Better late, SomeGuyinVirginia

'Deal me in!

I'll add all books read here, as well as a separate post for each book as I finish it.

March

1) The Subjugated Beast, R. R. Ryan (March 28)

2) Burn, Witch, Burn!, Abraham Merritt (March 29)

April

3) Bury Him Darkly, John Blackburn (April 1)

4) The Hunger and Other Stories, Charles Beaumont (April 4)

5) Doctors Wear Scarlet, Simon Raven (April 7)

6) Fully Dressed and in His Right Mind, Michael Fessier (April 9)

7) The Search for Joseph Tully, William H. Hallahan (April 13)

8) The Search for J.D. Salinger, Ian Hamilton (April 18)

9) The Sins of the Cities of the Plain, Jack Saul (April 19)

10) In Matto's Realm, by Friedrich Glauser (April 20)

11) Nothing But the Night, John Blackburn (April 23)

12) Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination, Edogawa Rampo (April 24)

May

13) Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk (May 2)

14) Easy Go, Michael Crichton (May 3)

15) The Sense of an Ending, Julian Barnes (May 4)

16) Knock Three-One-Two, Fredric Brown (May 8)

17) The Household Traitors, by John Blackburn (May 11)

18) 361, BY Donald E. Westlake (May 14)

19) Bite Me, by Christopher Moore (May 18)

20) Children of the Night, by John Blackburn (May 20)

21) The Unsuspected, by Charlotte Armstrong (May 23)

22) Merlin's Furlong, by Gladys Mitchell (May 30)

23) Down With Skool!, by Geoffrey Willans and Ronald Searle

June

24) A Life of Privilege, Mostly, by Gardner Botsford (June 1)

25) Binary, by Michael Crichton (June 5)

The Birds, Frank Baker: I'm not a fan of moralizing sci-fi and put this aside about 1/3 way in. If you liked Earth Abides, this is perfect for you. The scenes with the birds are creepy, though. (June 8)

26) Choice Cuts, by Pierre Boileau and Thomss Narcejak (June 9)

27) Hell! Said the Duchess, by Michael Arlen (June 12)

28) Invisible Ink: How 100 Great Authors Disappeared, by Christopher Fowler (June 15)

29) Film Freak, by Christopher Fowler (June 19)

July

30) Vendetta, by Michael Dibdin (July 2)

31) The Dreaming Jewels, by Theodore Sturgeon (July 4)

32) In the Flesh, by Clive Barker (July 12)

33) I Am the Cat, by Rosemary Kutak (July 15)

34) Whom Gods Destroy, by Clifton Adams (July 24)

35) Watch Your Back, by Donald Westlake (July 31)

August

36) Mr. Mercedes, by Stephen King (August 2)

37) The Code of the Woosters, by P.G. Wodehouse (August 7)

38) A Night for Screaming, by Harry Whittington (August 22)

39) Plastic, by Christopher Fowler (August 23)

40) Hell Train, by Christopher Fowler (August 26)

41) Blue Octavo, by John Blackburn (August 31)

September

42) The Incubus, by Ray Russell (September 12)

43) A Ring of Roses, by John Blackburn (September 15)

44) The Cabinet of Curiosities, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (September 16)

45) And To My Nephew Albert I Leave The Island What I Won Off Fatty Hagan In A Poker Game, by David Forrest (September 17)

October

46) Stolen Prey, by John Sandford (October 3)

47) Progeny of the Adder, by Leslie H. Whitten (October 13)

48) 14 of My Favorites in Suspense, by Alfred Hitchcock (October 18)

49) Surprise Party, by William Katz (October 21)

50) The Laughing Policeman, by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo (October 23)

51) The Saltmarsh Murders, by Gladys Mitchell (October 26)

52) Firebreak, by Donald E. Westlake (as Richard Stark) (October 26)

53) Black Christmas, by Thomas Altman (October 31)

November

54) The Somnambulist, by Jonathan Barnes (November 9)

