Stephen King’s The Outsider has proven divisive with some fans, as it marries a lot of his more recent writing, specifically his work on the Mr. Mercedes trilogy (the first of which plays as a straight thriller), and his earlier work that delved into the supernatural. I knew going in that there would be a…
Category: The Book Shelf
Be More Leia & Be More Lando (2019) – Christian Blauvelt
Star Wars has long been an entertainment giant, but last year, under the ministrations of author Christian Blauvelt the much beloved series began to give life and work advice with the books Be More Vader and Be More Yoda from DK Canada, which by the way, made perfect stocking stuffers for the holidays (come one…
The Hunger (2018) – Alma Katsu
There is a sense of dread and menace that seems to ooze off the pages of Alma Katsu’s retelling of the haunting, and infamous Donner Party expedition. Everyone knows, or thinks they know the story, and Katsu uses that troubling knowledge and lets it hang over every page – you know each of the characters…
The Family Plot (2016) – Cherie Priest
Haunted house stories take a fine hand to craft and make them entertaining, believable, and scary. Cherie Priest accomplishes all of that with her superior horror novel, The Family Plot. Music City Salvage is barely staying afloat, and Charles Dutton the owner, risks everything to keep it afloat when he buys the Withrow house for…
The Troop (2014) – Nick Cutter
I’m continuing to venture through horror novel territory, and this week I was absolutely delighted, and then creeped and freaked out the further I got into it, to read The Troop by Canadian author Nick Cutter. Set on Falstaff island, a tiny little tuft of land just off the north shore of Prince Edward Island,…
Those Across the River (2011) – Christopher Buehlman
This week’s Book Shelf brings me another horror novel, this one from a list of scary books that I hadn’t read yet. Set after the end of the First World War, Orville Francis Nichols, and the young woman soon to be his wife, Eudora, move to a small town in Georgia, Whitbrow. A town that…
The Supernatural Enhancements (2014) – Edgar Cantero
So last week I delighted in Edgar Canteros’ wonderful Meddling Kids, and wasn’t sure it could be topped. Then, I dug into this week’s scary ride, Cantero’s The Supernatural Enhancements. I went into this story with the bare minimum of knowledge, I knew the tale was doled out in surveillance footage, diary entries, letters, audio…
Meddling Kids (2017) – Edgar Cantero
When I was a kid I loved reading the Hardy Boys (I could knock out a book in a day – which to me at the time was amazing, and I loved those little blue hardcover books). Between ages 11 and 12, I danced around the edges of things that could be interpreted as scary,…
A Head Full of Ghosts (2015) – Paul Tremblay
That ENDING! I dug into what is supposed to be one of the scariest books in recent years, and I’ll testify that it is a solid, well-crafted tale with some real scares, and lots of things to worry about. Meredith, Merry to her friends and family, is meeting with a writer who is looking to…
DK Canada at Fan Expo 2019
Every one who visits this site knows I’ve raved about the gorgeous collection of books that DK Canada has in their library, and I love that they are bringing their passionate love of pop culture with them with a wealth of boos to entertain all readers. There are a number of great books to be…
The Grip of It (2017) – Jac Jemc
I threw a google search into the system lately for best haunted house books, and scariest books and garnered a nice list of novels I would be keen to read, The Grip of It falls into the haunted house category and it’s a solid, and quick read. With a story that gets under your skin…
Horrorstor (2014) – Grady Hendrix
Grady Hendrix has quickly become one of my favorite writers, his ability to balance real and comedic moments with truly terrifying scares. So, when I came across his first novel, Horrorstor, I was delighted and snapped it right up, and couldn’t wait to dig into it. It did not disappoint. Finding that perfect balance between…
