What I'm Reading: Booklist's Spotlight on SF/F/H Online Only Reviews

As I mentioned last week, I wanted to make sure that the August 2024 issue of Booklist had content for the Spotlight issue above and beyond the most obvious Horror novels. Working with my editor, Susan Maguire, I was able to find a NF collection of essays and a poetry collection to include in the online coverage.

(I still have a third online only review but it is not up yet, but it is Ellen Datlow's upcoming anthology. I will post it when I can but you know you are buying it, especially because it contains a long out of print SGJ story. But I digress.)

Below I have my draft reviews of 2 books with bonus appeal info and my three words, but please note, these reviews are longer than their print cohorts. Online allows for up to 300 words which means I can add more information to the official review. And in this case, since both are collections, it allowed me to go into detail about some of the essays and poems inside of the books.

Please check out all of the wonderful Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror content available for you all month over on Booklist Online. And click here to see more from me on how to use it to help readers.

The Horror Aesthetic: Essays from the Dark Corners of the Genre

By L. Marie Wood  

Oct. 2024. 232p. Mocha Memoirs, $25 (9781962353151); paper, $17.99 (9781962353144); e-book (9781962353168). First published August 9, 2024 (Booklist Online). 

Horror author and scholar Wood has collected dozens of her essays and lectures from the last decade into one volume centered around her thoughts on the genre from her perspective as an African American woman and professor. With essays on topics as broad as the genre as a whole to specifics about tropes, the use of African Folklore in Horror, the history of Horror and its popularity across time, Horror film, and more, Wood’s essay collection stands out as more than a book, rather it could be seen as a course on Horror, its readers and society as a whole. Of particular note to library workers and their readers is the excellent section outlining the various types of antagonists (e.g. mummies, vampires, werewolves, killers or the undead in general, even bugs) in Horror fiction with a detailed breakdown of their history throughout literature, film, and human storytelling, discussion as to how writers employ them and why readers enjoy them. Whether readers turn to this book for a specific essay or to read it in its entirety or something in between, this is a stellar entry point into the genre, told with a compelling mix of the authoritative voice of a well known teacher and the grace of a critically acclaimed fiction author, and suitable to die hard Horror fans and newcomers alike. As Horror is seeing a surge in interest from a more mainstream audience, this volume serves as a great companion to help libraries provide context to their Horror fiction collections both to assist library workers as they help readers and for curious readers themselves.

Three Words That Describe This Book: essays about Horror, authoritative, fascinating

Further Appeal: This book sells itself. I was able to capture the reason someone would read it-- either cover to cover- or consult it for a specific need or interest. What I like about this collection the most, is that while Wood is an expert, she is also a college professor. That comes through in the essays included here. She is sharing her knowledge but in a way that even someone new to these topics can understand. Anyone, from those just curious about Horror to hardcore fans, will enjoy this book.

Readalikes: I could not list in in the review itself but my book is a great readalike here. It is listed in the side bar of the online review. Also this collection of essays is the perfect companion to Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Film from 1890s to Present by Robin R. Means Coleman and the film made about it, Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror.

Tiny Oblivions and Mutual Self Destructions
Poems by Maxwell I. Gold
Aug. 2024. 96p. Raw Dog Screaming, paper, $13.95  (9781947879775). First published August 9, 2024 (Booklist Online).

