Here’s another month of books I read. Eight of them this month. Don’t expect me to keep up this pace.
Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology. **** This is a pretty good telling of some of the Norse myths. I mean, it’s good in that it reads like folklore. I have no idea how close this comes to the original stories. Also, I’m kind of cynical when a pop persona like Gaiman writes about an academic subject as if he is an expert. But still – enjoyable.
Octavia Butler, Parable of the Talents. **** A great follow up to Sower. This book makes you think about things. I read this on the beach while on vacation and felt like a huge entitled jerk.
Joe Hill, NOS4A2. *** I think by now I’ve read all of Joe Hill’s stuff. He writes like his dad but his bad guys are more empathetic. This is a trait missing in a lot of King’s villains.
John Darnielle, Universal Harvester. **** The dude who is The Mountain Goats is also a novelist? Did you know that? I didn’t. I read both of his novels this month. This reads like a thriller in the craziest way. You have to pay attention when you read this.
John Darnielle, Wolf in White Van. **** Dang, this guy is good at writing. I feel like Darnielle was probably an interesting kid when he was growing up. Less cerebral than Universal Harvester, but I felt more empathy for the main character.
Josh Malerman, A House at the Bottom of a Lake. *** I read this because I really really enjoyed Bird Box when I read it in January. Read that book. This one’s good, but read Bird Box if you read one book by Malerman.
Caitlin R. Kiernan, Agents of Dreamland. *** This is the type of book that your college roommate would call a “mind fuck.” If you like Philip K. Dick, which I do, you’ll enjoy this one.
Josh Malerman, Ghastle and Yule. **** This book details the creepy and obsessive relationship between two competing horror directors during the golden age of horror. The way he describes the fictional movies in this book make me want to watch them and it really bugs me that they don’t exist.