The past couple of months I have been making my way through the 5 original seasons of The Twilight Zone & I finished this week. It's been wonderful, mind expanding & at times a little tedious (see season 4). My #tuesdaytunes selection is the theme song, which for me is one of the best TV theme songs of all-time. This would not simply work with Bernard Hermann's eerie composition only , it really needs Rod Serling's succinct narrative (CONT)

My belated #weirdwords entry is courtesy of the tagged book, which I haven't read but I intend to. According to Ye Olde Google: Illywhacker is “A small-time confidence-trickster or seller of trinkets.“ The con man description does seem very much of the moment.
Carey has yet to disappoint as as writer. I read Oscar & Lucinda shortly after joining Litsy & I STILL think about that book. Another fave is True History of the Kelly Gang.
@cbee

For some reason it feels like April was a lame reading month. I think that this was due to extra work pressure,, looking at my stats the following were my favorites (in no particular order):
*Wake Up & Open Your Eyes
*Nutshell
*Bad News
*Bad Dirt
I'm currently nearly finished with Matheson's Shrinking Man, which I'm very much enjoying. A real master of existential horror.

What happens when BoTM AND Aardvark pick highly anticipated books. “Wow“ indeed.

I currently have a few books going, which is very strange considering years ago I used to be a book monogamist.It seems that the past few years I've occasionally had to reset my current reads, hibernating all but one or two. The problem I have lately is my job. I strongly believe in the importance of it & advocate for it, but at the end of the day I don't have the energy to continue making headway in the Lethem chunkster of a (cont)

I watched the adaptation of Harris novel about a month ago. Talk about timely. Yeesh!

The following LitHub article was from last month, but it is a fantastic look at the iconic villains of literature:
https://lithub.com/the-best-villains-in-literature-bracket/

*Favorite Genres: Horror, lit fic, fantasy, non-fiction, mystery
*Desert Island Reads: Poe's Collected Tales & Poems, LOA Shirley Jackson collection, Complete Shakespeare Plays, LOA Le Guin Hainish Novels & Stories, Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, Baldwin's collected essays
*Go-to Reading Snack: Iced coffee
*Weirdest/most interesting place I've read a book: I often bring a book with me when I go to a concert to kill time between acts: (CONT)

Evenson covers much of the same ground as in prior story collections: liminal spaces, ambiguous identities, sci-fi & dystopian horror. Although not as consistently strong as say “Song For the Unraveling of the World“ there are some real gems in here: “Solution,“ “Annex,“ “Vigil In the Inner Room“ & “Servitude“.

This is the craziest horror novel I have read all year. It is also probably the most divisive. Which is unfortunate, because it has a really important message. Wake Up & Open Your Eyes is like old school Stephen King for the social media era, I will say that at several points while reading I was like, “Wow, Clay you really went there,“...and my macabre black soul loved him for it. ☠ 💔

In McEwan's work the narrator Hamlet is the unborn child of Trudy, herself involved in an affair with her brother-in-law Claude. Tired of the Villanelles & Pantoums of her husband, poet John, they begin plotting his demise. The narrator is a wine enthusiast who is also socially aware. Thoughts of revenge are tempting. This is one of the most lyrical novels I have read all year. I loved this version of one of my favorite Shakespeare plays!!

Although I had previously read a Tommy & Tuppence story in a detective story anthology, this was the first novel featuring the married duo I have read & what an absolute delight. Set during WWII Tommy is tasked with trying to determine who might be behind the Fifth Column in Britain. Not one to be left behind, Tuppence secretly joins him. My minor gripe about this novel is that the reveal about the major players def have a deus ex machina (CONT)

I'm going to review bomb Litsy as the last 4 books I have read have been either 4.5 or 5 star reads. My most recent read is the tagged, the second novel in Aubyn's novel cycle comprised of 5 books. In his early 20s Patrick is summoned from London to NYC due to his father's death. In the grips of a drug addiction & despising his father (ironically becoming more like him the older he becomes) this book was the (CONT)

As Joe Hill has announced his first novel to be published in nearly a decade, my #ThorsDayRec is his epic The Fireman. This isn't my favorite novel by Hill, but it was the first Joe HIll book I read & I was riveted & think it is def well-worth reading.

