Tommy

I usually vibe pretty well with Grandy Hendrix and this short story was no exception. I came away wishing there was a little more of it, but what was here had me hook, line, and sinker.

I was initially a little letdown that this book wasn't lingering on Bruce Campbell's time making The Evil Dead and its sequels enough. I just assumed it would be a deep dive on that experience specifically, more akin to Gunnar Hansen's excellent book on the making of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and it isn't that at all. He covers it plenty, don't get me wrong! I just expected more. And that irked me a little at first, but the more I read of this the more I warmed to the traditional, surface level autobiography approach he went with, because he's definitely an actor who has seen and done enough to justify broadening the scope.

My main takeaway from reading this book was that Campbell comes across as a really personable, humble guy; the whole book seems to be his attempt to illustrate that actors aren't Gods and that most of them are just working stiffs getting by like most people. It was a really endearing read and he's lowkey pretty good at this writing thing! I'll probably end up checking out his other memoirs.

As a southerner and a horror fiend, I really liked this. The characters and setting had me feeling right at home and the villain was fun and unique even if his motivations weren't especially interesting. Really, the only thing holding this one back for me was that it alternated between two plot threads and the B plot was undercooked in a way that made me question its inclusion altogether. That's a pretty minor gripe, though; most of this book entertained the hell out of me.

I'm gonna have to give Ronald Kelly's work a more thorough look sometime soon!

The notion that you can't change the life you're born into but that you can work to change the life you ultimately lead is not new, but it's massively important. Those of us who have had to learn that firsthand still need to be reminded about it sometimes. The back half of this book hit me like a bag of bricks, man. It was powerful! Rachel Harrison rocks.

It pains me to not give this the full five star treatment, but I did have one gripe. I was told more than once that there would be this mindblowing twist fairly early on and I somehow unravelled that twist almost instantly. I'm not good at that kind of thing and I never willfully attempt it, but this one clicked into place in my mind immediately and it got the book and I off to a bad start because I was twiddling my thumbs for a few dozen pages. It was more the fault of word of mouth and coy marketing than the book itself - this is my third Rachel Harrison read to date and I'm definitely a fan - but it did jeopardize what eventually became an immensely rewarding read.

I already knew the Sam Raimi film adaptation was a banger but this was an absolutely incredible read! Just harrowing from start to finish.

Features two seasonal stories. Both are solid ideas, but neither is given any room to breathe and the issue as a whole really suffers for it.

It isn't all that bad in the first tale, “The Christmas Man”, because the story is intentionally simple and straightforward. That being said, the second tale, “Package Thief”, feels like it was hacked away at until some essential something was lost. Great concept, but it was over before it even got started! It could've filled this issue's page count (or more) by itself and would've been better off for it.

While this one shot deserved to have more meat on the bone, both stories looked great and the overall presentation made me excited to seek out more of these comics because the TV show is super fun.

This was... decent. It wasn't anywhere near as scary as I'd been told it was and the story felt like it was stretched pretty thin even though this wasn't an especially long book. Still, it did have a few genuinely unnerving moments and it was engaging enough that I wanted to see it through to the end, which was itself solidly satisfying. This is a book that's neither great nor terrible, but I doubt it's something I'll ever revisit or recommend.

A solid read. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hoping for more from such a fun concept. It started strong but after like two issues the charm began wearing off a bit.

An informative, engaging read. There were times when the book felt a little padded but I still learned a ton of new stuff, especially about the later films from the original run. I just wish they'd gotten to see out the last two movies from the Blumhouse trilogy because, love them or hate them, there's so much there to unpack.

I loved this series so much! It pulled me kicking and screaming out of a particularly terrible reading slump and I'm beyond grateful.

I loved this! It's a fairly simple set up but I found it really engrossing and am excited to move forward from here. I wish I had known about these books when they were new because I have a feeling I would have become absolutely obsessed with them after reading this one.

An engaging, creepy read that really helped me set a tone for this year's spooky season! It maintains a sort of low level, constant eeriness without ever going over the top, but also without ever spiraling downward into dullness. That's a tricky thing to get right and I found the balancing act on display here to be really impressive! A smidge more action might've been an improvement, but it may also have cheapened things? I really came away from this one respecting the author's restraint. And there's no denying that when the story finally does show some teeth it's done so to great effect.

I'm gonna have to dig up the original film adaptation soon! It looks good. Maybe do a double feature with the Daniel Radcliffe version? I remember nothing about that movie other than that I thought it was surprisingly solid.

A few years back I listened to some random podcast's interview with R.L. Stine. He came across really well and it made me appreciate him more as an author, but the main thing that stuck with me was the way he described this book. He felt that it was a bit too scary for its target audience, and mentioned an intentional choice to reign that in a bit as he began work on the rest of the Goosebumps series. Honestly? I wish he hadn't! I don't remember reading this one as a kid, but now that I have I'll say that it compares very favorably to the ones I did read. More nuanced and less gimmicky, with a creepy ending that I would've loved back in the day... and honestly quite liked today! A whole slew of Goosebumps books more like this would've been great!

Gothic horror isn't something I have a ton of experience with, but I've yet to read a Jonathan Janz book I didn't like so I decided to give this a go. I mostly enjoyed it! It's lower tier Janz for me and I left wishing the story had a little more meat on the bone, but I liked the characters and loved both the setting and the general vibe on display. It was fun watching an author I admire adapt their style to fit the norms of a subgenre I know only peripherally. While it wasn't exactly the read I envisioned, it piqued my interest in this style of genre fiction enough to make me want to try more down the line.

