What I'm Reading: 2 Online Only Reviews from Booklist

I have reviews of a collection by a bestselling author and an anthology highlighting the work of a forgotten classic author, both as e-only reviews out for Booklist right now. As always, draft reviews are below. I highly recommend both for all library collections.

Please note, online reviews have a much higher word count so I don't have much in my "further appeal" section for these books.

In the Mad Mountains: Stories Inspired by HP Lovecraft

By Joe R. Lansdale

Oct. 2024. 256p. Tachyon, paper, $16.95 (9781616964245). 
First published September 27, 2024 (Booklist Online).

Lansdale has captured the hearts of readers with his quirky characters, sardonic wit, and gritty tone. His latest collection gathers 8 stories, published in various anthologies since 2009, stories he describes in the book’s introduction as the “best” inspired by Lovecraft that he has written. Taking on the troublesome racism and sexism of the classic author head-on, Lansdale also actively eschews Lovecraft’s use of cumbersome prose, instead employing his trademark direct and folksy narrative voice to the Lovecraftian concept of “the Old Ones,” terrifying but also alluring beings from another realm, trying to intrude upon our world. The result is a collection that makes the enduring appeal of Lovecraft’s brand of existential dread and terrifying nihilism more accessible to today’s readers. Looking into well mined tropes such as selling your soul, the supernatural detective, and a stranded polar ship, Lansdale adds a layer of Cosmic Horror which makes these stories both familiar and fresh at the same time. There are even characters from across the literary landscape that make some fun appearances from Huck Finn to Auguste Dupin to his own Dana Roberts and more. Readers new to Lovecraftian Horror should start with “The Tall Grass,” the shortest story in the volume, and one that perfectly captures the visceral and immersive pull of Cosmic Horror as a subgenre. A man steps off a train, gets lost in a field, and experiences a terror like he has never known. Lansdale has a wide fan base for good reason, but this book presents a wonderful opportunity to expand it even further by suggesting this collection to fans of 21st Century Cosmic Horror authors such as Hailey Piper and Lucy Snyder.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Quirky Characters, Sardonic, Direct and Folksy Narration

Further Appeal: Lansdale is very popular. Readers, even those who do not read Horror will be interested int his one. Also every story has a great introduction setting it up by Lansdale himself writtenin his distinctive voice.

Readalikes: Any cosmic horror or Lovecraftian story is a good read here. The House of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias and The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle. But use any resource to find more options for readalikes. This may introduce new people to Lovecraftian Horror, so be ready. (click the link for more titles from me)

Side note: one of the stories here was first published in The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft, an anthology I reviewed for Booklist back in 2015. 

Also, I will have a giveaway of my review copy on the Horror blog next week. Stay tuned.

Where the Silent Ones Watch: Stories of the Borderland, the Night Land, the Sargasso Sea, and More!

Edited by James Chambers

Oct. 2024. 278p. Hippocampus, paper, $25  (9781614984436). 
First published September 27, 2024 (Booklist Online).

William Hope Hodgson may be the most powerful and the most neglected fantasist and horror writer of the twentieth century, argues Chambers, the Bram Stoker Award Winning editor of this collection of 26, original to this volume, stories and poems that celebrate the author and his legacy. Using the ideas, themes and narrative devices of the classic author, one of the foundational voices in Weird Fiction, as their springboard, the contributing authors showcase how his style of wildly imaginative, atmospheric horror, featuring malevolent, unexplainable, supernatural forces as they enter our known world, told in a confessional first person narration that heighten the unease with every word, still resonates today. Readers can expect strange happenings on trains and boats, in space or isolated towns, even in the shadow of Elvis Preseley’s death and amidst Black Lives Matter protests– some places Hodgson set his own stories and others which he could never have imagined. However, what elevates this collection is in how the authors place Hodgson-esque ideas into modern settings while eschewing the classic author’s tendency to use distractingly ornate prose. These choices work in tandem to heighten the fear for a 21st Century reader both in these 26 pieces and Hodgson’s own tales as well. The table of contents includes a nice mix of authors whose works are already widely available on library shelves such as Steve Rasnic Tem, Linda D. Addison, Wendy N. Wagner, John Langan, and Andy Davidson, but there are also plenty of up and coming voices worth checking out. For example, Todd Keisling’s “Little House on the Borderland,” takes the themes and fear inherent in Hodgson’s own classic novel, House on the Borderland, but frames it in the world of podcasts and social media while the anthology’s unforgettable opening story, “The Events at Apoka Station” by Pete Rawlik and Sal Ciano uses a fateful train ride to tell an unsettling story that is both timelessly terrifying and yet clearly set in our present. A great option for Weird fiction fans new and old.

Three Words That Describe This Book: confessional narration, malevolent forces, fantastical Horror

Further Appeal: This anthology gave me a brand new appreciation for Hodgson. Just as the Lansdale Collection above will draw people to Lovecraft, this book will bring people back to Hodgson.

Also, Hippocampus Press is a very trustworthy press. Click here to learn more about them.

Readalikes: Any books by Chambers, the editor, or anyone in the TOC will be a great place to begin-- besides Hodgson himself. I have reviewed books by many of the authors.

Here is the list of authors from the publishers website:

Linda D. Addison • David Agranoff • Meghan Arcuri • Sal Ciano • Michael Cisco • L. E. Daniels • Andy Davidson • Aaron Dries • Patrick Freivald • Teel James Glenn • Maxwell Ian Gold • Nancy Holder • Todd Keisling • John Langan • Adrian Ludens • Lee Murray • Lisa Morton • Peter Rawlik • Sam Rebelein • Ann K. Schwader • Steve Rasnic Tem • Tim Waggoner • Wendy N. Wagner • Kyla Lee Ward • Robert E. Waters • L. Marie Wood • Stephanie M. Wytovich

RA For All Off for Rosh Hashana

Today is Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. I am off work today for that reason. 

