Lee
Stumbled upon this due to discovering Yorgos Lanthimos is planning to adapt it into a film. A strange and intriguing short supernatural western that certainly fits his unique style and eccentricity. Not really the western horror I was looking for after reading the synopsis, but still an interesting concept when it comes to the “monster.” I'm envisioning Christopher Abbot and Robert Pattinson as the two bounty hunter leads.
SHORTS RANKED:
Paranoia
Louisa, Please Come Home
Home
All She Said Was Yes
The Possibility of Evil
The Story We Used to Tell (A24 ready)
The Bus
The Beautiful Stranger
Jack the Ripper
What a Thought
The Good Wife
The Summer People (Blumhouse ready)
The Man in the Woods (A24 ready)
A Visit
The Honeymoon of Mrs. Smith
Family Treasures
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (no relation to Disney)
A nostalgic feeling coming of age drama with hints of suspense. Reading this makes you feel like your own summer is coming to a close as the fair comes to town and your last chance to see some friends and shoot your shot at your crush arrive once more. I respect King for exploring different genres every once in a while, and I’m always pleasantly surprised when I read anything slightly raunchy coming from him—not to say Joyland is filled with it. This will definitely get picked up and adapted into a miniseries or film.
Joe Goldberg from You, you are not. Very slow pacing with minimal payoff, but I did enjoy the inclusion of day to day mundane minutia and attention to the 9-5 work cycle. But having worked for public and state libraries as well as currently being a university librarian, I did enjoy all the librarian jargon and environment.
Definitely suffers from not having Hodges as a starting character, instead reserving him and other familiar names from Mr. Mercedes till the back half of the book. Morris Bellamy is nowhere near as riveting and layered as Brady Hartsfield, which causes the plot to move quite slowly, and the tension to be quite tame. I do find it interesting that King dabbles into some thematic realms of art, artist, and admirer; with the antagonist essentially killing a world famous author because he had gripes with his style. And don't worry, this is info included in the synopsis, not a spoiler.
My friend has informed me that S02 of the Mr. Mercedes show is actually loosely integrates End of Watch (the third book in the Hodges trilogy), whereas S03 is a loose adaptation of Finders Keepers. So I guess I have to finish reading the trilogy before I can even start S02 of the show. Luckily for me, by coincidence it looks like we're getting a new Stephen King book soon, related to a character from this trilogy: Holly. Perfect timing.
“I'd never learned how to relate to people, much less how to speak up for myself. I preferred to sit and rage quietly.”
There’s an underlying uneasiness to this somewhat stream of consciousness tale; an almost haunting feeling like there could be a supernatural element introduced at some point, but it never arrives. I don’t know if that’s what Shirley Jackson embodies at times, as I have yet to read the heralded author. Eileen is certainly a slow-burner—emphasis on slowburn—with moments of meandering coming of age blended in, but I enjoyed my time with this complex character study. Due to its intricate narrative pacing I do think it begins to lose steam in the third act, but there was a consistently palpable comparison to the great film, Carol. A strong debut for Moshfegh, and you can easily see the fleshed out development from Eileen to the Narrator in her best book, My Year of Rest and Relaxation.
[3.5]
Not counting short stories, I'd place Gerald's Game as my third fave King book, behind Mr. Mercedes and The Gunslinger. As some of you may know, I've been only now diving into Stephen King, but I also wanted to see this book's supposedly very good film adaptation from familial trauma expert, Mike Flanagan. I can now officially say that the Netflix released Gerald's Game might be one of if not the most accurate adaptation of a King work. I wouldn't have called this book “unfilmable,” but I guess I could understand elements of the book that would make some lesser travelled readers a bit queasy and uncomfortable. Of course there are some changes in the film, but nothing that ruins the experience nor anything added for no good reason.
Too focused on convoluted world building that it drowns its own forgettable characters. It is nothing like it's self-marketed Joseph Conrad comparisons. Apparently Djuna intended this to be a sci-fi film initially, and it really shows. What we have is a rare occasion where it should have never been a book to begin with, and should have jumped straight to the screen for better results.
Sukkubus by way of A24, with a subtle hint of Oedipus Rex. Nowhere nearly as disgusting as many seem to have agreed upon, but then again I just have such a high tolerance that even French New Extreme cinema won't get me to flinch. Now sure there are moments where I can see why the less desensitised could shiver—grape suppository, cannibalism, elderly nursing, etc.—on a whole it's all what one would expect of a medieval setting. I've quickly become a huge fan of Mosfegh, but by the time I got to the underwhelming third act of Lapvona, I began ti worry I'll never reach the same enamored high of My Year of Rest and Relaxation, again.