My #weirdwords selection is courtesy of the Nov election & the ensuing economic decisions. I came across my selection on History Today:
For a phrase to express unfortunate circumstances that seem impossible to overcome (‘we‘re fucked‘), the Historical Thesaurus of English tells us that they would have proclaimed themselves to be ‘in hot water‘ (first use 1537), ‘in a pickle‘ (1562), ‘in straits‘ (1565) or, in the most extreme predicament, (CONT)

My #tuesdaytunes selections this week are picked from a relatively new spotify feature (capitalizing on the success of their year end wrap up): On Repeat. Linked below are four of on my current On Repeat that I have yet to get tired of:
*Phoebe Bridgers' Funeral
https://open.spotify.com/track/3rJDsZjIaCfJQSqRUvl0BM?si=93493112cc754fec
*Band of Horses: No One's Gonna Love You
https://open.spotify.com/track/2IvNxLl01CTAfCOA103Tgx?si=e615a11bd9c24783

My #monthlyfavorites in this third month of this truly unholy year, in no particular order:
*Daniel Clowes: Monica
*Timothy Snyder: On Tyranny
*Keiichi Koike: Ultra Heaven Tome 1

After work today I had to decompress at a cocktail bar down the street. The bartender made a Hammett reference, so I'm tagging this in... happy weekend, everyone! 🍷📚🍻

My #ThorsDayRec this week is a day late due to work obligations. My rec is not in the Litsy database; & is not the whole book but rather the final story from the anthology: Clay McLeod Chapman's “White Pages.“ Two friends randomly select a residential number from the white pages for a crank call. This is pre caller ID days. I can't say more than that other than this piece definitely earns it's spot in a retro horror anthology. Loved it.

Flibbertigibbet: a silly, chatty person.
My employer has recently strongly encouraged the workers to return to the office more. I have feelings about this.
#weirdwords @cbee

Laura is a volunteer at End of the Line, a phoneline where people who are having trouble can call & find a sympathetic & non-judgmental ear. Laura is not that person, because she likes to encourage people to go further into their feelings of hopelessness & despair. This is a hot mess of a revenge story. It's sort of like if a Catherine Ryan Howard novel went on Jerry Springer. My first John Marrs, def won't be my last.

Scheduled for pub. in July, the first of the Saga Doubles will be SG Jones. I love these & will def be picking up the SG Jones & the Datlow anthology:
https://www.simonandschuster.com/series/Saga-Doubles

The plot synopsis for the new Scalzi lolol

My #ThorsDayRec this week is a 700 page collection that I finished at the end of January this year after starting it the beginning of Dec last year. There are numerous memorable stories collected in this retrospective, the title story itself is one of the greatest pieces of American 20th C noir fiction. When JC Oates is on point, she is right up there with Shirley Jackson & Patricia Highsmith IMO. Absolutely fantastic.

Litsy has really been lagging for me all week, so I haven't been on very much. Anywho..my #weirdwords choice this week is vellichor. According to Ye Olde Google 'Vellichor is a new word and refers to the aromatic atmosphere within second-hand bookshops.“ It's been a bit since I've had the chance to visit my local used bookstore, Might have to set aside some time soon to do so! Years ago I used to be a regular.
@cbee

I'm going to ignore the snow forecasted for tomorrow bc I'm ready for spring & my selections have energy to reflect it!
*De La Soul: The Magic Number
https://open.spotify.com/track/4hB8J06D2ZaGkWZDOMpYZB?si=de00150d34d84c9d
*RL Burnside: Let My Baby Ride
https://open.spotify.com/track/7tokOMPzSHbLJVZh8an2Nq?si=3b39b6b67d9146d6
*Kendrick Lamar: TV Off
https://open.spotify.com/track/0aB0v4027ukVziUGwVGYpG?si=bb6b6434380f44e1
@tiedyedude

