Expiration Date – A Review

Expiration Date Nancy Kilpatrick, editor Hades Publications (April 2015) horror 3.7/5

By random happenstance, the next book on my TBR pile was another collection from Edge Science Fiction & Fantasy Publishing (an imprint of Hades Publications, to get picky). LibraryThing sent me this one, too, as an Early Reviewer giveaway. Expiration Date is a collection of tales all having to do with endings–the death of someone in the story, more often than not. The editor Nancy Kilpatrick sets out the parameters of the anthology in an interesting introduction that got me excited to read the stories.

Angel Manor by Chantal Noordeloos – A Review

Angel Manor (Lucifer Falls Book 1) Chantal Noordeloos Horrific Tales Publishing (November 2014) horror 2/5

I love a good haunted house story. Shirley Jackson‘s The Haunting of Hill House remains one of my favorite novels and one of my favorite films (the original, of course). I was thrilled to finally read The Shining recently. It’s a classic for a reason and one of King’s best (and better than the film, in my opinion). And then there are the sillier haunted house films that I love, especially House on Haunted Hill (again, the original).

Out of Tune – A Review

A blog post from M. Fenn? Who knew that was going to happen again? Certainly not me. No guarantees on any consistency, but here’s a book review for you.

The Creature Chronicles by Tom Weaver, David Schecter & Steve Kronenberg – A Review

The Creature Chronicles: Exploring the Black Lagoon Trilogy Tom Weaver, David Schecter, Steve Kronenberg McFarland & Company (November 2014) nonfiction (5/5)

Hi, everyone! My brain decided that the first weeks of January was blog vacation time, it would seem. Fair enough. It’s a good time of year to reset. Not sure what I’ve reset to, but I guess time will tell.

The Apex Book of World SF 3 – A Review

The Apex Book of World SF 3 Lavie Tidhar, Editor Apex Book Company (June 2014) science fiction/fantasy/horror 4.13/5

I’m back with another LibraryThing review.

Chain of Evil by Michael R. Collings – A Review

Chain of Evil: Journalstone’s Guide to Writing Darkness Michael R. Collings JournalStone (August 2014) nonfiction (2.75/5)

I’ve had a mixed experience with the books that JournalStone publishes. The last JournalStone book I received through LibraryThing‘s Early Reviewer program didn’t do much for me. On the other hand, I found Mr. October to be a fairly strong collection and I have high hopes for JournalStone’s latest collection Out of Tune (it’s edited by Jonathan Maberry and contains a story from Seanan McGuire, among others–how can I not?).

Dog Days by Joe McKinney – A Review

Dog Days Joe McKinney JournalStone (July 2014) young adult/horror 2.375/5

I received a copy of Joe McKinney’s Dog Days through LibraryThing‘s Early Reviewer program. The book got my hopes up with a strong start, introducing us to Mark, a Texan teenager at the beginning of his summer vacation, who wakes up to the aftermath of a hurricane that has struck his wealthy Houston suburb of Clear Lake (where my dad’s sister used to live, for what that’s worth). A shrimp boat stuck up a pecan tree with a pile of half-eaten corpses inside promised a rollicking old horror story.

Wolf Interval by Chrysoula Tzavelas – A Review

Wolf Interval Chrysoula Tzavelas Candlemark & Gleam (October 2014) young adult/urban fantasy 4.25/5

Wolf Interval, the third book in Chrysoula Tzavelas’ Senyaza series, is coming out this month. I was lucky enough to get an ARC so I could share my thoughts about it with you. (And I will be honest here–the author and I are friends on Twitter; I don’t think that colored my review, but I want to get that out there.)

Pills and Starships by Lydia Millet – A Review

Pills and Starships Lydia Millet 256 pages, Black Sheep (June 2014) science fiction/young adult 4.5/5

I received a paperback copy of Lydia Millet’s Pills and Starships as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer. The cover caught my interest when it appeared on the list of giveaways and I was pleased that I won a copy.

Infinity Key by Chrysoula Tzavelas – A Review

Infinity Key Chrysoula Tzavelas 272 pages, Candlemark & Gleam (November 2013) contemporary/urban fantasy 4.5/5

“She really didn’t want to be one of the giggling girls in the audience, watching passively as the world changed around them.”

Earlier this year, I read Chrysoula Tzavelas‘ debut novel, Matchbox Girls, enjoying it quite a bit. You can see my thoughts on that book here, if you like.