An hour before I started this book, I told a friend that I was afraid to read it because I thought it would be too sad now that Leslie Jordan is no longer with us. I wrestled with this for a bit, but ultimately wound up putting the audiobook on my phone and taking it with me on my evening walk. I didn't make it to the 5% mark (I don't think I even made it past the first chapter?) before I was sobbing great big ugly sobs as I walked. I'm glad I live in the middle of nowhere!

Here's the thing: I was bawling like a child, but I definitely wasn't sad. It was bittersweet, for sure, but “sad” is the wrong word entirely. Leslie Jordan's enormous heart, adorable soul, and inimitable charm live on in both the text of this memoir and its wonderful audiobook narration. It is maybe the most pure, and most hopeful, autobiography I've ever read. It's beautiful. I loved it so much that I had to force myself to slow down so I would have the time to truly process the stories and lessons contained within. And so began my short lived, but very lovely, evening ritual of walking and weeping while I listened to one of the coolest entertainers ever hold court as only he can. I must have shed a million tears in the last week and a half and I regret absolutely none of them.

Some of the stories in this book are sad, but many are deeply joyous - and all are written with style and grace. Even the more mundane bits made me feel like I was sitting under the learning tree of an insightful (and hilarious) person. Rest in peace, Leslie Jordan.

One of the better pro wrestling books for sure. The nonlinear story structure deters some people - I was concerned myself going in - but it totally suits what Moxley seems to have been going for here. As opposed to hitting the usual wrestling biography beats in the usual wrestling biography ways, MOX is more of a glimpse into the mind of an artist. An eccentric, but demonstrably brilliant, storyteller who excels at nearly every aspect of a highly specific craft, offering a rare look at his process. Sure, sticking to the tested biography formula might have made for a “better” book on paper, but trying to comply to established norms has always caused Mox, the wrestler, to underdeliver. When he's given free reign to tell pro wrestling stories his way, his voice shines through and they're generally incredible. This book is yet more proof of that: he's telling his actual story, his way, and because of that it's gloriously entertaining and at times even genuinely profound, even if it's a little weird and hard to get used to. It's really very on brand for him.

Fantastic cover; passable book. If the Goodreads Gods allowed for it this would be the definition of a 2.5 rating. Still, the concept is pretty cool and I'll probably check out the film adaptation if it ever actually comes out.

A good read, though admittedly a difficult one in places. The artwork was really striking!

I made it through to the end but there honestly wasn't much to love here beyond the Halloweenie aesthetic and even that wasn't used to its full potential. The characters were bland and the titular Halloween creature too vague and nebulously described to really keep you interested. There's probably a good story lurking in here somewhere but as is I was pretty let down. If pressed to say anything positive I'd say that I (mostly) liked the fiend's rhythmic dialogue.

Another good book from Jonathan Janz. This one was a real bloodbath! The characters were memorable and the story was interesting throughout. I do wish the lore was a little more developed but I think Janz must've been going for something quick and nasty with this one, which he achieved.

This team up just feels right! I already knew David Avallone had a good handle on writing Elvira but his take on Vincent Price is just as wonderful. This was SO much fun; I'd love to see a sequel down the line.

Feels good to finally knock this one off the ole bucket list!

While this is undeniably an epic, I do have to dock a star because at 1,152 pages it feels a bit bloated. The first quarter of the book was very repetitive, to the point that I almost gave up before the story even got rolling. I'm glad I stuck with it, though, because once the wheels began to turn this became a fascinating read, crawling with wonderful characters and that signature Stephen King storytelling. The book has its flaws, but it also has some of the best King writing I've read so far.

If you're wondering why it took me a year and a half to read this 230 page book, well, it's because every time I picked it up it gave me a serious case of the creeps.

As a person with a lifelong interest in the paranormal, I don't scare easily... but something about black eyed kid sightings really unnerves me. Every time I'd open this book my skin would crawl and I'd get this uneasy feeling that someone strange would soon come knocking at my door. I rarely made it through more than a chapter - and these aren't long chapters - in a go before I'd get weird and shut the book, often leaving it shut for weeks or even months at a time. Tonight an odd urge hit me and I stayed up late, devouring the last few chapters in one go, still unable to shake the feeling that if I kept reading something otherworldly would come calling for me in the dead of night. Nothing did, of course, but tonight isn't over just yet...

My experience with this book was so strange. I'm glad to be done with it because it gave me the willies. That said, the author did a good job; it's a great read with lots of chilling encounters and interesting theories. If you're intrigued by the subject, it's definitely the book to start with!

This was unfortunately the worst King thing I've read to date. Hill too, actually. It felt rushed, skeletal, and surprisingly amateurish. I love both authors but I can't shake the feeling that they really phoned this one in.

An excellent read for fans of pro wrestling! Makes a great companion piece to the equally wonderful The Death of WCW by R.D. Reynolds and Bryan Alvarez. Read that one first because it covers the actual pro wrestling side of the WCW story in more detail, then graduate to this one to learn all about the company's calamitous corporate culture. Some people may find NITRO a little less entertaining than The Death of WCW because it deals more in boardrooms than brainbusters, but I personally thought it was fascinating.