Scan barcode
leeglenwright's reviews
53 reviews
Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Burner by Robert Ford
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
I'm still processing this one, a day after finishing it.
It's not very often I use a (possibly made up) word like 'unputdownable' to describe a book, but Bob Ford's Burner warrants my breaking out such a description. The chapters are brief, each leading to the next, drawing the reader to the inexorable conclusion. Yes, the subject matter is grim, but so, all too often is real life. Burner concerns itself not with boogeymen, or fictional, mystical beings, but with genuine human evil. The willingness to turn a blind eye until that evil is on our own doorstep is examined herein, as is the truth that all too often, the worst kinds of depravity hide in plain sight.
Unforgettable.
It's not very often I use a (possibly made up) word like 'unputdownable' to describe a book, but Bob Ford's Burner warrants my breaking out such a description. The chapters are brief, each leading to the next, drawing the reader to the inexorable conclusion. Yes, the subject matter is grim, but so, all too often is real life. Burner concerns itself not with boogeymen, or fictional, mystical beings, but with genuine human evil. The willingness to turn a blind eye until that evil is on our own doorstep is examined herein, as is the truth that all too often, the worst kinds of depravity hide in plain sight.
Unforgettable.
Nightmare Movies: Horror on Screen Since the 1960s by Kim Newman, Dennis Etchison
medium-paced
5.0
Still the authority on nightmarish (not just horror - it goes beyond that), movies, Kim Newman expands upon his original definitive volume with the same enthusiastic insight, wit, and seemingly endless genre knowledge. Essential reading for anyone with an interest in the genre.
Girl Like a Bomb by Autumn Christian
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
SCATTER by Mindy Macfarlane
dark
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Short version: Scatter, by Mindy MacFarlane drew me in.
Slightly longer version: With lean prose that at times - to me at least - showed almost Ketchum-like leanings, with nothing there that didn't need to be. Utilising dreamlike, metaphor and sometimes fragmented imagery, MacFarlane's writing evokes an almost hallucinogenic deconstruction of grief and loss. Scatter marks Mindy MacFarlane as someone to watch out for.
Slightly longer version: With lean prose that at times - to me at least - showed almost Ketchum-like leanings, with nothing there that didn't need to be. Utilising dreamlike, metaphor and sometimes fragmented imagery, MacFarlane's writing evokes an almost hallucinogenic deconstruction of grief and loss. Scatter marks Mindy MacFarlane as someone to watch out for.
Right to Life by Jack Ketchum, Neal McPheeters
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
4.5
I'm just gonna say it: No one wrote extreme horror like Jack Ketchum. Nastiness, tempered with emotion that punches straight for the gut.