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Showing posts with label Grady Hendrix. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grady Hendrix. Show all posts
Monday, December 07, 2020
Southern Horror Novel Unique and Fun
6:06 AM
Feeling bored with her mundane life and inconsequential to those who share it, stay-at-home mom Patricia Campbell turns to true crime books for excitement. Although she gathers with a group of like-minded women to discuss the tomes, their book club is about more than just reading. It's a refuge for Patty and her pals, a place for commiseration and camaraderie, friendship and support.
When a handsome newcomer arrives in the neighborhood, Patty's friends are immediately atwitter. James Harris awakens long-dormant feelings in Patty, too, but she's wary. Something about the man is not right. He's cagey about his past, strangely allergic to sunlight, and has a weird magnetism that is almost ... supernatural. Then there are all the odd occurrences in the neighborhood that just happen to coincide with James' arrival. No one else seems alarmed, but Patty is convinced James is a vampire. Now, she has to prove it to her friends and get their help expelling the creature. So what if they all think she's crazy? Patty has to protect her neighborhood from the evil that's stalking it. Can she stop the charming bloodsucker before he destroys everything—and everyone—she loves?
Based on the title and plot summary, I expected The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix to be a funny, light-hearted read. And it is in some ways. It's also deeper than it appears, with some very astute commentary about motherhood, female friendships, sexism, and gender roles. Although my experiences with men and community politics don't really align with those of Patty and her friends, I still related strongly to the women at the center of this novel. Hendrix brought them to life for me, making me care about what happened to them. I was so invested, in fact, that I burned through The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires in one day. And it's not a slim novel! The slow-burn story, which is more psychological thriller than horror fest (although there's plenty of gore), is engrossing and compelling. It definitely kept me riveted to the page. While the book wasn't exactly what I expected it to be, I ended up really enjoying it.
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. Can you?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (a few F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, blood/gore, and disturbing subject matter
To the FTC, with love: Another fine find
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
Top Ten Tuesday: Why Waste Words?
7:20 AM
Not gonna lie, I'm not super enthusiastic about today's topic of Top Ten Long Book Titles. Maybe it's because I read mostly mystery/thrillers, which usually have short, snappy titles like The Mist, Killing Time, or Blood Moon. Longer titles seem to be more the norm for rom-coms, contemporary fiction, and children's books. To see if I'm right about this, I decided to take a look at the books I've read so far this year. How long is the average title? Does title length really vary by genre? How many words is the longest title I've read this year?
Before we get to that, though, I want to give a quick shout-out to Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl. Give our lovely host some love, won't you? You can learn all about Top Ten Tuesday on her blog.
Okay, here we go with my ultra scientific study of title length. I've read 130 books so far this year. Here's how their titles break down:
ONE WORD: 6
TWO WORDS: 28
THREE WORDS: 39
FOUR WORDS: 22
FIVE WORDS: 21
SIX WORDS: 9
SEVEN WORDS: 2
EIGHT WORDS: 2
LONGEST TITLE WINNERS: The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix (horror) and The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead (contemporary MG)
I appear to prefer three-word titles. Interestingly, titles of this length appear in every genre I've read this year—mystery, memoir, rom-coms, historical fiction, YA, MG, etc. Three-word titles do seem to be trendy these days. I've especially noticed a string of them with this format: The ______'s ______, like The Lieutenant's Daughter, The Embalmer's Apprentice, The Killer's Niece, etc. What titular trends have you noticed lately?
Which super long titles have you discovered? Which are your favorite? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will happily return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
TTT: Spring Has Sprung on Mt. TBR, Part Two
1:00 AM
I don't know about your Spring, but mine isn't going quite the way I thought it would! I had no idea my kids' Spring Break would be extended by a month or that I would be standing in line at the grocery store this morning with half the city just to buy laundry detergent or that all my local libraries would be closed for the duration. Wow, what a time we're living in! Despite the fact that I'm a Type 1 diabetic, I'm really not all that worried about the coronavirus—I have a year's supply of food in my house (my church's leadership has been preaching emergency preparedness for decades), plenty of toilet paper (I'm a Costco regular), a cabinet full of Bath & Body Works hand soap (I can't resist a sale), a couple month's worth of insulin (T1D strong!), and a *few* books on my shelves to keep me entertained. I'll be fine. I'm a bit of a hermit anyway, so I got this. I hope you are healthy and calm amid all this chaos. If you need a distraction from reality, there's nothing like a book to take you away from it all!
If you're not familiar with Top Ten Tuesday, you really should be. It's my favorite weekly bookish meme. Playing along is super easy and it's a great way to get acquainted in our fabulous book blogging community. All you have to do is head on over to That Artsy Reader Girl, read a few quick instructions, create your own list, then spend some happy hours checking out everyone else's posts. It's a good time, I promise.
Today's topic is Top Ten Books on My Spring 2020 TBR. You may recall that I got a jump on this topic last week, listing ten of the books I want to read this Spring. I even read three of them last week. Go, me! Today, I'm giving you the second half of the list, in no particular order.
Spring Has Sprung On Mt. TBR, Part Two:
1. Dry by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman—This is a bit of a cheat since I actually just finished this book. It may seem weird to read a dystopian novel while we're sorta living in one, but I enjoyed this novel about a drought in California reaching epically awful proportions. The story is fast-paced, engrossing, and thought-provoking. It's an interesting time to be asking yourself the kinds of questions that come up in this book: How will I act/react when faced with a devastating crisis? Am I in it for myself or do I care more about helping others? How far would I go to protect my family? How prepared am I for a natural disaster/pandemic/local or global crisis?
2. The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray—I was supposed to read this novel last week for a blog tour, but I'm a *little* behind. The story concerns a family whose matriarch and patriarch are arrested, plunging them from a respected couple into a reviled one. As the rest of the family grapples with the shocking development, they have to ask themselves what really happened. Is the revered couple guilty or innocent?
3. The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison—I'm not sure why dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels are so appealing to me right now, but this one sounds super intriguing. It's about a midwife who has to find her place in a world that has changed irrevocably as the result of a pandemic that has decimated the world's population. Maybe a little too real?
4. Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn—On a lighter note, this warm-hearted romance featuring a calligrapher with an uncanny ability to read signs others can't see sounds like fun.
5. All the Ways We Said Goodbye by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White—I enjoyed The Glass Ocean, which was penned by this trio, so I'm excited to check out their newest joint venture. This triple-timeline historical looks intriguing.
6. The Library of Lost Things by Laura Taylor Namey—A YA romance set in a bookstore? Yes, please!
7. When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman—I couldn't find a detailed plot summary for this book, but it gets good reviews and I've heard high praise, so I'm going to check it out.
8. Big in Japan: Accidental Sumo by Jennifer Griffith—I was looking for a book set in Japan to read for the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge, and this contemporary YA sounds fun. It's about an overweight teenager who finds the kind of fame and popularity overseas that he's never had in Texas. Naturally, all the attention is not all it's cracked up to be ...
9. The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix (available April 7, 2020)—I'm really not into bloodsuckers, but when a novel is described as "Steel Magnolias meets Dracula," I don't know how anyone can resist! Looks like a super fun read.
10. The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate (available April 7, 2020)—I enjoyed Wingate's Before We Were Yours, so I'm excited to read another novel by her. Her newest concerns a trio of young women who journey across a tumultuous country in 1875 and the modern-day teacher who discovers their unforgettable story. I'm in, for sure!
There you go, ten books I'd like to read this Spring. What are you reading? Have you read any of my picks? What did you think? I'd truly love to know. Leave a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on yours.
Happy TTT!
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