55) 61 Hours, by Lee Child (November 17)

56) Jaws, by Peter Benchley (November 25)

57) The House Next Door, by Anne Rivers Siddons (November 27)

December

58) Diary, by Chuck Palahniuk (December 6)

59) Wolf, by Mo Hayder (December 10)

60) A Damsel in Distress, by P. G. Wodehouse (December 16)

61) Broken Boy, by John Blackburn (December 16)

62) Shattered Hourglass, by J. L. Bourne (December 25)

63) Watching You, by Michael Robotham (December 30)

64) Revival, by Stephen King (December 30)

65) Seance on a Wet Afternoon, by Mark McShane (December 31)

Okie-dokie!

Hi Larry! Better late than never. Anxiously looking forward to seeing what you'll post this year.

Hey Karen! I've been reading lots of obscure weird fiction; reprint houses are springing up like mushrooms, and some of the works are out of copyright and available on the interweb. Viva free books!

The Subjugated Beast, R. R. Ryan (March 28)

Proto Shirley Jackson, reminds me of one of Stephen King's better known works.

Burn, Witch, Burn!, Abraham Merritt (March 29)

Some of the scenes have that vividly cinematic quality I've come across in genre books from the early 30s.

Bury Him Darkly, John Blackburn (April 1)

Nice, creepy apocalyptic fiction from the 60s.

The Hunger and Other Stories, Charles Beaumont (April 4)

Good 'impact' stories.

Doctors Wear Scarlet, Simon Raven (April 7)

A really classy Jacqueline Susann novel. This is the second Raven book I've read and both had scenes that made me want to wash my brain.

Fully Dressed and in His Right Mind, Michael Fessier (April 9)

Loved this weird book. Fessier was a screenwriter and it shows here.

The Search for Joseph Tully, William H. Hallahan (April 13)

Meh. Comes recommended by Stephen King; a good illustration why book recommendations are always subjective. The opening scene is truly vile torture porn and must have been added on at the recommendation of the publisher as a hook for this slow novel. I really enjoyed reading the party scene at the beginning.

In Search of J. D. Salinger, by Ian Hamilton (April 18)

The Sins of the Cities of the Plain, Jack Saul (April 19)

Dull and cartoonish porn, only interesting as a historical artifact. Love the word 'gamahuche'.

In Matto's Realm, by Friedrich Glauser (April 20)

Hi Larry! What did you think of the Ian Hamilton book - In Search of J.D. Salinger? I've always been a Salinger fan - mostly excepting Catcher in the Rye - and have read a lot about him.

Happy Monday, by the way!

It was interesting but...well, it wasn't hagiography. The book itself has a story. I'm not going to tell much because it's a quick read and you'd probably get a kick out of it. I bought it used and am going to donate it; do you want it? If you do, PM me with the address. I don't want it back.

I was reading Ruskin's Aratra Pentelici on the subway, but put it aside for lighter fare; at least until it's not quite so sunny out. I've opted for straight thrills reading, John Blackburn's Nothing but the Night. It's going down like an espresso shot with an iced coffee chaser. You should do yourself a favor if you've never read Blackburn and pick up a few titles. Valancourt Books has brought several out in both paperback and Kindle versions (maybe Nook?). In the 50s and 60s, Blackburn wrote a lot of apocalyptic action/horror and they are perfect airplane reading. James Herbert without the wordy introspection, Ian Fleming with zombies.

#13 I'm not quite sure what it says about me that I didn't have to look up the word gamahuche....

#17 I'll keep an eye peeled for Blackburn, but I absolutely have to be in a very weird space to read Fleming with zombies..... I'm in a strange space right now, but not a weird one. :)

Nothing But the Night, John Blackburn (April 23)

Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination, Edogawa Rampo (April 24) ****

Eepycray. The Human Chair is one of the most chilling stories I have read; as frightening as an urban legend heard when you were a kid.

