More Words About Books - We don't know when to stop...

October 3, 2021

Short Story Review – Double Dare by Serena Jayne

Double Dare by Serena Jayne is a modern twist on a classic horror formula. A person desecrates a grave, corpse, or some other artifact of a dead person that is part of their proper funeral rites. The person is then punished for this transgression, usually with some supernatural curse. In this story a therapist, who is in desperate need of...

Reviews/Short Story Reviews Comments: 0

October 2, 2021

Short Story Review – Darkness in August by Bentley Little

[Content Warning: Rape] There’s a kind of subgenre that crops up from time to time in short form horror fiction. I don’t know if it has a proper name, but I’m going to call it “Literary Fan Fiction.” I’m sure it happens in other genre fiction as well, but in horror there are a lot of stories in which a...

Reviews/Short Story Reviews Comments: 0

October 1, 2021

Short Story Review – The Wemategunis by James Edward O’Brien

The Wemategunis is a story about a creature from Native American folklore (pronounced: weh-mah-teh-guh-neese) that struck me as being similar to the huldufólk from Icelandic folklore. Our main character, Otto, is desperate to be rid of a supernatural entity that has been lurking in his apartment at night. The story skips over the traditional horror trope of a modern intellectual...

Reviews/Short Story Reviews Comments: 0

August 7, 2021

Ben’s Goodreads Review of The Wrack by John Bierce

The Wrack by John Bierce My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year. I also completely understand why this book seems not to have worked for many of my fellow reviewers. It’s not a traditional narrative with characters who have arcs. The main focus of the book is The Wrack,...

Reviews Comments: 0

July 19, 2021

The Letters of Tolkien

I recently read The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. I did a Goodreads review of the book that may help a fan of Lord of the Rings, or even just someone who is curious about Tolkien, decide if the book is for them or not. On the blog, I wanted to talk a little more about how the book made me...

Reviews/Thoughts Comments: 0

June 29, 2021

Ben’s Goodreads Review of Sandkings by George RR Martin

Sandkings by George R.R. Martin My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is one of my favorite George R. R. Martin short stories/novellas. It’s done in the style of a typical Twilight Zone episode, which is no coincidence as Martin worked on an iteration of that show as well. What really sells the story for me is the concept of...

Reviews Comments: 0

June 27, 2021

Ben’s Goodreads Review of Ghost Hunters Adventure Club

Ghost Hunters Adventure Club and the Secret of the Grande Chateau by Cecil H.H. Mills My rating: 4 of 5 stars Literary juggernaut, Dr. Cecil H.H. Mills has made a transition into young adult literature that is delightful as it is surprising. Many thought that the failure of his magnum opus “Cerberus, From on High” would be a career ender,...

Reviews Comments: 0

June 23, 2021

Ben’s Goodreads Review of Promise of Blood

Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan My rating: 3 of 5 stars There’s some interesting things going on in this book, but ultimately it is not my thing. I’ll admit a slight bias here in that I have never liked a book where the narrative and prose take a back seat to the magic system. I’d happily play an RPG...

Reviews Comments: 0

June 12, 2021

Ben’s Book Review Philosophy

Goodreads and 5-star Ratings First, let’s talk about the “Goodreads problem.” Goodreads is a troubled site that most of its active user base hates. The technology and design of the site are outdated. There are numerous bots and hacked accounts that go around liking posts in an effort to get you to click on their shady, shortened urls. In a...

More Words/Reviews Comments: 0

May 23, 2021

Shocking Scenes: How Far Is too Far?

Editing your own podcast can be an introspective experience. We record Words About Books episodes much faster than we can edit them. Often, enough time passes between recording and editing that I will have forgotten which points we brought up. I definitely do not remember what exactly I said. It may interest listeners to know that Nate does not share...

More Words Comment: 1