Dear Readers, September was a great month. I went to two book signings, one with Alma Katsu, Becky Seigel Spratford, and Rachel Harrison at Parnassus Books. And I went to another book signing with Alex Segura and Dakota Brown at Chattanooga Comic Con.  I received a signed ARC copy of Widow’s Point from Richard Chizmar. I was able to read 10 books this month out of the 13 on my TBR.  I gave 3 five stars, 5 four stars, and 2 three stars. I read books 3 horror, 2 science fiction, 2 mystery/thriller, and 3 middle grades.  I have one book, Sunny by Jason Reynolds, that I am moving to my October TBR. The Keep and The Love Hypothesis, I plan to read in November. My October TBR is awesome with a couple of ARCs and lots of new horror.

Five Star Reviews:

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie is the ultimate book about people trapped on an island and being murdered. The story puts ten strangers on an island where a recording plays, calling them all out for murders they believe have been committed. The strangers all start dying the exact way a nursery rhyme counts down to none. The story is tension-filled as they learn they are the targets of a murderer, and it has to be one of them. And Then There Were None is somewhat similar to the show Survivor, as they start forming alliances and can’t truly trust anyone. The book is so great at establishing characters so quickly. The book has 10 people on the island, and they are all different. I was never confused about who was who. It just all makes sense. Once the first murder happens, the other people go so fast. The ending is one of the best. It floored me the first time I read it. Then, after it ends, we get the epilogue, which tells how it was all done.

The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King’s The Stand, edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene, is an epic anthology. The anthology has 34 short stories written by 36 authors. The book has the same heft and weight as The Stand. This book is divided into four parts: The Plague (the largest part), The Survivors – a month to a year after Captain Trips, The Survivors – After the events of The Stand, 5 to 20 years in the future, and The Legacy of The Stand. The stories in the last part are about the impact of The Stand. The book features short stories from a diverse group of authors with different backgrounds.
The stories in this book don’t just stick to America; we get stories in England, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Pakistan. The horror changes with each story, giving multiple sub-genres of horror. Some stories are surreal, erotic, spatterpunk, quiet, and introspective. The stories are all connected to The Stand, but vary in how much they are connected. The book has a great flow from start to finish. I did not like every story in this collection; the majority I did, and some have entered my list of best horror short stories.

Ghost by Jason Reynolds is an incredible middle grade book about running. The book compares running away and running to win. “The trouble is, you can’t run away from yourself.” – Coach. This quote encapsulates the book’s theme. Ghost can run fast, but he can’t outrun his problems. He will have to face them. This middle grade fiction blew me away. Ghost is the first book in a five-book series called the Track series. Ghost did not disappoint; it had levity and a realness that’s hard to define. I think it can be compared to Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give, but for slightly younger readers. It balances real horrific events with humor and lightness that comes from the family and friends. This novel is not about race issues. The book asks the question; does the neighborhood you live in define your character?

Four Star Reviews:

Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: A Halloween Horror Anthology edited by Stephanie Rose and William Sterling. This anthology was inspired by Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz. The stories stick mostly to a middle grade or teenage protagonist. The horror level is not too high, but it does get higher as you read. The majority of the stories stick to the middle grade horror, with only a couple dipping into Young Adult/Adult. I feel like this book is for children. These are children who watch Halloween, Friday the 13th, and Nightmare on Elm Street with their parents. But the book is also for the parents who let their kids watch horror movies. The book has some stories from more well known authors that were requested. It also includes open submission stories from newer authors. The authors that I knew and have read before knocked it out of the park like Brian McAuley, Clay McLeod Chapman, and William Sterling. The new authors I discovered and want to read more of are Renee Thomasin, J.A. Barrios, and V.S. Lawrence. The stories balance horror and humor very well, making this a very easy collection to read.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King is a hero’s journey with Supergirl. Supergirl wants to drink and celebrate her 21st birthday alone in a galaxy where no one knows her. But trouble seems to find her as she meets Ruthye, who is seeking an assassin for the man who killed her father. This starts a journey across multiple galaxies. This is my first solo Supergirl story, and I had a good time. I like that Supergirl is the reluctant hero, but we also get the story of Ruthye rising up to be the hero of her own story. The story at its core is about trauma and dealing with it. We get a fantastic backstory of Supergirl staying and surviving on Krypton after most of it is destroyed. Ruthye narrates the story from the future, reflecting on her adventure with Supergirl.

