For the record, I'm not ashamed.
I've been on a book-buying binge over the past month or so. Not sure why. I have no business buying more books. I'll probably need to live to 143 to read everything in my bookcase right now (and I'm on the back nine, if you know what I mean). Yet, here we are. Interested in my haul? Did I hear a yes? Great! Read on!
In no particular order:
"The Incredible Shrinking Man" by Richard Matheson
I'm a fan of many of Matheson's works, including "I Am Legend," "Hell House," "What Dreams May Come," and his various short stories. This novella, adapted for film twice, is a tale of a man who gets sprayed with a radioactive chemical and—you guessed it—shrinks day by day. This edition also contains "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," which was turned into a classic "Twilight Zone" episode, and "Duel," the TV film directed by Steven Spielberg.
"More Than Human" by Theodore Sturgeon
This novel won the International Fantasy Award for fiction in 1954, yet sadly I've yet to read it. From the back cover: "Sturgeon explores questions of power and morality, individuality and belonging, with suspense, pathos, and a lyricism rarely seen in science fiction." I'm in.
"Stoner" by John Williams
No, it's not that John Williams, and no, it's not about people you'd probably meet at an Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats or Elder show. To be honest, I didn't know about this book or the author until an algorithm on Amazon sent it my way. The novel follows the life of William Stoner, from his humble beginnings on a Missouri farm through his time as a college English professor. Many have called it a "perfect novel." Well, we'll see about that, smart guy.
"The Green Mile" by Stephen King
I was working at a supermarket when this originally came out in serial-novel form. I would head over to the magazine and book aisle during my lunch break and read a bit of each installment, but I never finished or purchased them (bad job by me!). I enjoyed what I read, though, and the movie was great. I've read 13 or 14 of King's novels and short story collections, but I always feel like it's not enough. Here's another one I need to get through.
"Dune" by Frank Herbert
Another classic science fiction novel that's eluded me. I've held this book in my hands many times over the years but never put down my hard-earned money and brought it home. Maybe I was intimidated by what many consider the greatest science fiction book ever written. Well, that ends now!
"The Cadaver Chronicles" by Mark C. Scioneaux
I'm a sucker for zombies: books, movies, TV shows, graphic novels, you name it. This is a collection of short stories and novellas about the undead. Need I say more? It was published by October Nights Press, which accepted one of my short stories for the upcoming horror anthology "Tales from the Clergy."
"Pictures of Apocalypse" and "Paradoxes from Hell" by Thomas Ligotti
There are bigger fans and scholars of Ligotti than me, but when I read Chiroptera Press was putting out something new and limited, I jumped at it. "Pictures" is a collection of poems in the style of "I Have a Special Plan for This World" and "This Degenerate Little Town." If you're unfamiliar with Ligotti and want a preview of his style, check this out. "Paradoxes" contains the two poems above and the titular short story.
"Tender Is the Flesh" by Agustina Bazterrica
This novel, translated from Spanish by Sarah Moses, is about "a dystopian world in which humans are being processed for food and society is divided into predators and prey." Sounds sensational to me.
"Song for the Unraveling of the World" by Brian Evenson
I've seen Brian Evenson's name often mentioned when it comes to disturbing fiction, but I've never read any of his work. Well, check that off the list with this collection of short stories. From the back cover: "In these stories of doubt, delusion, and paranoia, no belief, no claim to objectivity, is immune to the distortions of human perception."
"Greener Pastures" by Michael Wehunt
Speaking of authors I've heard about but never read, Michael Wehunt's debut collection of stories has been on my radar for some time. So I finally took the plunge. Steve Rasnic Tem called it "weird, emotionally complex, Kafkaesque, (and) dread-filled."
"All the King's Men" by Robert Penn Warren
This novel, twice adapted into films, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1947. I purchased the "restored edition," which centers on Willie Talos's transformation from an idealistic lawyer to a corrupt politician. Ah, the paradox of power.
