October Reads

Although October is not over, I don't think there will be much more reading.  As it is October, I've read some Horror. I usually don't read horror books (outside of Stephen King) during the year.  I read everything else. 

Bird Box by Josh Malerman ★★★★
Creatures have invaded the earth, there are a few survivors.  They must not look at the creatures so they live in isolation, blindfolded.  Will there be anyone left?

When I read about this book, I thought it might be interesting, it definitely sounded different.  And this Josh Melerman is a musician, not a writer.  This was a solid effort.





 Insomnia by Stephen King ★★

Ralph Roberts used to be an ordinary guy - until insomnia robbed him of sleep. Now he's no longer ordinary - he can see horrible things happening to the people of Derry, Maine. He can see how, one by one, they are turning into monsters straight from hell. (Goodreads.com)

I plan to read every Stephen King book.  It was this books turn. I didn't like it.  I didn't think it was scary, I thought it was too long and all over the place.  I didn't care about the protagonist.  Not a stellar effort for the King of Horror.




The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving ★★★

You know, Ichabod Crane, the Headless Horseman, nothing new here.

I don't recall reading this one, not even as a kid.  I knew the story, but it was nice to listen to the audio book.  Lots of imagery in this.  I enjoyed it.  Not very scary, toward the end is when the action starts, but that is an acceptable storytelling tactic.  Nice to read something that doesn't dwell on death and gore through the entire book.




The Troop by Nick Cutter  ★★★★

Boy scouts and their Troop leader are camping.  A stranger with a shocking appearance comes along.  No boy scout could ever be prepared for what was about to happen.

Unlike The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, this book is full of gore and death.  However, it is compelling.  There is some animal cruelty issues mentioned that animal lovers seem to have a problem with.  I'd like to think I'm pretty jaded and have seen/heard/read it all, but some of this stuff had me squirming.  This is in the realm of Psychological Horror.  Although it is not the usual thing I read (because of the excessive gore) this book was well done, and very readable.


CURRENTLY READING

Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge

Halloween, 1963. They call him the October Boy, or Ol’ Hacksaw Face, or Sawtooth Jack. Whatever the name, everybody in this small Midwestern town knows who he is. How he rises from the cornfields every Halloween, a butcher knife in his hand, and makes his way toward town, where gangs of teenage boys eagerly await their chance to confront the legendary nightmare. Both the hunter and the hunted, the October Boy is the prize in an annual rite of life and death.  (Goodreads.com)