Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop!

This Week's Prompt:

If you could retell a Halloween story or trope from a fresh angle, what would you choose and why?

My Answer:

Is a haunted house considered a trope? There are many haunted house novels, especially in the last few years, and unfortunately, I've found most of them disappointing and poorly written. These stories lack a haunting atmosphere. The house should be the main character, while the occupants serve as well-developed secondary characters. 

Another issue with modern haunted-house stories is that the occupants often fall into stereotypes and rely on predictable horror clichés. To bring a fresh perspective to such a story, the characters need to be realistic, flawed, and distinct from one another. Regardless of the time period setting, the haunted house should have a Gothic, vivid atmosphere that makes it feel alive.

I feel disheartened by how the "powers that be" have orchestrated the 60th Anniversary of Star Trek. The celebration has been lackluster at best, but one half-shining beacon amid this cosmic dusk is David Mack's latest novel for Gallery Books, Star Trek: Echoes of Eternity. Mack isn’t a novice in the Star Trek realm; he’s carved out a respectable niche, and I genuinely hope this isn’t his last sojourn into the Trek universe. He stands out as one of the better modern Trek writers, though I hesitate to call him the best.

Why do I reserve that honor? Mack has a penchant for indulging in Trek techno-babble, occasionally meandering into hard science fiction territories. At times, it feels as if I’ve slipped into a different franchise altogether, leaving me grappling with the unsettling sense of having read something intended for an audience with a PhD in astrophysics. Still, there’s an undeniable creativity in his plots, complex enough to hold my attention without descending into the abyss of incomprehensibility.

There’s an alarming trend in recent Star Trek novels: the rampant overuse of multiple timelines and settings. My disdain for this narrative device runs deep, unless, of course, the author has a damn good reason. Enter Echoes of Eternity. When I discovered it was set in three distinct eras, I braced for the chaos of back-and-forth timelines. However, to my surprise, Mack organizes the novel into three coherent sections. Part One, 2266: The Valley of Dying Stars, swings into action following the classic Enterprise clash against a cloaked Romulan bird-of-prey in the unforgettable TOS episode, Balance of Terror. Part Two, 2277: Death’s Dream Kingdom, captures the end of James Kirk’s second five-year mission aboard the newly refit Motion Picture-era Enterprise, while Part Three, 2292: The Memory of Time, unfolds aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-A, set six years past Kirk’s son David’s death and one year before the assassination of Klingon Chancellor Gorkon from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. All three eras orbit the desolate KX-1, a mysterious world accessible only during brief intervals across years, caught in the gravitational embrace of two black holes. Thus, Kirk and his crew stumble upon a derelict starship, a quest tangled with urgency as Romulans close in to lay claim to its secrets.

Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop!

This Week's Prompt:

What’s the creepiest book you’ve read that isn’t officially horror, but gave you chills?

My Answer:

The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson is often labeled as a horror story, but technically, it doesn't fit that genre. When it was published in 1977, it was marketed as "nonfiction," which is notable due to the numerous disputes surrounding the alleged haunting experienced by the Lutz family during their 28 days in the house at 112 Ocean Avenue. The book contains many factual errors, which can be attributed to both the author and the editor. So, why is it the creepiest non-horror book I’ve ever read? I first read it shortly after watching the 1979 film in the early 1990s when I was young. At that time, I believed the haunting was real, which made the reading experience quite unsettling for me.

Happy Friday, fellow readers!

This week's book pick is the new horror thriller Killing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar, the final book in the Boogeyman trilogy. Sometime or another, I read the other two books, Chasing the Boogeyman and Becoming the Boogeyman, and you can find the reviews somewhere on this blog. 

Note: The Friday Book Snippet is hosted by Anne @ My Head is Full of Books and Olivia @ Bemused and Bookish.

Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop!

This Week's Prompt:

If you designed a book-themed escape room, what puzzles would it include?

My Answer:

I've never participated in an escape room, so I don't exactly know what puzzles are included. Perhaps there could be a book-themed jigsaw puzzle that reveals a word code when completed, which then unlocks something else in the room.

Happy Friday, fellow readers!