"The Caves of Steel" by Issac Asimov
I've read only one novel by Asimov ("The Gods Themselves"), so I was keen on getting my hands on another. In this one, a New York City detective and a humanoid robot work together to solve a murder. This novel is part of the author's Robot series.
"Washington's End" by Jonathan Horn
Ever wonder about George Washington's last years? I never really thought about it, but now I'm interested to find out! This book "begins where most biographies leave off, with the first president exiting office after eight years and entering what would become the most bewildering stage of his life."
"The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck
I can hear many of you out there howling, "How did you not read this already?!" The answer is: I don't know. I've read "Of Mice and Men" and "The Pearl," but somehow this one was never assigned to me in school. From the back cover: "The Pulitzer Prize-winning epic of the Great Depression, a book that galvanized—and sometimes outraged—millions of readers."
"The Secret of Ventriloquism" by Jon Padgett
This debut collection of unsettling short stories was selected as the Best Fiction Book of the Year by Rue Morgue Magazine in 2016. Padgett, who according to his website is a "professional—though lapsed—ventriloquist," is also the editor-in-chief of Grimscribe Press, which publishes the marvelous "Vastarien: A Literary Journal."
"Rebecca" by Daphne Du Maurier
This modern Gothic won the Anthony Award for Best Novel of the Century (bet you didn't know that). Themes abound in this classic, ranging from marriage, love, death, lies, and class. I'm familiar with Alfred Hitchcock's 1940 film, but I'm eager to read the source material. If it's anything like Du Maurier's "Don't Look Now," I won't be disappointed.
"Aickman's Heirs" edited by Simon Strantzas
I must admit, I've never read anything by Robert Aickman, although a copy of his "Dark Entries" sits on one of my shelves. Aickman was a writer of "strange stories" and has seen a resurgence in popularity since his death some 40 years ago. This collection, which won the Shirley Jackson Award in 2015, includes tales in that vein by authors such as Lisa Tuttle, John Langan, Brian Evenson, and Michael Wehunt.
"Zothique: The Final Cycle" by Clark Ashton Smith
I first became acquainted with Clark Ashton Smith when I subscribed to Weird Tales in the early 2000s. The iconic magazine may have reprinted a few of his stories during that time, but at the very least, it spoke of him in reverent tones. This volume centers on Zothique, "a large continent which re-surfaces under a red and dying sun during the last days of humanity."
"Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn
I was mesmerized by David Fincher's film adaptation and promised myself that one day I would read this suspense thriller. Well, I'm one step closer to keeping that pledge. I read Flynn's debut novel, "Dark Places," a few years ago and was dazzled by her style and prose. True, I already know how this ends, but I'm looking forward to taking the ride.
"The Music of Murder and Other Crimes of a Strange and Bloody Nature" by Kurt Newton
I enjoyed reading an unnerving short story by Newton ("The Spring Burn") in the Spring 2021 issue of Vastarien, so I made a mental note to seek out more of his stuff. Mission accomplished. From the back cover: "These stories run the gamut of thrills, chills, and ... spills."
"The Happy Man" by Eric C. Higgs
I came across this title while skimming through the Valancourt Books website, an act that's beginning to take up an incredible amount of my time. Released in 1985, a blurb on the back cover calls it a "grisly shocker, understated for the most part but carrying the impact of a fist to the stomach." You had me at "grisly."
"The Philosopher's Stone" by Colin Wilson
Another book from Valancourt. The impetus for this novel came about after Wilson criticized the writings of H.P. Lovecraft (the nerve!). August Derleth, a friend and publisher of Lovecraft, challenged Wilson to come up with something better, and "The Philosopher's Stone" was born.
"Tenebrae" by Ernest G. Henham
And the final book is also from Valancourt. (Did I mention how much time I spend on that site?) This psychological horror story was first published in 1898 and, according to the back cover, is "unequaled in its darkness and gloom and yet at times grimly, though possibly unintentionally, hilarious."
Man, that's a lot of books. However, I did purchase 11 of these used from Better World Books, which only set me back about 50 bucks.
What about you? Buy any good books lately?
Comments