Good morning, my fellow book enthusiasts!
For those of you who’ve been following me, it’s been quite a while since I ventured into the Friday 56, graciously hosted every week by My Head Full of Books. And to the few loyal readers from my now-retired Gunsmoke & Grit blog, you know I've been sharing snippets of Western tales over the past few months. That was until I decided to merge the two realms into a cohesive weekly post here, starting with today's 56 and tomorrow with a Gunsmoke & Grit review that blends Western and horror—a delightful concoction, I’d say. Why the shift, you ask? Well, let's just say, the technical gremlins of the internet had their fun with me. Google decided to deny my sitemap like a bouncer at an exclusive club, throwing out security warnings as if my website were hosting illegal downloads. After a whirlwind of what felt like technical gibberish beyond my understanding, everything sorted itself out. And, to top it off, I’d been entertaining a mere five or six regular readers. So, I decided to publish all my "lost" reviews here, and much to my surprise, a few old posts suddenly surged past 100 views almost overnight. Talk about an awakening! Lesson learned: Setting up a second blog was probably a misguided adventure from the start.
Now, let’s get to the heart of the matter—the highlight that brings you here each week for the Friday 56. It might raise a few eyebrows, but I’m diving into a British horror novel titled Sealed, penned by Naomi Booth. I stumbled upon it at Dollar Tree back when a dollar still bought a book—how quaint that seems now! Unfortunately, my local store has since cut its book supply, which should honestly be against the law. My copy has been gathering dust on my "to-read someday" shelf, but with the impending October event I lovingly call 31 Reads of Terror, it’s the perfect time to dust it off. This sister event to my former post series, The Midnight Horror, is making a comeback for 31 days of spine-tingling reads. If it garners enough interest, who knows? I might resurrect it into a regular feature once more.
The cover of Sealed gives off eerie vibes that remind me of Rosemary's Baby, and while the protagonist is indeed pregnant, the plot veers sharply into unique territory. Alice, along with her partner Pete, escapes the chaos of a city plagued by a skin-sealing epidemic, retreating to a remote mountain house. Talk about a chilling premise! I’m already on board—horrifying and intriguing? Count me in.
But this is what I don't get: when real evidence begins to emerge, people seem less terrified.
Now that’s food for thought. So, dear readers, do you indulge in horror novels? What kinds of books do you dive into as the leaves turn and October creeps in?
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It’s the witching hour, or perhaps a bit past, and I find myself fighting the urge to surrender to sleep as I tap away at this keyboard. My eyelids droop like heavy curtains, and I can hardly remember if I just posted a comment on somebody’s 56th post—or worse, if I mixed up my thoughts entirely and sent a jumbled mess into the ether. Picture it: a series of comments, strung together in a sleep-addled haze, all double-checked by a spell check system that might as well be half-asleep itself. I can assure you, the right thing was said in the end, though! The last comment I sent was, in fact, the proper response. It’s a little like trying to recount a dream; you know there was something brilliant in there, but it feels just out of reach. Anyway, please accept my apologies for this late-night confusion. I promise this won’t become a habit—it’s just a side effect of being awake when the rest of the world is in slumber.
ReplyDeleteExcellent quote. "When real evident" "Less terrified." I should say in this day and age when real information not that made-up mumbo jumbo, people stop being so horrified all the time.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it's working out better to stick to one blog.
ReplyDelete