WWW Wednesday – November 4, 2020

Ryan8 Comments
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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

EileenIn a last minute decision the other day, I decided to start Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh as my next book off of my to-read list for the year. It’s been more than a bit since I last read one of her books, this being earlier than the previous two, and apparently her first book to really blow up in popularity, if the number of Goodreads ratings is a good indicator. I’m only 18% of the way through so far, and it’s been fairly slow-going, but I am enjoying the way it is building out the main character and her dreary life. As with her other books, she captures a sense of human misery very well, but in a way that feels mundane in a rather haunting way. I eagerly anticipate Eileen’s impending disappearance, which she plans to enact herself.

Recently Finished

Alien Sea of SorrowsOn the morning of Halloween I finished reading Alien: Sea of Sorrows by James A. Moore, and with all said and done I’m really quite fond of it. It did have some glaring continuity issues related the previous book, unfortunately, but I can forgive them. It doesn’t stand out as all that unique, especially after all of the setup is done with, but I became decently attached to a number of the characters and I really enjoyed the glimpse into the way the aliens themselves think and feel. It gave us a peak behind the curtain into their psyche without spoiling too much of their mystique. I also loved the ending and look forward to any possible sequels the future has in store (if one hasn’t come out already). I should have a review up soon.

Adventures into the Unknown Archives Vol. 1I started Adventures into the Unknown Archives Vol. 1 on Halloween night, but I didn’t get it finished until the morning of November 2. This was my last Frighteningly Good Read and goodness was it a strange little trip. Horror comics in 1948 were weird, or at least these were. Not exactly in a good way, though. The pacing was all over the place and I could never really take any of the “horrors” seriously. One such figure called “the Living Ghost” appeared in two stories, depicted as what looked like a cross between the Devil, Dracula, and Frankenstein’s monster. He was an all-powerful demon with command over the undead who got up to such deeds as strangling switch operators and pushing cars off of cliffs. Captivating stuff.

Reading Next

Initially, I was planning to start Moby-Dick by Herman Melville instead of Eileen, but now I’m wondering if I can finish everything on my to-read list except for that book. It’s still a long shot, but we’ll see. It’s the most daunting book and if I can read all the others except that one I’ll be pretty satisfied. Don’t know what will follow Eileen yet.

Until next week, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

Comic Book Review – Tremor Dose by Michael Conrad & Noah Bailey

Ryan1 Comment

Tremor Dose

Tremor Dose is a horror graphic novel written by Michael Conrad and illustrated by Noah Bailey, and my second Frighteningly Good Read for this year. Ginn Morris is a young college student who has been suffering from bizarre and disturbing nightmares. Each is different, with one strange thing in common: a man she does not know keeps appearing in all of them. Having spotted a flier on campus with the man’s face on it that asks “Have You Dreamed This Man?” she contacts the number attached. What begins as an interview dissecting her dreams and her experiences with the man therein eventually spirals down a rabbit hole that leads her to question her very understanding of reality.Read More »

WWW Wednesday – October 28, 2020

Ryan2 Comments
www_wednesdays

WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Alien Sea of SorrowsI’m currently a good chunk of the way through Alien: Sea of Sorrows by James A. Moore. I’ve made good progress since last week, though I wanted to have it done so not quite the progress I was intending. Nevertheless, I’m happy to report I’m enjoying this book a lot more than its predecessor. It still has its connections to Ripley from the core films, but they’re removed enough from the events of this story that it doesn’t feel contrived. I quite like the cast of characters introduced in this story too, especially the main character, who is very put upon by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation as they attempt to engage with capturing xenomorphs more directly. It’s a nice change of pace for the franchise and I’m intrigued to see where things will lead.

Recently Finished

Nothing this week!

Reading Next

Adventures into the Unknown Archives Vol. 1I’ve got one other book to finish for Frighteningly Good Reads this year, and that is the second graphic novel I chose: Adventures Into the Unknown volume one, an archive volume of old horror comics. I’m getting a lot of Creepshow vibes when I imagine reading this, so I’m hoping the collection delivers. I think I got this book for free on Comixology, but I can’t remember why. Must have been a promotion? I just hope they don’t feel too old-fashioned while reading. At any rate, I’m hoping I can get all this readings finished up by Halloween.

Until next week, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

Book Review – The Night Will Find Us by Matthew Lyons

Ryan3 Comments

The Night Will Find Us

The Night Will Find Us is a newly published horror novel by Matthew Lyons, and my first Frighteningly Good Read for 2020. Six teenagers embark on an end-of-school-year camping trip into the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, a million-acre forest in the heart of the state. Just as they’re setting up camp, a fight between two of them turns ugly, splintering the group. Shaken by this fatal turn of events and finding that the path back out has somehow disappeared, they slowly learn that other people are the least of their worries. Something dead and dreaming lies at the bottom of a lake in the centre of the forest, and it doesn’t want them to leave.Read More »

WWW Wednesday – October 21, 2020

Ryan3 Comments
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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Nothing at the moment, I’m between books.