There is a 31 Days post on the Horror blog however, it was set before-hand (like this post). It's a good one too, my latest column for The Line-Up on the return of scary vampires.

Back tomorrow with some book reviews!

Display Idea: Historical Fiction is Popular, Consider Displaying Titles That Are NOT Set During WWII

Look, we all know readers love Historical Fiction. There are many reasons why. The most common appeal factor for readers who seek out historical fiction is that it is a way to learn something about history while reading. These readers know their books are not the absolute truth, but they enjoy how they can immerse themselves in a real time and place and learn about it through a story.

I include myself in this. In fact, I go even further in understanding the personal appeal of Historical Fiction. For me, I most enjoy historical fiction that is set in times and places that I don't know much about already. As a Gen Xer, WWII is not one of those topics.

All of this is leading up to the fact that we know there is a glut of Historical Fiction about WWII. We know people like it, but I would argue that they would like other settings if they were available.

And I have proof. Kristin Hannah, the best selling Historical Fiction author right now, who has written MANY WWII set novels, has had one of the biggest books of the year in any genre-- The Women-- this year and it is set during....The Vietnam War.

One of my mantras about displays is: Promote the books patrons will not find on their own. When we remind people of the books we have that they did not know about, that is when our worth is noticed and appreciated.

In this vein, do we need lists and displays of Historical Fiction dominated by WWII titles? No. One or two are probably enough. And the titles you pick should be by a marginalized voices and not only on the topic of Japanese Internment-- which quite honestly is the only way we get "diverse titles" into the WWII category. (I suggest this and this) 

But, I digress. There are so many other times and places to promote and recently, the AARP had this post entitled-- "10 Historical Novels NOT Set During WWII." 

Steal this idea! Make your own online lists and displays using that title. Then make it interactive by asking your patrons to share their favorite Historical Fiction titles that are not set during WWII. [Reminder: use my conversation starter to display post to help you do this.]

Look, this is why I tell people to read about books every day. I was alerted to this list via recent Book Pulse from LJ. We need to know what our patrons are seeing about books out there in the non-book world. If AARP (which does an excellent job covering books here FYI) of out there proclaiming that people want Historical Fiction from other time periods, I am confident others will love it if you acknowledge this as well. 

Get those displays up. Any time you are looking for an idea, Historical Fiction is evergreen. And make it interactive. Ask your patrons to share their favs as well.

31 Days of Horror Begins on the Horror Blog

[Note: October 1, begins the 31 days period when I post daily on the Horror blog as well as my 5 days a week here. Please remember that all Horror content (except for book reviews) will only appear over there for this month.]

Hello and welcome to 31 Days of Horror, a blog-a-thon series entering its 14th year. Every single day for 31 straight days, I will have a post here focused on Horror during its most popular season.

While we all know that people read Horror all year long, I spend this, our spotlight month, where the rest of the world and media pays closer attention, intensely focusing on Horror as it is right now. 

This is NOT the place to find long thought pieces about the history of the genre or list of books by dead writer. Rather, it is the place to find out about today's writers, what today's readers are looking for, and most importantly, conversations about why I love Horror. My entire focus here on 31 Days of Horror is to give you a snapshot of Horror and its appeal. In fact, the entire point of the "Why I Love Horror" essays is to offer you, the library worker, an example of why someone loves horror so that you can understand even if you are not a fan yourself. It is also to give you a chance to get to know a current author, add their books to your collection, and/or suggest them to a reader.

Recently, I did a live event with my publisher, a book discussion of my library textbook, The Readers' Advisory Guide to Horror, third edition. It was me, writer/poet Linda Addison, librarian Lila Denning, writer Gabino Iglesias, writer Hailey Piper, and writer Matthew Salinas. The video of that 60 min event is now available here for free. I think it does a very good job explaining the current state of Horror and what I see as my part in it. You can watch it here or below

 

Now, what can you expect day to day here during 31 Days of Horror? Well, it will be similar to previous years, with a few changes to note:

First, I am going to move my links roundups to every Sunday. Mostly you will not see lists and posts from other places here on 31 Days of Horror as I tend to focus on original content, but I don't want those awesome lists and articles to get lost either. Expect those on 10/6, 13, 20, and 27.

Second, giveaways will not happen on Thursdays only. During this month, giveaways can be offered on any day of the week, but all winners are pulled Friday after 5pm. For example, I have already announced one giveaway this week and there will be another one tomorrow. So, if you want to be eligible to win, enter now. Click here for the rules.

And third, and this is the biggest change. I normally have over a dozen new entries into the Why I Love Horror essays that debut this month. But good news, bad news here. As was announced back in June, next Fall I will have a a book of new essays, by 18 authors, on why they love horror, edited by me. Currently, I have those essays and am actively working to turn it into a draft of that book (due before the end of the year). Click here or on the book announcement below for more details. 

Now, I want to be clear, this does NOT mean that I will not have new essays this year. I do have some very good new entries, including one tomorrow, but I will also be reposting essays from the past 10+ years. I want to pull out some of the very best essays that have appeared here on the blog over time and highlight them for you in 2024. 

As I was working on the pitch for my book, I spent time combing through the backlist of Why I Love Horror essays (which you can access anytime here), and I realized there are some amazing essays worth revisiting. But you will have to wait to see what I pick out.

In the meantime, I also have all of the resources that are here all year long. See the pages in the side bar for lists, resources, approved publishers, and of course the link to  my reviews of hundreds of horror books.

I can't wait to do this with you-- 31 Days of Horror 2024!