Wild Fire by Nelson DeMille is about a secret society that runs and influences America. They plot to make America start a nuclear war by launching the Wild Fire protocol. Wild Fire is book four in the John Corey series. John Cory is a retired police detective and current member of the Anti-Terrorist Task Force. John Corey is back to his wisecracking ways. Wild Fire has a wild plot and a great villain in Bain Maddox. Bain Maddox is an ultra-rich oil baron who is angry at 9/11 and wants to obliterate Islam. He has the political pull and backing to accomplish it, but at the price of millions of dead Americans, he can blame it on Islam. Bain Maddox is written with such confidence and arrogance that his persona feels as slick as his greased back hair. Maddox and Corey have some explosive scenes together as the two alpha personas duke it out.

Patina by Jason Reynolds is a middle grade novel about teenage life and its hurdles. It is no accident that Patina’s or Patty’s favorite track and field star, Jacqueline Joyner-Kersee, won the gold medal for the heptathlon, which included hurdles. I thought hurdles would be the event that the book would follow, but it is a relay race. Patty has issues working with others. She would rather do everything herself, but has to learn that she is stronger as a team. Teamwork and working together are big themes in the book. Patty will make sure her sister, Maddy, is taken care of before herself. She has to learn to trust that her Aunt Emily can take care of her sister. The family also has to work together to take care of Beverly, Patty’s mom, who has lost both legs to diabetes. The book does a great job of handling the tough subject of diabetes. It breaks down how diabetes can start and eventually progresses.

Star Wars – Poe Dameron: Free Fall by Alex Segura is a fun, angst-filled adventure all about Poe Dameron before he joined the New Republic. Poe Dameron is a rebel in every way. He rebels against his father, who wants to keep him safe. And he rebels against the Civilian Defense Force that wants to keep his A-wing grounded. When he finds an opportunity to join a group of smugglers trapped on Yavin 4, he rebels with them. The theme of the book is stepping outside of your parents’ shadow. As two characters figure out the person they want to be. The highest praise I can give this book is that the spaceship scenes reminded me of the Legends Era X-wing Star Wars novels. The character of Poe in this book fits in with the rebellious older character in Star Wars: Episodes 7-9. The book is fun and fast-paced, rarely dragging.

Three Star Reviews:

Miles Morales: Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds is a personal story about Miles Morales balancing being a teenager and helping people. His personal life seems to be falling apart as he is suspended from school and can’t talk to the girl he likes without being sick. He watched his Uncle Arron follow the wrong path and wondered if he was on it. Miles as Spider-Man is not easier with his spider-sense on the fritz and going off in class when there is no danger. Jason Reynolds is a fantastic writer for teens and tweens. He can tap into those fears we all had as kids. The book is not action-packed. Miles only suits up a couple of times as Spider-Man. He fights more personal demons than real ones. This book is not a great comic book adaptation for a Spider-Man story, but it is a great adaptation for the character of Miles Morales.

The Small Hours by Bob Pastorella is a modern retelling of Bram Stoker’s Dracula with some nuances. I think some characters worked very well, the Renfield, Quincy, the Brides, and Van Helsing. The others, Jonathan, Mina, Arthur, and Lucy, were too close to the Stoker version. They did not feel like characters but caricatures. I did not start liking Jay until I reached the last 3/4 of the story. He is the main character. Jay is modeled after Jonathan from Dracula. When Pastorella takes big swings like with the Van Helsing’s character, the story feels fresh and new.