Cosmic horror is having a moment as it separates itself from its virulently racist and hateful founder, H. P. Lovecraft. Authors—many from groups Lovecraft openly despised—are harnessing the subgenre’s powerful message of nihilism, of looking at forces whose power is so vast that human suffering is of no concern, and then using the terror of being forced to live in their marginalized identities as the root of their own horrific tales. Gold, fresh off a Bram Stoker nomination for his last horror poetry collection, Bleeding Rainbows and Other Broken Spectrums​, boldly inserts himself into this conversation, staking his claim as the voice of cosmic horror poetry and centering his own experience as a gay Jewish man. Many of the works in this collection of free-verse poems could chillingly stand on their own, as illustrated in “The Mirrored Ones,” featuring a protagonist who is trapped and repeatedly tapping, in a futile attempt at release. However, they are stronger together, united by an unnamed narrator, presenting a story of intense existential dread where the repetition of the small things, like needles and mirrors, are continuously juxtaposed with gaping mouths and unending voids. Take for example, the placement of the poem “2055,” which offers a clear picture of an Earth in extreme eco-distress, followed immediately by “I Was Nothing But A Dead Star in His Pocket,” which casts the narrator as a rat trapped by a cosmic being for millennia. Recurring places, situations, and events all build to a crescendo as they shift and change, carving out a space where the reader must grapple with immersive and visceral feelings underscored by the terrifying threat that all could “succumb to the pressure.”  Like the works of Stephanie M. Wytovich and Christina Sng, Gold's collection is a great option to showcase how poetry is an excellent format to elicit the tantalizing and unsettling feelings that are at the heart of horror’s popularity, or as an introduction to cosmic horror as it stands today.

Three Words That Describe This Book: cosmic horror, thought provoking, immersive

Further Appeal and Readalikes: It cannot be overlooked how important Cosmic Horror is at this moment in history-- both because we are living in tumultuous, existentially devastating times AND because even before the dumpster fire got lit, authors who Lovecraft would have HATED started using his works as an inspiration to both thank him for creating the subgenre AND to give him the middle finger. 

For example, a line I had to cut this line from the review: This has been a winning formula for authors like Lucy Snyder (in Garden of Eldritch Delights, 2018) and Victor LaValle (in The Ballad of Black Tom, 2016), among others, as new readers from diverse backgrounds find comfort in their bleak realities through these dark but awe-filled stories

This collection of poems is important for that first point because Gold is the leading writer of Cosmic Horror poetry right now. But also, Horror poetry in general is very popular. As poetry gains in popularity, Horror poetry in particular is rising to the top because of how accessible it is to a general audience. Horror is about how it makes you feel, and so is poetry. Using words and imagery to  make the reader feel emotions is the bread and butter of poets already. Combine that skill with the emotion that is Horror and you can see why Horror poetry is having a mainstream moment.

Above I mention 2 specific award winning Horror poets. It should be mentioned that they and Gold are all published by Raw Dog Screaming Press-- the leading publisher of Horror poetry, a small press that has been around over 20 years and that you can get through Ingram.

I also want to point you to the Bram Stoker Awards homepage where you can see every nominee and winner of the poetry award over the years.

Resource Alert: August 2024 Booklist Spotlight on Science Fiction Fantasy and Horror

Yesterday, I featured the 3 reviews I have in the August 2024 Booklist, but today I want to focus on the Spotlight coverage.

Like every issue of Booklist, the spotlight topic gets the Top 10 treatment and there are articles as well. Each issue is a great way to catch up on what has been happening in that genre, topic, or format over the previous 12 months. 

You can use these lists for collection development, of course, but you can also use each month's spotlight as a display idea, especially when you use the backlist. Put up a display in all age areas using the cover of the magazine and just call it, "Spotlight on Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror," and fill it up with titles. 

Then, make it interactive by asking people-- online, at service desks, at the display itself, and with a conversation starter bookmark in EVERY book on the hold shelf (click here for more on that) to share their favorite SF/F/H titles. Then you can extend the display by adding their suggestions as well. 

Again, you can do this with any spotlight issue and it fits perfectly with Booklist's mission which is to help you help patrons discover a new read. Click here for a linked list of the spotlight contents.

Below is the information from the current SF/F/H spotlight with backlist access to the last few year's lists as well. Please note, the articles requires you log in, but if your library gets the print magazine, you have a login already. Click here for assistance setting it up.

• Top 10 SF/Fantasy & Horror: 2024 [Adults]
• 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020
• Top 10 SF/Fantasy & Horror Debuts: 2024 [Adults]
• 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020
• Top 10 SF/Fantasy Books for Youth: 2024
• 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020
• Top 10 Horror for Youth: 2024
• Trend Alert: Cozy SF/Fantasy
• Essentials: AI in Science Fiction
• Essentials: Gruesome YA Body Horror
• Readalikes: Haunted Houses

What I'm Reading: August 2024 Booklist Spotlight on Science Fiction Fantasy and Horror

My favorite Booklist Spotlight of the year is now live! The Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Spotlight comes every August and it is like Christmas for me and all of you. Not only will it contain lists of the best speculative fiction of the year but also, so many extra reviews. 