I've put some miles on my list, mostly because of choosing fast reads. I just ordered a trove of George Baxt 'The ... Murder Case' books and I can go through two of those in a day.

Ladies and gentlemen, I've just heard from the tower and we will be delayed for a while longer.

It's official, I've run out of book space. I bought 77 books over the weekend (lie-berry sale) and have another large sale tomorrow. I've got to get more shelf space, but to accommodate that I have to either rearrange or get rid of stuff.

>22 SomeGuyInVirginia: Best of luck with that; if you find a good solution, please share with the rest of us... :)

OK, I thought of one way. I use Ikea Billy bookcases (I'm not proud) and for the two in the bedroom I can buy two more, assemble them without the backs, and join each to a bookcase already in use. It'll look like hell but it will work. The other options are to rearrange the den to move cases off the wall and place them back-to-back, or to jet the tee-bee and buy two or three new cases. The tv's just for watching movies, it hasn't gotten a signal since the switch to HD in 2009. On the other hand, it's for watching movies.

I've got to do something. When I lived in the city I had books everywhere; stacked up, packed and overflowing. I swore I'd never have books not in or on shelves ever again. Without at least one more case I can't do it.

Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk (May 2)

Good luck with the shelving challenge - you could make a living baseboard along a wall or turn a kitchen cabinet into shelves... or build shelves 1 foot down from the ceiling and parade the books around as a border. Or, of course, buy more shelves. Or stack them more efficiently, if possible.....

But don't get rid of tee-bee. You'd regret it - there are always good movies to watch. Not necessarily NEW movies, but good movies.

:)

Easy Go, Michael Crichton (May 3)

The Sense of an Ending, Julian Barnes (May 4)

We read The Sense of an Ending for bookclub last year. I remember liking it but not loving it. What did you think of it?

And, well done! Sounds like you did read all weekend.

I feel the same way. It's beautifully written but I'm not a fan of deeply introspective novels. I never bought Tony and Veronica meeting, but did like how Barnes let us feel sympathy for V but then took it away.

I didn't read as much as I'd have liked, I was all fidgety. How'd you do? I'll go check.

I was very busy last weekend - errands, Serenity, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (or whatever the name is), planting the vegetable garden, laundry, etc. Not so much time for reading except at night when I end up conking out.

I may take a day off this week - got some deliverables taken care of yesterday with one more to go today, so perhaps Thursday.

Happy reading!

Knock Three-One-Two, Fredric Brown (May 8)

Nice read. Some creepy elements but not among his best. For classic pulp with chills, read Night of the Jabberwock, Here Comes a Candle, and the Screaming Mimi.

The Household Traitors, by John Blackburn (May 11)

361, BY Donald E. Westlake (May 14)

Bite Me, by Christopher Moore (May 18)

Children of the Night, by John Blackburn (May 20)

I've never figured out Christopher Moore - if I were to try one by him, which one would you recommend?

Island of the Sequined Love Nun because damn what a title. That's a good bet. Either that or Practical Demon Keeping. I'm not a fan or series or articulated books, even though Bite Me is one, but those two are stand alone.

The thing about Moore is there's no there there. He's a really congenial read and something of a cross between Wodehouse and Stephen King. One of the few authors I've read and thought I'd like to sit next to him on a plane. He's also got a good website; lots of good recommendations for other comic writers.

The Unsuspected, by Charlotte Armstrong (May 23)

I love Charlotte Armstrong. My favorite is A Dram of Poison, and I have quite a few of her works. Good stuff.

Never read any Charlotte Armstrong. Time to correct that!

Merlin's Furlong, by Gladys Mitchell (May 30)

Down With Skool!, by Geoffrey Willans and Ronald Searle

A Life of Privilege, Mostly, by Gardner Botsford (June 1)

Sounds like a fun weekend of reading!

Binary, by Michael Crichton (June 5)

>45 karenmarie: Yep, I'm really grooving on reading lately. I've spend some time seeking out lost gems.

Grooving on finding the right books is sooooo important. Bravo and have fun.

