In the Mad Mountains: Stories Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft

by

Joe R. Lansdale 

Awesome entertainment, just in time for spooky season. 

In the Mad Mountains: Stories Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft is a collection of shorter works by master storyteller Joe R. Lansdale, and its theme and publication couldn’t have happened at a better time – the start of spooky season. The stories, inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft and influenced by several other giants of genre fiction, present a lot of variety while still landing squarely in the realm of Creepy and heading straight toward the Land of Aw-hell-no! They are wonderful. 

Each of Lansdale’s stories is a fully developed, self-contained world in itself. The storytelling is immersive, and each takes on its own distinct voice and style to accomplish this. They don’t come across as Joe R. Lansdale just telling story after story (although that’s exactly what they are) but uniquely crafted singular gems. Some are longer than others, almost novella length, yet still remain lean and compact. Some build on characters created by others, as in “Dread Island,” which features Huck Finn, Jim, Tom Sawyer, and Becky Thatcher from the Mark Twain novels, Brer Rabbit and friends from Uncle Remus’s folktales, and even Captain Hook from J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. However, historical figures make surprise cameos as well. I enjoyed finding these literary Easter Eggs. Lansdale even puts his own “Deadwood meets Cthulhu” character, Reverend Jebediah Mercer, through his paces in “The Crawling Sky.” 

Much like with last year’s Things Get Ugly: The Best Crime Fiction of Joe R. Lansdale, as I read each selection, I couldn’t help but compile a mental list of family and friends who would also enjoy them. It’s a collection made for talking about and sharing. 

I recommend IN THE MAD MOUNTAIN: STORIES INSPIRED BY H.P. LOVECRAFT to horror short story readers. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Book Blog Tours.

Salvador Dalí

A Little People, BIG DREAMS book

by

Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

illustrated by Mariona Tolosa Sisteré

Simple yet vividly illustrated, capturing the artist’s eccentric life and groundbreaking work. 

SALVADOR DALÍ (Little People, BIG DREAMS) is a new children’s picture book by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and illustrated by Mariona Tolosa Sisteré that portrays the life and work of famed Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí. While aimed at children, older readers curious about the man who created the iconic “melting clocks painting,” The Persistence of Memory, would get a clear and basic introduction and perhaps be tempted to delve further; it’s that enticing! 

Vegara tells about the man’s indulgent upbringing and his fascination with the Surrealist movement during the 1930s in Paris and concisely conveys the concept behind his art: consciousness vs. unconscious. Thoroughly enjoyable! 

I recommend SALVADOR DALÍ (Little People, BIG DREAMS) to elementary-aged readers (and curious elders) with an interest in art, artists, or just that fascinating clock painting. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy via Netgalley.

Hollow Out the Dark

by

James Wade

Gritty, genuine, historical crime fiction set in Depression-Era East Texas.

War hero Jess Cole is trying to make ends meet the best he can, including taking on his deceased brother’s widow and daughter and looking out for his best friend who’s gotten crosswise with the local bad guys, the Fenley brothers. Texas Ranger Amon Atkins has brought his small family to the small town of Enoch, Texas, as he investigates a murder tied to the Fenleys. It’s the midst of the Depression and Prohibition is on the outs. Still, times are getting dangerously difficult for everyone. And, when the last avenue of legitimate work, the local mill, closes, the local whiskey, gambling, and enforcement activities may offer the only source of salvation to good men needing to feed their families. 

Hollow Out the Dark by James Wade is a complex and compelling crime fiction novel set during the Depression, near the end of Prohibition, in sparsely populated deep East Texas. With its genuine characters, desperate storylines, and atmospheric setting, readers will feel transported almost 100 years into the past. 

I was immediately absorbed by this story and one of the first aspects that made this happen for me was that every character read like they were a real person, many of whom felt familiar and personally known. Their words, the cadence of the language, the small bits of humor, and the fears all combined to create a feeling that these were genuine people. For the most part these are sturdy people, toughened by life and circumstance. The men are hard, products of short childhoods and early responsibility. You had to be tough to last into adulthood and tougher still to stick around long enough to get old. Or someone really had to be looking out for you. 

The author gives us some truly evil characters, and the good guys are forced to choose between compromising their integrity and ideals or risking everything or everyone they love: impossible situations with impossible choices. But how far will good men go to protect those they love or do what needs doing? And at what cost? 

