Big Book Haul: I went big with my Pennsylvania book haul. I took advantage of going to a bookstore owned my authors to get their books signed. I spent a lot more than usual but I got to support a nice independent bookstore that specializes in horror. I got 21 books for a total of 107.45. I went to three stores Vortex Books and Comics in Columbia, PA the store is ran by horror writers Brian Keene and Mary SanGiovanni. Then I went to the Goodwill in Mount Joy, and went to Mount Joy Gift &Thrift.     

Book Haul Breakdown starting from top to bottom starting with left to right:

The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly is the second book in The Lincoln Lawyer series. This book is what the first season of the Lincoln Lawyer is based on. I have only read the first book in the Lincoln Lawyer series. I have not read it for my blog. So plan to read the whole series eventually. I did start reading the Harry Bosch Universe Series that includes The Lincoln Lawyer series.  I’m on book 12 out of 40, and The Brass Verdict is 19 in that series.

Then Again, Maybe I Won’t by Judy Blume is about Tony a young boy whose life is uprooted when his father strikes it rich and he has to adjust along with his family. I read Are You There God? It’s Me, Margret a year ago and had a great discussion.  I only knew Judy Blume from Superfudge, so it has been fun rediscovering her. There is a fantastic documentary Judy Blume Forever that made me want to read her whole collection.

Blubber By Judy Blume is about Linda, a girl that is bigger, during a report on Whales the nickname starts. The story is told not from the bullied perspective but from Jill’s. Jill unwillingly bullies Linda when a note she couldn’t care less about gets passed around school. Jill tries to call out how bad this is then starts to get bullied herself. The book digs in to the cycle of bullies.

Deenie by Judy Blume is about a girl that has scoliosis and has to where a back brace to school. She is supposed to where it for four years maybe longer. The book is about that awkward stage of life heighten by the back brace.

The Keep by F. Paul Wilson is a vampire tale set in a small castle the Transylvanian Alps during World War II. An elite Nazi SS extermination squad is dispatched but every night a victim is found bloodless. The Nazi’s bring a Jewish folklore answers. Two evils will me one of man and the other of the devil. Which one will survive?

The Complex by Brian Keene is about an apartment building on the poor side of town. The occupants are all unique, a suicidal horror author, a serial killer, a Vietnam veteran, a trans woman, a cat lady, a single mother, and newlyweds. Have their building invaded by a horde from hell. They will have to band together to fight.

Savage Woods by Mary SanGiovanni is about Nilhollow a haunted woods with tales of tree sprits and forest gods. Julia is on the run from her violent ex-boyfriend who runs her off the road her only escape is the woods. Peter a State Trooper is on a mission to find Julia.

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware is about Lo Blacklock. She is a journalist for a travel magazine and gets a ticket on the Aurora luxury cruise ship. The trip is pleasant at first. However, on a dark stormy night, she watches a woman get thrown overboard. The problem is all passengers are accounted for. Is she going crazy? Or is there a mystery that only she can solve?  The Woman in Cabin 10 will be a reread for me I read it before I had the blog. I remember liking it but thought the mystery was solved too early. The woman in Cabin 10 is soon to be a mini series on Netflix starring Keira Knightly with a stellar supporting cast.  The book also just got a sequel called The Women in Suite 11 that was released on July 8^th.

The Nix by Nathan Hill is about a man that has not seen his mother since she abandoned the family when he was a boy.  Now she is in the news for throwing a gavel at a politician. Due to her radical hippie past, she is seen as a violent criminal. The son is a failed writer. He knew nothing of his mother’s past. He wants to write a book about the woman he thought he knew. And see if he can find a way to redeem her. I have heard this book is very good. It is extremely detailed. This makes it a bit of a slow read, but worth it.

Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahnuik is about a former model who has a car accident and is horribly disfigured and incapable of speech. So now she is invisible. She befriends a Trans woman who is one operation from being a woman. They go on a road trip. They want to get revenge on her former best friend. This former friend ran away with her ex-boyfriend after the accident. Invisible Monsters will be a reread for me. Palahnuik’s writing is no holds bar It has been over 20 years since I read the book looking forward to rereading Invisible Monsters.

Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson is a memoir filled with humor and tragedy. Lawson has severe depression and writes about her triumphs and tribulations. I have had my bouts with depression looking forward to reading this one. The blurbs are hilarious.

The End of The World as We Know It: Anthology Edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene is a series of short stories set in the world of Stephen King’s The Stand. The book feature 34 stories from 36 authors. This book was the whole reason I went to Philadelphia. The book launch was held at Brian Keene’s Store Vortex Books and Comics. Which was special since he was one half of the editing team. I’m a quarter of the way through and every story has been top notch. The authors are putting everything in to this book and the stories.

The Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child is the seventh book in the Pendergast series. I have read book 1 Relic that I loved. I always wanted to read this series. This is the sequel to Dance of Death that I do not own. Don’t want to know too much of the plot. I been collecting a couple books in the series for a future series read.

Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds is the first book in the Revelation Space series. This book is Alastair Reynolds debut. I have heard great stuff about his writing. He plot of Revelation Space is 900,000 years ago the population of Amarantin was wiped out. Now humans are settling on the homeworld. Dan a scientist wants to know the reason the population was wiped out. Was there a reason or is there a treat that still exist?

The Collection by Bentley Little is a collection of horror short stories. When I was first getting into to horror, this book was a gateway. There is one story called The Washingtonians that has haunted me. The story is about a secret society that follow a secret history that George Washington was a cannibal during the Revolutionary War. The secret society has wooden teeth and still practice cannibalism and keep the secret. I love that story and want to share it with my father-in-law.

The Revelation by Bentley Little is about a preacher spreading the events of cataclysmic events, and then they start happening in the small town of Randall, Arizona. The local minister has disappeared. His church walls have graffiti scrawled in blood. A woman in her 80s becomes pregnant, and herds of animals are found butchered in a field. This novel won the Bram Stoker award for best new novel.

The Conqueror Worms by Brian Keene is a horror story about flood waters rising, making people think this is the end of the world. But the worst part is what the soaking water brought up… Giant earthworms that want to conquer. This book seems like a fun monster match up that enters in to Lovecraftian territory. When I read another Keene this will be the book I pick up.

City of the Dead by Brian Keene is the sequel to the Rising. Where a group of survivors trapped inside a skyscraper must survive a zombie apocalypse. I have not read The Rising yet but will read that before the year’s over.

Deadlands: Ghostwalkers by Jonathan Maberry is a story based on the RPG game. I was told I don’t have to play the game to understand the story. I like Jonathan Maberry as a person first then as an author. I was a fan of his podcast Three Guys with Beards. I love the concept of the weird western and this book is supposed to get weird.  Ghostwalkers is the first of 3 Deadlands books.

Legacies by F. Paul Wilson is the second book in the Repairman Jack series.  The first book is the Tomb. The series is 16 books and three prequel books. Legacies is about a haunted house that a doctor inherits and wants raised. She goes to Repairman Jack who fixes situations. But the house holds deadly secrets that everyone in the family doe not want raised.   

The Touch by F. Paul Wilson is the third book in the Adversary Cycle series. The story is about a Dr. Bulmer. He realizes he has a touch that cures any illness by a touch of the hand. He tries to hide the power but it leaks out and his life starts to fall apart. Ba, a Vietnamese man, has scene this power before in is homeland. He knows this type of power comes with a price.