There are so many reviews in this issue, back in May, my editor, Susan Maguire, was saying the print pages were all full. But that does not deter any of us who help cover SF/F/H. I have 3 reviews in the print issue but I also contributed 3 more for online, doing my part to get you the most reviews possible for your collection decisions. And the 3 e-only reviews are things that would not have made it into print in time without me and Susan making it work. 

There is so much information here to help all of your speculative fiction readers, and as we all know, there are a LOT of them right now. You literally cannot have enough. But for Horror specifically, I always love how this issue lands just in time for our Spooky Season orders to be placed in plenty of time to serve the hordes of readers shambling in to ask for scary books this October. 

I am going to break up the coverage over a few days since there is so much. Today, I will start with the print reviews. All three are going to be in high demand, and interestingly (and this happened just by chance), they represent a wide swath of what horror can read like. From devastating grief horror to a visceral and terrifying vampire epic, to a hauntingly creepy big horror tale, there is literally something here for every reader.

Again, as usual, you can access the full reviews in the print magazine or online here (if your library has the print you can use this link to get your electronic access set up).

Let's get this party started with a small press title by a BIG name author, a novella that I could not put down even though it crushed me. And it's a STAR.

STAR 

Kill Your Darling

By Clay McLeod Chapman  

Sept. 2024. 214p. Bad Hand, paper, $13.99  (9798988128649).   

First published August 2024 (Booklist).

Get ready to be devastated and entertained in equal measures by Chapman’s latest, a novella from an award-winning small press. Glenn’s son Billy died 40 years ago at age 15, brutally murdered, his entire face encased in duct tape, left dead in a strip-mall parking lot. The case was never solved, but Glenn’s grief is still sharp and raw. Now retired, Glenn lives with his wife, Carol, and spends his time creating an unwieldy scrapbook, his attempt to preserve the memory of his son and find his murderer. Hoping to help Glenn, Carol signs him up for a writing workshop at the public library, but being forced to make sense of Billy’s death may lead Glenn too far into the darkness. Told through Glenn’s first person narration, readers palpably experience his pain, helplessly watching it spool out on the page, threatening to suffocate all, much like the duct tape did to Billy. For Horror readers looking for a tale that provides an intense and unflinching look into grief as it morphs into a terrifying obsession such as in, The Devil Takes You Home by Iglesias, In Excess of Dark by Lagoe, and Chapman’s own What Kind of Mother.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Grief Horror, Unflinching, Intense

Further Appeal: Every book Chapman writes is awesome, but know that if I give one of his books a STAR that means it is even better than his usual standards. Chapman is a must buy for every library, even single one of his books. In this case, you need to work slightly harder because this one is coming from Bad Hand Books, the Shirley Jackson Award winner, Bram Stoker Nominated small press run by one of the best editors out there, Doug Murano. I point out the editor because I could see his hand in this book. How he helped Clay to keep the story tight without sacrificing the details needed. And the ending was just perfect for this particular book.

Other notes I took about this book:

• a tight, suspenseful, and masterful story here.
• Chapman’s latest novella has a strong connection to his last novel, What Kind of Mother, as both explore parental loss.
• Purposely meant to upset you, but also to make you think about yourself, your own reactions– like Paul Tremblay makes you feel
• So real. You can feel everything that happens here. From the intense emotions to the stickiness of the duct tape.
• A near perfect example of Grief Horror– the emotion is all there, raw and sticky (duct tape) and complicated and terrifying.
• Just prepare yourself-- devastation and entertainment yes, but think about what that juxtaposition of feelings means-- it will leave you wrecked as well; you have to work out having those feelings at the same time-- This is why it is ultimately a star. When a Horror book can take your feelings off the page with what seems like ease, that is impressive (because it is not easy to actually accomplish).