Choice Cuts, by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejak (June 9)

Hell! Said the Duchess, by Michael Arlen (June 12)

Invisible Ink: How 100 Great Authors Disappeared, by Christopher Fowler (June 15)

Really good leads.

Film Freak, by Christopher Fowler (June 19)

I really enjoyed Paper Boy.

Hallo, Larry! Chugging along, aren't you? Hope your summer is going well.

Vendetta, by Michael Dibdin (July 2)

Fun, creepy read.

Hi Larry. Happy Fourth of July. Hope you get in a lot of good reading this weekend.

The Dreaming Jewels, by Theodore Sturgeon (July 4)

It shouldda been a contender.

In the Flesh, by Clive Barker (July 12)

Horror stories tell of a vicious supernatural killer who stalks a young social worker, two businessmen seduced by a mysterious woman, and a frog race to determine the fate of the world.

Frog race? Do tell. :)

That was Babel's Children and the only story in the collection I enjoyed. It's also very funny, and not creepy funny like a few other Barker stories. The premise is that the leaders of the world's nations can't be bothered to formulate global strategy, so they leave it to a group of the most enlightened, held in seclusion in a Greek monastery, who start out debating each strategic move but years later wind up playing games (like frog racing) to determine what each nation will do next. The system works until the group is threatened.

The story about the urban legend of the serial killer should have been great but it deteriorates into this weird sex/death thing Barker's into.

The Books of Blood (vol 1-3) is the most astonishing collection of weird fiction I have read. These others are spotty.

I just love the idea of frog races determining the fates of nations. Maybe the UN should apply it to the Palestinian-Israeli situation or the mess that is Iraq.

Sheesh, couldn't hurt.

I Am the Cat, by Rosemary Kutak (July 15)

Whom Gods Destroy, by Clifton Adams (July 24)

Sounds intriguing, Larry. How was Whom Gods Destroy?

Aak! It's by Clifton Adams, not Fadiman. While I was creating the post on my tablet I reminded myself 'Adams, not Fadiman', and it still came out Fadiman. I love tablets but they can take more time, especially when I'm not using a keyboard and have to play hot potato with it so that I don't always push the keys along the bottom and side.

Anywho, Whom Gods Destroy is juicy pulp noir goodness. Published in 1953, banned in South Africa on moral grounds (don't, too easy), it's about a hash cook from the wrong side of town who returns to the town of his yute and the society girl he loved but who scorned him. He falls in with the local bootleggers, wants a bigger share than he's offered, hilarity ensues.

Amazon's released lots of these classic pulp books, costing between 99 cents and three dollars. Great stuff. Gods was 99 freakin' cents.

Watch Your Back, by Donald Westlake (July 31)

Mr. Mercedes, by Stephen King (August 2)

Now that you've read it, don't you think a sequel would be .... entertaining? Or would it be disappointing like I've heard Doctor Sleep is?

Just finished The Gunslinger myownself.

The Code of the Woosters, by P.G. Wodehouse (August 7)

>68 karenmarie: KAREN!! Just saw this for some reason.

It could be. Mr. Mercedes was way different for King, maybe he'll find fame at last with cop shop books.

I had to jet Dr. Sleep because he was just ruining The Shining. I didn't need to know what happened to Danny Torrence.

Hey Larry!

I've still never read The Shining - all I can see in my mind is Jack Nicholson's leering face. It may be one of the Stephen King's that I never read..... but hey. Never say never.

I adore Bertie Wooster. I have 5 books by Wodehouse. I've read one. It's nice to know I have more on my shelves for just-in-case-it's-Bertie-and-Jeeves-time.

I've "jetted" books many times and never feel a single twinge of guilt. Too many books, too little time.

A Night for Screaming, by Harry Whittington (August 22)

I've just found your thread, so catching up. Your struggle to find room for new books is relatable, as I spent yesterday trying to make more room by switching my Travel and History sections. It may have improved things by half an inch.
And 77 books in a weekend is quite a shopping spree.

