

From Within
I think the bleakness was the scariest part.  I had to stop and visualize them measuring the height, width, and depth of the boys...how do you measure the depth of a human?

The Story of the Late Mr. Elvesham
A surprising twist at the end.  Feeling trapped inside a body and nobody believing you is a horrible way to live.

Eternal Visions
I liked the progression of the story through time via different communication methods.  I would've liked a firmer grasp on what the vision was but the little glimpses I got were creepy.

Exogenous Cephalus Syndrome: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Having the story in the form of a medical case report was unique and conveyed info in a concise fashion but it also detached me from the horror of the mass.






Sunday, October 20, 2024

Coming Up for Air

 Book 81 of my 2024 Reading Challenge
read from October 18 - 20

Coming Up for Air
by Tom Daley

My Opinion
4 stars

Tom Daley's knitting is one of my favorite unexpected Olympic stories.  I've also seen a little of their social media, enough to know I like the dynamics between him, Lance, and their little family.

As an inspirational type book, this would be good for a young athlete to read but since it's categorized as a memoir, I think it skimmed the surface and I would've loved to see him dive deeper (haha, I've got jokes) into some of the stories he referenced.  It was still an enjoyable read though.

Friday, October 18, 2024

The Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards

 Book 80 of my 2024 Reading Challenge
read from October 16 - 18

The Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards
by Jessica Waite

My Opinion
4 stars

Oof, what a read.  It was a "warts and all" memoir that felt cathartic but as always when reading memoirs, I think about the family, especially their son.  She does acknowledge it and I know it's her story to tell but it does always give me a little bit of conflict when I read these kinds of books.

I can't imagine how awful it would feel to not only lose your spouse unexpectedly but also to discover they were hiding massive secrets.  I cringed at some of her reactions and the collateral damage but I also don't judge.  

All in all, an immensely personal, readable look into someone's life.

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Bittersweet

 Book 79 of my 2024 Reading Challenge
read from October 3 - 15

Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Makes Us Whole
by Susan Cain

My Opinion
3 stars

This is a book I feel like I should have liked more than I actually did.  I knew a nonfiction book would be informative but I wanted more of the emotional side.

When I think about bittersweet, I think of this scene from Dr. Who: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubTJI_UphPk
and I particularly resonate with the sentiment of using your pain to make beauty for others.

My melancholy song is Beethoven's "5 Secrets", especially the version by The Piano Guys.

Monday, October 14, 2024

Tides

 Book 78 of my 2024 Reading Challenge
read from October 13 - 14

Tides
by Sara Freeman

My Opinion
4 stars

I picked this small book up on a whim while browsing at the library.  Similar to short stories, I need books like these sometimes to remind me why I love reading; something to get lost in without being overwhelmed.  A book to chew on.

The writing was sparse but evocative.  I didn't necessarily like the main character but she felt very real.  I'm glad she didn't blow up all the lives of those around her as she wandered with little care for her own.

Sunday, October 13, 2024

Rural Voices

 Book 77 of my 2024 Reading Challenge
read from October 12 - 13

Rural Voices: 15 Authors Challenge Assumptions 
About Small-Town America

My Opinion
5 stars

Normally I rotate between 2-3 books at a time but this is a book that I kept returning to and ended up reading in a day.  With so many authors contributing, it's rare that I didn't think there was a single 'dud' among them.

Friday, October 11, 2024

The Marriage of Opposites

 Book 76 of my 2024 Reading Challenge
read from September 28 - October 11

The Marriage of Opposites
by Alice Hoffman

My Opinion
3 stars

I didn't realize this was historical fiction based on real people until I was beginning the book.  I must be uncultured because I'd never heard of the painter Camille Pissarro.

The story ebbed and flowed for me which is why I'm rating it in the middle.  There were parts so beautiful and absorbing and then parts that seemed to dragged.  The first chapter especially was hard to get into but then it picked up and I'm glad I continued reading.

Not to judge what I don't know much about but I really didn't understand why it was such a big deal for Frederic and Rachel to be together.  At a time when women had no rights I thought it was common practice for a widow to be passed off to a relative of her late husband's.  I'm glad life worked out as well as it did for the characters, especially if this was based on fact.