Latest Substack Update!

Hey, how are you today?

I'm not sure if you noticed, but this week I updated all the pages on my website. I deleted a page, added another one, and now have all my books listed. As well as all the links, and a more recent About Me page. ☺️

And I posted all about it on my Substack newsletter. 

You can read my post here.

TALES FROM THE CRYPT #5 by Various

Tales from the Crypt, #5: Yabba Dabba Voodoo by Various
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the last Tales from the Crypt volume I have, and I'm really pleased to say that it's the best one. I enjoyed all four stories, quite a bit

Here are my thoughts:

IGNOBLE ROT by Fred Van Lente introduces a man who isn't having a good night. After all, he's falling apart, but he knows where he has to go to break the curse...

What an intriguing story! Not only is there a mystery while this guy is trying to find his way back to where he believes the curse started, but every step of his zombification is also coupled with the scientific breakdown of decomposition. And that ending was perfect! 😅

VIRTUAL HOODOO by Joe R. Lansdale and John L. Lansdale features Sidney, a quiet man who works in the mail room. When his boss steals his game idea, he decides to get revenge...

Oh! This is a clever little story that starts out with sympathy towards Sidney, but slowly morphs into something else. I mean, victims can become the monsters they fear if they have access to power. And this was a great example.

SHE WHO WOULD RULE THE WORLD by Christian Zanier is about two gifted doctors who want to save the life of a dying woman using an experimental procedure that works too well and unleashes Apep Nephthys into the world...

Wow. EVERYTHING about this story is stunning. Starting with the artwork, which is absolutely beautiful. The story is so interesting and bizarre, with echoes of Frankenstein's failures. It's also sad.

GLASS HEADS by Fred Van Lente features Chandler, a guy who doesn't need to work and is always trying to get the attention of his friends. But when he starts having visions, he finds a different purpose...

Yikes! I started to have a bad feeling about this one pretty early on, and was genuinely concerned for Chandler. But what happens to him is a lot worse than I expected... 😳


I'm SO glad that every single one of these stories was great. In their own way. I mean, they definitely intersect in the experimentation, dealing with death and having to face hard facts, but each one has its own set of intriguing problems and a mystery I couldn't wait to unravel.

Best volume I've read today!


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TALES FROM THE CRYPT #4 by Various

Tales from the Crypt #4: Crypt-Keeping It Real by Stefan Petrucha
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Well, this volume contained seven stories, but I only enjoyed two of them. And both were written by Joe R. Landsdale and John L. Lansdale!

Moonlight Sonata is a cool spin on werewolves. And A Ripping Good Time is a time travel tale. Both have twist endings.

Too bad about the others. 🫤

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TALES FROM THE CRYPT #3 by Various

Tales from the Crypt, No. 3: Zombielicious by Mort Todd
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Well, this is another Tales from the Crypt volume, and here's what I thought of each story:

EXTRA LIFE by Neil Kleid features a very bored and confused guy called Andy, or Evenblade. When his real and online world collide, things don't turn out well...

This story is a short and seemingly straightforward tale introduced by the Crypt-Keeper. I say seemingly because nothing about Andy's life is as it seems. Or as he thinks.

THE QUEEN OF THE VAMPIRES by Marc Bilgrey features Tanith and Sybil, two close friends whose friendship deteriorates after one wins a contest to meet their favourite author...

This story is introduced by the Old Witch, because the Crypt-Keeper is playing an Ogre game. As much as I like vampires and stories about creepy writers, I found this one totally ridiculous. 🫤

GRAVEYARD SHIFT AT THE TWILIGHT GARDENS by Rob Vollmar is introduced by the Vault-Keeper, and is SO BAD that I won't even bother saying much about it. Except for this: it's an incoherent, boring mess that supposedly ties into the previous story. 🙄

KID TESTED, MOTHER APPROVED by Jared Gniewek features Jimmy, a kid who doesn't eat his cereal and this decision has a monstrous effect on him...

This story is once again introduced by the Crypt-Keeper and isn't too bad. Not great, either.


These stories were all different, but I didn't really enjoy any of them.


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TALES FROM THE CRYPT #2 by Various

Tales from the Crypt #2: Can You Fear Me Now?: Can You Fear Me Now? by Neil Kleid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My husband found a bunch of these at our local thrift store last week, so I thought I'd give them a go.

Here's what I thought of each story:

A MURDERIN' IDOL by Mort Todd features a talentless hack called Jaysan, who enters Popstar Idol in hopes of winning. Though he needs a little demonic help along the way and finds himself in a very hellish situation...

This story is short, simple, and is introduced by the Crypt-Keeper. It showcases the crap people are willing to do to get what they want, and how it's never what it seems.