Plastic, by Christopher Fowler (August 23)

Plastic sounds fun.

>73 mstrust: Thanks ms, I've thrown out the Unbreakable Rule and now have books artfully displayed in piles at the base of the bookcase.

Love your primary photo.

>74 SomeGuyInVirginia: Reading Fowler's Hell Train now. Eh. I didn't care for his Film Freak, so maybe he just can't write engagingly about film, something he's very passionate about.

Plastic was mad, phat fun.

Hell Train, by Christopher Fowler (August 26)

#76 - As long as they are artfully displayed.....

You got me, they really are just piled up. I did the rough math for how much wall space I'd need for all my books, including what's in storage, and it was some ridiculous number. One of my must haves on a house is going to be a full basement. Around here it's not a big deal, but it's a no-go in the Tidewater area.

Piled up books are cool. Mine are stacked 3 deep on some shelves.

Do tell. House hunting or just house dreaming?

I have visions of having all my books single-deep on shelves that go all around the living room and all around the bedroom. Kitchen, dining room, home office, utility room, and bath off those rooms. Home Office will have Reading Chair and sound/TV and no books. Fun idea, won't ever happen.

Have a loverly Labor Day weekend. I'm so happy to have 3 days off..... and I have so many good books to choose among.

Blue Octavo, by John Blackburn (August 31)

The Incubus, by Ray Russell (September 12)

I've put The Incubus on my wishlist.... sounds good.

Have a happy weekend!

Aak! Don't do it, you'll be sorry.

A Ring of Roses, by John Blackburn (September 15)

The Cabinet of Curiosities, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (September 16)

And To My Nephew Albert I Leave The Island What I Won Off Fatty Hagan In A Poker Game, by David Forrest (September 17)

Such an intriguing title that I had to go to its page. Someone has tagged it with "ashamed I read it". Ha!

Ha! Not sure why, it's a typical English caper novel of the 60s, probably a MASH rip-off. I liked the message; you can't go to war and kill whom you know. I just wish it were true.

I'm reading Highsmith now, and Gladys Mitchell. My hope of being pressured to elevate the nature of my reading by posting what I read has gone out the ass end of the goose.

Elevate the nature of your reading by posting.....

I've tried that with the 14 Categories in 14 challenge and am failing abysmally but having a great reading year anyway.

Reading is supposed to be fun, not homework (once you're out of school, that is.)

Yeah, I know, but I feel like I've never left school. Not really.

Stolen Prey, by John Sandford (October 3)

Gruesome good fun. This was an audio book and the narrator, Richard Ferrone, really made the story.

I've never gotten into John Sandford..... lots of his books have come my way and gone to the thrift store. Maybe I'll look to see what's on the yellow table in case I have any.....

Hope you have a great weekend.

I've never read one, but I've listened to the audio version of several and like them. It could be the narrator that does it for me.

Narrators make or break audiobooks, no doubt about it. And, as a rule, I won't listen to women readers because I hate how they falsely lower their voices to sound like men but it never works. If an audiobook has male/female readers reading male/female characters, I can handle that.

Check out my book haul from yesterday's Friends of the Library sale on my thread.....

Progeny of the Adder, by Leslie H. Whitten (October 13)

Pulp noir goodness. Surprisingly entertaining. Published in 1965, may be the grandaddy of the psycho killer police procedurals. Set in Washington DC with lots of local references. On Stephen King's list of best horror/thriller books of all time.

14 of My Favorites in Suspense, by Alfred Hitchcock (October 18)

The Hitchcock is added to my wishlist.

Happy Sunday! Happy non-work Day!

Happy Sunday Karen!

Surprise Party, by William Katz (October 21)

Er, ner. Predictable, but very 80s.

The Laughing Policeman, by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo (October 23)

The Saltmarsh Murders, by Gladys Mitchell (October 26)

Reading weekend for you! Good stuff.