Readalikes: Grief Horror is having quite a moment right now, although celebrating that hard because it means there is a lot of grief that needs processing-- not surprisingly. I listed 3 that I know Booklist has reviews for, but I have a few others I want you to know about as well. And both are novellas:

• Crossroads by Laurel Hightower-- is a backlist small press title I still think about and hand sell to so many readers.
• 12 Hours by L. Marie Wood-- devestating and entertaining as well; I reviewed it in LJ in January; still thinking about it.

And I mentioned Tremblay in my appeal notes above. Specific readalikes here are Disappearance at Devil's Rock and Survivor Song.

Next up a near STAR, a book that will be a great option for your Vampire readers and Romantasy as well. I got utterly lost in the world of this book, which you will clearly see in the long list of appeal notes you will see below.

All the Hearts You Eat

By Hailey Piper

Oct. 2024. 448p. Titan, paper, $17.99 (9781803367644). 

First published August 2024 (Booklist). 

Soon after Ivory, a trans woman, in a small, seaside town in Massachusetts, comes upon the body of a trans girl, Cabrina, washed up on shore, she is visited by a ghost cat (Is it Cabrina?) who takes her to a hidden world, just off the coast. Xi and Rex, trans girl and boy, are Cabrina’s best friends, who also still feel her presence. The search for answers about Cabrina begins intimately, but as the five operatic acts layer on top of each other, the world and its characters are fleshed out, and the pacing, action, blood, and destruction build, engulfing all in the intense and visceral emotions, until Piper breaks it all open, releasing the existential terror (both real and supernatural) into the world, but not without anchoring it with love and hope. A  great choice for fans of original takes on the vampire trope like Devils Kill Devils by Compton, the queer, teen found family of Cuckoo by Felker-Martin, or the grief and cosmic horror of This Thing Between Us by Moreno.

YA Statement: “What's out there that’s so bad even a dead girl is scared of the dark?” This question asked by Xi early in the book is at the heart of why teens who do not mind existential dread and visceral, but not gratuitous, descriptions will want to devour this book. 

Three Words That Describe This Book: Visceral, Terrifying (from every vantage point), anchored by love

Further Appeal: This book! I took so many notes and so much of what I loved about this book was the ending-- which is TERRIFYING but also very cool and done subtly because you get lost in the story, and the relationships and interactions of the characters (which are very well done) that you almost forget what happens at the end is so much bigger than that. It is actually more terrifying that Piper is able to distract you from that for just long enough to add an extra layer of unease.

Getting all of those emotions in 170 words WAS HARD. However, I knew since it was a Booklist review, I would have a longer post to share all of those notes with you. Here they are:

• This is an epic story told in 5 acts; in fact, it reads like an epic, 5 Act Opera ala Wagner. I say this as a HUGE positive. It has the pacing with each act having its own pacing and story arcs, that build on top of each other. As the story and the world building emerge, the pacing increases until the action, blood, destruction, revenge, violence, and emotions literally engulf the reader in the final act. But each act is definitely needed to build to that 5th act. 
• And engulf is a great word for this book in every act. It is an adjective I will work into the 170 words I get for my review.
• 4 main narrators and they are all trans which I will noted and then refer to them by their correct pronouns for their true selves. It is an issue in the book because Carina's mom does not accept her true self. Ivy, a grown woman. Cabrina, the found dead girl of high school age. And her two best friends Xi, a teen woman and Rex, a teen man. Xi and Rex are accepted by their moms (Xi has a single mom and Rex 2 moms), but Cabrina is not. Her mother, the local politician in their seaside, MA, holiday town, has locked Cabrina up to stop her from being a woman. 
• In terms of plot, this is NOT a book that I want to tell you what happens more than the plot description. What I said above about the operatic nature of the storytelling gives you a sense of what you expect which is what you need here. 
• I suggest you try to read each "Act" in one sitting. Take an intermission between to digest and again, let the story engulf you. And then read another Section-- in full, at once if possible.
• This was the note I am most upset I couldn't fit into the review-- The story has a dreamlike quality at times but I also think that is a trick of the light as well because as it gets more into its own speculative world, the story also gets more real. 
• Also, this story is intimate and follows a few key characters in a small town, but it has implications for the entire world. Again-- terrifying from every vantage point. When you catch your breath with the end of the story, you-- the reader-- have to sit with a whole other set of emotions and fear that Piper has made clear but also left to you to imagine. And that is just the supernatural terror. There is also the horror of living in a trans body, and worse, being trapped in a body that is not the right one for you, not allowed to escape it.
• Get ready to feel all of your emotions with this one. fear, anger, love, existential dread, revenge, horror, sadness, joy, tumult, and even peace. 
• In the acknowledgements Piper thanks little Hailey for sticking it out, even when she didn't want to. That did break me at the end. I dare you not to cry.

Readalikes: Besides the titles above, Nat Cassidy's Nestlings is also a good comp here-- both are informed by classic vampire lore but also set out their own "rules," creates new fear, and new mythology that is fascinating on its own. I love this sub trend in the re-emergence of the Vampire story in particular. 

But this is more than a "vampire" books. It will appeal greatly to Romantasy fans. GREATLY!

In terms of readalikes, it is hard because this book is very unique (as all of Piper's books are). I do feel like this story and Queen of Teeth are family. Like this is the older, sister story. Without Queen of Teeth, I don't think Piper writes this book. 

And finally, a creepy, quieter, and haunting tale that may not be as gripping and action packed the first two, but will hold your attention until the very last page. Character-centered, atompshereic horror at its best.

The Bog Wife

By Kay Chronister

Oct. 2024. 336p. Counterpoint, $27 (9781640096622); e-book (9781640096639). 
First published August 2024 (Booklist).

The Haddesley Family has lived on the same bog, in West Virginia for generations. As each patriarch dies and is buried, the bog, in return, produces a wife for the eldest son. But, for this current generation– Charlie, the eldest, Wenna, who escaped the bog in her teens, Percy, the son most devoted to the bog, Eda, the matriarch since their mother’s disappearance, and Nora– no wife has come, the bog is dying, and their home is crumbling. Told over the course of a year, with a section for each season, from the alternating viewpoint of each sibling, Chronister crafts an immersive, haunting, and compelling tale of a family being crushed by the weight of their secrets and held hostage by their traditions. A lush and uneasy tale that leaves both characters and readers at the mercy of the land itself. For fans of atmospheric, character driven, Horror featuring a strong sense of place such as Ghost Wall by Moss, Sacrificial Animals by Pedersen or Fever Dream by Schweblin.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Bog Horror, haunting, slightly askew

Further Appeal: Key words that didn't;t make it above: Folk Horror, Appalachian, family trauma, secrets, Gothic, strong sense of place, unease, compelling, confidently written, character

centered.

This is a slightly askew from reality story-- one of my favorite kind of book. It is also character centered-- above plot. We see this one year through the eyes of the 5 siblings. Each has their own perspective and all are unreliable to us because they live an almost cult like experience. Even the sister who "got out" is still limited in her understanding of the outside world. But it is satisfying for us, the more "worldly" reader to see the same situations and events from all 5 of their eyes. If you love character center satires from any genre, you will enjoy this book.

Interestingly, the Bog does not have a POV but is the most important character

I fell into the storytelling immediately. Haunting, full of details and character building but also compelling, the pages fall away. The reader is brought into the family and can clearly see they are missing a lot of information, about the real world yes, but also we come to understand their place in their world very well. The unease grows and grows, the slightly askew tone– clearly more is going on here– there is something at work that is outside the norm. Is it a cult like situation or is there real supernatural stuff happening? The land may or may not have power on its own. I land on the side that it does because from the siblings perspective, it does. The land lashes out at them and their house, it sustains things in ways that are not “real.” But again, it could all be in their minds. There is a a lot of trauma here. 

5 POVs, each of the children. Charlie, the oldest and one meant to carry on the tradition, Wenna, got out but comes back for Dad’s funeral rites, Percy, the second son and one most devoted to the Bog, Eda, the matriarch since mother’s disappearance, and Nora, the baby (24 years old but still a child) Love these characters. Each is unique and interesting and heartbreaking in their own ways.

Wenna is our eyes-- as much as she can be. She is able to see the family and their land falling apart – literally and psychologically, since she has lived in the real world.