CRYSTAL CLEAR by Don McGregor features Stony, a drug dealer with a very special phone and a lot of violence in mind. But he meets his match at a funeral...

This story is introduced by the Old Witch, because the Crypt-Keeper is busy on the 'world-wide web of horror'. 😅 It showcases how assholes who think they're better than everyone else can find themselves in a lot of trouble.

SLABBED! by Stefan Petrucha features Derrick, a terrible boy who steals his half-brother's valuable comic book and finds himself in a very strange situation...

This story is introduced by the Old Witch, and showcases a little asshole who tries to pay off a debt by stealing from another. Loved the ending!

THE GARDEN by Fred Van Lente features Richard, a man who seems to have inherited a beautiful new house and a lovely garden, but is actually something much more sinister...

This story is once again introduced by the Crypt-Keeper. It showcases a horrible, shitty man who did something atrocious and is now going to pay for it. Forever.


Although every story is very different, the running theme seems to be: assholes who do terrible things, get what they deserve. Hey, I'm down with that! As for the art, it definitely fit the mood of these stories.


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LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND by Rumaan Alam

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Last month we watched a trailer for an upcoming Netflix movie, and when I found out it was based on a book, I was instantly interested in getting my hands on it.

Amanda and Clay have rented a beautiful house faraway from their city life, where they hope to relax for a week and spend some quality time with their kids. But their tranquillity is disrupted when an older couple turn up at their doorstep in the middle of the night, claiming to be the owners of the house...

Well, this is such a tense and interesting story. One I was instantly drawn into and couldn't stop reading.

The most disturbing thing about this book is how the awful things sneak up on the characters and the reader. Everything starts so normal. Beautiful clear days full of fun and wayward thoughts soon turn into manic assumptions and suspicion. The confusion and helplessness that arises when the characters aren't able to connect to the rest of the world is too real.

A power outage. Animals acting strangely. Not knowing what's going on. Strange signs that make no sense. A world without clear instructions. THIS is the real nightmare, and what made this harrowing book such an amazing and awful experience at the same time.

The interactions between the two couples—Amanda and Clay, Ruth and GH—were some of my favourite scenes. How four adults who seem so different and know nothing about each other, wind up becoming so close and dependent on each other. While still trying to maintain a safe distance.

Another thing I really enjoyed about this story is the random thoughts. How each character finds their thoughts running in unexpected directions. This made everyone feel so real.

Loved it! And now I'm looking forward to checking out the movie.

 

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REGRESSION by Cullen Bunn

Regression, Vol. 1: Way Down Deep by Cullen Bunn
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

My husband found three volumes of this comic book at the thrift store and because he knows I love horror, thought I might be interested. Of course I was.

Adrian keeps having hallucinations about nightmarish situations featuring bugs and gross imagery. After his friend suggests he goes to a hypnotist, he gets worse and people start dying...

Well, this wasn't what I expected. 🫤

The story is dark and plagued with horrific art that sometimes seems to be there for shock value more than story. Adrian isn't a great character and I definitely didn't feel sorry for him. Actually, I didn't really care about him. His friend Molly is an interesting character, but never seems to become more than a best friend caricature. Which is a real shame.

Still, looks like we might be treading into demonic cult territory and I'm intrigued enough to keep reading. So I suppose that's something.


Regression, Vol. 2: Disciples by Cullen Bunn
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Okay, I was hoping the second volume was going to get interesting, but it's pretty much more of the same.

Adrian has been kidnapped by a demonic cult who torture and keep him locked up until he accepts who/what he really is. Molly and Detective Graymercy are trying to find out what happened to Adrian and discover a lot more than they expected...

I just can't get excited about this story. It should be right up my alley, but the execution is all wrong. The story's all over the place and I can't connect with any of the characters. And after finding out the truth about Molly, it just disappoints me all over again.

Might as well read the final volume to get some closure.

 

Regression, Vol. 3 by Cullen Bunn
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Well, the final volume was pretty much the same as the two before it.

Adrian and Molly's stories are intertwined, but not in the intriguing and interesting way I was hoping. The time jump thing was a bit unexpected and I was happy to follow it through, but in the end, it fell as flat as everything else about this comic book.

I'm glad I read the whole thing in one night because at least it's out of the way now.

I had high hopes. Oh well.

 

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Final NaNo thoughts...

Hi there! How are you today?

Usually, this is when I post a final something about my NaNoWriMo experience. But this year, I'm doing something different.

I actually posted about it on my Substack and sent it like a newsletter. Why? Well, this time I didn't write a summary about my writing thoughts. No, I actually wrote about my reason for leaving this year and the reason I won't be taking part again.

You can read my post here.