Ah, summertime. The surf, the sand, the sun. I'm not a big fan of those things, but I enjoy organizing my summer reading list. Well, "organizing" may be a bit of a reach. I can waste a day scanning my bookshelves and deciding what to grab next. But I usually try to read a "classic" work, one nonfiction piece, and a "quick read" book during the warmer months. Why? I'm not really sure. I realize the summer isn't officially over for a few weeks, but I'm ready to take a look at my scorecard. How did I do? Let's find out!
"Young Goodman Brown and Other Short Stories"
Nathaniel Hawthorne
It seemed like every one of my college English classes required reading "Young Goodman Brown." While I appreciated the scathing rebuke of Puritan hypocrisy, I was so sick of discussing and writing about "Young Goodman Brown" that the narrative's meaning and artistry waned, and the rich symbolism became oppressive. But the story still resonated with me.
A few years ago, I purchased the Dover Thrift Edition with the intent of re-reading the short story and some of Hawthorne's others with a fresh (if not older) set of eyes. I enjoyed reliving the eternal struggle of good vs. evil, the ambiguity (was it just a dream?), and the creepy witches' sabbath in the forest! Oh, Goodman Brown, you've seen the world for what it is, and you'll never be the same!
There are six additional short stories in this slim but respectable volume. I would list "Rappaccini's Daughter" (a young student travels to Italy to study and is bewitched by the beautiful Beatrice, the daughter of the uncanny and mysterious Dr. Giacomo Rappaccini) and "The Artist of the Beautiful" (a disenchanted watchmaker longs to create something more substantial but finds only derision and despair) among my favorites. But all of them stand on their own merits, with dark undertones and themes ranging from obsession to corruption.
I'll check this off as one for the "classic" work category.
Vastarien: A Literary Journal
Vol. 4 Issue 2 (Fall 2021)
Various
If you enjoy nightmarish, disturbing, unsettling fiction, poetry, and artwork sprinkled with critical analyses, Vastarien may be for you. Just to let you know what you're in for, the journal calls itself "a source of critical study and creative response to the corpus of Thomas Ligotti as well as associated authors and ideas."
The "journal" moniker may be a bit of a misnomer since each issue has the weightiness and length of a novel. This issue checked in at a robust 284 pages, not including the contributors section.
There were several top-notch works in this issue, not to mention the eerily beautiful cover art by Anna Trueman. I won't list them all (which I could), but I'll point out a few that really struck a chord:
"The Mushroom Men" by Carson Winter
Three old friends take a trip to a cabin in the mountains. Unfortunately, one of them suffered a recent tragedy. Or did he? Things quickly turn fuzzy. Are they really in the mountains? And are they even friends?
"Fold" by Gwen C. Katz
A self-absorbed, egotistical, mean-spirited professor becomes obsessed with goggles that allow him to enter into fold space. Things don't go well.
"On Borrowed Time" by Greg Sisco
A loan shark named Frank visits a client's condo to collect some money. But instead of his client answering, an old man appears at the door and says he doesn't know anything about it. But he has been expecting Frank, and there is a debt to be paid.
"Voyeur" by Tori Fredrick
A man who spends a lot of time traveling for work secretly sets up surveillance cameras in his home to keep an eye on his live-in girlfriend. He doesn't like what he sees.
"A Walkthrough of Route X: Video Games and the Postmodern Gothic" by Joanna Parypinski
A faux essay on the terrifying effects of watching a YouTube walk-through of an unreleased horror video game known as "Route X." This story follows "Down the Dark Hallway: An Essay on P.T." by Sean M. Thompson, which examines the critically acclaimed trailer of a horror video game that was unceremoniously canceled.
"The Collected Poems of James Zjarek, Transgressor" by Perry Ruhland
James is a bit of a drunk and a blowhard who doesn't have many friends. But "P" enjoys drinking with him. After another late night of boozing it up, James gives P a book of his poetry, and P has never been the same.
"The Three Paradigms of Horror" by Dejan Ognjanović
A fascinating look at the three models of horror: fear of the self, fear of the others, and fear of the numinous.
Again, I enjoyed everything in this issue. In fact, none of the issues I've read have disappointed me. So if you're looking for work that may leave you questioning the world and your place in it, give Vastarien a look.
This doesn't fill any of the benchmarks I mentioned earlier, so I'll check this off as "other."
"Black Funeral: Into the Coven with Mercyful Fate"
Martin Popoff
How do you take your heavy metal? Falsetto vocals with crunchy riffs, blistering solos, and a side of Satanic imagery and occult lyrics? Yeah, me, too.
Enter Martin Popoff's excellent book about the devils from Denmark: "Black Funeral: Into the Coven with Mercyful Fate," a comprehensive and page-turning look at these influential rockers, featuring interviews, color photos, and album-by-album analyses of the band's discography. Unsurprisingly, frontman King Diamond is the driving force behind these pages, but there are plenty of interviews with other important players, such as guitarists Hank Shermann and Michael Denner, plus fascinating insights into the making and production of each album.
If you're into Mercyful Fate (and really, who isn't?), I can't recommend this book strongly enough. Popoff does a first-rate job chronicling the ups and downs of this unique band, which is touring and planning on releasing a new album soon. Just don't call it a reunion.
I'll score this as one for the "quick read" category and one for the nonfiction category. It's a two-for-one!
"Ancient Sorceries and Other Weird Stories"
Algernon Blackwood
Algernon Blackwood has inspired and influenced many writers, including H.P. Lovecraft and J.R.R. Tolkien. In fact, Lovecraft labeled Blackwood's story "The Willows" as "the single finest weird tale in literature." So it's with a profound shame that I must admit that I had never read any of his work. Until now!
S.T. Joshi (a name probably familiar to Lovecraft fans) has curated nine superlative tales from the master of the supernatural. Blackwood had a deep affinity for nature and was fascinated by the occult and spiritualism and weaves those interests deftly into these tales.
This collection starts with "Smith: An Episode in a Lodging-House" (a medical student has a neighbor who enjoys dabbling in the dark arts) and ends with "Sand" (a man travels to Egypt and befriends a strange couple who shares his appreciation for the ancient land's spiritual past).
But the two standouts (for me) are the previously mentioned "The Willows" and "The Wendigo."
In "The Willows," two friends are on a canoe trip on the River Danube. When the river gets too wild, they decide to camp out on a tiny island. Once there, they notice peculiar willows, which seem to grow weirder by the hour. Bizarre things start happening. Are the willows the real danger, or are more sinister forces at play?
In "The Wendigo," four men are on a moose-hunting trip in the wilderness of Northwestern Ontario. Since there hasn't been much luck landing moose, they decide to split up into two hunting parties. But one member of the group isn't so keen on venturing farther into the woods. He's familiar with the legend of the Wendigo, a mythical demon creature of Native American folklore. The others dismiss his concerns, to the detriment of all.
Both stories are dripping with atmosphere and suspense. Blackwood's mesmerizing prose and rich descriptions build tension and drama and deliver the goods in the end. If you're like me and haven't read any of Blackwood's stuff (shame!), do yourself a favor and rectify that right now.
I'll say this qualifies as one for the "classic" work column.
There it is. My summer reading list. All in all, not too shabby: two "classic" works, one nonfiction (which was also a "quick" read), and one "unclassifiable." I'd say I met my goals!
How did your summer reading go?
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