FANCAST:
Marek: Barry Keoghan
Jude: Joel Edgerton
Agatha: Jodie Comer
Young Ina: Anya Taylor-Joy
Old Ina: Tilda Swinton / Hannah Waddingham
Villiam: Tom Hardy
Jacob: TimmyC
Lisbet: Thomasin McKenzie / Olivia Cooke
Father Barnabus: Sir Ben Kingsley
I know I'm going to be in the minority with my rating, but it seems to perfectly align with the fact that I'm also in the minority of the reader demographic this far: the only guy. I shed light on this observation simply because I feel like Cathy Ulrich's Small, Burning Things is a collection of disconnected short stories that certainly seem to aim for more of a female readership. I don't know how to explain it, but I jus found myself struggling to relate or latch onto these shorts that felt more like fleeting thoughts shared intimately between two friends under the stars. Now this isn't to say that it's something akin to a Twilight or 50 Shades of Grey—as it's not romance—but I couldn't help but feel like I just wasn't being spoken to throughout. About halfway through when some of the stories began to lean a little more supernatural—minus the suspense and thrills—another collection of unique yet more enthralling shorts came to mind, Darrin Doyle's The Dark Will End the Dark (which I think Lori also worked with in promotion). Small, Burning Things felt like reading an American-Midwest high school girl's intimate collection of diary entries–I'm feeling during the transition from summer to fall near the end of fair season.
Regardless, many thanks to Lori of TNBBC fame for providing me with an advanced review copy.
Mainly read this in order to watch the AMC show, but boy did I not expect it to be this much of a slog. Sure it's a big read heavily steeped into the historical drama of the real story, but it is not a page-turner at all. It never really picks up, instead just hoping that you form some kind of bond to one or more of the characters as it unfolds it's icy tale, but as with most slowburns, the tension and violence do increase the further you get. I strongly believe this is a story that will be experienced far better visually.
A great thriller debut by Clémence Michallon that would be right up the alley for fellow fans of “airport novel thrillers” such as Gone Girl and The Girl on a Train. A small sleepy town crime thriller with elements of psychological drama, Focusing the multi-narrative structure on the victims was an interesting touch, but one you need to settle into when you first begin reading. Giving the women a voice and female gaze against the male antagonist certainly brings different layers to the unraveling tension and plot, but I do feel like the story runs out of steam halfway through. The Quiet Tenant plays out similarly to a season of You, but if it were with a female lead (and not a likable psycho like Love lol). Definitely a solid recommendation for fans of the genre and any of the titles I mentioned within my blurb.
FANCAST:
Director: Jane Campion/David Fincher
Aiden Thomas: Jake Gyllenhaal/Oliver Jackson Cohen/Chris Abbott/Lee Pace
Emily: Daisy Edgar Jones
“Rachel”: Elizabeth Olsen/Riley Keough
Cecilia Thomas: Ariana Greenblatt/Violet McGraw
Mayor: Jonathan Banks/Clark Peters
Not nearly as atmospheric as the Crimson Peak comparisons would have you think going in. Mexican Gothic is far more in line with A Cure for Wellness set in a very lite Guillermo del Toro mansion. The plot is predictable, and the attempts at suspense and tension are not adequate enough for the lacklustre finale revelation. Yet, I did enjoy the fleshed out protagonist and her sassy free spirited nature in contrast and intelligent defiance to the patriarchal traditional and racist Doyle family.
FANCAST:
Noemí: Camila Mendes/Rachel Zegler
Catalina: Melissa Barrera/Eiza Gonzalez
Virgil Doyle: Alexander Skarsgård/Henry Cavill
Florence Doyle: Gillian Anderson/Eva Green
Francis Doyle: Bill Skarsgård/George McKay//Nicolas Hoult
Howard Doyle: Stellan Skarsgård/Bill Nighy
Dr. Julio Camarillo: Diego Calva
Dr. Arthur Cummins: David Thewlis/Stephen Graham
[4.5/5]
A contemporary classic that lives up to all the positive word of mouth. It's not often that I add a book to my all-time faves, but I knew this one was going to fit right in about halfway through reading. The unique and very memorable eye-catching title is not a witty inside joke you learn along the pages within, but more so quite the literal phrasing of what our very psychologically relatable narrator desires. I strongly recommend this to my fellow depressed readers and comrades in “I wish I could just disappear for a while to reset” arms. This is ripe to be adapted into an A24 film—for people to adopt new fictional personas—ideally by either the Safdie Brothers or Sofia Coppola. My Year of... also brought to mind the German book and film adaptation, Wetlands by Charlotte Roche, but more subdued and not quite as raunchy “gross-out” attempts inclined.
