Scan barcode
A review by mackenzi
101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered by Sadie Hartmann
fast-paced
2.0
I'm donning my Anton Ego persona today, because I found this disappointing and I feel like it goes to show how mediocre the bar is for online book reviews. This is just me getting some glee out of being a curmudgeon, so if you're here just for praise you can skip this review. I'll have to counter this dour review with some reviews of books I actually loved, to balance out my karma.
Here's a few of the things I disliked about this book:
1) Reading this via ebook and having to switch back and forth between the book reviews and the (frankly, kind of excessive) rating system key at the start was awkward. It would have been much smoother with a physical copy.
2) The weird self-congratulatory thing book lovers do really shines through in between the book reviews. I don't know why book lovers get like this, but I'm over the superiority complex and even a tiny bit of it rubs me the wrong way. I get it, you love books, you love horror, does this book just exist so we can pat ourselves on the back for that?
3) This book brings less to the table than if you were just reading this woman's goodreads page or following her social media. She is one of the most prolific horror reviewers on goodreads and her reviews are always at the top of the page. She's definitely rated more than 101 horror novels. The blurbs she writes in this book are about the same level as her goodreads reviews. There isn't deeper discussion or analysis, it's just a long list of book recs and some bullet point features like "atmospheric" or "serial killer" which you may or may not find accurate or useful.
4) Her taste is questionable. She isn't tapping in to what I find enjoyable in books, and she seems to be far less discerning with what she reads. Go check her reviews on goodreads, if she is raving about books you have found just okay, you may be in the same boat.
Overall this is a funny little list of book recs dressed up for a halloween party, but if you're actually searching for books to read, just follow Sadie on goodreads. Seriously, because then you'll get her updated recs, you'll get to read her quips and jokes for significantly more than just the books reviewed here, in addition to books she rates poorly, and it's about the same quality of writing.
Part of me wonders if this would have been a more interesting read if she'd given up on the angle of recommending essential books all horror lovers should read, and went with a more personal list of books that left an impression on her, books she thought reached amazing heights, took the time to discuss them a little more deeply. But it isn't, it's just a collection of Goodreads reviews.
Here's a few of the things I disliked about this book:
1) Reading this via ebook and having to switch back and forth between the book reviews and the (frankly, kind of excessive) rating system key at the start was awkward. It would have been much smoother with a physical copy.
2) The weird self-congratulatory thing book lovers do really shines through in between the book reviews. I don't know why book lovers get like this, but I'm over the superiority complex and even a tiny bit of it rubs me the wrong way. I get it, you love books, you love horror, does this book just exist so we can pat ourselves on the back for that?
3) This book brings less to the table than if you were just reading this woman's goodreads page or following her social media. She is one of the most prolific horror reviewers on goodreads and her reviews are always at the top of the page. She's definitely rated more than 101 horror novels. The blurbs she writes in this book are about the same level as her goodreads reviews. There isn't deeper discussion or analysis, it's just a long list of book recs and some bullet point features like "atmospheric" or "serial killer" which you may or may not find accurate or useful.
4) Her taste is questionable. She isn't tapping in to what I find enjoyable in books, and she seems to be far less discerning with what she reads. Go check her reviews on goodreads, if she is raving about books you have found just okay, you may be in the same boat.
Overall this is a funny little list of book recs dressed up for a halloween party, but if you're actually searching for books to read, just follow Sadie on goodreads. Seriously, because then you'll get her updated recs, you'll get to read her quips and jokes for significantly more than just the books reviewed here, in addition to books she rates poorly, and it's about the same quality of writing.
Part of me wonders if this would have been a more interesting read if she'd given up on the angle of recommending essential books all horror lovers should read, and went with a more personal list of books that left an impression on her, books she thought reached amazing heights, took the time to discuss them a little more deeply. But it isn't, it's just a collection of Goodreads reviews.