Recently Finished

The Night Will Find UsMonday night I finished reading The Night Will Find Us by Matthew Lyons, my first Frighteningly Good Read for this year. It was quite the trip powering through it over the last week. By the end my feelings were a little mixed, though leaning more positively. Since the early chapters last week there were a lot of unexpected twists and turns in this book, which was one of its strengths. For a good while I really didn’t know where the story was going, though eventually it got a little meandering in this way. It did have some pretty creepy moments too, though the source of the horror was a little too nebulous for its own good, which became a big problem. I should have a full review up very soon.

Tremor DoseI also read through Tremor Dose by Michael Conrad and Noah Bailey last night, my second Frighteningly Good Read. I liked this graphic novel, it had some great ideas and very unique art, but the story kind of fell apart by the end for me. There’s a tantalizing afterword by the authors that discusses how every question the book raises can be answered by the content itself, but I’m not sure I actually care to reread and dissect it. I do keep thinking about doing it, so there’s a chance, but I don’t want to be dwelling on this one book too long. It’s not a very long read, though, so I still haven’t made up my mind. I should have a review up for this book too, regardless, within the next week or so.

Reading Next

I’m staying the course with my reading plans, so I’ll be starting Alien: Sea of Sorrows by James A. Moore very soon.

Until next week, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

Reading Challenge Update

Ryan1 Comment

Well, I’m rather late getting this up, aren’t I? This honestly slipped my mind the first week of the month, and then I was busy for nearly another week. It’s really dispiriting how fast October has gone by. I had some hot cider for the first time, which was nice, but I haven’t stomped through a pumpkin patch yet or even fought a ghost yet.

Anyway, it’s the final stretch of 2020, and with that I’ve got less than three months to make good on my reading challenges for the year. Let’s see how I’m doing, shall we?Read More »

WWW Wednesday – October 14, 2020

Ryan12 Comments
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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

The Night Will Find UsSince last week I’ve started reading The Night Will Find Us by Matthew Lyons, though I’m only about 20 pages in. Between my birthday last Friday and the Thanksgiving long weekend, I didn’t have a lot of time for reading. The book has all been setup so far, though I am intrigued. There’s a good handful of characters to keep track of, but Lyons has done a good job of making them feel fairly distinct off the hop. The characterization of some of them feels a little cliched, but with a bit of a twist that promises something more interesting further along in the story. I want to try to have this finished as soon as possible, so hopefully I’ll be done by next week. Where has October gone?

Recently Finished

Nothing this week, I was just too busy.

Reading Next

Alien Sea of SorrowsI’ve got a lot lined up for the Halloween season, as I’ve said before, so for once I know a lot of what I’ll be reading next. Tremor Dose by Michael Conrad and Noah Bailey will be read any day now, I just need to buy a digital copy. As far as novels go, once I’ve finished with Lyons’s book I’m going to start Alien: Sea of Sorrows by James A. Moore. The more I’m thinking about this book and refreshing myself on the premise the more I’m hopeful that I’ll like this one. It sounds like it’ll be incorporating some of the good elements from the previous book, while not making the same glaring mistake.

Until next week, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

WWW Wednesday – October 7, 2020

Ryan9 Comments
www_wednesdays

WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Nothing! I’m between books.

Recently Finished

thermopylaeLast night I ostensibly finished reading Thermopylae by Paul Cartledge. I’m still combing through some of the appendices, but I don’t expect that to take me much longer. I got to the end of the epilogue, so that’s the text itself done, darn it. I enjoyed this book, but I have an issue with reading ancient history, namely all the names: places, people, peoples. It’s a lot that I’m not 100% sure I’m pronouncing correctly in my head, which makes recollecting important information harder for me as I go. I liked the book, it provided some interesting insight into the societies concerned with the battle and the politics around it, but I wasn’t in love with reading it either. A pretty middle-of-the-road experience. I don’t think I’m going to review this one either, since I’m much too eager to move on from it right now.

Reading Next

Tremor DoseSince it’s now October and I’m participating in Frighteningly Good Reads, I’ve got a nice handful of horror reads lined up. As I said last week, I’m going to read the ARC copy I have of The Night Will Find Us by Matthew Lyons next, about a group of teenagers tormented by cosmic horror while lost in a seemingly infinite forest. I’m hoping it will be quite thrilling. I’m also going to read Tremor Dose by Michael Conrad and Noah Bailey soon, which is a horror graphic novel I’ve had my eyes on for a while. It’s inspired by the “Have You Dreamed This Man?” hoax, which is such a creepy idea I’m eager to see fleshed out in fiction.

Until next week, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.