*Ally read novels, wrapped up in her duvet beside the central-heating radiator in her bedroom, borrowing them from the centre & the public library, sometimes finishing one & starting another without even changing her position or getting up to make coffee, like an addict...She imagined the reading that she did now as like climbing inside one of those deep old beds she'd seen in a museum, with a sliding door to close behind you...*

President reacts to his voters (in a 2 part video!) who have buyers' remorse!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvFL8iXqnI4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnNSnJbjdws

*Good audiobooks with great narrators
*Shamrock shake
*Libraries
*Cafes in libraries
*Spring! (Such a tough winter)
#5joysfriday
@debinhawaii

Every Thursday I will be posting about a book, or short story, I love that I have either never posted about or have not posted about in a long time. For my first entry for #ThorsDayRec is Stålenhag's sui generis work Tales From The Loop. I have seen this categorized under: Graphic Novel, Sci-Fi, Art Books, Fiction. Set in the 80s, TFL tells of a town with both decommissioned & sentient machines. There's a meandering narrative woven into (cont)

LBR was one of the first books I read this year. After my first read of the year it was one of my first 5 star books. I was caught off guard by the series adaptation announcement on Goodreads just now. No idea! loved this book so much; I think I might have to sit out this adaptation unless I hear it's brilliant.

First published in 2017 but just as relevant now, this concise & thought provoking book clocks in less than 2 hours on audio. But the lessons contained within are expansive & will stay with the reader. Highly recommended.

I arrived at my choice for #weirdwords after quite the rabbit hole: first reading a mention of an on-set fatality during the shooting of the Twilight Zone movie led to the morbid Wikipedia page which somehow led me to medieval torture methods which led to Latin phrase Poena cullei (Penalty of the sack). As wikipedia states, “The punishment consisted of being sewn up in a leather sack, with an assortment of live animals including a dog, snake...“

I recently read my first Fleming, which has an early opening scene in a casino.
Michael Mechanic's nf “Jackpot“ also has some memorable scenes in it regarding the excesses of the wealthy.
#sundayfunday @bookmarktavern

While college friends & neighbors Brett, Talitha & Grace are away at school they are notified that their neighborhood has disappeared. Twenty years later Talitha is approached by a researcher to return to the area as pictures obtained from a recent drone show that there is possible activity in her old house. I read this one in just a couple of hours this morning. I was absolutely riveted by this unique take on the haunted house trope (CONT)

At 62% I ended up DNF'ing this one. The deciding factor for me was that while there were one or two stories I liked okay, there were none that I was crazy about. Having said that I will def be trying Langan's stories again in the future. His novel The Fisherman is one of the best horror novels of the past decade & his stories in two recent Datlow anthologies have stood out (esp the one in Final Cuts).

*I only watched a few of the highlights, but a fantastic DNC w/ memorable speeches & enthusiasm
*Starbucks released their fall menu, which for me is the official beginning of Spooky Season
*Compiling a list of favorite & new to me movies to watch for fall (kicked it off on 8-22 with a rewatch of Sinister)
*Libraries for being one of the few remaining public free spaces to just sit & read
*The joy of DNF (2 books this wk. No regrets!)

This book is wild. WILD. After a series of devastating wars, a Federal Government (FedGov) is instituted along with the Secret Police. Employing rhetoric of absolute opinions are now illegal, as these are seen as what have caused all previous armed conflicts & devastation. These absolutes range from the religious (Christian) or the lack of religious (Atheist) to economic ideals. As Wikipedia succinctly states, “In this particular dystopia,..CONT“

I have posted about project 2025 previously & found this video at the DNC worthwhile:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuGOKzLi2-o
For a more substantive look at the impact of Project 2025 on books & reading:
https://lithub.com/the-republicans-project-2025-is-disastrous-for-books/
https://www.alreporter.com/2024/07/10/bill-to-arrest-librarians-filed-for-2025-s...
It is also worth noting that Tim Waltz as governor signed into law a bill (CONT)

