I can finally feel summer winding down around here. There’s that certain autumn chill in the air now, the leaves are starting to fall, and my cravings for all things apple cider and cranberry are kicking into full gear. I started out the month in high reading mode. I’ve slowed down a bit this past week due to illness and decorating the house, but never fear! I have my cozy fleece blanket and lots of tea to help me dive back into high reading mode for the second half of the month!
For the next few Mash-Ups, I will be listing my reads in the order finished instead of by star ranking.
What I’ve Been Reading
Chasing American Monsters by Jason Offutt — 3.5 out of 5 stars
(H 1/31) Nonfiction. A state-by-state “guide” to the strange and unusual. The author provides a brief look at various cryptids and other creatures that have been purportedly spotted or interacted with in each state. There was some interesting local folklore as well. I think of this as more of a beginner’s guide as the descriptions/stories were very brief. There is a lot of repetition as well…I get it, almost every state has had a Bigfoot sighting. Some personal accounts do seem quite credible, then there are those that just read like bad acid trips (Peggy and the 6-foot tall, upright walking and talking cockroach, I’m looking at you!). Overall, I’d say if you’re looking for a starting point to find out more about various cryptids, this is a decent place to start.
I Found Puppets Living in My Apartment Walls by Ben Farthing — 4 out of 5 stars
(H 2/31) Novella. If you mixed Five Nights at Freddie’s with Goosebumps, then added in some Sesame Street for nostalgia, you would get this fun novella. Well, fun may not be the right word since there are some pretty dark moments, but I really enjoyed this one…and the dangling carrot that this could become a “Puppet Apocalypse” trilogy?!?!?!! Sign me up for that!!
St. Aymon by George Gordon — 3 out of 5 stars
(H 3/31) Short story. Told through a series of letters, we meet a young newlywed who follows his bride from England to her home: an isolated, extremely small village in the wilds of the Canadian wilderness. Later, the focus shifts to Liam, an investigator sent to the village to look for the missing newlyweds. Through the letters, we slowly learn what evil is really going on…or is it just a descent into madness? Part of me like the vagueness of this story but I also wanted just a little bit more to really up the creep factor. A kindle freebie if you want to check it out for yourself.
Chamber of Chills by Doud Davidson — 3 out of 5 stars
(H 4/31) Short story collection. Four shorts that vary from a babysitter getting revenge on her bratty charges (or does she??) to alien vampires in the old west. No-frills storytelling that worked fine for the most part, but really didn’t leave much of an impression on me (I had to check my notes to remember what I had read just a few hours later). But hey, another kindle freebie so I can’t complain.
The Day of the Door by Laurel Hightower — 3.5/4 out of 5 stars
(H 5/31) Novel. A story mixing family dysfunction with a “possible” haunted house, we meet the Lasco siblings who reunite to find out what really happened to their brother behind the strange door in their childhood home. I am a fan of Laurel Hightower’s prose, and I love the emotions she creates with her stories. There are some truly creepy moments in this one. Recommended, especially if you are new to the author’s writing.
Crypt of the Moon Spider by Nathan Ballingrud — 3.5/4 out of 5 stars
(H 6/31) Novella. This strange little tale is set in the 1920’s and revolves around a wellness center for those dealing with melancholia that is located on the moon. The treatments include spider silk placed in the brain to help with healing. And that’s just the tip of the weird iceberg. I enjoyed this one, but there were a couple of things that I thought dragged down the narrative which left me torn between a three or four star rating. Fair warning — may not be suitable if you are prone to arachnophobia but well worth checking out.
They All Died Screaming by Kristopher Triana — 2.5/3 out of 5 stars
(H 7/31) Novel. It wouldn’t be the Halloween season without including a Triana story. Sadly, though, this one missed the mark for me. The storyline was pretty good: a strange disease is wrecking havoc on humanity (and considering this was published in 2020, I don’t have to guess what inspired that line of thinking). But beyond that, I had a difficult time enjoying the story. I’m used to the over-the-top gore and rather “unconventional” sex scenes in Triana’s works, but this one had me rolling my eyes so much I was getting a headache. What also brought it down was the injection of random conversations about hot-button topics and current affairs (Hey guys, we just had a grotesque four-way that ended with death and dismemberment, now let’s talk about climate change!). Not a fan of this one, but that won’t stop me from reading more of his work.
The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum — 4.5 out of 5 stars
(H 8/31) Novel. After hearing about this story for years, I finally got up the courage to read it. Holy shit. Based on the brutal true crime involving the death of teenager Sylvia Likens, Ketchum delivers a powerful and chilling story told through the eyes of a witness to the horrors. What makes this so disturbing is not the gruesome details, but rather the exclusion of such details. Chapter 42 is the perfect example: “I’m not going to tell you about this. I refuse to. There are things you know you’ll die before telling, things you know you should have died before ever having seen. I watched and saw.” Perhaps the most chilling sentences in the entire book. A true modern classic in the genre, and one that I will be thinking about for a long time to come.
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells — 3 out of 5 stars
(H 9/31) This classic really needs no introduction as the title pretty much sums it up. I liked it well enough although there were a few times my mind would start to wander during some of the longer dialogues.
Stay safe, and Happy Reading!