I am currently reading the new book Star Trek: Echoes in Eternity by David Mack, which Gallery Books kindly sent me. During a recent blackout caused by a wind-driven thunderstorm, I managed to read about 30 pages using a flashlight. I picked the book back up yesterday and have now reached Chapter Six. 

Echoes in Eternity is a 60th Anniversary novel for the Star Trek franchise. It's divided into three parts, each set in a different era: Part One takes place in 2266, Part Two in 2277, and Part Three in 2292. The story begins aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise 1701 from The Original Series, then moves on to the refitted Starship Enterprise from the Motion Picture era, and concludes aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-A. All three timelines are connected to the barren world of KX-1, which can only be accessed during brief intervals many years apart, due to its complex orbit between two black holes. Additionally, there are some Romulans involved in the story.

Note: The Friday Book Snippet is hosted by Anne @ My Head is Full of Books and Olivia @ Bemused and Bookish.

I recently read Fights Worth Fighting: Finding Strength in Struggle by Dolph Lundgren (co-written by Robert Greenfield). For those who might not know, Lundgren is best recognized for his role as Ivan Drago, the Russian boxer in Rocky IV (1985), with a comeback in Creed II (2018). His filmography doesn’t stop there: he was the heroic He-Man in Masters of the Universe (1987), faced off against Jean-Claude Van Damme in Universal Soldier (1992), donned the title role in The Punisher (1989), and appeared in the Expendables franchise, not to mention a slew of low-budget action flicks. Let’s not forget his curious turns in those CGI-heavy Aquaman movies. To say I’ve been a fan since childhood would be an understatement.

In 2023, Lundgren made headlines announcing he’d been grappling with kidney cancer since 2015. Given the memoir’s title, Fights Worth Fighting, I naturally anticipated a deep emotional look into this harrowing battle. How wrong I was! We simply graze the surface in a brief mention in the prologue, with cancer barely resurfacing in the final two chapters. It's a definite letdown for readers looking for an introspective reflection on that struggle.

The narration comes off a bit snarky, bordering on two-dimensional, which is perplexing for a memoir. Lundgren, a man with a master's degree in chemical engineering, showcases surprising limits in his writing skills. It raises the question: Did co-author Robert Greenfield, only mentioned in the acknowledgments, have a hand in this? Or was it simply a rushed affair, a hasty edit, leaving us with a half-baked look at a complex life? I wasn’t expecting a literary masterpiece, but I longed for more depth in Lundgren's storytelling.

Like many, he wrestles with childhood trauma, stemming primarily from an abusive father. Though he avoids detailing this agony explicitly, he does open up about his tumultuous on-and-off relationship with Grace Jones, who was clearly a source of turmoil and toxicity in his life. Ironically, this relationship receives far more page time than his health struggles.

Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop!

This Week's Prompt:

Do you run more than one blog? If so, how do you manage your time?

My Answer:

I briefly tried to run a second blog focused on Western fiction, but it became too overwhelming. I eventually moved all the review posts here and deleted the other blog.

As October casts its eerie spell, I found myself reading a book that tiptoes between horror and Western: The Gunsmith: Skinwalker, the 497th installment, written by Marcus Pelegrimas under the pseudonym J.R. Roberts. Speaking Volumes, LLC publishes it. Within a few pages, I discovered it wasn’t just the usual shootouts and saloon brawls; instead, it beckoned readers into the depths of Navajo lore and the horrifying mythology surrounding the Skinwalker, or yee naaldlooshii, a shapeshifter feared across the land.

Our protagonist, Clint Adams, the eponymous Gunsmith, straddles the line between fate and misfortune. He stumbles upon Joe, a near-dead man uttering frantic tales of a creature that isn’t just a man or beast. Clint's instinct kicks in, and he swiftly hauls Joe to Wayland Pass, a town he's reluctantly revisited, where he finds both familiarity and a sizzle of passion with an old flame, Stormy.

What I anticipated as a red herring turns out to be a harrowing reality: Clint encounters the Skinwalker firsthand, an entity that evokes gruesome horrors: half-werewolf, half-human, all-nightmare. Teaming up with the locals, Clem and his nephew, Seth, Clint journeys into Navajo land, seeking wisdom to confront this supernatural menace before it claims more innocent lives.

Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop!

This Week's Prompt:

As a book lover, what’s your biggest fear?

My Answer:

My biggest fear is that big-box stores like Walmart and Target will phase out physical books. I live in a small town with no real bookstores, just a Walmart and a few dollar stores. Recently, the Walmart here has significantly reduced its book section, and they rarely restock the selection. There are two other Walmarts in separate counties, both with much larger book sections. I worry that these two Walmarts will also shrink their book offerings. While I can order books online, I prefer to browse and look over a book before buying it, especially if I’m not already familiar with the author. 

Happy Friday, fellow readers!

This week for my Friday Book Snippets (hosted by Anne @ My Head is Full of Books and Olivia @ Bemused and Bookish), I’m featuring the 1932 Western novel Fighting Blood by Gordon Young (1886-1948). While browsing for books at my local library, I received a tip that they had more Westerns available in the large-print section, which led me to discover Fighting Blood. I recognized the author’s name, and upon researching for this write-up, I was surprised to find that Gordon Young was born in the same county where I live.

When did horror films truly become part of the cultural landscape? I still fondly remember my initiation into the art of fear at the tender age of seven, back in the late '80s. I was fortunate to have a grandmother who babysat me, but her idea of child-friendly entertainment was slightly askew: horror flicks. Those images of suspense and terror were akin to adult films; they lived in a realm way above what was suitable for children. My classmates and teachers reacted to my fascination like I was discussing the finer points of those films; the looks on their faces suggested they thought I was a budding psychopath.

If I had to pinpoint a moment when horror transitioned from the fringes to the forefront of American pop culture, I’d wager on 1996 with the release of Scream. Wes Craven’s clever and self-referential take on the slasher genre opened the floodgates. Suddenly, it seemed like everyone was talking about horror, and the genre found itself firmly in mainstream conversations.

My own journey through horror took a circuitous route, particularly with the Evil Dead franchise. It wasn't until I stumbled upon Army of Darkness airing on the Sci-Fi Channel (which they bizarrely rebranded as SYFY). Bruce Campbell’s cheeky charm was familiar, as I had seen him in the delightful The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. The TV edit of Army of Darkness was a pale imitation of the rated R version, but even that watered-down experience was a hoot.

Little did I know that I was getting into the third act of a saga that had a devoted fanbase. After some sleuthing through TV Guide, I realized I needed to backtrack and find the earlier installments. My then-teen self wandered into a Best Buy. Remember when they actually sold physical media? I bought Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness on VHS, all while sporting a convincing older-than-seventeen facade. Somehow, the video store folks didn’t bat an eye when I rented Evil Dead, either.

Years later, Halloween rolled around, and I spotted Evil Dead on a Walmart shelf. It was also a coincidence that I ran into a couple of classmates who shot me a look that screamed, “Weirdo!” for perusing the horror section. Some things never change, I suppose.

Happy Friday Saturday, fellow readers!

I apologize for being a day late with this post, but I have a good reason. I initially had a Friday Book Snippets (hosted by Anne @ My Head is Full of Books and Olivia @ Bemused and Bookish) post ready featuring a library loan title, so I decided to delay it for a week because I knew I would be receiving a review copy of Dolph Lundgren's new memoir, Fights Worth Fighting: Finding Strength in Struggle, courtesy of Harper Horizon. The book arrived late on Friday afternoon. To my surprise, the publicist also included an unrequested copy of Idle in Provence: A History of Thyme by Eric Idle.

For those who may not know, Dolph Lundgren is an actor best known for his roles as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV (1985) and Creed II (2018), as well as He-Man in 1987's Masters of the Universe and Gunner Jensen in The Expendables franchise. Lundgren announced in 2023 that he has been battling kidney cancer since 2015, which is the inspiration for the memoir's title and likely its main subject. According to the blurb on the book's jacket, Lundgren discusses his upbringing in Sweden, his journey from a chemical engineering student to a martial arts champion, and his eventual transformation into an international movie star.