4 sections– seasons– almost exactly same length– could read in 4 sittings: Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring one cycle, the last cycle? Also there is a definite switch from the men to the women of the family in terms of who has control of the land by the book's end.

Readalikes: I had to cut the statement above for words, but it originally read as: For fans of atmospheric, character driven, Horror featuring a strong sense of place and dangerous secrets such as Ghost Wall by Moss, Sacrificial Animals by Pedersen or Fever Dream by Schweblin

The Moss is the best overall readalike if you needed just 1.  Overall, this book is very similar to the Pedersen (which I gave a star because in my opinion, the Pedersen had a better executed ending. This one was great but a little too quiet for the way the story built, although it was very satisfying.)

Also Boatman’s Daughter or The Hollow Kind by Davidson would both work very well. And last year's The Insatiable Volt Sisters by Rachel Eve Moulton. All of the readalikes featured in the reviews of all of the books I have mentioned are also options.

I will be passing this book on to the Shirley Jackson jury to consider. It is a great readalike for most SJA nominees.

Come back tomorrow for more Booklist August 2024 Spotlight goodies.

Can Reading Make You Happier? via The New Yorker

I am on deadline for Library Journal and while this quarterly deadline is always a lot, I have been much better at managing the work load this year, but it is still overwhelming at times. It can make reading and writing about books feel like a chore during the 2 weeks stretch leading up to the deadline.

That being said, I love that my job pays me to read. But it isn't just me. We all know that there is truth to the fact that reading, especially fiction, leads to increased empathy. But are readers happier than nonreaders? 

I think so. And we see this in our patrons when we see how much joy they get out of a satisfying book. We harness that joy and happiness and use it to drive our work.

Recently, The New Yorker had this article entitled, "Can Reading Make You Happier?" (They allow free views on a limited number of articles per month).

It's a good reminder as to why we give over our professional lives to matching books with readers-- especially adults. It is an important job, one that can make people happier.

An interesting side note to go with this post, I had a meeting this week where talks of a more organized and scientific study of "the culture of reading" in general were discussed. There are people out there trying to quantify these things we see in our work, think we know from anecdotes, and turn them into fact.

But for now, start with The New Yorker article and get it posted to your websites and social media to share with your patrons. But add the important reminder that happiness is waiting on the shelf for them at the library, and that you are there to help them find it.

House of Bone and Rain is Out TODAY-- Let's Celebrate!

I don't normally repost a review but this is no ordinary book. House of Bone and Rain is even better than The Devil Takes You Home and that novel won the Stoker and Shirley Jackson awards and was nominated for the Edgar Award.

It is out today, and I expect my pre-order (bookshop.org) to land on my doorstep anyway now.

This is in my TOP 3 of the year. It will appeal to a wide range of readers as well. 

There is nothing else you should be talking or thinking about other than this book today. Regular readers of this blog know that while I am a huge cheerleader for many books and authors, I do not use this level of superlative often. Also, I have an excellent track record of understanding what the best books are. For example, I called The Devil Takes You Home as being GREAT way before it came out. In other words, LISTEN TO ME.

Below and here is my post from when my STAR review went live in Booklist back in June. Happy House of Bone and Rain Day-- yes it is a holiday 

THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2024

What I'm Reading: Hose of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias

In the June issue of Booklist I have a STAR review for one of the best books I have read all year, in any genre. 

Yes, Iglesias won the Stoker Award AND the Shirley Jackson Award for The Devil Takes You Home, and yes, it was amazing, but House of Bone and Rain is BETTER, in every way. I only had 200 words to officially share how great it is in Booklist, but thankfully, I have this blog post to share my draft review and talk about it some more.

Also, heads up, over on the Horror blog, I am giving away a SIGNED arc of this book this week courtesy of Iglesias himself.

Here is the review and bonus notes.

STAR
House of Bones and Rain 
by Gabino Iglesias
Aug. 2024. 352p. Little, Brown/Mulholland, $29 (9780316427012). 
REVIEW. First published June 1, 2024 (Booklist).