Yepper. On impulse I made the Sherwood lie-berry weekly sale and found a bagful of great mysteries. I wasn't even going to go, I was on my way somewhere else, but the driver in back of me had those halogen headlights and I wanted to duck him so I pulled into the parking lot and thought '3 books, tops'. Came out with 21.

You put Hitchcock's 14 of my Favorites in Suspense on your wish list. You want I should send? It's already in my donate box so it's no trouble.

That would be more than wonderful, Larry. I hope there will be a time soon when I can repay the favor.

And 21 books is a good haul. It's only 7 times what you "budgeted"..... not bad for a detour!

Done! I'll put it in the mail next Saturday.

Firebreak, by Donald E. Westlake (as Richard Stark) (October 26)

Black Christmas, by Thomas Altman (October 31)

Gah! No!

#109 - think I'll pass, Larry. Your "Gah! No!" was a hint.

Haven't done any reading because Parker D. Cat has kept me occupied. Totally worth it.

Parker D. Cat! Charming name, Larry. So, what's the D. stand for? Darling? Damned? Dufus? Deranged? Devoted?

Kittens are so much fun. One of the more important things than reading, I think. Pic?

The Somnambulist is intriguing and I'm continuing to read it (after a brief foray into another Regency Romance). Can't quite get a handle on it, but I love his writing.

The Somnambulist, by Jonathan Barnes (November 9)

D stands for Da/the. He was alone this weekend, for 25 hours, and didn't like that one little bit. I'm going to take him with me when I go to my parents' for Christmas; that's 4-5 days and he'd forget all about me in that time.

I finished the Somnambulist last night. The ending was kind of whaaa? for me. Enjoyable read, though. What did you think?

I finished it last night too. I agree, the ending was kind of whaaa? I did enjoy reading it but was kinda hoping that we'd find out more about the title character. Well written, though. Good recommendation.

Parker Da Cat. Excellent. *smile*

61 Hours, by Lee Child (November 17)

I hope you liked it as much as I did. One of my two favorites (Bad Luck and Trouble being the other).

I thought it was great until the cliff hanger ending, all of which drive me nuts. Beginning, middle and end, people! I like Jack Reacher books, though.

Jaws, by Peter Benchley (November 25)

it was an audio book or I would never have been able to finish it this month. Not as good as I remember from reading it as a kid.

The House Next Door, by Anne Rivers Siddons (November 27)

Southern gothic kitchen sink melodrama with lots of genuinely creepy moments.

Hi Larry - hope you had a good Thanksgiving. I like the idea of Southern gothic kitchen sink melodrama.....

Yeah, I think ARS was just having a good time writing a ghost story. Some of the crucial scenes are even played out over the kitchen sink. Still and all, there were some awful creepy spots.

Diary, by Chuck Palahniuk (December 6)

Wolf, by Mo Hayder (December 10)

Agreeabley disturbing.

A Damsel in Distress, by P. G. Wodehouse (December 16)

Beautifully structured and very funny.

Broken Boy, by John Blackburn (December 16)

First Blackburn I've read where the world wasn't in peril. Not his best, still enjoyable.

Shattered Hourglass, by J. L. Bourne (December 25)

Hi Larry! Happy New Year 2015 and best wishes for all good things to you and Parker.

Hi Karen! Much thanks, P-Bitty and I just got back from Christmas vacation with the family. It was a lot of fun. I hope you had a Merry Christmas Karen, and the very best in the new year for you and yours.

Watching You, by Michael Robotham (December 30)

Revival, by Stephen King (December 30)

Seance on a Wet Afternoon, by Mark McShane (December 31)

I so did not want King's Revival to be the last book I read in 2014.

Wow Larry! An impressive year-end book-a-thon. I've never thought about what book I'd end the year on - did you dislike Revival? I gave it 3 1/2 stars out of 5, but couldn't tell you much about it 6 weeks later.

I sort of did dislike King's Revival. It just seemed like such a bleak outlook to me.

It was a good year to read.