FANCAST:
- Narrator: Sydney Sweeney/Maika Monroe
- Reva: Rachel Sennott/Zoey Deutch
- Dr. Tuttle: Kathryn Hahn/Gwendoline Christie
- Trevor: Dacre Montgomery/Timmy C
- Natasha: Simone Kessell/Gemma Chan
- Narrator's mother: Cate Blanchett/Kristen Dunst
- Narrator's father: Shea Whigham/Jesse Plemons
- Ping Xi: Bowen Yang
Extremely basic by the numbers trauma horror trying to disguise itself with some cryptid/supernatural thriller. I don't think Christina Henry's style is for me, as this is the second book of hers I did not enjoy. Granted I DNFd Horseman earlier this year, but of the first few chapters I read, I was not having a good time. The same can be said with Near the Bone, as by chapter 6, I was strongly considering putting it down. None of the characters are likable, the prose and style is extremely formulaic, mundane, and predictable to the point where the fake twist can be called out very very early. You're better off with The Shuddering, or The Butcher and the Wren—despite me not strongly liking either of those as well.
One of the most atmospheric stories I have read, and at a little over 100 pages, one leaving you wanting so so much more. It leans far more into psychological thriller more so than horror; I got immediate A Cure for Wellness vibes blended with some Back Rooms, making this a perfect story to be adapted by Gore Verbinski. You can easily get through this in one sitting—ideally alone in the dim light with just your house/apartment creaks to keep company—and I strongly recommend it to those who loved House of Leaves.
I will absolutely be diving into more from Kehlmann, as I really enjoyed his style.
As expected, some great sci-fi world building and politics from the master Asimov. If you liked the banquet chapter from Dune, you'll be right at home here; Asimov influenced every scifi writer and director, but it absolutely shows that Frank Herbert was heavily and intrinsically affected by Foundation. Now I can start the Apple+ mini-series adaptation with Lee Pace.
I definitely enjoyed The Last Astronaut much more than David Wellington's zombie book, Positive. Astronaut gave me some strong Alien/Contact/The Martian/Arthur Clarke vibes from it, but I absolutely wanted it to lean far far more into the body horror dread and existential nightmare fuel potential the plot could have offered. Harlan Ellison's I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream came to mind at times, but it seemed like Wellington struggled a little bit when it came to juggling the large cast, thus resulting in some underwhelming sections that could have been scrapped in order to give more suspense/action. Don't let that dissuade you though, as this was a very fun and gripping scifi/horror book that I'd very much like a sequel to.
FANCAST:
- Mission Commander Sally Jansen (Charlize Theron)
- Roy McAllister (Tim Robbins/Jodie Foster)
- Dr. Sunny Stevens (Dylan O'Brien)
- Dr. Parminder Rao (Garaldine Viswanathan/Lou Llobell)
- Major Winston Hawkins (Alan Ritchson)
- Charlotte Harewell (Rebecca Ferguson)
- Kyung-Leonard (Song Kang-ho)
- Commander Willem Foster (Garret Dillahunt)
- Mission Specialist Sandra Chaniron (Eiza Gonzalez)
“It was the most desolate place he'd ever seen. It echoed the desolation inside of him, the emptiness...the emptiness.”
Yellowjackets, but with Boy Scouts, then exchange the cultish vibes for a very lite sci-fi infection à la The Ruins meets Cabin Fever. Not nearly as gross as I was hoping for given the word of mouth, but I certainly appreciated the group dynamics and the brief moments of body horror. Consider me intrigued by Cutter's style, and I look forward to checking out more: next up being The Deep.
A far stronger opening than the previous book in the series, as Rogue Protocol's opening chapter alone is much more entertaining than the entirety of Artificial Intelligence. Whether it be Murderbot's continued reviews of the various shows he's downloaded to his memory unit, his gradually growing liking to human showers now, or his general antisocial tendencies, that missing charm of the first book has finally returned.
Imagine the first act of a zombie apocalypse movie, but replace the undead hordes with waves of carnivorous spiders. As the first book of its series, it sure felt a little exhausting setting up the slew of underdeveloped characters and various settings due to its globetrotting nature bouncing around. I'm hoping the sequel is far more action/horror oriented, as the best parts of Hatching were the descriptive segments detailing the spiders hatching within living bodies and eating their way out.
Not as Don Quixote as I was led to believe, but Ignatius J. Riley is certainly an eccentric personality to follow. It's a shame this seems to be a cursed production in regards to adapting it to screen, as I really think it'd do well in the right hands. The likes of Belushi, Divine, John Goodman, Will Ferrell, and Zach Galifinakis have all been linked, yet each production seems to fall apart.
Take a shot for each time Ignatius says “Oh my god,” and when Jones says, “woah!”