“All stories are ghost stories,” repeats Gabe (until all truly feel its meaning), the narrator of Iglesias’ stellar Horror-Thriller hybrid set in Puerto Rico amidst 2017’s devastating Hurricane Maria. When his mother is gunned down at work, best friends Gabe, Xavier, Tavo, and Paul join Bimbo in his quest for revenge, attempting to take out the biggest drug lord on the island under cover of the storm’s aftermath. The unsettling tone, high tension, and brisk pace are enhanced by striking free verse poems at the start of each chapter that foreshadow what is coming without giving anything away. However, it is Gabe’s engaging narration that will hook readers. He is honest and conflicted, but bursting with love despite the real life horrors that surround him. Intricately plotted, with a strong sense of place, told with awe inspiringly lyrical language and brutal violence, this is a remarkable novel that beams its hope into the darkness; a story that stands on its own as wholly original while confidently inserting itself into a conversation with Horror’s complicated past. A story that will introduce readers to a new favorite author while they wait for the next S.A. Cosby or Stephen Graham Jones.

Three Words That Describe This Book: revenge, lyrical and brutal, engaging narration

Further Appeal: so many notes.

• A sense of place so strong that you are immersed in it, doused with the rain and the heat and the wind.
• Well paced. It moves quickly even though Iglesias takes his time to develop the characters-- all of them, not just the best friends-- and the place and its history. OMG the history. It is perfect. We understand how everyone got to where they are and how the "bad guys" created their empire. And the reason is tied to Horror's history as well. That part is PERFECT!
• Lots of beautiful language to stop and read again but the pacing stays brisk. The chapters are not too long and with a free verse poem at the open which summarizes the chapter you are about to read, as a reader, you fell that poem pulling you to the end of the chapter. Then you read the next chapter's header and you are ready to dive in for more. It is very satisfying.
• So many underlined lines but one refrain-- All Stories Are Ghost Stories. This one is the novel in 5 words.
• THIS BOOK! Okay just like everything Iglesias writes this is a book that perfectly balances some of the most lyrical language you will read with some of the most gritty and dark violence. But in this book, he has improved in every way in terms of storytelling. Yes even improved from the Bram Stoker Award and Shirley Jackson Award winning The Devil Takes You Home.Why because the writing is even stronger and the thriller-horror combo works even better together.
• The tensions from the start is HIGH. Hurricane Maria ia about to hit Puerto Rico and as readers, we know that it is going to be bad. Very bad. But also, a character's mom is killed and they are vowing revenge so also TENSE.
• The characters are great. All of them, good, bad, monsters. The storytelling through characters is elite. The main characters are a group of 5 friends. They are more like brothers. All are just out of high school. They always stand up for each other no matter what. Gabe is the only one of the group who narrates and he narrates 95% of the chapters. You can count on one hand the times someone or something else takes a narration turn. But the characters themselves-- best friends who all live in Puerto Rico-- Iglesias challenges US mainland readers to confront their own racism about people from PR because each of the 5 guys is diverse in every way, even a range of skin color which I loved that he called out. They represent the diversity of who lives in this US colony and how they got there. There is even a character who doesn't know Spanish. Iglesias adds in some important Dominican characters which is also important group of immigrants on the island.
• The twists-- there is a big one and I will not give it away because that is unfair to Igelsias and the reader but what this twist does is plant a flag for this book as something wholly original but also a story that is in an active conversation with the genre's past. It forces a love for the that past but also with a clear, strong statement that the white men aren't in charge anymore. I loved that about this book. It makes the book better. And then as the last third plays out (post twist) it continues to get better and everything is explained in a way that is clear and makes sense within the parameters of the world Iglesias has set up. And like all the best books, every detail Iglesias included in the book matters in the end. So satisfying as a reader.
• The place. Iglesias' love for his home of Puerto Rico shines through on every page-- even admits his criticism of its worst parts. He evokes the place with all 5 senses and especially captures what life is like post hurricane. 
• The free verse poems that start each chapter. I mentioned them above. They are beautiful, chilling, unsettling, upsetting, and just perfect. This elevated and already stellar book.
• Despite the violence and despair, this book is full of love and hope. Just like a S.A. Cosby and Stephen Graham Jones. This book nestles right in between the two. Every one of your patrons who likes Cosby needs to read this book. And vice versa for Jones. They are hugging this book.