The action takes place in an atmospheric rural setting and small town in East Texas, small because most of the population is spread out over the surrounding farmed as well as unfarmable land. While everyone knows everyone else and their business, neighbors aren’t right next door, making it the perfect location for bootlegging and other activities that don’t suffer an audience well. The Depression comes alive in this story and just when you think the hard times can’t get any harder, they do. The plot twists were sudden and often shocking. 

I recommend HOLLOW OUT THE DARK for readers of historical crime fiction, especially those who would enjoy an East Texas or Depression Era setting. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Book Blog Tours.

Monster Movie!

by

Chuck Wendig

A great mix of bad dreams and self-discovery. 

Sixth-grader Ethan Pitowski, the only child of very cautious parents, has taken on their anxiety and fearfulness (about everything), overthinking each and every daily movement and decision until he’s almost paralyzed from actually living. When his two best friends run into trouble at a clandestine house party thrown by the most popular kid in class, he must overcome his fears to save them. Readers will enjoy his lively inner monologue and pep talks in which he convinces himself to forge on as everyone else around him is losing their heads. 

Monster Movie! by Chuck Wendig, a new upper middle-grade horror story, is a great mix of bad dreams and self-discovery. While eluding a horrifying TV-headed monster, the product of a cursed videotape of the “SCARIEST MOVIE EVER MADE,” the main character’s greater challenge is overcoming his fears to be himself (and save his friends and family in the meantime.) This unusual monster tale was mesmerizing, hitting many universal fears, some from daily life and others from the horror film genre, and I could easily relate to the young protagonist’s struggles easily relatable. 

The monster of the story is a large, older-model television set that moves about on spindly, insectile legs. The television’s screen changes from a blue screen to white crackly static to an enormous eye to a maw that bloodlessly removes the heads of its hypnotized victims: nightmarish images, perhaps, for more sensitive younger readers. Besides the frighteningly unstoppable monster, there is a villainous movie theater manager behind the monster’s release into Ethan’s community to best. The plot includes exciting rescues and escapes, movie-making action, and facing and overcoming one’s fears, and while scary, the story is easy and engaging to read. Thumbs up as a possible choice to entice reluctant readers. 

I recommend MONSTER MOVIE! to upper middle-grade readers who enjoy scary stories. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy through TBR and Beyond Book Tours.

The Starlight Motel

by

Amy Craig 

The storyline alternates between sweet and spicy for a perfect blend of love, romance, and desire.

The Starlight Motel is a wonderful new contemporary romance from the talented pen of author Amy Craig. The storyline alternates between sweet and spicy for a perfect blend of love, romance, and desire. I easily sank into its warm holiday and vacation vibe for a relaxing evening of reading and relaxing with my feet up. 

Kada Ritchie is the strong, independent main character who has taken on the responsibility of running her family’s Palm Springs motel after the death of her grandfather. She is constantly pulled in one direction and another, dealing with guest and staff issues. Still, after the lights go out for the night, she turns to her true vocation: creating murals of the surrounding natural environment on the walls of the motel casitas. A trained artist and muralist, Kada has put her career and life on hold to keep the motel going until her grieving mother can step up and take her rightful place at the helm. However, a year has passed, and a grant with a deadline is waiting, and Kada is ready to return to her life in L.A. 

While local commercial farmer Dane Palmer can usually be described as the strong, silent type, he can hardly keep his words from tumbling out of his mouth when he is around Kada. He’s smitten, and he can tell she feels the same, but it takes their mutual love for animals and the rescue of an abandoned and very pregnant pitbull in the foothills of the mountains to get their feelings out in the open. The chemistry between these two is off the charts. I enjoyed their back and forth and the tentativeness of their early attraction, which quickly ignited into a passion. 

The plot goes from sweet to spicy and back again as they work through their feelings and where their relationship is headed. In addition to the tantalizing storyline, the author develops an enchanting setting in the Coachella Valley for the fun, quirky, but thriving desert motel outside Palm Springs. There are wonderful descriptions of the beauty of the valley, desert, foothills, and nearby mountain ranges that work in brief but enlightening tidbits of information about the flora, fauna, and formation of the natural landscape for color. The pictures that are painted are so vivid you’ll think you’re in the passenger seat of Grandpa’s vintage truck, riding with the windows down and the wind in your hair. 

I recommend THE STARLIGHT MOTEL for readers of contemporary romance. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.