I have to admit that I am in a bit of a funk with the music that I have been listening to lately. However, these longtime favorites haven't disappointed:
Pearl Jam: Sirens
https://open.spotify.com/track/1cAMXz9mnvrqyQLSG4KeeE?si=33ccb732b9ce4271
Lana Del Rey: Yosemite
https://open.spotify.com/track/3WIifw9lqdgSZpt9renBAg?si=0da4cb1096b64145
Low: Sunflower
https://open.spotify.com/track/5MLBottNJ4s4yL6t9sIryD?si=7264e076fe5c425f
#tuesdaytunes

1) Usually wine, occasionally I dip into something a bit heavier (whiskey & coke, old fashioned)
2) Edith Wharton's “Summer“ 💔 😭
@thespineview
#two4tuesday

I was just scrolling through IG & saw someone screenshot a post from rakeshsatayl that reads:
Someone should start an airline for book lovers that has a library onboard and call it Jane Air (& I am dead 😂 ☠)

Not book related, but I just returned from the theatre & holy facehugger was this good. There have been so many great horror films this year & the new entry in the Aliens franchise is definitely one of them!

I read the title story years ago. It is permanently etched on my brain as one of the most unsettling things I've read, so when I started this collection I did not revisit it. The other stories are an interesting mix in that in typical JC Oates' fashion there is a range of narrative voices. There are stories told from the POV of pretty awful people & those where the narrative voice is more sympathetic. Aside from the title story the (CONT)

I haven't posted my results for the Rolling Stones survey in a couple of weeks, but as this is the final one I thought I'd share. I scored 90%, not too shabby. My favorite songs from this list (in no order):
*Queen's “Bohemian Rhapsody“ (At position 84 this one should have def ranked higher. One of the greatest!)
*Joy Division's “Love Will Tear Us Apart“
*Leonard Cohen's “Hallelujah“
*Patti Smith's “Gloria“
*Billie Holiday's “Strange Fruit“

This post is inspired by the one that @billypar posted in response to the NY Times' 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. Like @billypar I will be posting 25 selections & they will be novels only. No short story collections, no graphic novels, no non-fiction & in no order whatsoever. I found this parameter very useful as there are quite a few novels published this century that I still intend on reading! But IMO you can do worse than these:

I have had this one for several years now. The recent discussions about AI definitely made for an interesting reading experience. There are several good stories in this collection; however there are three absolutely phenomenal entries: Charles Yu's “Cycles,“ Alastair Reynolds' “Sleepover“ & Seanan McGuire's “We Are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War.“ Yu's story is from the POV of an alarm clock the minute before it is (CONT)

I love this idea. My 5 are somewhat obvious ones, but I can't help it. I love them. Make your list & share!
*“It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they elected the Rosenbergs, and I didn't know what I was doing in New York.“
*“All this happened, more or less.“
*“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”
*“The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.“
*(#5 in the comments)

Happy to see two songs that have been favorites for many many years on Obama's summer playlist:
Mingus' “Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting“ (the Blues & Roots album as a whole is terrific):
https://open.spotify.com/track/74EiaLmtaOlfKZYFkhHs6J?si=6bf7533753ef4084
Nick Drake “One of These Things First“ (Bryter Layter is another favorite):
https://open.spotify.com/track/6wuekNiL0KqFbvfdwuequN?si=f6d2bf75aff04d8f
#tuesdaytunes @tiedyedude

I have long been a fan of the Harper Perennial Olive Editions, so I was pretty happy to see that the new line will be horror novels. A blend of classic & contemporary. I won't be a completionist with this collection, but I have my eye on the tagged book (one that I have been meaning to read), The Exorcist (I needed a new copy!) & Lovecraft Country (a personal favorite). Anywho, here is a link to all 8: