Welcome to Litsy!

Horror stories and a Midsommar mug of tea on a lovely October Tuesday off.

Cold and rainy day here today.... curled up under my favorite blanket, ready to start this short story collection!

Stephen Graham Jones is fast becoming a new favourite of mine. These stories are SO varied, containing every type of horror, and I wish there had been more. My favourites were the title story and The Spindly Man. His writing is so subtle but so horrifying at the same time, it‘s incredible.

#scarathlon2020 #teamharkness @StayCurious

I'm taking a break from The Waves, which is a hard slog (gawd DAMMIT, Bernard), to read the tagged book instead.

Day 3 #7days7covers #covercrush

This collection of creepy short stories was my first by Stephen Graham Jones, and I'm a big fan.

There's a story in here to cover almost any horror topic you like- aliens, haunted houses, werewolves, and even Stephen King. The black and white illustrations with each story add an extra bit of spookiness. 👻

Definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of this genre. Thanks to @Canndor for picking this one for our family bookclub.

Both these books contain a short story, “That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is In French” by SK and “This Is Love” by SGJ, that feature a narrator who is one half of a relationship stuck in some hellish #timewarp. Both are challenging and rewarding, and give that hmmm? feeling at the end. #MusicalNewYear

This collection of horror stories is getting a rave review from my horror-loving husband! A great spooky read for October! #horror

I love love love it when authors talk about the inspiration for their stories. Neil Gaiman does it too in his collections.

Gaiman is mentioned in SGJ‘s Story Notes along with Ellison, Gene Wolfe, Laird Barron, and Paul Tremblay which is a murderer‘s row of author‘s I dig.

A collection of unsettling horror shorts that really get under the skin. Sometimes with a utility knife.

Want to find out what happens when the devil saunters in on a book club discussing Stephen King? Or why aliens always visit funerals? Or what happens when a butterfly starts making a cocoon?

The stories are often more sinister than grisly (although both apply to “Solve for X”, the final tale).

“Brushdogs” might be my favorite.

Currently working through 2 different collections of horrific short stories and both are seriously delivering.

SGJ does not hand-hold or talk down to his readers. His stories can get murky, twisted, confusing -- and it's so worth it when you reach the end of one, jaw hanging open, thinking what the hell did I just read while unraveling the threads in your mind. It's not misdirection necessarily but I always had a distinct sensation akin to looking over one shoulder for something out of the corner of my eye then getting slapped on the opposite cheek.

Fuuuuuuu ... This is a great collection. It seriously gets better and better. Have Mongrels on my tbr but wasn't prioritizing it because werewolves aren't super interesting to me but it's jumping up after a werewolf story in this that I was glued to

Starting this short story collection by horror author Stephen Graham Jones. I read Mapping the Interior last year and it was excellent plus I liked the short I've read by him in a Datlow Best Horror anthology so I'm expecting this will be brilliant! Already like the first couple stories.

Not my thing at all. I recognize that these are good horror stories, but the spare writing style isn‘t to my taste and I felt like the narrators all started to sound alike.

#libraryhaul this evening. I went in picking up light and happy, but left with more horror than anything. And knowing me, I‘ll just start reading something off my shelf tonight.

Continuing my creepy reads. A few of the stories were missed for me, but overall I really enjoyed this collection.

#RiotGrams, Day 9: Today's prompt is "Native and Indigenous Reads." This one is perfect for Halloween! ☠️??

These are the best kind of horror short stories, where you get to the end and have a slow realization of what has just happened. I swore at lot at the end of some of these. If you are looking for a good read for #scaretober or #spooktober or #allhallowseve or whatever else we are calling it, I absolutely recommend it. Plus the graphic design is truly stunning and adds to the reading experience. #recommendsday

I'm usually into books for the ideas but dang if this book isn't a pleasure to read because of the design as well. This is going to be perfect for #booktober #spooktober and I have #readingenvy which I can't get rid of until my house guests are gone. @SGJ

I went on an interlibrary loan request spree after I took this quiz and didn't know the publisher I got. These four came in today! #readingenvy https://bookriot.com/2017/09/16/indie-press-quiz/

I enjoyed all of the short stories in this collection. Overall, most of them left me feeling unsettled. I'm pretty amazed with what SGJ can do with a character and a setting in a short time. There is a part in one of the Paranormal Activities where the little girl wakes up in the middle of the night to walk into the creepy painting above her bed. Thats what reading these stories felt like. Good stuff.

Holy $&@*!!!!!!!!! This short story is effin genius. Its about a reading group who gathers to talk about a Stephen King short story. This was not the story to read before turning off the lights. I could read further, but I'm afraid at the end of one of these short stories, the book will end. Sooo good!!!!!

Dangerous time of day for me to start a new book. Any moment I will hear "what's for dinner mom?" If I'm too far gone into this book, the answer is cereal.

There are quite a few gems in this collection, including "Doc's Story," the basis for "Mongrels" one of the best novels of the year. As Joe Lansdale states in the introduction & Matt Bell also says in a blurb, S.G. Jones resists retreading the same territory. This is no small feat for genre writers. Jones isn't solely interested in genre. He is concerned with the fictions we live by. He reminds us that unreliable memory itself is a story.

I will never look at hoodies the same after reading "Black Sleeve of Destiny."

Maybe I like short stories more than I realized, or maybe it's this particular collection. I feel like these would be great told sitting around a fire: creepy, weird and horrifying. The title story, Uncle, Solve For X, and Doc's Story (first Chapter of Mongrels) are my top picks. I have already started Mongrels, and plan on picking up more of SGJ's books. 4⭐️

This was such a great horror collection. Great twists and some serious creep factor. I definitely recommend this one!

The only morsel of salvation I've read in the past few days. I'll take what I can get.

Short stories can be great to read when you're super busy, and this collection proves no exception. I could rely on this to give me chills in bite-sized pieces, with my top three faves being "The Spindly Man," "The Dead Are Not," and the title story. I had the hardest time with "Solve for X" for its content, but it had a terrific conclusion. Overall, a great #horror #shortstories collection for #scaretober.

OK! Hoping to finish this bad boy before the rest of my gang arrives for a crazy weekend. Everything goes with 4 Hands Oatmeal Stout. Happy read-a-thoning this weekend, Littens! I can't wait to live vicariously through you! #scaretober

Well, he's got librarians down. 😂😂😂😂

I would drive to the other side of the city for a car repair waiting room without a TV. This is why I always carry a small arsenal of ear plugs with me! #readerproblems #libraryswag

TOTALLY NOT CREEPY LIBRARY BASEMENT WE AFFECTIONATELY CALL THE MURDER ROOM. #AllHallowsRead #TBR @Litsy

I've been thoroughly enjoying this #scaretober selection of #shortstories. They've got the right amount of #horror I require as I delve into a genre with which I'm only just becoming familiar. It's got fantastic art and formatting to boot! "The Spindly Man" is my fave so far, challenging the characters and the reader to question those dark places we avoid... #booktober

Thankful that my neighborhood library is open today (eff this "holiday") so I can enjoy a lovely, cool early autumn walk to get my fix after loving Mongrels. #scaretober

This collection of stories is part of my October TBR. I'm looking forward to digging in soon. #shortstories #somethingforsept #septphotochallenge

More creepy #shortstories. 😈

Some of these are a little higher on the horror scale than the last bunch, but most aren't overly so. I loved American Housewife earlier this year! You may not think it's creepy but Helen Ellis writes unsettling, dark domestic stories. Perfect for Twisted Daughters, Troubled Wives. Also, I want that UK cover of Bazaar of Bad Dreams. 😍

#somethingforsept #septphotochallenge #ghostsoflitsy #scaretober

I was just blown away by the story, "This is Love;" wow! Goosebumps & actual tears from a horror story. "Welcome to the Reptile House" was an excellent tale of a certain type of monster(no spoilers). So far the best part of this collection is the surprising freshness. Loving it!

My bed with bestie and all the books is my Nirvana. #Augustofpages #faveplace

Holy cats in pajamas! These stories, though! See how wide Lily's eyes are? She is now a scaredy cat! I promised no more before lights out, but maybe just one short one...