Readalikes: As I have already said, Stephen Graham Jones and SA Cosby are perfect readalikes. You have so many people who love both of those authors. Hand this out freely to them. Also David Joy is a writer who captures his place-- Appalachia-- with a critical eye but intense love much like Iglesias does. 

Get a few copies of this book on order ASAP. 

Resource Alert: The Comics Journal

The Comics Journal has been around since 1976 and still publishes in print and online. It is an excellent resources for review and information about graphic novels and comics. The Comics Journal Archive is easily accessible from the top of the main page. 

You should add this recourse to your GN and comics references, right alongside the Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table of the ALA (especially all of their recommended lists) and the Eisner Awards.

But today, specifically, I wanted to point you to this great interview on The Comics Journal Page with the longtime owner of a comics store. In the interview they talk about the evolution of the Comics industry since the late 1980s and talk about its current state. You want to get a general overview of the GN and comics landscape, this is worth your time.

Click through for more

Conversation Starter to Display Idea: Best Book to Screen Adaptations

One of my favorite things to talk about is how to use a conversation starter to build interactive displays. Please go here for the longer discussion on this topic including a worksheet to get you started.

Since shifting my focus to this concept in 2023, I have added MANY new conversation starter ideas and questions. You can find this by clicking here to see every post I have tagged "conversation starter." (That link is also at the bottom of the worksheet which you can access at the link above.

Today's idea is evergreen-- the always popular Books to Screen Discussion. I am reviving it right now because Entertainment Weekly had a post this week starting the conversation by publishing "The 29 Best Book to Screen Adaptations of All Time." 

Use my advice in the post and worksheet to include your patrons in this conversation. Post the EW list online, put up a display of books with screen adaptations, and start asking staff and patrons to weigh in. See what they like. It is a great way to get some backlist titles on display and into the hands of readers.

And because this is an anytime of year display with hundreds of options from across your collections (all ages and fiction and nonfiction) you can use it now, or save it for when you are out of ideas. It will engage all patrons, from all age levels. No matter when you use this conversation starter to engage your patrons, you can be confident they will have an opinion.

Speaking of all ages, this is a great chance to also try an Intergenerational Display (another topic I have been a proponent of for years, but for which some libraries don't "allow." When I went to PLA in April, I saw a library advocate for it and I have this post where I link to those slides and go into more detail from my perspective about the importance of showing everyone, every age of user, that the library is for them in one display.

Have a great weekend.

August Book Display Ideas via Passively Recommending Books with Lila Denning

Lila Denning runs the Blog Passively Recommending Books where she helps you with book display ideas. You can click here for the other times I have sent you to learn from her.

Her ideas are meant to kick start your own creativity with what you display. What I also love about her display ideas is that they are about the books you put out, how you curate better and NOT about the decorations or ephemera. Like me she thinks there should be none. The books are what matter and if you can get them out more quickly, you will have the energy to do more displays, which means more books will go out.

Every month, just a bit before a new month, she has a post on ideas for the next month. Here on my blog, I have been trying to start a new month by reminding you of her ideas. Last month I had this post with her July ideas.

Today is August 1, so here are Denning's ideas to help you plan some fun displays.

But her blog is more than once a month. One of my favorite reoccurring posts she does is Book Display Inspiration Using One Book. Here is a recent one for Kristin Hannah's The Women. This is a great example using popular books to promote all of the other great books that you have on the shelf waiting for them to enjoy, if only they knew they were there.

Side note about Denning, she has been ramping up her formal training for library workers on how to create better book displays and has been replacing Robin Bradford (by Robin's choice and with her recommendation) on some Collection Development webinars as Denning works in collections for a FL library. Look for her offerings through PCI, ALA, and more.

As a result of those programs, Lila has gathered a list of questions and concerns people have about upping their display game and she is planning a series of posts to answer those "how to" questions. I will cross post here in the coming weeks.

But do check out her blog regularly. I have added it to my "Sites Worth Checking Out" list on the side bar.